Tianmu City, the largest settlement in all of Yuexing Province.
This remote pocket realm, tucked away at the continent's desolate edge, lacked any unified governance. Instead, it was ruled by a fragile balance of four local sects, each led by a single Divine Transformation stage cultivator, the pinnacle of power here.
Such places avoided total devastation primarily through their sheer isolation and lack of valuable resources. The once plentiful fallen ones in the region had been nearly exterminated by incoming super factions over the centuries, leaving only rare, hidden organizations like the Black Seal.
With the Skeleton Emperor and his two other top powerhouses still dormant, very few true fallen remained active. More importantly, the Black Seal's top three had demarcated clear territories, and this particular region clearly belonged to that reclusive Five Elements Sacred Body practitioner, which kept other Black Seal members deliberately away.
Thus, Tianmu City now thrived as a chaotic hub. When Su Min entered its bustling main gate, she paused momentarily, taking in the scene.
The city teemed with cultivators of all levels, all drawn by the rumors of the Five Elements Mountain, utterly oblivious that they had likely been marked as prey while celebrating their seemingly bountiful harvests from the periphery. Yet such places, lacking any absolute authority, faced another inherent issue, pure chaos.
"Truly a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. In some ways, these people do not differ much from those fallen ones."
Perched on a mountain peak overlooking the city, Su Min impassively surveyed the scene below. She could clearly sense the spiritual residue of countless corpses in the surrounding forests, the remains of cultivators ranging from the Body Refining to the Foundation Establishment stages.
All were victims of robbery murders. The sight made Su Min rub her temples in frustration. This boded ill, Tianmu City itself would be dangerously, unpredictably chaotic. She might need to massacre extensively just to intimidate the lawless elements and ensure her own mission wasn't constantly interrupted.
"Thankfully I am displaying late Divine Transformation cultivation. If I showed Nascent Soul or Golden Core power, it would have been even more troublesome."
Su Min massaged her forehead. A weaker display might have forced her to reveal her true power prematurely, drawing the exact attention she wanted to avoid.
"Time to move."
Transforming into a faint streak of light, she reached the city gates in an instant. Upon entering the crowded main thoroughfare, she immediately sensed numerous hostile, assessing gazes landing on her.
"What a delicate looking girl, barely eleven or twelve, wandering here all alone."
"No visible cultivation aura, but that could mean she is an expert. Ordinary girls who come here often just end up in the brothels."
"Hahaha, do not act rashly. Look, the Savage Dog Gang is already making their move. They are backed by one of the province's strongest sects, the Harmony Union, the ones specializing in that yin absorption technique. That refined little thing would make an excellent cultivation cauldron."
As the spectators commented, Su Min's eyebrow twitched imperceptibly. She sighed inwardly, her original appearance caused even greater commotion, hence this juvenile form. But regardless of the disguise, one problem remained unchangeable, her gender.
Unwilling to transform into a muscular barbie doll, she knew any female form would inevitably attract this particular brand of scum.
"Seeking death."
Watching the group of five men approaching, three at Body Refining, two at Qi Refining, Su Min spoke coolly. These were opponents she could not have resisted when she first transmigrated into this world, but now they were less than insects.
She simply walked past the leering men as if they did not exist.
"???"
The bystanders froze, then gasped in unison as the five thugs collapsed to the ground, lifeless, their spirits extinguished.
"Hiss, what just happened?"
"Idiots, clearly that girl is a powerful cultivator. Have you not heard the rule? Never provoke the elderly or children traveling alone, especially tender looking ones who might be older than your grandfather."
"Damn, some kind of Eternal Child technique."
"You fucking,"
"God, I want to slaughter them all."
Hearing the surrounding chatter, Su Min's temple throbbed with irritation. She had simply crushed the thugs' spiritual cores with a thought, using her late Divine Transformation pressure, which was massive overkill for mere Qi Refining riffraff.
These human trash warranted no real attention, but the stupid comments grated on her. Though Tianmu City now hosted many visiting cultivators, the locals still comprised the majority, and they were all ultimately under the thumb of the four ruling factions.
Moreover, most proper cultivators rarely attacked ordinary people without cause. Killing them brought no spiritual benefits while incurring minor karmic backlash. Blind, wanton slaughter earned heaven's disdain, making future tribulations deadlier.
With no gains and only losses, most sane cultivators avoided massacres, which allowed the common folk to survive in their shadow.
But these ordinary folk naturally lacked any perception of powerful cultivators. Combined with her deliberately youthful appearance, they simply could not comprehend what had just transpired.
"Hahaha, may I ask your esteemed name?"
As Su Min proceeded further into the city, boisterous laughter echoed as an imposing, pressure filled aura blanketed the streets, forcing the weaker bystanders to their knees.
"Greetings to the Savage Lion Sect Leader, Kuang Batian!"
The brief, fearful introduction from the crowd made Su Min narrow her eyes slightly.
The shirtless, muscular man who landed before her appeared to be in his thirties, his skin exuding a metallic luster under the sunlight, his explosive physical power palpable. More notably, his cultivation at the late Divine Transformation stage matched what she was displaying on the surface.
"The four sect leaders here are all at late Divine Transformation. The weaker ones got eliminated long ago," he said by way of explanation, a sharp grin on his face.
