"Whew, whew... finally out."
Emerging from the unstable, shimmering passageway and back into the familiar, oppressive darkness of the Dark Universe, Su Min took a deep, steadying breath. The air here, thick with turbid energy, felt almost refreshing compared to the chaotic collapse she had just escaped.
Fighting three half-immortals alone, even with her advantages, had placed a tremendous burden on her body and soul. The lingering ache in her meridians was a stark reminder of the battle's intensity.
"Now that I've left the Nether Prison, I need to head to the depths of the Dark Universe, to that core passage," she thought, her mind already shifting to the next objective.
Surveying her surroundings and confirming she was alone, Su Min relaxed slightly. She had already destroyed most of the infrastructure within that Nether Prison. It would be impossible for them to deploy large numbers of powerful experts through a stable passage in a short time, so all she needed to do now was find and block the primary entrance they were trying to open.
But soon, she and Tian Hao, who had emerged behind her with his group, encountered a major problem. They stared helplessly at the scene before them. A new, smaller passage was already open, shimmering with malevolent energy. With the main Nether Prison world collapsing, the dimensional barriers had weakened, significantly reducing the energy required to open such gateways.
"Damn it, they were faster than I thought," Tian Hao muttered, his expression grim.
Without hesitation, Su Min swallowed two high-grade recovery pills in quick succession, feeling the potent energy flood her system. Then, she charged forward toward the new passage. Even if a few more Mahayana stage experts slipped through, it wouldn't matter much in the grand scheme. They wouldn't dare refuse a direct confrontation with her, and besides, none of them possessed the overwhelming power of Imperial artifacts.
The major sects back in their home universe could hold them off once their ancestral guardians activated their own Imperial artifacts. Moreover, powerhouses like Yao Xian'er and Tian Yang, if they were free to act, could easily slaughter this small, dispersed group. As for herself, her immediate task was to block this new incursion. Although her current consumption was enormous, she sensed that this new passageway only allowed Mahayana stage experts through, one at a time.
Even in her depleted state, she could completely overpower any single Mahayana stage opponent emerging from such a narrow gate. After all, she was merely exhausted, not seriously injured. So she continuously consumed pills during her journey to the dark center, determined to quickly restore her spiritual energy to a safer level.
Upon reaching the dark, swirling epicenter where the passage was anchored, both her and Tian Hao's conditions soon returned to a functional normal, their auras stabilizing.
"Just as I suspected," Su Min murmured, her eyes scanning the complex formations around the passage. "To forcibly open a stable passage to the Nether Prison from the outside requires sacrificing a true immortal, and this thing..." Her gaze fell upon the core of the formation.
She waved her hand, and a crimson, crystalline sphere flew from the center of the formation into her palm. It was the Black Sun, the very artifact that had once suppressed Yao Xian'er for so long.
"An immortal artifact..." Su Min murmured in genuine surprise, feeling the profound, otherworldly power contained within the sphere. Only a true immortal artifact could have suppressed a prodigy like Yao Xian'er to that extent. She hadn't expected that True Immortal to have prepared and sacrificed even an immortal artifact for this plan.
Clearly, he was already dead, having spent his entire existence and all his treasures to create this gateway. Not just him, she realized, there were no living creatures left in this entire dark universe. He had used them all, every last one, as expendable resources to power the ritual, which surprised Su Min somewhat with its sheer ruthlessness.
Soon enough, Su Min arrived at the mouth of the final passageway, gazing solemnly at everything before her. The gateway pulsed like a wound in reality.
"It's really open, but they haven't sent anyone through yet," she observed, her spiritual sense probing the tunnel. "There's no trace of anyone in this passage. It's empty." Staring at the silent, ominous passage, Su Min fell into deep thought. He had clearly succeeded in opening it, yet the Nether Prison hadn't immediately dispatched any forces. This was abnormal and unsettling.
"Is it because the numbers they can send are insufficient to be effective, or because I killed all their readily available forces? Whatever the reason, I'll keep observing." With this thought, Su Min turned and concealed herself within the swirling dark energy of the Dark Universe, simultaneously recovering her strength while continuing to passively absorb the dark energy to replenish her turbid qi reserves. The rest could be left to time; she would wait and see.
While Su Min quietly recuperated, a different kind of unrest stirred in the crippled Nether Prison.
"We've confirmed the location, and the passage is open. But we've lost most of our readily deployable Mahayana stage experts here in the Nether Prison. Sending the scattered remnants we have left now would be meaningless suicide," the Warden's expression was darker than the void outside as he observed the passageway from his end. It was too small, only one Mahayana stage expert could pass through at a time, with a week needed for the passage to recover before sending another. That woman had killed half-immortals; her combat power was undoubtedly equivalent to an emperor's.
