Cherreads

Chapter 128 - Bold and Unrestrained Su Min

"No rush to head for the secret inheritance just yet. I just spotted a Golden Core-stage demonic beast. Old friend, it's time for you to eat—your lightning's been a bit underwhelming lately."

As she spoke, Su Min pulled out her treasured gourd. The Azure Dragon's inheritance wouldn't be easy to obtain. There was still some time before it opened, and the Golden Core Avenue wasn't very large—about the size of Wei Wu Province.

At her current strength, if this gourd didn't evolve again, it would become somewhat useless. Like her life-bound spiritual treasure, this innate spiritual artifact could be continuously strengthened.

"Where did you get that gourd?"

"A secret!!!"

Watching Su Min dote on her gourd like it was her own child, Xie Yingying couldn't help but feel a little creeped out. She had seen this gourd before—it had severely wounded a Golden Core-stage zombie with a single strike. Of course, if not for the zombie's unique traits, it would've been killed outright back then.

At first, Xie Yingying hadn't thought much of it, assuming it was just a powerful artifact. But after experiencing tribulation, she was stunned. This wasn't just some run-of-the-mill powerful treasure—it contained the Demon-Slaying Thunder of the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation!

No one who hadn't been struck by it could understand how terrifying it was, especially the final bolt. Xie Yingying had shattered two Earth-grade disposable artifacts in succession just to survive. Su Min had fared even worse—she couldn't block the final strike at all and had barely scraped through.

Now, Xie Yingying understood why Su Min treasured the gourd so much. That said, the Demon-Slaying Thunder inside was far weaker than the heavenly tribulation's version. At her current level, taking a single bolt wouldn't be a problem. But what sent a chill down her spine was the fact that this thing could level up.

This was exactly why Su Min was in such a hurry to strengthen it. Now that she was a Golden Core cultivator—one tempered by the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, no less—the Demon-Slaying Thunder was practically useless in her eyes.

That was why she hadn't bothered using it against Demon Queen—it would've been embarrassing. More importantly, the Spirit Nectar inside was no longer sufficient to support her Golden Core cultivation.

To upgrade it, she needed to feed it Golden Core-stage demonic beasts. The problem was, Su Min couldn't find any. Demonic beasts had a much harder time cultivating and advancing than humans. Lacking innate intelligence, they relied on devouring humans to gain sentience, often slaughtering hundreds or thousands in the process.

As a result, they were either hunted down by humans or struck dead by heavenly lightning. Even on Su Min's island, where spirit beasts cultivated the Divine Flame Path, there were only two Golden Core-stage beasts—proof of how rare they were.

But here on the Golden Core Avenue, Golden Core demonic beasts actually existed, which surprised Su Min. Thinking about it, it made sense. The spiritual energy here was far denser than the outside world, and it had remained unchanged for tens of thousands of years. Plus, there were no humans here.

No one hunted demonic beasts, allowing them to fight and evolve naturally.

At that moment, Su Min descended from the sky, landing directly on top of a Golden Core-stage demonic beast. Well, "landing on top" was a bit of an exaggeration—she had channeled the Nanming Lihuo and crashed down like an aerial bomb, instantly crushing a unsuspecting Golden Core serpent to death. But from the looks of it, she might as well have sat on it.

"The demon core and scales are decent, and the poison sac can be used for materials. The rest is all yours, old friend. Don't disappoint me."

Su Min grinned as she held up the gourd, pointing its opening at the beast's remains. In an instant, the carcass was absorbed. She gave the gourd a satisfied shake.

"You're really not picky at all."

Xie Yingying winced as she watched Su Min dissect the corpse with her sword, blood splattering everywhere. If not for the high-quality fabric of Su Min's robes, she would've been drenched in red. Instead, a quick surge of spiritual energy cleaned her up instantly.

It was then that Xie Yingying finally realized why Su Min always struck her as so bizarre—this woman had absolutely zero awareness of how a female cultivator should behave. She was bold, unrestrained, and had a filthy mouth, capable of verbally dismantling even a Golden Core-stage corpse demon. That incident was still fresh in Xie Yingying's memory.

Appearance was important for female cultivators. After all, the cultivation world was overwhelmingly male-dominated, giving women a significant advantage. But now, it was clear Su Min had no clue—not that she needed it. Xie Yingying began contemplating how to rein Su Min in before her boldness spiraled out of control. If Su Min had been a man, she probably would've won over countless admirers.

But as things stood… it was just weird. And it wasn't just Xie Yingying who thought so. The first-generation Prince Yong had also been speechless when he heard about Su Min charging headfirst through a sandstorm. He'd even remarked that Su Min was "one hell of a man"—something none of his subordinates would've dared to do. But since they'd been in a mutually beneficial arrangement at the time, he hadn't said anything.

