A Group of Backstabbers

After all, as a peak Dao Comprehension cultivator, no matter how much she concealed her strength, a mindless late-stage Divine Transformation creature was no match for her. However, to avoid exposing herself, Su Min opted for the most conservative approach.

She would slowly absorb the creature with the sand behind her. These crystalline beings held no value, they could only survive on the Five Elements Mountain. If taken outside, they would crumble into dust.

Boom!

At this moment, the massive sand cocoon had turned into a raging storm. The crystalline creature, realizing it couldn't escape, had gone completely berserk.

Waves surged from flat ground, that was Su Min's current experience.

Unfortunately, natural disasters like these posed no threat to a Divine Transformation cultivator like her. Half a day later, the creature had nearly dried up and was casually disposed of by Su Min.

However, when she lifted the blockade, she froze for a moment.

Because the ground beneath her was no longer flat, it was now a series of deep ravines.

Violent energy filled the entire space. The full-force battle between several Divine Transformation experts was enough to shatter mountains. Even the unique Five Elements Mountain was no exception, or rather, the fact that it only bore countless ravines without collapsing proved just how sturdy it was.

"As expected, they're all fighting on their own. None of them are good people."

Sensing the distant battle, Su Min mentally labeled them. If the other four had been willing to cooperate, things wouldn't have turned out like this.

As the battle raged on, the onlookers suffered heavy casualties. They had hoped to pick up scraps, but instead, they were caught in the crossfire. Su Min's only thought? "They're asking for death."

As for the other four, they were all holding back, unwilling to use their trump cards.

"Fine, I'll help you out. Let's lure that guy out faster. As for this Five Elements Mountain… it's mine now. Heh."

Well, Su Min wasn't exactly a saint either. But she had a clear understanding of herself, so she chose to help one of them. Almost instantly, the gourd behind her twisted violently, and in the blink of an eye, a massive sand warrior materialized.

Under Su Min's control, the sand warrior clapped its hands together, and a massive Earth-rank mid-grade longbow appeared in its grip.

[Dark Demon Bow (Earth-rank mid-grade): Imbues arrows with dark attributes.]

"Strategic missile deployed. Commencing targeting."

With a thought from Su Min, the sand warrior aimed at a fire-attribute crystalline creature.

Whoosh!

A sharp whistling sound tore through the air, and the crystalline creature shattered on impact.

"!!!"

The sudden attack shocked everyone, and all eyes turned to Su Min or rather, the massive sand warrior holding the bow.

"An Earth-rank mid-grade bow… This woman has so many trump cards. But that's fine. The more you waste now, the less you'll have when it's time to compete for the Five Elements Crystal."

The other four were stunned for a moment, but soon, their expressions twisted with glee. Though the bow was intimidating, using it came at a heavy cost, the arrow that had shattered the crystalline creature was an Earth-rank low-grade treasure.

To use such a strategic weapon so recklessly? If that was the case, they'd just slack off even more. They needed to make sure Su Min didn't turn that bow on them.

"Tch."

Su Min saw right through their thoughts, but she didn't have time to waste. If left to these people, this expedition would drag on for decades.

So, in the next moment, several more arrows shot out, obliterating all the remaining elemental creatures.

"Many thanks, Miss Le, for your assistance. We are deeply grateful."

With the obstacles cleared, the four sect leaders, all late-stage Divine Transformation experts, approached Su Min with smiles that didn't reach their eyes. Their expressions practically screamed "idiot" at her.

"Let's keep moving."

Su Min couldn't be bothered with their schemes. Earth-rank treasures were nothing more than toys to her now. Most Divine Transformation cultivators couldn't refine Earth-rank treasures, but she had been able to even at that stage.

So, to her, these things were expendable.

"Since Miss Le insists, we'll naturally do our best."

The four exchanged glances before quickly following. If Su Min was in a hurry, they'd take their sweet time they'd make sure she exhausted all her arrows.

"Phew… It's finally over."

As the group pressed onward, many of the onlookers rubbed their chests in relief.

Though they were at least Golden Core cultivators, they were still living beings, fear was natural.

And indeed, many had died. The four sect leaders wouldn't attack them directly due to their status, but in the heat of battle, collateral damage was inevitable. Hadn't they noticed that none of the sect leaders had brought any of their own disciples? Their sects had more than just these four Divine Transformation experts.

"I'm leaving. That was too terrifying. Those experts didn't care about us at all, only Miss Le showed any mercy."

"Yeah. I came with two brothers. Now, I'm the only one left. This place isn't safe. Those sect leaders are too ruthless."

The moment someone spoke up, complaints erupted. But they only dared to mutter among themselves, no one had the guts to openly curse them. Not everyone was as tolerant as Su Min.

As for Su Min? They truly were grateful. She had sealed her target in a sand sphere, preventing any collateral damage. And after emerging, she swiftly dealt with the remaining crystalline creatures.

In their eyes, she was practically a living bodhisattva. If the others had been left to slowly whittle down those creatures, hardly anyone would've survived.

But even so, many were thoroughly terrified. Seeking wealth through danger was one thing, but this wasn't danger, it was certain death.

No amount of riches mattered if you were dead. These people understood that perfectly, so they had no intention of staying. In an instant, the crowd of followers dwindled to a handful of daring individuals.

