Half a year later, the sky above Eastern Mulberry Land underwent a drastic and unnatural change. It was the height of summer, yet a fierce blizzard suddenly raged from a clear sky. The air grew bitingly cold, and a blanket of white swiftly covered the land. At the heart of this winter in June, Xie Yingying emerged from her seclusion.
The aura of her Lunar Sovereign Body was nearly uncontrollable, pulsing out from her in visible waves of silver blue light. Each wave carried a deep, penetrating chill that spread outwards, enveloping a hundred mile radius in a permanent layer of ice and snow. Ancient trees became glittering sculptures, and lakes froze solid in an instant.
Witnessing this, Su Min finally felt her last lingering worry dispel. Now that Xie Yingying had fully awakened and solidified her power, the upcoming battle was no longer a major concern. With the two of them joining forces, they had nothing to fear from their enemies.
"You are saying they plan to directly construct a spatial tunnel and drop right on top of us?" Xie Yingying asked, her voice calm but her eyes sharp as ice shards.
Hearing Su Min's explanation, she did not say much more. Instead, she silently drew her crystalline sword, the blade humming with frigid energy, making her readiness for battle perfectly clear.
"Yes, but it is not a problem," Su Min replied, her tone completely at ease.
When it came to hidden reserves and home ground advantage, she was not lacking. Eastern Mulberry Land was known as one of the Three Great Holy Lands for a reason. It was the most suitable place for a player to establish a sect in the game, and that logic held true now. The Golden Crow, the Peacock King, and the Azure Dragon King all had their own powerful legacies rooted in this land. While these divine beasts might not be suited for launching long range invasions, if any outside force dared to encroach upon their territory, they would face their combined, furious retaliation.
Moreover, Xie Yingying had brought all of the Heavenly Yin Sect's own hidden reserves and artifacts with her when she joined. If it came to an all out fight, their combined foundation was far stronger than anything the Blood Puppet Sect could bring to bear.
Just as Su Min was mobilizing forces and setting up wide area defensive formations to protect Eastern Mulberry Land's ordinary inhabitants, a streak of gold shot across the sky. A massive golden roc descended before her, its feathers shimmering. It carried a single, peculiar item in its beak, which it gently dropped into Su Min's hand.
"The Great Thunder Temple… those monks?"
Looking at the ornate, scripture inscribed invitation in her hand, Su Min was momentarily stunned, though not entirely surprised. After all, she cultivated the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra, a core Buddhist scripture.
"An invitation to a dharma assembly hosted by the Great Thunder Temple… Are they asking me to participate in a doctrinal debate?"
She was slightly puzzled, but the spiritual signature on the invitation was unmistakable. It carried the distinct, serene aura of the young monk who had once taught her the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra all those years ago.
Back then, when she had first learned this scripture, the monk had given her a condition, that she must eventually visit the Great Thunder Temple. He had hinted there was some danger involved, but it was not too severe. With the protection of the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra itself, one of Buddhism's three supreme cultivation methods, no one at the temple could forcibly convert her or bend her will.
After all, the three major branches of Buddhism each possessed their own ultimate scripture. The Ancient Lamp Sutra governed the past, the Great Sun Tathagata True Scripture represented the present, and the Future Maitreya Scripture held sway over the future. These represented the three great Buddhas of time itself.
Su Min did not particularly dislike Buddhism. While their methods of 'guiding' people into the faith could sometimes be distasteful, she remembered that when the game's third chapter, The Descent of the Fallen Immortals, had arrived, the Buddhist sects had stood firm at the forefront of the conflict, sacrificing greatly to protect the mortal world.
"This is about the inheritance of the Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light King Buddha."
Narrowing her eyes, Su Min studied the invitation more closely, sensing the intent behind it.
The Medicine Master Buddha's inheritance was of immense value to her. While she possessed the comprehensive Alchemy and Artifact Manual, it was not all encompassing. Some of the most potent and rare pill formulas were exclusive to certain lineages, and the manual itself was more of a beginner's guide in many areas. By the sixth tier, the recorded pill recipes became scarce, and beyond the seventh tier, they were nearly nonexistent. Obtaining them required specific, often unique means, and the Medicine Master Buddha's legacy was one such coveted method.
