"Ancestor Laio Jie... is dead?"
The monk guarding the soul jade tablets stared in shock at the shattered fragments before him. Without hesitation, he grabbed the broken pieces and rushed out.
These special soul jade tablets would shatter upon their owner's death. However, due to the interference of the Weak Waters and the Black Tortoise's secret realm, the signal had been delayed by over a year.
Soon, the grand hall of Future Maitreya Mountain was filled with powerful figures. Though not as formidable as the Great Thunder Temple's lineup, they were still far beyond the likes of the Blood Puppet Sect.
The atmosphere in the hall was deathly silent.
Liao Jie had been the strongest expert Future Maitreya Mountain could deploy. Their other supreme expert, due to peering too deeply into the heavens' secrets, was now marked by heavenly tribulation. A single step outside would invite annihilation by the Great Dao itself.
"How is this possible? That woman was only at the Nascent Soul stage!"
The news left everyone in disbelief. Their operation had been foolproof—or so they thought.
"Should we gather our forces and destroy the Eastern Sea Immortal Sect? If we attack in numbers, even that Golden Crow won't be able to protect them all."
"And then what? Invite another Buddhist calamity upon ourselves?"
The hall erupted into chaos, with some advocating for immediate action while others feared retaliation from other sects. The core issue was simple: none of them could stand against the little Golden Crow.
After so much time since the Blood Puppet Sect's attack, the Golden Crow's strength had undoubtedly grown. A full-scale assault would bring far greater consequences than before.
Amid the uproar, another bombshell dropped: Ancestor Liao Jie had conspired with a Fallen One—the Black Serpent—to hunt down Su Min.
Fallen Ones had already begun appearing in the world. Even without Su Min's testimony, their nature was no secret.
Now, they stood as enemies of all living beings.
The Dark Blood Era was showing its first signs. Entire regions were being emptied of life—even those guarded by Soul Transformation experts. Remote areas without strong protectors fared even worse, with some losing half their populations overnight. The cultivators were the true delicacies for these creatures.
The Fallen Ones weren't refraining out of kindness—they simply lacked the strength... for now. Currently, only self-severed Dao Comprehension experts had emerged, and the major sects could still manage. But what about the future?
Thus, Soul Transformation experts across the world were hunting these abominations. Now, news of Future Maitreya Mountain colluding with a Fallen One to kill the top-ranked Golden Core Heavenly Leaderboard cultivator?
The implications were dire.
What, did Future Maitreya Mountain also feast on the masses?
The reaction from the Buddhist sects was even fiercer. They had suffered greatly last time. The three great sects, at least, controlled their own territories and could summon the Three World Buddha's avatar for protection.
But the smaller sects? Many had been wiped out entirely.
And now Future Maitreya Mountain dared repeat history—allying with a Fallen One?
"Who leaked this information?!"
The late-stage Soul Transformation elder presiding over the hall roared in fury. This was worse than the last scandal. Back then, they had only opposed other sects. Now, they stood against all life itself.
The future they sought belonged to the Residual Immortals—not these Fallen Ones.
"Great Abbot, the dragon clan issued a proclamation. Their Dragon Emperor ventured deep into the Weak Waters to hunt the Fallen One and witnessed our collaboration with the Black Serpent. Worse, we obstructed her investigation to protect the serpent. This memory crystal from the Dragon Emperor cannot be falsified."
A stunned silence fell over the hall.
This was news to them.
"Report! The Great Thunder Temple has convened an emergency Buddhist council. Future Maitreya Mountain has been expelled from the Buddhist order. All our spatial connections to other realms have been blockaded by forces from the Great Thunder Temple and the Ancient Lamp Temple. Leaving our territory is now near impossible."
In that moment, everyone's scalp tingled with dread. The Buddhist sects had not only disowned them at lightning speed but were now quarantining them.
Their past sins had come back to haunt them.
Attacking Su Min's sect was now impossible—they were under surveillance.
Attempting to open a spatial gate? The disturbance would be detected instantly, and their path redirected into the void—a place even Mahayana experts could be trapped in forever.
"What was Liao Jie thinking?! Either keep it utterly secret or kill every witness. How could he let the Dragon Emperor see everything? And those divine beasts never lie!"
Unlike humans, divine beasts were too proud to fabricate tales. They either remained silent or spoke the unvarnished truth. Many in the hall cursed inwardly. In their eyes, any means justified the ends—but cleanup was essential.
And performing such acts before the Dragon Emperor?
That was sheer idiocy.
Divine beasts of her caliber could easily fight above their weight class. Now they also understood how Liao Jie had died: aiding a Fallen One to kill Su Min, only to be eliminated as collateral.
As for how Su Min had allied with the Dragon Emperor? That remained a mystery.
Likely, the Dragon Emperor had seen through the scheme and turned the tables. Now, Future Maitreya Mountain wasn't even considering retaliation against Su Min.
They had been branded traitors by their own Buddhist kin. Any cultivator above the Nascent Soul stage who stepped out would be hunted down.
Back in the Black Tortoise's secret realm, Su Min finally opened her eyes. After half a year, she had fully purged the toxins and healed her injuries.
Five hundred years ago, as a Body Refining cultivator, she had witnessed a man tortured endlessly by poison. That memory had made her eternally cautious.
Now, all those people were long gone.
"Finally done. Time to claim the Northern Water's Profound Origin."
With three of the five heavenly treasures already in hand, her Five Elements Holy Body was nearing completion. What realm she'd reach by then remained to be seen.
Flying to the secret realm's deepest region, she found herself before a vast black ocean—the source of the realm's waters. These were the Northern Water's Profound Origin's manifestations, but not its true core. Diving in, Su Min found the experience utterly different from the Weak Waters' nauseating embrace.
This black water was refreshing, penetrating to the soul. This was the Northern Water's Profound Origin—the most versatile of divine waters.
Her target? The pulsing black spring at its heart—the origin itself.
Seizing it, she swallowed it whole.
Instantly, her entire body convulsed.
Absorbing a heavenly treasure was never pleasant.
Only the Vermilion Bird's gift had been gentle. The others? Pure agony.
The black water surged through her veins, threatening to replace her blood entirely.
The sensation was equal parts excruciating and exhilarating.
But water nourished wood.
Before the torment could spread, the Eastern Azure Wood within her erupted forth, absorbing the profound water and channeling it safely into her system.
The discomfort faded as Su Min began circulating her Five Elements Ancient Scripture.
The ancient Five Elements Emperor had also absorbed these five heavenly treasures, leaving behind methods to refine them efficiently. Now, Su Min guided the black water from her veins into her dantian. The light around her flickered unpredictably as her consciousness sank deeper.
Then—
Her vision swirled, and she found herself standing atop raging black waves.
Towering tsunamis, kilometers high, loomed before her.
This was no ordinary sea.
And sure enough, an enormous head emerged from the depths—
One of the Four Symbols: the Black Tortoise.