"The biggest flaw in your method—the one-year lifespan issue—is not unsolvable."
Holding the item Yao Xian'er had given her, Su Min carefully examined it before discovering something. She then took out a pill emitting a medicinal fragrance and placed it in front of Yao Xian'er.
"An eighth-grade pill with seven-colored lightning tribulation? What is this?"
"A Life Extension Pill, which adds eight years to one's lifespan. Of course, if it were an eighth-grade pill with nine-colored lightning tribulation, it could extend life by ten years."
"You—?!"
Hearing Su Min's words, Yao Xian'er rolled her eyes furiously. An eighth-grade pill with nine-colored lightning tribulation—something that could drain a super sect of most of its resources—only extended life by ten years? That was practically a joke.
"Wait…"
But soon, Yao Xian'er realized something. While the pill's effect sounded laughable—since most eighth-grade pills would kill an ordinary person if consumed—this pill, given its high quality, must have a special property.
"Exactly. Even ordinary people can take it. I've completely neutralized its side effects, making it safe for anyone. As for the rest, there are still some issues, but I can modify it further. As long as it ensures safety when self-severing at the Mahayana stage, it'll be fine."
Staring at the item in her hand, Su Min fell into deep thought. The Chaos Physique was perfectly attuned to the Great Dao, making her sensitivity to laws even greater than that of the Spirit Dao Physique.
Creating something from scratch was difficult for her, but weakening an existing method was not.
Thus, a week later...
Yao Xian'er studying the revised technique with narrowed eyes and a wry smile.
"The modifications you made…" she began slowly.
"Pretty good, right?" Su Min replied, tone far too casual for the gravity of what they were discussing.
Yao Xian'er let out a quiet exhale, part amusement, part frustration. "What exactly are you trying to do, Su Min? My original technique revolves around continuous self-severance. Sever, rebuild, sever again. A cycle of rebirth—each incarnation stronger than the last."
"But with this version," she held up the jade slip, "you've gutted that core. Now, it can only be used once. At most, someone gets a second life. But it loses the essence of eternal progression."
Su Min didn't flinch. "That's the point. For most people, once is already a miracle. Not everyone can be us."
Yao Xian'er's gaze flicked to her, assessing. She knew Su Min wasn't speaking lightly. "You're thinking of her, aren't you?"
There was no need to name names. Both women had someone they would give everything to protect.
"Yes." Su Min's voice softened, her thumb brushing the edge of the jade slip. "Xie Yingying and Jian Xi for example. They both possess the Lunar Sovereign Physique, but theirs is the ordinary variant. Even if nothing hinders them, even if they reach the Transcendence stage, they will wither someday. Die."
Yao Xian'er's lips pressed into a line. "So you're giving them a way out."
"A way to pause. To wait. Not everyone has forever to experiment, Yao Xian'er."
There was a flicker in her gaze, but it passed before Yao Xian'er could catch it. Su Min hadn't lied—but she hadn't told the whole truth either.
She paused for a moment, her gaze softening, distant.
"And for those who matter most to us, a single extra lifetime might be everything."
Here, Su Min sighed slightly. Yao Xian'er was one of many with the Spirit Dao Physique who had achieved the Emperor Realm, but she was the only one who had reached such heights. Similarly, Tian Hao's Great Desolate Holy Physique was extraordinary.
As for Xie Yingying and Jiang Xi? Their Lunar Sovereign Physique was ordinary. Without external suppression, they could reach the Transcendence stage and become Emperors—but they would eventually perish, unable to advance further.
"And you're going to let her self-sever and seal herself," Yao Xian'er said quietly, piecing it together.
"She can't keep pace with me otherwise," Su Min admitted. "Not if I walk the path I must."
Yao Xian'er fell silent. She understood too well. She had long since glimpsed Su Min's uniqueness. Her Chaos Physique. Her talent, surpassing all logic. But what Su Min hadn't told anyone—not even Xie Yingying—was the truth hidden beneath that brilliance: she could afford to wait. She had time. Infinite time.
