The moment the enormous river clam demon appeared, Su Min swiftly summoned her Verdant Wood Vines, shielding the others from the incoming volley of water arrows before she charged forward. She had been waiting for this very opportunity—the brief opening after the clam demon unleashed its skill.
Without hesitation, Su Min brought out her small gourd. After all, her primary offensive methods were Tiger Soul and Nanming Lihuo—neither particularly effective against this creature. Especially the Nanming Lihuo, which would struggle underwater.
But now, with the clam spirit exposed and vulnerable, it was the perfect chance. These others couldn't pierce its defense—but that didn't mean Su Min couldn't. She raised her gourd and aimed it directly at the beast.
Demon-Slaying Thunder.
Boom!
In the next instant, a streak of black lightning split the sky, striking before the clam demon could even react, pouring straight into its gaping maw.
Splat—!
In a heartbeat, the colossal creature's body shriveled. Its once-massive twenty-meter shell rapidly contracted to barely a meter or two across. Desperately, it tried to retreat into the river. But how could Su Min possibly allow it?
In a flash, she lunged forward and delivered a fierce kick to the clam's shell, sending the creature hurtling like a cannonball onto the nearby beach. Even as it landed, the shell continued to shrink at an alarming speed.
Su Min was not one to hesitate. With a light tap of her foot against the sea's surface, she glided onto the shore. Drawing her treasured sword, she pried open the giant clam's shell with deft precision—and extracted a perfectly round, gleaming pearl from within.
[Tidewater Pearl: Attracts the power of tides. Can be used for Foundation Establishment.]
"As I thought," Su Min muttered, frowning slightly as she turned the pearl in her hand. "It's this thing that let a common river clam transform into a scourge of the region."
With a flick of her wrist, she stored the pearl away. Everyone around her knew she had just claimed an extraordinary treasure—but not a single soul dared utter a word of protest. Meanwhile, as the clam demon breathed its last, the nearby merman hybrids began to wither as well, their bodies dissolving into puddles of foul black water. Clearly, the threat that had plagued them for so long had finally been extinguished.
"At last! These cursed beasts are dead!" Governor Jia spat on the ground with satisfaction as he watched the black sludge sink into the earth. For the first time in years, his face lightened with genuine relief.
And he wasn't alone. All around them, the villagers wept, cheered, and embraced each other. At first they had worried that some creatures might have escaped, but now those fears had completely vanished. With the source destroyed, all remaining threats had evaporated like mist.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
Finally, they could bid farewell to the nightmare that had loomed over them for the past year or two. Many of these people had been forced to abandon their farms and homes, driven to take refuge in the cities. Now, joy filled every face.
"With this matter settled, I'll head back to the city first," Su Min said calmly. "I need to investigate a few things further. You can make your way back at your own pace."
With a last glance at the devastated landscape, Su Min's figure vanished into the distance. Her agility far outstripped these ordinary cultivators'. Besides, the village had little left to celebrate with. She had no reason to linger—there was a far more pressing matter demanding her attention.
Her Heavenly Dao Insight had sensed the fulfillment of some hidden condition. She needed a safe place to comprehend it fully. Even though such enlightenment usually took but an instant, caution was vital. Soon, atop a secluded mountain peak, Su Min sat down cross-legged.
In the blink of an eye, her consciousness plunged once more into that mysterious world.
[Path of Salvation: Deliverance from Suffering.]
[Path of Slaughter: To Kill and End Killing.]
"Hm?" Su Min narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. Two completions at once?
Yet again, she found herself in that strange, otherworldly space—and before her appeared the massive firebird.
"The Vermilion Bird...?" she murmured.
The colossal bird stirred its wings ever so slightly, and an overwhelming wave of heat rushed toward Su Min, making her feel as if she would be consumed entirely. But at that critical moment, her consciousness snapped back.
When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to her physical body.
[Four Auspicious Signs – Heavenly Sun: Vermilion Bird Possession.]
[Vermilion Bird Possession: Manifest the wings of the Vermilion Bird and obtain its unique powers.]
"Flight... I wonder how much spiritual energy it consumes?"
Closing her eyes, Su Min calmly assessed her body's condition, then whispered under her breath:
"Vermilion Bird Possession."
The next instant, flames erupted from her body. Brilliant fire engulfed her, dyeing her hair and pupils a vivid crimson. Two majestic wings of fire unfurled from her back, their power surging.
"...Damn, that's a huge energy drain. Not suitable for travel... but for combat, it'll be perfect."
Su Min frowned slightly, but quickly smoothed her expression. It wasn't an insurmountable problem. Once she advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage, she would be able to wield this new power with far greater ease.
"I'll need more materials," she mused. "Once I'm back, I'll check with the Fuding Merchant Guild for information."
Thanks to the Fuding Guild's intelligence network, she had found this location. If she'd relied solely on random inquiries, it might've taken one or two years to track the clam spirit down—and by then, after consuming so much human blood, the creature might have advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage itself. Then even Su Min would have struggled.
"Now to seal it away."
She had to remember: White Tiger Possession and Vermilion Bird Possession were two completely different systems. They could not be used at the same time; she would have to choose between them depending on the situation.
Chuckling lightly to herself, Su Min vanished once more. When she returned to the city, she was surprised to find the entire populace gathered at the gates, anxiously awaiting news. But this time, she did not show herself. Better to leave the announcement to Governor Jia. As for herself, she had more important things to do—like searching through the city's scrolls and records.
No one dared stop her. After all, the token she carried granted her privileges on par with the city's most revered protectors.
"Fire arts govern droughts, earth governs land shifts, metal governs slaughter... If only this were a game," Su Min thought ruefully. "Anything new would just pop up as a system notification."