Seeing Yingying Again (Part 2)

The spatial fluctuations emanating from the hidden mansion were unprecedented, igniting unbridled greed in the eyes of all present. To them, this was a golden opportunity to break through to the Golden Core stage—and the cultivator inside? Just kill them.

Yet, they didn't know. Couldn't know.

That they were poking the sleeping tail of a dragon.

Then—

"All of you—kneel!!!"

The voice was neither loud nor shrill—just cold.

Utterly frigid.

Like divine judgment given form.

A second later, the entire sky ignited with invisible pressure. The clouds parted in a blaze of crimson qi. Screams echoed as cultivators crashed to the ground, knees buckling under the crushing weight.

"Golden Core?!"

"Impossible! Even Golden Core experts shouldn't have this level of power!"

Shocked cries erupted, especially from the imperial envoys. Their own Golden Core ancestor couldn't compare to this crushing aura.

This wasn't just the pressure of a Golden Core expert.

It was rage.

It was fury given weight.

It was a celestial mountain crashing onto mortal ants.

From the heavens, a figure descended, veiled in crimson light. Her robes snapped like banners of war, her eyes seething with killing intent. Su Min hovered in mid-air, eyes cold as frost—but beneath the fury in her expression was a chilling edge of fear. Her gaze swept past the cultivators

"You dared," Su Min said, voice low and dangerous. 

No roar. No scream. Just quiet words laced with death.

"Senior, surely someone of your stature wouldn't stoop to competing with juniors for such meager opportunities?"

The Earth Demon Old Ghost gritted his teeth. He was one step away from Golden Core, desperate enough to challenge even an expert like this.

"Scram."

Su Min couldn't be bothered to humor him. Even if he somehow reached Golden Core, killing him would still be trivial.

"Guh—!!!"

A flash of red. A sonic boom.

His body smashed into a cliff like a discarded rag doll, blood painting the rocks. He would live—but only just. Any more words, and even that mercy would vanish.

Su Min's presence darkened the sky.

Nanming Lihuo cloaked her form, her foundations were peerless—Heavenly Path Foundation Establishment, Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation. An ordinary Golden Core cultivator couldn't suppress a crowd like this with mere pressure, but she was no ordinary Golden Core. In this place, she was the heavens.

And yet—

Her voice shifted, gentler now, turning away from the stunned crowd.

"Xie Yingying," she said softly, facing the crystalline palace. "Aren't you coming out? Or do you need me to carry you again?"

Her qi swept outward like a breeze—dispersing the final layer of concealment with a flick of her sleeve.

The illusion collapsed.

From within the slowly shrinking mansion emerged a woman clad in flowing black robes, her hair streaming behind her like a river of moonlight. Her cultivation hovered just beneath the Golden Core realm, and with her rare physique, a breakthrough was only a matter of time. The moment her eyes met Su Min's, the usual guarded coldness melted away, replaced by a quiet, unspoken warmth.

Su Min gaze also locked onto Xie Yingying—alive, unharmed, here—and something in her chest tightened.

Xie Yingying's voice was softer than she remembered, laced with something unfamiliar: warmth. Relief.

"Su Min…"

Her next words drifted out like a sigh—soft, threaded with quiet admiration and a touch of pride:

"Su Min… You've done well these centuries. Not only reaching Golden Core, but with your vitality untouched."

She stepped forward, eyes catching the light. "That aura… you passed the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, didn't you?"

Su Min's lips quirked. "Would you have expected anything less?"

Xie Yingying exhaled, almost a laugh. "No. I suppose not."

For a heartbeat, silence stretched between them—three centuries condensed into a single glance. Then Su Min spoke again, her voice quieter now, the bravado fading into something raw.

"I told you I'd come."

Not I told you I would, not You just had to wait. Just: I told you I'd come. A simple statement, heavy with the weight of a vow kept.

Xie Yingying's breath hitched. The teasing lilt she'd mustered earlier faltered, replaced by something quieter, more vulnerable. "You did," she murmured. "Even if you took your time."

