The Changing World, and the Visitor at the Door

Whoosh…

As streams of water surged past, the Spring Source Water in Su Min's hands finally took form. With a single gulp, she swallowed it, completing the fusion of the Five Elements within her body.

"Hmm, refreshing."

Though its potency couldn't compare to that of the Heaven and Earth Divine Artifacts, it was more than enough for Su Min's current needs. After all, the power of the Five Elements Ancient Scripture was undeniable—once activated, it could shake the heavens and earth.

There was no reason for Su Min not to use it. Even the scripture, split into five parts, could serve as a top-tier cultivation manual.

"Speaking of which, there's also the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra. Now that I've reached the Nascent Soul stage, I can continue cultivating it. Plus, I've accumulated centuries' worth of faith energy here—let's see how far it can take me."

After all, hundreds of years' worth of accumulated faith energy was no small amount. Now was the perfect time to put it to use. This technique had stagnated for far too long, to the point where it had become nearly useless in later battles—its power was simply too overwhelming.

As Su Min began circulating the technique, a faint golden glow emanated from her body. Her consciousness sank inward once more, but this time, a small golden pagoda had appeared in her sea of consciousness.

"The Buddhist Eight Treasures Exquisite Pagoda."

Through her cultivation, Su Min quickly realized she had gained something new in her mind.

[Eight Treasures Exquisite Pagoda: Capable of suppressing and absorbing all things.]

"Hmm…"

Staring at her new ability, Su Min fell into thought. Isn't this the same thing as the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li Jing's treasure? But that one was called the Exquisite Golden Pagoda, so it wasn't exactly the same.

"I actually manifested this pagoda? A bit unexpected, but it'll be plenty useful."

With a slight raise of her hand, a small golden pagoda materialized in her palm. If she remembered correctly, in Journey to the West, it wasn't Taiyi Zhenren who revived Nezha, but the Tathagata Buddha. After his resurrection, Nezha sought vengeance against Li Jing, leading to a confrontation before the Buddha.

The Tathagata's solution was simple and brutal—he gifted Li Jing the Exquisite Golden Pagoda, forcing Nezha to regard the Buddha as his father and the pagoda as his father's presence. Later, when Sun Wukong sought Li Jing's help to deal with the Golden-Nosed White Mouse Spirit, it even led to some comedic misunderstandings.

"This must be the prototype of the legendary Exquisite Golden Pagoda. The Tathagata probably used the Eight Treasures Exquisite Pagoda as a foundation to forge the one he gave to Heavenly King Li."

Examining the small pagoda in her hand, Su Min couldn't help but recall the novel. The imagery was just too strong—she couldn't help but make the connection.

Still, this Buddhist pagoda was quite powerful. Though its effects differed from Li Jing's, its utility was undeniable. It could absorb enemy attacks, albeit with an upper limit. But that limit was so high that even Su Min would have to exert tremendous effort to break through it. For now, it was more than sufficient.

"Hmm, another half-year in seclusion."

With that thought, Su Min stood up. This retreat hadn't lasted too long, but when she stepped out, she felt refreshed. She had finally stabilized her Nascent Soul foundation—not just in cultivation, but also in formidable techniques.

And yet, the Blood Puppet Sect still hadn't made a move. Since they weren't coming to her, she could continue preparing.

She wasn't in a hurry—the longer this dragged on, the stronger she'd become.

"I wonder how Yingying is doing. She must be in deep seclusion at the core of the Xuantian Mansion. That place is sealed off—no one below Nascent Soul can enter."

Muttering to herself, Su Min decided not to disturb her. After her breakthrough, she had sent Xie Yingying a message, but since there was no reply, she must have been in deep meditation.

"The Azure Dragon King has also emerged from seclusion. His slumber allowed him to successfully reach the early Nascent Soul stage."

With that in mind, Su Min flew off. The Azure Dragon King and the Peacock King were both ancient divine beasts. Their cultivation relied primarily on bloodline power, allowing them to progress unimpeded until they hit their limits.

Now that they were no longer needed to constantly guard the Little Golden Crow (who, despite undergoing inheritance, wasn't completely defenseless), the Azure Dragon King had returned to his underwater dragon palace to cultivate.

Finding him wasn't difficult.

"Have you found any places where the Weak Water is gathering?"

Su Min cut straight to the point as she faced the now-youthful-looking Azure Dragon King. When dealing with divine beasts, pleasantries were unnecessary—they only found them annoying.

"I've only detected a few scattered streams of Weak Water. It'll likely be a long time before they fully manifest. But you have the Black Tortoise Token, so you should sense it when the time comes."

Su Min frowned slightly at his words. The Weak Water was a special type of water, usually scattered throughout the ocean. Accidentally crossing paths with it was dangerous even for Golden Core cultivators.

Under unique conditions, however, the Weak Water would converge into a river, opening the path to the Black Tortoise's inheritance. But no one knew what would happen then, so Su Min needed to keep an eye on its movements.

"I see. Thank you, Azure Dragon King."

Still, traversing the Weak Water was perilous. Even in the game, it was one of the most dangerous challenges. Though Nascent Soul cultivators were powerful, Su Min's current strength wasn't enough to guarantee safety. She'd need at least late-stage Nascent Soul, if not Divine Transformation, before attempting it.

The gap between early, middle, and late Nascent Soul was enormous.

"I'll keep monitoring it."

Nodding, Su Min didn't linger. The deep-sea environment was uncomfortable for her—as a human, the pressure at such depths was oppressive.

With that, she vanished in a flash.

