"Pfft!!!"
A spray of black blood erupted from Yan Ji's lips. At this moment, the half-immortal guarding this place was staring in sheer horror at the woman who had appeared in his original position, his mind reeling.
He couldn't comprehend it. How had a mere Mahayana cultivator slipped past his spiritual perception so completely and appeared right behind him? Even more terrifying was how the opponent had managed to severely injure his core with a single, devastating strike. The pain was deep and jarring.
"Which royal family do you belong to?" he demanded, his voice a rasp.
Since Su Min was currently shrouded in a dense, swirling cloak of turbid energy, Yan Ji didn't recognize her identity. He even mistook her for a hidden descendant of one of the powerful royal families from the Nether Lands. Otherwise, how could a Mahayana-stage cultivator at the early stage have inflicted such heavy damage on him, a seasoned Half-Immortal?
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Su Min let out a soft chuckle. "Royal family? What was that? Well, it didn't matter. Right now, the most important thing was to kill him. The rest could be dealt with later. Speculation was a luxury for those with time."
So, at that moment, as Yan Ji was distracted by his own question, dozens of attacks rained down on him from behind, launched by Tian Hao and the others. They were probing strikes, meant to test his defenses and create openings.
"Hmph, petty tricks!!!"
But now that he was on guard and his spiritual sense was fully expanded, these initial strikes were largely ineffective, deflected by a shimmering barrier of dark energy. However, one attack, a concentrated beam of pure force from Tian Hao, still made his expression shift slightly. A faint, smoking fist mark appeared on the back of his hand. Yan Ji's furious gaze swept across his surroundings, landing on Tian Hao and the other rescuers.
"Good. The two of you actually betrayed our Nether Clan."
Clearly, Yan Ji had misjudged the situation. In his understanding, the only ones who could be tainted by turbid energy without being completely controlled were those born from the Nether Burial Grounds themselves. Yet now, they'd joined forces with an outsider to ambush him, a half-immortal. It was utterly unreasonable and defied all logic.
"You seem to have misunderstood something. Attack!!!"
Not everyone present knew the full picture of the interdimensional crisis, so they hadn't grasped the ultimate severity of the situation. They just saw a hated jailer. With a mere wave of his hand, Yan Ji activated the fortress's core arrays. The group of mind-controlled puppets lurking in the chambers below slowly rose into the air, their eyes glowing with a vacant red light, mechanically surrounding everyone.
Almost instantly, a chaotic, large-scale battle erupted. A group of Mahayana cultivators, both free and enslaved, clashed within this confined space. Fortunately, this prison plane was nearly devoid of natural life and had been forged to be extremely sturdy. If this were Su Min's home universe, a battle of this magnitude would've annihilated countless galaxies, tearing apart the fabric of space itself. But here, it only made the massive fortress tremble and groan, the walls shaking but holding firm. It was nothing compared to the cosmic devastation it could've caused elsewhere.
However, in the next moment, Yan Ji's expression twisted violently once more. The instant he made direct physical contact with Su Min, parrying a palm strike, an indescribable, corrosive force surged toward him along his arm. He'd already been injured from the ambush, and now this strange, balancing energy was seeping into his body, disrupting the flow of his power.
"As expected of a half-immortal or a crippled immortal. That strike just now would've been enough to kill a peak Mahayana cultivator outright."
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 a direct attack from her. Even those two with their rare Transcendence-stage physiques back in the secret realm had been instantly annihilated in front of her.
Transcendence-stage cultivators were truly no joke. It seemed her cautious decision not to recklessly confront that True Immortal in the dark region 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'd comprehended and pieced together 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'd remain mediocre, its power untapped, or worse, it could backfire lethally, as had tragically happened with her disciple Lin Yao in the past.
Her personal technique was born from the fusion of the three ancient scriptures. Though it wasn't yet perfectly refined and required further comprehension and refinement, it was more than sufficient for a real battle of this level.
"Chaos Seeds the Azure Lotus!!!"
As Su Min raised her index finger high into the air, a mesmerizing black and white lotus bloomed into existence in her palm. It was not just a manifestation of energy, but a construct infused with countless intricate laws and the fundamental essence of the Five Elements, all woven together in a delicate, terrifying balance.
