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

To his surprise, the thunder energy in this Thunder Stone was far more abundant than he had anticipated. Its energy reserves were almost equivalent to half a high-grade earth-rank thunder-attribute treasure, enough to support him in a complete spiritual body tempering.

Absorbing the energy of thunder and lightning is not difficult; the difficulty lies in completely refining this violent and unruly energy and integrating it into every inch of the spirit body, transforming it into a power that one can control at will. This not only requires a lot of time but also extreme mental focus. The slightest distraction may lead to failure and the loss of all previous efforts.

Clearly, Su Mu's secluded cultivation is destined to be a long and arduous tug-of-war, which cannot be completed in a short period of time.

As the sun set, golden rays streamed through the library windows, casting a warm glow on the jade bed in the secret chamber, gilding the figure amidst the intertwining of thunder and fire. An afternoon quietly slipped away amidst the clash and interplay of lightning and true fire.

In a corner of the secret chamber, Jinzi slowly awoke from its slumber. Its bright golden eyes gazed at Su Mu on the jade bed. Seeing that Su Mu was enveloped in lightning and fire, and that his aura was calm and refined, Jinzi knew that Su Mu was in seclusion and had not been disturbed in the slightest. Jinzi flapped its wings and flew out of the secret chamber, through the courtyard of the library, and circled and played in the sky above the Great Qian Imperial City. Its clear chirping echoed in the sky, breaking the tranquility of the imperial city.

As night deepened, the inky sky slowly enveloped the entire imperial city. One by one, the lights of thousands of homes lit up, their faint glow outlining the city's contours, creating a tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.

As Xiao Anran passed by the library carrying a food box, she immediately spotted the meteorite puppet standing at the entrance and understood instantly—the Emperor Emeritus must be in seclusion again, not wanting to be disturbed. She didn't call out to him or send anyone to invite him; she simply placed the food box gently at the entrance and looked up at the sky, searching for Jinzi's figure.

"Jinzi, come down for dinner!" Xiao Anran's voice was gentle and soft, with a hint of a smile. She looked up and waved lightly at the sky.

A clear chirping sound came from the sky. Jinzi flapped its wings and swooped down, its wings bringing a cool breeze. It obediently landed on Xiao Anran's shoulder, nuzzling her cheek with its fluffy head, looking very affectionate and adorable.

Meanwhile, at the Laifu Inn in the southeast corner of the Great Qian Imperial City, Su Feiyang was sitting in a second-floor room, leisurely enjoying a sumptuous feast, looking completely unconcerned about the commotion in the palace.

This inn may seem ordinary, but it is actually in an excellent location, only a few miles from the palace. With Su Feiyang's True Martial Realm cultivation, he only needs to release a wisp of his divine sense to clearly perceive any movement within the palace. He doesn't need to personally go to the vicinity of the palace to stake out. It is both hidden and convenient, making it an excellent hiding place.

Just as he put down his chopsticks, picked up his teacup, and prepared to savor the tea, a series of urgent knocks on the door broke the tranquility of the room and interrupted his leisure.

"Come in." Su Feiyang said in a flat tone, without looking up. His fingertips lightly caressed the rim of the teacup, his expression showing obvious impatience—he disliked being disturbed while he was eating, ruining his mood.

The door was pushed open, and Meng Ling hurriedly walked in with her two sons, Su Zhe and Su Kuan. The three of them looked flustered, their brows furrowed with anxiety, and even their breathing was somewhat rapid. Clearly, they had encountered a very urgent matter and had been quite frightened.

"Ancestor, something terrible has happened!" Meng Ling shouted as soon as she entered the room, her voice trembling slightly, her urgency barely concealed.

Su Feiyang frowned, slowly put down his teacup, his impatience deepening. He said in a deep voice, "What's the panic? The sky isn't falling. Speak slowly, what exactly happened?"

Meng Ling took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the panic in her heart. She gritted her teeth and managed to utter a sentence with difficulty: "Ancestor, news has just come from the palace that the new emperor... the new emperor is dead!"

"What?!" Su Feiyang jumped to his feet, the chair slid backward with a jarring creak. His face was filled with disbelief, his body trembling slightly. He urgently asked, "Impossible! When I saw him last night, his injuries had already healed, and his breathing was steady. How could he suddenly be dead?"

Su Zhe frowned, his face full of confusion, and added, "Yes, Ancestor, there hasn't been a single commotion in the palace. If the new emperor were killed, there would definitely be strong energy fluctuations, but we haven't sensed anything unusual at all. If he dies, won't our plan to join forces with him to eliminate Su Mu be completely ruined?"

Su Feiyang forced himself to calm down, his fingers tightening slightly until his knuckles turned white, and asked in a deep voice, "Is the information reliable? Could it be that Xiao Anxun deliberately released false information to set a trap and lure us out?"

"Absolutely reliable!" Meng Ling nodded quickly, her tone very certain. "This was announced personally by the former emperor, Xiao Anxun, in the palace hall. Moreover, he has been reinstated and taken over the administration of the Great Qian Dynasty! If the new emperor were not dead, Xiao Anxun would never dare to so openly reclaim his throne, much less announce this matter publicly in the palace hall!"

Su Feiyang frowned, lost in thought. His fingertips tapped lightly on the table, making a "tap-tap" sound. His mind raced, calculating various possibilities: "Could it be that he deliberately faked his injuries healing last night to deceive me?"

Back then, when he was fighting for the treasure on the isolated island in the lake in Huitai County, he fled in advance when he saw that things were not going well and did not see the subsequent fighting scene. Perhaps after he left, the new emperor (Situ Chengjun) suffered a serious injury. However, when he saw him last night, he forcibly suppressed the injuries in his body and pretended to be cured. His purpose was to keep him calm and let him join forces.

Even so, a True Martial Realm expert is not someone who can die suddenly so easily, let alone a genius like Situ Chengjun who is exceptionally talented. How could he die silently without leaving a trace just because of a relapse of an old injury?

A sense of unease crept into his heart—without Situ Chengjun, a True Martial Realm ally, he had no confidence in breaking into the palace alone to deal with Su Mu. He clearly remembered that Su Mu also possessed a meteorite puppet, whose combat power was extremely formidable. With his own strength alone, he was no match for Su Mu and the puppet working together. To act rashly would only be courting death.

"Go investigate again!" Su Feiyang raised his head, his tone grave, and waved to Meng Ling and her two children. "You must find out the true cause of the new emperor's death, as well as all the movements within the palace. Even the slightest abnormality must be reported to me immediately, without the slightest delay!"

"Yes, Ancestor!" Meng Ling and the other two dared not slack off in the slightest. They quickly bowed and took their leave, hurriedly leaving the room, afraid of displeasing Su Feiyang.

Su Feiyang sat back down, secretly calculating in his mind: "For now, I'll hold back! If the new emperor isn't dead, and he's just setting a trap to lure me out, he'll eventually make his move against Su Mu. Then I can reap the benefits and watch them both suffer heavy losses. If he really is dead, I can only wait patiently. The Xuan Gang Sect has a deep foundation, and there must be other powerful figures who have broken through the seal. As long as the helpers arrive, Su Mu will surely die!"