Observing the group inside the battleship, Su Min felt a deep and probing curiosity stir within her.
They gave her the same peculiar aesthetic feeling as when she read those old novels about hapless groups being tricked by a master manipulator into piloting battleships to bombard the seven forbidden lands. It was a sense of misguided ambition, of a grand design built on a foundation of lies.
Truthfully, she had arrived at the very beginning of their confrontation with the skeletal army, but she had held back, concealed by the void, her interest piqued. She wanted to see what tricks these people could possibly come up with, and the results proved they were indeed just that, tricks. Their pure energy supply, for all its fury, simply couldn't shatter those skeletons formed by immutable laws.
Just as she was about to step in and end the farce, she detected a subtle, probing sensation, someone peering directly at her. This wasn't ordinary observation, not a glance or a sensor scan, but a special method of glimpsing through the tangled threads of karma and reincarnation itself. This made her extremely displeased. Being spied on through karma felt like a profound violation. Moreover, after reaching the Unity stage, all cultivators gained a special ability, a fundamental power for cosmic travel.
The power to fold space. This was precisely what enabled Unity-stage cultivators to traverse the vast emptiness between stars. Decades ago, it took her years of arduous travel to go from Lin Yao's planet back to the Heavenly Continent. Now, with her mastery over spatial folds, the same journey would take only about a week.
When she had pursued the Skeleton Emperor before, both of them had moved in a similar fashion, flashing through the folded fabric of space. Of course, this ability had its limitations. It didn't work as well on planetary surfaces, being most effective in the pure, uncluttered void of space.
Without further hesitation, Su Min directly folded space and appeared before them on the bridge. The strongest among these people were only at the Divine Transformation stage, with none even reaching the Dao Comprehension stage. They were completely incapable of perceiving her movements, let alone interfering with her actions.
Thus, the bridge fell into an eerie, profound silence.
To everyone present, it seemed like a goddess had descended from the heavens. She was cold, mysterious, and carried an air of innate arrogance, with eyes that seemed to look down on all living beings. Especially those eyes, which were transmitted through cameras to everyone's screens on a dozen planets. They poured cold water on their agitated, desperate hearts, instantly calming the rising panic.
In truth, just one glance from Su Min had, in the past, quelled countless riots. As a Unity-stage existence, Su Min's entire being was subtly wrapped in and emanated the pressure of natural laws. Even those watching through screens could feel the subconscious influence of these laws, like lower lifeforms instinctively facing an ancient god. In her current state, Su Min's raw power rivaled that of so-called ancient gods or old gods.
The only real difference was that she didn't inherently despise mortal life, nor would she go out of her way to cause unnecessary trouble.
This was people's first, overwhelming impression of Su Min, though if she knew what they were thinking, she'd definitely find it hard to keep a straight face. At most, she might be too lazy to look at people directly, but she would never consciously look down on any lifeform.
Unaware of these thoughts swirling around her, her attention zeroed in on a specific girl in the crowd, one with pure white hair and an ethereal presence. With a slight, almost casual wave of her hand, the girl felt an irresistible, gentle force lifting her up from the deck, floating her towards the newcomer.
"Interesting..."
Looking at the girl's pure white, sightless eyes and the two faint trails of dried blood from them, Su Min was genuinely intrigued. For a mere Divine Transformation cultivator to spy on an absolute superior like herself through karma, and to not have her brain instantly explode from the feedback, was quite telling of a hidden talent.
"Quite interesting, little girl. Where's your Heavenly Eye?"
Su Min recognized this state. It indicated an extremely rare and potent talent, the Third Eye.
It was similar to the power of Erlang Shen from Journey to the West or Grand Tutor Wen's Heavenly Eye from Investiture of the Gods. Encountering someone with the potential for a Heavenly Eye here, in this backwater, surprised her. But clearly, the eye hadn't awakened, or perhaps this world simply didn't possess the knowledge or means to awaken it.
This was similar to Lin Yao's situation, a unique physique their civilization couldn't hope to develop. In fact, this world's understanding of cultivation might be even worse than Lin Yao's, since that world had a once-Mahayana stage cultivator sleeping deep within it.