This was the Chaos Azure Lotus she'd manifested through her new scripture. Its potential power even surpassed that of the Emperor's weapon she possessed. The various techniques she'd relied on during the Unity stage had lost much of their significance and potency now that she'd entered the Mahayana stage and her energy had qualitatively transformed.
The sheer might of the Chaos Body could be glimpsed from the incredibly harsh, nearly impossible conditions required to achieve it. Even in its current incomplete state, its power was undeniable and overwhelming.
"You—"
The moment the black and white lotus fully materialized, Yan Ji's previously composed expression finally cracked completely, revealing naked shock. He couldn't understand how a Mahayana cultivator, one still at the early stage, no less, could conjure and unleash a technique that made even his Half-Immortal soul shudder with instinctive fear.
This was a pure technique, unaided by any external magical tools or formations, powered solely by her own cultivation.
"What kind of experiences has that woman gone through?"
Meanwhile, Tian Hao's expression also shifted dramatically. After punching away a late-stage Mahayana puppet opponent, he stared in stunned shock at the slowly rotating ancient lotus.
He could sense an aura of absolute death emanating from it. If that thing landed on him, the outcome would've been 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 acutely aware that he was nowhere near Su Min's current monstrous level.
What he didn't know was that in her current state, even the prodigious Yao Xian'er would likely have to retreat and avoid a direct confrontation. Since entering the Mahayana stage and forging her Chaos Body, Su Min's combat prowess had qualitatively leaped to the level of the ancient emperors from the history books. Facing these half-immortals was no longer an insurmountable challenge.
It was worth noting that while half-immortals and crippled immortals were technically of the same tier, the latter would've suffered immense suppression when trying to pass through the spatial rifts into Su Min's universe. Even a true immortal would've been severely injured attempting such a passage, let alone them.
Moreover, as beings primarily composed of turbid energy, they'd be inherently weakened and targeted by the heavenly laws in a world dominated by clear qi. Just as turbid energy could corrupt ordinary cultivators, the heavenly laws of a clear qi world could suppress and annihilate those from the Nether Burial Grounds. Thus, crippled immortals could rarely, if ever, fight at their full strength outside their home territory.
But here, in the Nether Prison, their home territory saturated with turbid qi, their combat power was unleashed without restraint.
"Who are you?"
Staring fixedly at the pulsating Chaos Azure Lotus, Yan Ji's face darkened like a storm cloud. He couldn't fathom how a peerless genius like her had appeared in the Nether Prison unnoticed, and why she'd chosen to ambush him of all people.
"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 internal conflict and power struggles, especially after the last great upheaval against the ancient Chaos Body. The birth of a new immortal was an arduous process, and the losses from that event had been nearly total. Recovery would've taken an eternity, a timescale counted in tens of thousands of years.
But none of that mattered now. Regardless of the truth or her origins, he had to kill her. The threat she represented was too great.
So, in the next instant, a massive, bloodied greatsword materialized out of swirling crimson mist before Yan Ji. The air grew heavy with the scent of iron and decay.
"Little girl, no matter who you are, no matter how prodigious your talents, you're still too young. If you'd 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, not from the sword itself, but from the thousands of imprisoned cultivators throughout the fortress. In an instant, their essence and blood were violently drained, funneled through the formations into the blade. A terrifying, world-shaking aura erupted from it, and the pale, tormented faces of the drained cultivators appeared behind Yan Ji as spectral projections, one after another, until thousands loomed like a forest of twisted, wailing specters. Each grotesque visage, over ten meters tall, exuded a palpable aura of death and despair.
"Fall back!!!"
Sensing the overwhelming malevolence of the gathering technique, Tian Hao roared the warning before immediately beginning his retreat. He could feel the sheer, soul-crushing despair radiating from that sword. An attack fueled by the condensed essence and lingering hatred of hundreds of Mahayana and thousands of Unity-stage cultivators was far, far beyond the capabilities of any mere Mahayana cultivator to withstand.
Clearly, the old half-immortal had activated his ultimate trump card, a forbidden technique that probably could only be unleashed once every ten thousand years due to its horrific cost. At that moment, Tian Hao was immensely grateful he hadn't recklessly challenged these half-immortals alone before. Who knew what other hidden, desperate methods they possessed?
But just as he fled toward a crack in the fortress wall, he realized with a spike of dismay that Su Min hadn't moved an inch. She was still standing her ground, calmly facing the descending bloodied blade and the legion of wailing ghosts.
