The true power of the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra was concentrated in a single, profound technique: the embodiment of the Great Sun Tathāgata's golden body. Ancient stories claimed that when fully realized, this golden form could loom ten thousand zhang high, a mountain of divine light that made it seem as if the Buddha himself had stepped into the mortal world.
That kind of power, of course, demanded a cultivation base so deep Su Min could not even picture it. It was far beyond her reach.
Even so, as she activated the technique, she managed to summon a luminous golden avatar that stood about three or four meters tall. It was translucent around the edges, an imperfect silhouette, but the raw, sacred presence it emanated was still enough to inspire awe.
"The faith energy I have gathered over these twenty years is no small thing," she thought, feeling the power circulate within her. "Now that my understanding has deepened, both my Golden Bell Shield and my Buddha's Protection should grow stronger as well."
Her Buddha's Protection was a genuine ward against misfortune, though it could not avert true catastrophes. It worked on the smaller troubles in life, the ones that were easy to dismiss but could spiral into tragedy. A child's sudden, raging fever, for instance, could be deadly in this era, even with modern medicine. Su Min's protection had quietly prevented countless such small-scale disasters, sparing many children from an early grave. Some families were so grateful they practically worshipped her as a guardian spirit, building small clay idols in their homes to pray for her blessings. The faith energy this generated was immense.
And the so-called "toxicity of faith energy"? That did not apply to her. She had never demanded anyone's belief, so the faith that came to her was freely given, untainted by desperate pleas or excessive worldly desire. It might not be as razor-sharp as the faith born from holy wars or forced devotion, but it was clean. It was completely harmless. And for Su Min, that was perfect.
She was not a faith-based cultivator at her core. The Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra could be practiced without this external energy; it would just be a slower, more arduous path. But faith energy, like high-grade pills, acted as a potent catalyst for her growth. It sped up her cultivation without any side effects. Why would she ever refuse such a gift?
(Of course, for other cultivators, pills were often a matter of life and death, a risky gamble against time. But Su Min had an infinite lifespan. She could afford to take a shortcut or two.)
Time flowed on. One month, then two, then three. The once hazy and illusory golden avatar surrounding her began to solidify, its form growing more distinct, shimmering with a tangible, heavy presence. Then, on a seemingly ordinary day, a brilliant fountain of golden light erupted from her palm.
There, etched into the skin of her hand, a luminous 卍 character blazed into existence for a single, profound moment before dissolving away like morning mist.
[Swastika Mark: An ancient symbol of auspiciousness and harmony. Once released, it can dispel calamity and suppress evil.]
"The second technique of the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra?" she wondered, a little surprised. "But I thought this mark was supposed to appear on the chest."
It had manifested where her spiritual energy had naturally concentrated, in her hand. Traditionally, the swastika symbol was said to be engraved upon the chest of the Buddha himself. For it to appear here was not a flaw. In fact, it was probably better. Otherwise, what, was she supposed to walk around in clothes that exposed her chest?
"Mid-stage Foundation Establishment," she confirmed, taking stock of her progress. The energy left over from refining the sutra, combined with the spirit nectar from her gourd, had pushed her firmly into the mid-stage. Her Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment had taken twenty long years to complete, giving her a foundation of unparalleled stability. Add in the spirit nectar and two decades of accumulated faith, and her breakthrough had been as smooth as gliding through the air.
"Feels good," she murmured, stretching her limbs. Then she tilted her head, sensing a presence. "There is someone outside."
Her gaze dropped to a jade pendant resting beside her. "Yingying left this before she went into seclusion. If she is still deep in meditation, I should not disturb her unless it is urgent."
She released a soft sigh. If Xie Yingying managed to advance her own cultivation, it would make their upcoming confrontation with the corpse demon much simpler. But expecting her to fight the Demon Queen was unrealistic.
For one, there was no real blood feud between them. More importantly, that Demon Queen was not an opponent a Foundation Establishment cultivator could hope to challenge. At her peak, she had been at least a Nascent Soul level entity. To have any hope of taking her down, you would need to be at least a Golden Core cultivator. Su Min estimated it would take her several more decades to reach that stage herself.
Besides, unlike Su Min, Xie Yingying did not have the gift of eternal life. She could not afford to wait in seclusion for decades on end. Even if she wanted to break through to Golden Core, the process of halting her aging came with its own heavy price.
As Xie Yingying had once told her, some Golden Core beasts, those born with ancient bloodlines and divine talents, were so powerful that two of them together would not stand a chance. This was especially true for those with bloodline inheritance. While humans engraved their understanding upon the Heavenly Dao, beast clans passed their power down through their very blood. These inheritances were terrifying.
That old Demon Queen? She was no weaker than such creatures. Even a group of ordinary Golden Core cultivators who dared to gang up on her might find themselves all slain. The real problem was the massive, fundamental gap between Foundation Establishment and Golden Core. That chasm was the definitive line between mortal and immortal. Honestly, the fact that she and Xie Yingying could even entertain the idea of killing a Golden Core entity was already insane.
"Corpse demons attack with Yin and cold energy," she reasoned. "Yingying should be able to endure it. And my own power is its natural counter. This fight should not be too difficult."
Corpse demons were born through unnatural, flawed means. They were imperfect from their very creation. If their own corrosive powers did not backfire on them, it was already a miracle. To put it simply, even a Golden Core corpse demon was inferior to a proper Golden Core cultivator.
"It has been nearly half a year since I began this retreat," she said to herself. "Time to see what is happening outside."
She pushed the door open and found a monk waiting calmly in the corridor. He bowed deeply.
"Congratulations, senior. Your Buddhist cultivation has reached new heights."
"What are you doing here?" Su Min asked, raising an eyebrow. It was obvious he had been waiting for some time. He clearly had business with her.
"Not long ago, a merchant caravan arrived from the deep desert," the monk began respectfully. "Our prince was among them. He wishes to commission a weapon and has prepared the payment in full. He asked me to seek your aid."
"Alright," she nodded. There was no reason to refuse. She could not continue her cultivation at the moment anyway. Until the corpse demon showed itself, her schedule was clear.
"Oh, there is one more thing," the monk added. "Sect Master Mo has also arrived in Yongzhou. He bears lavish gifts."
"That guy," Su Min groaned, rubbing her temple.
There was no doubt about it. He was here for the Foundation Establishment Pills. He must be nearing seventy by now. If he waited another ten or twenty years, he would enter the natural decline of the Qi Refining stage. Even if he managed to break through then, his foundation would be permanently damaged.
No wonder he had been so eager to help during the last dungeon trial. He had even assisted her in stopping the Demon Prince's men from stealing the sacred wood. Given that, it would be rude to turn him away now.
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"Yingying"- Damn, Su Min. You are just meet with her, interact with her no less than a day, and you already called her with her given name??? Already feel cozy?? LOL
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Swastika Mark (卍字符): A sacred Buddhist symbol representing auspiciousness, eternity, and the Buddha's heart.
Buddha's Protection (佛守): A passive blessing that wards off minor misfortunes (e.g., illness, accidents).