The Tomb

"Huff..."

Feeling the tremendous force from the collision, Su Min realized that the impact had been completely dissipated by her skin. It had to be said—this special dragon trait, which didn't affect her appearance yet provided immense defensive power, was truly astonishing.

Her opponent was at the half-step Dao Comprehension stage and seemed to have comprehended the Dao of Strength. Yet, despite that, she hadn't suffered even the slightest injury from the clash. After layers of damage reduction, the remaining force had been completely negated by her skin.

Since that was the case, she might as well press the advantage.

In the next moment, Su Min lunged forward, abandoning all defense as she charged straight at the man. Nearly ten seconds had already passed, and the lightning prison she had created was now riddled with cracks.

In just a few dozen more seconds, the beast would break free. She had to finish this quickly.

Before reaching the Dao Comprehension stage, demonic beasts were generally stronger than cultivators of the same level. Only when both sides lacked Dao comprehension would the gap narrow. But there was no need to be jealous—demonic beasts faced far greater difficulties in cultivation, often struggling at every step.

So Su Min had to kill this man first before dealing with the final beast.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

In the snowfield engulfed by the blizzard, dull collisions echoed continuously. The massive giant was being ruthlessly smashed into the ground by Su Min's great sword in an extremely undignified manner.

"Pfft—!!!"

The withered old man—currently being ground into the dirt by Su Min—felt like vomiting blood in frustration. In ancient times, he had been a renowned cultivator, famed for his strength. With a single punch, he could shatter mountains and rivers. With a single strike, he could topple dynasties, making all living beings tremble before him.

In the end, he had established his own dynasty. Unfortunately, that had been at the tail end of the previous era. The world was about to undergo a great change, and unwilling to accept his fate, he had hollowed out his entire dynasty. Ignoring the pleas of his descendants, he had taken the sealing crystals he had once stumbled upon and survived.

The result? He lived, while his dynasty and tens of thousands of descendants perished. But now, none of that mattered to him. He pursued only one thing—survival.

Not long ago, he had coincidentally discovered a Lunar Sovereign Physique holder who was only at the Nascent Soul stage. These special physiques, like the flesh and blood of divine beasts, were great supplements for him.

He had pursued her relentlessly, but who would have thought she wasn't an easy target either? In the end, she had fled into this place in a sorry state. Just when they were about to succeed, this mysterious woman had suddenly appeared.

Crack!

In that instant, the giant was shattered by Su Min's punch. The withered old man was stunned—this was his True Body, fused with the Dao of Strength, something he had prepared for his future Unity-stage Dharma Body.

Yet now, it had been torn apart by someone at the Divine Transformation mid-stage. How was this possible? Was this woman some kind of legendary human-shaped divine beast?

But there was no time to think. Su Min, clad in her black armor and exuding overwhelming dominance, was already swinging her sword down at him.

In the next moment, a mirror on his chest shattered, releasing a terrifying shockwave that blasted toward the black figure.

Hummm—

The violent energy engulfed Su Min, and even she was momentarily dazed by the impact.

[Tremor Heartguard Mirror (Earth Tier - High Grade)]: Upon activation, it instantly shatters and releases a devastating shockwave. Those hit will be stunned—or even instantly killed.

"This is my chance!!!"

The withered old man's face twisted with ferocity as he lunged at Su Min, his claw-like hand striking toward her with lethal intent.

[Death's Desolate Palm]: A strike imbued with the power of death. Those hit will be plagued by calamities.

But in the next instant—

A golden barrier intercepted the strike.

"!!!"

"You're not the only one with life-saving trump cards."

Su Min grabbed his wrist and, in a flash of light, pierced straight through his chest. Then, a radiant gourd materialized between them.

BOOM!

A muffled explosion rang out as black lightning crackled through the air.

To ensure the kill, Su Min had used Demon-Slaying Thunder. While this lightning wasn't as effective against Divine Transformation cultivators when used directly, pouring it into an open wound was a different story.

