Unity Mid-Stage

"Hmm?"

Facing the Solar Sovereign Body cultivator before her, Su Min froze momentarily.

Though she had hoped for this, she knew accepting his inheritance would be somewhat wasteful. If a Solar Sovereign Body cultivator could absorb 100% of the legacy, she'd be lucky to assimilate 10%. The rest would go to waste.

Moreover, she hadn't even obtained her primary objective yet—this was too soon.

"I can't hold on much longer. Rather than exhausting the power I preserved to help future generations fight the Fallen Immortals, I'd rather entrust it to you. I know you've already obtained the Solar Sovereign Ancient Scripture. So I'll pour all my essence into that wisp of Taiyang energy within you. As for what happens next... I don't know. Your situation is something I've never encountered before."

"Very well."

Su Min's brow furrowed. Clearly, this was the only way. If even this person didn't know, then the world likely had no answers. As for a Solar Sovereign Body emperor—forget it. There weren't even the faintest clues.

As for fighting the Fallen Immortals? That went without saying. When the nest overturned, no egg remained intact. Sooner or later, she'd clash with them.

Almost immediately, the figure dissipated completely. Then, the massive skeletal remains began emitting a dazzling radiance, resembling a blazing sun from afar.

If another Solar Sovereign Body cultivator received this inheritance, they'd instantly gain the Solar Sovereign Physique, clearing all obstacles before the Mahayana stage. But for Su Min...

At this point, Su Min slowly raised her hand. In an instant, that pure, sun-like essence converged into her palm.

"Ugh—"

Her entire body trembled violently. Even she couldn't withstand such terrifying energy impact unscathed. Her female physiology inherently resisted this supremely yang essence. The next moment, Su Min descended from the sky. Enduring the searing pain, she summoned her alchemy puppet—now capable of battling Unity-stage experts, though it would be instantly crushed against Dao Comprehension opponents.

"Within a hundred-mile radius, kill anyone who dares approach!!!"

Su Min narrowed her eyes. She needed to fully digest this essence, but the rejection reaction left her practically immobile. Thus, she had no choice but to enter seclusion on the spot. However, the earlier commotion had already drawn attention—she could sense people flying toward her. The puppet would have to guard her.

"First warning strike for those within 100 to 500 miles. Kill anyone who forces their way in after that!!!"

This concerned her safety—she had to be cautious. Although ordinary Divine Transformation cultivators couldn't breach her defenses even if she lay motionless, any interference during the refining process would be disastrous. With that, the puppet vanished in a streak of light while Su Min blasted open a cave and sequestered herself inside.

"Damn it, this definitely isn't easy to accept."

Cursing inwardly, Su Min immediately sat cross-legged and began rapidly circulating the Solar Sovereign Ancient Scripture to tame the rampaging energy.

This was unavoidable—only this method could control the power within her.

If one could see through her body, they'd witness streams of golden essence flowing through Su Min's veins. This was the complete remaining essence of that Solar Sovereign Body cultivator, now forcibly poured into her.

"The Taiyang energy is growing."

As she continuously refined the essence, the wisp of solar energy within her expanded. If it had originally been like a candle's flame, it was now fist-sized—and still growing. A peak Mahayana expert's essence was simply too potent. Even her Five Elements Holy Body paled in comparison.

"Indeed, if I'd faced him at his peak, survival would've been unlikely. That guy was extraordinary. Then again, any cultivator who reaches peak Mahayana is anything but ordinary."

Had others heard her thoughts, they might've slapped her. Although the Five Elements Holy Body was heaven-defying, other physiques weren't to be underestimated. They were equally formidable, and with such a vast cultivation gap, she should know her limits.

Time passed quietly again. Unbeknownst to Su Min, the earth within hundreds of miles around her now emitted a dazzling milky-white glow.

Treasure seekers arrived one after another. Some heeded the puppet's warnings, but more stubbornly pressed forward—only to be smashed into bloody mists.

It began with a Divine Transformation cultivator, who then gathered a group of fellow Divine Transformation experts. They assumed numbers would prevail, only to be mercilessly slaughtered. Soon, the area within hundreds of miles of Su Min became a blood-soaked battleground.

Nothing drove cultivators to madness like the prospect of power advancement. But this frenzy soon ended. After two Dao Comprehension cultivators were obliterated, the survivors finally grasped the reality and retreated.

The bloodshed concluded with the deaths of several Dao Comprehension experts. Only puppet masters gazed covetously at the guardian puppet, but Su Min's soul imprint was too powerful—only peak Mahayana experts could hope to erase it.

