"Huff... huff... huff..."
Su Min gasped heavily, her chest rising and falling as she leaned forward, hands on her knees, unable to suppress her ragged breathing. Her spiritual energy felt dangerously depleted, hollowed out from within.
"The consumption's enormous," she thought, her internal voice weary. "Releasing the Chaos Azure Lotus with an incomplete Chaos Body inevitably leads to such consequences. I must return and rest properly, to recover fully."
After all, her opponent had been a genuine half-immortal, a being that'd require an ancient emperor's full strength to deal with reliably. She had to remain extremely cautious, especially here. Moreover, she was completely isolated in this hostile dimension, with no allies to call for reinforcements. She genuinely feared that backup might arrive for the enemy at any moment.
"Next's this altar. Destroy it," she muttered, her gaze shifting to the pulsating structure at the chamber's center. "Without the protection of half-immortal power, I can kill them directly now."
Taking a deep, steadying breath, Su Min raised her hand, gathering a concentrated sphere of chaotic energy, and slammed it down. The intricate altar shattered into a million pieces, its dark light extinguished forever. Meanwhile, in the deepest core of the dark universe, the true immortal known as Black Sun, who was in the midst of a self-destructive ritual, suddenly widened his eyes in shock. He sensed that the "gate" he was spiritually connected to had developed a critical breach, its potential size shrinking by a full third in an instant.
If the gate became too small, only a handful of Mahayana cultivators could pass through at a time, rendering the entire sacrificial invasion meaningless. Temporary gates like this couldn't accommodate higher-level beings like himself. For the current state of that world, this scale was just right. Hundreds or even thousands of Mahayana and Unity-stage mad experts would pour in, tearing the universe's fabric apart and inevitably forcing that woman out of hiding. Once she was locked onto by their sensors, they could unleash that curse again, the very same one that'd permanently slain the last legendary Chaos Body.
"Though I don't understand why the King of the Future fears her so much, now that she's appeared, we must eliminate her at any cost," Black Sun resolved, his expression grim.
The Zhexian Curse, the supreme forbidden spell that'd killed the previous Chaos Body. They had to strike while she was still in the Mahayana stage, before she could reach her full, terrifying potential. As long as he could relay this crucial message back, everything else had be handled by the higher-ups. They'd prepare the Zhexian Curse, a supreme technique capable of withering even true immortals to death. But now, something felt deeply amiss. Black Sun frowned deeply, a ripple of disturbance in his concentrated state. Yet, there was nothing he could do but continue his original plan. However, an inexplicable, gnawing unease had taken root in his heart.
"What're those people doing?"
At the same time, deep within the Nether Prison, the Warden, a being of immense power and responsibility, stared at a broken communication horn in silent contemplation. This horn was a critical component of the Quadripartite Formation linking the four fortresses. But all the prisoners here were supposed to be Mahayana experts turned into mindless puppets, thoroughly corrupted by turbid energy, utterly incapable of rebellion or coordinated action. This could only mean one thing, an external variable had emerged.
"While resonating with our kin in the world of clear energy to open a passage, a fragment was severed," he mused aloud. "This must mean something happened to our operative at the Northern Fortress. Since I can't leave my post at the core..." The Warden narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. Such an incident, a guardian falling and an altar being destroyed, had never occurred since the founding of the Nether Prison millennia ago.
"I don't yet know what's happening. Gathering intelligence must take priority before reporting to the Kings. If a true immortal's willing to sacrifice so much to send a message, its content must be critically dangerous." After a moment of deliberation, the Warden's eyes snapped open with decision. The Nether Prison existed in an isolated space-time bubble, and returning to the Turbid Lands required specific spatial conditions, only possible at certain celestial alignments. Now wasn't one of them.
"You two, abandon your outposts immediately," his voice boomed across the mental link to the three remaining guardians. "Gather all forces and regroup at the Eastern Fortress." In an instant, the Warden issued his command. The three remaining half-immortal figures promptly left their altars and moved as ordered. Uncertain of the situation and the enemy's strength, he chose the simplest and safest solution, consolidate all strength to ensure a baseline of security.