"One isn't enough. Let's hunt a few more. The Azure Dragon ruins won't appear for a while yet, so we might as well gather some demonic beasts to upgrade my gourd. I'll treat you to a drink when it's done."

"…"

Xie Yingying stared wordlessly as Su Min scampered off in search of more prey. That said, Su Min wasn't wrong about one thing—the Demon-Slaying Thunder's power was no longer sufficient here. The reason it had devastated the corpse demon was due to multiple factors: the demon's unstable foundation, incomplete cultivation, and the lightning's inherent advantage against undead.

But against top-tier Golden Core cultivators here, it wouldn't be nearly as effective. Strengthening it was a priority. And given their current strength, ordinary Golden Core demonic beasts were little more than vegetables to them.

In less than three days, Su Min had gathered enough demonic beasts. Her gourd began trembling—it had eaten its fill and was ready to evolve. The gourd's requirements were simple: feed it demonic beasts. For the past century, it hadn't changed at all, much to Su Min's frustration.

She couldn't find enough demonic beasts, and she refused to kill spirit beasts, so she'd had to leave it as it was. But now, the well-fed gourd trembled excitedly, as if cheering for Su Min. New patterns had appeared on its surface, just like during its previous evolution. Su Min knew her treasure had upgraded. She uncorked the gourd and, under Xie Yingying's horrified gaze, pointed the opening at herself.

In that instant, Xie Yingying bolted away. Pointing the gourd at herself was like aiming a loaded gun at her own head—especially when Su Min tilted it toward her mouth. Xie Yingying felt like her soul was about to leave her body.

"Is she going to drink the Demon-Slaying Thunder?!"

Even if she was a Golden Core cultivator, swallowing the lightning directly was insane! The body's internal defenses were far weaker than its external ones.

"Is she trying to temper her body with lightning? Even so, the Demon-Slaying Thunder is too much!"

Just as Xie Yingying debated whether to stop Su Min from committing suicide, a clear stream of liquid poured out of the gourd.

"Ahhh, refreshing! This wine is still incredibly useful for Golden Core cultivators."

"Want a sip? It'll do wonders for your cultivation."

"…"

Xie Yingying stared at Su Min, then at the gourd, then remembered the dismembered corpses stuffed inside and the stench they'd given off…

Gag—

"???"

"The demonic beasts are refined, not turned into corpse soup. Think of it like distilled liquor—perfectly safe and reliable."

Standing on her flying sword, Su Min couldn't help but laugh. She'd long since confirmed that the gourd didn't just serve up liquefied demonic beast remains. It fully absorbed and refined them, secreting the purified product.

To put it simply, it was like distillation—in an absolutely sterile container. Besides, as a modern person, Su Min had seen all kinds of food safety scandals—gutter oil, arsenic-laced ingredients, zombie meat… She was used to "science and technology at work."

And with her current cultivation, she could chug paraquat like soda without a care.

What was there to fear?

Plus, the wine was genuinely useful. What she hadn't expected was Xie Yingying's extreme reaction. Though she could tell Su Min was offering her something valuable, she absolutely refused to drink it, preferring to cultivate with high-grade spirit stones instead.

Su Min could only sigh—spoiled young mistresses were just built different.

"The Azure Dragon's secret realm will open in about three months. By then, a flood of enemies will arrive. And the realm won't just contain the inheritance—there'll be plenty of other treasures too."

Setting the topic aside for now, Su Min stopped pressing the issue. Since the wine was limited, if Xie Yingying didn't want it, she'd use it herself. Golden Core cultivation was far more demanding than Foundation Establishment—every step was difficult, requiring vast resources.

Without a sect backing her, progress would be slow. And unlike Xie Yingying, Su Min wasn't rolling in wealth—every step forward had to be earned through her own efforts.

"The Four Symbols inheritances will trigger a frenzied competition. Even the top-tier sects will join in."

Xie Yingying nodded. Her Heavenly Yin Sect was barely considered a first-rate force, far inferior to the true powerhouses. For example, during the battles for the Divine Source, they'd gained almost nothing.

The Divine Source they'd obtained hadn't been enough to preserve the sect's foundation, so they'd handed it all to her. As a once-in-ten-thousand-years Lunar Sovereign Physique possessor, she was their only hope of reviving the sect's legacy. After leaving her with ample resources, the entire sect had vanished into the river of time.

"The two of us are still too weak. We'll need reliable allies. And…"

Here, Su Min summoned Nanming Lihuo in her palm.

"Normally, a person can only master one supreme divine artifact. If they know I have Nanming Lihuo, they'll let their guard down around me."

Such heavenly treasures weren't easy to refine—one per person was the limit. Though Su Min also had a trace of heavenly lightning in her body, it was extremely weak and couldn't be projected outward, so no one would notice it. As for Xie Yingying, seeing Su Min's confidence, she didn't press further.

