A Dao Comprehension Stage expert was undeniably one of the strongest existences in the current era. Even with the recent loosening of heaven and earth's restrictions, reaching this profound level could not be achieved overnight. It required deep accumulation and a formidable foundation. Even for those who had undergone multiple reincarnation cycles, the arduous cultivation process was still necessary each time.
Yet, the fact that Kong Hui had broken through to this stage so soon after the world's revival proved just how formidable his foundation and comprehension had been in his past life. At this moment, Liao Jie's face darkened to the extreme, a storm raging in his eyes. If a direct fight broke out now, he would stand no chance against a true Dao Comprehension expert like Kong Hui.
And then—
From inside the secret realm's projection—
"AHHH!!!"
A final, blood curdling scream echoed as the last standing disciple of Future Maitreya Mountain was cleanly bisected and reduced to a cloud of bloody mist under Su Min's flashing greatsword. All of their dispatched members, every first generation talent they had sent, had been completely annihilated. Liao Jie's expression twisted with a rage so pure it was almost palpable, his killing intent a physical weight in the air, while the onlookers could not help but shake their heads and marvel.
"As expected of the Heavenly Ranking's number one. Ruthless and merciless when she needs to be."
The losses for Future Maitreya Mountain this time were nothing short of catastrophic. Those who had entered were all precious first generation practitioners, individuals as rare and valuable as the Holy Sons and Daughters of the major sacred grounds. Now, they had all been slaughtered by a single person. While this would not completely sever their legacy, it was still a devastating blow, their future generation of elites had been cut down in its prime.
"Kong Hui, do you truly intend to shield her so blatantly?" Liao Jie snarled, his voice tight with suppressed fury.
"Liao Jie," Kong Hui's voice was calm but carried immense authority, "the 'Great Tribulation of Annihilation' was caused by your sect's actions back then. Have you still not learned restraint?"
Liao Jie's face stiffened, all color draining from it at those words.
The "Great Tribulation of Annihilation" referred to only one event in their shared history, the Great Buddhist Purge of the past. It was a dark, taboo topic among all Buddhist sects. Among the three major Buddhist factions, their roles had been clear. The Ancient Lamp Monastery worshipped the Ancient Lamp Buddha, the Buddha of the Past. They had no interest in meddling in the present or controlling the future, focusing solely on peacefully recording history. Their disciples could therefore coexist with other factions across the continents with little conflict.
The Great Thunder Monastery expanded more pragmatically, often by aligning with and supporting local mortal rulers and powers, much like their presence in the Wei Wu Continent. Though they faced restrictions and minor friction, they carefully avoided major, sect ending conflicts.
Future Maitreya Mountain, however, had always been the most radical. They sought absolute dominance in every region they entered, ruthlessly crushing local sects and traditions beneath them. They were the primary instigators who had provoked the united wrath that led to the Great Buddhist Purge, dragging the more moderate Great Thunder Monastery down with them in the subsequent backlash.
The Ancient Lamp Monastery, with its scattered, humble, and non intrusive monasteries, had suffered the least. But Future Maitreya Mountain? They were the least welcome even among other Buddhist branches. By bringing up that painful past, Kong Hui's message was clear and brutal, "If you want to court death, do not drag us down with you again. Do you really think I will not join forces to exterminate your sect root and branch right now if you force the issue?"
Su Min was the Heavenly Ranking's number one, a symbol of the new era's potential. Her death at Future Maitreya Mountain's hands could easily provoke another united purge from the secular powers, who were always looking for an excuse to keep the Buddhists in check. Even if she herself did not wield that kind of political influence, she was now the recognized symbol of the younger generation's hope. And the major powers of the world were already deeply wary of Buddhism's returning strength. This would be the perfect casus belli.
Moreover, Su Min's survival was now immensely beneficial to the Great Thunder Monastery's future. Once she reliably reached the sixth grade alchemy stage, even they would have to seek her help for high level pills. If she had died anonymously inside the secret realm, there would have been nothing they could do. But now? The situation had changed completely.
"Since words fail here, I shall take my leave."
Under Kong Hui's icy, unyielding gaze and the openly hostile stares from the other, smaller Buddhist factions, including the stern look from the Ancient Lamp Monastery's elder, Liao Jie knew he had no place left here. The Ancient Lamp Monastery might have suffered less in the last purge, but that was only relative to the other two. Many of their smaller allied branches had been nearly wiped out, and they held a long grudge.
If he stayed any longer, he might very well face joint suppression from both the Ancient Lamp Monastery and the Great Thunder Monastery right here and now. With all his disciples dead, the Water Land Dharma Assembly was as good as ruined for his sect anyway.
"Just you wait!!!" he spat, his voice a venomous whisper filled with promised vengeance. With a final, hate filled glare at Su Min's figure in the projection, Liao Jie turned and vanished in a flash of distorted light, not even bothering to collect his sect's few remaining non combatants.
But he was not done yet. There would be one more opportunity for a confrontation, he knew, when the legendary Black Tortoise emerged from the gathering of the world's profound waters, an event that would draw all major powers.
