"Whew, whew... finally out."
Emerging from the passageway, Su Min took a deep breath.
Fighting three enemies alone had placed a tremendous burden on her.
"Now that I've left the Nether Prison, I need to head to the depths of the Dark Universe."
Surveying her surroundings, Su Min relaxed slightly. She had already destroyed most of that Nether Prison. It would be impossible for them to deploy large numbers of powerful experts in a short time, so all she needed to do now was block the entrance.
But soon the two encountered a major problem, staring helplessly at the group before them. With the world collapsing, the requirements to open passageways would be significantly reduced.
After swallowing two pills in succession, she charged forward. Even if a few more Mahayana stage experts slipped through, it wouldn't matter much. They wouldn't dare refuse her, and besides, none of them possessed Imperial artifacts.
The major sects could hold them off once their ancestors activated the Imperial artifacts. Moreover, Yao Xian'er and Tian Yang, unrestrained, could easily slaughter this group. As for herself, she needed to block those others. Although her current consumption was enormous, the passageway only allowed Mahayana stage experts through.
Even in her depleted state, she could completely overpower any Mahayana stage opponents. After all, she was merely exhausted, not seriously injured. So she continuously consumed pills during her journey to quickly restore her spiritual energy.
Upon reaching the dark center, both their conditions soon returned to normal.
"Just as I suspected. To open a passage to the Nether Prison requires sacrificing a true immortal, and this thing..."
Su Min muttered to herself, then waved her hand. A crimson sphere landed in her palm—the Black Sun that had once suppressed Yao Xian'er.
"An immortal artifact..."
Su Min murmured in surprise. Only an immortal artifact could have suppressed Yao Xian'er to that extent. She hadn't expected that guy to have even prepared an immortal artifact. Clearly, he was already dead. Not just him—there were no living creatures left in this universe.
He had used them all as expendable resources, which surprised Su Min somewhat.
Soon enough, Su Min arrived at the final passageway, gazing solemnly at everything before her.
"It's really open, but they haven't sent anyone through. There's no trace of anyone in this passage."
Staring at the passage before her, Su Min fell into deep thought. He had clearly succeeded, yet the Nether Prison hadn't dispatched any forces. This was abnormal.
"Is it because the numbers are insufficient, or because I killed them all? Whatever, I'll keep observing."
With this thought, Su Min turned and concealed herself within the Dark Universe, simultaneously recovering her strength while continuing to absorb the dark energy. The rest could be left to time.
While Su Min quietly recuperated, unrest stirred in the Nether Prison.
"We've confirmed the location, and the passage is open. But we've lost most of our Mahayana stage experts in the Nether Prison. Sending more now would be meaningless suicide."
The Warden's expression darkened as he observed the passageway. It was too small—only one Mahayana stage expert could pass through at a time, with a week needed to recover before sending another. That woman had killed half-immortals; her combat power was undoubtedly equivalent to an emperor's.
Moreover, he didn't understand her capabilities. If she could force an immortal to dissolve himself to open the passage, she was absolutely extraordinary. After Su Min's final Chaos Azure Lotus obliterated the three half-immortals along with their last stronghold, the Nether Prison no longer had many powerful experts left. Sending more now would be pointless.
"A Chaos physique at the Mahayana stage. Capable of killing three half-immortals simultaneously. Unless we deploy true immortals, anyone else would be sending lambs to slaughter. But we've already lost nearly ten immortals trying to kill her. We need special measures now."
Reading the intelligence report, the Warden felt a chill. Just the information alone was terrifying—she could ignore the corruption of turbid energy, even converting it into her own power, nullifying their greatest advantage.
Such an existence was their absolute enemy, as proven countless years ago by that one individual. They couldn't allow any Chaos physique to survive. They had to use the Zhexian Curse.
"We must report this and prepare the Zhexian Curse."
With that, he grabbed three Mahayana stage experts and threw them onto an altar. Before they could even scream, the altar instantly devoured them. In the blink of an eye, a phantom figure materialized above the altar.
"Great King, we've discovered a Chaos physique in a minor universe."
Boom!
As these words were spoken, terrifying fluctuations erupted around the figure, shaking the entire Nether Prison—something even the Warden couldn't accomplish.
"Five Kings. The forbidden curse enacted at the cost of five Kings was meant to prevent the meeting of the Lunar Sovereign and Solar Sovereign physiques. How could a Chaos physique emerge?"
"I don't know, but the facts are undeniable. According to intelligence, her Chaos physique isn't complete, yet she's already terrifyingly powerful—slaying three half-immortals at the Mahayana stage."
Feeling the terrifying fluctuations, the Warden could only lower his head and continue. This was beyond his authority as a mere Warden; it had to be reported to the highest authorities. Sure enough, upon hearing this, the being erupted with even more terrifying fluctuations, making the Warden tremble.
"We must act. If she crosses the Mahayana barrier, it will be our doom."
The being spoke slowly. Someone who could kill three half-immortals at the Mahayana stage—if she broke through to Transcendence, the consequences would be unthinkable. The so-called Transcendence stage was merely a transitional phase due to insufficient immortal essence. Those at this stage were extremely powerful, with some even rivaling weaker immortals. Their half-immortals were usually crushed one-on-one unless fighting within the Dark Universe.
