Soon, ten years later, the immortal sect returned to its usual quiet state.
"Mobilizing the entire cultivation world to search everywhere has finally gathered enough materials. I need to prepare a pill to break through to the late Mahayana stage—one should be enough."
After finally sending those people away, Su Min finally had time to take stock of her gains. The materials were unexpectedly abundant, as this was the true accumulation of the entire universe.
This time, Su Min chose to venture deep into the starry skies again. She intended to refine an extremely high-tier dark pill, which would allow her to quickly advance to the late Mahayana stage and even bring her Chaos Body close to perfection.
"The only regret is that I can't enter the core depths. If they send someone to ambush me again, it would be very troublesome."
Muttering to herself, Su Min arrived at a remote corner of the world. With a wave of her hand, a massive cauldron appeared before her.
"The Dark Continent has improved quite a bit now. It's a shame that I left right after refining the last pill and didn't continue absorbing the turbid energy. But this time, I'll give you all a chance."
Looking down at the continent below, Su Min felt a pang of regret. She should have continued purifying it back then, but she had no choice when that guy fought her desperately. So, at the time, Su Min had to prioritize dealing with the Nether Prison. But now, she finally had time again.
"This time, I can attempt to refine a Nine-Colored Golden Pill."
Under normal circumstances, refining a Nine-Colored Golden Pill with her current materials would be nearly impossible. Although she had a lot of ingredients, it still wasn't enough to produce a Nine-Colored Golden Pill. But this time, she planned to infuse as much turbid energy as possible into it.
Of course, cutting corners like this usually resulted in a pill that would kill anyone who consumed it—whether they were cultivators from her world or those from the Burial Mound Nether Realm. A mix of pure and turbid energy was extremely toxic, and even immortals wouldn't fare well after consuming it.
"Let the refining begin."
In an instant, Su Min waved her hand, and countless materials poured into her cauldron. At the same time, the turbid energy in the entire dark region began to churn violently. Her cauldron started devouring the turbid energy like a whale.
At this moment, a group of people in the Nether Prison suddenly widened their eyes.
"What is she doing? Is she absorbing turbid energy? But that can't be right—even we immortals wouldn't dare absorb it like this."
The group in the Nether Prison exchanged glances, staring at the passage on the other side. The only problem was that the passage was too small—they couldn't cross over, nor could they even detect her location.
"Is she preparing to undergo the immortal tribulation? But that shouldn't be the case. According to reports, her cultivation is likely at the early or middle Mahayana stage. No matter how fast she is, she couldn't reach the immortal tribulation in just a few decades. So then..."
In that instant, the group looked at each other. Under normal circumstances, Su Min's cultivation wouldn't allow her to advance to the late Mahayana stage in just a few decades.
As for the immortal tribulation, that was even more impossible. The immortal tribulation would cause upheaval across the entire universe, with far greater commotion than this. If that happened, their task would be to release curses from afar to sabotage her.
But since they couldn't lock onto her now, it meant she wasn't undergoing the tribulation.
"Wait, I remember now. She must be refining a pill. According to reports, she's an extremely skilled alchemist who once refined a Nine-Colored Pill right under that person's nose. The violent turbulence in the turbid energy now must mean she's using it as a base for refining."
"Is she insane? A pill mixed with pure and turbid energy—isn't she afraid of poisoning herself?"
Hearing this, the group exchanged uneasy glances. Even they wouldn't dare consume something like that—it was far too dangerous.
But was this woman truly unafraid of death? And this was clearly a Nine-Colored Pill.
"Seeking death!!!"
Though they cursed inwardly, they all knew things likely wouldn't go as they hoped. If she dared refine it, she must have a way to handle it. At the Mahayana stage, no one would believe she was an idiot.
"Don't hold onto any wishful thinking. Once the pill takes form, her location will inevitably be exposed. At that point, we'll proceed with the original plan and use the Zhexian Curse."
"Yes."
In the dark universe, Su Min stood with her arms crossed, calmly observing everything before her. The pill in front of her represented nearly all of her recent wealth. A Nine-Colored Pill required an immense amount of materials just for refining.
If this batch exploded, she would be devastated.
"The Chaos Fire has significantly improved my alchemy. This pill might even become the highest-tier Nine-Colored Golden Pill. At this level, even those at the Transcendence stage or beyond would desire it."
Watching the pill in the cauldron, Su Min mused to herself.
The Nine-Colored Golden Pill was already the pinnacle of pills. What lay beyond was unclear—even the Medicine Buddha of ancient times hadn't reached that level. So, for now, the Nine-Colored Golden Pill was the ultimate.
Of course, consuming such a pill wouldn't cause a qualitative transformation for those at that level, but it could rapidly restore all expended energy. However, the pill in Su Min's hands was lethal to anyone but her.
This was a pill tailored only for her—by mixing pure and turbid energy, she forcibly elevated its quality from a Nine-Colored Silver Pill to a Nine-Colored Golden Pill.
Hum...
At this moment, the cauldron was spewing out all the surrounding dark matter, and the dark region was visibly shrinking at a rapid pace. The energy consumption of a Golden Pill was thousands of times greater than that of a Copper Pill. In the blink of an eye, it had devoured everything.
In less than a year, the diameter of the entire dark universe had shrunk by one-tenth—something that would have been unthinkable before. After all, the dark regions had only ever expanded, never decreased.
Meanwhile, in another world, a group of people watched in horror. Though they couldn't cross over, they could sense the dark region shrinking.
