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

"What were you thinking about all this time, that made you laugh so heartily?" Inside the bedroom, Xiao Yunshang saw Su Mu's smiling face and couldn't help but ask softly.

Su Mu reached out and pulled her into his arms, saying gently, "With you by my side, everything is worth being happy about. Also, I'm preparing to begin refining my Martial Aspect."

Xiao Yunshang was slightly taken aback, her heart filled with astonishment. Her husband had yet to condense his Martial Aspect, but he had already managed to kill several late-stage Martial Realm cultivators in succession; such combat prowess was truly unbelievable. After a moment, she asked, "Did he condense it within the palace itself?"

"That's right." Su Mu nodded. "There's no need to look elsewhere. My strength doesn't lie in the path of the soul. Even if my soul power is damaged during the process of condensing my Martial Aspect, my physical combat strength alone is enough to contend with all the powerful late-stage Martial Emperors."

"Even so, I'm still a little worried." Xiao Yunshang looked concerned. "You possess the attribute of thunder, so when you condense your Martial Aspect, you will inevitably trigger thunder from the heavens. Moreover, the higher a cultivator's realm, the greater the obstacles and hardships in condensing their Martial Aspect. But once successful, the power of their Martial Aspect will far surpass that of others of the same level."

"It's alright, I can handle it completely," Su Mu said confidently. This confidence was not unfounded; he had already consumed two Enlightenment Pills and held the Heavenly Heart Lotus Seed in his hand, his foundation already well-prepared. To prevent any unforeseen circumstances, he would make multiple preparations in advance: first, he would consume a newly acquired Grade 8 Nirvana Pill to further solidify his Imperial Body and prevent powerful enemies from interfering during his cultivation; then, he would consume another Enlightenment Pill to elevate his spiritual realm and deepen his understanding of the major Daos.

The night passed in the blink of an eye. The next morning, Chai Min made a special trip to the library to report to Su Mu the good news that she had broken through to the late stage of the Martial Emperor realm.

Su Mu was in high spirits and generously bestowed upon Chai Min a vast amount of high-level cultivation resources, encouraging her to focus on her cultivation and make steady progress. Chai Min was filled with gratitude, repeatedly kowtowing and vowing never to let her godfather down. A faint hope arose in her heart; with Su Mu's support along the way, she might have a chance to reach the Martial Emperor realm in the future. However, this path was destined to be long and could not be rushed. The most important thing right now was to stabilize her newly broken-through late-stage Martial Emperor realm and adapt to the all-around strength boost brought about by the formation of her divine embryo.

After Chai Min took her leave, Xiao Yunshang walked to Su Mu's side and said, "She has successfully entered the late stage of the Martial Empress realm, and the overall combat strength of the Imperial Palace has reached a new level. When you are refining your Martial Prime, if a large number of powerful enemies attack, Chai Min can completely stand alone and hold back the enemy's main force."

"I've been waiting for her to break through to this point," Su Mu nodded. All his current known adversaries are only at the late Martial Emperor stage, and all of them migrated from the Wulong Continent. Suppressed and repelled by the rules of the Tianyuan Heaven and Earth, they cannot unleash their full strength. Once Chai Min's realm is completely stable, her true combat power will easily surpass Elder Songhe of the Tianwu Sect. Su Mu is not only waiting for Chai Min's own combat power to increase, but also for the generous rewards the system will distribute after her breakthrough.

After having breakfast with Xiao Yunshang, Su Mu returned alone to his bedroom on the second floor of the library to enter seclusion. Before going into seclusion, he took out the Qianjin Puppet and ordered it to guard the area around the library, protecting the safety of the courtyard around the clock.