Of course, Su Min was completely unaware of all this strategic maneuvering.
At this moment, having regrouped with Tian Hao and the others outside the shattered fortress, she declared, her voice firm but laced with fatigue, "I need to go into seclusion immediately. For now, you all should scout ahead and gather intelligence. Once I emerge, we'll proceed with the next phase of the plan."
Facing the group of powerful cultivators before her, Su Min spoke calmly. Since the enemy's last resort had been to drain the lifeblood of all the enslaved cultivators in the fortress, her allies had barely expended any energy in the final confrontation. Only Su Min herself had suffered significant depletion from unleashing the Chaos Azure Lotus. Now was the critical time for her to recover.
More importantly, she had just collected the dissipating soul essences from the battlefield. The Mahayana souls were fragmented and of little direct value, but the half-immortal's soul was a priceless treasure. A soul native to the Burial Ground, and a half-immortal at that, this was the ultimate nourishment for her impending breakthrough.
"It's time to advance to the Mahayana middle stage," she thought, resolve hardening within her. "No matter what tricks the enemy has, my path's clear, I must grow stronger." Though Su Min didn't fully grasp the enemy's grand strategy, she understood one thing above all else, the primacy of raw power. There was no alternative. Without reaching her peak, she stood no chance against the coming calamity she sensed looming. Even if she couldn't foresee the specifics, she knew a great disaster was approaching, especially after slaying the Skeleton Emperor and now this Half-Immortal.
"Time to begin closed-door cultivation. It won't take long. I've accumulated enough foundation, and I've already consumed a ninth-grade pill." Gazing at the swirling, purified soul essence in her hand, Su Min shattered all its residual memories and consciousness with a single, decisive spiritual motion. Absorbing them intact was out of the question, it'd mean fusing those foreign memories into her own soul, diluting her self. The cornerstone of her soul's stability was her own, uninterrupted memories. By erasing them completely, only the purest, most potent soul energy remained. A complete half-immortal soul was the final, key ingredient she needed for her ascension.
With that, Su Min closed her eyes and merged the luminous, purified fragments into her being. Her power surged rapidly, climbing towards a new peak in moments, poised right on the brink of a breakthrough.
Meanwhile, Tian Hao addressed the other group of cultivators. Su Min's seclusion location was a top secret, even he didn't know it. She didn't fully trust all of his people, and any mishap during her vulnerable state'd be disastrous.
"She's in seclusion. We'll act again after she emerges," Tian Hao's tone was neutral. He understood Su Min's necessary caution and didn't explain or apologize for it. In the ruthless world of cultivation, a little paranoia was synonymous with survival. Until then, they had work to do. These were all seasoned Mahayana experts, with exceptional endurance. But in this turbid energy-saturated world, active cultivation was nearly impossible. At best, they could recover their energy intermittently when Su Min purified the area.
"Understood!" The group nodded, their expressions serious. They recognized Su Min's wariness but chose not to dwell on it. What truly mattered were the battles ahead. Her power was undeniable. Though they didn't comprehend how she'd achieved such strength at her level, it was terrifying, seemingly transcending all reason and established norms. Thus, an aura of profound mystery now surrounded her in their eyes.
Soon, the scouts dispersed toward the three other fortress-prisons. But shock quickly set in as they reported back, two of the fortresses were completely empty, abandoned in haste.
"What's going on?" Tian Hao's expression darkened as he personally led teams into both silent structures. The sight of the undefended, inactive altars stunned them. They destroyed the altars effortlessly, all without Su Min's knowledge or involvement. But this very ease confirmed his worst suspicions.
"Damn it. The three remaining half-immortals've gathered into a single force," he realized, a cold dread settling in his stomach. "Now, breaching the last fortress's near impossible. Even if Su Min's strong, facing three Half-Immortals at once's too much, it's suicidal." In that instant, Tian Hao pieced it all together. Unaware of the full situation, the enemy commander'd opted for consolidation over division. The final fortress now housed three half-immortals and all their combined forces, a defensive power that filled even him with despair. At best, he could stall one late-stage Mahayana expert. Killing one was beyond him, those who reached that level were geniuses among geniuses. Worse, the gap between early, middle, and late Mahayana was vast, like chasms. He was simply no match for a monster like Su Min.
