Half a month later.
The fiery competition was finally nearing its end, but the true climax had only just begun. The air in the spectator stands crackled with a new level of anticipation, smelling of parched dust and the faint, lingering scent of ancient incense.
"Tsk, the Great Desolate Holy Body, the Five Elements Holy Body, and the Lunar Sovereign Body are truly a cut above the other Holy Sons and Daughters," one cultivator muttered. His voice was thick with an envy that he couldn't quite mask. "The Lunar Sovereign Body aside, the other two haven't even reached their peak forms. Even without their innate physiques, those two wouldn't be weak."
"Enough talk. The final battle between the Great Desolate Holy Body and the Five Elements Holy Body is about to begin."
"Who do you think will win?"
"Hard to say," a seasoned elder replied. He stroked his long, white beard, his eyes narrowed in calculation. "Tian Hao inherited the Great Desolate Martial Saint's legacy. No one even knows what that entails, while Su Min's Five Elements Holy Body has only gained the Azure Dragon's inheritance so far. The gap might be too wide."
"There's never been a record of anyone fully mastering the Five Elements Holy Body," another added, his voice a low whisper that carried through the stands. "Without a complete legacy, facing the Great Desolate Holy Body will be extremely difficult."
A murmur of agreement passed through the crowd. While the Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird inheritances were powerful, they still paled in comparison to a dedicated and holistic legacy. The Great Desolate Martial Saint's reputation was the stuff of legend, and his inheritance was bound to be extraordinary.
Inside the vast battlefield, the two contenders stood facing each other.
Su Min's expression was grave. The wielder of the Great Desolate Holy Body was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. His name was Tian Hao. His frame was lean and lithe, devoid of the explosive musculature or oppressive presence one might expect from a legendary warrior.
Instead, his power was condensed perfectly within his marrow. Not a single wisp of it leaked out. Yet, standing before him, Su Min instinctively understood the magnitude of what she was up against. The air between them hummed with a static tension that made the hair on her arms stand up.
"Looks like I will have to use everything except Yingying's essence blood," she thought. She steeled her resolve, her fingers tightening around her sword's hilt. "Otherwise, I won't stand a chance against that woman later."
Ignoring the clamor from outside the barrier, she focused her spirit. She couldn't afford to lose here. If she did, obtaining the final divine treasure—the Central Earth—would become an uncertain and distant dream. Slacking off wasn't an option. The stakes were too high for her future path.
Just as Su Min was solidifying her strategy, the massive golden barrier between them vanished with a soft, resonant chime. Instantly, the very air in the arena seemed to solidify, becoming heavy with killing intent. Although it was called a battlefield, the space was vast beyond measure.
It was a miniature world unto itself, complete with jagged rock formations and a heavy, grey sky. For Golden Core cultivators, a confined space would only hinder their movements. So despite standing face-to-face, the actual distance between them was significant.
"Great Desolate Holy Body, Tian Hao."
Su Min silently noted the name. Before she could make the first move, she saw the young man swiftly forming a series of complex hand seals. His movements were a blur of golden light. In the blink of an eye, a dangerous and ancient aura permeated the space. It sent a sharp jolt of alarm through her chest.
At the same time, everyone outside the arena, including the inscrutable Yao Xian'er, froze in their seats.
From the void behind Tian Hao, a towering figure emerged. It looked as if an ancient and peerless powerhouse had stepped out of time itself. It was a hundred meters tall. Its body shimmered with alternating waves of black and white light—a paradoxical visual that seemed capable of devouring all existence. The ground beneath the titan cracked, the stone unable to bear the weight of its manifestation.
"The Martial Saint's Dharma Body." Yao Xian'er's brows rose ever so slightly in genuine surprise. She could sense the immense threat radiating from that figure. As an ancient existence herself, she had once crossed paths with the Great Desolate Martial Saint. "A technique only cultivators at the Unity Realm can properly manifest. And this kid actually inherited it?"