Su Min descended the last of the distance between them. The cultivators groveling in the dirt might as well have been ghosts for all the attention she paid them now.

"Late or not," she said, her voice low, "I'm here."

And then, because she couldn't help it—because three centuries of war and waiting had carved the words into her bones—she added:

"Did you doubt me?"

Xie Yingying's smile was small, private. "Never."

A hushed ripple spread through the onlookers. The name alone struck like thunder—Su Min. The Earth Demon Old Ghost's resentful glare dissolved into wide-eyed terror and groveling awe. None of them had ever seen Su Min in person—despite her statues scattered across the realm like divine relics—but her name was carved into legend.

The first Golden Core cultivator born of Wei Wu State. The slayer of the infamous Demon Queen. The Danxian whose pills had become priceless treasures the moment she vanished from the world.

And now—she had withstood the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation?

Even their revered imperial ancestor would be reduced to ash in an instant before such a force. The final strike of a Nine-Nine Tribulation could rival the full might of a peak Golden Core cultivator—some said it brushed the threshold of Nascent Soul itself.

"Danxian! My grandfather served under you—Cao Yuanmu! In the name of the Yong royal family, I invite you to the palace as our honored guest!"

A fawning imperial envoy scrambled forward the moment Su Min lifted her pressure.

Su Min merely shook her head. She owed the Yong family nothing—she'd already secured their rule and left them decades of pills. Their first Golden Core ancestor had only emerged over a century later, relying on her leftover resources to break through as his vitality waned.

"I've long withdrawn from worldly affairs. With a Golden Core guarding you, you'll be fine. Let's go."

With that, she carry Xie Yingying onto her flying sword and vanished in a streak of light.

"Farewell, Danxian!"

Not a soul dared obstruct them—even the Earth Demon Old Ghost kowtowed respectfully.

—

"You're ready for the Golden Core Avenue. Do you have a safe place to rest? I've got some items I can't bring inside—they'll need guarding."

Xie Yingying studied Su Min cautiously. If the Su Min of centuries past had made her cautious, the one now standing just within reach stirred something far deeper: wariness, yes, but also admiration… and a tug of inexplicable fondness. The gap between Golden Core and Foundation Establishment was vast—especially for someone who'd survived the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.

There was no denying it—Su Min had surpassed the threshold to enter the Golden Core Avenue. Heavenly Foundation Establishment was the baseline. Six-Nine Tribulation was the gatekeeper. But Su Min… had walked through fire and come out the other side, tempered by the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation.

"I've got just the spot. How long can you hold out?"

"Three months—if I don't fight." Xie Yingying replied, watching her closely.

A pause stretched between them—not awkward, but heavy with unspoken thoughts.

"That's more than enough. Come with me to my sect first," Su Min continued, her tone softening, almost hesitant. "Also… since you're carrying the Heavenly Yin Sect's legacy—why not join mine?"

"Huh?"

Xie Yingying blinked, caught off guard. Of all the things she expected Su Min to say, this was not on the list. She'd known Su Min had likely established a sect of her own—someone like her wouldn't settle quietly—but in this backwater? And to invite her in, just like that…?

Then they reached the world's edge, where Su Min summoned her spatial shuttle. When the sky split and the edges of the world faded behind them, Xie Yingying's breath caught. She hadn't even known this part of the continent existed—let alone been traversable.

But nothing prepared her for what came next.

And then, she saw it.

A colossal golden tree rose from the center of a hidden continent, glowing with divine brilliance. Its roots seemed to stretch into the soul of the land itself.

"How's that for a foundation?" Su Min said with a smile, her voice light, but her eyes flickering with something more vulnerable—hope. "Better than the Mingling Province, no?"

Xie Yingying stared, momentarily speechless.

"This place… this aura… even the divine Fusang Tree?"

Su Min grinned as Xie Yingying stared, dumbfounded.

She craved Xie Yingying's legacy—not just her body (wait, no, definitely just the legacy… probably). Her own collection of inheritances was clever but patchwork. In contrast, Xie Yingying's was a complete system—refined, elegant, and rooted in one of the most ancient sects in the realm.

