"Pfft—!!!"
At this moment, Yan Ji the half-immortal guarding this place, was staring in horror at the person who had appeared in his original position.
He couldn't comprehend how a Mahayana cultivator had slipped past his perception and appeared behind him. Even more terrifying was how the opponent had managed to severely injure him in a single strike.
"Which royal family do you belong to?"
Since Su Min was currently shrouded in dense turbid energy, Yan Ji didn't recognize her identity. He even mistook her for a descendant of one of the royal families, otherwise, how could a Mahayana-stage cultivator at the early stage have inflicted such heavy damage on him?
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Su Min chuckled. "Royal family? What's that? Well, it didn't matter. Right now, the most important thing was to kill him. The rest could be dealt with later."
So, at that moment, dozens of attacks rained down on him from behind.
"Hmph, petty tricks!!!"
But now that he was on guard, these probing strikes were ineffective. However, one attack still made his expression shift slightly. A faint fist mark appeared on his hand, and Yan Ji's gaze swept across his surroundings.
"Good. The two of you actually betrayed our Nether Clan."
Clearly, Yan Ji had misjudged the situation. The only ones who could be tainted by turbid energy without being controlled were those born from the Nether Burial Grounds. Yet now, they had joined forces with an outsider to ambush him, a half-immortal. It was utterly unreasonable.
"You seem to have misunderstood something. Attack!!!"
Not everyone knew the full picture, so they hadn't grasped the severity of the situation. With a mere wave of his hand, the group of puppets lurking below slowly rose, surrounding everyone. Almost instantly, battle erupted. A group of Mahayana cultivators clashed within this confined space. Fortunately, this plane was nearly devoid of life and extremely sturdy.
If this were Su Min's universe, a battle of this magnitude would have annihilated countless galaxies. But here, it only made the fortress tremble, nothing compared to the devastation it could have caused elsewhere. However, in the next moment, Yan Ji's expression twisted violently. The instant he made contact with Su Min, an indescribable force surged toward him. He had been injured in a direct clash, and a strange energy was now seeping into his body.
"As expected of a half-immortal or a crippled immortal. That strike just now would have been enough to kill a Mahayana cultivator."
Su Min narrowed her eyes as she watched Yan Ji's trembling hand. Since reaching the Mahayana stage and fusing with her incomplete Chaos Body, this was the first time someone had withstood her attack. Even those two with Transcendence-stage physiques had been instantly annihilated in front of her.
Transcendence-stage cultivators were truly no joke. It seemed her decision not to recklessly confront that person had been the right one.
"Then it's time to use the Chaos Ancient Scripture."
Su Min murmured to herself. The Chaos Ancient Scripture was the culmination of merging the three great ancient scriptures within her, something she had comprehended while inside Yao Xian'er's secret realm.
After all, even the most powerful physique required a corresponding technique to harness its full potential. Otherwise, it would remain mediocre—or worse, backfire lethally, as had happened with Lin Yao in the past.
Her technique was born from the fusion of the three ancient scriptures. Though it wasn't yet perfected and required further refinement, it was more than sufficient for battle.
"Chaos Seeds the Azure Lotus!!!"
As Su Min raised her index finger high into the sky, a black-and-white lotus bloomed in her palm, infused with countless laws and the essence of the Five Elements.
This was the Chaos Azure Lotus she had manifested—its power even surpassing that of the Emperor's weapon in her possession. The techniques she had used during the Unity stage had lost much of their significance now that she had entered the Mahayana stage.
The might of the Chaos Body could be glimpsed from the incredibly harsh conditions required to achieve it. Even in its incomplete state, its power was undeniable.
"You—"
The moment the black-and-white lotus appeared, Yan Ji's composed expression finally cracked. He couldn't understand how a Mahayana cultivator one still at the early stage, no less, could unleash a technique that made even him shudder.
This was a pure technique, unaided by any external forces.
"What kind of experiences has that woman gone through?"
Meanwhile, Tian Hao's expression also shifted. After punching away a late-stage Mahayana opponent, he stared in shock at the ancient lotus.
He could sense death emanating from it. If that thing landed on him, the outcome would be absolute annihilation, no doubt about it. Though he himself was exceptionally powerful able to contend with late-stage Mahayana cultivators despite being at the early stage, he was nowhere near Su Min's level.
What he didn't know was that in her current state, even Yao Xian'er would have to retreat. Since entering the Mahayana stage and forging her Chaos Body, Su Min's combat prowess had reached the level of the ancient emperors.
Facing these half-immortals was no longer an insurmountable challenge.
It was worth noting that while half-immortals and crippled immortals were of the same tier, the latter would suffer immense suppression when trying to pass through the spatial rifts into Su Min's universe.
Even a true immortal would be severely injured, let alone them. Moreover, as beings of turbid energy, they would be weakened and targeted by the heavenly laws in a world of pure energy.
Just as turbid energy could corrupt ordinary cultivators, the heavenly laws could suppress and annihilate those from the Nether Burial Grounds. Thus, crippled immortals could rarely fight at full strength.
But here, in their home territory, their combat power was unleashed without restraint.
"Who are you?"
Staring at the Chaos Azure Lotus, Yan Ji's face darkened. He couldn't fathom how a peerless genius like her had appeared in the Nether Prison, and why she had ambushed him.
