"Take it. This is the pill you wanted. Also, please deliver these to Xie Yingying and the little Golden Crow. I need to continue my journey now."
"You're leaving?"
"Correct."
Hearing Su Min's words, Tian Hao's brow furrowed deeply. Her departure would be a tremendous loss for their world. After all, a top-tier alchemist could elevate an entire world's strength significantly.
"The current environment is what it is. No matter how advanced my alchemy skills are, without materials, I can't produce anything."
Su Min smiled faintly. No matter how formidable an alchemist was, ingredients were essential. The current continent simply didn't have enough resources for her to work with. It was better for her to venture out now. With her Treasure Gourd and the Medicine King's Cauldron, resources weren't an issue.
Even if she returned to the state she was in when she first transmigrated, as long as the world didn't forcibly suppress cultivation, nothing could hinder her. This expedition to the battlefield had yielded an abundance of corpses.
Though the demonic beasts' bodies weren't particularly valuable, their sheer numbers made up for it. Her Treasure Gourd had now reached an impressive level, containing enough resources to cultivate all the way to the Unity Stage. By then, she could traverse the starry void freely, no longer confined to a single world.
"Leave it to me."
After a glance at Su Min, Tian Hao took the items and left. She knew he wouldn't deceive her—and even if he tried, she had other means.
"Finally gone. The connection has been growing fainter. If not for the promised pill, I would've left earlier."
Watching Tian Hao depart, Su Min muttered to herself before turning and darting away, her figure transforming into a streak of light.
In this chaotic world, she couldn't use spatial compression techniques, so she could only rely on raw speed. Even so, she moved astonishingly fast. In the blink of an eye, she had crossed vast distances, arriving at a secluded, hidden corner.
"This must be it—the resonance from the Kirin Vault."
Su Min could clearly sense the vibrations emanating from beyond the gate.
"Such intense firepower, yet almost no spiritual energy fluctuations. What are the people of this world doing? Should I go in and see?"
But standing at the threshold, she hesitated.
Something felt off. The energy fluctuations were powerful, yet their nature was peculiar. Su Min recognized this sensation—it was the signature of modern weaponry. What puzzled her even more was that the Kirin's unique resonance was coming from here.
"Let's take a look first."
Muttering to herself, Su Min stepped forward. The next moment, she was stunned by what she saw. Before her, the ocean was aflame. Not from any mystical technique, but from oil—thick, burning crude oil covering the sea's surface.
"Did I return home?"
Seeing the warships in the distance, Su Min froze momentarily. But she quickly shook her head. The flags on those vessels didn't belong to any nation she recognized. This was clearly a parallel world.
Beneath the burning waves, hordes of mutated monsters thrashed. Then, a colossal figure, over a hundred meters tall, emerged from the depths. In an instant, even the distant aircraft carriers seemed insignificant. Su Min rubbed her temples in exasperation.
"A Dao Comprehension-stage demonic beast?"
In her world, these creatures hadn't caused substantial damage simply because the landmass was vast enough to keep them at bay. The corrupted mutants rarely strayed far from their origins. But not every world was so expansive. Here, their pollution could easily engulf entire oceans.
"Did the Kirin clan get corrupted? Wait—huh?"
Just as she prepared to eliminate the beast, Su Min paused. A peculiar pressure suddenly filled the distant skies—one even she couldn't ignore.
"Holy—a hydrogen bomb?!"
When she realized what it was, she couldn't help but curse. Instinctively, she summoned her Black Tortoise Armor, her body glowing as the South Ming Blaze enveloped her.
BOOM!!!
The next instant, a deafening explosion erupted, a towering mushroom cloud rising from the ocean before crashing down onto the massive beast.
Simultaneously, countless eyes across the world were fixed on this moment. Decades ago, a rift had appeared in the sky, raining down black blood. Within years, the entire ocean had been polluted, triggering a catastrophe.
Beyond severed trade routes and devastated fisheries, marine life had mutated en masse. Overwhelming numbers had forced humanity back onto land. Armies, cultivator alliances, bioweapons—they had tried everything.
Yet against the endless tide of monsters, even nuclear weapons seemed pitiful. Formerly hostile nations had formed a coalition. But recently, a terrifying creature had emerged from the rift. Disaster followed. The monster defied all expectations, like divine punishment, annihilating coastal defenses on both sides of the ocean. Now, humanity had mobilized its full might, deploying even their newest superweapon.
As the cataclysmic explosion engulfed the world, everyone prayed it would finally destroy the abomination. But before the flames could dissipate, a massive figure writhed free. Though half its body was charred to a crisp, the beast wasn't dead. A single movement made the sea tremble. In that moment, despair gripped the world.
Meanwhile—
"Damn it, what rotten luck! If not for the Nanming Lihuo and my physique, I'd be in trouble too. That weapon could seriously injure a Divine Transformation cultivator, but against Dao Comprehension, it's not enough. Laws can mitigate most of the damage—pure explosive force won't cut it."
Su Min grimaced at the scorching air around her. She'd been caught in the blast radius alongside the beast. Fortunately, her Five Elements Holy Body granted extreme heat resistance. Otherwise, she'd have been in real trouble. Now, she just wanted to leave.
If one hydrogen bomb wasn't enough, they'd likely fire more. To avoid becoming collateral damage, Su Min prepared to retreat. She wasn't familiar with this world's technological level. She needed to lay low and locate the Kirin. But the moment she moved, the colossal beast turned its maw toward her. Her position—right above its head—wasn't exactly subtle.
ROAR!!!
A deafening bellow echoed as its jaws lunged.
