Great Luo Tian Province, located at the very heart of the vast continent and equidistant from all directions, was the traditional and undisputed location for all major assemblies. However, the province had been far from peaceful lately. With the mysterious departure of Yao Xian'er, who had once presided over it with absolute authority, turmoil and power struggles had become a constant companion.
The recent return of the exiled ancient clans had only worsened the situation. Without a single supreme sect to anchor and enforce order, the collective authority of the major powers had weakened considerably. But all those political troubles felt utterly irrelevant now. The leaders of the major sects had gathered once more, and in this current era, most sect masters had reached the Dao Comprehension stage, a testament to their status.
As for the truly ancient, Unity stage old monsters? They were all in deep seclusion, rarely making appearances in the mundane world. Thus, for the purposes of these assemblies, Dao Comprehension stage cultivators were more than sufficient to represent their sects' interests. At the moment, Lin Yao was lazily observing the endless, circular debates with a sense of profound boredom. Her role here was simple, attend and do nothing more. So today, as always, she remained a silent observer.
Until—
BOOM.
A violent, world shaking surge of energy erupted from high above in the sky, a tremor that passed through the very fabric of the Heavenly Continent. Every living being with even a sliver of spiritual sense instinctively looked up, their hearts seizing with a primal fear as a terrifying ripple of power spread through the heavens.
"Unity stage cultivators are fighting, and not just one. At least several are clashing beyond the Heavenly Continent's outer layer. What's happening?"
An elderly sect master, at the peak of the late Dao Comprehension stage, just one step away from Unity himself, turned pale. Against such concentrated power, he knew he was nothing more than an ant.
The mere aftershocks of dozens of Unity stage experts clashing could make the entire continent tremble. As for Mahayana stage battles? Those absolutely had to take place in the deepest depths of space to avoid catastrophic, irreversible damage to the world.
But what truly horrified the assembled leaders was the chilling realization that the entire continent's known Unity stage experts combined might not even number this many.
Had their own ancestors suddenly started an all out war without warning? The sect leaders immediately, instinctively, glanced toward the high seats of the assembly hall, where the representatives of the super sects sat.
These figures rarely spoke, usually content to let their subordinates bicker. But their silence didn't make them any less formidable, they represented the super sects, each backed by a verifiable Unity stage powerhouse.
Yet, to everyone's shock, even these esteemed sect leaders looked bewildered and uneasy.
Except for one, Lin Yao.
"Lady Lin, do you know what's happening?"
These were all individuals who had lived for over a thousand years, their perception was razor sharp. And Lin Yao made no effort to hide the fact that she knew exactly what was going on.
"Master has initiated the final battle against the Fallen Ones. The fluctuations you sense are from their clash. As for so called 'Black Seal', after this battle, they will cease to exist." She stood up, her voice dripping with cold arrogance. "Once it's over, don't forget to bring gifts to thank us."
The sect leaders exchanged stunned, then frustrated glances. They had been arguing endlessly about forming an alliance to deal with the Black Seal, but by the time they ever reached a consensus, the battle would already be long over. So Lin Yao was shamelessly demanding compensation after the fact.
"We handled your problem for you, now pay up."
Not that she was worried about refusal. Su Min's status as the continent's sole Grandmaster Alchemist ensured compliance. Anyone who dared withhold payment would face dire consequences the next time they desperately needed high grade elixirs in the future.
The sect leaders felt like they had just swallowed something foul. This was blatant extortion, and they were completely helpless against it.
But then again, being extorted by the continent's only Grandmaster Alchemist? In a strange way, that was practically an honor.
"Should we notify our sects to intervene? Our ancestors must have sensed this already."
After the initial shock passed, the representatives of the super sects began seriously considering participation. If their Unity stage ancestors contributed to the fight, they could surely reap some benefits from the victory.
