"Huff..."
A slow, measured breath steamed in the frigid air, forming a small, transient cloud of condensation that was instantly snatched away by the howling wind. The cold was so deep it felt like it could freeze the very soul.
Feeling the tremendous force from the collision reverberate up her arm and through her entire body, a shockwave that should have shattered bone and ruptured organs, Su Min realized with a cool, analytical clarity that the impact had been completely dissipated by her skin. It was a strange, almost disorienting sensation, to feel such power simply vanish against her, absorbed without a trace. It had to be said this special dragon trait, which did not affect her human appearance in the slightest, leaving her looking completely normal, yet provided immense defensive power, was truly astonishing. It was like a hidden layer of impervious scales just beneath the surface, a gift that kept surprising her with its potency, a secret shield she was still learning to fully appreciate.
Her opponent was at the half step Dao Comprehension stage and seemed to have comprehended the Law of Strength, focusing all his power into overwhelming physical force, a brute, unsubtle approach to combat. Yet, despite that, she had not suffered even the slightest injury from the clash, not a single twinge of pain. The initial shockwave had been dampened by her armor and her own formidable resilience, and after those layers of damage reduction, the remaining force had been completely negated by her skin, leaving not even a bruise, not even a red mark.
Since that was the case, she might as well press the advantage. Hesitation was a luxury she could not afford, a delay that could cost everything.
In the next moment, Su Min lunged forward, her boots kicking up a plume of powder fine snow as she abandoned all defensive postures and charged straight at the man. She was a black streak against the endless white, a dart of shadow against the blinding field. Nearly ten seconds had already passed since she had trapped the other beast, and the lightning prison she had created was now riddled with hairline cracks, glowing with a strained, violent light. The deep, resonant booms from within were growing more frequent, a frantic drumbeat counting down to a breakout.
In just a few dozen more seconds, the beast would break free. She had to finish this quickly, and she had to be decisive, there was no room for error.
Before reaching the Dao Comprehension stage, demonic beasts were generally stronger than cultivators of the same level, their innate physicality giving them a brutal edge, a raw power that was hard to match. Only when both sides lacked Dao comprehension would the gap narrow. But there was no need to be jealous. Demonic beasts faced far greater difficulties in cultivation, often struggling at every step, their path to intelligence and power a millennia long trial. Their strength was hard won, paid for in centuries of struggle.
So Su Min had to kill this man first before dealing with the final beast. One threat at a time. That was the only way.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
In the snowfield engulfed by the blizzard, dull, meaty collisions echoed continuously, each one a percussive thud that was swallowed by the storm. The massive giant was being ruthlessly smashed into the frozen ground by Su Min's great sword in an extremely undignified manner, its form flickering with each blow, its spiritual light dimming.
"Pfft!!!"
The withered old man, currently being ground into the dirt by Su Min, felt like vomiting blood in frustration, a bitter, coppery taste filling his mouth. In ancient times, he had been a renowned cultivator, famed for his strength. With a single punch, he could shatter mountains and part rivers. With a single strike, he could topple dynasties, making all living beings tremble before him, their fear a palpable incense he had once breathed, a tribute to his might.
In the end, he had established his own dynasty, ruling for centuries, his word law. Unfortunately, that had been at the tail end of the previous era. The world was about to undergo a great change, a cataclysm he saw coming, and unwilling to accept his fate, he had hollowed out his entire dynasty's treasury. Ignoring the desperate pleas of his descendants, he had taken the sealing crystals he had once stumbled upon in a forgotten tomb and survived, putting himself into a long, cold sleep, a selfish hibernation.
The result? He lived, while his dynasty and tens of thousands of descendants perished, their names and histories turning to dust, forgotten by time. But now, none of that mattered to him. He pursued only one thing, survival. Everything else was a cost he had long ago accepted, buried under layers of icy pragmatism.
Not long ago, he had coincidentally discovered a Lunar Sovereign Physique holder who was only at the Nascent Soul stage. These special physiques, like the flesh and blood of divine beasts, were great supplements for him, a chance to restore a fraction of his former glory, a taste of the power he once held.
