As Su Min pondered how to break the seal on the Treasure Vault, news spread like a whirlwind—
The Future Maitreya Mountain, a super sect that had dominated the world for countless years, had been annihilated. Though they were part of the Buddhist order, their sheer scale made them a genuine super sect. What shocked everyone even more was that their destroyers weren't the Fallen ones.
Instead, it was the joint effort of the three strongest super sects in the world—the Heavenly God Sect, the Netherworld Sect, and the Immortal Sect.
To put it in Earthly terms, this was akin to the U.S., Russia, and China teaming up to wipe out a country.
The news was so staggering that it left everyone dumbfounded.
No one was surprised that the Immortal Sect had acted. Future Maitreya Mountain had targeted their Grand Elder multiple times, even collaborating with Fallen Ones recently—a suicidal move. Most saw it as justified. Those bald monks had reached a level of infamy where no one would shed tears over their demise.
But for the other Buddhist branches, the shock was paralyzing. This was essentially "Buddhist Purge 2.0," and even worse, it had targeted one of the three great Buddhist sects. Was this a warning?
Their panic was temporarily quelled when the other two super sects each dispatched a Dao Comprehension expert to oversee the periphery—though both wisely refrained from entering.
The presence of these two powerhouses calmed the other branches.
In truth, the two weren't there to fight. They were waiting to scavenge. Su Min lacked the time and means to absorb Future Maitreya Mountain's followers—unless she slaughtered them all. So, the cleanup fell to these two sects.
Eradicating a rival branch? No one was better at it than them.
Once all of Future Maitreya Mountain's Divine Transformation and above cultivators were dead, their legacy would be erased—not a single word of their history would remain. Su Min knew this and had handed the task over without hesitation.
Meanwhile, apart from Xie Yingying acting as Su Min's guard, the other Dao Comprehension experts had fanned out. Their mission was simple: hunt down and eliminate all high-level cultivators.
With their overwhelming power, none of the fleeing Nascent Soul or Divine Transformation cultivators could hide for long.
Inside the Treasure Vault
"Interesting..."
After several days of effort, Su Min finally cracked the seal. She could have shattered it by force, but that would have destroyed most of the treasures inside. When the doors swung open, even Su Min and Xie Yingying were stunned.
"Who knew they had so many materials? This more than makes up for my previous losses. Though... there's a slight problem for me."
With a sweep of her hand, countless materials floated into her storage ring. The vast hall was emptied in minutes—she left nothing behind.
"What problem?" Xie Yingying asked, watching Su Min's efficiency.
"I need something special to push me into the late stage of Divine Transformation. I'd rather not rely on the Spirit Transformation Pill—it's too risky for me."
Su Min frowned. Advancing to late-stage Divine Transformation was a monumental task at this level. While pills could help, they left impurities that might hinder her future breakthrough to Dao Comprehension—especially by interfering with her comprehension of laws.
For most Divine Transformation cultivators, this wasn't an issue. Many would never reach Dao Comprehension anyway.
"You haven't sensed it? Then again, my Lunar Sovereign Physique makes me particularly sensitive to certain things."
Xie Yingying's gaze sharpened as she turned toward a specific direction. There, she felt an intense, scorching presence that seemed to burn her senses.
"Over there? Hmm?"
Following Xie Yingying's line of sight, Su Min's expression turned grave.
She sensed it too.
Walking over, she pushed aside a hidden compartment—and froze.
Resting inside was a smooth, lustrous orb, bathed in tangible Buddha's Light so dense that Su Min's Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra automatically activated in response.
"A Buddha's Light Relic... This had to have been left behind by at least a Unity or even a Mahayana expert."
Such relics were formed when high-level monks achieved true nirvana—not reincarnation, but complete dissolution. They were exceedingly rare.
"Why didn't those bald donkeys use this themselves?" Xie Yingying wondered.
"These relics retain fragments of their original masters' will. Without approval, they're unusable. Clearly, Future Maitreya Mountain was abandoned—even by their Emperor Artifact. Where did it go?"