That ancient cultivator, wanting better and more abundant resources, had been subtly pushing that world's development for millennia. But this world clearly lacked such an influential figure. Su Min detected no one here who had even touched the threshold of the Dao Comprehension stage.
"Little girl, I'm quite interested in you."
Looking with open interest at the pale, trembling girl, Su Min felt a spark of genuine curiosity. If this girl could truly awaken her Heavenly Eye, it would be of tremendous help for her own future endeavors. She couldn't directly observe the river of time, as that would create an anchor point for that future existence she feared. But through the refined lens of karma, she might glimpse some obscured corners of it, which would be very useful indeed.
"Great one," the fleet admiral found his voice, bowing deeply, "if you can save our civilization from this horror, we are willing to offer everything we have, even becoming your servants or slaves."
"Oh?"
Su Min's eyebrows twitched slightly at this desperate offer. She glanced around at the others on the bridge, who all lowered their heads in silent, grim agreement. In fact, it wasn't just them. People across the planets, watching the broadcast, were holding their breaths, their fates hanging in the balance. Like drowning people clutching at their last straw, any fate seemed better than being devoured by that thing.
"Agreed."
Su Min narrowed her eyes as she spoke. Her original goal was to deal with that thing anyway. Everything else was just a bonus. Moreover, she had no intrinsic interest in being any kind of ruler or master.
She lacked both the desire for dominion and the time to manage it. She was only somewhat interested in this girl before her. Being able to spy on someone two major realms above without having her head explode indicated remarkable latent talent. And she happened to have the methods to develop that talent. After all, hadn't the Future Maitreya Mountain's monks, unable to master time, turned to karma instead? That was, of course, before she destroyed them.
Though she'd sold their core Buddhist scriptures to other Buddhist sects, she'd naturally kept detailed copies for herself, more than enough to help this girl fully awaken her eye.
With that decided, Su Min turned and left the battleship without another word, arriving in the starfield ahead in a single step. In just this short time, that thing had drifted much closer, growing from a peanut-sized speck to a basketball-sized monstrosity in their view. This distance was enough. Any closer, and even if Su Min destroyed it, the ensuing shockwaves and fallout could still cause mass extinction on the nearby planets.
"As earth follows heaven, heaven follows dao, dao follows nature... Dharma Aspect!!!"
Facing the approaching giant flesh sphere, Su Min silently recited the mantra.
Let's not forget the mental cultivation method she practiced was the Great Thunder Temple's core secret, the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra. Now, with her Five Elements Holy Body reaching Great Completion, her Heavenly Dao Insight triggered once again.
This time, she directly comprehended a long-desired divine ability, the Dharma Aspect from Journey to the West, Sun Wukong's true trump card. It represented a complete evolution of simple dharma manifestations, and she was now unleashing it for the very first time.
Simultaneously, the five-element halo behind her began radiating dazzling, multicolored light, rapidly expanding until it became colossal in the battleships' views. Following this came celestial phenomena. The Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, the four sacred beasts, materialized from the light, swirling upward and converging together in a dazzling display of power.
"Hiss—"
The next moment, synchronized gasps of astonishment echoed everywhere. Everyone witnessed an extremely spectacular scene. Not just those present on the battleships, but also the countless people behind the screens on their planets.
Because at that moment, an overwhelmingly oppressive and terrifying figure began rapidly enlarging, growing from a human form into a celestial giant. In the blink of an eye, a ten-thousand-zhang tall figure clad in glowing armor formed from the essence of the four sacred beasts appeared before everyone, standing between them and the approaching doom.
In that instant, they all felt an unparalleled pressure and a sense of despairing distance from that figure. It was an existence far beyond their comprehension or reach. After the initial fear passed, however, many felt a wave of profound reassurance. At least this person was on their side, and could protect them. Having witnessed the sheer horror from the cosmic depths, they'd learned a harsh lesson. How fortunate it was to find such a powerful protector in their darkest hour.
A dog with an owner is better than a stray barking aimlessly without knowing who its master is.
Unaware of being compared to a loyal hound, Su Min, after fully manifesting her Dharma Aspect, disappeared from her spot, reappearing instantly before the giant tumor. Though she couldn't visually penetrate its core, she could sense a certain consciousness, a specific gaze filled with intense wariness, looking back at her from within.
