Three days later, the plains before Yongzhou had been transformed into a hellish landscape. The air still carried the metallic tang of blood and the distant, mournful cries of crows. The war was over.
The hundreds of thousands of grassland soldiers had shattered, their cohesion broken. They had fled back through the mountain pass in a disorganized rout, making a meaningful pursuit impossible for Prince Yong's exhausted forces. Still, the spoils of victory were immense.
Even without counting the thousands of ragged, demoralized prisoners, the captured livestock alone—the vast herds brought to support the massive army—was an enormous haul. The two elders had emptied their entire tribal stockpiles for this campaign. Although much was lost in the chaotic stampede, what remained was still a fortune. More importantly, the battle had broken the spine of the northern steppe's power. For the next hundred years, they likely would not dare to cross the southern mountains again.
Such matters no longer concerned Su Min. Her personal goal had been achieved. What she needed now was absolute quiet to enter closed-door cultivation. This time, it might take ten years. Maybe even twenty.
Normally, breaking through to the Foundation Establishment realm would not require so long; a few months of focused effort might suffice. A Foundation Establishment cultivator's natural lifespan reached about two hundred years, so a two decade retreat would be considered excessive by most.
But Su Min was different. She was not building an ordinary foundation. She was constructing hers upon the very laws of Heaven itself, forming what was known as the Heaven Path Foundation Establishment. To advance, she would need to meticulously refine and completely absorb the five elemental treasures she had gathered. That process would be painstaking, delicate, and drawn out, yet the result would be entirely worth the immense effort.
Upon completion, she would gain a sliver of Heaven's own favor, a rare and formidable blessing. More importantly, this would form an unshakable base for her future Golden Core breakthrough. After all, more than ninety percent of Foundation Establishment cultivators never succeeded in forming their core. But for Su Min, time was no concern. Her longevity was already secured, and a few decades of focused effort were nothing in the grand scheme of her path.
As for her place of retreat, she had chosen the vast, silent, and desolate sands of the western desert. All she needed was to carve out a small cave dwelling deep in the dunes, and no one would find her for a century. Even if other cultivators entered the desert, they would be like grains of sand in a sea of sand, completely unable to locate her specific, hidden sanctuary.
Before she departed, however, she decided to bid a proper farewell to Prince Yong. She held a small measure of pragmatic fondness for the old man, not for sentimental reasons, but because she had quite literally drained his faction's wealth down to the marrow. The century old foundation of Prince Yong Manor had been put to excellent use in her equipment and pills.
And before she left, she offered him one final, parting gift.
"This is a Qi Gathering Pill," she said, handing him a simple jade vial. "It can raise a cultivator's Qi Refining level by one minor stage. It will be useful to you." Her tone was casual, but her eyes were serious. "But keep this secret. If word spreads and draws vultures to your door, do not say I did not warn you."
"Of course, of course..."
Prince Yong accepted the pill gingerly, as if handling a live ember, and immediately handed it to his heir for safekeeping. It was clear the gift was ultimately meant for the young prince. It was an unexpected and tremendous blessing.
"Those fools are still drunk on victory," Su Min remarked, glancing toward the main hall where the sounds of celebration still occasionally echoed. "They are busy dividing the spoils and boasting of their fame, too distracted to come knocking. So, I will be taking my leave now."
The victory's political impact would echo across the realm. Everyone involved would profit from it in some way. For now, they were blinded by triumph, consumed by the immediate scramble for fame and influence. None had thought to bother her yet, but once the celebrations ended, they would surely come seeking her favor, one after another.
Su Min found that thought deeply unpleasant. She had no wish to deal with a parade of fawning, ambitious faces. Besides, one does not strike a smiling face, and she was not irrational enough to do so either. It was best to vanish before they remembered her. She had no interest in hollow prestige or political games. With her strength and achievements, the glory of this victory was already hers by right. No one dared contest it, and none were foolish enough to try.
"Ah… then take care, Lady Su," Prince Yong said, a genuine note of melancholy in his voice. "I fear this farewell may be our last. These two sons of mine," he gestured to the young men beside him, "I leave them to your guidance, should your paths cross again."
Seeing that Su Min had made up her mind, Prince Yong knew better than to try and stop her. Supplying her extravagant needs had cost his treasury dearly... but the returns, in power and security, had been even greater. After this battle, the Prince Yong faction would stand unmatched in prestige and influence across the entire martial world.
In peaceful times, the scattered martial clans were little more than a minor nuisance. But now, with the Emperor of Great Wei looming as a constant threat, every capable ally counted. Even a single powerful wandering cultivator could influence the tide of a conflict.
Naturally, such bonds had to be preserved. Prince Yong had brought his two most important sons with him for this farewell, knowing he might never see Su Min again. Yet his sons would inherit this relationship, this incense of goodwill. The road of cultivation was long and harsh. Having a master alchemist as a potential ally was a blessing beyond measure.
"By the way, regarding the materials you provided..." Su Min began, as if an afterthought had struck her. "I have decided to honor our earlier discussion." She tossed him a simple spatial ring. "Inside are some pill recipes—formulas for unranked and Tier One pills—and also the first layer of my personal cultivation method."
Prince Yong caught the ring, his spiritual sense immediately probing its contents. Inside were the foundational recipes she had personally developed and verified, along with the introductory layer of her technique. She left them behind for a calculated reason. Her current talent had reached its limit within the Qi Refining stage, but once she broke through to Foundation Establishment, that bottleneck would be shattered. If others could learn and advance from what she left behind, she too would gain benefits in return, whether through karma, future favors, or simply a more stable and powerful network.
"This…"
Even Prince Yong, a man known for his calm and steady demeanor, could not help the slight tremble in his hands as he understood the ring's contents. He did not expect anyone to ever match Su Min's own prodigious skill, but even producing a single, reliable Tier One alchemist would bring immeasurable stability and value to his house.
"Well then, I take my leave," Su Min said, her business concluded. "We shall meet again if fate allows it."
Without any further hesitation or ceremony, she turned and walked away. In just a few breaths, her figure had blurred and vanished into the bustling streets of the city, heading west.
"She is... gone."
The young prince stared at the empty space where she had stood.
"She is not someone who can be held by any city or title," Prince Yong said quietly, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "My body is already riddled with the hidden ailments of a long and stressful life. I will not last much longer." He looked at both of his sons, his expression grave. "Remember this, both of you. As long as you brothers remain united, our Prince Yong line will survive the chaos that is coming."
"Yes, Father."
The brothers bowed their heads, a tremor of emotion and fear passing through them. Though born of the same mother and close by nature, they knew history was full of brothers torn apart by the lure of absolute power.
"There is one more thing," the Prince added, his voice dropping to a strategic whisper. "For the next twenty years, make every effort to gather high grade medicinal herbs and rare ores. Seal them properly and preserve them in our deepest vaults. When Lady Su returns from her seclusion, they will be our most valuable bargaining chips."
"Yes, Father."
The brothers exchanged a glance of understanding. Clearly, their father was already planning for a future he would not see. Of course, Prince Yong understood the fundamental truth of their partnership. No matter how powerful Su Min became, she would always need materials. Pills and artifacts did not appear from thin air. Who could guess what realm she would reach by the time she returned? With her speed of progress, her pill refining would surely reach even more miraculous heights.
They had to be ready—to offer what she needed and, in return, request what they desired. Even if she took ninety percent of the materials as her compensation, the remaining ten percent of her effort would still be worth every single grain of gold and drop of blood they had spent. It was an investment in a future they could barely comprehend.