The Black Seal Takes Action

"All of you—leave this place immediately. Or face the consequences."

Expressionless, Su Min issued her command. Though she was injured, dealing with a bunch of trash who weren't even at the Divine Transformation stage was still easy.

"Understood."

No one dared to argue with the woman who had just saved them. They turned and fled without hesitation.

In their minds, the hierarchy was simple:

Su Min > Crystalline Creatures > Themselves

Since Su Min had already saved so many, the smartest move was to run. Fighting such a monster? Not a single one of them had a death wish.

"Good. Now, time for the first harvest."

With that, Su Min descended and collected several stone spirits into her Heaven and Earth Qiankun Gourd.

"Twelve Dao Comprehension-stage stone spirits in total. That should be enough for your evolution."

She smirked as the little gourd trembled excitedly. After devouring so much, it was finally time for an upgrade. The crystals on the creatures' backs were also stripped and stored away. Then, she soared back into the sky.

"This thing is way too big. My ring can't hold it."

She frowned at the endless mountain range below. The entire formation was packed with Five Elements Crystals, and she intended to take it all. But her storage ring, loyal as it had been for years, simply wasn't spacious enough.

Taking a deep breath, she hovered midair. Thanks to the Northern Water's Profound Origin, her condition had improved significantly.

"This should be enough."

She raised a hand, and a colossal palm materialized in the sky, descending upon the mountain range. The earth trembled violently, as if the apocalypse had arrived.

Before anyone could react—

CRACK!!!

Under the horrified gazes of countless onlookers, the entire Five Elements Mountain Range was plucked from the ground. A massive landmass now blotted out the sky, stretching endlessly across the horizon.

Mortals dropped to their knees in prayer. Cultivators, meanwhile, shrank like frightened quails, terrified that the woman holding the mountain might casually swat them out of existence.

For the first time, the people of this land understood what it meant to fear the heavens. But while chaos reigned below, Su Min's face was flushed red with exertion.

"Damn it… I might have overestimated myself. Flying back with this thing will take years. What was I thinking?"

Grumbling, she trudged forward, carrying the mountain on her back. Leaving it here wasn't an option, hordes of scavengers would swarm the place, and she'd be pestered to death.

"Screw it. Time to call for backup."

With a sigh, she summoned a golden dragon scale from her storage.

Almost instantly—

ROAR!!!

A deafening bellow echoed across the sea as a five-clawed golden dragon burst into the sky, transforming into a humanoid figure clad in golden armor.

The newcomer—Ao Xue—blinked in confusion at the sight before her.

"What kind of performance art is this?"

Su Min had planned to call for reinforcements if things went south, especially since Ao Xue was a genuine Unity-stage powerhouse.

"Help me move this mountain back."

"One seventh-grade high-tier pill."

"Deal."

Without hesitation, Su Min agreed. Ao Xue flew behind her and took over. Though Su Min's combat prowess was monstrous, she was still only at the Dao Comprehension stage. In some aspects—like mountain-lifting—she simply couldn't compare to a Unity expert.

With Ao Xue's assistance, the mountain soared through the sky at breakneck speed. Soon, they arrived at the outer seas of Eastern Mulberry Continent.

But then, Ao Xue stopped.

"What's wrong?"

"That damn bird got her claws on the corpse of one of my ancestors. She extorted me for it, and now I refuse to see her."

Su Min winced.

Right, after she had reluctantly handed over the corpse to the little Golden Crow, the bird had promptly used it to mess with Ao Xue. No wonder the dragoness wanted nothing to do with this.

Ao Xue unceremoniously dumped the mountain into Su Min's hands and vanished, clearly in no hurry to collect her payment.

"Dragons are such drama queens."

Shaking her head, Su Min gently lowered the mountain into the ocean. If she wasn't careful, the displacement could trigger tsunamis. Thankfully, her earlier warning had prevented panic. Spectators watched in awe, but no one dared approach. As the mountain sank into the depths, Su Min prepared for her next step—refining the entire range of Five Elements Crystals.

Only by absorbing them could she lay the foundation for advancing to the Unity stage. Combined with the Unity Pill, she would officially step into the realm of true powerhouses, the last step before Mahayana.

Once her Five Elements Holy Body reached perfection, she would be ready to challenge the Skeletal Emperor himself. After all, even a fallen emperor wouldn't return at full strength. If she struck first, she could eliminate him before he regained his peak.

With that in mind, Su Min left a few instructions via spiritual sense before diving into the abyss. It was time to seclude herself and devour the mountain's energy.