But this woman could fight three simultaneously while resisting the dark energy, seemingly without lasting injuries. The mere thought was terrifying. Moreover, the Chaos physique was perfectly attuned to the universe's creation, immune to worldly suppression. Once she crossed the Mahayana stage, she would directly face heavenly tribulations, skipping Transcendence to become a true immortal.
That would spell despair for them, just like in the past when one man with a blade slaughtered his way across the universe. And according to reports, she was only at the early Mahayana stage. If she reached mid-Mahayana, the consequences would be dire. Their half-immortals weren't casually replaceable. This woman absolutely couldn't be allowed to live.
"What is the Snake Clan doing, allowing a Chaos physique to grow to this extent? You must protect this passageway. I need to consult with the other five great clans. The cost of casting the Zhexian Curse must be shared among us all."
The being spoke harshly. Normally, they would only send lower immortals for such tasks. Such immortals were expendable, but upper immortals were different. After becoming immortals, there were no further subdivisions—power entered a relatively solidified state.
Thus, immortals were divided into upper and lower tiers. Upper immortals were extremely rare, with far greater combat power and significance. Post-immortal strength mainly depended on pre-immortal accumulation.
Among hundreds of new immortals, rarely would one become an upper immortal. But that Chaos physique was even more terrifying—once immortal, she would immediately become a King.
Even if all five clan leaders attacked simultaneously, they might not kill her. They might even be picked off one by one. As for how powerful that future being might become, it was beyond their speculation.
Even he hadn't found a path to further advancement.
Regardless, activating the Zhexian Curse required ten upper immortals—a painful cost even for the five great clans. This was still the best-case scenario, striking before she became immortal. To kill that person in the past, besides ten upper immortals, they had mobilized nearly their entire force to capture him.
The aftermath was devastating—almost all immortals were wiped out.
Hearing this, the Warden couldn't help but gasp. He was merely a lower immortal—while sharing the same life level, the gap between him and upper immortals was vast. He could only watch from the sidelines. Yet they needed ten such beings.
"Guard the passage well. Without an anchor in that world, no matter the cost, we cannot lock onto her."
"Yes."
The Warden nodded firmly. Soon, the phantom figure vanished. Meanwhile, the Nether Prison fell into silence. This matter was now beyond his concern.
Elsewhere, in the Dark Universe.
"No movement at all. It seems they're not sending anyone. In that case, I'll start digesting the spoils of this battle."
Su Min sighed in relief, then produced three soul fragments. The only problem was that these had been damaged by explosions, leaving them fragmented and intermixed—impossible to separate.
Thus, absorption would be inefficient.
"Nothing to be done. When facing a single opponent, I could kill them easily and preserve their soul. But with three at once, this was the best I could manage."
Looking at the mass of soul fragments, Su Min decisively shattered all their memories with a single strike, then began absorbing them directly. With her previous experiences and her current cultivation level, the process was exceptionally fast—completed in under a week.
"Not enough to reach late Mahayana. I need pills. But I lack materials for ninth-grade pills. With my current speed, it takes less than a day to travel from Heavenly Continent here. No need to stay—I'll return to gather materials."
Ninth-grade pills were extremely valuable and required massive amounts of ingredients. Her personal stash had been exhausted after crafting the last one.
"It's been a while since I went back. But I'll leave a sentry here. Also, maybe I can make use of this thing."
She frowned at the sphere in her hand. When unfolded, it became an enormous star emitting dark light that could suppress cultivators. Those below the Unity stage—Dao Comprehension stage cultivators—would die instantly upon exposure.
But even if it wasn't an immortal artifact, a Heaven-grade treasure couldn't be used casually.
"If nothing else, I'll melt it down for my weapon."
Glancing at the sphere, Su Min muttered. Her weapon, though Heaven-grade, was nearly useless to her now. Heaven-grade treasures were as fragile as paper in her hands, offering no real assistance. That weapon had been perfectly suited when she mastered the Five Elements Sacred Physique.
But now, as a Chaos physique, it was inadequate.
The next step would be an Imperial artifact, something only an emperor could forge. Yet with her current abilities, it wasn't impossible. With this thought, Su Min opened her palm.
Boom!!!
Instantly, black-and-white flames erupted in her hand—unlike any flame she'd wielded before.
After becoming a Chaos physique, all her elemental divine objects had merged into something new: Chaos Flame.
This existence surpassed all divine objects. Though called a flame, it had no elemental attributes, instead possessing two new abilities: decomposition and fusion. With Chaos Flame's help, Su Min felt she could challenge her previous limits.
She could forge a true Imperial artifact for herself, despite only being at the Mahayana stage.
"Time to return."
After tossing a Heaven-grade detection artifact nearby, Su Min flew straight toward Heavenly Continent. Normally, turbid energy could block cultivators' senses, but this rule didn't apply to Su Min.
"Hmm, back again."
Seeing the familiar floating continent below, Su Min descended from the sky.