At this moment, outside the tomb.
Two black-robed figures had enveloped the entire valley in a dense mist. Unless a Dao Comprehension stage cultivator came by and inspected carefully, no one would notice anything unusual.
"This passage seems to have a seal on it... and it looks like someone has already broken through it?"
The sixth elder stared at the faint crack before him, his expression flickering with suspicion.
"Did someone enter from outside... or did something come out from inside?"
"Someone entered from outside. Could that bastard have left behind an inheritance? But I've never heard of any renowned puppet masters on the continent. That shouldn't be the case."
The sixth elder frowned deeply. After all, obtaining a Great Emperor's inheritance was no easy feat—it required walking a path similar to the Emperor's own.
If there had been any famous puppet masters on the continent, they would have noticed immediately. But unfortunately, while there were a few puppet sects, they were all mediocre. None of them had anyone capable of meeting the standards to inherit a Great Emperor's legacy.
This left the two of them deeply puzzled. However, if someone had indeed entered, their hopes of obtaining the Emperor's artifact would be dashed—and that made them furious.
"A rare Emperor's artifact with a newly born spirit, unbound to any master—we must obtain it."
As he spoke, a dangerous glint flashed in the sixth elder's eyes. Normally, Emperor's artifacts had spirits bound to them. Even if you seized one, if the spirit refused to acknowledge you, you wouldn't be able to use it.
But this one was different. The madman's soul would have dissipated by now, and the newly born spirit would be a blank slate—easiest to imprint with their own will.
Though the two of them had once been Mahayana stage cultivators, they had never truly possessed an Emperor's artifact. Greed filled their expressions, and they had no intention of giving up now.
"What should we do?"
"I have a Heaven-grade high-rank seal-breaking talisman. Even if it means completely destroying this thing, I will get inside."
"Good!"
The eighth elder nodded fiercely. A moment later, the sixth elder activated the talisman, causing the entire space to tremble violently.
Boom!
Inside the tomb, Su Min, who had been meditating, suddenly opened her eyes and looked around in confusion.
Beside her lay the shattered remains of another massive corpse—this one belonging to the mythical beast Qiongqi.
"What's going on? Did I hit it too hard and collapse the chamber? But that doesn't make sense..."
Frowning, Su Min tried to sense the disturbance.
"Someone is trying to force their way in from outside using extreme measures—a Heaven-grade high-rank artifact designed to break seals. By sacrificing its own destruction, it can breach the Medicine Buddha's barrier."
"What?!"
Su Min's eyes narrowed.
"Is it the Heavenly God Sect?"
A cold glint flashed in her eyes. Right now, she was in the middle of receiving the Medicine Buddha's legacy—a critical moment. If she were interrupted, it would be disastrous.
"Unclear. But their cultivation hasn't reached the Unity stage. That said, since you've already cleared the front hall, even if they enter, they won't receive the puppet spirit's enhancements."
"I know that. But if they interfere with my battles, it'll still be troublesome."
Su Min nodded, then glanced back at the dismantled puppet behind her.
This one had been crafted from the body of a Qiongqi, and she had expended considerable effort to destroy it. If someone barged in now, it would be extremely dangerous for her.
"Based on their progress, it'll take them about a year to break through. That's plenty of time. Once you've collected all the seals, killing those two shouldn't be an issue."
"Fine. Let them struggle outside for now. When they finally get in, they'll get a nice little 'boss fight' surprise."
A wicked grin tugged at Su Min's lips. Then she turned her attention to the next challenge.
"...A Golden Crow?"
Reading the jade slip's description, Su Min couldn't help but rub her nose. "As expected of a Great Emperor—especially one without descendants or an inheritance. He even captured a Golden Crow."
Though she felt no personal attachment, the Golden Crow clan had helped her quite a bit.
"I'll bring the corpse back and let Little Golden Crow deal with it."
Su Min shook her head. These puppets were all modified corpses, kept active only by the tomb's unique rules. But as a result, the corpses themselves held no value—not even her treasure gourd would bother consuming them. There was no point in refining them, so she might as well return them to their kin.
After all, Great Emperors stood at the pinnacle of the world, capable of suppressing even the divine beast races. But most wouldn't push them too far—because while Emperors had limited lifespans...
Their legacies and descendants would remain. If you went too far, don't be surprised when an entire alliance comes to wipe you out.
"If it's a Golden Crow puppet, it should be easier to handle. They're fire-aligned, and even though it's a Golden Crow, it doesn't have True Sunfire. A pure elemental puppet like this will be completely countered by me."
Su Min's lips curled into a smirk as she stepped forward.
The Medicine Buddha had been quite generous to his successor. The puppets here covered a wide range of attributes. By absorbing all the law seals, the successor would gain immeasurable benefits for advancing to the Unity stage.
In fact, if someone cleared all the trials, their future achievements could even surpass the Medicine Buddha's. But who would've thought his successor would be Su Min—a Five Elements Holy Body wielder?
This made some of the challenges almost laughable.
For example, right now, Su Min was clad in her Black Tortoise armor, casually walking through the Golden Crow's terrifying flames. The fire licked harmlessly at her armor, leaving no trace.
"Honestly, if not for my clothes being flammable, I wouldn't even need this armor."
But alas, Su Min had no interest in streaking through the tomb. The Black Tortoise armor was more than enough.
Soon...
