Blossoms Bloom and Wither, A Monarch Reigns Supreme

Great Luo Tian Province—located at the heart of the continent, equidistant from all directions—was where all major assemblies were held. However, the province had been far from peaceful lately. With Yao Xian'er no longer presiding over it, turmoil had become a constant companion.

The return of the exiled ancient clans had only worsened the situation. Without a supreme sect to anchor them, their authority had weakened considerably. But those troubles were irrelevant now. The leaders of the major sects had gathered, and in this era, most sect masters had reached the Dao Comprehension stage.

As for the Unity-stage old monsters? They were all in seclusion, rarely making appearances. Thus, for these sect leaders, Dao Comprehension-stage cultivators were more than sufficient. At the moment, Lin Yao was lazily observing the endless debates. Her role was simple—attend and nothing more. So today, as always, she remained silent.

Until—

BOOM!!!

A violent surge of energy erupted in the sky, shaking the entire Heavenly Continent. Every living being instinctively looked up as a terrifying ripple spread through the heavens.

"Unity-stage cultivators are fighting—and not just one! At least several are clashing beyond the Heavenly Continent's outer layer! What's happening?"

An elderly man, at the peak of the late Dao Comprehension stage—just one step away from Unity—turned pale. Against such power, he was nothing more than an ant.

The aftershocks of dozens of Unity-stage experts clashing could make the entire continent tremble. As for Mahayana-stage battles? Those had to take place in the depths of space to avoid catastrophic damage.

But what truly horrified them was the realization that the entire continent's Unity-stage experts combined might not even number this many.

Had their ancestors suddenly started an all-out war? The sect leaders immediately glanced toward the high seats of the assembly hall.

These figures rarely spoke, content to let their subordinates bicker. But their silence didn't make them any less formidable—they represented the super sects, each backed by a Unity-stage powerhouse.

Yet, to everyone's shock, even these sect leaders looked bewildered.

Except for one—Lin Yao.

"Lady Lin, do you know what's happening?"

These were all individuals who had lived for over a thousand years—their perception was razor-sharp. And Lin Yao made no effort to hide her knowledge.

"Master has initiated the final battle against the Fallen Ones. The fluctuations you sense are from their clash. As for your so-called 'Black Seal'—after this battle, they will cease to exist." She stood up, her voice dripping with arrogance. "Once it's over, don't forget to bring gifts to thank us."

The sect leaders exchanged glances. They had been arguing endlessly about forming an alliance, but by the time they reached a consensus, the battle would already be over. So Lin Yao shamelessly demanded compensation.

"We handled your problem—now pay up."

Not that she was worried about refusal. Su Min's status as the continent's sole Grandmaster Alchemist ensured compliance. Anyone who dared withhold payment would face consequences when they needed elixirs in the future.

The sect leaders felt like they had just swallowed something foul. This was extortion—blatant and inescapable.

But being extorted by the continent's only Grandmaster Alchemist? That was practically an honor.

"Should we notify our sects to intervene? Our ancestors must have sensed this already."

After the initial shock, the super sects began considering participation. If their Unity-stage ancestors contributed, they could reap benefits.

"I advise against it." Lin Yao smirked. "Master has only gathered a few Unity-stage experts: the Golden Crow Emperor, the Dragon Emperor, the Nine-Colored Heavenly Phoenix, the Great Desolate Holy Body, the Lunar Sovereign Physique, and herself. Given the scale of this battle, you should think carefully about what kind of enemy warrants such a force."

Silence.

None of these were ordinary Unity-stage experts. Each could likely fight multiple opponents at once. Yet the battle's intensity suggested something far beyond normal Unity-stage combat.

The sect leaders quickly backed down, instructing their sects to stand by. No treasure was worth risking their ancestral pillars.

"Lady Lin, who is Grandmaster Su fighting against?"

"A former Emperor."

A collective gasp.

An ancient Emperor?!

Lin Yao smirked at their stunned expressions. But inwardly, she was worried. The sheer scale of the energy fluctuations meant she couldn't possibly intervene. All she could do was pray for Su Min's victory.

"I'm still too weak. Once this is over, I must train in the Puppet Ancient Tomb."

She sighed. The gap between her and her master remained vast—even as a Dao Comprehension-stage cultivator. "The path of immortality is long and treacherous."

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The outer reaches of the Heavenly Continent had become a battlefield.

In the highest layer of space, a golden crow crowned with an ancient bell and a golden dragon clutching a pearl clashed against a colossal skeleton.

The little Golden Crow and the Dragon Empress, wielding Imperial Artifacts, could barely hold back the Skeleton Emperor.

A former Emperor stood at the pinnacle of existence. At that level, even supreme physiques and divine beast bloodlines meant little—only the legendary Chaos Physique could rival them.