The external carnage had nothing to do with Su Min. Though the thousand-mile radius was vast, her Unity-stage puppet could traverse it in mere moments.

Another decade passed before Su Min fully refined the essence. Now, the Taiyang energy within her felt like a miniature sun—yet she felt no joy.

"Not enough. One Mahayana expert—or rather, one who's been dead for who knows how long—isn't sufficient. I need more..."

Frowning deeply, Su Min finally recognized the issue. Her Taiyang energy remained incomplete, still far from perfection. This realization filled her with despair—if a peak Mahayana Solar Sovereign Body's essence wasn't enough, achieving completion might require an emperor-level Solar Sovereign Body.

But where would she find such an individual? Emperors weren't like Mahayana experts—their existence was too vast for self-sealing or preserving remnants of essence like these Mahayana practitioners.

Unless they underwent freakish transformations like the Puppet Emperor—but he was the only emperor who'd ever subjected himself to such extremes.

"Forget it. I'll have to find another way later. What a pity."

Shaking her head, Su Min acknowledged that this incomplete Taiyang energy was useless for combat. After all, her Five Elements Holy Body already surpassed other physiques.

If the Taiyang energy could reach completion, it might rival a true Solar Sovereign Body. But that seemed impossible for now—she could only seal it away once more.

"Though there is one unexpected gain—my cultivation."

Murmuring inwardly, Su Min discovered her cultivation had skyrocketed after receiving the inheritance. While the essence's core had been refined into Taiyang energy, much residual spiritual energy remained—enough to fill her cultivation base.

Moreover, at the Unity stage, there were no longer concerns about unstable foundations. At this level, any breakthrough method was valid—no need to worry about instability.

Thus, Su Min immediately channeled all her spiritual power without hesitation. Under normal circumstances, accumulating enough energy might take a thousand years—but she'd now bypassed that step.

As for cultivation-boosting pills? Forget it. No Unity-stage pills could forcibly elevate cultivation. Among eighth-grade pills, none directly enhanced cultivation.

Narrowing her eyes, Su Min rapidly circulated her energy, pushing her cultivation to its peak.

Then, with one final step forward—

Unity mid-stage.

"Whew—"

Su Min exhaled deeply. She'd finally reached this level.

"Unity mid-stage—that went surprisingly smoothly. My Five Elements Holy Body plays a role too. After achieving completion, the path before the emperor stage should be smooth sailing."

Feeling the changes within, Su Min smiled. Advancing to Unity mid-stage had been natural, without any obstacles.

Like Xie Yingying and Tian Hao after receiving their inheritances, she'd face no barriers except when charging toward the emperor stage. As long as she accumulated sufficient energy, she could advance.

Her situation was similar to theirs—perhaps even better. Su Min even felt an illusion that she could step directly into the Ascension stage. Of course, that might just be a feeling—she couldn't be certain.

"Another fifty-plus years gone."

Emerging from the cave, Su Min stretched lazily before observing the now-collapsed skeletal remains—their essence depleted, the Solar Body practitioner's lingering soul finally dispersed.

"Rest in peace, senior. At the very least, I'll protect this world when the next Calamity Tide arrives."

Sighing at the massive bones, Su Min summoned crimson flames in her palm and cast them forth. Within minutes, the remains were reduced to ashes. At this level, burial was impractical—cremation was best. Otherwise, she'd need to excavate a pit dozens of miles long to inter such colossal remains of fallen experts.

When cultivators died naturally, their qi and blood rapidly declined, leaving ordinary-sized corpses. But those who fell at their peak had rampaging energy that inflated their bodies to enormous proportions.

"Time to return. I should head there now. Hmm... why are you covered in blood?"

Waving her hand, Su Min summoned the puppet—now a blood-drenched mess. The sight nearly made her lose composure.

The once-golden puppet was now crimson. The reason? Obvious. The energy radiating during her refinement had drawn countless greedy cultivators who'd underestimated the puppet—only to learn otherwise.

The puppet's key trait was its lack of detectable energy—it relied purely on physical strength. Ordinary cultivators couldn't sense its power, perhaps even mistaking its warning strikes for its full capability.

The sole consolation was that the bloodstains were old—clearly, people had eventually realized they were outmatched. After all, while the Ancient Battlefield held value, it offered little to Unity-stage experts.

Had that Solar Sovereign Body cultivator not recognized he'd never find an inheritor, he wouldn't have been so accommodating. In a real fight, Su Min might not have lost, but the essence would've been destroyed.

Thus, no Unity-stage cultivators would come here. Even if they did, they'd likely retreat upon sensing her soul imprint on the puppet.

"Let's go home first!!!"