The war had reignited. For mid-tier cultivators—those at the Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Divine Transformation stages—their battles could already be considered clashes of gods.
In an instant, violent surges of power rippled across the sky. Thanks to the protective formation, none of it reached the ground. But it was enough to terrify every cultivator in the sect below the Golden Core stage, as well as the people in the distant cities.
Even in such chaos, the battle lines were clearly drawn. Almost everyone sought an opponent of similar cultivation level—except for Su Min.
The moment the fighting began, the mid-stage Divine Transformation cultivator locked onto her. Meanwhile, the little Golden Crow was already engaged with the puppet and the peak-stage Spirit Transformation expert. Though she held the upper hand, appearing like a blazing sun from below, those two were enough to hinder her movements, leaving her no time to assist Su Min.
But this wasn't a problem. Su Min had long anticipated this scenario—it was still within her plans.
"DIE!!!"
True to expectations, Mu Xue roared the instant the battle began, transforming into a streak of light as he charged straight at Su Min. But at that very moment, a massive mansion, towering like a mountain, materialized out of nowhere and slammed down on him.
BANG—
The earth shook violently. The colossal impact sent the palace staggering backward, while Mu Xue was left dazed, barely able to regain his senses.
"A Heaven-grade high-tier treasure?!"
His face twisted in horror at the sight of the palace. Their Blood Puppet Sect only possessed one artifact of this level—held by his elder brother, Mu Kui, who was using it against the little Golden Crow. So how could there be another one? The realization made his expression darken.
The artifact was none other than Xie Yingying's Xuantian Mansion—the sole Heaven-grade treasure of her sect, which had always been in her possession. Unfortunately, her cultivation had been insufficient before, and the restrictions of the Golden Core Avenue had prevented her from wielding it. Now that she had reached the Nascent Soul stage, she could finally activate it to some extent.
But using it in battle? Without Divine Transformation-level power, it was better not to even consider it. After blocking Mu Xue's strike, the palace rapidly shrank and returned to Xie Yingying's hand. By then, she had already taken her place beside Su Min.
"Lunar Sovereign Physique?!"
Mu Xue's face grew even uglier when he saw the young woman in black. That Heaven-grade treasure had put immense pressure on him. The collision had felt like slamming into an indestructible wall. With his Divine Transformation-level strength, even ordinary mountains would have crumbled under such force.
"Correct, but no reward."
At that moment, Su Min's aura shifted once more as the power of the Solar Sovereign Physique erupted from her body.
"Solar Sovereign Physique… but incomplete?! How?!"
Mu Xue's expression finally twisted into sheer disbelief. In his understanding, the Lunar Sovereign and Solar Sovereign Physiques were far too overpowering—so much so that the two were never meant to coexist. Yet when they did, the resulting fusion unleashed terrifying power—even if Su Min's Solar Sovereign Physique wasn't fully realized.
Gritting his teeth, he charged again. No matter what, he had to crush Su Min now—even kill her. As for the Xuantian Mansion? He dismissed it. Xie Yingying's current strength clearly couldn't unleash another strike like that.
But in the next instant, Su Min and Xie Yingying seemed to establish a strange connection. The two had spent decades experimenting in the Golden Core Avenue, developing new ways to combine their Taiyin and Taiyang energies.
At their current early-stage Nascent Soul cultivation, killing a mid-stage Divine Transformation expert was impossible. But stalling him—or even injuring him—was well within their abilities.
Simultaneously, their swords touched.
And in that moment, a blast of fused Yin-Yang energy shot straight at Mu Xue.
BOOM—
The attack collided with Mu Xue head-on.
As the saying went: "The finest ingredients require the simplest methods." The fusion of Taiyin and Taiyang was similarly straightforward—just mix them together and hurl them out. Any more complexity risked the energies clashing and detonating prematurely.
But underestimating this attack would be a fatal mistake.
Mu Xue, in his impatience, didn't even dodge. He barreled straight into it, relying on his defensive treasures to block the strike so he could seize Su Min as quickly as possible.
But—
"AAARGH!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the air. The fusion of Taiyin and Taiyang was not so easily resisted. Mu Xue's body was sent flying backward at even greater speed, and when he finally steadied himself, he clutched his wounds, sucking in sharp breaths.