"I advise against it." Lin Yao smirked, a knowing look in her eyes. "Master has only gathered a few Unity stage experts, the Golden Crow Emperor, the Dragon Emperor, the Nine Colored Heavenly Phoenix, the Great Desolate Holy Body, the Lunar Sovereign Physique, and herself. Given the sheer scale of this battle, you should think very carefully about what kind of enemy warrants such a concentrated force."
Dead silence fell over the hall.
None of those named were ordinary Unity stage experts. Each could likely fight multiple opponents at once. Yet the battle's terrifying intensity suggested a conflict far, far beyond normal Unity stage combat.
The sect leaders quickly backed down, immediately sending instructions to their sects to stand by and not intervene. No treasure was worth risking their ancestral pillars, their Unity stage founders.
"Lady Lin, who is Grandmaster Su fighting against?"
"A former Emperor."
A collective, sharp gasp echoed through the hall.
An ancient Emperor.
Lin Yao smirked coldly at their utterly stunned expressions. But inwardly, she was deeply worried. The sheer, overwhelming scale of the energy fluctuations meant she couldn't possibly intervene even if she wanted to. All she could do was wait and pray for Su Min's victory.
"I'm still too weak. Once this is over, I must train in the Puppet Ancient Tomb."
She sighed quietly. The gap between her and her master remained as vast as a chasm, even now as a Dao Comprehension stage cultivator. "The path of immortality is long and treacherous," she murmured to herself.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
The outer reaches of the Heavenly Continent had become a chaotic, devastating battlefield.
In the highest layer of space, a magnificent golden crow crowned with an ancient bell and a majestic golden dragon clutching a luminous pearl clashed violently against a colossal, bone white skeleton.
The little Golden Crow and the Dragon Empress, even while wielding their powerful Imperial Artifacts, could only just barely hold back the furious assaults of the Skeleton Emperor.
A former Emperor stood at the pinnacle of existence. At that supreme level, even supreme physiques and divine beast bloodlines meant little, only the legendary Chaos Physique could truly rival them.
Meanwhile, below them, two massive avatars, one dark as ink and the other radiant gold, fought against multiple enemies without faltering. A glorious nine colored phoenix soared alongside them, maintaining a slight upper hand but struggling to press the advantage any further.
Su Min herself wasn't directly engaged in that melee, the nine colored phoenix was actually her artifact, fighting under her command. The Black Seal's forces were powerful, but they had a fatal flaw, they lacked Imperial Artifacts of their own. Only the Skeleton Emperor possessed one.
Desperate to prevent the phoenix from fully activating its Imperial Artifact, the Heavenly Phoenix Mirror, the Black Seal forces resorted to burning their life force and using forbidden secret techniques.
But time was on Su Min's side. She wasn't in a particular hurry. Blocking her personal path was an elderly man, only at the early Unity stage on paper, yet exuding an aura of ancient, profound terror.
The Black Seal's Second Seat, Zuo Tiansheng, a mortal who had, through sheer will and talent, nearly touched the Dao itself in his prime.
Such individuals were often even more terrifying than those born with supreme physiques. Even Su Min couldn't guarantee she could have reached such heights as a mere mortal, without any special bloodline.
Her Five Element Holy Body had carried her through countless trials, without it, she would have died long ago. So against this particular old man, she had to be absolutely focused, giving him the respect he was due.
"It seems it has come to this."
Zuo Tiansheng's expression darkened, a deep weariness settling into his bones. No matter how supremely talented he had been in the past, he was now little more than a surviving worm, his former world shaking ambition long extinguished by time and defeat.
Facing this young prodigy who stood before him now, he even felt a trace of genuine, chilling fear.
Her vitality was overwhelming, a blazing sun compared to his dying embers. Her Five Element Holy Body was mysterious and terrifying in its completeness. The more intelligence they had gathered on her over the years, the more horrified they had become.
With the Skeleton Emperor occupied, the heavy burden of dealing with her fell squarely on him. A blood oath bound him to this organization, today, only one side would survive.
So his figure vanished, merging completely into a colossal, shimmering avatar. At the Unity stage, all combat returned to its simplest, most primal form. Regardless of how complex one's past techniques were, battles now boiled down to the purest clash of comprehended laws.
