Annihilated to Dust

The aura of destruction spread out as the staff appeared.

Behind Yuan Wangtian, four clusters of energy materialized, something very peculiar. They resembled heavenly treasures but lacked their profound spiritual essence.

"Counterfeits?"

At this moment, Su Min recalled the old monster's words from earlier. Was this what he meant by "counterfeits"?

"Hahaha, you finally realize! I don't have your kind of fortune, so I had to rely on these gifts from my master. Because of these so-called counterfeits, I couldn't even obtain the Ancient Five Elements Scripture!"

As he spoke, his face twisted with palpable hatred. But his hands never stopped moving.

"Five Elements Rotation—Great Annihilation!!!"

In an instant, the entire region darkened. The four attributes began fusing under his control, a sight that stunned even Su Min.

"As expected of a former Mahayana cultivator. Even without unlocking the corresponding elemental physiques, he can still unleash their power through sheer experience. But counterfeits are still counterfeits—Four Symbols Annihilation!"

In the next moment, four divine manifestations appeared behind Su Min—Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise. They circled around her, their radiance illuminating the darkened sky.

At her current level, summoning these sacred beasts individually no longer held much significance. But as one of her trump cards, their combined might was undeniable. Then, the five sacred manifestations rapidly shrank, condensing into Su Min's palm in the blink of an eye.

"Four Symbols Annihilation!!!!"

Two beams of light clashed in the sky, their brilliance illuminating the heavens. Below, the cultivators on the ground watched in terror.

"Is this the true power of Grandmaster Su? This is… terrifying."

"How laughable we were before."

Li Liu and Tian Mengchan, both covered in blood, stared dumbfounded. They had finally fought their way out of the Five Elements Mountain, though at a heavy cost.

Yet before they could even rejoice at their survival, they sensed the anomaly in the world's energy. Despite being at the Divine Transformation stage, they nearly collapsed in fear. Because what was happening was simply too horrifying. The energy of the entire world was in upheaval, as if the heavens themselves were about to be overturned.

Then, the two energies in the sky collided.

For a brief moment, billions of people across the continent—cultivators and mortals alike—felt their senses stripped away. It was as if existence itself had ceased. Some even felt as if they had ascended to paradise—a state devoid of pain, joy, sorrow, or happiness.

Meanwhile, in the sky, the two energies devoured each other, locked in a deadly struggle. Both Su Min and Yuan Wangtian watched nervously.

Yuan Wangtian had unleashed the signature ability of a perfected Five Elements Holy Body—Four Symbols Annihilation!—something clearly recorded in the ancient scripture left by the Five Elements Emperor. But Su Min's attack was no less formidable, the mutual reinforcement and suppression of the Four Sacred Beasts.

However, Yuan Wangtian's technique was incomplete, while Su Min's lacked one crucial element. And most importantly, Yuan Wangtian was still a Unity cultivator. Thus, the gray-black energy began overwhelming Su Min's radiant light. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her lips. The gap between Dao Comprehension and Unity was simply too vast. Even for Su Min, this battle was pushing her limits.

"I can't wait any longer. If this continues, I'll be severely injured—maybe even lose the chance to seize the Five Elements Crystal. This must be his ultimate trump card. In that case…"

Her eyes narrowed as an ancient, unassuming bell materialized in her hand.

"Die, die, die! This girl is truly monstrous. If I weren't a former Mahayana cultivator, an ordinary early-stage Unity cultivator might have actually lost to her."

Yuan Wangtian's face twisted with manic glee. A genius, a heaven-defying prodigy blessed with unparalleled fortune, was about to be erased by his hands.

Though they shared the same physique, her luck filled him with unbearable envy. Such opportunities, ones he could never even dream of, had to be destroyed.

"Boom!!!"

He poured his spiritual energy recklessly into the attack, determined to crush Su Min completely. The thought of her flesh and blood being obliterated filled him with sadistic satisfaction.

But then—

Dang!!!

A deep, resonant bell tolled across the battlefield, freezing him in place.

"Golden Crow Ancient Bell?"

Yuan Wangtian recalled Su Min's connection to the Golden Crow Clan. Though Kuang Batian's intel had been patchy, he knew of her backing from this supreme divine beast lineage, and their imperial artifact.

"An imperial artifact is impressive, but you're still too weak. Besides, divine beast imperial artifacts can only unleash their full power in the hands of their kind. Even with their bloodline, you can't— Huh?!"

Before his smug expression could settle, it twisted into shock. Because the space around him was distorting. The Golden Crow Ancient Bell was flame-aligned, but this was clearly not its doing.

"She has a second imperial artifact?! But how? Unless… No, that madman turned himself into a puppet. There's no way his artifact could be wielded by a mere inheritor!"

Yuan Wangtian's mind reeled.

But his confusion didn't last long. Because he realized something horrifying—everything around him had frozen. His consciousness remained, his thoughts intact. But his body, his attacks—all were immobilized.

