Killing Spree

"Where did they go???"

In that instant, everyone present was stunned. The two had vanished without a trace—something completely unexpected. Especially for Liao Jie, a faint sense of unease rose in his heart. Things had spiraled beyond his expectations.

"Life and death are fated, wealth is ordained by heaven."

If Su Min emerged alive, there was nothing he could do to her.

The Buddhist sects were heavily restricted, and Future Maitreya Mountain's domain—Maitreya Heaven Prefecture—was extremely far from Su Min's two strongholds. If he dared to launch a long-range assassination, he would be intercepted by various sects along the way.

Moreover, even though he was close to reaching the Dao Comprehension Stage, the world was vast and full of wonders. There were undoubtedly some peak Divine Transformation experts who deliberately suppressed their cultivation, waiting for the moment when the heavens opened to break through.

Not to mention, the Little Golden Crow by Su Min's side was no joke. Divine beasts were terrifying in combat, and this one was of the noble royal bloodline. Even he wasn't confident he could defeat it. The Eastern Sea Immortal Sect might be destroyed by Future Maitreya Mountain, but Su Min would absolutely escape. And if she did, it would spell absolute disaster for them.

"Everyone, head to that location immediately and intercept her! No matter what, she must die!"

Since they were all in the same space—the Medicine Master's secret realm—Su Min and the others were merely in a more secluded area, one reserved specifically for alchemists. Getting there would take some time. As for the trial? That was no longer a concern. Liao Jie had already lost interest.

"Have they gone mad?"

"What's wrong with Future Maitreya Mountain?"

"This—"

In an instant, everyone watched as the first-generation senior brother of Future Maitreya Mountain led his disciples charging toward where Su Min had disappeared—abandoning both the legacy and the trial. This meant they were giving up a massive share of the Buddhist Light Secret Realm's rewards.

"Amitabha. You have fallen into demonic obsession."

Kong Hui spoke calmly, while the ancient monk from the side nodded silently, secretly sending a message to his disciples to stay far away from that area. The atmosphere grew heavy. This was all too bizarre. What were they even after?

Killing Su Min served no purpose. And if they failed? It would be a catastrophe for them. Once Su Min reached the Divine Transformation Stage, even Future Maitreya Mountain would find it nearly impossible to kill her.

Meanwhile, inside the Medicine Master's Cauldron...

Boom! Boom! Crash!

The sounds of collisions and explosions echoed continuously as two figures clashed in the sky. Su Min might not be able to kill Liao Neng easily, but if she didn't want to fight head-on, he couldn't do anything to her.

"You're ranked first on the Heavenly Leaderboard! Stop running like a coward!!!"

Liao Neng roared in fury as Su Min darted around like a slippery eel. With the Azure Dragon Creation Art activated, her physical prowess had reached terrifying levels. Combined with her superior spiritual sense, Liao Neng couldn't even land a hit. All he could do was rage helplessly.

"Hmph."

Su Min simply stuck out her tongue and continued dodging. The two had been chasing each other for nearly four minutes now.

"Future Eternal Bliss World!!!"

In that moment, the enraged Liao Neng suddenly burned a hundred years of his lifespan to activate a forbidden technique. The world around them twisted into a surreal landscape as golden Buddhist light solidified around Su Min, trapping her in place. Liao Neng's face was now crimson with madness, his expression twisted like a rabid dog. Three hundred years of lifespan—gone.

A Divine Transformation cultivator only lived for three thousand years. He had just sacrificed a tenth of his life. Now, he lunged forward to kill Su Min—

But then, a smirk curled at the corner of her lips.

"We've been chasing each other for about four minutes now."

"Huh?"

Liao Neng paused, momentarily confused by her calm demeanor. Now that he had her trapped, he wasn't in a hurry. He wanted to see what trick she was playing.

"Just delaying the inevitable."

"Yeah, delaying the inevitable. But do you know where we are? And you've let anger cloud your judgment."

"?"

Liao Neng stiffened. He suddenly realized—this was another dimension entirely. His faint connection with Liao Jie had been completely severed. But Su Min's words snapped him back to reality.

"This is the inside of the Medicine Master's Cauldron. I once accidentally established a connection with it. This place is a treasure trove of rare materials—but also an inescapable death trap."

Her voice turned icy.

"And I had it maximize the flow of time here."

The surroundings looked serene, but something was deeply wrong. Liao Neng noticed—everything here was decaying at an insane speed. Flowers bloomed and withered in seconds. Only the rarest herbs could resist the erosion of time. He knew exactly what this meant.

"Right now, one second here equals ten years outside. You chased me for four minutes. Add the centuries of lifespan you just burned—do you understand what that means?"

"!!!!"

In that instant, Liao Neng's face twisted in horror. He raised his palm and slammed it down at Su Min with all his might.

But then—

A delicate hand met his withered, aged one.

Boom!

Liao Neng was sent flying, crashing into the ground with a heavy thud.

