Heaven and Earth Tremble

With the death of the last Golden Core cultivator, there was no one left from the Blood Puppet Sect within the great formation.

"It's done. Next is to eradicate them completely."

Looking at the corpse in her hand, Su Min casually tossed it aside. Two Divine Transformation cultivators, over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators, and dozens of Golden Core cultivators—given the current state of the world, this was enough to drain a major sect of its strength.

Meanwhile, ten minutes earlier, in the Ancient Mansion Holy City...

"Two Ancestors, this is a great opportunity."

The Ancient Mansion Holy Son, now a Nascent Soul cultivator, looked at the two elders of his sect. Su Min had offered them favorable terms: after the Blood Puppet Sect entered the spatial tunnel, they were to block the enemy's retreat and join in the extermination.

The reward? Three fifth-grade pills and half of the Blood Puppet Sect's assets after the deed was done.

Though Su Min wasn't afraid, she adhered to the principle of "the more, the merrier" and had enlisted their help.

But to the Holy Son's dismay, the two elders were unwilling to act. In truth, it was understandable. Though they knew the Blood Puppet Sect's strength—one mid-stage Divine Transformation cultivator and one peak-stage Divine Transformation cultivator, slightly weaker than their own two peak-stage elders—no one knew what hidden cards the Blood Puppet Sect might have.

Thus, the two elders remained unmoved. After all, low-grade fifth-tier pills were useless to them. Still, to humor their Holy Son, they agreed to let him lead a group to surround the Blood Puppet Sect. If the Blood Puppet Sect succeeded, they could still intervene to rescue their people. If the battle was evenly matched or in their favor, they'd lend a hand. But if Su Min was overwhelmed, they'd flee immediately.

Helping in dire straits was out of the question—the risk was too great. Adding flowers to brocade was more their style. With two Divine Transformation cultivators and the Blood Puppet Sect's hidden reserves, Su Min's forces couldn't possibly crush them outright. By then, they could drive a harder bargain and maximize their gains.

But when the Holy Son and his group arrived, dragging their feet, they were met with billowing smoke over the Blood Puppet Sect—not the mist of a paradise, but the fumes of destruction.

"What the—?! Where are Mu Xue and Mu Kui?!"

In that instant, the Ancient Mansion Holy City's elder swore aloud. What had happened to the Blood Puppet Sect? How had they been crushed so quickly?

"Ancestor, what do we do? The terms Su Min offered earlier are no longer on the table."

The Holy Son's expression darkened. He was tempted to strangle his elders, but given the vast gap in strength, he could only suppress the urge. Beyond the immediate rewards, they had missed the chance to earn a favor from Su Min. Though it might not be useful now, given Su Min's talent, reaching sixth-grade alchemist status was inevitable. A favor from her then would be invaluable to their sect.

"You go greet her. I'll take the others to block any escapees."

The peak Divine Transformation elder sighed, instructing the Holy Son to investigate what trump cards Su Min had used. Since she had wiped out the two so easily, coercion was out of the question—so he'd keep his distance for now.

Meanwhile, above the Blood Puppet Sect...

Su Min, Xie Yingying, and the little Golden Crow stormed the sect's headquarters. With almost all their forces annihilated, only the Blood Puppet Sect's leader—a genuine Nascent Soul cultivator, not one of the watered-down versions—remained. But what did that matter? In less than three exchanges, Su Min reduced him to a bloody mist with a single slash.

Back when she used the Azure Dragon Creation Art, she could hold her own against the Great Desolate Holy Body, a physique specialized in close combat. This man stood no chance. With their last Nascent Soul cultivator gone, the Blood Puppet Sect lost all ability to resist. But just then...

"A group is approaching. The 'allies' you invited?"

The little Golden Crow narrowed her eyes, her face full of disdain. Clearly, these people had intended to swoop in and reap the rewards. But they were too late—the Blood Puppet Sect had already been crushed.

"Keep going. Show no mercy. I never counted on them anyway, but since they're here, they might as well be useful."

