Seeing Su Min again, Lin Yao's heart felt impossibly light, as if all the weight of her long journey and lonely cultivation had simply evaporated.
No matter how lofty Su Min's cultivation had become, she had never worn the arrogance of power that so many experts did. She moved through the world like moonlight, distant but never truly cold. She seemed aloof at first glance, yes, but those who knew her, even a little, understood that her indifference was merely habit, a layer of protection, not genuine disdain. Beneath it was the quiet warmth of someone who had lived too long, lost too much, and still, against all odds, chose to care, deeply, but quietly.
Lin Yao cherished that hidden warmth about her more than anything.
Even now, sprawled unceremoniously in Su Min's arms after tackling her to the ground, she saw no trace of annoyance in her master's eyes. Just a slight, familiar frown, touched with unmistakable amusement.
Of course, all of that gentle tolerance only applied to those she was familiar with. As the continent's top alchemist, Su Min had to maintain some defenses and a certain reputation, or she would be constantly harassed by people seeking favors. People had even tried morality blackmail on her before, not realizing that Su Min operated on her own unique moral compass and had no conventional morals to speak of when it came to protecting her own.
"Get off me, you brat. It has not been that long, has it? Do not tell me you have missed me that much." Su Min gave her a once over, her tone casual but her gaze sharp and assessing. "Hmm, already at the late Divine Transformation stage? Not bad. Have you comprehended any laws yet? How far are you from breaking through to Dao Comprehension?"
It was not judgment in her voice. It was concern, buried deep beneath the usual teasing tone. Lin Yao heard it clearly, and her heart stirred with a familiar, aching fondness.
"Mm," she started to reply, her voice soft, but before the words could fully leave her lips, something in the atmosphere shifted.
A sudden, profound stillness descended. The courtyard air itself seemed to thin and grow heavy.
Then came the cold.
Not the natural chill of wind or winter, but something deeper, a bone deep and silent cold that had nothing to do with temperature. It was the hush before a heavy snowfall, the absolute stillness of a predator stepping into view.
Without a sound, without even a ripple of displaced air, Xie Yingying appeared.
She did not walk into the courtyard. She simply materialized, a vision in pale, flowing robes. Her potent Taiyin aura spread outward from her like an invisible, cold mist rising from an open crypt. It slipped effortlessly through the weak spiritual seals Lin Yao had instinctively raised, brushing against her skin with the threatening sharpness of a blade made of pure silence.
Even with her Netherworld Ghost Flame coiled defensively in her dantian, a reflexive response to the threat, Lin Yao flinched internally. Not visibly, but her spirit recoiled, like a small prey animal suddenly finding itself under the shadow of a great, ancient dragon.
"Welcome back," Xie Yingying said, her voice flat.
Her tone was perfectly polite. Her actions were decidedly not.
With a grace that was both effortless and absolute, she reached forward and peeled Lin Yao away from Su Min's embrace. Her slender fingers were soft against Lin Yao's arm, but their grip was utterly unyielding. She did not shove or pull roughly. She simply corrected. It was the motion of someone straightening a painting that had tilted slightly off the wall. The unspoken message was crystal clear.
"This position does not belong to you."
Lin Yao offered no resistance. She could not. Not after surviving months of brutal, personalized training under Xie Yingying's direct supervision, where what the woman called a light sparring session could still leave Lin Yao's soul aching a week later. Not when the weight of that unblinking, dark gaze pinned her in place as effectively as a needle through a butterfly's wing.
"Not yet," Lin Yao said stiffly, avoiding Xie Yingying's eyes and focusing on a point on Su Min's shoulder. "No signs of any breakthrough progress either."
It was the truth. The path to Dao Comprehension felt like a distant, foggy mountain, no matter how many precious pills she swallowed or how many minor inheritances she chased under Xie Yingying's direction.