After all, the lightning's true purpose was to serve as a key, helping Su Ming unlock the Five Thunders Technique. If she already had Nanming Lihuo, trying to devour the Azure Wood Divine Flame would be suicidal. The same principle applied in the game—players had to choose carefully when it came to divine artifacts.

But there was one exception: the Five Elements Holy Body.

As a Tier 1 physique, the Five Elements Holy Body required five heavenly divine artifacts to reach its full potential. Only when the five elements cycled in harmony would the physique's true power awaken, placing it at the peak of Tier 1—enough to rival even the Lunar Sovereign Physique.

Don't underestimate the Lunar Sovereign Physique. Among Tier 1 physiques, only a handful existed: the Lunar Sovereign Physique, the Solar Sovereign Physique, the Five Elements Holy Body, the Desolate Holy Bodies, and the Spiritual Dao Body.

And of these, the Lunar Sovereign and Solar Sovereign Physiques were the strongest—they were unconditionally powerful, even capable of suppressing heavenly divine artifacts. The others required extreme measures to reach their limits.

For example, Su Min needed all five divine artifacts to perfect her Five Elements Holy Body. But Xie Yingying was already terrifyingly strong—her only shortcoming was the lack of the Lunar Sovereign Ancient Scripture, which would fully unleash her physique's potential.

That said, no matter how powerful a physique was, it meant nothing without sufficient cultivation. The world was vast and filled with all manner of experts—no one could claim invincibility. Even among ordinary mortals, peerless geniuses could emerge.

So the two of them needed to plan carefully. As for finding allies, that was simple—Su Min was a mid-level Grade Four alchemist, a rarity in these parts. Besides, what did most people seek here if not greater opportunities? And who could say alchemy wasn't an opportunity?

~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~ 

Plus, these people were all filthy rich—though perhaps not as much as Xie Yingying, they were certainly wealthier than Su Min. After all, she was truly poor—everything she had was scraped together through sheer effort.

"You want to gather people? With your Grade Four alchemy skills, it's possible. But they won't be reliable, so you'll need to set high conditions."

Xie Yingying didn't object, but as she'd said, these people couldn't be trusted. Under normal circumstances, they might not slack off, but in a crisis? All bets were off.

"That's what intelligence is for. If we know their abilities and physiques, we won't even need allies—we can handle them easily."

Su Min smirked coldly. Just look at the Demon Queen—she'd been wiped out in one smooth combo, without a chance to resist. This time, Su Min was aiming for the core inheritance, so her real competitors were few. Xie Yingying was in a similar boat. Her Lunar Sovereign Physique was overwhelmingly powerful, but it came with a drawback—the things she needed were exceedingly rare.

"Then we'll play it by ear. Oh, and make sure you don't end up empowering the enemy."

"Relax. The pills I refine won't be fully digested for at least half a year. If they try to compete with me before then, even better."

As an alchemist, she had plenty of tricks to ensure no one could challenge her. By the time they finished digesting the pills, the opportunity would be long gone. With their strategy set, the two continued onward. The Azure Dragon Domain was one of the most important inheritance regions on the Golden Core Path.

Dragons were among the most powerful creatures in existence—not the comical Dragon Kings of Journey to the West. Thus, this area had instantly become a hotspot, with countless dragon-related inheritances popping up. But none of these interested Su Min.

Inheritances weren't a case of "the more, the better." Besides, a person could only receive one inheritance. The truly top-tier ones hadn't even appeared yet—there was no point competing now. Of course, just because Su Min wasn't interested didn't mean others felt the same. For most, the best they could hope for was gathering some herbs.

Just look at how brutal the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation was—Su Min hadn't been able to block the final strike and had barely survived by cheating death. Xie Yingying had paid an even steeper price, shattering two Earth-grade artifacts to endure. Even if they were disposable, the cost was staggering.

"Lots of people here. Maybe we can find some good loot."

When the two arrived at their destination, they found the place already crowded. Dragons were a diverse race, and their inheritances varied widely. Aside from the Azure Dragon inheritance Su Min wanted, there were others of similar rank.

The earlier an inheritance appeared, the more ordinary it was. The best would emerge later. In three months, the Azure Dragon inheritance would open alongside several others, but only one could be chosen. By the time someone finished receiving one inheritance, the others would be long gone.

So even though the truly coveted inheritances hadn't appeared yet, the place was already packed.

But today…

"Why do I feel so weird…"

Xie Yingying stared blankly at Su Min's little stall, utterly speechless. Upon arriving, Su Min had immediately resumed her old trade—setting up the same stall she'd used centuries ago.

Thanks to the near-timeless storage of her spatial ring, the stall looked as good as new.

More Chapters