Inside the Secret Realm
Su Min expressionlessly wiped the fresh blood off her heavy sword with a clean cloth before sheathing it with a final, resonant click. There was nothing left to say to the corpses around her. She knew that as long as she survived this ordeal, she would be politically untouchable outside. As for Future Maitreya Mountain's future enmity?
She was not afraid. Even if she could not defeat them now, she had a more pressing matter to attend to, refining a sixth grade pill. Once she succeeded, countless Divine Transformation experts from various sects would owe her favors and come begging for her help. At that point, she would have the influence and backing to confront Future Maitreya Mountain head on. Even a Dao Comprehension expert would not dare to lightly underestimate the combined power of her and the Little Golden Crow.
One should never underestimate a divine beast, especially one of pure royal bloodline. If she could gather enough Divine Transformation stage allies through her alchemy, the fight would be much more evenly matched. And if the odds were even fifty fifty? Future Maitreya Mountain would not dare to act recklessly and risk their own destruction.
"A bunch of suicidal fanatics," she snorted to the empty air, her disdain clear.
She then turned her attention inward, addressing the Medicine Master Cauldron's spirit directly through their connection.
"I am going to refine the Flesh and Bone Regeneration Pill now. Provide me with a quiet, isolated space."
The reason she had not refined it earlier inside the cauldron's inner world was due to the extreme time acceleration. Any medicinal essence she patiently extracted would have risked losing all potency or aging into uselessness under that violent temporal flow. Now, with her soul power massively enhanced, she was utterly confident in her ability to break through to sixth grade alchemy. Before leaving the Great Thunder Monastery, she had also shamelessly requisitioned several sets of ingredients for other, more common sixth grade healing pills.
These were not particularly rare, so the monastery had not objected. Besides, she had already blown up several furnaces during her practice, what were a few more sets of ingredients in the grand scheme?
"Very well."
Since the Medicine Master Cauldron's core purpose was to test and select worthy alchemists, it readily obliged. The space around her shimmered and shifted, walls of golden light rising to isolate her from the rest of the secret realm's chaos. Su Min blinked in mild surprise at the effortless display of spatial manipulation.
"You can just… partition the secret realm like this? Impressive."
With no one left to disturb her, she sat down cross legged in the center of the new chamber and began the final preparation for her refinement. She closed her eyes, centering her mind and circulating her spiritual energy to its peak state.
With Future Maitreya Mountain's abrupt departure, the tense atmosphere in the viewing grounds eased significantly. Their remaining disciples had even abandoned the ongoing scripture debates and fled the assembly entirely. Now, all eyes were fixed on Su Min's isolated figure in the projection as she prepared for her historic attempt. When she summoned over a hundred glowing spiritual ingredients into the air around her, the crowd erupted in excited murmurs.
"A sixth grade pill! She is attempting a sixth grade pill!"
Sixth grade pills were exceedingly rare treasures, many cultivators went their entire long lives without ever seeing one, let alone witnessing its creation. This was a historic moment. Su Min did not keep them waiting long. Soon, the roaring crimson flames of Nanming Lihuo ignited within her cauldron, its heat palpable even through the spiritual projection.
At the same time, another figure stumbled out from a different part of the secret realm, it was the Ancient Lamp Temple's alchemist, looking disheveled and spiritually drained, having clearly failed his own trial.
"He failed, huh?"
"At least he is alive. Unlike Future Maitreya Mountain's alchemist, oh wait, he is dead."
"Wait a minute…" a cultivator said, his voice hushed with dawning realization. "Did Su Min just solo kill a Divine Transformation expert? By herself?"
"Uh…" his companion stammered, looking back at the projection. "Yeah. She really did."
The crowd buzzed with this new realization. Kong Hui's shocking Dao Comprehension Stage aura had overshadowed everything earlier, but now the full implication of Su Min's feat sank in.
Su Min, at the mid Nascent Soul stage, had killed a genuine Divine Transformation expert. In all of recorded cultivation history, the number of people who could achieve such a monumental feat could be counted on one hand.
"What is the big deal?" a smug voice cut through the chatter. A cultivator who had been in the Golden Core Avenue puffed out his chest. "You should have seen her in the final battle of the Avenue. That was the real insanity. This is just cleanup work for her."
"Tch, what a shame we missed it," many sighed with genuine regret. They had only reached the Golden Core Stage after the heavenly restrictions had loosened, missing that legendary, generation defining battle.
But the Ancient Lamp Monastery's alchemist was not focused on Su Min's combat prowess. His eyes were glued to the ingredients swirling around her cauldron, his hands trembling slightly.
"She is refining a sixth grade pill! Those, those are the ingredients for a sixth grade healing pill!" His voice trembled with a mixture of awe and professional envy. He had spent multiple lifetimes, countless years, failing to reach this very level, yet here was a young woman, a Nascent Soul cultivator in her first life, calmly attempting it.
Then—
The cauldron's lid flew open with a resonant chime. A single, perfectly round, jade like pill, radiating a soft, life giving aura, hovered serenely within the flames.
"A sixth grade healing pill!!! She succeeded!!!"
The alchemist's shocked, near hysterical cry reverberated through the entire venue, announcing the birth of a new legend in the world of alchemy.