Moreover, he didn't understand her capabilities fully. If she could force a true immortal to dissolve himself just to open a passage, she was absolutely extraordinary. After Su Min's final Chaos Azure Lotus had obliterated the three half-immortals along with their last stronghold, the Nether Prison no longer had many powerful, mobile experts left. Sending more now would be pointless, like throwing meat into a grinder.
"A Chaos physique at the Mahayana stage. Capable of killing three half-immortals simultaneously. Unless we deploy true immortals, anyone else would be sending lambs to slaughter. But we've already lost nearly ten immortals trying to kill her in the past. We need special measures now." Reading the compiled intelligence report, the Warden felt a chill that had nothing to do with temperature. Just the information alone was terrifying, she could ignore the corrupting influence of turbid energy, even converting it into her own power, nullifying their greatest environmental advantage.
Such an existence was their absolute nemesis, as proven countless years ago by that one legendary individual. They couldn't allow any Chaos physique to survive. They had to use the ultimate weapon, the Zhexian Curse.
"We must report this and prepare the Zhexian Curse. There is no other way." With that grim decision, he grabbed three nearby Mahayana stage experts, who had been guarding his chamber, and threw them onto a black altar. Before they could even scream in protest or confusion, the altar instantly devoured them, their bodies and souls dissolving into pure energy. In the blink of an eye, a hazy, immensely powerful phantom figure materialized above the altar.
"Great King, we've discovered a Chaos physique in a minor universe," the Warden reported, kneeling on one knee.
Boom!
As these words were spoken, terrifying energy fluctuations erupted from the phantom, shaking the entire Nether Prison fortress, something even the Warden in his full power couldn't accomplish.
"Five Kings. The forbidden curse enacted at the cost of five Kings was meant to prevent the meeting of the Lunar Sovereign and Solar Sovereign physiques. How could a Chaos physique emerge? It should be impossible!" the phantom's voice was like grinding stones.
"I don't know, Great King, but the facts are undeniable. According to intelligence, her Chaos physique isn't even complete, yet she's already terrifyingly powerful, slaying three of our half-immortals while at the Mahayana stage." Feeling the terrifying pressure, the Warden could only lower his head further and continue his report. This was far beyond his authority as a mere Warden; it had to be reported to the highest authorities. Sure enough, upon hearing this, the being erupted with even more terrifying fluctuations, making the Warden tremble where he knelt.
"We must act. Immediately. If she crosses the Mahayana barrier, it will be our doom." The being spoke slowly, each word heavy with dire portent. Someone who could kill three half-immortals at the Mahayana stage, if she broke through to the Transcendence stage, the consequences would be unthinkable.
The so-called Transcendence stage was merely a transitional phase due to insufficient immortal essence in most universes. Those at this stage were extremely powerful, with some peak experts even rivaling weaker true immortals. Their own half-immortals were usually crushed one-on-one by such beings, unless fighting within the advantageous environment of the Dark Universe.
But this woman could fight three simultaneously while actively resisting and using the dark energy, seemingly without lasting injuries. The mere thought was terrifying. Moreover, the Chaos physique was perfectly attuned to the universe's creation, immune to worldly suppression. Once she crossed the Mahayana stage, she would directly face heavenly tribulations, potentially skipping the Transcendence stage entirely to become a true immortal.
That would spell absolute despair for them, just like in the past when one man with a blade slaughtered his way across their realms. And according to the reports, she was only at the early Mahayana stage during these feats. If she reached mid-Mahayana, the consequences would be dire. Their half-immortals weren't casually replaceable assets. This woman absolutely couldn't be allowed to live.
"What is the Snake Clan doing, allowing a Chaos physique to grow to this extent? You must protect this passageway at all costs. I need to consult with the other five great clans. The cost of casting the Zhexian Curse must be shared among us all." The being spoke harshly. Normally, they would only send lower immortals for such tasks. Such immortals were somewhat expendable, but upper immortals were different. After becoming immortals, there were no further minor subdivisions, power entered a relatively solidified state.
Thus, immortals were broadly divided into upper and lower tiers. Upper immortals were extremely rare, with far greater combat power and significance. Post-immortal strength mainly depended on pre-immortal accumulation and comprehension. Among hundreds of new immortals, rarely would one become an upper immortal. But that Chaos physique was even more terrifying, once she became an immortal, she would immediately become a King-level entity.
