"You've been carrying this sword all this time?"
Su Min's voice was low, a complex mix of exasperation and soft amusement. Her gaze dropped to the simple, plain, Mystic grade weapon held in Xie Yingying's hand.
It was utterly unworthy of her now.
"It's completely unsuitable," Su Min added, shaking her head slowly. "You're at the Unity stage. This thing might as well be a cooking knife compared to what you should be wielding."
She meant it as a light joke, but she felt her own heart tighten in her chest.
Lin Yao had told her, quietly and without any accusation, that Xie Yingying had kept using the sword Su Min gave her all the way back during the Golden Core Heavenly Rankings. Back then, it was literally the best she could offer. Su Min hadn't forged anything in years. Resources were desperately tight. Her own legendary flames had yet to fully return.
Even so, she hadn't expected Xie Yingying to still be using it, not after all this time and through so many battles.
"Had she really carried it all this time?"
A sharp twinge of guilt threaded its way through her chest. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. Someone like Xie Yingying, prideful, immensely powerful, blessed with a divine constitution, deserved a weapon that matched her brilliance.
And instead, she'd been fighting her battles with what was essentially a half dull blade, because Su Min had given it to her.
"I didn't have the heart to throw it away," Xie Yingying said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Su Min glanced up, surprised. There was no sarcasm in the reply, no hidden bite. Just a quiet, simple truth.
She looked at the old sword again. Then back at the woman holding it.
"You're hopeless."
But her voice was gentle, fond.
The next moment, a flash of brilliant light flickered in her palm. A new sword materialized, resting lightly across her outstretched hands. It shimmered with translucent blues and deep violet black veins, its edge so sharp and cold it seemed to chill the very air around it.
"Here," she said. "Your new weapon."
Xie Yingying blinked, her usual composure faltering.
"This is..."
"A low tier Heaven grade artifact," Su Min said, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. "I forged it last week. The Profound Nether Ice Soul Sword."
Xie Yingying took a half step forward, her eyes wide and fixed on the blade.
Her fingers hovered over the cool metal, almost reverent. The weapon pulsed with a faint, acknowledging light in response to her proximity, as if recognizing its future wielder. For a long, silent moment, she said nothing. Then,
"So beautiful…"
Her voice came out in a hushed, awed whisper.
Su Min didn't reply. She didn't need to.
She knew what that look meant. She knew how rare it was to see such open, unguarded delight on Xie Yingying's face. For someone who had survived for so long on pride, caution, and isolation, a gift wasn't just a gift. It was permission to trust. It was proof that someone remembered her, thought of her, chose her.
Back when the Heavenly Yin Sect still stood, they'd given her many things, cultivation manuals, the Xuantian Mansion itself. But never weapons like this. She was too unique. Too hard to craft for. In the end, she'd resorted to using a calligraphy brush as a weapon. Elegant, yes, but never truly hers, never truly meant for battle.
But this...
This was made for her.
And more than that, it was from her.
Xie Yingying held the new sword close to her chest, almost as if she were afraid it might disappear if she let go.
"Test it later," Su Min said. "Get familiar with its spiritual rhythm. If it doesn't sync properly with you, I'll reforge the core."
"Hm?" Xie Yingying looked up, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. "You'll reforge it just like that?"
"If it's for you," Su Min said, her tone matter of fact, "I'll do it as many times as I have to."
That simple statement seemed to stun her into silence.
Su Min continued casually, though her voice was a little quieter than usual. "If you need any specific pills, just tell me. Anything. Don't hold back."
Xie Yingying blinked, startled by the sudden shift in tone and the sheer breadth of the offer. "What are you planning?"
Su Min didn't answer right away. Her fingers tapped once, lightly, against the new sword's hilt before withdrawing.
"A team fight," she said finally.
"…Eh?"
"I'm not going to face the end alone. Someone's trying to kill me. So I'm gathering a team."
The words were blunt, stripped of any prettiness. But Xie Yingying heard what lay underneath, trust. Inclusion. Need.
Her eyes narrowed, her lips curling ever so slightly into a dangerous, sharp edged smile. "Tch. Who dares?"
She didn't need to ask for a name. Didn't care. If anyone laid a hand on Su Min, they'd lose it. It was as simple as that.
Su Min chuckled under her breath, a low, soft sound, and reached into her sleeve, pulling out several small, intricately carved pill vials. She handed them over without any fanfare.
"Eighth grade. Healing and spirit recovery. Freshly refined."
Xie Yingying looked down at the vials resting in her palm, then up again, her expression unreadable for a long moment.
Then she gave a soft, acknowledging hum, and for the first time in days, she smiled without any restraint. Not the cold, poised smile she wore in front of others, but something gentler, warmer. The kind of smile she only ever showed to Su Min.
She tucked the vials away safely into her storage ring. "Mmm. I'll use them well."