"A Divine Transformation cultivator's lifespan is three thousand years. You're now on your last legs—your vitality is nearly gone."

Su Min's voice was merciless.

"And I won't give you a chance to reincarnate. Stay here forever, demonic monk."

With that, she raised her hand—

Crunch.

Liao Neng didn't even have time to scream. His body turned to dust under her palm, his eyes filled with nothing but hatred and despair.

"Done. Now, for these herbs..."

Su Min glanced around, satisfied. At that moment, the rapid cycle of life and death slowed down, returning to a more normal pace.

[How did you survive?]

A whisper echoed in her ear—the voice of the Medicine Master's Cauldron. It had helped her, though not entirely out of goodwill. After their last meeting, Su Min had requested it to maximize the time flow if she ever entered again. This state—where one second equaled ten years—couldn't be maintained for long, even by the cauldron. It had expended stored energy to do so.

But what puzzled it was—why wasn't Su Min affected?

Liao Neng had aged to death, yet she remained completely unharmed.

"Hehe, because I have another Innate Spiritual Treasure. Its ability is... special. It shields me from the time erosion inside you."

She pulled out the gourd and shook it playfully before putting it away.

'I don't have that ability.'

'Shh. Just play along. Don't you want a Nascent Soul demon corpse, Little Gourd?'

After some quick mental bargaining, she had her excuse. No one else knew the gourd's true powers anyway.

[I see. The time flow has now normalized—one second here equals one day outside. Only the herbs that withstand this erosion are worth taking. You may choose three.]

"Thanks."

Su Min nodded and began searching. Though there were many high-grade herbs here, she had to choose wisely. This might be her chance to break through to the sixth-grade alchemist level.

[By the way, another group from Future Maitreya Mountain has gathered outside. As you said—some followers have indeed fallen.]

"I know."

Su Min's smile turned cold. If they wanted to ambush her, then she wouldn't hold back. She had never been fond of killing. Throughout her journey, she had rarely been pushed to extremes.

But this time?

She wouldn't hesitate. Still, she wasn't in a hurry. Without a Divine Transformation expert present, no number of Nascent Soul cultivators could threaten her. Unless they were absolute freaks of nature, they were nothing to her. So, with that in mind, she focused on finding the most suitable herbs for her needs.

Then—

"Is that... a Soul Heaven Fruit???"

Her delighted voice rang out. The fruit's effect was simple—it directly enhanced soul power. This was the final piece she needed. Without hesitation, she plucked it and swallowed it whole. Instantly, Su Min felt as if she were ascending to immortality. Her soul power surged, reaching a level comparable to a Dao Comprehension expert's.

"Huff... huff..."

Soon, her breathing steadied.

"This is the soul power needed for a sixth-grade alchemist. And I even found the last two ingredients for the pill. Send me out now."

The cauldron complied, and a spatial gate appeared before her. With a cold hum, Su Min stepped through. She only had one chance to leave. If she stayed, she might be trapped forever. Outside...

"The spatial gate has opened!"

With the two having disappeared earlier, everyone's attention was fixed on the spot.

Now, they all saw it—

And the Future Maitreya Mountain monks, weapons drawn, charged forward with murderous intent.

But then—

A single feather floated out. Before anyone could react, it transformed into a blazing crimson bird.

BOOM!!!

A deafening explosion erupted. The unprepared monks were engulfed in flames. Golden Core cultivators—annihilated on the spot. The dozen or so Nascent Soul monks—all injured to varying degrees.

Though this was only a miniature Vermilion Bird Phantom, even a full-power strike from the real thing could seriously wound a Spirit Transformation expert if they didn't defend in time. This scaled-down version was more than enough to obliterate Golden Core cultivators.

Then—

A fiery white-haired figure shot out from the gate, a massive sword in hand.

Splat!

The first Nascent Soul monk—reduced to bloody mist.

"KILL HER!!!"

The remaining monks lunged forward, but they had been caught off guard. Their Golden Core forces were wiped out, and now, they were seeing red. Death here meant no reincarnation. Only those who passed away willingly could enter the cycle.

"Tsk..."

The spectators outside gasped in shock.

They didn't know why Future Maitreya Mountain wanted Su Min dead, but she was proving far more ruthless. In just ten minutes, two Nascent Soul monks had fallen. Many remembered Su Min from the Golden Core Avenue—where she had been kind and approachable, only turning violent against the Blood Puppet Sect.

Now?

They were glad they hadn't provoked this demoness.

Then—

A terrifying aura erupted. Liao Jie's killing intent surged like a tidal wave as he watched Su Min slaughter his disciples.

But just as he was about to act—

"Amitabha. Good deeds bring good rewards, evil deeds bring evil retribution. Today's karma is the fruit of yesterday's actions."

An even more oppressive aura descended, crushing Liao Jie's murderous intent.

"Dao... Dao Comprehension Stage?!"

The crowd recoiled in shock.