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

In the past, the wealth of a Martial Emperor would have been enough to make him rich and happy. But now, with his cultivation level soaring and his horizons broadened, ordinary rare treasures no longer move him, and even top-grade spirit stones only elicit a faint glance from him.

After careful selection, only two treasures made his eyes gleam.

Firstly, there was a bottle of late-stage level eight black dragon essence blood.

Secondly, it is a top-grade earth-level fire crystal gemstone.

"Although the Black Dragon is not an ancient divine beast, it possesses the bloodline of a top-tier exotic beast and has extremely strong foundations."

"A beast at the late stage of level eight already possesses the combat power to rival a human Martial Emperor, and its essence blood is extremely precious and hard to come by."

"This bottle of black dragon essence blood has an excellent tempering effect on my Imperial Body, which can be considered a great opportunity."

Su Mu pondered to himself, his gaze falling on the fire crystal gem.

"This top-grade earth-level fire crystal gem contains pure, domineering, and extremely violent fire energy. Ordinary Martial Emperors with profound bodies simply cannot withstand it; touching it will cause them to burst into flames and burn themselves."

"That gray-robed Martial Emperor is only at the early stage of Martial Emperor. He has not yet cultivated the Profound Fire and his Profound Body is weak. He must be planning to temper the Profound Fire in the future and then use this treasure to amplify the power of the fire element."

"But I have cultivated the Imperial Body, making my physical strength unparalleled among those of the same level. I can completely withstand this extreme fire energy!"

"With this fire crystal gem, I might be able to refine my own Xuan Fire ahead of schedule!"

Su Mu's thoughts became increasingly clear.

The cultivation systems of the human race and the witch race are completely different. The witch race's true fire is inherently yin and malevolent, which is contrary to and repulsive to the attributes of his imperial true fire. It is impossible to absorb and integrate it, let alone improve through it.

He has now cultivated the Imperial True Fire to its peak perfection. Ordinary tempering methods have no room for improvement. Only by advancing and transforming it into Profound Fire can he break through again and increase his combat power dramatically.

Normal cultivators need to condense their Martial Aspect first, and then use the power of the Martial Aspect to draw upon the source of the fire element in heaven and earth in order to transform True Fire into Profound Fire.

But there are always shortcuts in the world. The top-grade earth-level fire crystal gemstone is one of the very few treasures that can allow people to cultivate their own mysterious fire ahead of time.

However, this shortcut is extremely dangerous. Without an extremely strong physical body to support it, prematurely nurturing the Xuan Fire will only backfire and burn away one's meridians, resulting in more harm than good.

Even if one advances through the Martial Aspect, a strong physical body is still essential. The violent energy of such a top-grade fire crystal is something that ordinary cultivators cannot touch.

Su Mu's gaze was firm, his heart filled with countless emotions.

"The old saying is true: what doesn't kill me makes me stronger!"

Time passed slowly, and in the blink of an eye, an hour had passed, and the night was deep until midnight.

The strange thunderous phenomenon above the palace suddenly subsided, and the dark clouds slowly receded.

Xiao Yunshang's aura surged dramatically, and a dazzling silver Thunder Phoenix Martial Image materialized in mid-air, hovering in the night sky, exuding immense power.

The sacred, domineering, and awe-inspiring aura of the Martial Emperor swept across the entire imperial city, causing all living beings to feel awe and tremble in fear.

The martial arts essence has been refined to perfection!

Xiao Yunshang concealed her aura and withdrew her Thunder Phoenix Martial Form. She leaped into the air, cupped her hands in a respectful bow to the surrounding crowd, and said in a clear, melodious voice, "Many thanks to all the senior human beings and fellow cultivators for their righteous assistance. Yunshang will remember this forever!"

In mid-air, the two human Martial Emperors who had made the move earlier nodded slightly and responded.

"As fellow human beings, it is only right for us to help each other. Miss Xiao, there is no need for such formalities."

"We younger generations will also have our day to challenge for the title of Martial Emperor. At that time, we hope that Miss Xiao will take good care of us."

