"Who are they?"
Hearing Su Min's words, Xie Yingying was startled. She hadn't detected anything outside at all. Though she wasn't afraid, being ambushed would still be troublesome—especially since their opponents were at Dao Comprehension stage, and their peak strength had clearly been far beyond that.
However, the mention of one particular individual surprised her slightly.
Fallen ones were no good—she'd been hunted across thousands of miles by them. If not for her own methods, she would have been in real trouble. Back then, she'd only been at Nascent Soul stage.
But now they dared to come again? Then she'd settle both old and new grudges at once. During the Golden Core Avenue, she'd followed Su Min's lead without offending anyone, so she'd never lost her temper.
Did they really think she had no temper? In that instant, the temperature within the tomb plummeted violently. Ice crystals formed in the blink of an eye, as if the area had suddenly entered an extreme frozen realm.
Even an ordinary Divine Transformation cultivator here would shudder uncontrollably.
Of course, Su Min was no ordinary Divine Transformation cultivator. With her special physique protecting her, she completely ignored the bone-piercing cold.
"Those bald donkeys."
But the next moment, Su Min's furious voice rang out. Among those lying in wait outside, one was unmistakably a monk radiating golden light—clearly the true strongest expert of Future Maitreya Mountain.
Given her close ties to Great Thunder Temple, she naturally knew all about Future Maitreya Mountain's hidden cards.
Liao Jie had been the strongest they could openly deploy, but behind him was an even more terrifying senior brother. However, due to being entangled in karma, he normally remained sealed within their sect's special treasure. For him to emerge now meant he'd paid a horrific price.
This incomplete Dao Comprehension expert even bore fragmented Dao wounds. Clearly, they still intended to kill her. In truth, if they'd done nothing, Su Min might have nearly forgotten about dealing with them.
But now they dared to jump out and cause trouble again? Then she wouldn't hold back when the time came.
Even clay figures had a temper—this was already the third time. The Land and Water Assembly, the Weak Water Secret Realm, and now hunting her here.
Did they really think she was some meek bodhisattva? Before Xie Yingying could fully unleash her cold aura, an even more terrifying crimson killing intent erupted from Su Min's body. The violent shockwave even suppressed Xie Yingying, who was at Dao Comprehension stage.
The latter turned her head to look at Su Min in disbelief—this murderous aura made her own heart tremble with fear.
This was the special killing intent Su Min had refined after obtaining the White Tiger's legacy. If not for the even more profound Time Law, Su Min might have walked the Path of Slaughter. Against future enemies, this would be the most effective method.
"After we go out, you handle the fallen one. As for that bald donkey... it's time to settle our accounts."
Su Min was slightly surprised by her own killing intent but quickly regained composure. This was the aura of slaughter—not achieved through massacre, but tempered through battles against strong opponents—a kind of righteous killing intent.
Only after successively killing those three fallen ones had she truly awakened this power.
"Alright. But how did you offend those monks?"
Xie Yingying nodded but couldn't help asking curiously. When she'd left, Su Min had been attending the Land and Water Assembly, so she didn't know what had happened.
She remembered Su Min possessed the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra and had some connection with Great Thunder Temple—so what was going on?
"That lineage seems to have foreseen something about me and became determined to kill me. This is already the third time. Once I reach Dao Comprehension stage, I'll destroy them."
Su Min was somewhat baffled herself. What kind of strange prophecy had they seen to harbor such killing intent toward her? From their very first meeting, they'd marked her for death.
It wasn't that she had no theories, but she simply didn't know the specifics.
"Those monks have always been shady. Staying away from them is wise."
Xie Yingying shook her head. Having lived since that era, she understood those existences better.
"I've kept my distance all along."
Su Min rolled her eyes. After that Land and Water Assembly, she'd barely interacted with them. Though Great Thunder Temple still commissioned pill refining from her, that was purely business—otherwise, she had little to do with them.
As for Future Maitreya Mountain, it was pure undeserved calamity. She'd truly never offended them, yet they'd given her no chance at reconciliation.
But since things had come to this, she needed to consider how to annihilate them.
"Then let's act."
Though unclear about the details, given their relentless hostility, Xie Yingying couldn't be bothered to dwell on reasons. With a slight wave of her hand, a portal appeared before them.
"With Senior Jiang gone, I now hold the highest authority here. Let's move."
Seeing the portal, the two stepped through side by side.
Meanwhile, outside in the blizzard, two figures stood silently. To avoid detection, they'd completely concealed their auras. If not for Su Min's soul having recently undergone transformation, she wouldn't have noticed them either.
Both were ambush experts—no room for mockery here.
But the next instant, one scorching and one freezing aura shot from the sky, ruthlessly striking their targets.
"!!!"
Caught off guard by the attacks, the two were startled.
Boom!
A massive explosion instantly engulfed the snowy plains, forcing their bodies into visibility. Four terrifying auras swept across the land, causing many creatures to instinctively flee.
In the current environment, Dao Comprehension stage represented the pinnacle. Even equally powerful beings avoided conflict with such experts.
"Discovered?"
Facing the black-clad woman before him, the ancient soul's expression darkened. He'd never imagined someone could penetrate the blizzard to detect them.
In truth, it was because they'd gotten too close—if they'd stayed farther away, Su Min and Xie Yingying could have simply fled upon emerging.
