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

Xiao Yunshang stayed at Yangxin Palace to calmly consolidate her newly advanced Martial Emperor realm, rarely going out to cultivate.

Throughout the capital, the fierce battle that took place three days prior remains a hot topic of discussion.

In that battle, the Wu tribe's cross-realm powerhouses were almost completely wiped out, suffering heavy losses; the barbarian and Japanese allied forces returned empty-handed and fled in disarray, while the human race won a great victory, and the whole country was elated.

But what followed was endless doubt in everyone's hearts—why did so many top alien experts suddenly appear in the imperial city overnight?

As the truth gradually spread, the ultimate threat posed by the Black Mist Clan was completely exposed to the world, becoming known to everyone.

The entire human race, from martial arts masters and kings to merchants and ordinary people, was shrouded in deep anxiety amidst the exhilaration of the great victory.

While the imperial city is still protected by powerful figures and the situation is stable, the rest of the Great Qian Empire's territory is becoming increasingly chaotic and turbulent.

Black mist spread, the strange race descended, and an apocalyptic atmosphere of despair swept across the land. Countless wicked individuals indulged their desires, running rampant and wanton. With calamity looming and life and death uncertain, no one adhered to the imperial laws anymore. Evil deeds that were once unthinkable were now committed with unbridled abandon and recklessness.

In the imperial court, Emperor Xiao Anxun was extremely troubled and had a terrible headache.

The barbarian and Japanese tribes have openly declared that they have completely broken away from the Great Qian's system of submission and will no longer bow down to the emperor.

The two clans launched a powerful invasion, occupying the Longbei Commandery of the Great Qian Dynasty. They are currently entrenched north of the Longji Mountains and have not yet continued their southward expansion. However, everyone knows that as the black mist continues to spread, it is only a matter of time before the two clans' armies cross the Longji Mountains and launch a large-scale invasion into the heart of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Most of the legions and martial arts experts who had previously assisted the Great Qian in suppressing the monsters had already returned north, and the remaining remnants were also on their way back at full speed.

The only saving grace is that the number of powerful human beings crossing over from other realms has been increasing recently. Prodigies from all sides have gathered on the Tianyuan Continent to hunt down demonic beasts on a large scale, forcing the demonic beast groups that were originally causing chaos everywhere to retreat to the depths of the East Sea and the Cangmang Mountains, temporarily alleviating the demonic beast threat to the human race.

Xiao Anxun recently made a special trip to Xiao Yunshang and Chai Min to inquire about ancient secrets, and only then did he learn about the hidden past from ten thousand years ago.

Ten thousand years ago, when the black mist first descended, countless monsters appeared on the Tianyuan Continent, yet there was no large-scale migration or escape of monsters.

It wasn't that the monsters didn't want to escape, but rather that they simply couldn't escape.

Top-tier demonic beasts are enormous, like mountains, and cannot freely shrink or expand their bodies, making them impossible for ordinary warships to carry. Furthermore, demonic beasts are not skilled at crafting magical warships, and even if they managed to create one, it would be difficult to transport a large number of powerful individuals across the vast ocean.

In addition, powerful demonic beasts have extremely long lifespans, often reaching thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Their bodies have long since adapted to the local rules of Tianyuan. If they forcibly pass through the black mist, cross planes, and arrive in other worlds, they will suffer from extremely strong rejection and suppression by the natural forces of heaven and earth. Even if they survive by chance, they will be regarded as invading aliens by the powerful beings of other worlds and will be hunted down.

It is common knowledge in the martial arts world that, at the same level, the lifespan of demonic beasts far exceeds that of humans. The vast majority of powerful demonic beasts reach their peak only through the accumulation of countless years of experience, without exception.

As for those powerful demon beasts who remained on the continent ten thousand years ago, they have all been annihilated.

Over the course of millennia, the spiritual energy in the territories untouched by the black mist gradually thinned, cultivation resources dwindled, and the environment deteriorated, making it impossible for top-tier demonic beasts to continue cultivating and surviving. Ultimately, they all perished.

The current situation of the demon beasts, barbarians, Japanese, and witches is no different. As long as the black mist continues to expand and the calamity continues, the demon beast groups of the East Sea and the Cangmang Mountains will sooner or later invade the heart of the Great Qian Dynasty and wreak havoc on the human world again.