Meanwhile, in the Shadows…

"The Third Seat is dead?"

"Not just him. The Sixth and Eighth Seats vanished earlier, and the Seventh was killed by the Great Desolate Holy Body."

Whispers filled the darkness as the remaining members of the Black Seal exchanged grim looks. The absence of their top three elites sent chills down their spines.

The Third Seat had shared the same physique as the world's strongest alchemist—the Five Elements Holy Body. Though he lacked the wood attribute for alchemy, his combat prowess was undeniable.

Yet he had been slain.

"The killer was that alchemist—Su Min. Another Five Elements Holy Body wielder. And according to intel, she's one step away from perfection."

"We must stop her from achieving completion. If she succeeds, even I may not be able to oppose her."

A calm, authoritative voice cut through the murmurs.

Everyone stiffened and bowed deeply. The speaker was the Skeletal Emperor—the Black Seal's founder and strongest member, a fallen emperor who had once stood at the pinnacle of the world.

"Before his death, the Third Seat transmitted a final message. That woman possesses four divine treasures: the Nanming Lihuo, Northern Water's Profound Origin, Eastern Azure Wood, and Western Metal's Sharp Gold. The only thing missing is the Central Wutu Divine Earth—the sacred treasure of the Qilin race."

The group nodded. This wasn't exactly secret intel. Su Min had never hidden her pursuits, and it wasn't something she could conceal anyway.

"To achieve perfection, she'll need the Qilin's treasure. And unfortunately, the Qilin are currently under the protection of the Immortal Gate."

This was inevitable. While Su Min had been away, the other divine beasts had been causing chaos. But with so many powerful creatures gathered there, most hadn't paid much attention.

Now, however, the Black Seal had taken notice.

"A bunch of juvenile Qilin—if not for the Immortal Gate's protection, they'd have been devoured long ago. Every other divine beast has made waves, yet the Qilin remain silent. Something must have happened to their race. They were likely dragged out of their ancestral realm."

"That woman has so many Qilin under her care, yet her Holy Body remains incomplete. There's only one explanation…"

The Skeletal Emperor paused dramatically, letting the tension build.

"The Qilin race is in crisis. Their ancestral land was likely breached. Since she's sheltering them, her goal is obvious—the Central Wutu Divine Earth. We must strike before she refines it."

Silence.

The implication was clear: If Su Min's Holy Body reached perfection, they would all die.

Even the Skeletal Emperor wouldn't be safe.

The Five Elements Holy Body was formidable, but Su Min's track record was even more terrifying. Killing a Unity-stage expert and then hauling an entire mountain away?

No one dared imagine what she'd become at full power.

As for reconciliation? The thought never crossed their minds. Fallen cultivators and orthodox practitioners could never coexist.

"When the time comes, I will lead a full-scale assault. Until then, everyone must swear a blood oath and prepare. Our master has ordered us to find the Child of Chaos and eliminate them before they mature."

"Yes!"

"But first, we need someone to keep watch. Alert us the moment she leaves seclusion."

"Huh?"

The hall erupted into murmurs.

No one wanted the job.

Being a lookout for Su Min? Suicidal.

As the world's top alchemist, her spiritual sense was beyond monstrous. Anyone sent to spy would be discovered instantly.

The Skeletal Emperor knew this too.

"Send a few Golden Core Formation disciples to infiltrate the Eastern Mulberry Continent. No direct action—just monitor her movements."

Golden Core Formation cultivators were weak enough to avoid suspicion but strong enough to blend in.

The Eastern Mulberry Continent was one of the most powerful regions, where Nascent Soul experts were common and Golden Core Formation cultivators were a dime a dozen.

As long as they stayed outside the sect, there'd be no issues.

"Very well."

The group sighed in relief.

They all had underlings, lackeys like Kuang Batian, who had served the Third Seat.

Rounding up a few Golden Core Formation pawns was easy. These puppets' lives were in their masters' hands, ensuring loyalty. Soon, seven or eight Golden Core Formation cultivators infiltrated the region through various means.

Not a single soul noticed, not even Su Min.

She was too busy secluded in the depths, refining the mountain of crystals. The outer layers of the Five Elements Mountain had already crumbled away, revealing the pure core of Five Elements Crystals.

Su Min sat cross-legged atop it, absorbing the energy.

Advancing from Dao Comprehension to Unity required enormous resources, especially for her Five Elements Holy Body, which needed to replenish all its elemental essences.

These crystals, formed from the Third Seat's self-severing, were perfect for the task.

"Pity. I'm not Yuan Wangtian. I can't absorb all of this, most will go to waste."