"Fall back and hide," Tian Hao ordered, his voice heavy. "This next fight isn't ours to wage." Helplessness weighed heavily on him. He even considered summoning Yao Xian'er for aid but quickly dismissed the idea. With Su Min here, if both of their ultimate powerhouses left, their home universe had be left completely defenseless. All they could do was wait, wait for Su Min to emerge from seclusion. This was no longer an ordinary battle they could influence.
As Tian Hao's forces retreated into hiding, the Nether Prison plunged into an eerie, profound silence. In this artificially created, lifeless dimension, an absolute stillness reigned supreme. One small mercy was that at the Mahayana stage, minimal spiritual energy sufficed for basic survival. To conserve their strength, the cultivators reduced their bodily functions and auras to a bare minimum, becoming like statues. They waited, with a patience born of desperation, for Su Min, their only hope for vengeance and survival. They were the truly desolate, with nothing left in their original worlds to lose.
In a hidden cave, sealed away from all perception, Su Min's brow furrowed in intense concentration. Surging, violent energy rippled through her meridians as she forcefully guided her cultivation base towards the barrier of the Mahayana middle stage. But Mahayana breakthroughs were never easy, and hers was complicated by the unique nature of her body.
"Ugh..." A grunt of pain escaped her lips. Unlike beings native to the turbid Burial Ground, Su Min's Chaos Body, while accepting turbid qi, wasn't naturally aligned with it. During her breakthrough, the clear and turbid energies within her clashed violently, neither willing to submit, drawing a trickle of blood from her lips.
"Keep going. It's still not enough," she urged herself, her spiritual will a blazing torch. Only by fully merging and balancing these opposing forces could she achieve true completion and unlock the next stage of her power. Whatever the cost, it was necessary. The "cost" wasn't unbearable for someone of her level, just shattered organs and severed meridians, a temporary state of internal chaos. To a Mahayana cultivator with powerful regenerative abilities, these weren't fatal injuries. Yet, to a modern observer, especially a medical student, her internal condition'd be horrifying, a scene of anatomical carnage. Her internal organs were a chaotic mess, barely recognizable as human anatomy. But Su Min not only endured the agony, she actively regenerated through it.
"Am I turning my own body into a crucible for this power?" she mused, a wry smirk touching her lips despite the turmoil. "Interesting." Through sheer force of will, she'd already stabilized most of the chaotic energy.
"Now," she whispered, her voice a blade of determination cutting through the pain. "Mahayana middle stage, here I come!"
Her hands moved in a rapid, blindingly fast sequence of esoteric seals. Instantly, the raging turmoil within her ceased, as if a switch'd been flipped. Her organs reformed in the blink of an eye, restructured and strengthened, now perfectly accommodating the balanced flow of clear and turbid energy. Simultaneously, the surrounding turbid energy for miles around surged into her body like a tidal wave being pulled into a vortex.
She devoured it all, greedily and completely, emptying the area for thousands of miles. The effect resembled a vacuum suddenly filled by rushing air, causing a distant roar throughout the dimension. The disturbance was so massive, so sudden, that even the Warden deep in the core and the three gathered half-immortals in the final fortress snapped to attention, their senses screaming.
"What happened? Why's the ambient turbid energy thinned so abruptly?" one of the Half-Immortals exclaimed. Though the overall drop was slight on a dimensional scale, such a rapid, localized depletion was unprecedented. Normally, they'd immediately investigate such a severe instability in their artificial dimension's energy field. But with the enemy's status and location unclear, they opted for caution, reinforcing their defenses instead of sending out patrols.
Meanwhile, in her hidden cave, Su Min's eyes flew open. Two beams of light, one clear and one murky, shot forth, illuminating the dark rock. Her cultivation base had finally stabilized at a new, formidable plateau.
Mahayana middle stage. She'd broken through.