"What the hell is all this?"
Looking around in exasperation, Su Min was currently in a rather sorry state.
The most cunning liars tell 99% of the truth but deceive you with the remaining 1%. Skilled illusionists operate the same way—using a massive array to blur reality and illusion, giving Su Min a massive headache.
For instance, the mountain charging at her from the front was an illusion, while the one behind her was real. There were also fire arrays, water arrays, and thunder arrays. In an instant, the area around her was swept by violent gales.
To make matters worse, her opponent's cultivation level was far higher than hers, making it extremely difficult for her to find flaws in the array.
"This woman's ability has a weakness—or perhaps it's not exactly a weakness."
After her initial frustration, Su Min quickly calmed down. She realized the flaw in Xuan Mengyin's technique: it lacked a decisive offensive move.
Or perhaps, to avoid any external attacks that might disrupt the array, Xuan Mengyin had chosen to play it safe and trap Su Min to death.
"If that's the case, then don't blame me for resorting to the turtle strategy."
With that thought, Su Min swiftly formed hand seals. In the next moment, a massive black sacred figure enveloped her completely. The Black Tortoise Sacred Form—renowned for its defense. Combined with the effects of the Northern Water's Profound Origin, its defensive power reached terrifying levels.
During her last clash with Han Shuangzi, it hadn't been shattered—it had simply dissipated because she'd exhausted her spiritual energy and could no longer sustain it. But maintaining just one sacred figure was a different story.
With the Eastern Wood Azure Essence complementing the Northern Water's Profound Origin her endurance was practically infinite.
The moment the Black Tortoise appeared, a sharp clanging sound rang out.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In an instant, ear-piercing metallic clashes reverberated throughout the battlefield.
The Black Tortoise Sacred Form retracted its limbs and head like a turtle hiding in its shell, then began spinning wildly like a billiard ball, crashing around the battlefield. Its absurdly tough defense allowed it to ignore all the illusions and strike freely.
"This…"
Watching the rapidly spinning tortoise shell, the spectators were dumbfounded. They hadn't expected things to turn out like this.
Though the Black Tortoise specialized in defense, its high-speed rotations made it a formidable offensive weapon as well. The entire array trembled under the assault, the pressure skyrocketing.
But what was even more troublesome was its defense. Array masters excelled at setting up formations—if given a month to prepare, anyone who entered would be lucky to escape with their life. But this array had been hastily set up, lacking spiritual veins or spirit stones for support, so its power was limited.
Xuan Mengyin had been secretly preparing a killing array, but her face twisted in frustration the next moment—because the spinning Black Tortoise smashed straight into the forming array.
Despite its chaotic spinning, the inside of the Black Tortoise remained perfectly still. Now that she'd calmed down, Su Min began searching for a way to break the stalemate.
Soon, she identified the key issues:
First, as an alchemist, her perception far surpassed that of most Dao Comprehension stage cultivators. She quickly detected the killing array being set up. The current attacks were just tickles—if the killing array was completed, she'd be in real danger.
Second, the illusions were too confusing to distinguish, but she didn't need to distinguish them. Since her opponent lacked a one-hit-kill move, the Black Tortoise's shell made her practically invincible.
Moreover, her recovery speed was insane. She could sustain this indefinitely. If she chose to detonate all three sacred figures, she could definitely break the array—but if Xuan Mengyin had a life-saving trump card, the subsequent fight would be much harder.
So, there was only one option left: Turtle Up!
Without a massive spiritual vein to power the array, Xuan Mengyin had to rely on her own spiritual energy. Though she had the Strange Wind to assist with illusions, heavenly treasures had their limitations—the Wind Heavenly Treasure offered no help with endurance.
"So why should I be scared?"
As for the killing array, she absolutely couldn't let it be activated. If Xuan Mengyin dared to dispel either the illusions or the array, Su Min would instantly counter with a lethal strike.
And so, time passed—one day, two days, three days…
"Ugh, these two are back to the turtle strategy again. This is unbearable."
