Inside an altar, several people sat with blank expressions.
"How did that woman arrive at the destination on time? Where were your people?"
"I don't know, and we couldn't contact them no matter what. Could someone have been secretly protecting her? But those were three Nascent Soul cultivators who could even put up a fight against Divine Transformation experts."
"Hmm."
The hall fell silent as everyone exchanged glances before focusing on one individual.
"I don't know either. I saw it on the public mission board. The mission procedure was completely normal and wouldn't attract attention. Given her strength, handling a minor Golden Core impurity beast shouldn't be an issue, so... did they betray us?"
The group looked at each other in confusion, utterly baffled despite racking their brains. What was stranger was that after Lin Yao returned, she didn't say a word about the ambush, simply completing the mission report without mentioning it.
This left the conspirators completely perplexed. After eliminating all impossible explanations, only the least likely possibility remained—betrayal. But how could they dare?
They were bound by soul contracts preventing information leaks. The reason they didn't fear betrayal was simple: at their level, everyone understood their master's greatness. Betrayal would mean their entire clans becoming future blood sacrifices.
Moreover, these individuals were core members—perhaps not the strongest, but certainly the most loyal. As the group speculated wildly, in another secluded pocket dimension, Su Min expressionlessly tossed a headless corpse aside before turning to the two unconscious figures behind her.
Soul Search Technique.
This was Su Min's first time using this method to directly extract memories from someone's mind. A minor mishap occurred—she'd been slightly too forceful, triggering their soul contracts and causing their heads to explode like watermelons.
With a resigned sigh, Su Min reminded herself to be more careful next time.
The other two remained unconscious, which suited her purposes. She'd used this opportunity to test the limits of their soul contracts while gathering information. This initial attempt had already yielded significant intelligence, and future attempts would reveal even more.
Most importantly, Su Min made a major discovery—they were preserving several Kirin eggs.
However, their exact location remained unclear. Turning her attention to the remaining captives, Su Min willed one to float before her.
Thirty minutes later...
"This is the limit. I can't extract more information for now."
Surveying the three headless corpses, Su Min snapped her fingers, reducing them to ashes before flying away. These three had been relatively core members, though not the innermost circle—that required at least Divine Transformation cultivation. Still, they'd provided valuable intelligence.
Soon, Su Min arrived at a concealed mountain site. After navigating winding paths, she reached a small cave entrance.
"So this is their base—a hollowed-out section of the mountain. The surrounding terrain provides natural camouflage. No wonder it's so hard to find."
The hiding spot was exceptionally well-chosen. Without prior knowledge, even she might have missed it. Her decision to avoid direct confrontation had been correct.
"Time, stand still here!!!"
Instantly, time froze across the entire area. As a Dao Comprehension stage expert, when Su Min chose to operate covertly, only Unity stage powerhouses or powerful arrays could detect her spiritual presence.
In that frozen moment, Su Min traversed the entire base, reaching a central altar where she made a startling discovery.
In the deepest chamber lay two eggs—one red, one blue—emanating distinctive auras.
"Fire Kirin and Water Kirin eggs? How did these people infiltrate the Kirin ancestral grounds?"
Muttering to herself, Su Min hesitated before leaving without touching them. Reappearing outside, she released the time freeze.
"Time, resume its flow."
With another thought, normal time resumed before she vanished in a streak of light. The eggs would remain safe for now, and Su Min had good reason for restraint—she needed to avoid alerting the enemy.
Finding a secluded spot, she began rummaging through her materials.
"These should work—I'll make some fake eggs to replace them."
Working swiftly, Su Min assembled components. As a master artificer, she didn't strictly need reference formulas, especially for superficial replicas. Within minutes, convincing "eggs" rested in her hands.
"I'm really going all out—using ostrich eggs as substitutes. I wonder how the Kirin would react if they knew I swapped their precious eggs with ostrich eggs."
The processed eggs were indistinguishable from the originals in appearance and aura—unless someone tried hatching them. Not that these fakes would produce ostriches anyway.
Repeating her time-stop maneuver, Su Min replaced the genuine eggs in seconds. The temporal freeze went completely undetected. Her methods surpassed any legendary thief's techniques. By the time she departed with the real eggs, no one had noticed anything amiss.
Returning to Lin Yao's quarters, Su Min contemplated the eggs now before her with a headache. She had no idea how to incubate them—she couldn't exactly sit on them like a mother hen. Divine beast incubation differed completely. The Eastern Mulberry Continent's fire veins served as the Golden Crow incubation grounds, but Kirin methods remained unknown to her.
"I'll have to consult the dragon girl and Little Golden Crow later. Better not experiment randomly."
Storing the eggs in a special spatial artifact—a self-contained pocket dimension with limited capacity—Su Min turned her attention back to Lin Yao.
"Mission accomplished. Now to discuss using Lin Yao as bait since they want her dead."
Having embraced the role of a schemer, Su Min felt no qualms about continuing her covert operations. She'd grown quite comfortable as a "scheming master" (old six).
As Su Min lounged on the bed snacking on Lin Yao's provisions, the woman herself returned, dust-covered.
