"Gulp..."
The three Divine Transformation cultivators stared in horror at the woman before them. Her black mysterious armor, snow-white hair, and flaming eyes clearly revealed her identity.
It suddenly dawned on them why the Frostveil Pavilion had handed over the Netherfrost Soul Crystal to her. The conditions she could offer were undoubtedly so lavish that even a sect like theirs couldn't refuse. Had they known it was her, they wouldn't have dared to ambush Su Min even with three hundred times the courage.
Even if they managed to defeat Su Min, they could never keep her here. The only outcome would be her escaping, which would create an irreparable grudge. With just one word from her, countless people would come to destroy them, offering their heads as trophies.
After the initial shock, the three men's expressions turned vicious. Since things had escalated to this point, the only option was to ensure Su Min stayed here forever. Almost instantly, the three exchanged glances. Even the man who had lost an arm to Su Min gritted his teeth and began burning his essence blood.
"Triple Unity! Heaven-grade artifact—Xiumu Totem!!!"
As soon as their voices fell, a massive totem materialized in the sky, blocking Su Min's path. In an instant, the snowy plains turned lush with greenery as the power of the Heaven-grade artifact unfolded.
The scenery around Su Min shifted. The icy plains vanished, replaced by a forest exuding decay and death. Within it, her spiritual energy visibly drained away at an alarming rate.
"This is our Xiumu Sect's ultimate trump card—a high-grade Heaven-level artifact that requires three Divine Transformation cultivators to activate. The environment you're trapped in is a Forest of Death. No matter how strong you are, you will perish here!!!"
The Xiumu Elder's face twisted with malice as he gazed at the withered, deathly forest. This was their sect's final resort. Legend had it that this decayed wood was discovered by an elder in an ancient battlefield—a piece of wood that had remained unrotted despite centuries of death.
When the elder brought it back, he was corrupted by it and died within a hundred years. Over thousands of years, their sect slowly refined the wood, eventually forging it into a terrifying Heaven-grade artifact.
Within this domain, unless one cultivated their sect's unique Xiumu Divine Art, anyone else would have their spiritual energy rapidly drained. Under such conditions, even many Dao Comprehension experts could be worn down and killed by the three of them.
Now that things had come to this, there was no turning back—Su Min had to die here.
"Disgusting aura of decay."
Su Min coldly assessed her surroundings. Firstly, she was genuinely repulsed. It felt like swimming in a filthy sewer, making her skin crawl. Secondly, these people clearly didn't understand the terror of the Five Elements Holy Body, especially after she had unlocked the Wood attribute. She possessed strong resistance against all Wood-based attacks.
This resistance covered all aspects, including special effects. If this were a game, one would see a debuff on Su Min: "Spirit Drain—effect weakened." But of course, they couldn't see it.
In short, while the environment did affect her, it wasn't as severe as they believed. Moreover, with the ultra-high recovery provided by the Northern Water's Profound Origin's power, this domain only made her feel nauseated.
"Fools who don't know their limits! Activate the Heaven's Decay Killing Formation!"
In an instant, the three surrounded Su Min. This was their sect's second trump card—a triple-layered killing formation. With these two methods combined, even many early-stage Dao Comprehension experts would meet their end.
But for Su Min? It was almost laughable.
Clang!
A sharp metallic clash rang out. Su Min had already charged at one of the mid-stage Divine Transformation cultivators, smashing down with her giant sword. The next moment, a piercing collision erupted from the man's protective barrier.
The massive formation trembled violently under her strike, clearly unable to withstand many more hits.
"Sharp senses. You chose brute force over spells."
The Xiumu Elder's expression remained unchanged. The killing formation wasn't fully activated yet, so they had to rely on their personal barriers. But these barriers wouldn't last long against Su Min.
However, that wasn't the main issue.
Spiritual energy drained terrifyingly fast here. Worse, the air carried a corrosive aura of decay that would invade the body if spells were cast. Su Min, as a highly sensitive alchemist, immediately noticed and opted for the most efficient close combat.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of deafening metallic clashes followed. Then—
Crack!
A shattering sound echoed as the one-armed man was sent flying like a cannonball, crashing into the ground. His soul was shattered, and his life force rapidly faded.
Su Min knew to focus on the weakest link first. But at that moment, two terrifying auras surged toward her.
"Xiumu Palm!!!"
In the next instant, Su Min clashed palms with the two. A violent shockwave erupted. An ordinary early-stage Divine Transformation cultivator would be severely injured, if not killed, by this strike. But Su Min stood firm, relying on her physique and the Black Tortoise Armor to withstand it.
"!!!"
Horror dawned on their faces as they realized a critical flaw—their attacks barely affected her. Their techniques and skills were designed to work in tandem, especially within this domain, to inject deathly energy into their target.
But the result was terrifying. The decay energy was almost entirely blocked by Su Min. Even the traces that seeped in were quickly expelled.
At this moment, the Xiumu Elder suddenly understood.
"Eastern Azure Wood?! A heavenly treasure brimming with vitality—the absolute counter to our decay energy!!!"
