"The Medicine Buddha's secret realm doesn't need me."
After all, its original master was the Medicine Buddha, and Su Min had to respect his will. Moreover, the growth potential of its small world had limits—producing eighth-grade medicinal herbs was already its peak.
Thus, it was of limited help to Su Min now. Besides, she would inevitably return to the Burial Lands and the Nether Prison in the future, so keeping it with her wouldn't be of much use.
"Very well. You can stay at the Immortal Gate. I'll implant a wisp of Chaos essence into you. How much benefit you can derive from it will depend on your own fortune."
Su Min didn't waste words. She gave each of the two innate spiritual treasures a strand of Chaos energy and placed them within her Five Elements secret realm—the most suitable environment for their continued growth.
The Five Elements Sacred Physique was inherently compatible with them, and now, with a trace of Chaos energy, their potential was even greater. As for how much they could improve, Su Min didn't know. That would depend entirely on their own fortunes, and it wasn't something she needed to worry about.
If they hadn't made progress by the time her Chaos Physique reached perfection, she would simply help them further.
After settling the two treasures, she took out another item—her spoils of war.
"This thing seems useful, but it's also a bit problematic."
Staring at the immortal artifact in her hand, Su Min frowned. She had no idea what would happen if she melted it down.
The power of an Imperial artifact was undeniable. If the immortal artifact's full power were unleashed, it might devastate the entire Heaven's Continent. So if she wanted to refine it, she had to go to a desolate corner of the cosmos.
"I'll head to the depths of space first. It'll take them years to gather the materials anyway. And with my current skills, refining an eighth-grade, nine-colored tribulation pill won't be too difficult. There's no need to rush. So in that case—"
With that thought, Su Min decisively left the sect.
A week had passed since she sent out her request, and no one had come forward yet. Clearly, none of them had even a fraction of the materials she needed. Since that was the case, she didn't need to wait around.
After sending a message to Lin Yao, she vanished into the void, arriving at a desolate region of space—a pitch-black expanse with nothing in sight.
"This place is perfect. Even if an explosion occurs, it won't cause any disturbances. Though, in a few decades—or even centuries—some planet's telescope might pick it up."
She glanced at the sphere in her hand, then summoned black-and-white flames that erupted violently around it.
The sphere trembled violently in her grasp until—
BOOM!!!
A massive explosion erupted with Su Min at its center. From a distance, it looked like a star being born. Of course, this could only be observed from light-years away. The shockwave expanded outward, devouring a nearby frozen planet that had no star to orbit. The explosion continued to spread, swallowing what would have been an entire solar system in an instant.
"Damn, the shockwave exceeded the speed of light. As expected of an immortal artifact... Cough, cough... Good thing I prepared defenses. Even now, there's still a gap between me and a true immortal."
Su Min spat out a mouthful of blood. The immortal artifact had detonated right in front of her, and despite her precautions, she had still been injured. The Chaos Physique granted near-absolute defense—ordinary attacks couldn't even scratch her.
The original Five Elements Sacred Physique only resisted elemental damage, but now, she had resistance to all attributes, Yin-Yang forces, and even physical attacks. Yet despite that, she had still suffered injuries.
"Not bad. At least it's been broken down."
She observed the floating remnants of the artifact. She had tried to use it before but failed, so melting it was her only option. Next, she infused the materials into her weapon, enveloping it in pale-white flames.
Her Five Elements Sword trembled violently. Since achieving the Chaos Physique, she had stopped using it—it simply couldn't keep up.
A Heaven-grade high-tier weapon was now a limitation rather than an asset. So if that was the case, she had to push it further.
"Damn, forging an Imperial artifact really isn't easy."
Her hands shook as torrents of energy surged into the sword, violently coursing through her limbs. If not for her Chaos Physique—even the Five Elements Sacred Physique would have been torn apart. But she had no choice but to endure. If she lost control or let go, the refinement would fail instantly, and the weapon that had accompanied her for so long would shatter.
Su Min was sentimental. Even the 100×100×100 storage ring she had long outgrown remained with her. After all, only these two items had stayed by her side all this time. She cherished them deeply.
"Ugh..."
After swallowing two pills, she gritted her teeth and persisted.
Time flew by. In the blink of an eye, three years had passed.
Meanwhile, in the Nether Prison she had left behind...
"This humble warden greets the exalted immortals."
The Warden knelt on the ground, trembling as several mighty figures descended before him. These individuals had been chosen as sacrifices for the Zhexian Curse. The five great clans were known as the Five Royal Families because each had a King—a pinnacle immortal.
After the last Chaos Physique slaughtered the previous generation of Kings and upper immortals, it had taken countless years for five new Kings to emerge. These families monopolized nearly all the resources of the Burial Grounds and Nether Prison, while the other clans struggled to survive under their tyranny.
None of the lesser clans dared produce a King. Even if a young genius with the potential to become an upper immortal appeared, they would be swiftly eradicated.