Maintaining a politely cold composure, Su Min teleported the short distance to stand directly before him.
"You may call me Le Xi. I am a loose cultivator from abroad."
The vast world naturally hosted a number of powerful rogues with unknown backgrounds, so Kuang Batian simply smiled wider, accepting this. "Honored Lady Le Xi, please grace our Savage Lion Sect with your presence. We have much to discuss."
"Oh?"
"You have come for the Five Elements Mountain, have you not? It is perilous, yet it represents a rare opportunity for late Divine Transformation cultivators like us seeking to comprehend our laws and break through to Dao Comprehension. Our four sects plan a joint expedition into the deeper zones. With your strength, why not join us?"
"Very well."
After only a brief consideration, Su Min agreed. Traveling alone into a known trap seemed unwise. Having several late Divine Transformation companions might help lure out her true target.
Moreover, this man, Kuang Batian, felt slightly, off. There was a strange dissonance in his aura she could not quite place.
"After you."
"Mm."
Following Kuang Batian's gesture, both of their figures vanished from the main street, leaving the stunned crowd behind.
"Damn, that girl really matches Kuang Batian's level?"
"Undoubtedly. Otherwise he would have just captured her."
"Hiss—"
The crowd inhaled sharply. Despite his boisterous, crude demeanor, Kuang Batian was a known madman who only respected pure strength in his peers. Those weaker than him received a brutal slap down, not an invitation.
"Enough gawking, back to your own business."
The crowd quickly dispersed, the strange incident already fading as normalcy returned to the chaotic streets.
Inside the main hall of the Savage Lion Sect, Su Min and Kuang Batian sat opposite each other. Though he was but an ant to her true power, she meticulously maintained her persona, her expression cool and detached.
"What does Sect Leader Kuang know about the mountain's interior?"
She needed local intelligence, and regardless of his motives, the sheer power gap rendered any treachery from him utterly harmless.
"You may not know this, but the Five Elements Mountain is truly bizarre. Outwardly, it seems like an ordinary, if rich, pocket realm. Its periphery truly does teem with low level treasures."
"Mm."
Su Min nodded. It made sense. As fundamental world elements, abundantly concentrated five elements energy would naturally create spiritually blessed lands, causing herbs and ores to flourish.
"But these so called treasures mean nothing to cultivators at our level, while they attract hordes of Foundation Establishment and below cultivators like flies. They can grow their strength rapidly there, which fuels the frenzy. Yet anything that would be beneficial even to Golden Core cultivators only grows in the truly deadly areas."
"That is normal for a rich realm. So what is the real issue?"
"Elemental creatures, condensed from the chaotic energy. They are manageable for a coordinated team like mine. But what we truly seek,"
Kuang Batian's expression darkened, his eyes growing distant, clearly he had encountered something deeply unsettling in his previous forays.
"So you are teaming up with your three rivals? I saw the other auras in the city."
"Hahaha, indeed. But we are not true enemies, not when there is real profit to be had. Only our underlings die occasionally."
Su Min inwardly sneered. The countless corpses surrounding the city undoubtedly originated from this very arrangement. As the local powers, they surely ambushed departing treasure bearers, a risk free profiteering scheme.
The blood soaked aura around him would normally have provoked Su Min's killing intent. As a practitioner who had walked the Path of Slaughter, she instinctively loathed such blood debt carriers who preyed on the weak.
"When do the others arrive?"
"Tomorrow. With your strength added to ours, our chances of success improve dramatically."
"Chances?"
Su Min feigned interest while maintaining her cold loli expression. She had long since learned that when one was poor at deception, complete, unreadable impassivity worked best.
"Indeed. On our last scouting trip, we discovered a cave system containing peculiar, multi colored crystals. They form in unprecedented natural formations where the metal, wood, water, fire, and earth elements harmonize perfectly without conflict. We believe obtaining them could greatly aid our law comprehension, perhaps even providing the final push we need."
"Distribution?"
"Playing dumb?"
Kuang Batian grumbled internally at her blunt, mercenary question. Earlier, he had sensed a concerningly sharp late Divine Transformation aura entering the city, one that matched his own, and had rushed over to investigate, only to find this little girl.
Though startled by her appearance, he immediately recognized the potential for cooperation. She clearly came for the mountain and lacked any interest in his sect or territory.
But her deadpan, disinterested expression irked him. At his level of power and influence, women came effortlessly, and this kind of cold shouldering was unprecedented. Suppressing his irritation, he maintained a professional composure. In this strength worshipping world, true equals deserved a baseline of respect, regardless of personal feelings.
"We split the core findings five equal ways. One share for each of the four sect leaders, and one for you."
"Deal."
Su Min allowed a small, cold smile while inwardly scoffing. Those "crystals" were almost certainly the self severed practitioner's condensed essence, her true target.
More importantly, they were probably bait. Though unsure how the practitioner had preserved its post severance essence, Su Min recognized the classic trap, luring in powerful Divine Transformation and even Dao Comprehension experts to fight and die for them, feeding some unknown purpose.
Little did the hunter know what kind of predator now lurked among this batch of prey.
"Pleasure doing business."
Kuang Batian grinned widely, a predatory flash in his own eyes as they sealed their mutually distrustful pact. No soul oaths were exchanged, only a verbal agreement between parties who fully intended to betray each other at the most opportune moment.