Her usual, bright cheer dimmed. Not because of Su Min's presence, which was everything she had hoped for. But because Xie Yingying was always there, watchful, wordless, and cold as deep frost. She did not understand what she had done wrong to earn such scrutiny. She was not trying to compete. She did not demand anything. All she wanted was to remain near her Master, to bask in that rare, warm attention for just a little longer.
But whenever Lady Xie looked at her, it was as though she were being weighed on a celestial scale and found perpetually wanting. Like she was clutter. An unnecessary object that did not belong in the picture.
She did not hate her for it. How could she hate someone so integral to her Master's life?
She just did not know how long she could survive under the constant, silent pressure of that gaze.
"Is that so," Su Min said, watching the brief, tense exchange. She raised a curious brow. She glanced sideways at Xie Yingying, whose half lidded gaze gave away nothing, but Su Min could sense the subtle shift in the energy around her. That faint, familiar prickling on the back of her neck was not just residual killing intent from the woman's cultivation. It was something else, something more specific. Something territorial.
And though Su Min did not fully understand the precise shape or reason for it, she had been alive long enough to recognize the edges of that particular emotion. Not that she would ever acknowledge it aloud. She cleared her throat softly and smoothly redirected the topic to practical business, while secretly cheering internally. If Lin Yao had already comprehended laws and was on the verge of Dao Comprehension, it would have been much harder to persuade her to take this risk. This situation was actually perfect for her plans.
"Master, do you have any methods? Any advice for my breakthrough?" Lin Yao asked nervously as she watched Su Min appear to fall deep in thought. For cultivators, advancing to the next stage was their eternal, driving pursuit. Every Divine Transformation cultivator dreamed of Dao Comprehension, every Dao Comprehension expert yearned for Unity. These desires were inevitable and all consuming.
"I do, actually. But it is somewhat dangerous. It requires real risk."
"What method?" Lin Yao grew even more excited at Su Min's words, leaning forward slightly.
"The ancient battlefield. You came through there to get here, right? How was the experience?"
"Uh."
The mere mention of that place made Lin Yao instinctively shudder as she recalled the oppressive, death filled landscape. Countless Dao Comprehension level monsters and fallen spirits lurked in its depths. She had only escaped with her life by moving with extreme, paranoid caution, her heart in her throat the entire time. It had been an utterly harrowing experience.
Now Su Min seemed to be suggesting she go back? Willingly?
"You guessed right. The ancient battlefield contains everything a cultivator needs for a breakthrough. Pressure, opportunity, and the raw stuff of laws. Your constitution is uniquely powerful, and you have been blessed with heavenly flames, proof of exceptional luck. If you want to advance further, to truly temper your will and comprehension, that is the only place I would seriously recommend."
"This," Lin Yao paled slightly.
"That companion who explored the ancient battlefield with me all those years ago, he gained special benefits there, obtaining an inheritance perfectly suited to his physique. Not only did he reach Dao Comprehension swiftly, he secured his entire path straight through to Unity. I believe you could find similar, tailored opportunities. As for safety, I can craft some powerful protective artifacts for you to take along."
Here, Su Min subtly glanced at Xie Yingying, who remained a silent, statuesque presence, offering neither endorsement nor objection.
"Then I," Lin Yao hesitated, biting her lip, then fell into deep contemplation. This would be her first time truly, completely facing life or death danger alone. In her homeworld, she had been everyone's protected genius girl. Though some rivals had wanted her dead, Su Min had always been a looming, unseen guardian standing behind her. Entering the battlefield alone meant her master could offer no direct protection. She would be on her own.
To Su Min's experienced eyes, Lin Yao was far too green. Her overly smooth cultivation journey, while impressive, meant she had never truly experienced mortal combat completely alone, without a safety net. She lacked the crucial tempering that comes from staring into the abyss by yourself. The ancient battlefield, with its controlled but very real dangers, would be the perfect training to forge that missing steel in her.
Safety was not a major concern either, in the grand scheme. The battlefield had its own ancient rules that limited the power of its inhabitants. As long as Lin Yao did not seek death by charging into the most forbidden zones, she would likely be fine with proper preparation.