"I submitted the report without mentioning the ambush. There must be moles within the alliance with access to mission systems—probably over a hundred at the Nascent Soul level or above. Impossible to identify who."
Like Su Min, Lin Yao doubted the mission notifier was the culprit—that would be too obvious. The conspiracy ran deep, potentially extending to the five great families. With Su Min's backing, Lin Yao feared no direct threat, but the aftermath concerned her. The alliance, flawed as it was, maintained order against the impurity beasts. If Su Min acted too harshly, it could collapse the entire system.
"This works well. They're probably baffled about what happened and conducting internal investigations. No need to rush."
Noticing Lin Yao's anxiety, Su Min offered reassurance before studying the woman from head to toe with thoughtful intensity. The scrutiny made Lin Yao shiver—but also stirred excitement. She anticipated Su Min taking drastic action, perhaps repeating past harsh training methods. Unfortunately, Su Min's eccentricities didn't extend to sadomasochistic tendencies.
"Your cultivation is still too low. How about more training with me?"
"Ah..."
Lin Yao hesitated before shaking her head regretfully.
"Oh?"
Su Min tilted her head curiously.
"I need to... see my mother to her final rest."
"I see."
Su Min nodded understandingly. The tribulation of longevity was every cultivator's inevitable trial. Her own sect had many similar cases—unresolved emotional attachments could hinder future breakthroughs.
"How's your family now?"
True cultivation didn't require severing emotions, but rather mastering them and certain desires without becoming enslaved.
Lin Yao's father had likely passed—his severe injuries and prolonged deterioration had been beyond even Su Min's healing. Her mother, though previously overworked, now enjoyed comfortable retirement thanks to Su Min's interventions and would live another decade or so.
For a Golden Core cultivator like Lin Yao, this timeline was manageable. Moreover, not entering closed-door cultivation didn't preclude progress. Su Min estimated Lin Yao could rapidly advance to late Golden Core stage afterward, preparing for Nascent Soul breakthrough.
"My mother and ten-year-old brother... I've prepared resources for him, but his talent is limited. Reaching Foundation Establishment will be difficult."
"..."
Su Min gave her a strange look but said nothing more.
"In that case, focus on missions for now. The more you go out, the more opportunities we give them. Remember, I left safeguards in your body—burn your essence blood if in danger, and I'll come immediately."
"..."
Now it was Lin Yao's turn for shock. Su Min's cultivation undoubtedly surpassed Divine Transformation, yet the Divine Transformation experts she'd encountered all carried themselves with imposing dignity and grandeur.
Her mentor's... unconventional methods stood in stark contrast.
"Understood."
She kept her thoughts to herself, resolved to follow Su Min's instructions. Little did she know, Su Min cared nothing for such pretenses. Those Divine Transformation experts maintained lofty appearances because they lacked absolute strength—something Su Min didn't worry about.
When she'd destroyed Future Maitreya Mountain as a Divine Transformation cultivator, she'd united a massive coalition. Image was irrelevant when you possessed real power. As for scheming tactics—had she confronted enemies directly back then, certain old monsters might have killed her.
Reflecting on this, Lin Yao grew excited. There was something thrilling about leaving enemies bewildered—how their people died, why plans failed, all while they remained clueless. And it was the safest approach—letting enemies walk into traps while conserving energy. As one scheming master and her apprentice happily set their trap, events unfolded exactly as predicted elsewhere.
"No trace of them. Their clans know nothing either. That branch altar showed no abnormalities. Did they encounter law enforcement?"
"Impossible. The alliance knows nothing. Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"I've been exposed!"
"Eh?"
"That girl has attracted attention from higher-ups. Many families want to arrange marriages with their descendants."
"But she's refused them all?"
"Exactly. She must have special channels to report directly to certain elders who've begun secret investigations. I can't transmit more intelligence during this period."
"So be it..."
The group could only sigh resignedly. If they couldn't find their people, they'd likely been secretly eliminated—the woman must carry some powerful figure's token for summoning help.
This seemed the only plausible explanation.
As for Su Min as a variable—they weren't completely unaware. Her recent activities had caused significant disturbances, but they'd only observed her twice: first when she emerged to slay a Dao Comprehension stage beast, then during her recent breakthrough that shook the planet's environment.
They assumed she'd already returned to her realm, given her complete disinterest in this world's resources and population. This formed a mental blind spot—they never considered her involvement. Moreover, Lin Yao's growth had been thoroughly monitored. Her unique physique was formidable, but her background was verifiable—no one suspected Su Min stood behind her.
"What now?"
Having resolved the immediate issue, the conspirators continued planning.
"I heard she has a mother and younger brother. Should we target them?"
"No, that's too obvious. Important figures' families receive strict protection. Attacking them would risk exposing me."
The black-clad mole spoke decisively. As their highest-placed agent in the alliance leadership, his safety took priority. The group fell into contemplative silence.
"New report—she's accepted another mission, and her security clearance remains unchanged."
"This..."
The development baffled them. Was it possible the woman knew nothing about what happened?