She wanted it. She needed it. But the real question was—would she say yes?

"This place…" Xie Yingying finally murmured, eyes wide as she took in the divine Fusang Tree.

Xie Yingying's heart stirred. Her mission was to preserve her sect's legacy, not rebuild it from scratch—a task too time-consuming for most. Her original plan had been to merge with an existing sect after exiting the Golden Core Avenue.

But this offer… This place…

And the way Su Min had looked at her—half-serious, half-teasing, but with that earnest glint in her eyes…

It was tempting.

Very tempting.

The Fusang Tree alone hinted at profound ties to the Golden Crow lineage. A heritage worthy of any legacy.

"My sect's still young," Su Min said, her voice low, inviting. "But it has potential. And… I think you'd fit here."

Silence fell between them, but it wasn't awkward. It was heavy—with thought, with decision, with something neither dared name just yet.

Xie Yingying's lips curved, faint but real. "You're dangerous."

Su Min's grin widened, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "To enemies, sure."

But the way she looked at her said more. "Not to you. Never to you."

"Help me obtain the "Lunar Sovereign Ancient Scripture." Xie Yingying said quietly. "It's crucial to me—my sect's elders spent their lifespans locating it."

"Deal. But I've a condition too." With a fluid motion, she rolled up her sleeve, revealing a shimmering dragon-shaped mark etched into her shoulder.

"The Azure Dragon Emissary?" Xie Yingying's eyes flickered with surprise. "But you already bear the Vermilion Bird's legacy—how do you qualify for the Azure Dragon's as well? Wait… never mind. I'm technically homeless anyway, and I'll need a base for the century inside the Golden Core Avenue."

She studied Su Min carefully, suspicion mingling with reluctant trust. Secrets were the currency of cultivators, after all. And this place—the sanctuary Su Min offered—was far too valuable to turn down.

"Lunar Sovereign Physique?"

A new voice cut in—the Peacock King, eyeing Xie Yingying warily.

"Problem?"

Su Min raised an eyebrow.

"No… but stay away from the Fusang Tree. The young mistress is still dormant—your conflicting energies will provoke it."

"Understood."

Xie Yingying nodded. She wasn't foolish enough to antagonize a divine wonder.

"We'll enter seclusion one last time. Gather all medicinal ingredients—I'll refine breakthrough pills before we enter the Golden Core Avenue. We might not emerge until it ends."

Inside, the heavenly suppression would relax, allowing them to reach Golden Core perfection.

But exiting early meant facing Heavenly Decay—something Su Min could brute-force, but Xie Yingying couldn't. Once the Golden Core Avenue closed, the true great era would begin—ancient powers awakening, barriers vanishing.

Chaos would reign.

With the Peacock King dismissed, Xie Yingying sighed.

"You've got more secrets than I thought. That was a Golden Crow retainer, wasn't it? To think a vanished race like theirs would reawaken here…"

"This shuttle was the Demon Queen's treasure. She hibernated here for this very land—pity it all fell into my lap."

Su Min's half-truth covered her tracks—the Demon Queen's map scroll (enough proof) was still in her possession.

Soon, they landed in the sect's back mountains.

"Prepare for your tribulation. I'll refine pills and leave my legacy behind. With the Peacock King and Azure Dragon King guarding this place, your belongings will be safe."

Time was short. Su Min's own tribulation had enough—she couldn't risk Xie Yingying facing the same.

"I'll find an isolated island for my tribulation—won't risk the mainland."

Post-tribulation, heavenly rewards would grant new divine abilities—but these required specific conditions to assimilate.

(Su Min's heavenly thunder had come from ten years of relentless bombardment.)

With that, they parted ways—Su Min to her alchemy chamber, Xie Yingying to her lone island.

Back in her forge, Su Min sorted through mountains of ingredients—including several Golden Core beast cores, likely hunted by the Azure Dragon King in the seas.

These, she stashed away for later.

Her focus now was universal breakthrough pills—versatile, side-effect-free, and mass-producible.

The island's bountiful resources made this possible—even with spirit beasts helping, they'd barely scratched its surface.