Even if all five current clan leaders attacked simultaneously, they might not be able to kill her. They might even be picked off one by one. As for how powerful that future being might become, it was beyond their speculation. Even he, an ancient King, hadn't found a clear path to further advancement.
Regardless, activating the Zhexian Curse required the sacrifice of ten upper immortals, a painful cost even for the five great clans. And this was still the best-case scenario, striking before she became immortal. To kill that person in the past, besides ten upper immortals, they had mobilized nearly their entire force to capture him first. The aftermath had been devastating, almost all their immortals were wiped out.
Hearing this, the Warden couldn't help but gasp silently. He was merely a lower immortal, while sharing the same life level, the gap between him and an upper immortal was vast. He could only watch such a sacrifice from the sidelines. Yet they needed ten such beings.
"Guard the passage well. Without an anchor in that world, no matter the cost, we cannot lock onto her for the curse."
"Yes, Great King." The Warden nodded firmly. Soon, the phantom figure vanished, the connection severing. Meanwhile, the Nether Prison fell into an even deeper, more anxious silence. This matter was now far beyond his pay grade and concern.
Elsewhere, back in the Dark Universe.
"No movement at all. It seems they're not sending anyone. In that case, I'll start digesting the spoils of this battle." Su Min sighed in relief after observing for a long while, then produced the three swirling, fragmented soul essences from the half-immortals. The only problem was that these souls had been damaged by the explosive end of the battle, leaving them fragmented and intermixed, impossible to cleanly separate.
Thus, their absorption would be inefficient, with much of the energy lost in the process.
"Nothing to be done about it. When facing a single opponent, I could kill them cleanly and preserve their soul intact. But with three at once, this was the best I could manage." Looking at the chaotic mass of soul fragments, Su Min decisively shattered all their residual memories and consciousness with a single spiritual strike, then began absorbing the pure energy directly. With her previous experiences and her current higher cultivation level, the absorption process was exceptionally fast, completed in under a week.
"Still not enough to reach late Mahayana," she assessed, feeling the new power settle within her core. "I need more high-grade pills. But I lack the specific materials for ninth-grade pills now." With her current speed, it took less than a day to travel from the Heavenly Continent to here. There was no need to stay any longer, she would return to her base to gather materials and check on things.
Ninth-grade pills were extremely valuable and required massive, rare amounts of ingredients. Her personal stash had been completely exhausted after crafting the last one for the Dark Starry Sky.
"It's been a while since I went back. But I'll leave a sentry here." She deployed a sophisticated Heaven-grade detection artifact nearby, setting it to alert her of any activity. "Also, maybe I can make use of this thing." She frowned at the crimson Black Sun sphere in her hand. When unfolded with energy, it became an enormous, dark star emitting a light that could suppress cultivators. Those below the Unity stage, like Dao Comprehension stage cultivators, would die instantly upon exposure.
But even if it wasn't a full immortal artifact, a Heaven-grade treasure of this level couldn't be used casually by just anyone.
"If nothing else, I'll melt it down to recraft my own weapon." Glancing at the sphere, Su Min muttered to herself. Her current primary weapon, though Heaven-grade, was nearly useless to her now. Heaven-grade treasures were as fragile as paper in her hands, offering no real assistance in high-level battles. That weapon had been perfectly suited when she first mastered the Five Elements Sacred Physique.
But now, as a Chaos physique, it was wholly inadequate. The next step would be an Imperial artifact, something only an emperor could normally forge. Yet with her current abilities and unique flames, it wasn't impossible. With this thought, Su Min opened her palm.
Boom!!!
Instantly, unique black-and-white flames erupted in her hand, swirling together in a harmonious dance, unlike any elemental flame she had wielded before.
After becoming a Chaos physique, all her elemental divine objects had merged and transformed into something entirely new, the Chaos Flame. This existence surpassed all previous divine objects. Though called a flame, it had no single elemental attribute, instead possessing two fundamental abilities, decomposition and fusion. With the Chaos Flame's help, Su Min felt confident she could challenge her previous crafting limits. She could potentially forge a true Imperial artifact for herself, despite only being at the Mahayana stage.
"Time to return." After ensuring the detection artifact was active and hidden, Su Min flew straight out of the Dark Universe, her speed a blur as she headed towards the Heavenly Continent. Normally, the dense turbid energy could block and confuse cultivators' senses, but this rule didn't apply to Su Min anymore; she navigated the darkness with instinctive ease.
"Hmm, back again."
Seeing the familiar, majestic outline of the floating continent below, a rare sense of calm settled over her. Su Min descended from the sky, her thoughts already turning to pill ingredients and forging plans.