"Hmph. A bunch of cannon fodder. If they don't leave now, they're just asking to die."

Kuang Batian, who was traveling alongside them, glanced back disdainfully. He despised these scavengers.

As prominent figures, they wouldn't casually slaughter others. But being taken advantage of? That was unacceptable. The scraps they didn't want weren't for these lowlifes to pick up.

Hadn't they noticed that none of the sect leaders had brought their own disciples? They were afraid of losing too many in the crossfire.

So, the four had deliberately lured the crystalline creatures toward the onlookers before "accidentally" wiping out a large group.

"Ignore them. There's more, huh?"

But just then, Su Min suddenly froze. In her perception, something peculiar had appeared.

Their target, the Five Elements Crystal.

The moment Su Min reacted, the others saw it too. In an instant, everyone except Su Min and Kuang Batian lunged toward the crystal embedded in a cliff face.

Their speed was so fast that Su Min couldn't stop them, not that she cared about their lives anyway.

So, almost immediately,

"Ahhh!!!"

A scream rang out as three figures were sent flying back. The Five Elements Crystal was protected by a special formation, and the rebound sent them hurtling away.

"As expected."

Su Min muttered to herself. These Five Elements Crystals were the essence of that being. Even as bait, they wouldn't be handed out so easily. This was far too obvious.

"Dammit! What was that just now?"

Tian Mengchan was nearly hopping mad. To have the treasure right in front of her but be unable to take it, this was beyond frustrating.

"Calm down. The terrain here is special. Think about the battle earlier, if this were an ordinary mountain, it would've been reduced to rubble."

"Right. Everyone, stay composed."

Kuang Batian nodded in agreement before subtly glancing at Su Min. A faint sense of unease gnawed at him ,Su Min was far too calm. She hadn't even tried to grab the crystal.

"We're still on the outskirts. If I act now, others might see. I can't keep up the act then. I need to give them some bait."

Kuang Batian secretly manipulated something, and the barrier protecting the crystal weakened significantly. Just as he was about to speak,

Crack!

In the next instant, Su Min shattered the barrier with a single slap and pocketed the crystal. Instantly, several pairs of hostile eyes locked onto her. But to her, their glares were nothing more than a light drizzle.

"I used up a lot of arrows to help you deal with those crystalline creatures. This belongs to me."

"..."

Her words left them momentarily speechless.

"Since Miss Le contributed the most, this small crystal should rightfully be hers."

Breaking the tense silence, Kuang Batian spoke magnanimously. But his words only made the others narrow their eyes.

"If Sister Le wants it, then of course I'll gladly hand it over."

Tian Mengchan smiled sweetly, though her eyes were icy cold.

"Indeed, indeed. We'll still be relying on Miss Le's help later."

Liu Xunhuan quickly chimed in. Clearly, they all intended to let Su Min take the lead.

"Naturally."

Su Min smiled back. "Fine, if that's how they want to play, don't blame me for being ruthless." They wouldn't get a single Five Elements Crystal from here on out.

As for Kuang Batian's little trick? She had seen it clearly, that was why she'd been able to snatch the crystal so easily.

Soon, the group pressed deeper. The entire Five Elements Mountain was shrouded in a strange energy field that suppressed flight, forcing them to proceed on foot.

Of course, this energy field couldn't suppress a peak Dao Comprehension cultivator like Su Min, but acting so brazenly would be too obvious.

But before they had gone far, the ground trembled violently once more. This time, everyone's expressions changed.

Because one of the mountains ahead of them was moving.

And that wasn't all, a bone-chilling aura emanated from within.

Dao Comprehension stage.

A Dao Comprehension-stage mountain. Not a crystalline creature, but an extremely rare stone demon.

Such beings were incredibly rare. For ordinary creatures to become demons was difficult enough, let alone mindless rocks. Their rarity was comparable to giant pandas in her past life, second only to divine beasts.

"Dao Comprehension stage..."

"Wait, look at its back!"

Just as everyone was stunned, Kuang Batian suddenly pointed.

Because what they had thought was part of the mountain was actually a massive Five Elements Crystal. The fist-sized one Su Min had obtained earlier was like a grain of sand in comparison.

In that instant, all thoughts of resentment toward Su Min vanished. Even Kuang Batian's eyes turned red with greed. This thing was irresistible, even to him.

"Dao Comprehension stage..."

Su Min, however, remained calm. Stone demons had one defining characteristic, they were incredibly tough. Especially since none of the five had comprehended laws, breaking through its defenses would be extremely difficult.

And more importantly, the creature had already fused with the crystal.

But...

"Don't look at me. Now's not the time to hold back. My arrows would barely tickle it, they won't break its defenses."

Su Min dismissed their attempts to freeload off her. Though a single annihilation attack from her could obliterate the thing, she had to maintain her act.

A Five Elements Crystal of this size was likely a significant sacrifice for that being. It was bait, meant to ensnare greedy Divine Transformation cultivators.

Stone demons, while formidable in defense, had one major flaw, low intelligence. The five of them working together might be able to break it. The difficulty was perfectly calibrated to their limits.

"First, clear out those stragglers. We can't let them scavenge."

But then, Kuang Batian suddenly turned his gaze toward the foolish onlookers who had dared to follow them.