Slay

The Corpse Demon was in a dire state. The physical damage it had sustained was secondary—what truly shook it was the devastating blow to its soul. It had never expected Su Min to provoke it into such reckless fury.

In a moment of blind rage, it had charged headlong into the Demon-Slaying Thunder, and though it had barely survived, it came at the cost of burning through a vast amount of corpse energy it had hoarded for centuries. And now—just as its soul trembled from the blow—another dangerous ripple was forming, one that made even its death-hardened soul shudder.

There was only one choice left: escape.

This was precisely why Su Min had insisted Xie Yingying come with her. If the Corpse Demon had stayed behind to fight to the death, Su Min—whose very existence countered it on every level—could have utterly obliterated it without leaving a trace.

But if it chose to flee... Su Min might not be able to stop it.

After all, it was still a creature in the Golden Core stage. Its speed was formidable. Especially now, while Su Min was focusing on gathering the power for her final, decisive strike, she could not give chase.

"Trying to run?!"

Xie Yingying didn't need Su Min's warning—she'd been waiting for this. She knew Su Min's attack could kill the Corpse Demon in its current state—her job was to hold it down and cut off its retreat.

Sure enough, the moment the creature turned to flee—

Xie Yingying struck.

A fierce blow sent it reeling backward, and in the same motion, she sheathed her sword, clasped her hands together, and roared:

"Netherfrost Prison!!!"

A blizzard of icy energy erupted, freezing the Corpse Demon mid-step—leaving it completely immobilized.

"How?!"

Though it lacked a mouth to speak, the creature's mind reeled in horror. Corpse Demons were innately yin-cold—this environment should've been its domain. Earlier, it had channeled vast amounts of corpse energy and frost into Xie Yingying's body, yet the woman showed no reaction—not even a fluctuation in her aura.

~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~

What the Corpse Demon didn't realize was that its head had been blasted apart by Su Min's earlier attack. Without eyes, it could no longer see the layers of frost slowly overtaking its body. And because its soul was merely piloting this corpse—like controlling a puppet or mech—it couldn't feel the cold either. All it noticed was a growing heaviness in its limbs, which it dismissed as the aftermath of its wounds.

But now, true fear took root.

The fear of death.

Centuries ago, it had abandoned its mortal shell, entombing countless others with it in pursuit of eternal undeath. It had clawed its way to this moment, surviving on vengeance alone.

And now… it would perish, having never reclaimed its kingdom.

"This emperor… refuses to fall!!!"

But no one heard its silent scream—because high above, Su Min had finished preparing her killing blow.

"[Mystic Firewood Sword—Vermilion Bird Form.]"

A blazing phoenix of Nanming Lihuo descended from the heavens, engulfing the frozen abomination.

BOOM—!!!

Scorching flames met unyielding black ice, sending waves of heat and cold crashing through the valley.

When the chaos settled—

The Corpse Demon's upper half had vaporized, while its lower half remained encased in shattered black ice.

CRACK—

As the ice splintered apart, so too did the remaining corpse flesh.

"Tch. Nanming Lihuo truly lives up to its name as a heavenly flame—it evaporated even my ice."

Xie Yingying smirked, eyeing the scattered remnants.

"But that thing…"

"It didn't escape. Playing tricks in front of an alchemist is suicidal."

As Su Min spoke, a streak of red light cut through the sky. When she landed, a pulsating core rested in her palm. The Corpse Demon's body was worthless—only this core mattered. And she'd been watching it the entire time.

"Storing your soul in the demon core? Clever. But useless against me."

Su Min grinned. The moment it tried to flee, she'd snatched it mid-air. Letting it escape would've ruined everything. Unlike ordinary demons, Corpse Demons had no true body—their core was their essence. If it had possessed a human, it could've assumed their form, erasing all traces of its original self. And through continuous devouring, it could've regained its full power—eventually becoming unstoppable. But that was a hypothetical.

Because now—

"ARGHH—!!!"

A final scream echoed as the core fell silent, its soul utterly obliterated by Su Min. As an imperfect Golden Core demon, its soul was far weaker than hers.

"The hardest material is secured. The rest won't be a problem."

Storing the core away, Su Min exhaled in relief. The Golden Spirit Pill could wait—her current success rate was still too low.

"With the Corpse Demon dead, merit has blessed us both. It might seem useless now, but come the heavenly tribulation, you'll see its worth. Now, about my pill… My lifespan is long, but I can't waste it idling here."

"Give me a week. Your pill is third-tier high-grade—I've never refined one before. I'll need to practice first. Of course, if you're fine with me using your materials for trial runs, I won't complain."

"…Hard pass. I only have three sets."

Xie Yingying's eye twitched. She didn't doubt Su Min's skills—five Foundation Establishment Pills per batch was unheard of. But "practice runs"?

That was just extortion. Still, what could she do?

Even Golden Core experts had to treat high-tier alchemists with respect—their pills were indispensable, and everyone had juniors to care for.

In a more prosperous era, Su Min could've commanded Golden Core guards effortlessly.

And on the Golden Core Path?

She would soon stand atop a terrifying web of power.