"Come forth, Future Maitreya Bell. Lift your restrictions."
Su Min raised her hand slightly, and an ancient, bronze bell slowly materialized in the space before her, its surface etched with countless fading sutras.
Previously, the Future Maitreya Bell had restricted her usage, fearing she'd become overly reliant on its immense power. But now, that concern was unnecessary. Her own power was vast, and her will was firm. Moreover, her current opponent was no minor character. Even if the Sinful Buddha were reborn, at his initial Unity stage, he wouldn't be a match for this thing in its current state.
Sure enough, the next moment, the bell's spiritual resistance vanished. Instantly, Su Min gained full, unhindered control of this emperor artifact. Then, holding her gleaming sword in one hand and the ancient bell in the other, she charged straight into the pulsating surface of the tumor.
Crack!
Almost immediately, the bone armor that had stymied the entire fleet's combined firepower shattered like glass under her assault. Su Min plunged inward, and the giant tumor, as if frozen in time, came to a complete standstill, silently floating in the dark space.
But everyone knew tremendous turmoil must be happening inside. All they could do now was wait and pray.
Meanwhile, deep within the tumor, Su Min...
Pfft—
After reaching the Unity stage, there was often no need for flashy, complicated techniques. Though her Dharma Aspect now stood ten thousand zhang tall, compared to this tumor spanning an entire star system, she was still an insignificant speck.
Thus, she faced a sky-blotting rain of blood mixtures, acidic and corrosive. Any single drop contained enough power to severely injure or even kill a newly ascended Unity-stage cultivator. Yet now they fell like a torrential downpour upon Su Min's colossal Dharma Aspect, producing nothing but faint wisps of white smoke before harmlessly dissipating, completely ineffective.
Su Min's dharma body had already fused multiple laws into its very structure, and with her Five Elements Holy Body at Great Completion, her elemental resistances had reached terrifying, near perfect levels. These special blood attacks, for all their virulence, didn't transcend elemental categories, and with the Black Tortoise Armor, now evolved into the comprehensive Four Symbols Armor, protecting her, they couldn't even count as light scratches.
Her every attack, whether a sweep of her sword or a pulse of energy from the bell, was like fire meeting snow, instantly vaporizing everything in its path. Each strike cleared hundreds of kilometers of the cloying, fleshy space around her.
Thus Su Min rampaged through the tumor's interior, expending almost no energy, a whirlwind of pure destruction.
"Skeleton Emperor, I know you can sense me. Stop breeding these useless clones in there. Dare your true self come out and fight?"
Rampaging through the area, Su Min quickly cleared vast swathes of the internal structure, creating a vacuum inside the tumor large enough to hold a small moon.
Facing such an existence, which was both host and parasite, Su Min asked with cold interest. This giant tumor might be somewhat troublesome for a fleet, but it couldn't actually consume any of her energy or even slow her down meaningfully.
Clearly sensing this, the Skeleton Emperor, hidden deep within, began recalling all the blood essence and energy dispersed within the tumor. The bloodless flesh rapidly withered and turned to dust, and in just moments, the entire colossal structure had shrunk to a fraction of its former size.
"Finally bringing out your trump card."
Su Min smirked coldly, hovering in the now vast emptiness she had created. The Skeleton Emperor had been forced to use his final reserves. He was now recalling all blood essence to fuse into his true form, abandoning the useless bulk to reach his peak condition before battling her directly.
Su Min didn't stop this process. It was already too late to interrupt efficiently. In under ten seconds, the massive tumor completely disintegrated, its remains scattering as fine cosmic dust. The withered flesh chunks provided a momentary screen, blocking Su Min's line of sight.
Then a humanoid figure, as large as her own Dharma Aspect, descended from the dissipating cloud of dust. But compared to Su Min's exquisitely detailed, sacred beast-armored manifestation, this blood-red giant looked utterly grotesque and monstrous. It was completely naked, its skin a pulsating crimson, and faceless except for a massive, swirling vortex where its face should be. At the vortex's center stood the Skeleton Emperor's own withered, bony form.