"Time to return to the sect. Hmm? Is that… the Golden Crow Statue? Did the Little Golden Crow place this here while I was breaking through?"

Her gaze landed on a hundred-meter-tall statue at the sect's core—a towering Fusang Ancient Tree, atop which perched a three-legged Golden Crow. Su Min knew exactly what this was. She had seen similar things in the Golden Core Avenue.

Many divine and spiritual beasts left behind inheritances in such statues, with the rewards depending on luck. The Little Golden Crow's statue contained not just its own inheritance but also those of the Azure Dragon, the Peacock, and all the other spiritual beasts—compiled into one.

For Su Min, it wasn't particularly useful, but for the sect's disciples, it was an invaluable treasure trove.

"This is good. Unfortunately, it's not very helpful for me. The inheritances of two of the Four Symbols are already enough. Any more would risk overloading my capacity and interfering with future inheritances. Besides, their power isn't on the same level—acquiring them would be pointless."

With that thought, Su Min didn't linger. In a flicker, she appeared in the sect's main hall, startling everyone present. The elders immediately set aside their tasks and bowed.

"Over a decade has passed since the worlds merged. What's the situation with the four neighboring provinces—Wei Wu, Yao Xin, Huo Luo, and Mo Yun? Have they clashed with us?"

Her gaze swept across the room, sharp and direct.

In the game's second main storyline, a fallen one would descend upon these lands. If not dealt with swiftly, it could trigger a catastrophe—even leading to a dead end in the game. A game over was the last thing Su Min wanted. If necessary, she might have to unite these four provinces under her banner.

"Grand Elder Su, the Sect Master is currently organizing the scripture repository. Once he emerges, we'll report everything together."

The elders exchanged glances before answering cautiously.

"Fine."

Su Min nodded. Soon after, Tian Yinzi arrived, having just finished arranging five jade slips. He knew Su Min was concerned about these matters, so he had already prepared a summary. But the first sentence out of his mouth made her forehead twitch.

"Those four provinces have been at war for over a decade. Yao Xin Province is the worst—humans there have been nearly exterminated. The other three provinces joined forces to attack Yao Xin, but they're all scheming against each other, leading to a stalemate."

"War, war, and more war… Sigh. Fine. What role have we played in this?"

Su Min couldn't help but sigh. Conflict was eternal—this world had never known peace. And to cultivators, the bodies of those demonic beasts were valuable materials.

"We've done nothing but observe and record."

Tian Yinzi replied carefully. Knowing they had offended a major sect backed by a Divine Transformation expert, they had kept a low profile. The disciples they sent out were all mature and cautious, so despite the raging wars, none of the provinces were aware of their existence. But the reports had revealed something peculiar, weighing heavily on everyone's minds.

"Grand Elder Su, is there… some connection between us and Yao Xin Province?"

This was the question they had all been silently wondering about. Due to their constitutions, the first few generations of immigrants Su Min had brought over had all passed away—not from mistreatment, but natural causes. It wasn't until the seventh or eighth generation that people began cultivating under Su Min's guidance.

The original pioneers had all perished, making Tian Yinzi part of the tenth generation or later. Yet records of their ancestral homeland had been preserved. Su Min had never spoken much about it, but they had found many traces of their ancestors in Yao Xin Province. But Su Min was the only one left from that era. After all, the original East Mulberry Land had no humans.

"Yao Xin Province… that was your homeland. Tian Yinzi, I've seen your family records. Your ancestors were among the first group I brought from Yao Xin."

Su Min didn't hide the truth. Tian Yinzi's background surprised her slightly. When she first visited Yao Xin, she had seen a young boy desperately defending his village. Though talented, his foundation was flawed. With the help of her elixirs, he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage but could progress no further, eventually passing away.

Now, Tian Yinzi was that boy's descendant.

Fate worked in mysterious ways.

"I…"

Tian Yinzi was stunned. So was everyone else.

"I know you have sentimental attachments to that place. But Yao Xin Province barely has any humans left, right?"

Su Min didn't bother mincing words. Even if it was their ancestral home, they had lived here for centuries. The environment here—rich in spiritual herbs, dense in energy, and abundant in high-quality secret realms—far surpassed Yao Xin. None of them would ever consider leaving. But emotions were inevitable, and Su Min didn't plan to suppress them—as long as they didn't interfere with her plans.

"Yes, there are almost no humans left. A late-stage Golden Core demon rules the land, backed by twenty other late-stage Golden Core beasts. Humans have been reduced to livestock. Forget Golden Core cultivators—even Foundation Establishment ones can be counted on one hand. The reason the other three provinces can't advance is because of these demonic beasts. Their combined Golden Core forces are roughly equal, creating a deadlock."

"I know what you're thinking. But now isn't the time. We'll have to wait—actually, you can intervene. But only after a year. Because…"

Su Min was about to continue when her expression suddenly darkened. Now that she was at the Nascent Soul stage, her perception far surpassed that of Golden Core cultivators. Because she sensed someone—using divination, fate, and the Heavenly Dao itself—searching for her.

This method came at a great cost. Even Divine Transformation experts wouldn't dare attempt it lightly.

"!!!"

Seeing Su Min's expression, Tian Yinzi froze.

"We can't afford to split our forces yet. But in a year, that won't be an issue. Let's see what they dare to do!!!"

In that instant, a murderous aura—tangible as a blade—filled the hall. The pressure made even Tian Yinzi, a mid-Golden Core cultivator, shudder.

The killing intent of a Nascent Soul cultivator was truly terrifying.