"Seeking death? A mere early Dao Comprehension beast. Perfect chance to test my new legacy—White Tiger Possession!"
In an instant, a massive snow-white tiger materialized, its size rivaling the monster's. The beast's crimson eyes widened in terror. It recognized this aura—one that had once made countless ancient horrors tremble. The Four Symbols' White Tiger, wielded the Western Metal's Sharp Gold, its absolute bane.
ROAR!
The tiger's roar shook the seas. These corrupted beasts, forcibly elevated by the black blood, were inherently weaker than true cultivators of their rank. Their grasp of laws and perception was flawed—otherwise, the nuke would never have hit.
As for why Su Min had taken the blast? Simple curiosity. Her senses told her it wasn't a real threat. Now, facing the White Tiger's image, the monster was torn apart in seconds.
"Done. But I still can't sense the Kirin. Guess I'll have to search manually. Something must've happened to them."
Su Min frowned. Based on her interactions with divine beasts, the Kirin clan's ruler—the Black Kirin—should have reached Dao Comprehension by now.
If that were true, such weapons wouldn't be necessary. Yet there was no trace of them. With a sigh, she vanished. Unbeknownst to her, her battle had already shaken the world.
"That monster was torn apart like paper—the same one our combined fleet couldn't scratch!"
"Not just the fleet—even our newest weapons couldn't kill it!"
"Something the Super Fleet and Cultivator Alliance were helpless against, she obliterated effortlessly."
"That has to be a goddess! Her attire—she must be an immortal from the heavens, descending to quell the calamity!"
Instantly, Su Min's sudden appearance trended worldwide. Special artifacts had live-streamed the battle across the globe. Her mysterious, peerless elegance captivated all who saw her. But for the five great families ruling this world, the implications were different.
"Is that woman at the Dao Comprehension stage?"
"Unclear. But even if not, she's at least half-step Dao Comprehension. Otherwise, she couldn't have slain that thing—even wounded."
In a heavily secured chamber, a group convened. The core members exuded Divine Transformation auras, while the rest were at Golden Core or Nascent Soul. They were this world's supreme rulers. Centuries ago, when spiritual energy had descended, the old powers had collapsed before them. Now, the five ruled unchallenged.
"Spare no expense to find her. Her attire suggests an ancient origin—likely from a primordial world. Probably culturally unsophisticated. She'll expose herself soon."
"And then?"
"Determine her goals. Avoid antagonizing her if possible. Especially those rats—eliminate them swiftly."
"Understood."
A consensus was reached: locate Su Min at all costs.
The world mobilized, deploying every method to track her down.
Meanwhile—
"It's almost identical to my past life. But how have they only just developed hydrogen bombs? And only one at that?"
Su Min mused, glancing at the smartphone in her hand before turning to the dazed girl beside her.
"This outfit is too conspicuous, and without an ID, I can't move freely. Though technology is advanced here, true power lies with the cultivators."
Flipping through the phone, she pondered her next move.
She'd come for the Kirin legacy, but upon entering this world, the connection had severed. It was maddening. Ideally, she'd take the legacy and leave—even if she couldn't refine the Central Wutu Divine Earth immediately.
Having just absorbed a new heavenly treasure, her body was at capacity. Further refinement risked bursting her limits.
"No trace of the Kirin. No idea if the ruling five families are friend or foe. Maybe the Kirin clan's disappearance is their doing."
Her brow furrowed as she slipped the phone back into the girl's pocket. This unlucky bystander—home alone, no surveillance—had lent her device briefly. The girl herself was under temporary hypnosis.
"To avoid drawing attention, I need an identity. My appearance seems to have been noticed—time for a disguise."
Checking the trending headlines, Su Min noted how effortlessly she navigated the device. Though she hadn't touched a phone in nearly a millennium, her past-life memories remained sharp. The footage must have been captured by special artifacts. She hadn't noticed earlier because her focus had been on sensing the Kirin, then battling the beast. The recording, carrying no threat, had simply slipped her attention.
With a flick of her Disguise Ring, light shimmered around her. Now, a vibrant young woman stood there—T-shirt, jeans, ponytail—radiating youthful energy, a far cry from the regal figure in the footage. Clothes made the person. A few subtle changes created a completely different impression. This lively aura wasn't feigned—it was her true self.
For cultivators, appearance reflected mentality, not age. Su Min's mental age wasn't old. The majesty and mystery? Just masks.
"First, I need someone obedient to borrow an identity from. Preferably a girl with strong desires."
Su Min's eyes gleamed. In this information-driven world, she didn't need to search blindly. The internet held answers.
As for identity? Easy. She didn't need food or shelter. Just find someone willing to lend theirs—controlled by any number of methods. But coercion was a last resort. A willing accomplice would be better. And as an alchemist, she had plenty of bargaining chips.
As for the five families? Until she knew their stance, best to avoid them.
Human nature was complex, and here, she had no allies.
If they were involved in the Kirin clan's plight, at least one terrifying existence lurked among them. Otherwise, they couldn't have made an entire divine beast lineage vanish.
"Decision made. Time to act."
With that, Su Min disappeared, seeking someone desperate enough.
Soon, she found her mark.
Hovering above a school, she observed a group of teenagers—genuine fourteen- or fifteen-year-olds, not ageless cultivators like her.
"Oh? An awakening ceremony? The great families aren't completely selfish—they've spread cultivation. But talent will always be rare."
Su Min smirked. Even across her four continents and the Eastern Mulberry, only one in a hundred could cultivate. Golden Core? Maybe one in tens of thousands. Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation? Even scarcer.
But here, there had to be suitable candidates!