Caught off guard, the old man convulsed as the lightning surged through his body, annihilating all life force before he could even activate his secret techniques.

"Demon-Slaying Thunder...?"

His voice was filled with disbelief and unwillingness. He still had trump cards, but this lightning was too terrifying. Anyone struck by it would never forget it—this was Heavenly Tribulation', devastating to cultivators. If he had taken it head-on, he might have only been injured. But having it poured directly into his body? That was absolute annihilation.

After all, he had no divine treasures protecting his insides. Or rather, the moment these fallen ones severed their cultivation, even if they had refined divine treasures, they would return to the heavens and earth.

Thus, in this instant, his life force was completely extinguished.

"Hah..."

Su Min let out a slow breath. Demon-Slaying Thunder was horrifyingly effective against all cultivators—especially those who had fallen to the level of evil spirits. With the thunder flooding his body, death was inevitable.

"Fifty seconds."

Su Min turned her gaze toward the lightning prison, now covered in cracks. She had just used another life-saving treasure—an Earth Tier low-grade artifact she had refined in her spare time.

No matter how strong her armor was, it couldn't have completely blocked that fatal strike. If she had been hit, she might not have died, but she would have had to retreat and recover. And that would have meant missing this golden opportunity to seek the White Tiger's legacy.

Though she had taken some damage and expended a lot of energy, the Northern Water's Profound Origin in her body was already rapidly restoring her reserves.

"Now, it's just you left. Since you came here to hunt Yingying, you might as well stay forever."

Su Min slowly floated up, landing in front of the massive bull. Its enormous eyes were filled with despair and terror.

Though trapped in the prison, it could still see everything clearly. The battle hadn't been far away, and it had witnessed how Su Min had killed two half-step Dao Comprehension experts—beings it couldn't have defeated even at full strength.

"I—"

But before it could beg for mercy, Su Min seized the chance to summon two of her Sacred Form. Though she had used the Vermilion Bird Possession to destroy the formation earlier, the remaining two were more than enough.

The colossal Black Tortoise and Azure Dragon coiled around the beast, their bodies radiating annihilating light.

And then—

BOOM!

"Huff... Devour the corpse."

Su Min descended from the sky, breathing heavily. The expenditure had been significant—while her spiritual energy could recover quickly, her mental fatigue would take longer. The massive corpse became nourishment for her Treasure Gourd, allowing it to evolve back to the Divine Transformation stage.

Though it was still far from matching her Medicine Cauldron—after all, the gap between her and the Medicine Buddha was… just a tiny bit large. But at that moment, Su Min's body suddenly trembled. A look of delight flashed across her face as she immediately sat down cross-legged.

Within a hundred-mile radius, no living creature would dare approach. She was safe here.

This epiphany would only last an instant.

Sure enough, Su Min's expression soon turned joyful. As she focused her mind, she entered a mysterious space once more.

A massive White Tiger, over a hundred meters tall, gazed down at her with deep blue eyes filled with approval.

Then, in the next moment, a flood of knowledge surged into her mind.

"This is… the White Tiger's legacy… and the location of the heavenly treasure? So the White Tiger has acknowledged me. As for the location—"

Her face stiffened.

"Fengdu Ghost City… Land of Life and Death… Slaughter to end slaughter… Where all things wither…

…What the hell?!"

Su Min's expression twisted dramatically.

She knew that place.

It was an ancient battlefield, a graveyard of countless mighty experts.

And worse—the environment there was so extreme that even Divine Transformation cultivators couldn't enter.

She would need to reach at least the Dao Comprehension stage to even attempt it.

But the only silver lining was…

It hadn't emerged yet.