Su Mu first swallowed an eighth-grade Nirvana Pill, then activated the Imperial Dao Profound Spirit to circulate the "Imperial Supreme Body Technique," using the medicinal power to continuously temper his physical body. Once the Imperial Supreme Body had absorbed the medicinal power and entered a stable state, he swallowed an Enlightenment Pill. The instant the pill entered his body, Su Mu's consciousness sank into the realm of entering the Dao, immersing himself entirely in the comprehension of the Great Dao, completely oblivious to all external movements.

Xiao Yunshang did not want to disturb his cultivation, so she stayed alone in another room on the second floor to meditate and cultivate. In her spare time, she would go downstairs to feed Jinzi. During Su Mu's seclusion, the responsibility of feeding Jinzi with demon beast inner cores and essence blood was entirely entrusted to her.

On June 17th, Su Mu ended his seclusion. After consuming an eighth-grade Nirvana Pill, his Imperial Body had surged once again. Once his Martial Aspect was fully formed, he could rely on a ninth-grade Nirvana Pill to push his Imperial Body to the level of a Divine Body. To forge a Divine Body, one must first possess a Martial Aspect. Only with a fully formed Martial Aspect can one draw upon and absorb the massive power of heaven and earth. Without the continuous cleansing of the physical body by this natural power, one can never reach the threshold of a Divine Body.

Su Mu spent another day thoroughly digesting the medicinal effects and adapting to the changes in his physical body. Late at night on June 18th, he walked to the entrance of the library, first swallowed the Heavenly Heart Lotus Seed, and then simultaneously summoned his sword spirit and primordial spirit to officially begin the Martial Aspect Condensation.

A colossal sword of light, over a hundred feet tall, rose from the ground and stood atop the library. A humanoid figure of light was wrapped around its center, surrounded by countless thick arcs of lightning. The sharp sword intent swept in all directions, thunder roared incessantly, and crimson-gold flames covered the sky and earth. An overbearing, sacred, and supreme imperial pressure spread throughout the entire imperial city with the night wind.

Su Mu activated the accompanying Divine Soul Technique of the Imperial Supreme Body Technique, drawing upon the immense power of heaven and earth to flow into the sword soul, thus promoting the fusion of the sword soul and the primordial spirit.

The night sky above the palace suddenly shifted, dark clouds churning, a fierce wind howling, and bolts of lightning crashing down from the clouds. Boundless, immense natural power poured down, constantly washing over and merging into Su Mu's sword soul and primordial spirit. His sword soul and primordial spirit were so deeply rooted that the amount of natural power he needed to absorb far exceeded that of ordinary cultivators, and the trials he had to endure from the Heavenly Dao were naturally far more severe.

The entire palace trembled violently, and the aftershocks even affected the entire imperial city in the distance. The people inside the palace looked up at the sky, their faces filled with horror; the commoners in the city also stopped what they were doing and fixed their gazes on the sky above the palace.

Everyone knew that someone was currently refining their Martial Aspect, and many immediately guessed it was Su Mu. Su Mu had never revealed even a trace of his Martial Aspect in his previous attacks, yet at this moment, the sword spirit and sword intent high in the sky perfectly matched his profound swordsmanship.

"That primordial spirit is solid and powerful, its aura shaking the world, displaying the posture of an unparalleled emperor overlooking all living beings!" "As expected of the Retired Emperor, he possesses an innate imperial bearing!" "Simultaneously fusing the four Great Daos—Sword Dao, Imperial Dao, Thunder Dao, and Fire Dao—to condense a Martial Form is an unprecedented feat. Can he truly succeed in one fell swoop?" "My godfather has profound resources; he certainly won't fail!" "But he chose this crucial moment to condense his Martial Form. If a large number of Martial Emperors arrive, the trouble will be immense!" "Fortunately, there are still several Martial Emperors guarding the palace!" "Apart from the Retired Emperor, the cultivation levels of the other Martial Emperors are too far apart; they might not be able to stop top-tier enemies..."

Inside the imperial city, knowledgeable people observed the strange phenomenon in the sky while whispering amongst themselves.