"Could she be the last survivor of a destroyed royal family, seeking revenge against our clan?"
Yan Ji quickly arrived at what he believed was the most plausible explanation. After all, even the Nether Burial Grounds were rife with conflict, especially after the last great upheaval. The birth of an immortal was an arduous process, and the losses from that event had been nearly total. Recovery would take an eternity, counted in tens of thousands of years.
But none of that mattered now.
Regardless of the truth, he had to kill her.
So, in the next instant, a massive bloodied greatsword materialized before Yan Ji.
"Little girl, no matter who you are, no matter how prodigious your talents, you're still too young. If you had cultivated quietly for another few centuries, I might not have been a match for you. But as you are now, you will die here."
"Blood Devours the Heavens, Ten Thousand Ghosts Wail!!!"
The bloodied greatsword was raised high, and in that moment, the agonized screams of countless souls rang out. These weren't from the sword itself, but from the imprisoned cultivators.
In an instant, their essence and blood were drained, funneled into the blade. A terrifying aura erupted from it, and the faces of the drained cultivators appeared behind Yan Ji—one after another, until thousands loomed like twisted specters.
Each grotesque visage, over ten meters tall, exuded an aura of death.
"Fall back!!!"
Sensing the sword's malevolence, Tian Hao roared before immediately retreating. He could feel the despair radiating from it. An attack fueled by the essence of hundreds of Mahayana and thousands of Unity-stage cultivators was beyond his capabilities as a mere Mahayana cultivator.
Clearly, the old half-immortal had activated his trump card, a technique that could only be unleashed once every ten thousand years. At that moment, Tian Hao was immensely grateful he hadn't recklessly challenged these half-immortals. Who knew what hidden methods they possessed?
But just as he fled, he realized with dismay that Su Min hadn't moved, still facing the bloodied blade of wailing ghosts.
"She's been locked on. There's no escape now. Staying would only make us a burden. Damn it!!!"
Tian Hao cursed inwardly. For the first time, he felt a helplessness. In past battles, no matter how dire the situation, he had always found a way. But now, he could only watch as someone else covered their retreat. Swallowing his pride, he could do nothing but flee.
Meanwhile, on the other side—
"Let's see which is stronger—your blood blade or my azure lotus."
Su Min's voice was calm. She had no objections to Tian Hao's retreat—in fact, she admired his decisiveness. The shockwave from the impending clash would instantly vaporize any Mahayana cultivator caught in it.
As for running? That was impossible. She had been locked onto. The moment she turned her back, the attack would land.
So, she had only two choices: counterattack or turtle up.
But while she possessed the Black Tortoise's legacy, it wasn't enough to withstand this strike. The Four Sacred Beasts' peak was at the late Mahayana stage, though their combat power exceeded that of ordinary Mahayana cultivators, it still fell short of Transcendence-stage experts.
This attack was undoubtedly a full-powered strike from a Transcendence-stage cultivator. The Black Tortoise's legacy was formidable, but it couldn't block this.
"Go—Chaos Azure Lotus."
In that instant, Su Min locked onto her target. The black-and-white lotus shot forward. Its speed seemed slow, yet it appeared to flicker through space and time. The lotus traversed dimensions, stopping only when it met its target or was intercepted by an overwhelming force.
Naturally, Yan Ji wouldn't let it hit him. With a furious roar, he swung his blade down.
"Ten Thousand Ghosts Annihilation!!!"
The wailing faces surged forth, converging from all directions toward Su Min. only to collide with the lotus. Neither side could bypass the other's attack to strike directly. Even a mutual kill was impossible, so the two forces began eroding each other. The bloodied faces melted away upon contact with the lotus, unable to halt its advance, only slowing it down.
Terrifying energy spilled out, flooding the fortress.
Outside, the retreating group halted, staring in awe at the fortress now flickering between black-white and blood-red light.
"Sir Tian, who is that woman?"
A late-stage Mahayana elder beside Tian Hao asked hoarsely. He had already held Su Min in high esteem, assuming she could stall Yan Ji long enough for them to eliminate the puppets and assist in the fight.
But who could've predicted Yan Ji's ruthlessness, sacrificing countless high-level cultivators in an instant to unleash an attack so terrifying it crushed all thoughts of resistance?
And yet, Su Min was holding her own.
Not just holding her own, the blood-red glow was dimming, while the black-white radiance now enveloped the entire fortress, lending the grotesque structure an air of mystique.
"Five Elements Holy Body? No… it's more than that now. It seems this battle will have a conclusion."
Tian Hao muttered, then shook his head. He realized Su Min wasn't just using the power of the Five Elements Holu Body, there was also the aura of the Lunar Sovereign Body, and something else he couldn't identify. After all, he wasn't some ancient monster reborn with vast knowledge. His understanding had limits.
"Your universe truly is a blessed land."
The Mahayana elder sighed wistfully. If their universe had nurtured a genius like Su Min, perhaps it wouldn't have fallen so completely. In his era, their universe's strongest warriors had been roughly on par with Tian Hao. But compared to Su Min, the gap was staggering.
Inside the Fortress
"Aaaah—!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream echoed from within.