Even the colliding energies had neutralized each other.

"Time Law? Impossible! I have enough law energy here to counteract a mere Dao Comprehension cultivator's— Wait… Future Maitreya Bell?!!"

His pupils shrank to pinpricks as a distant memory surfaced.

Back when he was just a lowly Foundation Establishment cultivator, he had encountered a shadow in the ruins, an existence that did not belong to this world, as if it had descended from beyond.

That was his master.

Only later did he learn that this being had far surpassed his comprehension, a true immortal.

From him, Yuan Wangtian had received the five counterfeit treasures. Though they couldn't unlock the full potential of his Five Elements Holy Body, they allowed him to glimpse its true mysteries, paving his path to Mahayana.

He had even avoided the Emperor-Seizing War back then, knowing his incomplete physique couldn't compete at that level.

So he had chosen self-severing, sealing himself away in slumber. But even such a supreme existence had feared something, something from the past. Without an anchor, his master couldn't fully descend through the river of time. The only reason they could communicate at all was because a certain emperor had foolishly gazed into the temporal currents.

And the sole purpose of his master's intervention was to prevent the rise of a terrifying being—one who could command Chaos and Time. Yuan Wangtian didn't understand what "Chaos" meant, but right now, the woman before him truly resembled a sovereign of time.

Boom!!!

The next instant, his chest exploded violently.

Su Min had closed the distance in frozen time, her fist smashing into him with unstoppable force. The Future Maitreya Bell, the imperial artifact of the Sinful Buddha, amplified her control over time. With its aid, she had bypassed the energy clash entirely and struck directly at Yuan Wangtian.

Under normal circumstances, this would have been impossible. But with the bell's power, she had done it.

Boom!!!

The explosions continued, but Su Min—ever the pragmatist—didn't spare a glance at her handiwork. Her chest heaved violently, her armor and the bell in her hand dissipating from exhaustion. Even her modest chest rose and fell rapidly from exertion.

"The drain is insane."

Ignoring the now-neutralized energy behind her, she popped a pill into her mouth.

[Spirit Restoration Pill (Seventh-Grade Low Tier)]

Activating an imperial artifact and forcing her way through that explosion had taken a massive toll. Without the bell's support, she could never have frozen such a colossal energy clash.

"I have to finish him."

As the pill took effect, her spiritual energy began recovering rapidly. The Black Tortoise armor reformed around her, and she shot forward like a streak of light.

Yuan Wangtian, already suffering from backlash and his frail body, had no chance to react before Su Min was upon him.

Her fist slammed into his chest with bone-shattering force.

Thud!

Blood sprayed from his mouth as he was sent flying. Su Min gave him no respite, accelerating instantly to deliver another blow.

"Ora ora ora!!!"

With a series of fierce cries, she pummeled him relentlessly, driving him downward like a meteor. To the onlookers below, it seemed as if a shooting star had descended from the heavens.

Under normal circumstances, they might have prayed or marveled. But after today's events, they were numb. A mere meteor was nothing noteworthy.

"Shatter!!!"

With one final punch, Yuan Wangtian's body exploded into dust. After enduring thousands of blows, not even his remains were left.

"Huff… huff… huff…"

Su Min exhaled heavily as she watched the dissipating remnants. The third seat of the Black Seal was dead. By game standards, she had now entered the late-game stage.

"My fists are wrecked. Even with his weak physique, a Unity cultivator's defenses are no joke."

She examined her mangled hands—every bone inside had shattered from the sheer force of her assault. But as long as her soul remained intact, such injuries would heal within minutes.

"I wonder how many cultivators are left in the Five Elements Mountain. Time to collect my spoils. If someone steals them, I'll cry myself to sleep."

With a wry chuckle, she turned and flew toward the mountain. She had conserved some energy precisely for this moment, to ensure she could claim her rewards.

The Five Elements Mountain was undoubtedly a battlefield now. Yuan Wangtian, fearing the crystal might be stolen, must have unleashed all the stone spirits and crystalline creatures to slaughter everyone inside.

As for hiding his cultivation? The moment he fought Su Min, all pretense was meaningless.

"Tsk tsk, what a mess."

When she arrived, the sight gave her pause.

The entire mountain range was filled with screams. Over a hundred Divine Transformation-stage crystalline creatures, several Dao Comprehension-level stone spirits, and countless Nascent Soul and Core Formation monsters were rampaging unchecked.

"I'll have to clear them out, or I won't be able to loot the mountain properly."

Muttering to herself, she raised both hands.

"Ten Thousand Blades of Life!!!"

Countless multicolored swords materialized around her, formed from pure spiritual energy. Then, like a rain of arrows, they descended with pinpoint accuracy, annihilating every crystalline and stone creature above the Nascent Soul stage.

The surviving cultivators could only watch in awe as Su Min hovered above the mountain, ignoring all restrictions.

Had she not intervened, none of them would have survived.