"Sigh…"
As time dragged on, the spectators' faces twitched in frustration. They'd expected an intense battle, but instead, they got another drawn-out stalemate.
But while they were annoyed, the sects observing from the clouds frowned deeply. They, too, recognized how troublesome the Black Tortoise Sacred Form was.
During her fight with Han Shuangzi, Su Min had been testing her explosive power, so the Black Tortoise had only made a brief appearance. Everyone knew it was tough, but they hadn't realized how tough—this was beyond their expectations.
The array, though hastily set up and lacking spiritual support, shouldn't have been so easily resisted.
"Truly worthy of the Black Tortoise's defensive reputation. This fight is just ridiculous."
Many couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity. They'd expected a fierce battle between women, but it had devolved into a tortoise-shell standoff.
But in reality, the fight was nearing its end. The reason was simple: Su Min couldn't lose. She could afford countless mistakes, but Xuan Mengyin couldn't afford even one.
(Think of Netero vs. Meruem in Hunter x Hunter—one side had infinite room for error and eventually found an opening.)
Su Min was in the same position. Though she couldn't find a clear flaw, the Northern Water's Profound Origin gave her infinite endurance. She had no fear of a battle of attrition.
As for her opponent…
Many couldn't help but glance sympathetically at Xuan Mengyin, whose expression was undoubtedly spectacular right now. As expected, Xuan Mengyin's face was dark as a storm cloud. She'd realized she couldn't do anything to Su Min.
She wasn't a front-line fighter to begin with. The Miaoyin Valley had a unique trait—they kept male consorts to handle the fighting for them. But now, she was alone against Su Min, and that was a huge problem.
As the saying goes, brute force counters all flashy tricks. She knew how terrifying Su Min's physical strength was—if Su Min got close, it'd be a one-sided beatdown. That's why she'd devised this strategy: using the array's illusions to confuse Su Min while secretly setting up a killing array.
But the Black Tortoise's durability had completely blindsided her. During the last explosion, it had been obliterated, so she'd assumed its defense was mediocre. Now, she realized how wrong she'd been—horribly wrong.
Su Min hadn't dispelled the Black Tortoise because it was shattered—she'd simply run out of spiritual energy from recklessness.
This realization filled Xuan Mengyin with despair. Moreover, Su Min was a top-tier alchemist with unparalleled perception. She could sense danger instinctively, and her soul power surpassed Xuan Mengyin's. Any array Xuan Mengyin tried to hide would be instantly detected.
Now, Xuan Mengyin was in an awkward spot.
Su Min had three divine artifacts—the Eastern Wood Azure Essence and Northern Water's Profound Origin both provided massive advantages in prolonged battles. One increased her HP and MP, while the other accelerated recovery. The longer this dragged on, the more helpless Xuan Mengyin became.
Though she'd tried her best to conserve energy, the gap was terrifyingly vast. Her spiritual energy was already half-depleted. If this continued, she'd die without even knowing how.
"Damn it…"
But at that moment, her hand trembled slightly. The intense mental strain and the hopelessness of the situation had finally caused her to slip up.
And in that instant—
"Found you! Go—Azure Dragon Sacred Form!"
Su Min instantly pinpointed her location. Still inside the Black Tortoise, she formed another set of hand seals. A massive cyan wooden dragon materialized in the air.
The Black Tortoise was her foundation of invincibility, so she'd never risk it. But the Azure Dragon was different—though it lacked the Vermilion Bird's explosive power or the Black Tortoise's defense, it was the perfect middle ground.
In an instant, the colossal dragon tore through the array's barriers and lunged at Xuan Mengyin, its massive jaws snapping shut.
"Shit!!!"
Having experienced the dragon's tenacity before, Xuan Mengyin had no choice but to stop playing her zither and grip the strings tightly.
"Thousand Winds Execution!"
Countless gusts of wind wrapped around the Azure Dragon, violent energy erupting across its body. The massive figure twisted and warped, and after a dozen seconds of struggle, it was finally torn apart.
Xuan Mengyin had no choice. The moment she'd slipped up, this outcome was inevitable. Destroying the Azure Dragon at least spared her from dealing with it later.
