The Mysterious Woman in Black

"Tch—"

Watching the crystal shatter before her eyes, Su Min couldn't help but draw in a sharp breath.

"Hahaha! Once I free the senior sealed inside, they'll owe me a favor—and kill you!"

"Idiot!!!"

Su Min cursed inwardly at his arrogant laughter. Yes, this was a sealing crystal—but it was clearly a self-imposed seal. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth hadn't fully recovered yet. This was not the time to wake up. And yet, this fool had forced the awakening. Was he trying to get himself killed?

Su Min quickly retreated. Five-star difficulty was bad enough—if it had been six, she wouldn't have come in the first place.

CRACK—

As the fissures spread across the crystal's surface, a low, ominous hum filled the air.

"Hahaha! Come out, senior! I've freed you—now kill her! Kill her for me!"

The Demon Crown Prince's voice was hysterical with triumph.

BOOM—!

A deep, resonant explosion echoed as a slender figure stepped out from the shattered crystal. At the same time—

The entire mansion trembled. Before Su Min could react—

Her vision blurred. The next moment, she found herself outside, hurled through the air by an invisible force. But Su Min wasn't panicked. With a few light steps mid-air, she dissipated the momentum and landed gracefully. The others weren't so lucky. The Qi Refining cultivators crashed into the ground like sacks of potatoes.

"Huh. That Tianjiao is surprisingly kind—throwing everyone out instead of killing them outright."

Su Min exhaled in relief. That was better temper than she expected. If she woke up to find rats rummaging through her home, she'd probably flip out immediately.

"Cough, cough… Senior, these are the herbs we gathered."

While Su Min stared at the shrinking mansion in the sky, the others limped over, presenting a pile of medicinal plants. Clearly, while she'd been toying with the Demon Crown Prince, they'd been busy looting. But before anyone could speak—

The ground quaked violently. A figure was hurled out from the estate, slamming into the earth with bone-shattering force. If not for his strong cultivation, he'd have died on impact. But as it stood, he was barely clinging to life, his eyes wide with confusion as he stared at the sky.

"Why… kill me…?"

"Tsk, tsk…"

Su Min walked over, amused. She could tell at a glance—he was done for. Only one breath left. So she decided to mercifully end it.

"You absolute moron. You couldn't even tell the difference between a self-seal and an enemy's seal? With judgment like that, how dare you call yourself a crown prince? She wasn't ready to wake up yet—and you forced her. Who else would she kill but you?"

"You—!"

The prince's head twitched weakly toward her, his eyes locking onto her mocking smile. Then—

His pupils dilated. His head lolled. Dead.

"Satisfying," Su Min mused. "Killing someone's body is one thing. But destroying their pride first—that's true joy."

She nodded, pleased with herself. Behind her, the others swallowed hard and silently edged away. This woman… best not to provoke her.

But Su Min's smugness vanished instantly as a bone-chilling aura descended from above. The hundred-meter-tall mansion had disappeared, replaced by a woman in a flowing black dress. Her presence made everyone's faces pale—including Su Min's.

"Late-stage Foundation Establishment… This is trouble."

Su Min's expression darkened. A normal late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator? No big deal. But this woman was anything but normal. One glance, and Su Min knew—

~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~

She was a Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment cultivator, just like her. And worse—

Su Min was only at the early stage. She might not win this fight. Especially since the woman still had her mansion. She could just drop it on Su Min's head and call it a day.

Then—

The woman raised a hand, pointing directly at Su Min.

"Shit! Get back—now!"

Su Min's eyes narrowed. She didn't hesitate. She swatted the companions near her away, launching them out of harm's path. In an instant, the Vermilion Bird Spirit erupted from within her. Flames unfurled like wings behind her as she rocketed toward the sky, a streak of red light surging straight at the woman in black. The very next second, the heavens erupted in chaos.

Scarlet flames clashed with glacial black crystals, creating a cyclone of destruction in the sky. The heat and chill surged together—opposing forces twisting into a strange, suffocating storm. For a moment, every cultivator below felt a bizarre duality—scorching and freezing all at once. They immediately activated their inner spiritual energy to shield themselves from the deadly force.

BOOM!

A loud crash followed. Su Min was struck down from the heavens and slammed into the earth, carving a crater with her body.

"A yin-attribute physique... no, this is the Xuan-Yuan Yin Physique… or could it be the legendary Nine Nether Constitution? Wait—no. It's the Taiyin Physique—one of the peak Tier-1 physiques that can rival the Five Element Sacred Body?"

As she stood up, Nanming Lihuo blazed around her, purging the invading cold energy.

"The Blazing Sun Body, combined with Nanming Lihuo… To think a mortal-grade physique can achieve this much. A pity your cultivation is still too weak." The woman's voice was cool, almost indifferent.

"Talk to me again when I reach late-stage Foundation Establishment. You've got a level advantage right now." Su Min shot back, unbowed. The spectators wisely kept their mouths shut. That single exchange had taught them one thing—

These two women were monsters beyond their comprehension.

"Enough. State your business."

Ignoring the stunned onlookers, Su Min stared up at the woman. There was no killing intent in that earlier strike.

And Su Min knew—if they really fought, her chances of winning were slim.

"You're an alchemist, aren't you? Only an alchemist would dismiss a Foundation Establishment Pill so easily."

Even though the pill was useless to Foundation Establishment cultivators, none would casually ignore it. It could be traded or given to disciples for immense value. The only ones who'd brush it off were those who could make their own.

Besides—

Though she'd been sealed, she hadn't been completely unaware of the outside world.

Su Min's fire-wood dual-element sword arts had been impossible to miss.