[Name: Su Min]

[Cultivation: Divine Transformation (Mid-Stage)]

[Talent: Immortality (having infinite lifespan and not aging)]

[Innate Divine Ability: Heavenly Dao Insight (Over time, comprehend techniques from the cosmos)]

[Physique: Five Elements Sacred Physique—Tri-Yuan Sacred Body, Solar Sovereign Body]

[Acquired Divine Abilities: Four Symbols Slaughter—Tiger; Four Symbols Heavenly Sun—Vermilion Bird; Four Symbols Primordial – Azure Dragon; Four Symbols Profound Water—Black Tortoise; Mastery of the Five Thunders]

[Cultivation Art: Five Elements Ancient Scripture]

[Mental Arts: Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra; Solar Sovereign Ancient Scripture (Sealed); Lunar Sovereign Ancient Scripture (Incomplete)]

[Skills: Sword Control Technique; Mystic Firewood Sword Art/ Xuanhuomu]

[Secret Technique: Revival Art]

[Possessed Heavenly Treasures: Nanming Lihuo; Heavenly Thunder; Eastern Azure Wood; Northern Water's Profound Origin]

[Possessed Innate Spiritual Treasure: Heaven and Earth Qiankun Gourd, Medicine King's Cauldron]

[Life-bound Spirit Treasure: Vermilion Bird's Flameblade / Nanming Lihuo Sword (Mystic Tier - High Grade)]

"First things first—enter the tomb."

Su Min exhaled softly. The pests outside were handled. Now, her attention turned inward.

She retrieved the jade pendant Yao Xian'er had given her. Before her stood a humble mound barely two meters high, marked only by a weather-worn gravestone. Unremarkable. It looked more like a forgotten mortal's resting place than the tomb of a peak Mahayana expert.

But Su Min's senses told her that this humble grave concealed another world within.

In the cultivation world, appearances were always deceiving.

She activated the jade pendant.

There was no way those half-step Dao Comprehension cultivators could have entered, let alone her. This was her only ticket inside.

A faint glow enveloped her body—and in the next breath, she vanished.

Outside, the blizzard resumed its endless dance. Within minutes, all trace of the earlier clash was swallowed by the storm. Even if other cultivators came now, they would find nothing amiss.

But this was no ordinary snowstorm—it was the tomb's own veil.

—

"What a massive palace!"

The ceiling soared beyond sight. Pillars stretched toward the heavens, carved from glacial crystal that shimmered faintly with moonlight. Every breath she took echoed with ancient solemnity.

"A structure like this… even the cathedrals of old Europe couldn't compare," she murmured. "But this world doesn't play by the rules of physics."

Still—this wasn't what startled her most.

A brutal wave of cold surged through the hall, sharp as blades. It tore at her bones, her meridians. A violent spiritual pressure, hateful and alive.

Her Nanming Lihuo flared instinctively, forming a barrier of golden-red flame. Only then did her breathing ease. Even the frozen pond from before hadn't matched this intensity.

Clearly, her arrival had triggered something.

Sure enough, a cold, unfamiliar female voice echoed in her ears.

"Nanming Lihuo… Five Elements Sacred Physique… Are you Yao Xian'er's disciple? She couldn't even come to see me herself?"

The voice carried more than anger—it carried grief laced with years of silence. Bitterness, but not hatred. And it making Su Min's eyebrow twitch.

Ah, the cultivation world—where gender ratios were skewed, and relationships were… complicated.

"…I'm not her disciple," she replied calmly. "She simply entrusted me with the pendant."

Su Min shook her head. She had no master—everything she had learned, she had attained herself. Even the Five Elements Emperor couldn't be called her master, as they had never truly met. To her, he was more like… a textbook editor.

But what concerned her more was the tone of that voice. It seemed these immortal cultivators really didn't care about gender barriers.

The silence lingered, and then came a dry scoff.

"Of course she wouldn't come herself. After everything… she still can't face me."

There it was—the undertone Su Min had suspected. Not jealousy. Not rivalry.

Regret.

"So be it," the voice said at last. "If she sent you, then you must already know… what happened."