But though the dragon's durability paled in comparison to the Black Tortoise, and it had already taken damage breaking through the array, it still took her over ten seconds to destroy it.
Ten seconds was an eternity in a battle at the Divine Transformation stage.
And just as she finished off the Azure Dragon, scorching flames began to engulf the battlefield.
Meanwhile, inside the Black Tortoise, Su Min popped a pill into her mouth. Her spiritual energy was running low, but with the pill's help, that wouldn't be an issue.
[Mystic Spirit Treasure Pill (Grade 6 Mid-Tier): Consuming it grants a large amount of spiritual energy for a short duration.]
This time, she wouldn't repeat her mistake against Han Shuangzi—exhausting herself to the point of collapse.
And then—a piercing bird's cry echoed through the sky.
"It's over…"
At that moment, everyone knew the outcome. Xuan Mengyin had no chance to set up another array. All Su Min had to do was keep pressing the attack—with the Black Tortoise's protection, she was untouchable.
As for Xuan Mengyin? She'd already lost. If she couldn't break the Black Tortoise earlier, she certainly couldn't now.
This woman had truly drawn the short straw—Su Min hard-countered her.
Her ultimate weapon was her charm technique, capable of ensnaring even Nascent Soul cultivators in an instant. It was no ordinary seduction art. But against Su Min? Useless. A woman of Su Min's caliber had a flawless heart and mind.
With one arm tied behind her back, what could Xuan Mengyin even fight with—motherly love?
The moment she saw the Vermilion Bird Sacred Form, Xuan Mengyin knew the result. Though it couldn't defeat her outright, continuing the fight was pointless—it'd only humiliate her further.
So, without hesitation, she abandoned the array and reappeared outside.
"Huh?"
Su Min was baffled. What was this woman doing?
"Where's your charm technique?"
Seeing Xuan Mengyin surrender so abruptly, Su Min was utterly confused. She'd been bracing for the charm technique the entire time, but her opponent had given up without even using it.
All she could think was: What just happened? What just happened? What just happened…?
"Did I… just win?"
Watching Xuan Mengyin leave, Su Min's lips twitched. After all that effort, the ending felt incredibly anticlimactic.
"Great! Elder Su won!"
Unlike the bewildered Su Min, the spectators were overjoyed. After all, Su Min was their sect's elder—her victory was cause for celebration.
They'd been on edge for days, fearing she might lose. Now, their worries were finally put to rest.
Only Su Min remained baffled as she was ushered out.
"This ended way too abruptly. I didn't expect this at all."
Shaking her head helplessly, she accepted her crystal reward and returned to the clouds.
Then, facing Tian Yinzi, she said coldly, "Now that this matter is settled, I'll take my leave. Regarding the defense arrangements, we'll only handle the four provinces and Eastern Mulberry Island. We lack the capacity for more. I need to refine some pills now."
Without waiting for a response, she flicked her sleeve and vanished into the clouds.
There was no time to bask in her so-called victory—or reflect on the strange, awkward tension of winning a fight where her opponent hadn't dared to use her best move. The battle was over, the crystals distributed, the defense arrangements handed off. But none of it mattered.
Because the most urgent matter had already taken root in her heart: the Snow Plains.
Xie Yingying still hadn't returned. nThe jade pendant remained silent. Not broken, not glowing. Just… quiet. And somehow, that silence felt louder with each passing day.
Su Min wasn't the sort to worry openly. But this?
This was different.
She couldn't sit still. Couldn't keep pretending to focus on pills and sect duties when her mind was already far away—chasing someone who hadn't come back. She was many things: alchemist, strategist, cultivator.
But patient?
Not when it came to Xie Yingying.
Su Min turned her gaze toward the distant Snow Plains her heart already screaming to chase her. But first, she'd escort her people back before setting off. Without a powerful expert guarding them, they might be ambushed by the Fallen on their return journey. To the Fallen, cultivators were far more delicious and energy-rich than ordinary humans.
As for saving the world? She wasn't that capable yet. Protecting one region was her limit.