The strong reigned supreme, the weak perished. It was the fundamental truth of the cultivation world.
"Time Avatar."
Su Min's hands moved rapidly through a series of seals, and a massive, ethereal phantom emerged behind her. The surrounding space twisted and warped, time itself becoming unstable around her form.
Zuo Tiansheng's eyes widened in disbelief.
He saw something surreal, flowers blooming and withering in an instant all around her, a visual representation of the flow of time.
A monarch of time, the master of reincarnation's end.
"Time Law, truly extraordinary. Legends say one Emperor underwent ten reincarnations to finally grasp it. Yet you've achieved it in a single lifetime. How?"
Even as sworn enemies, he couldn't help but marvel at the feat.
"You don't need to know."
Su Min's secrets belonged to her alone, the knowledge from the Medicine King's Cauldron would never be revealed.
Zuo Tiansheng sighed, a sound of deep resignation. "Then I can only kill you here."
The two colossal avatars collided, no fancy techniques, just a raw, direct explosion of power and law.
BOOM.
Space itself shattered around the point of impact, plunging them into a temporary void. The fractured dimensions twisted grotesquely. Zuo Tiansheng's face turned ashen. The sheer force of the impact sent a shockwave that stunned the entire battlefield.
"How is she using my Sun Law."
The little Golden Crow gaped, momentarily distracted from her own fight. She sensed her clan's signature law within Su Min's attack. Golden Sun Primordial Force, the Golden Crow's inherited law, now being wielded perfectly by a human.
"And our dragon clan's, even a hint of the Gluttonous Devourer's."
Ao Xue was equally shocked. How could Su Ming possibly fuse so many disparate and powerful laws together?
She had the Five Element Holy Body, not the mythical All Embracing Spiritual Dao Body. Even the prodigious Yao Xian'er only began merging the myriad laws in her second life.
Yet Su Min had achieved it now, in her first.
"That woman is monstrous. Her avatar,"
The Skeleton Emperor paused, his skeletal face darkening with concern. But Zuo Tiansheng suffered the most from the revelation. In just one exchange, half of his mighty avatar had been obliterated. Blood trickled from his lips. As a former peak Mahayana expert, his law mastery should have far surpassed any normal Unity stage cultivator.
But Su Min was simply absurd.
"What kind of monster are you." he roared, pouring energy into reforming his shattered avatar.
Su Min merely smiled, a cold, determined curve of her lips. Her current strength was the cumulative work of two legendary Emperors, the Puppet Ancient Emperor and the Medicine King Lapis Lazuli Buddha. Each had dominated their era completely, and she had inherited the core legacies of both.
Now, it was time to end this. She raised her weapon high, and dozens of brilliant laws roared to life around her, swirling like a galaxy.
"Be careful."
The Skeleton Emperor shouted a warning, but the distraction cost him. A massive, scaled dragon claw slammed into his bony form, sending him flying backwards through the void.
Not that Zuo Tiansheng needed the warning. His face was already twisted in pure dread.
Su Min's surroundings had completely transformed. Countless, dazzling flowers bloomed in the space around her, each one a beautiful but deadly manifestation of a different law, all infused with the combined power of the Four Divine Artifacts she wielded.
Even the mere prelude to her attack bore the mark of divine phenomena.
The Five Elements were the very foundation of the world, they governed the cycle of life and death itself.
Though Su Min hadn't fully awakened them all, the Beast Soil treasure within her could temporarily substitute for the missing Central Wutu Divine Earth.
Thus, she could now display a small, but terrifying, fraction of the perfected Five Element Holy Body's true might.
And in the next moment,
Thousands of law flowers, each one carrying boundless, destructive power, swirled around her, a beautiful and deadly storm.
"Blossoms bloom and wither, a monarch reigns supreme."
In Zuo Tiansheng's perception, everything else in the universe vanished.
Only a single, elegant figure remained, standing alone and untouchable above all creation.