"She's been locked on. There's no escape for her now. Staying would've only made us a burden. Damn it!!!" Tian Hao cursed inwardly. For the first time in a long time, he felt a profound sense of helplessness. In past battles, no matter how dire the situation, he'd always found a way, a trick, a hidden card to play. But now, facing this level of power, he could only watch as someone else covered their retreat. Swallowing his pride and frustration, he knew he could do nothing but flee and ensure the others survived.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the chamber,
"Let's see which is stronger, your blood blade or my azure lotus."
Su Min's voice was eerily calm, devoid of fear or excitement. She had no objections to Tian Hao's retreat, in fact, she admired his decisiveness. The shockwave from the impending clash of these two techniques would've instantly vaporized any Mahayana cultivator caught within it.
As for running? That was impossible for her now. She'd been spiritually locked onto by Yan Ji's killing intent. The moment she turned her back, the attack would've landed with full force, and she would've had no defense.
So, she had only two choices, counterattack head on, or turtle up in a desperate defense.
But while she possessed the defensive legacy of the Black Tortoise, she knew it wasn't enough to withstand this specific strike. The Four Sacred Beasts' peak was at the late Mahayana stage, though their combat power could exceed that of ordinary Mahayana cultivators, it still fell short of genuine Transcendence-stage experts. This attack was undoubtedly a full-powered, life-burning strike from a true 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's mind cleared, and she locked onto her target. The black and white lotus shot forward from her palm. Its speed seemed deceptively slow to the eye, yet it appeared to flicker through the layers of space and time itself. The lotus traversed dimensions, its path unstoppable, stopping only when it met its target or was intercepted by an overwhelming, opposing force.
Naturally, Yan Ji wouldn't let it hit him directly. With a furious, desperate roar, he swung his massive blood blade down.
"Ten Thousand Ghosts Annihilation!!!"
The sea of wailing, blood red faces surged forth, converging from all directions toward Su Min, only to collide head on with the advancing lotus. In this high-level confrontation, neither side could bypass the other's attack to strike at the opponent's body directly. Even a mutual kill was impossible at this range, so the two colossal forces simply began eroding and consuming each other upon impact. The bloodied faces sizzled and melted away upon contact with the lotus's balanced light, unable to halt its advance, only slowing it down marginally. Terrifying, uncontrolled energy spilled out from the point of collision, flooding the fortress and causing the very stone to dissolve into nothingness.
Outside, the retreating group halted at a safe distance, staring in awe and terror at the fortress, which was now flickering erratically between blinding black white and violent blood red light.
"Sir Tian, who in the heavens is that woman?"
A late-stage Mahayana elder beside Tian Hao asked hoarsely, his voice trembling. He'd already held Su Min in high esteem, assuming she could at most stall Yan Ji long enough for them to eliminate the puppet guards and then assist her in the fight.
But who could've predicted Yan Ji's utter ruthlessness, sacrificing countless high-level cultivators in an instant to unleash an attack so terrifying it crushed all thoughts of resistance? And yet, impossibly, Su Min was not only holding her own, but seemingly gaining the upper hand. The blood red glow was visibly dimming, being compressed and consumed, while the serene yet formidable black white radiance now enveloped the entire fortress, lending the grotesque structure an air of strange, ancient mystique.
"Five Elements Holy Body? No, it's more than that now. It seems this battle will have a conclusion."
Tian Hao muttered to himself, then shook his head in bewilderment. He realized Su Min wasn't just using the power of the Five Elements Holy Body, there was also the distinct, cold aura of the Lunar Sovereign Body, and something else, something primordial and vast that he couldn't identify. After all, he wasn't some ancient monster reborn with limitless knowledge. His understanding of the world's secrets had its limits.
"Your universe truly is a blessed land, to give birth to such a one."
The Mahayana elder sighed wistfully, a deep sorrow in his eyes. If his own lost universe had been fortunate enough to nurture a genius like Su Min, perhaps it wouldn't have fallen so completely and utterly to the dark. In his era, their universe's strongest warriors had been roughly on par with Tian Hao, powerful indeed. But compared to the sheer, overwhelming force that was Su Min, the gap was simply staggering.
Inside the Fortress
"Aaaah!!!"
A final, bloodcurdling scream of denial and agony echoed from within the core of the flickering light, a scream that was unmistakably Yan Ji's. Then, the blood red light winked out of existence entirely.