The entire human race's power was also unconsciously converging towards the last pure land of the Great Qian Imperial City.

After Su Mu finished his seclusion and stepped out of his room, he learned everything about the current state of affairs in the world from Xiao Anxun.

On April 21st, dawn broke.

After three days of seclusion, Su Mu finally pushed open the door and stepped out of the cultivation room.

On the balcony, Jinzi was still curled up and fast asleep. The golden light around him had completely faded, and his aura was calm. Clearly, the transformation was complete, and he would awaken in an instant.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Wen Qianzhu, Su Mu descended from the library and stretched his limbs in the courtyard, carefully experiencing the new changes in his physical body and fully adapting to the amplification of his domineering physique brought about by the black dragon's essence blood.

At noon, Xiao Anxun personally arrived at the library and reported to Su Muyi the latest situation of the empire and the movements of all parties, his expression full of worry.

In the afternoon, Xiao Yunshang came to the library alone.

Her posture was upright, her expression resolute, and she cut to the chase: "The black mist area outside the east gate of the imperial city is expanding daily, already approaching the city gate, posing an immeasurable threat. I intend to personally go and try to exterminate the demonic race within and stop the spread of the black mist!"

"Don't rush, wait a bit longer," Su Mu said calmly, trying to dissuade them.

"Wait for what?" Xiao Yunshang asked, looking puzzled.

"Wait for Jinzi to wake up."

"Oh?"

Xiao Yunshang was completely puzzled and couldn't understand why they had to wait for a spirit pet to awaken in order to exterminate the Ghost Clan and stabilize the border defenses.

"My cultivation has just made some progress, and I need some time to fully stabilize and adapt to my new realm."

Su Mu added an explanation in a low voice, without revealing the real reason.

What he was really waiting for was the exclusive reward issued by the system after Jinzi advanced and broke through.

This transformation of Jinzi, from the early stage of level six to the mid-stage of level six, spanning a complete minor realm, will undoubtedly result in extremely high-quality and highly useful system rewards. Once he obtains the rewards, he will be more confident in dealing with the Ghost Clan, eliminating the need for reckless risks.

Moreover, the transformation of gold is nearing its end and there is no need to wait too long.

Although Xiao Yunshang had doubts, she still nodded in agreement: "Alright, I will wait for a few days."

Then, she asked again, curiously, "In which aspect of your cultivation did you make progress during your seclusion?"

"constitution."

Su Mu answered frankly and concisely, without going into details.

After a whole morning of careful reflection and adaptation, Su Mu had completely grasped the changes within himself.

Although his Imperial Body did not undergo a qualitative transformation or advance after refining the essence blood of a late-stage level eight black dragon, his overall physical strength, blood and qi reserves, and defensive resilience all more than doubled, causing his combat power to rise once again.

"My physical condition has improved once again..."

Xiao Yunshang's eyes were full of surprise.

She knew that Su Mu's physical body was already ridiculously strong. In the previous battle, his cultivation level did not overwhelm his opponent, but he relied solely on his physical strength to forcefully defeat a Wu Clan Martial Emperor in the early stage, which was nothing short of heaven-defying.

She had already guessed that Su Mu was cultivating a top-tier, unparalleled body-refining technique. Only in this way could the strange phenomenon of him reshaping his physical body, restoring his original essence, and having physical combat power far exceeding his cultivation level be explained.

Even though she knew that his body-refining technique was extraordinary, she had never seen anyone refine their body so rapidly and ridiculously.

Su Mu was unwilling to say more, and she wisely refrained from pressing him for details. She nodded and took her leave, turning back to Yangxin Palace to wait patiently.

As dusk falls, the sky is ablaze with the colors of sunset.

After sleeping soundly for three days, Jinzi finally slowly opened her eyes.

Almost at the same time, a familiar system notification sound rang in Su Mu's mind, crisp and pleasant.

[Congratulations, host! Your demon beast offspring 'Gold' has broken through its cultivation level and advanced to a late-stage Level 6 Flying Beast! The system reward has been stored in your inventory. Please check it yourself.]