"You're truly like lingering ghosts. I'd nearly forgotten about you."
Expressionlessly staring at the monk, Su Min sensed that familiar aura—Future Maitreya Mountain's unique techniques. And this one was far stronger than Liao Jie.
Back when she'd only been at Nascent Soul stage, she'd stood no chance against Liao Jie at half-step Dao Comprehension. Without the dragon princess, her chances of obtaining the Northern Water's Profound Origin would have been minuscule.
But overall, she hadn't suffered substantial losses, so over time, she'd almost forgotten about them. Now that they'd jumped out again, she'd settle both old and new grudges at once.
"Benefactor, this old monk wished no enmity with you. But on the path to the future, you are an inevitable obstacle."
"Hmph, the future."
Su Min scoffed. After comprehending the Time Law, she knew the future was never fixed. Attempting to meddle with the past also incurred severe restrictions and punishments.
Currently, she could barely glimpse the river of time, let alone alter past events.
Seeing no point in further debate—arguing scriptures with monks was pointless—Su Min prepared to act. That Land and Water Assembly had continued for a full year after she left, devolving into pure verbal combat—nonstop debates lasting an entire year.
Hearing about it later had made Su Min's scalp tingle. Those monks were truly argumentative by nature—better to fight than talk.
"Benefactor, since matters stand thus, please disappear. The future must come to pass."
Liao Meng spoke calmly, seeing no reason to hold back now that she'd struck first. Pressing his palms together, a colossal Buddha manifested behind him.
This golden Buddha lacked the solemn majesty of Tathagata—instead appearing enormously fat, its huge belly giving it a somewhat simple and honest appearance.
"Future Buddha."
Su Min froze momentarily, but in the next instant, her Black Tortoise armor materialized, followed by a massive tortoise shield in her hand.
Clang!!!
An ear-piercing sound reverberated through the skies as Su Min was sent flying.
"That Buddha image contains immense karmic power. You've comprehended the Karmic Law? That's one of the most dangerous laws."
The moment the Buddha appeared, Su Min felt herself locked on—an inevitable result ordained by unseen forces. Only one method could achieve this effect:
The power of karma—rare and formidable. Even more perilous than the Time Law. Su Min could wield time only because of her infinite lifespan.
But this monk's actions came at great cost—those who played with karma inevitably accumulated heavy karmic burdens.
"Amitabha..."
With Liao Meng's sigh, golden light suddenly shimmered around Su Min. A peculiar law directly bound her, making her expression shift.
"Buddha's Seal."
Almost instantly, a massive Buddhist sigil bypassed Su Min's defenses and struck her head, further darkening her expression.
"A sealing art—similar to my Yin-Yang Seal."
She inwardly noted how troublesome this karmic seal was. And its purpose was clear—to simultaneously seal her three holy forms, preventing her from unleashing their terrifying power.
"You used your foresight to spy on me again. How was the cost? Not light, I imagine."
Su Min remained calm, knowing this came at a price. Back when the Blood Puppet Sect had found her, they'd employed a wandering cultivator known as the Divine Calculator—a half-step Dao Comprehension expert.
Like the man before her, he'd mastered the Karmic Law. Back then, he'd only dared glance at her from afar before immediately withdrawing, unwilling to even investigate her sect's strength to avoid backlash.
To spy on someone like her through karma incurred even greater costs.
"..."
As expected, Liao Meng remained silent at her words—implicitly confirming them. The price was no joke—he'd nearly fallen from Dao Comprehension stage, only barely stabilizing his current cultivation.
Someone like Su Min inevitably carried great karma. Each glimpse demanded a heavy toll. To clearly see her strongest methods, he'd even sacrificed two Divine Transformation cultivators, transferring the cost onto them.
His current attack aimed to directly seal her most powerful techniques.
After all, Su Min was only at Divine Transformation mid-stage—an almost insurmountable gap separated them. At this stage, it came down to the strength of hidden cards. He'd spent years researching how to immediately seal Su Min's abilities from the outset—and that wasn't all. He'd even sealed a peculiar aura within her.
Of course, though Su Min spoke lightly, inwardly she wasn't pleased. Her three holy forms were unusable, and even the Taiyang Qi within her was disrupted, preventing that special state.
Undoubtedly, this old monk had gone all out to deal with her. The cost was too great for one person to bear—Future Maitreya Mountain as a whole had paid the price.
But did he truly think sealing these things would leave her powerless?
Glancing sideways, she saw Xie Yingying already battling the fallen one. Though the blizzard obscured details, she could sense the violent energy fluctuations.
Escaping would be difficult—she'd need to wait until that fight concluded.
Indeed, that old man had clearly underestimated the Lunar Sovereign Physique. Relying on his mature law mastery, he could barely resist, but as time passed, the scales would tip increasingly in Xie Yingying's favor as her Lunar Law grew more refined.
Unlike Su Min, her cultivation had undergone a major leap, so her control wasn't yet polished. Yet even so, she was overwhelming the old man.
Strangely, the monk showed no interest in Xie Yingying—his full attention remained on Su Min. This only deepened her curiosity, so before fighting, she asked:
"What exactly did you see? And if we're talking threats, shouldn't Yao Xian'er rank above me? Yet you don't target her like this."