Not long after, the scene everyone feared most unfolded as expected. The late-stage Martial Emperor of the Japanese tribe, who had previously escaped by sheer luck, led a group of Martial Emperors from the Japanese, Witch, and Barbarian tribes, breaking through the city gates and heading straight for the palace. These powerful alien beings had been lurking outside the city, waiting for their chance, filled with resentment and with no way out. The black mist continued to expand, constantly shrinking their living space, forcing them to engage in a direct battle with Su Mu sooner or later. Rather than allowing Su Mu to continue growing stronger and eventually become powerless to resist, they decided to fight to the death now. Su Mu's condensation of his Martial Form was their only chance of victory. They didn't even need to kill Su Mu; simply interrupting the condensation of his Martial Form would shatter his sword soul and primordial spirit on the spot, causing Su Mu to perish instantly. If they didn't act today, once Su Mu's Martial Form was complete, they wouldn't even have the right to fight to the death.

Whoosh—countless sounds of air being torn apart echoed through the sky as the alien powerhouses unleashed their martial forms and summoned their personal magical treasures, charging swiftly towards the library. They were certain that if they made a move, Elder Songhe and his human Martial Emperor would immediately join the attack. However, they were completely unaware that Elder Songhe and his group had already left the Great Qian Imperial City and traveled far away.

With several thunderous booms, four powerful auras suddenly rose from the four directions of the imperial palace. Xiao Yunshang, Chai Min, Ding Chao, and Chang Wei stood in the four directions, and four martial figures imbued with the power of their domains appeared simultaneously. The Qianjin puppet also flapped its wings and took to the air, its gilded body radiating a heavy pressure.

Chai Min charged straight at the late-stage Martial Emperor of the Japanese tribe, unleashing her own domain to suppress him relentlessly. After breaking through to the late-stage Martial Emperor, Su Mu gifted Chai Min several low-grade Heaven-rank magic treasures, giving her considerable confidence. The Qianjin Puppet's combat power was equivalent to a late-stage Martial Emperor; with Chai Min holding back the Japanese leader, the remaining alien Martial Emperors had no time to stop the puppet.

Despite the enemy's numerical advantage, the battle unfolded in a one-sided and overwhelming manner from the very beginning. In just one round of combat, two early-stage barbarian Martial Emperors had their Xuan bodies shattered and their Xuan spirits scattered by the Qianjin Puppet, resulting in their immediate demise.

Su Mu remained standing, focused on refining his Martial Aspect, and did not withdraw to join the battle. It wasn't that he couldn't intervene, but there was absolutely no need. His side had a significant advantage and was more than capable of holding the position. The safest option at the moment was to protect the merging Sword Soul and Primordial Spirit, and to be wary of Elder Songhe and his group suddenly returning to disrupt things. He still didn't know the whereabouts of the Human Martial Emperor.

The pure essence of the Heavenly Lotus Seed continuously releases power, stabilizing Su Mu's sword soul and primordial spirit, helping them to merge quickly, while simultaneously bearing and digesting the ever-increasing power of heaven and earth. Throughout the entire process of condensing his martial form, Su Mu could clearly sense that his own spiritual power was rapidly growing stronger every moment.

The battle on the battlefield below intensified. The nearly unstoppable Qianjin puppets, in conjunction with Xiao Yunshang, Ding Chao, and Chang Wei, relentlessly reaped the lives of enemy Martial Emperors in their early and mid-stages. Chai Min steadily suppressed the late-stage Martial Emperor leader of the Japanese tribe, leaving him unable to spare any attention.

The alien race's target was Su Mu from beginning to end. Seeing that Su Mu remained motionless, they mistakenly believed that Su Mu was deeply immersed in cultivation and had lost his ability to fight. Ignoring the obstruction of Xiao Yunshang and the other three, they rushed towards Su Mu's location in the sky, intending to concentrate all their strength to severely injure Su Mu in one blow.