"Should we strike again? Our master's arrival is still centuries away. Leaving her unchecked is too risky."
"Not yet. I'll observe further. Next time, we'll send three Divine Transformation experts. Even if she has protection, unless it's a Dao Comprehension expert, no one could stop three Divine Transformation attackers from eliminating a Golden Core cultivator. Unfortunately, while the alliance has over a dozen Divine Transformation cultivators, none have reached half-step to Dao Comprehension."
The mole's sinister smile prompted nods from the others.
Years of accumulation had given them nearly half the alliance's Divine Transformation numbers, but of higher quality. They avoided open conflict because of the impurity beasts—these were their master's future "dining provisions," like herds maintained by nomadic tribes.
The alliance's role in managing impurity beasts made it useful—for now. But potential threats needed elimination, especially geniuses who could change everything rapidly. Unaware that Dao Comprehension experts couldn't traverse dimensional rifts, they never considered certain possibilities.
"Prepare the second operation—but wait at least a year. That woman faces longevity tribulation and won't enter closed-door cultivation or make major breakthroughs soon... right?"
The speaker sounded uncertain, but no one contradicted him.
Meanwhile...
Thud!
Lin Yao slammed into the ground, embedding herself in the earth.
[Earth Method Qiankun Gourd (Earth Grade High): Contains a special miniature space capable of withstanding Nascent Soul stage battle fluctuations.]
"How does it feel? Don't rely too much on your Netherworld Ghost Flame."
Looking down at the battered Lin Yao, Su Min smiled. With time to spare, she'd decided to help strengthen Lin Yao's foundation through five elements tempering, cycling her four divine artifacts through Lin Yao's body.
"Why does the Nanming Lihuo completely overpower mine when both are heavenly divine flames?"
Despite the beating, Lin Yao felt exhilarated—only her flame's suppression frustrated her. Heavenly divine flames had no inherent ranking, each excelling in different areas. Her Netherworld Ghost Flame corroded both flesh and soul upon contact, with effects scaling to cultivation differences.
Yet Su Min's flame dominated completely.
"Hmph."
Su Min chuckled. With four celestial symbols united and four elements of her Five Elements Holy Body unlocked, her divine artifacts had undergone qualitative leaps. Naturally, they overpowered Lin Yao's flame—only the complete Five Elements Holy Body could potentially match them.
"And how can senior host four divine artifacts without exploding?"
This world didn't even recognize Netherfire Physique, let alone the rarest Five Elements Holy Body. Lin Yao's confusion was understandable—Su Min's capabilities defied expectations.
"Little girl asks too many questions. Five elements tempering is perfect for Golden Core stage—strengthening your foundation improves future core-shattering and Divine Transformation success rates without damaging potential."
Su Min rolled her eyes, offering no further explanation.
"Fine then..."
Lin Yao didn't press further, struggling to her feet. Despite the brutal methods, Su Min's guidance steadily improved her cultivation even at early Golden Core stage. Her teaching philosophy could only be described as "simple and direct"—Lin Yao had taken countless beatings.
"Over half a year since the last attack, and they still haven't made a move."
Helping Lin Yao up, Su Min withdrew her energy. Since Lin Yao needed to complete missions, Su Min avoided causing real damage. The conspirators' patience exemplified cultivators' different perception of time.
"Indeed."
Lin Yao shared the frustration—it was as if nothing had happened.
"Annoying."
With a snap of her fingers, Su Min transported Lin Yao out of the artifact space before turning her attention to the two eggs.
Her research had revealed two key points: first, whatever had called to her resembled these eggs but wasn't either of them—the sensation differed. These contained undeveloped lifeforms incapable of communication.
"Meaning there's another Kirin egg further along, probably with formed embryos."
The earlier call had likely come from an embryo fearing detection or having exhausted its energy. This reassured Su Min—her theories seemed correct.
"What I'm curious about is that Mahayana expert's identity. Stealing eggs from the Kirin ancestral grounds—how embarrassingly lax was their security?"
Su Min smirked. The Kirin ancestral grounds, like the Eastern Mulberry lands and dragonkind's Crystal Palace, were concealed by powerful formations in their home world—not this minor realm.
Even Mahayana experts couldn't have located them easily during the era of heavenly restrictions. Only one explanation fit—the eggs had been stolen from the ancestral grounds, deprived of proper incubation to serve as blood sacrifices.
This realization brought relief—conflict with the Kirin might be avoidable after helping them so much. Even if the Central Wutu Divine Earth was their heritage core, she could rightfully claim it now.
The downside remained—she still didn't know how to incubate the eggs, nor whether hatched Kirin could help her obtain what she needed.
As Su Min pondered, Lin Yao's voice came from outside.
"Another mission, but this one seems... unusual."
"What's unusual?"
"An ancient Divine Transformation expert's tomb has appeared with restrictions allowing only Golden Core cultivators to enter."
"Divine Transformation stage?"
"Go ahead. Such places can't stop me."
Su Min yawned lazily. These tombs typically served as training grounds for juniors—true experts rarely intervened.