Of course, this strategic decision had absolutely nothing to do with Su Min also wanting her to conveniently collect some high quality corpses while she was there. While legendary Mahayana level remains were rumored to exist deep within, Dao Comprehension level ones were relatively plentiful in the middle regions. The specific lightning eating puppets Su Min planned to make were mainly for resisting future pill tribulations, so even if the corpses had deteriorated over the millennia, their foundational bone structure and residual power would more than suffice.
Moreover, the Puppet Emperor's jade slip contained a special material stacking technique, allowing weaker materials to be combined for a stronger whole. Where there is a will, there is a way. Thus Su Min needed Lin Yao to gather a sufficient number of sufficiently high level corpses. Given Lin Yao's current abilities and the artifacts Su Min would provide, any leftover spiritual tricks or curses on old Dao Comprehension corpses would not pose a real threat to her.
"Alright," Lin Yao said finally, her voice firming with resolve. "I will prepare to enter again."
"Excellent. What assistance do you need specifically? And forget about borrowing any imperial artifacts, their auras are too powerful and cannot enter the battlefield's spatial rules. But I can prepare other treasures for you, up to Heaven grade high tier. Just name it."
"Master, I want a full set of armor," Lin Yao said immediately, her eyes lighting up. "A complete, matching set. Back in my world, the best armor any blacksmith could craft was Earth grade middle tier at best. No one had the skill or materials for anything higher."
"Granted," Su Min replied without a moment's hesitation, as if Lin Yao had asked for a cup of water.
She did not ask for details or justification. If Lin Yao wanted it, believed she needed it, then Su Min would make it happen. That was simply how Su Min handled her own people.
Xie Yingying spoke next, her tone cool but measured, as if offering impartial advice. "Then you should go and begin your preparations. The ancient battlefield's laws forbid Dao Comprehension cultivators from entering. For someone like you, still firmly at Divine Transformation, it is a rare and time sensitive opportunity. And with a unique constitution like yours, if you are careful and clever, your chances of gaining something valuable, are decent."
Her dark gaze lingered on Lin Yao for a second too long. Not with open hostility, but with a sharp, thorough assessing quality. And a subtle, unshakeable dismissiveness, as if Lin Yao's very presence was a temporary, solvable problem.
"Understood. I will go get ready immediately." Lin Yao nodded quickly and turned away, leaving the courtyard without another word, not even a glance back at Su Min. She was gone in a few heartbeats, her footsteps fading rapidly. No parting glance, no clumsy attempt at lingering. Just silence, and the echo of her departure. She had sensed the clear, unspoken intent behind Xie Yingying's advice and knew better than to ignore it.
As the courtyard door clicked shut, a thin, uncomfortable quiet settled over the room.
Xie Yingying did not speak, but Su Min could feel the pressure in the air shift slightly, becoming less oppressive but more focused. It was not threatening, but it carried a definite, heavy weight.
Intent. She had something to say.
"You chased her off pretty neatly," Su Min remarked with a slight, wry smile, glancing at her sidelong. "You know I was not going to let her cling to me all day, right? I can handle my own disciples."
Xie Yingying said nothing, her face a beautiful, impassive mask.
Su Min leaned back against a stone pillar, folding her arms across her chest. "So. Judging by that particular look on your face, this little performance was not really about Lin Yao, at least, not directly. What is it?"
Her tone was casual, but the sharp, knowing glint in her eyes said she was not taking this lightly. She knew Xie Yingying well enough by now to recognize that specific look. Perfectly calm on the surface, but taut and coiled underneath, like a spring under pressure. Whatever she wanted to talk about was not trivial gossip.
Xie Yingying finally met her gaze fully, her dark eyes serious.
"Correct. That Black Seal organization you have mentioned before, their top three seats seem to have fully awakened from their long slumber. In just the past two years, several mid tier sects near the western border were completely annihilated, their spiritual veins drained. Even the ancient city you have ties with was attacked. Had I not arrived in time with the Golden Crow Bell, they would have been wiped out entirely."