He had pursued her relentlessly across continents, but who would have thought she was not an easy target either? She was cunning and resilient, a slippery prey. In the end, she had fled into this desolate place in a sorry state, and he and his beast companion had followed, confident of their success. Just when they were about to succeed, this mysterious woman in black armor had suddenly appeared from the storm, an unforeseen variable that ruined everything, a wrench thrown into his carefully laid plans.
Crack!
In that instant, the giant manifestation of power was shattered by Su Min's punch, the spiritual construct exploding into motes of fading light. The withered old man was stunned. This was his True Body, fused with his understanding of the Law of Strength, something he had carefully prepared for his future Unity stage Dharma Body. It was his pride, the core of his current combat power.
Yet now, it had been torn apart by someone at the Divine Transformation mid stage. How was this possible? Was this woman some kind of legendary human shaped divine beast? The thought was both terrifying and infuriating, a blow to his very understanding of cultivation.
But there was no time to think, no time for disbelief. Su Min, clad in her black armor and exuding overwhelming dominance, was already swinging her sword down at him, the edge aimed to cleave him in two, a definitive end.
In the next moment, an ancient, ornate mirror on his chest shattered, releasing a terrifying, visible shockwave that blasted toward the black figure. It was his last resort, a final, desperate gamble.
Hummm
The violent energy engulfed Su Min, a concussive force meant to obliterate soul and body, and even she was momentarily dazed by the impact, her vision swimming, her senses reeling.
[Tremor Heartguard Mirror (Earth Tier High Grade): Upon activation, it instantly shatters and releases a devastating shockwave. Those hit will be stunned, or even instantly killed.]
"This is my chance!!!"
The withered old man's face twisted with ferocity and a spark of desperate triumph as he lunged at the stunned Su Min, his claw like hand striking toward her chest with lethal intent, all his remaining power concentrated into a single, death dealing point.
[Death's Desolate Palm: A strike imbued with the power of death. Those hit will be plagued by calamities, their vitality withering away.]
But in the next instant
A golden, translucent barrier intercepted the strike, flaring brightly as it absorbed the deadly energy. It held firm, unyielding.
"!!!"
His eyes widened in sheer shock and horror. This was not possible.
"You are not the only one with life saving trump cards."
Su Min's voice was cold and steady as she grabbed his wrist, her grip like iron, trapping him. In a flash of light, she pierced straight through his chest with her other hand. Then, a radiant gourd materialized in the space between them, its open mouth pointing directly at the gaping wound.
BOOM!
A muffled explosion rang out as black lightning crackled through the air, the smell of ozone and charred flesh suddenly sharp, acrid.
To ensure the kill, Su Min had used Demon Slaying Thunder. While this lightning was not as effective against Divine Transformation cultivators when used directly as an external attack, pouring it directly into an open wound, into the very core of his spiritual foundation, was a different story entirely. It was like pouring poison directly into the heart.
Caught completely off guard, the old man convulsed violently as the purplish black lightning surged through his veins and meridians, annihilating all life force before he could even activate his remaining secret techniques. His body jerked and spasmed in the air, a puppet with its strings cut.
"Demon Slaying Thunder..."
His final, rasping voice was filled with utter disbelief and a deep, seething unwillingness. He still had other trump cards, techniques he had not yet shown, but this lightning was too terrifying. Anyone who had ever been struck by it would never forget the feeling. This was Heavenly Tribulation, devastating to cultivators. If he had taken it head on from the outside, he might have only been severely injured. But having it poured directly into his body, into his core? That was absolute annihilation. There was no defense against that. His insides were simply not as fortified as his outside.
After all, he had no divine treasures protecting his insides. Or rather, the moment these fallen ones severed their cultivation to enter this sealed realm, even if they had once refined divine treasures, they would return to the heavens and earth, leaving them vulnerable, stripped of their highest protections.
Thus, in this instant, his life force was completely extinguished, his body going limp in her grasp, finally still.