Thus, upper immortals held immense status within their clans. Each family typically had around ten.
Now, each clan had contributed two—an excruciating loss. Moreover, these upper immortals knew they were being sent to their deaths, so their tempers were foul. If the Warden angered them, they wouldn't hesitate to kill him on the spot.
"Do you have any information on that woman?"
The leader of the upper immortals spoke coldly, his eyes filled with fury. The selection process within the clans had been bloody. After all, they weren't sacrificing lower immortals—disposable pawns—but upper immortals.
The ones standing here were the losers of those internal struggles. Needless to say, they were not happy.
"This humble one suffered heavy losses in the last battle and could only guard this passageway."
The Warden broke out in a cold sweat, fearing they might crush him with a single slap.
"Useless. You're dismissed. Everyone, prepare yourselves. If that woman causes any unusual disturbances and exposes herself, activate the Zhexian Curse immediately."
The leader's voice was icy. The patriarchs of all five clans were watching. None of them dared disobey, but they hoped to delay their deaths as long as possible. After all, unlike the lower immortals with no way out, they still had things to live for. Secretly, they prayed that Su Min would die of old age before ever making a move.
Back in the void, Su Min slowly opened her eyes. Her body was covered in bloody cracks, but as she awakened, the injuries healed at a visible rate, leaving no trace behind.
"Finally... it's done."
She exhaled deeply, then looked at the weapon floating before her.
A dark, profound longsword—its aura alone was enough to instill fear.
This was the unique presence of an Imperial artifact, the pinnacle of treasures in this universe.
[Chaos Sword (Imperial Artifact)]
No flashy descriptions. This was a weapon meant solely for her—one that only the Chaos Physique could wield. Most holders of supreme physiques never established their own sects for this very reason.
People like Yao Xian'er, the Great Desolate Martial Sage, and the Five Elements Emperor—their abilities were too closely tied to their physiques. Even if they left behind legacies, only those with the same physique could inherit them.
Without sufficient heritage or the protection of Imperial artifacts, their legacies would fade within tens of thousands of years—or be wiped out at the slightest upheaval.
Su Min's situation was similar. The only difference was that she would likely never have to worry about her legacy.
"This weapon has reached its limit. To go further, simply stacking materials won't be enough."
She narrowed her eyes. She could sense that this was the apex of artifact refinement. The only way to surpass it was to bathe it in immortal blood—not the pitiful half-immortals, but true immortals.
So far, Su Min hadn't killed a single true immortal—nor had she even fought one properly. Now wasn't the time.
"About three or four years have passed. It's time to return."
She stood up and transformed into a streak of light, shooting back toward Heavenly Continent.
However, the moment she arrived, she was slightly startled.
Her sect was packed.
A single glance revealed over a dozen Unity-stage experts.
Her sect was strong, but its Unity-stage members were few—the little Golden Crow, Xie Yingying, the Peacock, and the Azure Dragon. As for herself? She had already reached Mahayana, so she didn't count.
Yet now, there were at least a dozen more.
Even before the Age of Decay, Unity-stage experts were rare. Xie Yingying's sect, for example, had only one Unity-stage ancestor from her generation. Those sects that survived the Age of Decay with their legacies intact typically had two or three Unity-stage experts guarding them.
"Greetings, Fairy Su."
This time, Su Min didn't conceal her presence. She strode directly into the main hall. Clearly, everyone knew she had been away temporarily, so they had waited patiently.
A few years were nothing to them—a mere blink.
Of course, Su Min hadn't stood them up. She now stood before them and waved her hand, summoning curtains that blocked all prying eyes. Simple as they looked, no one present could see through them. After all, Su Min now overshadowed them in both strength and cultivation.
"Alright. Everyone, come forward one by one. The rest of you, don't worry—refining an eighth-grade, nine-colored tribulation pill only takes me a few days. You've waited this long; another week won't hurt."
"Understood."
They bowed respectfully.
The first in line stepped forward, presenting his collected materials.
"Three sets of ingredients? You've had good luck."
Su Min was slightly surprised. She knew exactly how precious these materials were—they only spawned in specific star systems under unique conditions.
Even the Medicine King's Cauldron couldn't cultivate them. Yet this person had managed to gather three sets.
"Luck, and a few fierce battles along the way."
The man smiled wryly, then handed over a pill recipe and four sets of materials, looking slightly embarrassed.
"My apologies. We could only gather four."
"That's fine. You may rest for now. I'll notify you when it's ready."
Su Min nodded.
Eighth-grade high-tier pills could summon tribulation lightning ranging from seven to nine colors. The more colors, the higher the quality.
But for Su Min, it was always nine colors. The effort required was the same either way.
"Many thanks, Lady Su."
The man beamed, accepted his receipt, and left.
The next person entered.
Soon, the hall was filled with a joyous atmosphere—everyone left satisfied.