"Congratulations, you figured it out. Any other Divine Transformation cultivator, even many early-stage Dao Comprehension experts, would be doomed here. But too bad for you—gimmicks are just gimmicks. Once countered, they're useless."
Su Min smirked at the elder's horrified expression. Just like the old Demon Queen she had slain before, once their gimmick was countered, it was as good as handing her victory. These two weren't as helpless, but their greatest trump card had been rendered useless. It was just their bad luck to run into Su Min, who possessed two heavenly treasures that perfectly countered them.
Throughout history, few had ever possessed multiple heavenly treasures, let alone ones that countered them so thoroughly. They were simply doomed.
So, in the next moment—
Su Min struck. She grabbed their wrists and crushed them with sheer force. The two reacted swiftly, severing their own arms to escape. Since their souls were intact, such injuries would heal in moments.
But their confidence was shattered. What was supposed to be a sure-kill trap had backfired. If Su Min could withstand their Xiumu Palm and ignore the follow-up effects, then this artifact was practically useless against her. And with two divine treasures inside her, they knew exactly what that meant.
Sure enough, crimson light blazed across the sky as a giant fiery bird swooped down on them.
Boom!!!
Flames engulfed the heavens. The mid-stage Divine Transformation cultivator plummeted, trailing black smoke. The Xiumu Elder, caught in the point-blank explosion, was left severely wounded.
Fire countered Wood. With the elemental disadvantage and a direct hit, there was no way they could withstand it.
The elder was only standing because Su Min had focused most of the blast on the other man. But before he could recover, Su Min closed in.
"If you kill me, countless lives will be lost because of you! Will you abandon the common people—urk—"
A fatal wound pierced his chest, sending him flying.
"Trying to morally kidnap me? Go to hell! Did you care about the common people when you tried to kill me?!"
In the next moment, the elder felt his leg seized before his face was slammed into the ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of violent impacts followed as the elder's face was repeatedly smashed into the earth. Under normal circumstances, Su Min might have let it slide. But when someone tried to kill her and then pulled the moral card upon losing?
She despised such hypocrites. So she struck with extra fury.
The earth shook violently with each impact, the tremors reaching even the distant Ice Peak City.
"Elder, should we send someone to investigate?"
Feeling the tremors, the auctioneer nervously asked Yue Ningzi.
"No need. The Xiumu Sect's three aren't earth or strength cultivators. Such tremors must be her doing. If she's this enraged, it's best not to interfere."
"Understood."
The Frostveil Pavilion's headquarters quickly settled back into silence. The distance was vast, and only top-tier cultivators could sense the energy fluctuations. Those at Golden Core or below wouldn't notice a thing.
Yue Ningzi had no intention of meddling. From what he knew, Su Min was usually composed and let bygones be bygones. For her to be this furious meant someone had crossed a line.
Facing an enraged alchemist? He'd rather stay out of it. Though he was curious about what had provoked her.
Soon, on the snowy field, Su Min finally stopped.
Before her was a massive fissure—dozens of meters deep and hundreds of meters long. The Xiumu Elder's body was gone, his soul obliterated.
She loathed people like him the most. Now, she felt much better.
They had attacked her relentlessly when they thought they could win, only to pull the moral card when losing.
"Done. This must be their sect's Heaven-grade artifact. Even if I don't know how to activate it, since it's ownerless, I'll gladly take it."
Surveying the wreckage, Su Min lightly waved her hand, reducing the corpses to ashes—leaving no evidence behind.
The Heaven-grade artifact was now hers.
While Heaven-grade artifacts were just one step below Emperor-grade, the gap was massive. Emperor-grade artifacts possessed sentience, much like the Golden Core Avenue, and couldn't be seized.
But Heaven-grade artifacts were lifeless. Once the owner died, they belonged to the victor.
Su Min had no qualms about claiming her spoils.
"Mission accomplished. No one else is chasing me. Time to head deeper into the snowy field and find a place to cultivate. If I reach mid-stage Divine Transformation, I'll have a much better chance against those things."
With that thought, Su Min turned and left. This was just a minor episode. Her principle was simple: if you don't provoke me, I won't provoke you. But if you come for her life, don't blame her for retaliating.
Of course, if she couldn't win, she'd flee and return for payback once stronger.
Her figure soon vanished.
Three days later...
"Tsk tsk, the battle was this intense? And no bodies… Looks like all three of them died."
Yue Ningzi clicked his tongue as he surveyed the scene. Had Su Min asked, he would've gladly helped eliminate the three. That would've earned him a favor from a future likely 7th-grade alchemist—a worthwhile investment.
But since she hadn't, he didn't dare interfere and risk offending her. At least now, it was clear she had no issues, which relieved him—especially since she'd promised him a Dao Comprehension Pill.
"In that case, let's clean up for her. She clearly doesn't want this known. Might as well finish the job. Take some people and erase all traces thoroughly."
"Yes."
The Nascent Soul auctioneer sighed but obeyed. Fortunately, the task wasn't difficult, and it was soon done.