Glancing at the sect below, Su Min couldn't be bothered to intervene. Uprooting the Blood Puppet Sect completely would require the Ancient Mansion Holy City's help. The sect itself was a big target, but such an organization surely had countless peripheral forces and affiliated families—information Su Min lacked.

As the saying goes, "know your enemy best." The Ancient Mansion Holy City would have the details. Su Min had never expected them to take risks for her, so their role was always to clean up the peripheral forces. But their timing was suspicious—arriving just twenty minutes after the battle began. In most cases, twenty minutes would be enough for either total annihilation or a stalemate.

That would've let them negotiate for maximum profit. But they never imagined the Blood Puppet Sect would fall so quickly. So when Su Min approached them, their expressions were grim.

"It seems the terms of our deal need to be renegotiated. Don't you agree?"

Su Min smiled at the group from the Ancient Mansion Holy City.

"Whatever Lady Su requests, we shall comply."

The Holy Son inwardly cursed his short-sighted elders eighteen times over. They'd thought Su Min needed them, but this had been a handout all along. She didn't need their help to wipe out the Blood Puppet Sect. Had they arrived earlier, the benefits would've been immense. After all, Su Min's name carried weight—something the Golden Core Avenue had already proven.

"Then here's the new deal: one low-grade fifth-tier pill and ten percent of the assets—the most damaged ones. You'll help me eradicate the Blood Puppet Sect's peripheral forces. After it's done, the ruined tenth is yours."

Here, Su Min added a subtle condition to prevent them from sabotaging things out of jealousy.

"Agreed."

The Holy Son's scalp prickled as he accepted. To him, Su Min was now an enigma. With their sects soon to be neighbors, he needed to understand her better. Moreover, they were in the wrong this time. Su Min's terms were fair, so he had no choice but to nod. The balance of power had shifted, but conflict was best avoided. And he knew one thing: Su Min wasn't the aggressive type.

After renegotiations, the two sides quickly reached an agreement. The Ancient Mansion Holy City's forces never approached the Blood Puppet Sect, but news of its annihilation spread like a storm. For all major powers, this was earth-shattering. Only ten years since the world's reopening, and already a deeply rooted sect had been eradicated. It was a stark reminder of the brutality of cultivators.

Though the Blood Puppet Sect had struck first and been counterattacked, that hardly mattered. Strength was the ultimate truth. Of course, many now prepared gifts, eager to visit. Alongside the Blood Puppet Sect's fall came another rumor—the Ancient Mansion Holy City had secured a chance to commission a fifth-tier pill.

Even if it was low-grade, it was still fifth-tier! Most sects lacked such resources. Even self-sealed Divine Transformation cultivators were only fifth-tier alchemists. Su Min was merely at Nascent Soul. Once she reached Divine Transformation, she'd undoubtedly become a sixth-tier alchemist. In these early days of the world's reopening, she might well become the top alchemist. Naturally, everyone wanted to get on her good side.

Thus, in the former Blood Puppet Sect's main hall...

"As expected of the Grand Elder. Just the mention of your name has set the world abuzz."

Tian Yinzi looked at Su Min with admiration. He finally understood what her title represented. In less than a week, envoys from major sects had come calling. He'd worried that destroying the Blood Puppet Sect would alarm other powers, but now, it seemed unnecessary.

"Treat them well. Fifth-tier pills aren't easy to refine now. By the way, how's the Blood Puppet Sect's treasury?"

Su Min waved it off. These were the Holy Sons of major sects. After the Golden Core Grand Competition, many had advanced to Nascent Soul, becoming core members of their factions. Most were acquaintances, and since the Blood Puppet Sect had struck first, no one protested. But more than that, she cared about the spoils.

"It's empty. To build the spatial tunnel and nurture those dozen-plus Nascent Soul cultivators, they exhausted nearly all their resources. As for their cultivation manuals... are we really sealing them away?"

"Tch. Look at how their people behaved—all influenced by that technique. No one is to practice it. And send people to work with the others in cataloging the Blood Puppet Sect's assets."

"Understood."

Tian Yinzi nodded. The manuals were now in Su Min's possession, forbidden to all. Wiping out every last Blood Puppet disciple was impractical, but their core members couldn't be spared.