Holding the relic, Su Min felt an ethereal connection, as though whispers brushed her mind. It confirmed her suspicions:
Future Maitreya Mountain had strayed so far from its path that even its Emperor Artifact had forsaken it. That was why their assault had been so effortless.
"This is my gain now. Let's see how much it can boost me."
She stored the relic in a separate ring. Only those who practiced Buddhist techniques could use it—and since Su Min knew the Great Sun Tathāgata Sutra, it was perfect for her.
For others, it would be worthless unless sold back to the Buddhists.
"The rest of the scriptures and techniques here are either Buddhist cultivation methods or Divine Flame Dao-aligned. Useless to our sect, but dangerous if leaked indiscriminately. Without restraint, these could drive countless cultivators to madness."
Xie Yingying eyed the stacks of manuals with distaste. Their flaws were glaring to someone of her level—no wonder Future Maitreya Mountain had guarded them so fiercely.
"Even more radical than the Great Thunder Temple's. At some point, they must have veered completely off course. Destroying these would be a waste, but letting them spread is worse. For now, I'll seal them away."
With a wave, Su Min collected the entire library. She had no use for them, but their knowledge might prove valuable someday.
"Headache-inducing," she muttered internally.
By now, the others had returned.
"All fleeing Divine Transformation and Nascent Soul cultivators have been dealt with. The Dao Comprehension experts from the Ancient Lamp Monastery and Great Thunder Temple are waiting outside. Shall we let them in?"
The little Golden Crow reported.
"Let them in. There's nothing of value left here."
Su Min nodded. Her haul had been substantial—especially the relic, which would propel her to late-stage Divine Transformation. From there, she could prepare for Dao Comprehension and finally claim the White Tiger's legacy.
A moment later, two formidable auras materialized before them.
"Amitabha."
The sight of the desolate mountain moved even the stoic Kong Hui. The battle had been so thorough that Future Maitreya Mountain's followers had perished alongside their Faith Barrier when it shattered.
"Where is Future Maitreya Mountain's Emperor Artifact?"
Kong Hui's gaze swept the emptied vault and the corpses littering the slopes. His greater concern was the missing artifact. He had come prepared with his own Emperor Artifact, ready to mitigate collateral damage if the battle escalated. Yet Future Maitreya Mountain had fallen with shocking ease.
In his mind, this should have been a months-long siege, with heavy sacrifices required to breach an Emperor Artifact-reinforced barrier.
Instead, nothing.
"Unknown. They seemed to lack one entirely. The highest-grade artifact I found was this kasaya. If you want it, name your price."
Su Min shrugged. She wasn't complaining—had an Emperor Artifact been present, the battle would have been far bloodier. A prolonged conflict might have even drawn the Fallen into the fray.
Kong Hui and the other elder exchanged grim glances.
"It seems Future Maitreya Mountain had fallen long before today. When a sect betrays its tenets, even its Emperor Artifact will abandon it."
Su Min smirked inwardly. These two had no idea how right they were. Had she not acted, the Buddhist order would have faced annihilation in the game's third chapter. With Future Maitreya Mountain gone, any remaining rogue branches would lack the power to pose a real threat—even if they collaborated with the Fallen.
"The survivors are yours to handle. As agreed, the first installment of payment will be delivered within a year. The rest can be negotiated at your convenience."
With a final bow, Su Min signaled the little Golden Crow. A massive golden bell descended, enveloping Su Min and her allies before vanishing. The other Dao Comprehension experts needed no escort—they could return to their sects directly.
==
PSA for the Extra Chapters!
If you didn't know, I've already dropped some of the Extra Chapters—because let's be real, a few of them are way too tied into the main story to just shove them all into a separate volume later. That'd be like pausing a movie to watch deleted scenes in the middle… awkward.
So yeah, I've already slipped the important ones into their respective parts of the story—think of them as bonus cutscenes that make everything flow smoother. Don't skip 'em! (Or else you might miss some key moments 👀)
The rest? They'll chill in their own cozy volume after the main story wraps up. But for now—keep an eye out for those sneaky Extras already in the wild!