But Xie Yingying did not—she would live for tens of thousands of years at most before inevitably dying. Cultivators lived longer, but not infinitely. Now that Su Min had achieved the Chaos Physique, she could see further.
If she could survive the most powerful heavenly tribulation, her cultivation would surpass even that of an immortal.
Not in terms of combat power—even if she barely passed the lowest immortal tribulation, she could defeat any immortal in battle. But that was meaningless. Su Min aimed for something far greater.
"Hmm?"
Yao Xian'er couldn't perceive this, but she could sense something unusual. She then took out a jade slip and copied the method.
"Indeed, for people like us, this method has no real use. But for others, it can be valuable. I'll leave this for Jiang Xi."
Yao Xian'er said nothing more and simply stored it away. She would never use this method—she had to forge her own path, no matter how perilous. But she didn't expect everyone else to do the same. For Jiang Xi, this was a viable fallback.
"Then I'll take my leave. Until we meet again."
With that, Su Min turned and left.
~
Su Min's footsteps echoed through the long corridor of sealing chambers. She moved without haste, each step steady, silent.
She had already laid the groundwork. Her sect now contained an unimaginable number of sealing crystals, enough to suspend millions of cultivators—especially those at the Qi Refinement stage. It was a long-term vision. A forest of preserved potential, waiting for a future only she might see.
She had time. All the time in the world.
The others did not.
That was why she came to find Xie Yingying next.
Her Taoist partner had already reached the Mahayana stage, her strength unmatched among peers. In a direct clash, she could hold her ground against even mid-stage Mahayana cultivators. Su Min had never doubted her power. But strength alone would not protect her forever.
"You're serious about this?"
Xie Yingying's voice was low, skeptical, as she stared at the pill Su Min offered her. Her hand trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the weight of what it meant.
"I am," Su Min replied.
"This is a seal plan. A full severance and suspension. You want me to... stop living?"
"Not die," Su Min said gently. "Just pause. Wait. Once you reach late Mahayana, you can sever your path, seal yourself, and I'll preserve you. With this pill, you'll have eleven years to rebuild—time enough to return to Qi Refinement."
"And what about you?" Xie Yingying asked again, firmer this time. "Will you be there when I wake up?"
Su Min smiled faintly. "I will. I promise."
But she didn't say how. Didn't say that for her, centuries were passing moments. That her body would never age, never falter. That she could wait through a hundred thousand years and still remain.
That was a truth even Xie Yingying wasn't ready to hear.
"I'll do the same," Su Min said quietly. "Eventually. But not yet. The dark cultivators still linger. If I leave now, I can't guarantee the seal will hold."
It wasn't a lie. But it wasn't the full truth either.
It wasn't the right time—she didn't know when the passage would stabilize.
If it took ten or twenty thousand years, that would be fine. She could easily rebuild her cultivation by then.
But if it were only a thousand or two? That would be troublesome.
If she chose to rebuild, she would have to sever her Chaos Physique and restart as a mortal. The path would be arduous, and a mere thousand years wouldn't be enough to return to Mahayana and reclaim her Chaos Physique.
But since her lifespan was infinite, she could afford to wait.
Xie Yingying didn't press. She had long since learned not to question the weight Su Min carried, not when her eyes burned with that quiet, calculating light.
"…I'll do it," Xie Yingying said finally. "But not just because you asked. Because I trust you."
Xie Yingying held the pill between her fingers, gaze unreadable. "And the Little Golden Crow?"
"Ah—"
Su Min paused, rubbing her temples.
"Theoretically, she could use this method too. But she'd have to sever her Golden Crow Emperor bloodline—no, all of her bloodline—and restart as a mere bird. For someone who values her lineage as much as she does, that's hard. But if she does, she might achieve even greater heights—possibly even more self-severances than you. It's up to her. I won't force anyone."
She didn't say what she feared. That none of them might be willing to do it. That she might stand alone in a future none of them could reach.
"I plan to enter seclusion soon," Su Min continued, changing the topic. "If there's a time to prepare, it's now."
"And how long will you be gone?"
Su Min looked up at the stars beyond the skylight.
"As long as it takes."