Unlike other inheritances, his was famously divided into two parts. The first was the Medicine Master's Alchemical Scripture, containing those rare, high tier pill recipes from the sixth tier and above. The second was the Medicine Master's Blessing, a powerful, temporary buff that enhanced pill refinement success rates and quality, effectively boosting the user's soul power for a time. Both were incredibly attractive to an alchemist like her.
Moreover, aside from pill recipes, the inheritance also included methods for crafting high tier magical artifacts. Seeing this invitation, Su Min knew she had to go.
"Going alone might be better," she concluded after some contemplation. "Bringing someone else could complicate things. After all, the Great Thunder Temple is still a major orthodox sect with its own rules."
She made her decision. There was still time before the dharma assembly began. She would first deal with the immediate threat of the Blood Puppet Sect.
As the final days passed, several pieces of good news arrived within the sect.
Thanks to the Earth tier tribulation resistance artifacts Su Min had provided, along with the new top tier Five Elements cultivation techniques and the general loosening of the Heavenly Dao's restrictions, six Foundation Establishment cultivators had successfully overcome the Three Nine Heavenly Tribulation within the year.
As for the more formidable Six Nine Heavenly Tribulation, none had attempted it yet. But Su Min was not in a hurry. Earth tier high grade artifacts were already the limit for what Foundation Establishment cultivators could effectively use, any higher, and the spiritual energy consumption would drain them dry before the tribulation even ended. The more pressing matter was completing the final defensive preparations. While she was not afraid of the Blood Puppet Sect, a healthy dose of caution was still necessary.
As for the enemy's spatial tunnel?
"Honestly, I am looking forward to it," Su Min admitted to herself with a faint, cunning smile.
Eastern Mulberry Land was excellent, but it had one major geographical flaw, it was too far from the continent's core, making travel and trade inconvenient. The Blood Puppet Sect, however, was located right at the world's center, a hub of activity. If she could defeat their forces and keep their spatial tunnel operational, it would provide a free, instantaneous shortcut right to her doorstep.
"According to the latest reports, we have about a week left. Time to wake the Little Golden Crow."
With that thought, Su Min flew deep into the island's interior. Now that she had reached the Nascent Soul stage, her flight speed had increased yet again, surpassing even the fastest supersonic aircraft from her old world. It took her only half a day to reach the island's heart, where the air was warm and thick with the energy of the sun.
"Hey, stop sleeping. Time to work, we have got guests arriving soon."
Looking at the Little Golden Crow, who was nestled within a cradle of sun warmed roots, Su Min smiled. Almost immediately, the divine bird's sacred golden eyes snapped open, clear and alert. Having seen the Little Golden Crow in her full, glorious true form, Su Min could confirm that every single feather on her body was a flawless, shimmering gold.
"Ah, are those guys really coming, Big Sis?"
The Little Golden Crow chirped happily, transforming into her human form and nuzzling against Su Min's side like an affectionate child. Having been hatched using Su Min's own blood essence, she had an innate, deep seated affection for her. Of course, this affection only applied to Su Min. Xie Yingying, whose Tianyin blood had only been used for balance at the very end, did not receive the same treatment.
The term "Big Sis" was also Su Min's own idea, a compromise she had insisted upon. The alternatives were either her actual name, or something far more embarrassing like "Mom," which would have been socially awkward and easily misunderstood.
"They are finally here!" the Little Golden Crow exclaimed, her golden eyes sparkling with excitement. "With our Golden Crow bloodline's immortal artifact and the help of the Sun's True Fire, we can go to their place first, kill some people, and set things on fire. We might even blow up their base before they arrive!"
"..."
Su Min's expression darkened instantly. Who had been teaching her to be so recklessly bloodthirsty? She felt a sudden, pressing need to correct this line of thinking.
"Do not be reckless," she said firmly. "Once we wipe them out, all their belongings will be ours. Other people's property is one thing, but we should still take care of our own future possessions."
"..."
Now it was the Little Golden Crow's turn to be speechless, blinking her brilliant eyes in confusion at Su Min's pragmatic, yet utterly ruthless, logic.