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

The Fire Phoenix's heart stirred slightly. Having suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Su Mu last time, it longed to avenge its humiliation. After a moment's thought, it spoke again: "If that person has hidden the two divine talismans, even if we kill him, we won't find them. Wouldn't we be missing out on a golden opportunity?"

"That is certainly possible," Lai Chunshan agreed.

"How about this: you send someone to negotiate with him, and first gather the four divine talismans. Put aside past grievances for now, and once we enter the Martial God's slumbering place together, we can take him down together. If he agrees, we can use the treasure hunt as an opportunity to launch a joint attack."

"This method is feasible; let's give it a try." Lai Chunshan had no objections.

"The matter is settled. I have other important business to attend to. You may go and contact the person in the palace yourselves." With that, the Fire Phoenix flapped its wings and flew away. It planned to continue searching for the level nine sea turtle; it trusted the sea turtle more than the human cultivators.

The phoenix's figure disappeared into the horizon. Elder Songhe looked at Lai Chunshan and asked, "Senior Lai, are we really going to take the initiative to negotiate with those people in the palace?"

"There's no harm in talking," Lai Chunshan said with a shrewd calculation in his eyes. "Although he has never seen me, he can sense that I am not a local cultivator and is very likely to take the initiative to attack. You have a deep-seated grudge against him, and once you meet, he will definitely start a fight without giving you a chance to speak. Therefore, we need to send someone else to deliver the message."

"This junior will make the arrangements immediately." Songhe knew that Lai Chunshan was wary of Su Mu, not because of the other party's cultivation level, but because of the unsolvable anti-air talisman.

After the discussion, the group set off towards the Great Qian Imperial City.

At dusk, Elder Songhe, disguised in layers of disguise, entered the city alone. The night passed peacefully.

The following morning, as the height of summer drew to a close and the cool breeze of early autumn arrived, Su Mu, after having breakfast with everyone, went to the courtyard of the library to continue adapting to the new enhancements to his physical body, while simultaneously absorbing the continuous flow of imperial energy from the palace.

Not long after, Li Lianqing led a burly man into the courtyard.

"Reporting to my godfather, this man's name is Sun Fang. He wishes to become your disciple and recognize you as his godfather," Li Lianqing bowed and reported.

Wen Qianzhu, who was accompanying Xiao Susong, spoke up: "I recognize him. He came here once before. He is a disciple of the Tianwu Sect. Elder Songhe noticed him and took him away from the imperial city."

"That's right, I did come here before," Sun Fang admitted frankly.

"Since you left back then, why have you changed your mind now?" Su Mu asked.

"Elder Songhe ordered me to come and acknowledge you as my godfather," Sun Fang replied truthfully.

"Oh? Why would he do that?" Su Mu wondered.

"Elder Songhe has important matters to discuss with you, but he is afraid that you will attack him immediately upon seeing him, without giving him a chance to talk. Therefore, he sent me to recognize you as his godfather, to receive your blood soul curse mark, to gain your trust, and to act as an intermediary between the two parties to convey his message."

"That's a safe approach," Su Mu nodded. He could tell at a glance that Sun Fang was a late-stage Martial King. Regardless of his purpose, as long as he was willing to acknowledge kinship, he met the conditions for adopting a son.

Upon Su Mu's agreement, Sun Fang immediately knelt and kowtowed, "Your son, Sun Fang, greets my godfather!" Sun Fang had always wanted to become Su Mu's disciple. He longed for the recognition of the Heavenly Origin Heavenly Rules so he could cultivate in peace. Xiao Yunshang, Chang Wei, and Li Sheng, three late-stage Martial Kings from Wulong, had all successfully condensed their Martial Emperor Martial Form within the palace, something Sun Fang had long envied. Previously, Song He had strictly forbade him from trespassing, but now that the elder had made arrangements, he had no more worries.

"I'll accept this adopted son." A system notification sounded in his mind indicating the addition of a new adopted son. Su Mu stepped forward and placed a Blood Soul Curse Seal on Sun Fang. He then took out a pile of pills and gestured for Sun Fang to stand up.

