A year was absolutely grueling for this world.
Having lost the oceans, they were once again confined to the land. Communications were severely damaged, and desolation spread everywhere.
However, compared to the civilians, the Cultivator Alliance was even more troubled. The area where the Bloodfiend Old Demon resided remained shrouded by a massive formation—one that even Su Min couldn't break through, let alone them.
They had even launched over a dozen hydrogen bombs in succession, yet none could breach it. In the end, they could only throw up their hands and wait quietly for death.
The gap in strength was so vast that it was despair-inducing. No schemes or tricks were of any use.
This was the general situation on Su Min's continent—schemes and deceptions were almost nonexistent. Most conflicts were resolved through sheer power disparity, with the most elaborate tactics being like Su Min's approach: quietly forming a team and then charging straight at the enemy.
Thus, humanity could do nothing but wait. Moreover, if the truth were revealed to the public, it would likely trigger even greater chaos. Therefore, the higher-ups tacitly agreed to conceal the truth, resulting in a complete divide between the two sides of the world.
As for Su Min, none of this concerned her. Her strength destined her to stand above all living beings, allowing her to remain detached and observe everything with cold indifference. This wasn't due to heartlessness, she simply had more important matters to attend to.
"According to our observations, the energy occasionally leaking from that formation has grown even more intense, to the point where its aura has surpassed the Divine Transformation stage."
Standing atop a high-rise building, Su Min watched the chaotic crowd below with interest. A year had not yet pushed society past its breaking point, and the absolute power of the cultivators kept things within controllable limits. However, this was not a sustainable situation.
Life had already been difficult after the loss of the oceans, and now it had only worsened. With the disappearance of satellites, many professions had nearly vanished.
"He's about to emerge. I must head to the vicinity. If I don't kill him, I won't be able to return."
With that thought, Su Min stood up and vanished without a trace.
At the same time, within the formation, the Bloodfiend Old Demon slowly opened his eyes. His cultivation had now recovered to the Dao Comprehension stage. But this was far from enough for him. Worse still, without the large number of Qilin he had prepared in advance as nourishment, he was severely lacking in blood sacrifices.
Moreover, this planet was not the Heavenly's Continent—both its population and the number of cultivators were far too few. Even if he devoured them all, he wouldn't be able to restore himself to the Unity stage. This meant he couldn't traverse the vast sea of stars to reach the Heavenly's Continent—a far greater hunting ground. While a Dao Comprehension-stage existence could theoretically cross the stars, two major problems stood in his way:
First, the universe was vast and boundless, and the vacuum of space contained no spiritual energy. Without reaching the Unity stage and condensing a Dharma Body, one couldn't form an internal energy source. This made it easy to exhaust one's spiritual power in the void, falling into a state of neither life nor death.
Second, he had no coordinates to return to the Heavenly's Continent. The ancient battlefield was inaccessible due to his current cultivation level, and the marks he had left there had long since faded with time. Moreover, celestial bodies were in constant motion—over the countless years, everything had shifted beyond recognition.
Thus, he had to recover to the Unity stage on this planet before he could act. Until then, he had to carefully manage this world.
This frustrated him immensely. His original plan had been to awaken, quickly restore himself to the Unity stage, and then immediately depart for the Heavenly's Continent to hunt high-level cultivators. As for this world, he had intended to devour it upon awakening.
But now, the situation had changed. He would have to meticulously cultivate this world for many years.
Su Min, however, had already overcome these two obstacles. Before leaving, she had prepared ample spatial markers. With the near-infinite spiritual energy recovery provided by the little gourd and the assistance of the Northern Water's Profound Origin, she could traverse the void directly.
The only problem was that she was now locked on the planet's surface.
"A Dao Comprehension-stage woman... a Buddhist cultivator... Those useless fools didn't gather any useful information and even lost my weapon!"
The Bloodfiend Old Demon's expression darkened further as he realized that the weapon he had left as a trump card had been seized by Su Min. After devouring the memories of his subordinates, his face twisted in fury—they had known nothing about her.