"Hah..."
Su Min let out a slow breath, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. Demon Slaying Thunder was horrifyingly effective against all cultivators, especially those who had fallen to the level of evil spirits, their energies corrupted. With the thunder flooding his body, death was inevitable. It was a brutal, but necessary, end. She felt no pleasure in it, only a grim satisfaction of a threat neutralized.
"Fifty seconds."
Su Min turned her gaze toward the lightning prison, now covered in a spiderweb of cracks, light bleeding out from within. She had just used another life saving treasure, an Earth Tier low grade artifact she had refined in her spare time, a one time use barrier. It was now spent, gone.
No matter how strong her armor was, it could not have completely blocked that fatal strike at such close range. If she had been hit, she might not have died, but she would have had to retreat and recover, licking her wounds for days. And that would have meant missing this golden opportunity to seek the White Tiger's legacy, the entire reason she was here in this frozen wasteland. The cost would have been too high.
Though she had taken some damage from the shockwave and expended a lot of spiritual energy, the Northern Water's Profound Origin in her body was already rapidly restoring her reserves, a cool, flowing sensation spreading through her dantian, a comforting balm.
"Now, it is just you left. Since you came here to hunt Yingying, you might as well stay forever."
Su Min slowly floated up, her feet leaving the trampled snow, and landed softly in front of the massive bull. Its enormous, bloodshot eyes were filled with pure despair and terror, reflecting her black armored form, a vision of its impending doom.
Though trapped in the prison, it could still see everything clearly. The battle had not been far away, and it had witnessed exactly how Su Min had killed two half step Dao Comprehension experts, beings it could not have defeated even at its full strength. It had seen its companion die, and it knew its own fate was sealed.
"I—"
But before it could even begin to beg for mercy, its voice a choked rumble, Su Min seized the chance to summon two of her Sacred Form. Though she had used the Vermilion Bird Possession to destroy the formation earlier, the remaining two were more than enough for this trapped, terrified beast. There was no need for theatrics, only efficiency.
The colossal Black Tortoise and Azure Dragon materialized in a blaze of spiritual light, their forms coiling around the lightning prison, their bodies radiating annihilating light that made the very air hum, vibrating with power.
And then
BOOM!
A final, deafening explosion of light and sound silenced the beast forever, its form dissolving into motes of energy.
"Huff... Devour the corpse."
Su Min descended from the sky, breathing heavily, not just from exertion but from mental strain. The expenditure had been significant. While her spiritual energy could recover quickly thanks to the Profound Origin, her mental fatigue would take longer to soothe, a deeper weariness. The massive, smoking corpse became nourishment for her Treasure Gourd, allowing it to evolve back to the Divine Transformation stage, its surface glowing with a satisfied light, having fed well.
Though it was still far from matching her Medicine Cauldron. After all, the gap between her and the Medicine Buddha was… just a tiny bit large. It was a comparison that almost was not fair, like comparing a stream to an ocean. But at that moment, Su Min's body suddenly trembled, not from fatigue, but from a sudden, internal spark, a flash of understanding from the cosmos. A look of pure, unadulterated delight flashed across her face as she immediately sat down cross legged right there in the snow, not caring about the cold or the location.
Within a hundred mile radius, no living creature would dare approach. The spiritual pressure she had just released would see to that. She was safe here, for a moment at least. The storm would hide her.
This epiphany would only last an instant. She could not afford to waste it. These moments were rare and precious.
Sure enough, Su Min's expression soon turned joyful, her eyes closing in deep concentration. As she focused her mind, she entered a mysterious, internal space once more, a landscape of her own spirit.
A massive White Tiger, over a hundred meters tall, its fur like polished silver and its stripes like cracks of midnight, gazed down at her with deep blue eyes that held the chill of ancient glaciers, filled with approval. It gave a slow, deliberate nod, a gesture of acceptance.
Then, in the next moment, a flood of knowledge, techniques, and memories surged into her mind, a river of information that was both overwhelming and exhilarating, a gift from a legendary being.
