This was why Xie Yingying was so insistent on inviting Su Min to join her. A favor from a high-level alchemist was enough to drive countless powerful figures mad with desire. Moreover, while Su Min's physique might be average, combined with the Nanming Lihuo even Xie Yingying had to take her seriously.
Just look at the Prince Yong Mansion—over the past twenty years, they had produced over a thousand Body Refining Stage cultivators. Yet, there were only two alchemists, pitifully few. In fact, the entire Wei-Wu Province couldn't even scrounge up a fourth alchemist. Some might have the qualifications, but becoming an alchemist required more than just the right techniques—it demanded vast resources and a stock of pill recipes to practice with.
Very few factions could afford such an investment. After all, Su Min had initially relied on a few hundred mountain villagers before attaching herself to the Prince Yong Mansion. And since she was a "player," this aspect was much easier for her than for ordinary people.
Of course, the more important reason was that first-grade pills weren't as valuable as they had been back then. Times had changed.
Soon after, at Prince Yong's Mansion—
"It's dead. You can rest easy now."
Seeing Prince Yong pacing nervously in the room, Su Min's words finally made him exhale in relief. The night the Corpse Demon emerged, its terrifying aura had been faintly detectable even from the Prince Yong Mansion. Yet, that faint trace alone had been enough to make his hair stand on end—a genuine, primal fear.
"Hah…"
As he let out a long breath, Prince Yong placed a piece of intelligence in front of Su Min.
"This is the latest report. Just a few days ago, the rebel army from Tianshui reached the gates of the Great Wei capital. The Great Wei is even weaker than I imagined—they allowed tens of thousands of troops to march straight in."
"And then?"
Seeing the Prince Yong's expression, Su Min arched a brow, her voice cool with mockery.
"They were all buried beneath the imperial city, turned into nourishment for that monster. The leader of the Tianshui rebels was a man who reached the Foundation Establishment Stage without relying on any pills. Yet, in the end, the old Demon Queen sacrificed them all. Now, the whole world is in shock."
"He was too impatient." Su Min said coolly. "You want the throne, don't you? I can help you—though I can't guarantee that you will sit on it, it can still be someone from your bloodline."
No matter what, she was determined to destroy that despicable couple. But once she killed them, the entire Great Wei Dynasty would collapse. After getting her revenge, she didn't want to leave behind a mess. So, a new order would have to be established. But she had no intention of becoming an empress—that was far too troublesome. Founding a sect was already the limit of what she was willing to endure.
Right now, the Prince Yong was the only one with the power to take over. Truthfully, thanks to the emperor's relentless exploitation, the Great Wei had been weakened to an extreme degree. Any other dynasty would have fallen long ago. But the Demon Queen and the Demon-Slaying Division possessed terrifying deterrence, allowing the Great Wei to barely hold on. Such was the power of supreme experts in this era.
"How long must we wait?"
Hearing Su Min's words, Prince Yong took a deep breath. This was the ultimate goal of his lineage—a dream they had waited a century for. They had even allowed Su Min to freely take their resources, all for this one promise.
"About thirty years. By then, I'll have reached the Golden Core Stage. Only then will I have the confidence to kill that demon queen. Until then, no matter what, you must endure."
Su Min's expression was grave. Once the time came, she would help Prince Yong overthrow the dynasty. After that, she planned to leave the mainland and find a secluded island to quietly wait for the Golden Core Path to begin.
As long as the new rulers didn't provoke heaven's wrath, she wouldn't interfere.
As for founding a sect—at the Golden Core Stage, she still wasn't quite qualified. Besides, the Three Blessed Lands had yet to emerge. Those were her true targets. The Wei-Wu Province wasn't even worth her consideration. Establishing a sect here would be of little help to her.
"Thirty years… Sigh."
Prince Yong sighed and leaned back in his chair, a trace of melancholy in his eyes. He knew he likely wouldn't live to see that day. Still, as long as the demon queen couldn't act freely, Prince Yong Mansion had no reason to fear the imperial court.
But the old Demon Queen's deterrence was too terrifying. The recent massacre had shaken the world. For at least the next decade, no one would dare make a move. A Foundation Establishment expert, over a dozen Qi Refining cultivators, hundreds of Body Refining warriors, and tens of thousands of elite soldiers—all wiped out in a single night. The only faction capable of mustering a stronger force than this was Prince Yong Mansion, and that was only with Su Min's help. But the problem was that they had no one who could stand against the Demon Queen or counter her methods—not even Su Min.
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
As for Prince Yong himself, he probably wouldn't live that long. He had only reached the Body Refining Stage with the help of Body Tempering Pills, and he had been too old when he broke through. There was no chance of further advancement. His body wouldn't last another thirty years. But that time would allow his lineage to accumulate more experts and resources. Once the imperial capital fell, they could swiftly take control of the empire.
"Alright then. Have someone prepare a room for me. I plan to enter seclusion for a while. After that, I'll be leaving."
Su Min stood and dusted off her sleeves.
"That old hag can't act recklessly for now, but that doesn't mean you should raise the banner too early. Stick to your original plan—slowly chip away at the Great Wei's territory. That's enough. Today's meeting ends here."
Without waiting for Prince Yong's response, Su Min turned and left the hall, Xie Yingying following close behind. She was entering seclusion for two reasons. First, to fulfill her promise and refine a third-grade pill for Xie Yingying. Second, the slaying of the Corpse Fiend had caused a ripple in her Heavenly Dao Insight. Now, she needed peace and quiet to process the reaction it stirred.
After this round of seclusion, she would be back on the road again. If she truly wanted to pass the Nine-Nine Heavenly Tribulation, she had much to prepare. The Three-Nine and Six-Nine tribulations were manageable, but the final, terrifying Three Bolts of Heavenly Thunder would require every hidden trump card she had.
And it wasn't like she had to rely solely on her body to resist the Heavenly Tribulation. She had other tools, too. Once she stepped into the Golden Core stage, her first order of business would be settling her debt with that damned emperor—for good.
"Oh, right," she said suddenly. "Hand over your herbs. I'll refine them during this seclusion. Don't worry—this time, I won't shave off any of your lifespan."
In the room Prince Yong's estate had been preparing for her, Su Min extended a delicate white hand toward Xie Yingying in a money-grubbing gesture.
"…"
Xie Yingying said nothing. She simply took out the Xuantian Gourd (Mansion), and one by one, herbs preserved through special methods floated into the air, landing before Su Min in an elegant drift.