They had been played for fools until the very end, only realizing Su Min's strength when it was too late. The only consolation was that Su Min had revealed her law when seizing the last Qilin egg. But this small comfort lasted only a few seconds, as he realized that knowing her law made little practical difference.
The Law of Time.
In all his memories, no one had ever comprehended this law. It was universally regarded as the most mysterious of all, with no records detailing its workings.
"Hmm?"
At that moment, he clearly sensed an overwhelming threat descending from the sky—a cold, murderous gaze fixed upon him.
Dao Comprehension stage.
A mysterious existence who had reached the Dao Comprehension stage in such an environment. Even though he had once been at the Mahayana stage, he had now declined to a pitiful state where he might not even be a match for her.
"Hmph."
Seeing Su Min's icy demeanor, the Bloodfiend Old Demon knew he had no choice but to fight. Staring at each other across the formation was meaningless.
A Dao Comprehension-stage cultivator had a lifespan of about five thousand years, and Su Min had reached this stage step by step—her vitality was flourishing. Meanwhile, his foundation was less than a thousandth of its former glory, and his lifespan was rapidly dwindling.
A Mahayana-stage existence had a lifespan of fifty thousand years, and he had originally had forty thousand left. But after severing his foundation and sealing himself away, only twenty thousand remained—and even that was draining away at an accelerated rate. He couldn't afford to drag this out.
Thus, he opened the formation.
In that instant, the violent energy released by the confrontation between two Dao Comprehension-stage experts swept across the entire planet. From Divine Transformation-stage experts down to ordinary people, everyone felt an indescribable sense of oppression.
"Release the formation. How about we take this battle to the stars?"
Su Min spoke calmly as she observed the withered old man before her. She had destroyed nearly all of his backup plans, leaving him in an extremely weakened state.
Because of this, he would inevitably value this planet's resources greatly. A battle between the two of them would trigger a global catastrophe. Regardless of who won, the planet's vitality would be extinguished.
Su Min had no desire to slaughter innocents, and the Bloodfiend Old Demon needed to preserve his "pasture" and "flock."
The moment Su Min finished speaking, the sky's seal was lifted. Two figures then transformed into streaks of light, shooting straight into the upper atmosphere. The Bloodfiend Old Demon, in particular, was determined to kill the woman who had ruined his plans.
At the same time, all signals that had been cut off for a year were suddenly restored. After the initial shock, the masses erupted into celebration.
Yet amidst the jubilant cheers, the alliance's higher-ups fell into deathly silence.
The large meeting room was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard. Whether it was Lin Yao or the leaders of the four great families, all held their breaths. Being weak and having their fates in another's hands was an unbearably dreadful feeling. Now, they could only pray like ordinary mortals.
The gap between Su Min's strength and even the strongest among them was an insurmountable chasm—one so vast it inspired despair. If Su Min lost, she might still escape and survive. But none of them could—Lin Yao included. Su Min had no confidence in bringing anyone else across the stars.
Meanwhile, in space—despite being in the midst of battle—Su Min took a moment to admire the planet beside her. This was the first time she had flown so high. Divine Transformation-stage cultivators could briefly enter space, but only those at the Dao Comprehension stage, protected by their laws, could move freely in the void.
Moreover, the effects of "Shrinking the Earth to an Inch" were even more pronounced in space. Su Min could use this technique to achieve faster-than-light speeds—assuming no one interfered.
Gurgle—
However, Su Min soon averted her gaze. The fallen cultivator before her had already made his move. In the blink of an eye, a crimson glow enveloped the surrounding space.
Down on the planet, people instinctively looked up. The sky had once again turned blood-red.
"All evil is useless."
Expressionless, Su Min observed the bloody mist, sensing an indescribable foulness within it. His laws had become twisted after his self-severing, now tainted with corruption and defilement upon reaching the Dao Comprehension stage.