The pain was unbearable. Only he knew just how severe that strike had been.
"I can't fight head-on. I have to wait until her Solar Sovereign Physique state ends."
In an instant, he realized his only option: stall.
Engaging directly was suicide. But if he dragged this out, Su Min's Solar Sovereign Physique—which wasn't a true innate physique but a temporary state—would eventually fade. At their early-stage Nascent Soul level, they couldn't touch him if he avoided confrontation.
And indeed, if a Divine Transformation expert chose to evade, Su Min and Xie Yingying had no way to deal meaningful damage. But the two women weren't worried.
Because less than a minute later—
A terrifying aura exploded across the sky.
"MU XUE, SAVE ME!!!"
A desperate shriek echoed through the battlefield, freezing even Mu Xue mid-retreat. When he turned, he saw the sect's puppet reduced to charred wreckage. The ancestor's corpse had been completely obliterated. As for Mu Kui? Though slightly better off, his entire body was scorched black—death was only a matter of time.
In that split second of distraction—
Su Min and Xie Yingying moved in perfect sync.
Their hands formed a series of opposing seals.
[Yin Seal. Yang Seal. Twin Polar Karma Seal of Yin and Yang—SEAL!!!]
By the time Mu Xue realized what was happening, it was too late.
The seal was complete. Back then, Su Min had barely managed to suppress the Ten Thousand Laws within Yao Xian'er's body—and that was when Yao Xian'er was only at the Golden Core stage. The Ten Thousand Laws had been of an unfathomably high tier.
Mu Xue had nothing of that caliber within him.
So the sealing power rampaged unchecked. In an instant, his cultivation plummeted—from mid-stage Divine Transformation to early-stage, then further down to late-stage Nascent Soul… mid-stage…
Mu Xue's face turned deathly pale.
Meanwhile, Su Min smiled.
"Leave him to me. Go support the others."
She dismissed her Solar Sovereign Physique state as she spoke. Against a Divine Transformation expert? Impossible. But if his cultivation had fallen to the Nascent Soul stage? That was a different story. Even with his Divine Transformation foundation, Mu Xue might not fear ordinary Nascent Soul opponents.
But Su Min was no ordinary opponent. And time was no longer on his side. Mu Kui was already on the verge of death under the little Golden Crow's assault. Once she was free, Mu Xue would be doomed.
Moreover, their forces had been decimated. Though the Blood Puppet Sect's secret techniques had given them numerical superiority among the Nascent Soul experts, they were no match for the Azure Dragon King and the Peacock King.
After all, they were nothing but a pack of weaklings.
"Vermilion Bird Idol!"
Su Min didn't care what Mu Xue was thinking. Her hands moved swiftly, conjuring a hundred-meter-long Vermilion Bird that materialized in the sky. Without hesitation, she leaped onto its back and shot forward.
"I'll fight to the death!"
Seeing the Vermilion Bird charging toward him, Mu Xue clenched his teeth and lunged. He couldn't even self-detonate his spirit now. But if he could capture Su Min, there might still be a sliver of hope. Regret gnawed at him.
"If only we had brought the sect's resources to Eastern Mulberry Land to beg for forgiveness."
From their investigations, Su Min was known for her mercy. Throughout the Golden Core Avenue, she had rarely killed anyone—not even the members of their own sect. But it was too late for regrets now.
"Trying to fight me to the death? In your dreams."
Su Min smirked inwardly. Three miniature Vermilion Bird Idols materialized in the air, each slamming into Mu Xue in succession.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Three explosions later, though she couldn't see through the smoke, her heightened senses allowed her to react instantly. She kicked off the Vermilion Bird's back and lunged forward.
BOOOOM—
A crimson light flashed across the sky. At the same time, a streak of golden light pierced through the chaos. Mu Kui's head—along with his spirit—was obliterated. Without spiritual energy to resist, his body was incinerated by the Sun's True Flames in the blink of an eye.
In that moment, every last invader from the Blood Puppet Sect had been annihilated. With Xie Yingying joining the fray, the Nascent Soul-level battle had ended swiftly.
Then came the Golden Core cultivators.
In less than ten minutes, the Blood Puppet Sect's forces—who had arrived with such ferocity—were completely wiped out.
Not a single one remained.