"This is… the White Tiger's legacy… and the location of the heavenly treasure? So the White Tiger has acknowledged me. As for the location"
Her face, which had been filled with joy, stiffened, the color draining slightly, replaced by a look of profound annoyance.
"Fengdu Ghost City… Land of Life and Death… Slaughter to end slaughter… Where all things wither…
…What the hell?!"
Su Min's expression twisted dramatically into one of sheer exasperation. The information was clear, but the destination was a nightmare. It was the last place anyone would willingly go.
She knew that place. Every seasoned cultivator knew of it, if only in whispers, a name spoken with dread.
It was an ancient battlefield, a graveyard of countless mighty experts from a forgotten war, a place where the veil between the living and the dead was tissue thin, and the air was thick with resentment.
And worse. The environment there was so extreme, so saturated with death and chaotic spiritual pressure, that even Divine Transformation cultivators could not enter and hope to survive. The very air was poison, the ground was despair, a landscape designed to kill.
She would need to reach at least the Dao Comprehension stage to even attempt it, to have a chance of weathering the hostile environment, a whole major realm above her current one.
But the only silver lining was… a small one.
It had not emerged yet. The ghost city was still dormant, hidden away in a separate pocket realm. She had time, but not an infinite amount. She would have to prepare, and prepare well.
[Name: Su Min]
[Cultivation: Divine Transformation (Mid-Stage)]
[Talent: Immortality (having infinite lifespan and not aging)]
[Innate Divine Ability: Heavenly Dao Insight (Over time, comprehend techniques from the cosmos)]
[Physique: Five Elements Sacred Physique—Tri-Yuan Sacred Body, Solar Sovereign Body]
[Acquired Divine Abilities: Four Symbols Slaughter—Tiger; Four Symbols Heavenly Sun—Vermilion Bird; Four Symbols Primordial – Azure Dragon; Four Symbols Profound Water—Black Tortoise; Mastery of the Five Thunders]
[Cultivation Art: Five Elements Ancient Scripture]
[Mental Arts: Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra; Solar Sovereign Ancient Scripture (Sealed); Lunar Sovereign Ancient Scripture (Incomplete)]
[Skills: Sword Control Technique; Mystic Firewood Sword Art/ Xuanhuomu]
[Secret Technique: Revival Art]
[Possessed Heavenly Treasures: Nanming Lihuo; Heavenly Thunder; Eastern Azure Wood; Northern Water's Profound Origin]
[Possessed Innate Spiritual Treasure: Heaven and Earth Qiankun Gourd, Medicine King's Cauldron]
[Life-bound Spirit Treasure: Vermilion Bird's Flameblade / Nanming Lihuo Sword (Mystic Tier - High Grade)]
"First things first. Enter the tomb."
Su Min exhaled softly, pushing the frustrating new goal to the back of her mind. The pests outside were handled. Now, her attention turned inward, toward the reason she had come all this way, the original objective.
She retrieved the jade pendant Yao Xian'er had given her, its surface warm and humming with a familiar energy, a key to what lay ahead.
Before her stood a humble mound barely two meters high, marked only by a weather worn, unreadable gravestone. It was utterly unremarkable, something you might pass by without a second glance. It looked more like a forgotten mortal's resting place than the tomb of a peak Mahayana expert, a being who could once shake the heavens, a true powerhouse of a bygone era.
But Su Min's sharp senses told her that this humble grave concealed another world within, a vast space folded away. The spiritual pressure leaking from it was immense, like a deep ocean current beneath a calm surface, hinting at the power within.
In the cultivation world, appearances were always deceiving. The most dangerous places often looked the most harmless. This was a fundamental rule.
She activated the jade pendant, channeling a thread of spiritual power into it, feeling it resonate with the hidden space.
A faint, gentle glow enveloped her body, and in the next breath, she vanished from the snowy plain, the space around the grave warping slightly before settling back to normal, as if she had never been there.