There was no "thank you." No need for it. Between them, such words were far too shallow.
"Report, Tian Hao has arrived."
Just then, Lin Yao's voice sounded clearly from outside the chamber. After their last meeting, they'd exchanged contact methods for convenience.
Summoning Tian Hao had been utterly effortless, especially since he'd rushed over without a moment's hesitation upon hearing that this involved annihilating the Black Seal.
As Su Min had guessed, inheriting the legacy of that Mahayana peak expert with the Great Desolate Holy Body had propelled him all the way to the Unity stage. His strength was now truly comparable to her own.
"Send him in."
Su Min allowed a small smile to touch her lips. Soon, a strikingly handsome young man entered the room.
"Miss Su, long time no see."
Tian Hao greeted her with polite respect. He bore no grudges against her, and given his perpetually miserable circumstances, there was no sense in making more enemies.
"Are you prepared? This battle will likely involve nothing but Unity stage experts. One of them is, special. Even if we join forces, killing him might be impossible."
"Impossible?"
Tian Hao stiffened, his expression turning serious. Both of them were virtually invincible within their realm. For two such powerhouses to struggle against a single Unity stage opponent was nearly unthinkable.
"A former Great Emperor. Think of Yao Xian'er, though he's far weaker than her. And compared to our gap with her during the Golden Core Heavenly Rankings, we've narrowed the distance significantly."
"..."
Her analogy made Tian Hao's lips twitch involuntarily. He'd fought Yao Xian'er before and been reduced to dust without any effort on her part. Though she hadn't gone for the kill, or even seemed to fight seriously.
Su Min sighed inwardly. This enemy wouldn't be easy to handle. A Great Emperor, even a fallen one, was in an entirely different league from Mahayana cultivators. Against any other Unity stage foe, she wouldn't hesitate to gang up on them, or simply flee if the match was too unfavorable.
But this one? If cornered, escape might not even be an option. Besides, constantly watching her back was exhausting. Eliminating the threat outright was the only real solution.
"If it's about killing Black Seal members, I'm in."
Tian Hao nodded, his voice thick with a suppressed, simmering fury. Clearly, they'd made his life a special kind of hell. The Great Desolate Holy Body's vitality rich blood was simply too tempting, a walking, talking supreme elixir for any dark cultivator.
"Thank you."
"When do we move?"
"Not yet. I need to recruit more people."
Su Min grinned, a flash of determination in her eyes. She'd emphasized the need for absolute secrecy, any arrivals must come quietly, without drawing attention.
The enemy would undoubtedly send scouts to watch them, but they'd likely be no stronger than the Divine Transformation stage, anything higher would be too conspicuous and easily detected.
Low level cultivators, however, could slip in unnoticed, like ghosts.
"Tch."
Tian Hao's eye twitched at the mention of Su Min's recruitment spree. As a lone wanderer constantly fleeing for his life, the idea of mustering an entire army beforehand was downright enviable.
With nothing more to say, he turned and left.
Su Min then stood and vanished from the spot, reappearing instantly at the continent's core, where a flamboyantly dressed man awaited her.
"Greetings, Miss Su."
The young man bowed with innate courtesy.
Huang Xu, Monarch of the Phoenix Clan.
As one of the avian super divine beasts alongside the Golden Crows, the Phoenix Clan had maintained friendly relations with them since ancient times. After learning of the upcoming battle, the little Golden Crow had personally recruited him.
"Prince Huang, what are your terms for joining?"
Even for a super divine beast, payment was necessary. Moreover, the Phoenix Clan shared close ties with the Vermilion Bird. And this man was no ordinary phoenix, he was a Nine Colored Heavenly Phoenix.
Su Min couldn't help but muse quietly to herself:
"I chose the Golden Crow's gender. The Ink Kirin and Five Clawed Golden Dragon are both female. Finally, a male super divine beast, and a perfectly normal one at that."
"We require an eighth grade pill. But I wonder, how many tribulation colors can you manage?"
"Around four. What pill do you need?"
Su Min was genuinely surprised. They wanted something that advanced?
"We need one refined under at least six colored tribulation lightning."
"Then you'll have to wait. Patience is a virtue."
She shrugged, her tone dismissive, as if it were a minor issue.
"Very well."
Huang Xu had no choice but to agree. These things couldn't be rushed, they'd have to wait until Su Min was ready and capable.
"That leaves Ao Xue. As for the human sects, no need to involve them."
After dismissing everyone, Su Min pondered the situation further. Their current lineup included four super divine beasts, the Three Legged Golden Crow, the Five Clawed Divine Dragon, the Nine Colored Heavenly Phoenix, and the Ink Kirin.
The Ink Kirin didn't really count yet, she was mostly filler. Though her bloodline was comparable, her current strength was still severely lacking.