There was a finality to her tone that Xie Yingying didn't question. Perhaps she was used to the way Su Min spoke. With quiet certainty, as though she already stood a step beyond the world.
What she didn't realize was that she did.
Because Su Min had already stepped beyond the limits of life itself.
And no one—not even the one who held her heart—knew just how far she would go to protect the ones she loved.
Since she intended to self-sever, she needed ample safeguards. This matter was also highly confidential—she would only inform those who reached Mahayana, as those below weren't qualified.
Though Su Min had no enemies—especially after her Dao Comprehension, she only fought against the fallen—there might still be those who coveted what she had.
Thus, she needed absolute preparation—even more than Yao Xian'er had. Back then, the world was weak after the end of the Dharma Decline.
Yao Xian'er had stayed in the Golden Core stage for a long time, and upon emerging, she could immediately reach the Nascent Soul stage. With her Nascent Soul cultivation, even Divine Transformation cultivators couldn't defeat her.
But Su Min's circumstances were different. The environment had changed, and so had the challenges.
Time flowed quietly.
For ordinary society, a hundred years meant the passing of generations. But for immortal sects, it was but a blink—just enough to weed out unqualified disciples.
Those who failed were released into the world, where they could still thrive as cultivators. Some might resent it, but they had no choice. The best they could do was marry and hope their descendants fared better.
As for those who broke the law? Punishment awaited them.
Once they left, they were no longer the sect's concern.
But then, Little Golden Crow sought Su Min again.
"I've seen your method."
"Hmm?"
Su Min wasn't surprised, curious about her choice.
"Mahayana is my limit. I want to go further. And at a certain point, bloodline becomes a shackle."
"True."
Su Min smiled. If Little Golden Crow could accept this, it was a good thing—after all, Su Min had hatched her.
If she clung to her bloodline, it would only hold her back.
"So I came to ask for something. Though I can abandon my Golden Crow Emperor bloodline, the Golden Crow race still needs a ruler."
"You're getting married?"
Su Min was slightly surprised. The Golden Crow race didn't need to worry—their bloodline had a special restriction. If the last royal died, a pure-blooded member would awaken the royal bloodline.
But this process could take an unknown amount of time. Without a ruler, who knew what would happen to the race?
Thus, most races fiercely protected their royals.
If a divine beast used this self-severing method, even if they reached Mahayana, they might never recover their original bloodline.
So before that, Little Golden Crow had to make a choice.
"No. Actually, I want a drop of your essence blood."
"Eh?"
"After your Chaos Physique was perfected, the feathers on my head changed. Now, I can wield a trace of Chaos power—that's why I'm willing to do this."
"So… what exactly do you want?"
"To use a secret art to nurture a new Golden Crow royal bloodline egg and let it hatch naturally."
"Uh—"
Su Min suddenly recalled something from her past life—birds were oviparous. Even without males, females could lay eggs, but those eggs wouldn't hatch.
So Su Min realized—Little Golden Crow wanted to use her essence blood to breathe life into an egg.
That felt… really weird.
But she couldn't refuse. After all, Little Golden Crow had always protected her home while she wandered outside.
"Take it."
Despite her discomfort, Su Min handed over a drop of her essence blood. Little Golden Crow happily left, leaving Su Min deep in thought.
"Would that count as my child? I think divine beasts can reproduce both oviparously and viviparously…"
Divine beasts were different from ordinary creatures. Their numbers were so scarce that they could reproduce both ways.
They could either mate normally or lay unfertilized eggs to be stored and later completed by males. Those who hid from the end of the world often did this.
The Golden Crow race was slightly better off—they had the Fusang Ancient Tree, a divine artifact. By imprinting their bloodline into it, the tree bore Golden Crow eggs.
Thus, their race didn't leave behind many eggs. But for the Three-legged Golden Crows, the old emperor had to prepare.
"What a mess…"
As Su Min quietly cultivated, deep in the Nether Prison, ten figures gathered once more.
Before them, the storm within the passage was rapidly subsiding. Once it vanished completely, they would charge through—into the universe that had cost them so much.
There, they would devour everything, turning it all into nourishment.