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

At the same time, he clearly sensed that the moment the seal was broken and the jade box was opened, the remaining life essence within the spirit insect was rapidly dissipating and returning to nothingness.

At that moment, he fully understood the true purpose of the jade box seal.

This seal serves two purposes: first, to lock in the remaining life energy of the spirit insect, preventing it from dissipating without cause; and second, to imprison the domineering purple fire, preventing its power from leaking out and burning everything around it.

"No wonder Liang Yanqing dared not use this item for cultivation."

Su Mu pondered to himself, "This insect's purple fire is too domineering, far surpassing his own Xuan fire. With his Xuan body's foundation, he simply cannot withstand such intense flames. Forcing its use will only destroy his foundation and cause him to explode and die."

"This insect's cultivation level in life was probably at the peak of the late stage of an eighth-level demon beast, nearly reaching the ninth level!"

"Its life essence is pure, advanced, and mysteriously profound. It does not dissipate into the void, but rather quietly dissolves within the body, which is extremely strange."

Su Mu observed carefully, his mind filled with doubts.

He is now a formidable fighter with profound knowledge, but his experience is ultimately limited. He has never seen such a strange insect before and has no idea how to utilize it to maximize his benefits.

To be on the safe side, Su Mu used his divine sense to summon Chai Min via telepathy.

Chai Min entered the room and examined it closely. After a moment, she spoke with certainty, "Godfather, this is a Spirit Silkworm with a Different Flame. In its lifetime, it cultivated to the peak of the late stage of level eight, just one step away from stepping into level nine!"

"The most unique thing about the Fire Spirit Silkworm is that it possesses the dual attributes of both a living being and a rare natural treasure. As a living being, it is a powerful fire-type demon beast; as a spiritual material, its vitality is vast and vigorous, far surpassing ordinary treasures."

"As expected of an elder from a major sect, you have extensive knowledge." Su Mu casually praised.

"Godfather, you flatter me." Chai Min quickly replied humbly, "I only saw the record of it by chance in an ancient scroll. I have never seen it with my own eyes before. Today, thanks to Godfather, I have broadened my horizons."

"Does that ancient scroll contain the best way to use this item?" Su Mu asked directly to the core question.

"There are no detailed instructions." Chai Min shook her head slightly. "The book only mentions one point: the strange fire spirit silkworm can be used to refine Nirvana Pills. The higher the cultivation level of the silkworm in its lifetime, the higher the grade of the Nirvana Pill and the more potent its medicinal effects."

"I understand. You should go back and rest."

Su Mu nodded slightly, dismissed Chai Min, and then focused his attention on examining the spirit silkworm in the box once more.

"A level 8 late-stage peak level strange fire spirit silkworm is enough to refine a grade 7 Nirvana Pill."

"The seventh-grade Nirvana Pill is just what I need for my current cultivation."

Su Mu pondered the pros and cons in his heart, "If it is swallowed directly without being tempered in the alchemy furnace or neutralized by auxiliary materials, the energy impact will definitely far exceed that of a finished pill, and will be extremely violent."

"But it doesn't matter."

He was full of confidence, "My Imperial Body is incomparably powerful, and my Profound Fire and True Spirit have both recently surged, which is enough to withstand the impact of this violent energy."

After a brief moment of adjustment, Su Mu brought himself to peak condition and swallowed a sixth-grade Dragon Essence Pill to comprehensively enhance his condition and condense the power of the Profound Fire.

He then raised his hand, took out the strange fire spirit silkworm, and swallowed it directly.

A sudden surge of heat and swelling erupted in his abdomen, and the domineering purple flames and pure life essence surrounding the Strange Fire Spirit Silkworm burst forth with the force of a raging torrent.

The outer layer of purple-gold mystic fire was instantly dispersed and torn apart by the violent energy.

The purple strange fire and Su Mu's purple-gold mysterious fire intertwined and collided violently, neither giving way to the other.

Originally slightly inferior, the Purple-Gold Profound Fire, with the powerful enhancement of the Rank 6 Dragon Essence Pill, was able to hold its own against the exotic Purple Fire without being at a disadvantage.

The Imperial True Spirit operates in sync, continuously nourishing the Mysterious Fire, amplifying the power of the raging flames, and assisting in refining the alien flames.

A massive amount of pure and high-grade life essence frantically washed over Su Mu's body and meridians, with a force far exceeding that of the level eight black dragon essence blood he had previously refined.

Su Mu remained unmoved, circulating the "Imperial Supreme Body Technique," enduring the energy surge while rapidly refining, absorbing, and tempering his physical foundation.

Just as he was focusing on his cultivation, a clear system notification suddenly rang in his mind.

[Congratulations to my adopted son, Li Sheng, on advancing to the late stage of the Martial King realm! The system reward has been deposited into your inventory. Please check it!]

Su Mu's mind stirred slightly, and he understood.

Li Sheng is a Martial King powerhouse who crossed over from the Wulong Continent. He is exceptionally talented and has a calm and composed temperament.

When they first became relatives, Su Mu valued them highly and bestowed upon them extremely high-grade and abundant cultivation resources.

