Beneath the ocean, a violent tremor shook the depths. A colossal statue emerged from the Weak Waters, towering several kilometers high.
"Northern Guardian Black Tortoise—human face, bird body, with two green snakes coiled around its ears and two more beneath its feet."
This was none other than the mythical Black Tortoise. And as the statue appeared, a peculiar current of water began flowing from it.
"The Northern Water's Profound Origin?"
Sensing the energy of that water, Liao Jie's face twisted with greed. No one could resist the allure of a heavenly treasures of heaven and earth. Each one was a treasure that could serve as a legacy—just like the Golden Crow Clan's Sun True Fire and the Fusang Ancient Tree. And the woman they were hunting already possessed two such heavenly treasures. It was precisely because of those two treasures that even he felt a headache coming on if they were to fight head-on.
"Hmph."
Noticing Liao Jie's greed, the Black Serpent sneered. Did this fool really think the Black Tortoise's secret realm would be so easy to enter?
Heavenly treasures of heaven and earth all adhered to the principle of fate. If fate wasn't on your side, no amount of desperate struggle would let you obtain them. Besides, he knew his own circumstances all too well. The blessings of heaven and earth would likely have nothing to do with him in the future. So he had no interest in the Northern Water's Profound Origin.
Right now, all he wanted was to kill that woman. And thanks to his earlier rampage, almost all the demonic beasts in the Weak Waters had fled, making his hunting far less efficient. Once this matter was settled, he planned to head to the surface and start devouring humans.
Humans were not only numerous but also possessed high spiritual awareness. If he could eat that woman and then consume a few million more, he estimated he could fully restore his peak cultivation. Right now, he was just one step away from perfection.
Ordinary demonic beasts were useless to him at this stage—he needed prey at least at the Golden Core level or higher. But most Golden Core-stage demonic beasts belonged to powerful clans, making them hard to target.
Humans, on the other hand, were the perfect choice. They reproduced quickly and existed in vast numbers. Even if he left a few million alive, given a thousand years, their population would rebound. But just as the two were lost in their thoughts, ripples of water pulsed in the distance. No matter what, they were still in the Weak Waters—this wasn't land, where they could act with impunity.
"She's here!!!" ×2
In an instant, both men's eyes gleamed with excitement.
They had finally forced her out.
Truth be told, both had been worried that Su Min might simply give up. But now, it was clear she wouldn't—she couldn't abandon the Northern Water's Profound Origin. For someone with the Five Elements Holy Body, these heavenly treasures were far too important. If not for the immense luck required to obtain them, a truly perfected Five Elements Holy Body would be nearly impossible to achieve.
On the other side, Su Min didn't hesitate. Ever since awakening, she had been refining her techniques and preparing her trump cards. In one of her sleeves was the Dragon Emperor's daughter. In the other was the vial containing Xie Yingying's blood essence—her ultimate lifeline.
But using it came with severe restrictions. Unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn't resort to it.
But now, she had no choice.
"Neither of them is hiding their presence, huh? Fine. Then let's soar through the nine heavens—Vermilion Bird Idol Manifestation!"
Sensing the powerful auras in the distance, Su Min swiftly formed hand seals as she moved. The next moment, a gigantic flaming bird materialized within the Weak Waters. Though it appeared to be made of fire, due to Su Min's unique physique, its attribute had shifted to wood. And now, with the Black Tortoise's mark, the Weak Waters along her path were being absorbed by her. Almost instantly, the Vermilion Bird's size began expanding wildly. Within moments, its wingspan exceeded five hundred meters.
And so—
"What the hell is that?! How is she unleashing Nanming Lihuo in the Weak Waters?!"
When the group saw the enormous bird burning underwater, their hearts nearly stopped. They knew about the Five Elements Holy Body's abilities, but they'd never imagined it could defy the heavens to this extent. Even the Dragon Emperor's daughter hidden in Su Min's sleeve was stunned. Not even she had ever witnessed such a spectacle.
This was the Weak Waters—a place that consumed living beings. The only reason they could move freely here was due to their high cultivation. Even she, the Dragon Emperor, was somewhat affected by this environment. But now, Su Min was making the impossible happen before their eyes. And even more terrifying—the attack's power was immense. If she took a direct hit, even she wouldn't walk away unscathed.
"What are you planning?!"
Ao Xue's voice was laced with alarm.
Because she realized something terrifying—
Su Min's current demeanor reminded her of that cowboy riding the nuke in Dr. Strangelove.
On the big screen, it had been absurd and comical.
But in reality?
This was not funny.
"Charging straight in. I have the Black Tortoise's mark, so I can manipulate part of the space inside. That way, we can use the terrain to force a two-on-one fight."