Then there were three supreme constitutions, the Lunar Sovereign Body (Xie Yingying), the Great Desolate Holy Body (Tian Hao), and her own Five Elements Holy Body.
Their collective firepower was more than sufficient, especially with multiple Imperial Artifacts on their side. Against such a concentrated force, the enemy stood no chance.
As for the major sects and clans? Even ignoring whether they had their own Unity stage experts, secrecy was the main issue. Who knew if they harbored traitors or spies within their ranks?
Divine beasts, being naturally reclusive and few in number, avoided such problems entirely.
Besides, this lineup was already overkill. If they couldn't win with this, no amount of reinforcements would help.
"Now, we just need to wait for the Ink Kirin to wake up."
Su Min's gaze shifted toward a massive mountain range shrouded in powerful concealing formations. There, a kilometer long, ink black qilin lay dormant, the very creature Su Min had been carefully nurturing for so long.
"The resource consumption for raising divine beasts is insane. Even our Immortal Sect can't sustain too many of them."
"Grow faster," she thought, directing the wish toward the slumbering beast. "If I can achieve Great Completion of my Five Elements Holy Body, I could rival Mahayana experts even at the Unity stage. But more importantly..."
Her eyes narrowed as she looked up, through the layers of clouds, into the starry void beyond.
Since reaching the Unity stage, she'd sensed a faint, persistent summons, one that only she seemed able to perceive. Neither Xie Yingying nor the Golden Crow had mentioned noticing anything like it.
"Is this something only former peak experts feel? Is that where those two are now?"
She frowned deeply. Two individuals had reached the Unity stage before anyone else, the young monk from the Great Thunder Temple, and Yao Xian'er.
Had they remained, the Black Seal would've been crushed instantly. Yet both had left, vanishing completely, which implied something had forced them away.
Given their known hostility toward the fallen, especially Yao Xian'er, who'd slaughtered dozens during the great purge, something must have been aiding the Black Seal, something powerful enough to drive the world's two strongest cultivators into exile.
Now that she'd reached their level, Su Min couldn't help but wonder, what was it?
But she knew she'd need Great Completion of her Five Elements Holy Body before investigating any further. This world held too many deep mysteries. Even true Mahayana experts couldn't afford carelessness here.
"Master, there's an issue."
As Su Min was spacing out, someone appeared quietly beside her, Lin Yao, who was now the acting leader of the Immortal Sect. After emerging from seclusion, she'd taken over the duties from Elder Zhu, who had gratefully returned to closed door cultivation. For experts at their level, temporal authority meant very little.
"What is it?"
"Three major sects have been completely annihilated."
"What? What about their Imperial Artifacts?"
Su Min stiffened, her casual demeanor vanishing. Those sects all possessed Imperial Artifacts. With sufficient sacrifice, they could be fully activated, unleashing power enough to threaten even Mahayana experts.
Yet they'd fallen? Unless, like the Future Maitreya Mountain, they'd betrayed their founders' wills and abandoned their tools...
But Future Maitreya Mountain was an exception, a situation only possible due to direct intervention by a time transcending powerhouse. Normally, this couldn't happen.
"The tools were shattered. Three entire pocket realms have collapsed into nothingness. Over ten billion lives across those realms, gone."
"..."
A terrifying, cold aura flickered in Su Min's pupils, a potent mix of killing intent and pure fury that made Lin Yao shudder involuntarily.
"It seems our enemy isn't so simple after all. There might even be multiple Unity stage experts involved."
Clearly, the Skeletal Emperor had made his move. Against his might, even super factions without Unity stage guardians stood no chance whatsoever.
Even Imperial Artifacts weren't enough. No matter how they were activated, they couldn't hope to match a former Great Emperor. And when two forces of that level clashed, entire pocket realms were obliterated as a consequence.
"Master, the Immortal Sect has received another invitation to the Sect Conference."
"Attend it."
"Eh?"
"But reveal nothing about our plans. After the next battle, those pests will cease to exist."
Su Min's tone was icy, final. Aside from Lin Yao, only a handful of trusted individuals within the sect knew about Tian Hao and the Nine Colored Heavenly Phoenix's involvement.
Lin Yao understood her strategy immediately. The conference itself was meaningless, Su Min was already ready to strike.
"Participate normally. Act oblivious. They're testing me."
Su Min's breakthrough to the Unity stage wasn't public knowledge, but suspicions were inevitable. After all, she'd been absent from the public eye for nearly a century, either advancing or on the cusp of it.
Their enemies were probing, testing the waters. Acting too conspicuously now would only raise alarms.
Fortunately, after Lin Yao's emergence, Elder Zhu had dumped leadership onto her and retreated into seclusion, which worked perfectly for their needs.
===
It seems now Su Min had become Xie Yingying reverse scale-