"A Nine-Colored Golden Pill. But this might be for the best. Once the pill matures, it will trigger a massive surge of heavenly energy. At that point, we can unleash the Zhexian Curse. Even if she becomes an immortal, she will die without fail."
The leading upper immortal spoke with a ruthless glint in his eyes. They were all high-ranking figures—each of the five great families had over a thousand immortals. But there were only about ten upper immortals, so they usually lived in luxury. Now, however, they were reduced to sacrificial offerings. Their resentment ran deep, but they had all sworn heart oaths. There was no room for regret—otherwise, they would die without a burial place.
So, they had no choice but to proceed. At the same time, Su Min slowly opened her eyes and suddenly slammed the cauldron. The perfectly round pill shot into the sky.
In that instant, the entire world trembled.
"Here it comes—the energy surge of a Nine-Colored Golden Pill."
Seeing this, Su Min took a deep breath. This time, it had taken her a full thirty years to perfect this pill. She planned to use it to break through to the late Mahayana stage—or even the peak—in one go.
As for the final, most terrifying immortal tribulation, she would wait for the right opportunity. There was no rush. Once she consumed this pill, she would reach perfection. Even if her cultivation remained at the late Mahayana stage, she could confidently claim to be invincible in this world.
At that point, she could simply block the entrance. If they dared send anyone, she would attack them from across worlds. Even if so-called immortals came, they would die without fail.
Meanwhile, in the Nether Prison...
"Everyone, form the array! Release the Zhexian Curse!"
At this moment, the ten upper immortals opened their eyes simultaneously and formed an interlocking grand formation.
In the dark universe, Su Min watched the energy surge with a solemn expression.
In her perception, countless rays of light converged at this moment. Waves of energy that even made her heart tremble gathered together. She instantly retreated tens of thousands of kilometers.
This distance was safe enough. Once the Nine-Colored Golden Pill took form, its power would reach the Mahayana stage. According to the Medicine Buddha's records, when he refined a Nine-Colored Golden Pill, he needed five late-Mahayana experts to protect him before he could safely retrieve it.
This only showed that the Medicine Buddha's combat prowess wasn't particularly outstanding—at least compared to Su Min, who was far stronger.
So, she alone was enough. Besides, she didn't have that many late-Mahayana experts anyway.
Boom!
Almost immediately, the energy converged into a torrential flood, transforming into countless phenomena. It was said that all the beasts of the Brahma Heaven would manifest here.
At the same time, Su Min observed everything before her. As someone preparing to face the immortal tribulation, this was the best opportunity for observation.
But then...
"!!!"
Su Min suddenly froze, then clutched her chest. In the Nether Prison, the ten upper immortals had pushed their cultivation to the limit. The entire region began to crack and collapse, teetering on the brink of destruction.
Ten upper immortals burning their cultivation at full power was a terrifying sight. If this were a normal universe, the shockwaves alone would cause the cosmos to tremble and nearly collapse.
But in their eyes, their sacrifice was worth it. At this moment, a massive, bloody, and sinister forbidden curse had been completed.
Guided by karma, it transformed into a streak of light and struck one of them.
Cough!
At that moment, Su Min suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. She felt her lifespan rapidly draining away—and then, nothing else happened.
"What the hell was that?"
Su Min blinked in confusion, unsure of what had just occurred. She had chosen the Immortality—a talent that granted having infinite lifespan and eternal youth, halting aging at the peak of one's physical prime.
Besides, at this level, any immortal could simply ignore such a curse. So, she quickly dismissed it and focused entirely on the terrifying lightning before her.
Meanwhile, in the Burial Ground Nether Realm, the faces of five people lit up with ecstasy, followed by maniacal laughter.
"Hahaha! Perfect! The Chaos Body—the second Chaos Body since the dawn of creation—will perish here. We can rest easy from now on!"
The patriarchs of the five great families exchanged satisfied looks. The cost had pained them, but now that the Immortal-Severing Curse had been unleashed, it no longer mattered.
After all, even that legendary Chaos Body wielder who had once slaughtered his way through the Burial Ground Nether Realm—nearly surpassing the limits of immortality—had fallen to their curse. Back then, it had taken ten king-level immortals (equivalent to their own ranks) to kill him.
And even then, the Chaos Body wielder had used his final moments to slaughter all remaining immortals, including those at the Mahayana stage.
Since then, even after all this time, they had never fully recovered.
"Now we can rest easy. We don't know how that woman achieved the Chaos Body, but she is as good as dead. Have someone guard the entrance in case she tries to take us down with her."
"She won't be able to do anything even if she tries. She's only at the Mahayana stage. If she dares charge into the Burial Ground Nether Realm, any one of us can kill her. With the lifespan drain of the Zhexian Curse, she'll never survive the immortal tribulation."
"Our master's task is now complete. Should we report the good news?"
"Not yet. We don't have a wielder of the Time Law. To report, we must wait for the time node—about fifty thousand years from now."
"Tch."
The group could only sigh in frustration. But it didn't matter. As immortals, time meant nothing to them. Now that their mission was complete, they could peacefully await their master's reward—a method to surpass immortality itself.
Meanwhile, in the dark universe...
The thunderclouds before Su Min gradually dissipated, revealing a golden pill suspended in the air. Without hesitation, she flew toward it.
In an instant, two small hands collided—and one figure was sent flying backward.
"Oh? It took on my appearance. It must have absorbed a lot of my Chaos energy, making it resemble me closely. What a pity. If it had a thousand years to develop full sentience, I might have hesitated. But now..."
With that, Su Min gathered all her strength and slapped it down, forcing it back into its original form.