As soon as they finished speaking, the two figures flashed and quietly returned to the imperial city, concealing themselves. The other Martial King experts also dispersed. Tonight, everyone had suffered great losses and urgently needed to calm down, recuperate, and recover. Many grudges and friendships could be discussed later.

Xiao Yunshang then turned around and bowed slightly to Chai Min and Chang Wei: "Thank you for your great support, Second Elder and Brother Chang."

"The royal family has treated Yunxiang Valley with great kindness, and it is only our duty to lend a helping hand. Miss Xiao, there is no need to be so polite." Chai Min returned the greeting calmly, then gracefully descended from the high building and returned to her temporary residence to recuperate.

Chang Wei returned the greeting with a cupped-hand salute, his eyes filled with fervent anticipation. Having witnessed Xiao Yunshang's breakthrough to the Martial Phase Realm, he was only one step away from reaching the Martial Emperor Realm and condensing his Martial Phase.

Xiao Yunshang landed back in Yangxin Palace and bowed deeply to Su Mu in front of her, her posture sincere and full of gratitude: "The person I should thank the most is Eunuch Su. Yunshang owes you more and more favors, and I don't know how to repay you."

The situation tonight is extremely dangerous. Without Su Mu in charge, even with the help of Chai Min and other human experts, they would not be able to withstand the frenzied attack of the alien alliance.

Su Mu single-handedly annihilated the entire Wu Clan's fighting force, and afterwards, he stayed by her side without leaving her side, protecting her and ensuring her success. This was her greatest reliance for breaking through.

Earlier, without Su Mu's continuous supply of high-level pills to nourish her foundation and cleanse her marrow and meridians, she wouldn't even have been qualified to attempt to condense a martial image.

Seeing Su Mu's unfathomable strength, Xiao Yunshang couldn't help but feel powerless. She had successfully broken through to the Martial Emperor realm, but her combat power was still insignificant in front of Su Mu, and she couldn't repay him in the slightest.

"I do have something I need Miss Xiao's help with."

Su Mu's expression was serious, and his tone was solemn, not like he was joking.

Xiao Yunshang's eyes lit up, and she replied without hesitation, "Please speak freely, Eunuch Su. As long as it's within my power, I will not refuse!"

"I want to have a biological child."

Su Mu spoke slowly, his tone calm yet extremely serious.

"ah??"

Xiao Yunshang froze on the spot, her pupils contracted, her face full of astonishment, and her mind went blank.

How could a eunuch have biological children?

Seeing Su Mu's extremely solemn expression, she instantly realized what he meant, her eyes filled with surprise and doubt, and tentatively asked, "You...you've already recovered?"

"Um."

Su Mu nodded frankly, without needing to hide or conceal anything.

At this moment, Xiao Yunshang was completely at a loss, her cheeks flushed, her expression troubled, and she had no idea how to respond. She had never anticipated such a situation, and her heart was filled with panic.

"Miss Xiao, have you never thought about getting married and having children?" Su Mu asked softly.

Xiao Yunshang composed herself and sincerely expressed her true feelings: "In my original world, I was focused on cultivating martial arts, only wanting to break through to the limit and reach the peak. I had already decided that I would only consider matters of love and children when my cultivation stagnated and there was no more room for improvement."

"Since arriving on the Tianyuan Continent, I have never had such thoughts. Now that the black mist is rampant and a calamity is coming, the road ahead is pitch black. I do not want my child to be born into this world only to face an inescapable crisis of death. It is too cruel and too unfair."

"That's true." Su Mu nodded slightly, indicating his understanding.

The more talented a martial arts cultivator is, the more they fear the entanglements of love, marriage, and children. Worldly affairs are the easiest distractions, hindering the path of cultivation. Countless prodigies choose to remain unmarried and cultivate alone for their entire lives.

Moreover, with the world collapsing and calamity imminent, all living beings are in danger of perishing. To give birth to offspring would indeed be the greatest injustice to the child.

After a brief silence, Xiao Yunshang looked up at Su Mu, her eyes filled with confusion and hope: "Lord Su... Brother Su, do you think our human race really has a future?"

"I don't know if people have a future, but I do know that there's always a way out."