The source of a hundred rivers. In her past life, such a place would have been deep within a remote, high altitude plateau, isolated and difficult for any ordinary person to access.
But now, Su Min had entered a similar, yet spiritually vast location, a nexus point filled with impossibly dense water energy and an undercurrent of endless, ancient malice.
At the same time, countless watery clones emerged from pools and springs scattered throughout the continental water system, all converging into this single point. Then, from the swirling, coalescing currents, a figure materialized, a humanoid form with distinct draconic horns and a scaly tail.
True dragons were not uncommon in the wider universe, but when they took human form, they were typically flawless, without any lingering beastly traits. This was a mark of poor control.
"Did this guy fuse his very consciousness with all these rivers and lakes?"
Su Min's brow furrowed deeply. She hadn't expected this level of integration.
The previous mountain god had merged with the earth veins, but this one had gone a step further, splitting his core consciousness into countless fragments across the entire watershed. And that shoddy, incomplete draconic transformation? It was nothing but an insult to the majesty of true dragons.
"He is absorbing and digesting the fused soul fragments. During this critical process, he has to gather his dispersed consciousness back together. This is the only opportunity. But if a full fight breaks out, he can still disperse his essence back into the rivers. Killing him completely would be nearly impossible."
Her expression hardened as she surveyed the watery surroundings, closing her eyes for a moment in intense thought.
This was fundamentally different from the stone giant. He wasn't just linked to the water sources, he was the water sources.
Su Min fell into deep contemplation. A direct, brute force assault wouldn't work, she needed a way to prevent him from splitting apart the moment he was threatened. But the area was too vast. She couldn't seal it all off instantly with her current power, so she had to find another, more clever method.
"Calm down, think, Right! I almost forgot, the frost power of the Lunar Sovereign Body!"
Her eyes snapped open with realization. She had been so accustomed to fighting with the overwhelming power of the Five Elements Holy Body that she had nearly overlooked her newer, more esoteric Half Step Chaos Body. In terms of raw, destructive combat power, it might be slightly weaker than the Five Elements Holy Body. But in this specific, elemental situation? It was undoubtedly the best choice.
There was another crucial point, after restoring the perfect balance of Yin and Yang within her body, the Half Step Chaos Body no longer required Xie Yingying's blood essence to maintain. Though she still hadn't figured out how to complete the final step to a true Chaos Body, it was already fully functional and stable.
With that in mind, Su Min swiftly formed a series of complex hand seals, channeling the profound cold of the Taiyin.
Almost instantly, the draconic man who had been reveling in the fusion of new soul fragments suddenly snapped his eyes open. At his level of power, he had already established his own spiritual anchor against the chaos of the fragments. Though he bore no resemblance to his original self, the memories from the devoured souls wouldn't distort his core identity anymore.
But what shocked him to his core was that the entire Source of Ten Thousand Rivers was suddenly encased in a dark, ink like ice that radiated absolute cold. In an instant, he realized with dawning horror that his connection to the countless waterways feeding this nexus had been forcibly severed.
Only then did he notice the woman floating calmly before him, youthful in appearance, yet exuding an aura that sent chills down his spine despite her only being at the Unity late stage cultivation.
Her hair was a bizarre, flowing mix of jet black and snowy white, and her eyes had transformed, one pitch black like a starless abyss, the other radiant and piercing like daylight.
"You are an outsider."
The Dragon King of Jing River slowly rose to his feet, his voice a low, watery growl. Such a pure, undiluted, and tantalizing soul could only belong to someone from beyond the corrupted Dark Universe.
These outsiders were often terrifyingly powerful. But this woman was only at the Unity late stage.
His survival instincts screamed danger, yet his overwhelming greed whispered that devouring her pure soul would propel him straight to the Mahayana middle stage. With her knowledge and power, his territory and influence would expand beyond imagination.
His eyes burned with naked avarice. His primary escape route had been cut off, but so what? He had slain no fewer than three other Unity late stage cultivators to reach his current Mahayana power. Why should he fear this lone woman?
"Interesting. You really want to fight me to the death?"
Su Min smirked coldly as she observed the half dragon, half human creature. Right now, she was simultaneously using a significant portion of her power to maintain the ice seal on the Source of Ten Thousand Rivers, which naturally limited her available combat power.
But even so, she had slain plenty of overconfident Mahayana cultivators before. She had initially worried that he might flee at the first sign of real danger, but now? He was locked in, his greed overriding his caution. Still, she wouldn't underestimate him. This wasn't the open void of space, and the area was saturated with his native water energy. Her usual hit and run tactics wouldn't work well here.
"Hahaha! A mere Unity stage ant dares to challenge me? I will end you in three moves!"
The Dragon King burst into maniacal laughter, his body transforming into a blurry streak of light. His right hand swelled grotesquely, morphing into a monstrous, scaled draconic claw that tore through the air towards her.
"A pitiful imitation of a true dragon's power."
Su Min gripped her twin swords, one black as night, one white as day, and slashed out without a moment's hesitation.
Her original weapon had been tailored specifically for the Five Elements Holy Body, but these twin swords, taken from the Yin Yang puppeteer, were now her perfect match for this form.
The attack, infused with the dual, opposing forces of Yin and Yang, tore through the space between them.
Squelch!
The massive draconic claw was split cleanly in half from wrist to talons, dissipating into spiritual energy.
"AAGH!!"
A pained, furious roar echoed through the cavern as the Dragon King staggered back, his face twisted in shock and pain. How could a Unity late stage cultivator possibly unleash such a potent, soul searing attack?