To wield a Unity Realm Dharma Body at the Golden Core stage, one had to endure unimaginable agony. It was a process of physical and spiritual disintegration followed by reconstruction. Most would collapse into madness under the strain, yet Tian Hao had endured it.
"No wonder this kid looked at me with such fighting spirit," she mused. A thrill of excitement coursed through her spirit. "To master this... he has got real skill. That girl is in serious trouble now."
This era was truly terrifying. It was a gathering of prodigies unlike any other in her memory. She was at least grateful that under the Golden Core Avenue's protection, no permanent damage would be done to their souls.
"Su Min!"
Xie Yingying shot to her feet, her face paling noticeably as her fingers gripped the edge of the viewing platform. Even she was shaken to her core. Her own profound legacy contained no such external Dharma Body. After all, even with the same physique, integrating another's Dharma Body required excruciating bodily reconstruction.
It was like being flayed alive while remaining fully conscious, forced to guard one's soul throughout the torment. Few could endure it, but the rewards were staggering. The Great Desolate Martial Saint had been a transcendent figure. His Dharma Body was undoubtedly one of the mightiest in existence.
Seeing this, Xie Yingying knew Su Min was in serious trouble.
"Will you use that move now?" Xie Yingying whispered to herself. Her gaze flickered toward the stage, her heart thudding against her ribs.
"You are truly a monster."
Facing the colossal Dharma Body, Su Min took a deep and steadying breath. With a thought, the Vermilion Bird Saint Avatar materialized behind her. Its fiery wings spread wide and sent a wave of blistering heat through the arena. Only she knew the sheer and invisible pressure pressing down on her spirit. Securing first place wouldn't be easy. Her Vermilion Bird Saint Avatar was, at its core, a summoned entity of energy. It was far inferior to a true and solidified Dharma Body.
"At least he hasn't achieved the Unity of Man and Dharma yet," she reasoned. She tried to find a silver lining in the overwhelming odds. "He can only manifest a fragment of it. That means there's still a chance."
What reassured her was that Tian Hao couldn't fully utilize the Dharma Body's power. A true Unity Realm expert could merge with their Dharma Body to unleash its full potential. They wouldn't merely summon a hundred-meter colossus that stood relatively motionless.
With that in mind, she leaped back. She landed nimbly atop the Vermilion Bird's head, right between its blazing wings. The heat of the bird didn't touch her skin, shielded by her own affinity.
"Are you ready?"
Tian Hao's confident voice rang out across the distance. It sounded like the low rumble of a landslide. He intended to crush Su Min decisively. Only by doing so would he feel worthy of challenging Yao Xian'er in the final round.
"Bring it on."
Su Min's expression was solemn. The next instant, the giant moved.
"Martial Saint's Fist!"
There were no fancy techniques. There was only a simple and world-crushing punch. Almost immediately, the Vermilion Bird's wings snapped fully open. They propelled Su Min hundreds of meters upward as a terrifying shockwave ripped through the space where she had just been standing. The sound was like the sky itself tearing in half.
"Tch! A direct hit would have crippled my Saint Avatar," she gritted her teeth. She could feel the vibration of the punch even at this height. "I can't just toss it like a bomb anymore. It would get obliterated mid-flight. I need to close the distance."
But when she glanced back at Tian Hao, she found him staring at her with an odd and startled look.
"That thing can fly?"
His surprised murmur was echoed by the crowd outside.
"Huh? I always thought it was immobile except when she threw it as a bomb."
"It's this agile?!"
Since Su Min had only ever used the Vermilion Bird as a stationary turret or a final explosive, everyone had assumed it couldn't move under its own power. In truth, she had just been too lazy to maneuver it during the earlier rounds. None of her previous opponents had warranted that much effort or focus. Besides, most cultivators treated such avatars as mere disposable projectiles. Who would waste effort on fine-controlling a bomb?