The fallen cultivator who had fought Xie Yingying back then had been the same—his laws had given her some trouble. But now, before Su Min, these things posed little threat. With a slight raise of her hand, a palm-sized firebird shot forth, streaking into the heart of the bloody mist.
The next moment—
BOOM!
A massive explosion rippled through space. Su Min's body was instantly clad in armor as she charged straight at the Bloodfiend Old Demon. Given that he was once a Mahayana-stage expert, her combat experience told her not to recklessly unleash her strongest abilities—especially when she didn't fully understand her opponent.
Though she possessed devastating trump cards, she chose not to use them immediately—not even her Great Buddha technique. Instead, she opted for the simplest and most brutal method: close-quarters combat.
After obtaining the Western Metal's Sharp Gold, her Black Tortoise Armor had undergone another transformation. Blades now adorned the originally black armor, and the Western Metal's Sharp Gold could liquefy, allowing her to attach it to any part of her body—including her weapons.
Thus, the next moment—
The Bloodfiend Old Demon was in for a world of suffering. The instant he clashed with Su Min, his expression changed. He left behind a bloody doppelgänger and fled.
Pfft—
After running for a while, he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
"Southern Bright Blazing Fire, Western Metal Sharp Gold, Northern Water Profound Origin, Eastern Wood Azure… Five Elements Holy Body!!!"
The Bloodfiend Old Demon's voice exploded in Su Min's mind, his teeth-gnashing rage almost comical.
"Correct."
Su Min smirked but didn't bother explaining further before charging at him again.
Among the five special physiques, the Five Elements Holy Body had the widest gap between its upper and lower limits. Su Min was only one step away from its full mastery, but even now, it was enough to make the Bloodfiend Old Demon feel threatened.
The problem was, even he didn't know the specifics of the Five Elements Holy Body—he had no idea how to counter it. Of course, Su Min could have told him: "Don't bother with fancy tricks—just go pure physical."
But unfortunately, he didn't know that. So, his response to Su Min's pursuit was simple—
Run!!!
Not in a panicked rout, but in an attempt to stall her while searching for weaknesses in her physique's mechanics. Earlier, three of his attacks had landed on Su Min—only to be completely nullified. They had carried strong elemental properties, but Su Min's absurd resistances had shrugged them off.
"He actually ran…"
Su Min found it somewhat amusing. At the same time, she casually popped a pill into her mouth—causing the Blood Crimson Old Demon's eyelids to twitch violently.
He recognized it—a 7th-grade pill.
[Stormwind Thunder Pill (7th-grade, mid-tier): For a limited time, greatly increases movement speed.]
In an instant, she closed the distance. Down on the planet, people could only watch as two meteors collided violently in the sky. Each impact sent shockwaves rippling out, but thanks to the atmosphere's buffering and the two combatants' deliberate control, none reached the surface.
Otherwise, the world would have experienced true orbital bombardment—with no one capable of stopping it.
Back in space, the two continued their high-speed exchanges. After several clashes, the Bloodfiend Old Demon made another horrifying discovery.
"The Law of Time… Lifespan erosion?!"
In just over ten minutes of combat, thousands of years had been shaved off his lifespan. Normally, his laws would have protected him from such severe erosion, but he was already in a state of rapid decay.
His lifespan was draining rapidly—and now, he had run into Su Min, who specialized in lifespan erosion. He realized one thing: he couldn't afford a drawn-out battle. Moreover, he had roughly figured out the nature of Su Min's physique.
Extreme elemental resistance and elemental offense. Combined with her four divine treasures, her combat power reached terrifying levels. An ordinary Dao Comprehension-stage cultivator would have died in their earlier exchanges. His mastery of laws far surpassed that of a newly ascended Dao Comprehension-stage expert.
But Su Min's brute-force attributes and the bizarre Law of Time had completely negated that advantage. Worse yet, she could erode lifespans.
At that moment, he knew he had to go all out. In such battles, the first to resort to desperate measures was usually at a disadvantage—but he had no choice. If he didn't fight with everything he had, Su Min would grind him down to nothing.