A casual strike like that could cripple even a peak Unity stage opponent's soul!
"Even with one hand sealing the Source of Ten Thousand Rivers and the other resisting the ambient Dark Corruption, I will still bury you here today."
Su Min's voice was calm and measured, her words not arrogance but a simple statement of fact. She had cut off his connection to the rivers, stripping him of his greatest advantage, his ability to flee and regenerate. Unlike the mountain god, who relied on pre set formations, this dragon had scattered his very consciousness across the waters.
Now, to ensure the kill, she summoned her Emperor Artifact, the ancient Future Maitreya Bell, and sent it crashing through the air towards him, its temporal power distorting the space around it.
"Ridiculous! I am a true Mahayana cultivator! No matter how you struggle, you will only become my nourishment! Behold, my true power, Ten Thousand Dragons Rise!"
ROAR!!
In an instant, a tidal surge of concentrated water energy erupted from the Dragon King. The man vanished, replaced by a colossal, horrifying monstrosity, a hydra with thousands of snarling, serpentine heads.
Though Su Min had severed his direct consciousness link to the wider rivers, the sheer amount of water energy he had gathered here over centuries allowed him to assume this immense, elemental form.
Now, countless draconic heads emerged from the churning lake around them, all fixated on her with malevolent intent.
"So this is your final trump card? A pure elemental body? Pity, if I were using the Five Elements Holy Body, Wood to drain Water and Earth to dam it would wreck you utterly."
Her expression remained cold and focused as she faced the hydra's countless maws. Against a true Mahayana opponent, even an early stage one, caution was paramount. It was time to stop testing and get completely serious.
"Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, the Dao follows Nature, Manifestation of the Heavenly Law!"
A titanic figure materialized behind her, a sword wielding giant wreathed in the swirling, opposing energies of Lunar Sovereign and Solar Sovereign, its size dwarfing even the hydra's many heads. Unlike the stable, elemental giant she summoned with the Five Elements Holy Body, this one was far more volatile, its power barely contained, crackling with primordial energy.
The Dragon King's previously muddled mind finally recognized the terrifying truth emanating from that manifestation.
"Lunar Sovereign, Solar Sovereign, Impossible! No one, no living being can wield both! Who, what are you?!"
As an amalgamation of countless souls, some fragments of ancient memory surfaced. He hadn't realized it earlier, focused on her cultivation level, but now, faced with this impossible manifestation, the truth was undeniable.
"Took you long enough to figure it out. But I am afraid there is no reward for your realization."
Su Min's voice was as icy as the void between stars.
"By revealing this form to you, I have burned my last escape route as well. As long as I can keep you from drawing power from the rivers, you are finished."
With that, she swung both swords in a wide, devastating arc, one blade infused with the absolute cold of the Lunar Sovereign, the other with the blazing fury of the Solar Sovereign. No fancy techniques, no intricate swordplay, just raw, overwhelming, fundamental force. These two supreme physiques existed on a plane beyond the Five Elements. Even the Five Elements Holy Body's famed elemental defenses were useless against them, there was no elemental advantage, no inherent resistance.
After all, even the perfect Five Elements Holy Body relied on an internal Yin Yang balance to function. Without it, the body would collapse from internal contradiction. Faced with Su Min's brutal, simultaneous slashes, the Dragon King desperately sent dozens of his heads to intercept. The rest of his heads opened their maws, spewing torrents of dark, spiritually venomous breath at the colossal giant.
BOOM!!
The opposing attacks collided in a cataclysm of light and sound.
Su Min's Yin Yang strikes cleaved through a great swath of the hydra's heads, which dissolved into mist, while the corrosive, soul attacking venom riddled her manifested giant form with sizzling holes.
"Tch."
She gritted her teeth, feeling the feedback through her soul. Without the comprehensive defensive synergy of the Five Elements Holy Body, her resistances had dropped significantly, this was the main reason this Half Step Chaos form was considered weaker in a direct fight.
Her defenses were simply frailer, and her connection to the Four Sacred Beasts Inheritance was less effective in this state. The combined drawbacks left her more vulnerable to direct damage.
But then, she did something that made the Dragon King's remaining jaws drop open in disbelief.
Su Min casually reached into a spatial pouch and tossed two fragrant, spiritually glowing pills into her mouth as if they were mere candies.
[Poison Resistance Pill (Eighth tier, Four Colored Lightning): Significantly boosts resistance to all spiritual and elemental toxins for an extended duration.]
[Antidote Pill (Eighth tier, Three Colored Lightning): Rapidly neutralizes and heals existing toxin based injuries.]
Pills. Actual, refined, high grade pills.
In the resource starved, corruption saturated Dark Universe, cultivators relied entirely on fragmented souls for power, resulting in chaotic, unstable spirits completely incapable of the delicate, focused work of alchemy. The pervasive dark corruption made the process outright impossible.
So when he saw her casually consuming not just any pills, but eighth tier pills, treasures that only existed in the faded memories of the ancient souls he had devoured, his shock was eclipsed only by his burning envy. And worse, his signature spiritual venom, which should have crippled her avatar and poisoned her soul, was visibly neutralized within seconds, the holes in the giant sealing shut.
For the first time in the battle, genuine fear eclipsed his greed.
He realized he had kicked an iron wall, one that was not only solid but also reinforced with the rarest, most impossible materials in his existence. His vision darkened with despair. He had never imagined that a few small pills could so utterly render his deadliest, most relied upon attack completely useless.