Clearly forced to this point, the once-emperor, a fallen Feathering-stage cultivator, had chosen to consolidate his remaining power to battle this rising star properly.
"Mid Unity stage? So he's advanced after all."
Sensing the blood giant's powerful, stable aura, Su Min felt slightly surprised. The gaps between early, mid, and late Unity stages were enormous, each one a chasm. The difference was even larger than that between early and late Dao Comprehension stages.
Naturally, such large gaps meant correspondingly difficult advancements. Even Su Min, with all her talents and resources, wasn't confident about reaching mid Unity stage within a thousand years. But the Skeleton Emperor, in his desperation, had clearly gone on a frenzied, genocidal plundering spree during her seclusion to reach this level, which now pressured her significantly.
Against ordinary mid Unity stage cultivators, Su Min could just crush them with her superior physique and laws. But her opponent was once an emperor, a being who had touched the heights of the Feathering stage. While the so-called top-tier physiques could challenge emperors, that only meant putting up a fight. They'd still be thoroughly suppressed or killed in a prolonged, serious combat against a true emperor's combat wisdom.
Thus, even with her Great Completion Five Elements Holy Body, Su Min remained extremely cautious. But no amount of caution justified retreat now. Stepping forward through the void, she confronted the blood giant directly, as two colossal figures stood off against the backdrop of the starry void.
Meanwhile, everyone in the distant battleships had rushed to the best viewing positions, pressing against viewports and crowding around screens, holding their breaths as they watched. When the giant tumor disintegrated earlier, they'd erupted in relieved cheers.
But those cheers died in their throats within a minute as an even more terrifying presence emerged. From their perspective, the tumor had been like a giant egg, and now they dared not imagine what kind of monster had hatched from it. Their only hope remained that seemingly slender figure standing against the crimson giant. Moreover, their battleships had exhausted nearly all their energy in the initial fight, leaving no capacity for further attacks, not that they would have been effective.
As silent prayers rose from the crowd, the battle erupted again.
This time, there were no flashy techniques to start. It was just Su Min's Heaven-rank mid-grade sword, which she had upgraded again, clashing violently against the blood giant's own weapon, a halberd formed from condensed blood and malice.
Boom!!!
No fancy tricks, just primal, brutal collisions of pure force and will. The raw, destructive beauty of it enthralled both the battleship crews and those watching remotely, a terrifying dance of titans.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Silent shockwaves, visible as distortions in space itself, pulsed outwards from the point of impact. The collisions between the titans made the very fabric of space tremble, causing nearby planets to shake in their orbits. On those worlds, continents cracked and heaved. Every moment brought seismic events exceeding magnitude ten on any scale.
Or perhaps these couldn't even be called earthquakes anymore. They were planetary-scale convulsions, the very crust of worlds shifting under stresses they were never meant to bear.
Everyone on the bridges and behind screens watched tremblingly, their own safety momentarily forgotten in the face of such power. Though they too could destroy planets, that required dedicated, slow-charging planet-busting cannons. Yet this was just collateral damage, the wake of two beings clashing. Without them even employing any named techniques, just the most basic, primal exchanges of power.
"So there are realms far, far beyond what we called super-evolved beings. We just didn't know," the fleet admiral murmured, his voice a mix of terror and exhilaration.
Beyond sheer awe, the flagship's crew felt an unprecedented excitement. As each planet's highest echelons, they had long seen religion and myth as tools to control the masses. The higher one's status, the less one truly believed in higher powers.
Now they thought similarly. While commoners saw deities and saviors, they saw paths to higher realms, roads beyond what they had thought were evolutionary dead ends.
Previously ignorant, they'd assumed they, as the peak of their civilization's power, had reached the absolute limits of strength. But Su Min and that being proved how narrow, how limited their views had been all along.
As they yearned for these newly revealed higher realms, the first round between Su Min and the Skeleton Emperor concluded.
Her gigantic Dharma Aspect remained pristine, its sacred beast armor glowing undimmed, while the blood giant's form showed many deep dents and gashes that slowly seeped crimson energy. In that initial exchange of blows, Su Min had gained absolute superiority.