"Impossible! What about their hidden reserves? Their guardian formations?"
Su Min was genuinely startled. That ancient city sect coexisted with the former Blood Puppet Sect in their shared minor realm. After Su Min destroyed the Blood Puppets, relations with the city had been perfectly harmonious.
The Immortal Sect had no territorial ambitions in that realm beyond controlling the main spatial passage for trade. With their core power base remaining firmly in the Eastern Sea, all interactions had been smooth and mutually beneficial.
Especially with Su Min's reputation looming over them, the ancient city's leadership was not foolish enough to provoke someone who had obliterated their former rivals.
Su Min knew for a fact their hidden reserves and defensive capabilities surpassed the old Blood Puppet Sect's. They possessed at least three Heaven grade high tier artifacts, though each use carried heavy spiritual costs for the user.
While they could not compare to true super factions who possessed imperial artifacts, they ranked just below them. They even had a permanent Dao Comprehension expert stationed there for defense, yet they had nearly been destroyed?
"Black Seal's third seat, they call him the Heavenly Demon Venerable. He has early Unity stage cultivation. If not for him fearing the power of my imperial artifact, I could not have held my ground against him in a real, prolonged fight."
"Well, well." Su Min was stunned, her mind racing. Over recent decades, she had killed several of their lower ranked members and had come to understand their general hierarchy and strength.
While the appearance of a Unity stage expert did not particularly surprise her given their history, the speed and audacity of this attack was explosive news.
"But do not worry too much about our immediate safety. Donghuang Taiyu has successfully reached the Unity stage. The sect's core defense is not an issue, but venturing outside our protected territories now carries great risks."
"That is enough, then. In times like these, personal and sect survival comes first. As for saving the entire world, we can only do our best and hope it is enough."
Su Min sighed deeply, a rare sound of weariness. Clearly, no one, not even the other super sects, had any real solutions to this rising tide. Even the most powerful factions would face grave dangers if too many of their key members left the safety of their fortified bases.
That the Little Golden Crow had reached the Unity stage was fantastic news. With her and the Golden Crow Bell guarding the sect's heart, they would be as safe as anyone could be in these turbulent times. Though the Black Seal Society differed from other, mindless fallen ones, they shared all the same problematic, world consuming traits.
"How are the little kirins doing?" Su Min asked, changing the subject to something slightly less dire.
"Still stuck at the Golden Core stage. Divine beasts need truly massive amounts of specific energy to grow. The old kirin ancestral lands supposedly had a natural Five Elements domain, a special territory built from five interconnected elemental divine artifacts. We lack that kind of foundational treasure here. So we have had to keep those colorful little kirins confined to the spirit vein valley, waiting for their king to mature and hopefully manifest the domain power naturally."
"What about the Black Kirin's own growth? If I eventually took the Central Wutu Divine Earth from her, would the kirin clan fight me over it?"
"They would not. According to the elder kirins, their ancestral secret realm holds backup divine artifacts. This particular piece of Central Wutu Divine Earth was always meant to be a tradeable resource. It can be yours, as agreed."
"Perfect." Su Min nodded in satisfaction. After all her efforts and the resources the sect had poured into raising them, this was the primary thing she had wanted from the very beginning.
"How much longer until she is ready to produce it?"
"About a century, by their estimate. There is nothing we can do to speed it up. It is a matter of her natural growth cycle."
"We will wait then, it is not like I am short on time. Oh, that reminds me, I have something good for you here."
Su Min raised her hand, producing a small, intricately carved wooden box from her sleeve.
"What is this?" Xie Yingying looked puzzled at the simple, unadorned container floating in the air between them.
"A Great Emperor's tomb."
Before Su Min could even finish speaking, Xie Yingying had already flashed eight zhang away in an instant, her expression a mix of alarm and incredulity while she cursed under her breath.
"Why in the world did you bring this thing here? Are you not afraid of the emperor's corpse awakening or some curse leaking out?"
