"What a fast runner."
Su Min didn't bother chasing after the man who fled in panic. He was already a dead man walking. His cultivation was forcibly boosted far beyond his foundation, and now he had burned his life force again using a forbidden art. That was no different from courting death. So Su Min simply whispered to herself, counting down softly:
"Five... four... three... two... one... boom."
Bang—
Right on cue, as her voice faded, a muffled explosion shook the air. The man, having barely stumbled out of sight, suddenly burst apart into fragments of blood and mist. After the earlier soul clash triggered by the Tiger Bone Ring, their fragile souls had already been hanging by a thread.
From the very start, Su Min never intended to let a single one of them leave alive. Even if her flying sword couldn't catch up, they would die regardless. In the end, she didn't even need to lift a finger. Watching the last of her enemies self-destruct at the edge of her vision, Su Min narrowed her eyes slightly and murmured:
"Now there's no one left to fight me for it."
Surveying the wreckage and carnage around her, she turned and quietly made her way back to her original position. It was clear: even that so-called Demon Queen had no more strong cultivators to dispatch. Sending mere Body Refining stage warriors at this point would be meaningless. Besides, there was less than a month left before the celestial phenomenon ended.
It was already far too late for reinforcements. Su Min's lips curved into a faint smile. There was no longer any need for her to linger here. As she left, the entire city gradually fell into an eerie stillness. The frenzied greed that had once filled the streets now gave way to a deep, oppressive fear.
The three slaughtered powerhouses from the Demon-Slaying Division had been more than enough to strike terror into the hearts of the onlookers. But Su Min—she was something else entirely. She killed them as easily as slaughtering stray dogs. With such overwhelming power, who would still dare to covet the treasure? No matter how precious a treasure was, one had to live long enough to enjoy it.
Meanwhile, deep within the imperial palace of Great Wei...
Three crystalline stones shattered without warning before the gathered officials and nobles, silencing the merry banquet. The singing and laughter ground to a halt. An eerie, almost suffocating silence took hold.
"Impossible! Those were three Qi Refining Stage cultivators!"
Emperor Wei's expression turned grim, a flicker of horror flashing across his eyes. Each of those fallen men had been vastly stronger than himself—and yet, all three were annihilated almost simultaneously? At that moment, the woman curled around his waist—her beauty as striking as it was chilling—rose slowly and approached the shattered crystals.
"Calm yourself, my emperor," she said coldly. The Demon Queen, her expression serene yet disdainful, lightly touched the shards.
"They were but imperfect prototypes. Give me ten more years, and I will forge perfect ones—flawless killing machines who can crush even that damnable alchemist." Her gaze sharpened, glinting with icy malice.
"It's a pity, though. That wondrous treasure... it shall fall into her hands." Her voice dipped lower, a venomous whisper: "Very well. Then let us offer her a despair so profound she cannot escape—from the child you and I shall create."
The emperor said nothing. What transpired in the palace that night, none beyond its walls would ever know.
Yet elsewhere, word of the treasure's emergence spread like wildfire. Su Min's stunning display—the power she wielded so casually—had already been witnessed by countless eyes hidden among the crowd. Her strength seemed to stand above all under heaven. Her unparalleled skill in alchemy, crafting pills that could bargain even with ghosts and gods, only added to her legend.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
In the shadows of the martial world, countless figures silently packed their belongings, preparing to seek her out—whether to court her favor or forge alliances, it did not matter. Some began reviewing their promising juniors, hoping to present a "perfect husband" for the young prodigy. For although Su Min's power was terrifying, she appeared no older than seventeen or eighteen—a bloom still untouched by time.
In their narrow, worldly thinking, a young maiden needed a worthy husband to secure her future. Already, competitions had broken out in secret. Young heroes pitted themselves against one another, hoping for a chance to impress her when the opportunity arose. Of course, there were those with clearer heads. Prince Yong, for instance, had already issued a strict order to his faction:
"Do not even think about approaching her."
He knew—Su Min's pride would never deign to notice them. She had already stepped onto a path no ordinary mortal could ever hope to touch. With her gifts and the treasure she now held, Su Min would one day soar high into the heavens—far beyond the mundane squabbles of kings and princes.
If she had ever sought shelter, he would have welcomed her as an honored guest, even offered his own children in marriage. Any son who pleased her would be crowned the next Prince of Yong—and perhaps even Emperor of All Under Heaven. But she had never even glanced in their direction. Thus, there were no more bargaining chips left that could sway her. Su Min's ambitions, it seemed, had never been of this mortal world to begin with.
As Su Min had anticipated, after that day, no one dared contest her claim. The chaos of the martial world churned in secret, but none dared step into her shadow.
Time passed. The celestial light that had once shrouded the treasure slowly waned, then faded entirely. At last, the artifact completed its birth. The gourd floated gently into Su Min's waiting hand, humming softly with power. She gazed down at it, a glimmer of rare satisfaction in her eyes.
"A innate spiritual treasure..."
"Like a player's character, it can grow alongside its master—seeking higher realms through the bond they share. A partnership of mutual achievement."
She murmured to herself.
At the same time, an information panel appeared before her:
[Heaven and Earth Qiankun Gourd (Innate Spiritual Treasure)]
(1) Refining All Things: Capable of refining any captured demon, monster, or ghost. After their defeat, their essence is drawn into the gourd.
(2) Annihilation Strike: Generates "Demon-Slaying Thunder" based on the number and quality of captured entities. Delivers a devastating blow. (Note: Cannot be cast repeatedly in a short period.)
(3) Essence Brewing: Transforms the souls of captured beings into specialized elixirs with unique effects.
Su Min's eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise.
"Demon-Slaying Thunder... this one's good."
The first ability, though simply worded, was immensely practical. Monsters often had countless bizarre ways to cheat death—but none could escape being refined. The second ability was even better. In games she used to play, Demon-Slaying Thunder was a top-tier weapon against bosses. It could weaken an enemy's health by a full third—perfect for breaking through impossible odds.
And this wasn't a game. Real injury meant real weakening of strength. Worse, the lightning attack came bundled with brutal debuffs: paralysis, silencing, uncontrollable rage...
In those games, the first innate treasure players scrambled to obtain—and were willing to "save-load" for endlessly—was precisely this one.
As for the third ability, Essence Brewing, Su Min hadn't encountered anything like it before. But instinct told her it would prove invaluable, if she took the time to develop it properly. All in all, this gourd would become the cornerstone of her strength—a divine weapon capable of turning the tide when it mattered most.
Especially the lightning—it held special suppressive power against all demonic creatures. And against humans... well, even without an elemental weakness, its force alone would be overwhelming.