"Get up. Keep these pills safe and focus on your cultivation." The bag contained a sixth-grade Nirvana Pill, a Dao Soul Foundation Building Pill, and a Profound Spirit Creation Pill. These three pills could help him break free from the repulsion and suppression of the Heavenly Origin World. There were also various other pills, such as the Mysterious Pill, to accelerate his cultivation progress.

"Thank you so much for your generous reward, Godfather!" Sun Fang kowtowed repeatedly before getting up to accept the pills. He never expected the family reunion to be so smooth, even though his family elders and Su Mu were sworn enemies.

"Elder Songhe sent you here, what exactly do you want to discuss?" Su Mu went straight to the point.

"Reporting to my godfather, Elder Songhe heard that you possess two divine talismans. He has one for himself, and together with the one from Senior Huohuang, the four talismans will be enough to open the Martial God's Sleeping Place. He wishes to join forces with you to explore it together, and then compete for the treasures based on our individual fortunes once we enter the secret realm."

Su Mu was puzzled. Could it be that Song He had found the talisman that had been lost for ten thousand years in Huo Huang's possession? He waved his hand indifferently: "Go back and tell Elder Song He that I have no interest in exploring the so-called martial arts secret realm and will not cooperate with him."

"Your son obeys." Sun Fang dared not say more, bowed, and turned to leave.

After Sun Fang left, Wen Qianzhu asked疑惑地问道, "The place where the Martial God sleeps contains unparalleled opportunities. Why not go and explore it?"

"Songhe's invitation is most likely a trap set for me," Su Mu explained slowly. Fear of a trap was only one reason, not the most crucial one. Most importantly, he had no need to risk his life. Even without fear of Songhe and his group's ambush, the unknown dangers lurking within the Martial Mystic Realm might prevent him from even using the Teleportation Talisman. Rather than personally taking risks, peacefully cultivating and waiting for the system's rewards was the best course of action.

"We should indeed be more vigilant." Wen Qianzhu nodded and asked no further questions.

Sun Fang left the palace, soared out of the imperial city, flew two hundred miles east, and landed in a dense forest on the outskirts of the city. Elder Songhe and Lai Chunshan, a Martial Emperor-level expert from Wulong, were waiting in the forest. Sun Fang did not recognize them and could not tell their cultivation level by their cultivation alone.

"How did things go?" Songhe stepped forward and asked.

"The process of recognizing a godfather went very smoothly, but the godfather declined the cooperation proposal, saying that he had no interest in exploring the secret realm."

"He just recognized you as his godfather, and he's already acting so affectionate. He's really disgracing the Tianwu Sect." Lai Chunshan snorted coldly.

Sun Fang's face flushed red; he wanted to explain but forced himself to hold back.

Song He quickly advised, "Su Mu will plant a blood soul curse mark when he adopts a son. He knew that Sun Fang was sent by us to deliver a message, but he still planted the curse mark. Sun Fang can only be loyal to Su Mu for the rest of his life."

"So it turns out they've been struck by the Blood Soul Curse." Lai Chunshan was well aware of the Blood Soul Curse's binding power; those struck by it would live in constant awe and loyalty to the one who cast it.

"Sun Fang, you may leave now."

"Disciple obeys." Sun Fang leaped away from the dense forest.

After Sun Fang walked away, Song He bowed and asked, "Senior Lai, Su Mu refuses to cooperate. What should we do next?"

"This matter is strange." Lai Chunshan frowned. "With his strength, he shouldn't be afraid of an ambush. He neither knows of my existence nor that we are allied with the Ninth-Level Fire Phoenix. Why would he completely ignore the Martial God's opportunity? Could it be that he already possesses the Martial God's inheritance?"

"That makes sense," Songhe replied. "He must have obtained a complete opportunity left behind by a certain Martial God, and he is confident that he can cultivate to the level of a Martial God with his own resources alone. Naturally, he wouldn't be interested in another secret realm."

"This is a big problem."