Outside, the blizzard resumed its endless, monotonous dance, as if the violent battle had never occurred. Within minutes, all trace of the earlier clash, the scorch marks, the shattered ice, the tracks in the snow, was swallowed by the relentless storm. Even if other cultivators came now, they would find nothing amiss, just the eternal white, an unbroken blanket of snow.
But this was no ordinary snowstorm. It was the tomb's own veil, a natural formation of incredible power designed to conceal and protect, to erase all traces of entry.
—
"What a massive palace!"
Her voice, though soft, echoed into the immense distance, swallowed by the sheer scale of the place. The ceiling soared beyond sight, lost in a gloom that might have been a vault or simply an illusion of infinite space. Pillars as wide as ancient trees stretched toward the heavens, carved from a single piece of glacial crystal that shimmered faintly with an internal, captured moonlight, giving the hall an ethereal, cold beauty. Every breath she took was sharp and cold, and each exhale echoed with the ancient solemnity of the place, a silence that had lasted for millennia, a weight of ages.
"A structure like this… even the cathedrals of old Europe could not compare," she murmured to herself, the reference feeling alien in this world, a fragment of a past life. "But this world does not play by the rules of physics. It operates on will and spiritual power, on the laws of the Dao."
Still, this was not what startled her most.
As her words faded, a brutal, aggressive wave of cold surged through the hall, sharp as a thousand invisible blades. It tore at her bones, her meridians, seeking a weakness, trying to freeze her from the inside out. It was a violent spiritual pressure, hateful and alive, carrying a will that wanted to expel her, to freeze her solid, to make her just another part of the eternal ice.
Her Nanming Lihuo flared to life instinctively, a protective reaction, forming a shimmering barrier of golden red flame around her. The oppressive cold receded, beaten back by the intense heat, and only then did her breathing ease. This was a deeper, more malicious cold than even the frozen pond from before had possessed, a cold with intent.
Clearly, her arrival had triggered something, an automated defense or perhaps the lingering consciousness of the tomb's master, a final guardian.
Sure enough, a cold, unfamiliar female voice, sharp with an edge of frost, echoed directly in her ears and mind, seeming to come from everywhere at once, from every shard of ice.
"Nanming Lihuo… Five Elements Holy Body… Are you Yao Xian'er's disciple? She could not even come to see me herself?"
The voice carried more than just anger. It carried a profound grief laced with years of bitter silence. There was a deep, resonant bitterness, but not the hot, active flame of hatred. And it was this specific emotional texture that made Su Min's eyebrow twitch slightly in recognition. It was a tone she had come to associate with certain complicated histories.
Ah, the cultivation world. Where gender ratios were often skewed, and relationships between powerful figures were… complicated. It was a world of long lives and deep, often tangled, emotions.
"…I am not her disciple," she replied calmly, her voice steady in the vast space, refusing to be cowed. "She simply entrusted me with the pendant. That is all."
Su Min shook her head slightly. She had no master. Everything she had learned, every technique she wielded, she had attained herself through trial, insight, and her unique talents. Even the Five Elements Emperor, whose scripture she used, could not be called her master, as they had never truly met. To her, he was more like… a textbook editor, a source of knowledge, not a personal guide. She walked her own path.
But what concerned her more was the tone of that voice. It seemed these cultivators, with their long lives and tangled histories, really did not care about mortal gender barriers. Their relationships transcended such simple things, often leading to convoluted and deeply emotional entanglements that could last for epochs.
The silence lingered this time, thick and heavy, the cold seeming to press in a little closer. Then came a dry, humorless scoff that seemed to ripple through the very ice of the pillars, a sound of pure, weary bitterness.
"Of course she would not come herself. After everything that passed between us… she still can not face me. Some things even time cannot melt."
There it was. The undertone Su Min had suspected. Not simple jealousy. Not a straightforward rivalry.
It was Regret. A deep, frozen river of it, cold and unmoving.
"So be it," the voice said at last, the sharpness softening into a weary resignation, the fight going out of it. "If she sent you, then you must already know… you must know what happened."
===
Su Min, I personally think that you should look at yourself in the mirror before commenting on others relationship -_-