Su Min licked her lips in excitement. If they wanted to play dirty, she'd play dirtier. Since they were determined to kill her, they wouldn't just let her waltz in and claim the Black Tortoise's legacy. After all, if she obtained the complete inheritance, she might immediately break through to the Soul Transformation stage.
And then?
They'd all die.
So as long as she could get inside the Black Tortoise's ruins, she could take her time dealing with them. Because while the exterior was massive, the interior was even more vast—
A space no smaller than any continent on Earth. This was the Black Tortoise's unique ability—to swallow heaven and earth whole.
As for the damage?
Su Min didn't care.
She'd already taken a Flame Resistance Pill before coming here. And her innate fire resistance was monstrously high—she could tank this explosion head-on. This had been her original plan anyway. But now, with the Dragon Emperor's daughter assisting her, she could tweak it slightly.
Sure enough, when the group saw Su Min's suicidal charge, their expressions twisted in horror. They didn't know how she was doing this, but the soul-scorching heat radiating from that flaming bird was very real.
So without hesitation, they all chose the same course of action—
Dodge.
Even the two half-step Dao Comprehension experts reacted this way.
As for the two mid-stage Soul Transformation monks?
They definitely weren't about to take the hit.
And so—
BOOM!!!!
A deafening explosion erupted.
For an instant, the Weak Waters within a several-kilometer radius were vaporized, creating a temporary vacuum. The shockwave was so powerful that the entire secret realm shuddered.
"MADWOMAN!!!"
Both Luo Jie and the Black Serpent cursed inwardly. An attack powerful enough to hurt them—would she even survive her own explosion?!
But the next moment, their eyelids twitched violently. Amidst the flames, a crimson figure shot forward—completely unharmed—and plunged straight into the Black Tortoise's gaping maw.
They had set up barrier formations to block her. But under the force of that explosion?
All those formations had been obliterated. Their preparations had been completely wasted.
"..."
For a moment, the four could only stare at each other in silence. Luo Jie and the Black Serpent were fine—their cultivation was high enough to endure. But the other two Soul Transformation monks?
They were in bad shape.
Su Min's attack had left them scorched and bleeding. If not for their Soul Transformation-level vitality—keeping their Nascent Souls intact—they might have been crippled.
Even so, the two were terrified. This was a Nascent Soul-stage cultivator!
In their eyes, Nascent Soul cultivators were supposed to be ants—things they could crush with a single slap.
But now?
This "ant" had nearly blown them to pieces.
"Stay alert. She was the top-ranked on the Golden Core Heavenly Leaderboard. And not long ago, she killed Le Neng. We pursue her now."
Luo Jie's voice was cold as he glanced at the two behind him.
The two monks exchanged uneasy looks.
Only Luo Jie had witnessed how Su Min, at mid-stage Nascent Soul, had slaughtered their Future Maitreya Mountain disciples. And she was a sixth-tier alchemist—who knew how many pills she had stockpiled?
It wasn't surprising she could unleash such a terrifying attack. But his words still left them uneasy. The Golden Core Avenue opened roughly every two hundred years. So even the top ranker on the Golden Core Heavenly Leaderboard wasn't that impressive in their eyes.
But considering that even that prodigy had participated in this cycle—and lost to her—perhaps this wasn't so strange after all. And as sect disciples, they had no choice but to obey orders. So with great reluctance, they followed the two into the Black Tortoise's massive mouth.
Meanwhile, as Su Min passed through the Black Tortoise's jaws, everything suddenly expanded before her. It was like the fisherman in Peach Blossom Spring stumbling into paradise.
The sudden openness and clarity filled her with relief. After spending so long in the dim, oppressive secret realm, the absence of sunlight had weighed on her psyche.
"So this is the miniature world within the Black Tortoise's body? It's incredibly vast..."
Gazing at the mountains, rivers, and the artificial sun and moon overhead, Su Min felt a deep sense of relaxation.
"The Black Tortoise's body contains a world of its own. Truly worthy of its legendary status."
Ao Xue's slightly hoarse voice emerged from Su Min's sleeve.
Right now, she had to admit—being Su Min's ally was fucking intense.
That explosion just now?
Su Min had tanked it with her bare body.
As for her?
Though Su Min's soul energy had shielded her from most of the impact, the residual force had still hurt. Despite being a Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, she didn't have Su Min's freakish fire resistance.
She wasn't injured, but damn, it stung.
"They've chased us inside."
At that moment, the mark within Su Min's body pulsed. The four had entered the secret realm as well. But due to the realm's unique nature, they had been scattered across different locations within this vast world.