Meanwhile, below them, two massive avatars—one dark as ink, the other radiant gold—fought multiple enemies without faltering. A nine-colored phoenix soared alongside them, maintaining the upper hand but struggling to press the advantage further.

Su Min herself wasn't directly engaged in combat—the nine-colored phoenix was her artifact. The Black Seal's forces were powerful, but they had a fatal flaw: they lacked Imperial Artifacts. Only the Skeleton Emperor possessed one.

Desperate to prevent the phoenix from activating its Imperial Artifact—the Heavenly Phoenix Mirror, the Black Seal resorted to secret techniques.

But time was on Su Min's side. She wasn't in a hurry. Blocking her path was an elderly man—only at the early Unity stage, yet exuding an aura of ancient terror.

The Black Seal's Second Seat—Zuo Tiansheng, a mortal who had nearly touched the Dao.

Such individuals were even more terrifying than those with supreme physiques. Even Su Min couldn't guarantee she could reach such heights as a mere mortal.

Her Five-Element Holy Body had carried her through countless trials—without it, she would have died long ago. So against this old man, she had to be absolutely focused.

"It seems it has come to this."

Zuo Tiansheng's expression darkened. No matter how talented he had been in the past, he was now little more than a surviving worm—his former ambition long extinguished.

Facing this young prodigy, he even felt a trace of fear.

Her vitality was overwhelming, her Five-Element Holy Body mysterious and terrifying. The more intelligence they gathered on her, the more horrified they became.

With the Skeleton Emperor occupied, the burden fell on him. A blood oath bound him—today, only one side would survive.

So his figure vanished, merging into a colossal avatar. At the Unity stage, combat returned to its simplest form. Regardless of past techniques, battles now boiled down to the purest clash of laws.

Strong reigned supreme; the weak perished.

"Time Avatar."

Su Min's hands moved rapidly, and a massive phantom emerged behind her. The surrounding space twisted, time itself becoming unstable.

Zuo Tiansheng's eyes widened.

He saw something surreal—flowers blooming and withering in an instant.

A monarch of time, the master of reincarnation's end.

"Time Law—truly extraordinary. Legends say one Emperor underwent ten reincarnations to grasp it. Yet you've achieved it in a single lifetime. How?"

Even as enemies, he couldn't help but marvel.

"You don't need to know."

Su Min's secrets belonged to her alone—the Medicine King's Cauldron would never reveal them.

Zuo Tiansheng sighed. "Then I can only kill you here."

The two avatars collided—no fancy techniques, just raw power.

BOOM!

Space shattered, plunging them into a void. The fractured dimensions twisted grotesquely. Zuo Tiansheng's face turned ashen. The impact stunned the entire battlefield.

"How is she using my Sun Law?!"

The little Golden Crow gaped. She sensed her clan's signature law in Su Min's attack. Golden Sun Heavenly Dao—the Golden Crow's inherited law—now wielded by a human?

"And our dragon clan's… even a hint of the Gluttonous Devourer's?"

Ao Xue was equally shocked. How could Su Ming fuse so many laws?

She had the Five-Element Holy Body, not the All-Embracing Spiritual Dao Body. Even Yao Xian'er only began merging myriad laws in her second life.

Yet Su Min had achieved it now.

"That woman is monstrous. Her avatar—"

The Skeleton Emperor paused, his face darkening. But Zuo Tiansheng suffered the most. In just one exchange, half his avatar had been obliterated. Blood trickled from his lips. As a former peak Mahayana expert, his law mastery surpassed normal Unity-stage cultivators.

But Su Min was absurd.

"What kind of monster are you?!" he roared, reforming his shattered avatar.

Su Min merely smiled. Her strength was the work of two Emperors—the Puppet Ancient Emperor and the Medicine King Lapis Lazuli Buddha. Each had dominated their era, and she had inherited both legacies.

Now, it was time to end this. She raised her weapon, and dozens of laws roared around her.

"Be careful!"

The Skeleton Emperor shouted—but the distraction cost him. A massive dragon claw slammed into him, sending him flying.

Not that Zuo Tiansheng needed the warning. His face was already twisted in dread.

Su Min's surroundings had transformed. Countless flowers bloomed around her, each a manifestation of a law, infused with the power of the Four Divine Artifacts.

Even the prelude to her attack bore divine phenomena.

The Five Elements were the foundation of the world—the cycle of life and death.

Though Su Min hadn't fully awakened them, the Beast Soil within her could temporarily substitute for the Central Wutu Divine Earth.

Thus, she could now display a fraction of the perfected Five-Element Holy Body's might.

And in the next moment—

Thousands of flowers, each carrying boundless laws, swirled around her.

"Blossoms bloom and wither—a monarch reigns supreme."

In Zuo Tiansheng's perception, everything vanished.

Only an elegant figure remained—standing alone above all creation.