In just two days, Li Sheng gained complete recognition from Tianyuan Heaven and Earth, condensed his profound spirit, broke through his realm, and lived up to the expectations of his mentors.

Recently, Su Mu has taken in a large number of cross-realm cultivators and local powerhouses as his adopted sons and daughters, which will inevitably trigger system breakthrough rewards frequently in the future.

Those cultivators who survived the Black Mist Territory were all elites with exceptional talent, temperament, and luck, possessing boundless potential.

While continuing to refine the spirit silkworm's energy, Su Mu checked the system rewards for this session.

The abundant resources of regular spirit stones and pills need no further explanation, but the three most precious treasures are particularly eye-catching.

Firstly, ten low-grade Heavenly Rank Qian Yuan Shen Xia Pills.

This pill is extremely special, specifically designed for mid-stage Martial Emperor cultivators. It can greatly increase the success rate of a Profound Spirit transforming into a Divine Embryo. It is a top-tier divine medicine for mid-stage Martial Emperors to advance to the late stage, and it is priceless and extremely rare.

Su Mu's lips curled up slightly, and he understood.

With the blessing of these ten Qian Yuan Shen Xia Pills, Chai Min's breakthrough to the late stage of the Martial Emperor Realm is imminent and just around the corner.

Secondly, a low-grade Heavenly Rank anti-flight talisman.

Top-tier spatial treasures, once activated, can imprison a region of space.

Any cultivator below the Martial Emperor realm who is trapped in the confinement domain will become stiff and unable to move. Compared to ordinary immobilization talismans, it can restrain multiple powerful enemies at the same time, making it extremely valuable in actual combat.

Thirdly, the low-grade Heavenly Rank Qianjin Puppet.

Compared to the previously scrapped top-grade Earth-rank Ink Gold Puppet, the Qian Gold Puppet represents a complete and overwhelming upgrade.

This creature possesses formidable combat power, capable of directly confronting and even defeating a late-stage Martial Emperor.

It possesses a unique divine embryonic foundation, and although it lacks the support of martial arts, it has an extremely hard body that can withstand the bombardment of a low-grade heavenly magic weapon without being damaged.

It can also receive the blessing of the master's Xuanhuo, and its combat power will increase again.

Once Su Mu finishes his cultivation, the Purple-Gold Profound Flame will undergo another transformation, and the combat power of the Qianjin Puppet will also increase accordingly.

"A very fruitful harvest!"

Su Mu was satisfied and muttered to himself, "From now on, if any late-stage Martial Emperor dares to provoke me, there's no need to hold back; just kill them all! No one should be refused; annihilate them all!"

The small investment in adopting godson and goddaughter has yielded such a rich return that it's practically a sure-fire way to make money.

He had already foreseen that the continuous breakthrough rewards would inevitably attract more cultivators to lower their status and vie to come and become his disciples.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

Su Mu completely ended his secluded cultivation and perfectly refined all the energy of the Strange Fire Spirit Silkworm.

The purple-gold flames around him became increasingly condensed, the purple light grew more intense and domineering, and his power reached new heights.

After undergoing deep tempering, the Imperial Body's strength, speed, and explosive power have all increased dramatically, and its physical vitality has become increasingly vigorous.

Self-healing ability and physical recovery speed are greatly enhanced, and the physical foundation becomes increasingly unfathomable.

Su Mu walked out of the room and onto the second-floor balcony.

Jinzi, who was resting, was startled awake. It raised its head and nuzzled against Su Mu affectionately.

After absorbing Liang Yanqing's Martial Emperor Profound Body, Jinzi's size increased several times over, and the spacious second-floor balcony could hardly contain its body anymore.

"Even though you're all grown up, you're still as clingy as a baby bird."

Su Mu smiled and rubbed Jinzi's head, then took out a massive amount of demon beast inner cores and essence blood to feed him.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Jinzi spread his wings and soared into the sky above the imperial city.

During the previous perilous battle, while Su Mu was in seclusion, Jinzi remained well-behaved and dared not fly around recklessly, for fear of being ambushed by a Martial Emperor.

Now freed from its predicament, it soars through the air with agile movements and extraordinary presence.

"It looks like I'll be able to break through again soon."

Su Mu gazed at the divine bird in the sky and murmured softly.

As soon as she finished speaking, Wen Qianzhu walked over slowly, carrying her infant son Su Song, and explained softly, "It was sealed for ten thousand years before it hatched. It may seem to grow slowly, but in reality, its foundation is incredibly solid."

"Ordinary demonic beasts and divine birds grow slowly, requiring a long period of accumulation. It is the opposite; its ten-thousand-year seal has locked away time. As long as resources are sufficient, it can advance rapidly and break through quickly after hatching."

"There's such a reason?" Su Mu was slightly surprised.

"That's not all."

Wen Qianzhu continued, "Whenever a living being is sealed for ten thousand years, it may appear to be in the same state after being unsealed, but in reality, its lifespan will be lost at a much faster rate than usual. It must become stronger and break through its cultivation level at an extremely rapid pace in order to prolong its lifespan and stand firm in the world."