On the planet's surface, countless people stood in stunned silence.
With the formation blockade lifted, they could now clearly see the nearby celestial body—and the cataclysmic spectacle unfolding upon it. The scene of heaven and earth being torn asunder was both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Yet all they could do was watch. Without reaching the Dao Comprehension stage, even Divine Transformation cultivators couldn't venture into the starry void. Without the protection of laws, they were powerless spectators.
Gradually, all eyes turned toward a certain young woman in the corner.
"Master... is unharmed."
The moment the message reached her, Lin Yao's breath caught. Her knees nearly gave out, and she had to steady herself against the cold wall behind her.
The voice wasn't spoken aloud. It echoed from deep within—through the hidden restrictions Su Min had left in her body long ago, back when she'd served as bait to lure out their enemies. Lin Yao had hated those restrictions at first. She'd resented the way Su Min always seemed a step ahead, always setting traps, always controlling the field.
But now, that same presence wrapped around her like a quiet embrace. A single pulse of intent, calm and steady.
Even so, she had feared. She had kept that fear locked tight behind her ribs, pretending calm as the heavens roared and the stars flickered above. Pretending she wasn't pacing in her soul.
She should've known better. Su Min didn't gamble. She calculated.
Lin Yao pressed a hand to her chest. Su Min was alive.
Su Min knew the entire planet was uneasy. There was no need to keep them in suspense, so after dealing with the Bloodfiend Old Demon, she sent a brief message before retreating to a secluded spot on the planet to recover.
This battle had left her severely injured. Unlike Liao Meng, who had foolishly crippled his own laws in his obsession with seeing her full power, the Bloodfiend Old Demon had held nothing back. His final counterattack had been devastating.
Moreover, Su Min didn't entirely trust this world's inhabitants. Lin Yao was an exception, but she was still too weak. So Su Min chose to recover alone. Though she was immortal, lingering injuries could still be troublesome—especially since she would soon be traversing the cosmos again. She needed to be in perfect condition.
"That guy was insane. Now that I've reached the Dao Comprehension stage, the Black Tortoise Armor's defense rivals low-grade Heaven-tier treasures. And yet, he nearly shattered it."
In a small cave, Su Min finally relaxed. But the moment she dismissed her armor, her clothes exploded into tatters. Her jade-white skin was now stained crimson, a stark and gruesome sight.
"So much for those 'indestructible anime shorts.' This is going to take a while to recover from."
With a wave of her hand, she gouged a pit into the cave floor, then poured out a small vial. Instantly, the cavern was filled with a revitalizing energy. She slipped into the pool, and within moments, her countless wounds began to heal.
[Glazed Healing Salve (7th Tier, Low-Grade): Gentle efficacy allows for gradual recovery, mending all injuries.]
"Ahhh, much better. I had to take too many pills during that fight. There's still residual energy in my system—this is perfect for refining it."
Floating lazily in the pool, she savored the soothing effect of the medicine. It felt like ten thousand gentle hands caressing her weary body.
Soon, she closed her eyes and drifted into a meditative trance.
Time flowed silently as Su Min slept. Over the next year, the world gradually stabilized. The severed networks were restored, and the Cultivation Alliance reestablished order.
As for Su Min? It was as if she had never existed.
During her seclusion, some had entertained dark thoughts—but her overwhelming power and unknown whereabouts deterred them. There was no point in antagonizing such a force, especially when she had already declared her impending departure.
Lin Yao, however, faced a different challenge. Over these twenty years, she had confronted her final trial: her mother's passing. With that, she severed another lingering attachment.
After a period of deep meditation, she emerged at the late Golden Core stage—nearly ready to attempt the Nascent Soul breakthrough. But even with the Nascent Soul Pill Su Min had left her, this step wouldn't be easy. She needed further tempering.
With the cults eradicated, the world had grown more peaceful. The alliance could focus entirely on the Filth Beasts, a matter Su Min no longer concerned herself with.
