"Ugh—! Y-You… You're also a refiner!?"
Coughing blood, Earth Elder stared at Su Min—unscathed and clad in blazing armor. Supported by the battered Flame Elder, he barely managed to stand.
His brother, however, was in far worse shape. A gaping wound tore across his abdomen, left by Su Min's reckless, merciless strike. Worse yet, a sliver of Nanming Lihuo had entered his body, and he was now frantically circulating his spiritual energy, trying to force it out before it consumed him from the inside.
"You damn wench!"
Flame Elder exploded with rage, yet didn't dare make a move. Instead, he shielded his brother behind him, ready to flee at the slightest sign of danger.
That was precisely what Su Min wanted. She made no move to pursue. Better to let them cling to hope and remain here—to waste time fighting her—than have them bolt into the chaos of battle, where she might not be able to kill them.
"Give them a sliver of hope, make them think they can win. If they bolt now, I might not catch them in this chaos."
From their brief exchange, Su Min had already made a crucial realization: their cultivation levels and elemental affinities were equal—but her Nanming Lihuo utterly suppressed Flame Elder's power. If they clashed head-on again, he would surely perish.
And then there was her armor.
Greed flickered in the elder's eyes. Her enchanted battle-armor—its value surpassed even that of high-tier spiritual tools. Such armor was notoriously difficult to forge and consumed an astronomical amount of rare materials.
To create it, Su Min had scoured her personal stores, drained the spoils given by the Desert Tribes, and even used the bizarre materials harvested from that metal-elemental beast. She had spent everything, leaving barely enough to forge her own weapon.
Now, facing them in full regalia, she was like a warrior soaked in spiritual gold— pay-to-win warrior—brutally overgeared.
"We have to use that move. The damage will split between us, but we've got no choice. Without it, we can't even scratch her."
Elder Earth spoke grimly, finally steadying himself. Despite his grievous injuries, a peak Qi Refinement cultivator could still endure. But they both understood the harsh truth: his wounds would prevent him from fighting at full strength, and even Elder Flame—though on par with Su Min in realm—was being restrained by her suppressive flame. Her armor and strange body techniques gave her an overwhelming edge.
Their only hope… was to combine.
"Damn it! If we'd known she was this strong, we'd have fused from the start!"
Both brothers cursed silently. Yet it was hard to blame themselves. Who would've expected such a young girl to hide so many trump cards? The fusion technique was a precious secret. Once used, it left both users severely weakened afterward.
But now, none of that mattered.
"Old fools," Su Min said flatly from the distance. "still hesitating to merge?"
Su Min deliberately held back, waiting for their fusion's brief vulnerability window—the perfect moment to strike again. This wasn't the game. In reality, they'd make rational choices. And she wasn't about to play fair. Why risk a straight fight when she could stack the deck?
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
"Little brat, don't think that armor makes you invincible!"
Sure enough, the two elders suddenly widened the distance between them and Su Min. Their hands flashed through seals.
"Now."
"Tiger Soul Possession!"
At that instant, Su Min's own energy shifted. The power of the Tiger Soul within her body surged forth, igniting her spirit. She threw a pill into her mouth in one swift motion, and her figure blurred into a streak of light.
Galeburst Pill (Grade-2)—Temporarily enhances movement speed upon use
As a master alchemist with Prince Yong's entire treasury at her disposal, she had plenty of niche pills.
Originally, this combo was meant for ambushes. Today? No need for subtlety.
SHING—!
In that flash of light, time seemed to stop.
"Defend!!"
Years of battle experience honed Flame Elder's instincts. He threw up a massive shield before him without hesitation. But the next second, it shattered like glass. A blade of flame cleaved straight through—and blood sprayed through the air.
"FUSE!!!"
Their desperate shout echoed as their bodies merged.
BOOOOM!!!
Both elders roared as one, unleashing their full power. An explosive wave of spiritual might erupted across the battlefield.
"…Foundation Establishment!?"
The four cultivators who had just recovered their strength blanched.
That overwhelming pressure—they had crossed the threshold. The brothers had successfully fused, entering the Foundation Establishment realm. Despair washed over the reinforcements, forcing them to retreat. This level of battle… was far beyond what they could endure. Instead, they turned their attention to the outer skirmishes, leaping from the wall to hunt the lesser Body Tempering cultivators swarming the plains.
Yet Su Min remained calm—utterly unshaken. Her earlier strike had crippled Elder Flame's leg. And now that the brothers had fused, their injuries were shared. There was no escape. Not for either of them.
"Impressive technique," Su Min said, striding forward, unfazed by the wave of pressure. "But how much strength do you have left?"
She advanced calmly as:
—A 1,000-meter dead zone formed around the fused elder—their uncontrolled aura flattening ordinary soldiers.
—The elder himself collapsed to one knee, trembling.
In game terms?
—HP < 50%
—Crippled Movement
—Severe Stat Debuffs
A "Foundation Establishment" in name only.
"Y-you—"
The elder's face twisted in disbelief. They couldn't run—their legs were injured. And now…
A new terror emerged.
Nanming Lihuo burst forth from Su Min, encasing her body. Her hair, her pupils—both turned a glowing, crimson red.
Vermilion Bird Possession—Full Release.