But this time was different. Tian Hao could effortlessly shatter her Saint Avatar without paying much of a cost if it just sat there. To destroy his Dharma Body, she had only one option. She needed an even more violent and direct explosion. At the very least, she could ensure he couldn't reuse the colossus in this battle.
Without hesitation, Su Min stood firm on the Vermilion Bird's head, her long sword appearing in her hand. The blade glowed with a fierce light. Around her, verdant wooden constructs materialized from the air. They instantly ignited into raging flames that fed the Vermilion Bird's power, the fire turning from red to a brilliant, sun-like white.
"Let's go."
With a whisper, the Vermilion Bird's wings spread wide. It transformed into a streak of crimson light. It shot forward like a falling meteor. At the same moment, the colossal Dharma Body raised its fist again. The drawback of Tian Hao's incomplete Unity was obvious. The titan couldn't move freely from its fixed position. But that didn't make its attacks any less deadly.
Martial Saint's Fist.
Martial Saint's Palm.
A barrage of invisible and colorless yet devastating shockwaves surged toward Su Min. They distorted the air in their wake and left trails of shattered stone on the ground below.
"Go!"
Unfazed, Su Min rode the Vermilion Bird like a pilot guiding a starfighter. She wove through the onslaught with impossible and hair-raising agility. The wind whistled past her ears, hot and sharp.
"Don't let her near me!"
Tian Hao's brow furrowed in concentration. Though the Vermilion Bird alone couldn't destroy his Dharma Body, Su Min's determined approach was clearly calculated. His hand seals shifted rapidly. He unleashed another and denser wave of attacks from the towering figure.
"Hmph!"
Su Min's face was set in a grimace. She manipulated the Vermilion Bird into a series of sharp dives and rolls to dodge the shockwaves. When evasion was utterly impossible, she summoned the massive Mystic Firewood Sword manifestation behind her. It acted as a shield to block the impact. The spiritual construct shuddered violently with each blow, shedding shards of green and red light.
A crimson streak danced across the sky. Explosions bloomed in its wake like a deadly and beautiful fireworks display. What should have been a straightforward duel had devolved into a frantic game of survival. Yet, the distance between them was shrinking with terrifying speed.
Though Tian Hao's main body was still a speck in the distance, to Golden Core cultivators moving at such velocity, closing the gap was the work of an instant. Simultaneously, two glowing feathers appeared in Su Min's hand. She hurled them forward with a flick of her wrist. The feathers shot ahead and exploded mid-air. They transformed into two miniature but no less fierce Vermilion Bird Saint Avatars that streaked directly toward Tian Hao's chest.
"Damn it!"
Having witnessed Su Min's previous battles, Tian Hao knew better than to underestimate them. The massive Dharma Body instantly crossed its arms in a defensive stance just as the two mini-avatars impacted its chest.
BOOM!!!
The powerful and concentrated explosion sent the hundred-meter titan staggering back a step. The sound was like a mountain collapsing. But Su Min paid no attention to the blast's effect. Her sole purpose for deploying the stored mini-avatars was to buy a few precious seconds of time.
In that brief and purchased window, a brilliant emerald light erupted from her body. She slammed a palm onto the Vermilion Bird's back. Countless vibrant green branches and gnarled roots sprouted within the Saint Avatar's form. It was a massive infusion of Eastern Azure Wood energy. The Nanming Lihuo flames instantly consumed the wood. In a heartbeat, the Vermilion Bird's size tripled. Its wingspan now truly rivaled the Dharma Body's height.
"!!!"
Tian Hao's pupils constricted to pinpricks. His entire field of vision was flooded with searing and all-consuming crimson light.
BOOOOOOM——!!!!
The two behemoths collided.
The resulting cataclysmic explosion engulfed the entire arena. It was like a sun born on the earth, blinding all senses and deafening all sound. Only two tiny figures were visible, silhouetted against the light for a moment before they were sent flying by the apocalyptic shockwave, tumbling through the chaotic air like leaves caught in a divine storm.
===
Su Min, you make your wife worried about you.