By the time Su Min awoke, her strength had largely returned.
"Finally fully recovered. That guy's law was likely the Law of Slaughter. Now that I'm healed... it's time to leave. I should bid Lin Yao farewell. From here on, her path is her own. My protection ends here."
Stretching, Su Min considered her next steps. She had much to do and couldn't linger on this planet. Though the Northern Water's Profound Origin could heal injuries quickly, battles between Dao Comprehension experts always left lingering traces of opposing laws. While not as severe as Dao injuries, they were troublesome enough—hence the twenty-year recovery.
The fact that her opponent had once been a Mahayana expert only compounded the difficulty. His laws had been absurdly refined. But regardless of the challenges, Su Min was finally whole again. For Dao Comprehension cultivators with lifespans of five thousand years, twenty years was a trivial span.
"Time to wear my Heavenly Continent attire. My departure is overdue."
She donned a set of pristine white robes adorned with intricate silver patterns. Unlike the revealing outfits common in fantasy games, these robes covered her completely—yet they accentuated her flawless figure while maintaining an air of dignified elegance.
They balanced the mystique of an immortal with the boldness of a wandering swordsman. As the leader of a major sect, Su Min had access to the finest tailors, who crafted garments to her exact preferences.
It was the kind of attire only she could wear without pretense. Regal, without trying. Cold, yet beautiful.
"Perfect."
Satisfied, she pulled on her gloves and vanished from the cave, reappearing moments later in a modest meeting room.
"Wow—!"
The reaction was instant. Heads turned. Words died. For a moment, no one breathed. She wasn't just powerful—she looked like someone from another world entirely.
Lin Yao stood among them, stunned like the rest. Even now, even after everything, she wasn't immune to it. She knew Su Min's cultivation, her composure, her strength—but something about seeing her like this made her heart thud. It was the feeling of being a child again, looking up at the sky and realizing how far the stars truly were.
Upon reaching the Dao Comprehension stage and comprehending laws, cultivators developed a unique aura—and Su Min's, derived from the enigmatic Time Law, was especially potent.
"Master? Why have you come so suddenly?"
The words came out more breathless than she intended. She immediately wished she'd sounded calmer.
Su Min glanced at her, her gaze unreadable.
"I came to say goodbye. Your world no longer faces major threats. As for the Filth Beasts... that's beyond my power to resolve. There's no reason for me to stay."
Her voice was calm, unshaken. As if none of this ever touched her heart.
Lin Yao's throat tightened.
The others were silent, wisely so. Even those who once dared to speak freely around Su Min now lowered their gazes. They knew. Who she was. What she was. And that if she chose to kill them all, no one could stop her. In the face of such strength, silence was the only option.
"Master... you're leaving already?"
The question escaped before she could swallow it.
She hadn't meant to sound so… lost.
Su Min had been her light through the chaos. Her presence alone had steadied Lin Yao through breakthroughs, battles, and doubt. Without her, she would never have reached these heights.
"Yes," Su Min replied, unfazed. "The cosmos is vast. Don't limit your sights to this single planet. If you wish to find me, take this into the Ancient Battlefield. It will lead you to my world."
She handed Lin Yao a pendant. Cold jade, smooth and unassuming, yet impossibly heavy in her palm.
And then, before Lin Yao could ask anything more, the two of them vanished from the room. A blink later, they stood alone atop a windswept mountain peak.
Lin Yao didn't speak. She didn't know what to say.
The wind tugged at their robes. Clouds shifted below. Above them, stars flickered in the daytime sky, visible only at this altitude. She wanted to freeze the moment. Just a little longer.
"Understood," she said at last, her voice quiet. She carefully tucked the pendant away. As for the Ancient Battlefield? She wouldn't dare enter before reaching half-step Dao Comprehension.
Even Su Min and Tian Hao had barely survived its dangers back then. Though Lin Yao was talented, among the Golden Core elites of Su Min's world, she might barely crack the top ten. Breaking into the top five would require exceptional fortune.