"So this is the Golden Crow's innate flame law? I've felt it from Little Golden Crow before. The power is impressive, even without True Sunfire."
As the law's insights flooded her mind, Su Min's expression turned strange. Because this law was identical to Little Golden Crow's.
These divine beast races—like the Lunar Sovereign and Solar Sovereign physiques—were locked into predetermined paths.
But unfortunately, this law offered little benefit to her. After all, she already had the upgraded version—the Nanming Lihuo.
"Next up... a water dragon? Sigh, fine. I'll hand this one to Ao Xue later."
Su Min's face twisted even more oddly as she stepped into the next chamber.
For a while, the entire tomb was in chaos.
Most of the puppets were single-attribute. The Medicine Buddha had designed this tomb to expose his successor to diverse laws, tempering their comprehension.
But he hadn't accounted for Su Min—a freak of nature who bulldozed through everything using the Five Elements' mutual suppression.
Except for a handful of seals, she cleared the rest with laughable ease.
While Su Min was busy conquering the tomb, outside...
"Huff... Finally, we're breaking through. This is the last layer of the seal. As expected of a Great Emperor's barrier—my artifact is on the verge of breaking. Once we shatter this last layer, it'll be completely destroyed."
"But Sixth Brother, doesn't this seal feel... off? It doesn't match the Puppet Emperor's style."
The eighth elder's eyes were filled with doubt. The seal's strength wasn't surprising, but the majestic aura it carried was not something the Puppet Emperor—that lunatic—could have produced.
After all, most Great Emperors refrained from unnecessary slaughter—even against divine beast races.
But that guy had been a complete madman.
He had fought every single divine beast race, even using their clansmen to craft puppets. The scandal had been enormous, but the races had no choice but to endure—his strength was undeniable.
Yet the moment he disappeared—reaching the theoretical limit of a Great Emperor's lifespan—they immediately moved to eradicate his lineage and legacy.
And then... nothing.
Because they discovered the bastard had nothing—no parents, no wife, no children, not even a proper inheritance.
The divine beast races were left dumbfounded. They couldn't just retaliate against all of humanity, so they had no choice but to drop the matter.
Truly living up to the saying: The one with nothing to lose cannot be threatened.
So that old freak's seal should have been wild and unorthodox—nothing like this.
"Maybe someone discovered this tomb later. They brought all their followers here, then sealed it again after their minds deteriorated to prevent them from wreaking havoc."
The sixth elder's voice carried a hint of killing intent. Though unexpected, it didn't matter. They had come too far to retreat now.
"Fine. We've already burned about ten years of our lifespan this past year. Once we recover a bit, we'll move in."
"Don't worry, Eighth Brother. On this continent, aside from the Lunar Sovereign, Great Desolate, and Five Elements Holy Body wielders, who could possibly stop the two of us?"
"Hahaha, true!"
The two of them laughed heartily.
Right now, Yao Xian'er and the little monk had been lured away. And as individuals with connections to certain powers, they knew—it wasn't just those two.
All the Unity stage experts on the continent were gone.
That was why the Black Seal Society had grown so bold recently.
With the big shots absent, they could run wild.
With that thought, the two redoubled their efforts. As for the so-called inheritor inside?
They'd just capture and devour them.
Surely the blood of someone who could inherit a Great Emperor's legacy would be delicious—and very nourishing.
Meanwhile, inside the tomb...
"You've now collected all the law seals. What remains is the library containing the puppet techniques. But before that, you must face one final trial—a Unity stage puppet."
The little cauldron floated beside Su Min as she stood amidst the shattered remains of yet another puppet.
Su Min, however, was numb at this point.
The corpse before her was Unity stage.
The only reason she could dismantle it was thanks to the accumulated seals.
And even then, this Unity stage puppet was only at the initial level, lacking any special laws. Yet dealing with it had still been exhausting—because the damn thing was ridiculously durable.
Destroying it outright had been impossible. In the end, she had to locate its weak point and extract it directly.
"What's inside?"
"A much stronger puppet. Definitely tougher than this one."
The cauldron gestured at the wreckage behind her.
"...Great."
Su Min massaged her temples.
"And it's been about a year now, right?"
"Correct."
"Those guys outside are about to break in. Thanks to them, I've been feeling tremors like I'm back in my mortal days. Tch—no matter what, I'm going to make them pay."
Su Min clenched her fists, the joints cracking with suppressed energy.
This was one of the laws she had absorbed—pure, unadulterated force.
With her current setup, even if she faced a genuine Unity stage expert, she might not necessarily lose.
Whether she could win was another question, though.
But right now, her anger was boiling over. Even if a real Unity stage cultivator barged in, she wouldn't back down.
At least, not while fighting on home turf.
"No need to worry. They're breaking the final seal now. It'll take them about a day. When they finally get in... make sure to kill them all."
The Medicine Cauldron's expression darkened.
Its duty was to ensure the Medicine Buddha's legacy continued. Anyone who dared disrupt the inheritance process—no matter who—deserved death.
But alas, as a non-combat innate spiritual treasure, it had zero offensive capabilities. And this wasn't like the Secret Realm during the Water-Land Assembly—all it could do now was cheer Su Min on from the sidelines.
Su Min felt much the same.
For now, she wasn't in a hurry to proceed. If those intruders barged in while she was fighting the final puppet, things could get messy.
Better to deal with them first.
A faint smile curled at Su Min's lips.
Whoever they are... they're going to pay.