Starting with being handed over to the Imperial Concubine, building a family with a thousand-year hi

The people on the isolated island soon discovered the gold floating in the air. Among them were people who recognized gold, such as the abdicated former emperor Xiao Anxun and Empress Li Lianqing.

Jinzi would occasionally fly out of the library courtyard and fly freely in the palace. All the important figures in the palace knew that this golden-feathered bird was fed by Su Mu and Xiao Anran and was Su Mu's close companion.

Therefore, upon seeing the gold, everyone immediately guessed that Su Mu had also arrived.

"This golden-feathered bird is growing incredibly fast. In just a few months, it has grown so much larger, and its aura has become increasingly powerful." Situ Chengjun raised his head, his gaze falling on the gold in the air, a hint of undisguised greed flashing in his eyes.

He immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of the gold—this bird was no ordinary bird; it possessed exceptional talent and boundless potential. If carefully nurtured, its combat power would be formidable in the future, and it could even become a great asset.

Situ Chengjun secretly plotted: Now that Su Mu has come, he will surely come to the island to fight for the treasure when it appears. At that time, he can take the opportunity to make his move and kill Su Mu—as long as Su Mu is eliminated, everything he has, including this extraordinary golden-feathered bird, will be his!

Having thought this through, Situ Chengjun had already made up his mind.

Since his ascension to the throne, Su Mu had remained completely inactive. Even after being stripped of his position as Imperial Preceptor, he simply stayed obediently in the library, never making any move to resist. This gradually led Situ Chengjun to underestimate Su Mu, making him feel that Su Mu's strength might not be as formidable as rumored.

In his view, if Su Mu really had enough strength, why would he swallow his anger and hide in the library to avoid the world?

The only thing that puzzled Situ Chengjun was that although he had clearly shown his rejection and fear of Su Mu, Su Mu still did not choose to leave the palace and remained in the library.

After some deliberation, Situ Chengjun concluded that Su Mu had not left either because he was loyal to the Xiao imperial family and unwilling to abandon them, or because Su Mu was confident in his outstanding achievements and believed that as long as he did not make any major mistakes, he could stay in the palace in peace and enjoy the honor and treatment of a loyal and righteous eunuch.

"What a pity, what a pity. You probably never expected that I am not the ancestor of the Xiao family. The contributions you made to the Xiao royal family are worthless in my eyes!" Situ Chengjun thought to himself, a cold smile unconsciously curling up at the corner of his mouth, and a hint of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

Xiao Anxun took in the subtle changes in Situ Chengjun's expression, and his heart tightened. Fearing that the new emperor might misunderstand that Su Mu had come to steal the treasure and thus harm Su Mu, he quickly stepped forward, bowed, and explained, "Your Majesty, it seems that Princess Anran is concerned about the treasure and also worried about her own safety, so she requested that you, Grand Eunuch, accompany her."

Currently, on this isolated island, there are only members of the Xiao royal family and powerful individuals loyal to the Xiao royal family; there are no outsiders—at least not yet, no outsider dares to venture onto the island.

In his heart, Xiao Anxun had long suspected the identity of the new emperor, but without solid evidence and given the other party's formidable strength, he dared not easily reveal any doubts and could only cautiously flatter and test him.

"It's alright." Situ Chengjun waved his hand at Xiao Anxun, his face showing a friendly expression, and said in a calm tone, "The Grand Eunuch is also one of our own in the Great Qian Empire. His presence can actually be of great help to us, and our chances of successfully obtaining the treasure will be much greater. I have also heard that the Grand Eunuch has been living in seclusion lately, focusing on cultivation. Otherwise, I would have personally sent someone to invite the Grand Eunuch to come and explore the treasure together."

"Your Majesty is wise!" Xiao Anxun quickly bowed and flattered him, but he was still somewhat uneasy in his heart—he always felt that the new emperor's hostility towards Su Mu was not as calm as it appeared on the surface.

……

In a dense forest on the eastern side of the lake, Su Feiyang led a group of experts from the Divine Judgment Organization to a secluded mountain valley. They concealed their presence and silently observed the isolated island in the lake and the gold flying in the air from afar.

The Divine Judgment Organization had planted many spies in the palace, so they naturally knew about Jinzi's existence long ago. Su Feiyang also often observed the palace and library from high places in the imperial city and had seen Jinzi from afar several times.

"At first glance, it looks like a golden eagle, but upon closer inspection, it's different." Su Feiyang gazed at the gold in the sky and muttered to himself, "Even if it really is a golden eagle, it must be a rare mutated species, with extraordinary talents. Since I've encountered it, it must be destined for me. From now on, it will be mine."

Su Zhe, standing to the side, had a look of understanding in his eyes and quickly guessed, "Ancestor, the appearance of this golden-feathered bird means that Su Mu has most likely arrived as well."

Su Kuan quickly chimed in, his tone tinged with anticipation: "I hope Su Mu and that new emperor don't get along. That way, the two of them might fight over the treasures of the ancient sects, and we can reap the benefits."

"One is a young genius from ten thousand years ago, the other a peerless powerhouse of our time. Both are arrogant and proud; it's no wonder they can't get along!" Su Feiyang said with a cold smile, his tone confident. "Su Mu may be indifferent and not necessarily want to compete with the new emperor, but that new emperor certainly won't tolerate a powerhouse like Su Mu remaining in the world and threatening his position. I am a contemporary of the new emperor. In our era, the more outstanding a young genius was, the more self-important they were, and the less they could tolerate others being stronger than them!"

Meng Ling quickly chimed in, "Ancestor is absolutely right! After the new emperor ascended the throne, he stripped Su Mu of his position as Imperial Preceptor, which shows that there was already a rift between the two. They will inevitably clash over the treasure. We just need to observe quietly; there's bound to be a good show to watch!"

Su Mu and Xiao Anran waited for a full day and a half in the dense forests and mountains along the lake shore. Finally, the rosy light that had shot straight into the sky from the isolated island gradually dimmed and eventually disappeared completely into the horizon.

Immediately afterwards, the entire island, along with the ground beneath their feet and the lake before them, began to shake violently, as if a major earthquake had occurred. Huge waves surged on the lake's surface, trees on the shore fell one after another, and rocks tumbled down from the mountains, creating a terrifying spectacle.

"Your Highness, shall we go ashore?" Su Mu turned to look at Xiao Anran and asked in a calm tone.

Xiao Anran hesitated for a moment, then nodded and said softly, "Uh... it would be good to go and take a look. My brother and the experts from the palace are on the island, so they shouldn't be in too much danger." She was worried about Xiao Anxun's safety and also had a bit of curiosity about the treasures of the ancient sect.

"Okay." Su Mu nodded without hesitation, and then summoned the Silver Puppet and the Meteorite Puppet with a thought.