It was common knowledge that after a Transcendence stage cultivator's natural lifespan ended, their powerful body did not always die immediately but could become an ownerless vessel. All sorts of strange and malevolent entities could emerge from such potent corpses. Born from the residue of death, these entities harbored insane, instinctual desires to consume the living to sustain themselves. Thus, most responsible Great Emperors properly disposed of their own bodies through special rites before true death.
"What are you so afraid of? This is the Puppet Ancient Emperor's tomb. He dismantled his own body, and his imperial artifact was taken apart by the Medicine Buddha too. It is completely harmless, I checked thoroughly. The best part is the puppets inside regenerate their spiritual energy every few weeks. They are perfect, reusable training partners ranging from early Dao Comprehension all the way up to Mahayana levels. It is an ideal, safe inheritance ground for our core disciples."
"Fine then." Reassured by Su Min's confident explanation, Xie Yingying flew back to her side, though she still kept a cautious eye on the box. She knew Su Min would not lie to her about something this serious, and her worries finally eased. This would be immensely useful to her own training as well. True enlightenment and bottleneck breakthroughs often came only in the space between life and death. But then she remembered the Emperor's infamous reputation. "That guy experimented on many divine beasts to make his puppets. Now that they are in our sect, what if the Golden Crow or the dragons see this and,"
"I will handle any diplomatic fallout. Here," Su Min said, handing over another jade slip. "Place this jade slip in the most prominent spot of the main scripture repository. Let any disciple who is interested study it."
"Alright, this is, the Puppet Ancient Emperor's complete inheritance? My, is not this an edited version?" Xie Yingying examined the new jade slip with keen interest. A Great Emperor's inheritance was no small matter. Sects possessing such complete legacies often became super factions, but obtaining one usually meant surviving a gauntlet of deadly trials, a classic case of nine deaths for one survivor. Had Su Min not been overwhelmingly strong and preternaturally cautious enough during her journey, she might have died many times over.
The edited version Xie Yingying mentioned made perfect sense, as she skimmed the contents. This puppet compendium was clearly divided into two distinct parts. One was normal, focusing on puppets crafted from ores, woods, and spiritual materials. The other, sealed section contained more esoteric and forbidden methods involving human and biological components. The late emperor had thoughtfully pre separated them for his successor.
At least Su Min would not need to painstakingly filter out the problematic content herself before making it available.
"Correct. That sealed part violates the natural order and basic ethics. I will not disclose it lightly, and only to a fully vetted elder if absolutely necessary. Now that you mention the Black Seal, I need to leave immediately. You handle things here with the tomb and the inheritance."
After leaving the necessary items with a trusted partner, Su Min transformed into a streak of light and vanished from the courtyard without ceremony. Her destination was the central mountain peak where the Fusang Ancient Tree stood. The reason was simple. Her storage ring contained several carefully preserved divine beast corpses from the tomb.
Two of them, a Golden Crow and a water dragon, had been properly sealed in restorative fluids. This was her way of making amends to the respective clans. Soon she spotted the Little Golden Crow in her preferred human form, a young looking girl in a brilliant golden dress sitting absently on a high branch of the ancient tree. Her initial joy and surprise at seeing Su Min after so long quickly turned to confusion, then to sheer, incandescent fury as Su Min explained the origin of the corpses.
The very idea of turning her clansmen into puppets sounded as absurd and horrifying to her as a human hearing a suggestion to turn their own family into zombies.
"The Puppet Ancient Emperor? That bastard's legacy is still around? I thought he was gone for good! Where is he? If he is still clinging to existence somewhere, I will tear down every last one of his temples myself."
Seeing the physical proof of her desecrated clansmen, the Little Golden Crow erupted in a rage that made the very air shimmer with heat. Su Min could only roll her eyes internally at the dramatic spectacle, patiently waiting for the storm to pass so she could explain the actual, current situation.
===
Damn. Is she jealous???
Xie Yingying jealous???
LOL