The gap between them was vast—caution was essential.
"You walk your own path now. My continued protection would only hinder you. Whether we meet again depends on your choices. Farewell."
She didn't wait.
Su Min turned into light, streaking skyward, vanishing into the horizon with no backward glance.
And just like that, she was gone.
Lin Yao stood there, silent.
Her hands curled slowly into fists.
She understood. Su Min wasn't cruel—she was simply already beyond. She didn't linger in one place. She didn't bask in praise. She didn't need warmth, or gratitude, or anyone at all.
She didn't stay.
But even so—
"Master... I will find you," Lin Yao whispered, her voice trembling. "I will catch up to you."
She stared up at the place where Su Min had vanished, as if she could still see her among the stars. Behind her, the air rippled. Several figures arrived, their auras strong—Divine Transformation stage cultivators.
She didn't turn.
Not yet.
Not while her heart still ached with something she couldn't name. Longing. Resolve. Maybe love, or something older than love—the desire to matter to someone who had already seen too much.
She would chase that light across worlds, even if it took her a lifetime.
Even if Su Min never turned back.
"Your master has left?"
"Yes..."
"So she's gone..."
Their voices carried mixed emotions—regret, sorrow, and faint relief. Had Su Min stayed, they would have had no choice but to obey her every whim. Such was the privilege of absolute strength. Her departure was bittersweet. Yet without her, what if another Dao Comprehension beast emerged?
"Our world's future is ours to safeguard. Master eliminated the greatest threat. If we still fail, the fault lies with us alone."
Lin Yao's tone was firm. There was a reason Su Min had ignored the Filth Beasts—without external pressure, this world would never have united so completely. Conflict was humanity's innate nature. Even cultivators weren't immune, and Su Min had been dragged into plenty of disputes herself.
The others nodded. None harbored ill intentions toward Lin Yao. For one, most would never reach Dao Comprehension in their lifetimes. If humanity was to progress, they needed a true powerhouse—and Lin Yao was their only candidate. Moreover, while the tiger might be gone, its deterrence remained. Su Min wasn't dead.
If she ever returned to find her disciple mistreated... well, no one wanted to face her wrath. To most here, Su Min was an aloof figure—as all supreme experts tended to be.
It wasn't that Su Min was cold-hearted. After witnessing countless cycles of life and death, she rarely formed deep connections.
Meanwhile, in the depths of space...
Su Min had reached the edge of the star system. Unhindered, her Shrinking Earth Into Steps technique carried her here in mere minutes.
"In the void, spatial movement is absurdly efficient. But the cosmos is vaster than comprehension. Regardless, I must return."
Closing her eyes, she focused inward. The power in her bloodline surged, and from light-years away, a faint signal resonated within her.
"Location confirmed."
She checked the hourglass at her waist.
"Who knows how many years this journey will take. But no matter what, I must go back. The Kirin clan's plight, the final Central Wutu Divine Earth, those fallen immortals..."
Her eyes narrowed. This was a complete world—nothing like the game. After all, the game would never have included a modern-world DLC; the tonal clash would have been absurd. Countless shadows and enemies surely awaited her. But what intrigued Su Min most was the coming Dharma Ending Era.
What force could render even the mightiest cultivators powerless? The answer eluded her—for now.
But as her strength grew, the truth would inevitably reveal itself.
"Time to depart."
With that, she plunged into the endless dark. The planet swiftly vanished from sight and perception. For a fleeting moment, Su Min felt like a certain comic-book hero who had once crossed the cosmos alone. But as she journeyed onward, an oppressive weight settled upon her.
Light-years of emptiness stretched in every direction. There was no up or down, no east or west. Not a trace of life. And no telling how long this voyage would last.
At first, she studied passing celestial bodies with curiosity. But soon, even that grew tedious. Eventually, she became numb to it all.
Before long...
Su Min abandoned thought.
She became a mindless travel machine, hurtling inexorably toward her destination.