"You mean the Four Disasters?"
"Exactly."
The Five Elements materials used during the Foundation Building stage can certainly cause quite a stir.
However, these are essentially meant for Foundation Building cultivators, so a Qi Refining cultivator can handle them without much difficulty. In this case, the disturbance wouldn't be too grand; take the water-attributed innate spiritual object, for example. At most, it would ravage a single region.
It would be impossible to cause a disaster on the scale of flooding an entire country and affecting millions. It's neither too big nor too small—such a range. With the poor spread of information in this world, it's likely that, beyond the county or region, it would vanish from notice entirely. Thus, solving this issue would require the support of a guild or the imperial court. The perfect partner in this regard would be the Fuding Merchant Guild, whose branches span across the land.
"Now that you mention it, there's something I've heard. It's said that a mysterious clam demon has appeared by the Eastern Sea, devouring fishermen and wreaking havoc. The Demon Slayer Division even sent people to capture it, but due to their unfamiliarity with the sea environment, they lost their men and retreated without further action."
"Hmm."
Hearing this, Su Min's eyes narrowed slightly. The Demon Slayer Division, despite their aloof reputation, wasn't entirely indifferent to the lives of ordinary folk. After all, their name had such significance, and they were tasked with slaying monsters and demons. At the very least, the creatures around the capital and a few major cities had been cleared out.
The foundation of the Wei Dynasty's rule was involved, after all. The emperor, despite his shortcomings, wasn't foolish enough to ignore it entirely. As for the smaller towns, like this one, they could only leave it to fate. But this city was relatively fortunate; the mountain monsters had been frightened into hiding deeper into the wilderness.
Even the fiercest tigers had been personally slain by Su Min. Now, those plant-based demons were offered as sacrificial spirits, distributed to the various villages, forming an invisible barrier of protection. One could imagine that in the future, this place would become a rare sanctuary, untouched by the outside world.
"Give me a map. Let me know the location of this clam spirit. I will leave now."
Since that was the case, there was no reason for Su Min to stay any longer. Whether the clam demon harbored any innate spiritual objects inside its body didn't matter. The materials on that demon were bound to be essential for her, and she would undoubtedly make her move.
"We just so happen to have some fine horses here."
"No need."
Su Min shook her head directly. For someone of her level, ordinary horses were only a hindrance, not a help. She could move swiftly without relying on roads, easily bypassing terrain, while horses, no matter how fast, would still be bound to the roads and far less efficient than her own speed.
"This..."
Watching Su Min leave immediately after speaking, the man could only open his mouth, before quickly turning back to write a secret letter. On the other side, Su Min had already left the city, heading towards her destination. Just as when she had first entered the Southern Border, she didn't take the main roads or official paths. Instead, she ventured through the deep forests and mountains. But even so, the state of internal affairs in the Wei Dynasty still made her uneasy.
When she traveled south previously, things had been peaceful. She had seen countless farmers working the fields and children heading to school. But now, everything was different. There was nothing left. Most of the villages she remembered had been completely abandoned. Once fertile farmlands were now overrun with weeds. Even more unsettling, she had passed through at least three ghost markets along the way.
These were genuine ghost markets, with massive cauldrons boiling human bones. Souls, steeped in resentment, could not find peace, and would wander the mortal world whenever the moonlight shone. Though she had mentally prepared for this, Su Min still found it disturbing. It wasn't that she feared these wandering souls. A blast of Demon Slayer Thunder would vaporize half the market. The real concern was a lack of firepower. She didn't dare to approach those places.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
The reason was simple—the number of spirits there was simply overwhelming. She didn't know whether she might get caught up in it, and if a disturbance lasted the whole night, she would eventually exhaust herself. Moreover, these ghosts could never be completely eradicated, and Su Min was unwilling to waste her time on them. Although she had endless lifespan, reaching the Golden Core stage within a hundred years was still a complicated task.
Otherwise, she would be directly facing the chase of the Demon Queen, and that was a dangerous matter for her. In any case, it was challenging for players to enter the Golden Core stage in a hundred years. After all, this was not a game, and there were no quest markers or system-generated rumors to guide her.
After a week, Su Min finally arrived at a mountain peak. When she left, it had been around October in the modern world. By the time she reached her destination, autumn winds were already sweeping through the area.
"Ah, this should be the location of the clam spirit according to the map."
Su Min glanced at the scroll in her hand, squinting in thought. According to the previous descriptions, the clam demon's strength was at least that of a Qi Refining cultivator. If it had truly consumed those special innate spiritual creatures, its power would likely have risen to the later stages of Qi Refining.
It could even have reached the Foundation Building stage, which Su Min could not accept. However, there was no need to worry too much. Based on the information provided by the shopkeeper, this clam demon had only been causing trouble for less than half a year. During that time, its strength had likely surged after consuming the special objects. But its cultivation was still unstable. If given another ten years, it might have the chance to break through to Foundation Building, but for now, it was probably only at the later stages of Qi Refining.
And even then, its cultivation was not solid, making it easier for Su Min to handle. The challenge was finding it. In such vast waters, while she could walk on the waves, her spiritual energy would eventually be depleted. So, she would need the help of the local fishermen. They at least had to guide her to it.
"Let me head down first and find a place to rest. This mad dash has left me in need of a bath. And the emperor hasn't even issued a warrant for me yet."
Perhaps he thought that even if he did, no one could stop her. Or maybe, he didn't want to offend her as an alchemist. After all, with treasures at stake, it was all about individual ability. Life and death were in the hands of fate; it was no one else's fault. But in any case, after traveling so far, Su Min had not yet encountered her own bounty. As for her previous identity, it had been ten years since then. Now, she had fully grown, and no one could recognize her, nor would anyone remember her.
When she arrived at the seaside village, however, she froze. The entire village was celebrating, banging drums and wearing red and green. Under the lead of a strange priestess-like figure, they were performing a strange dance by the sea, as if conducting some sort of ritual.