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

With all distracting thoughts gone, the punitive power of the Blood Soul Mark slowly subsided.

Su Mu stepped forward slowly, looking down at the disheveled Tuzhameng kneeling on the ground, his voice cold and steady: "Now, fulfill the bet."

Despite being in excruciating pain, Tuzhameng dared not disobey. Forcing his extremely weak body to support himself, he respectfully knelt and kowtowed: "Your son, Tuzhameng, pays respects to my godfather!"

[Congratulations, host, on taking Tu Zhameng, a peak Celestial Realm cultivator, as your adopted son. The system reward has been deposited into your inventory. Please check it.]

The system notification sounded in his ears, but the Three-Eyed God King beside him was so angry that his body trembled violently, his fists clenched tightly, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged out, making him look ferocious and terrifying.

The Three-Eyed Clan's top genius, a War Star Envoy ranked among the top three, has actually publicly become the adopted son of a junior human! Once this news spreads, the Three-Eyed Clan will become the laughingstock of the entire Star Palace, forever ridiculed by all races!

That night, the Star Palace held a grand banquet, and the whole country celebrated to congratulate Su Mu on being appointed as the War Star Envoy.

As the celebrations came to an end and night fell, Su Mu brought his newly adopted son, Tuzhameng, back to his residence.

He knew that a single blood soul mark was not enough to completely win over this top genius from the Three-Eyed Clan; he still needed to teach him a lesson and establish clear rules.

The two sat down inside the house. Su Mu, with a calm expression, got straight to the point: "Since you have acknowledged me as your godfather, you are now one of my disciples. I will never tolerate anyone who is two-timing or harbors disloyal intentions. You must keep this in mind."

Tuza looked up at Su Mu, remaining silent, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Su Mu saw through his thoughts but didn't try to persuade him. Instead, he spoke calmly and slowly, "Don't feel that acknowledging me as your godfather is beneath your dignity. You might be glad in the future that today's choice is the most correct opportunity of your life. With our relationship, the future of the Three-Eyed Clan can be preserved."

Tuzhameng's expression suddenly changed, and he instantly understood the hidden meaning in the words.

Although he had not personally participated in the previous conflict between the Three-Eyed Clan and Su Mu, he was well aware of the grievances involved. The conflict between the two sides was deep-rooted and irreconcilable, and ultimately only one side could survive.

In the past, the human race and the three-eyed race each revered a god-king, maintaining a balance of power and not interfering with each other, so neither could do anything to the other.

But Su Mu's sudden emergence completely shattered this balance.

The human race is growing stronger and stronger, while the three-eyed race is gradually declining. If this continues, the fate of the three-eyed race will eventually be firmly in the hands of the human race, and the outcome will be unimaginable.

The thought of the tragic end of their tribe's annihilation sent chills down Tuzhameng's spine, and he dared not think any further.

He exhaled a heavy breath, finally making up his mind. He stood up, strode quickly to Su Mu, knelt down on both knees, and said with utmost respect, "Your son will remember your teachings, Father! From this day forward, I will follow your lead without question, remaining loyal and utterly devoted!"

He was also utterly helpless and had seen through the situation.

With the Blood Soul Mark binding him, there was absolutely no possibility that he would betray Su Mu in this lifetime. At the same time, having betrayed the Three-Eyed Clan God King and become Su Mu's disciple, he would never again gain the Three-Eyed Clan's trust.

Rather than clinging to their former master and accompanying the Three-Eyed Clan to their doom, they should pledge allegiance to the unstoppable rise of Su Mu and use their loyalty to fight for a chance of survival for the Three-Eyed Clan.

Su Mu looked at the insightful and pragmatic Tuzhameng and nodded slightly. Talking with smart people is always worry-free and effortless.

He then took out a large amount of rare cultivation resources and bestowed them upon Tuzhameng to completely appease him before letting him leave.

……

The next day at dawn, the human god-king Xiao Xuance, guided by Song Pingchao, personally paid a visit to Su Mu.

After meeting, Xiao Xuance didn't beat around the bush and directly stated his purpose: he wanted to find out if the reclusive master behind Su Mu was willing to participate in the exploration of the secret realm together.

Su Mu neither immediately agreed nor directly refused, intending to first ascertain the full details of the secret realm. The information he had previously obtained from Song Pingchao was too fragmented and incomplete.

Now that we are facing the human god-king, we can explore the complete secrets of the hidden realm.

Xiao Xuance did not hide anything and revealed all the information he knew about the secret realm.

That secret realm was a palace left behind by a supreme expert who had one foot in the Great Saint realm after his fall. Countless years have passed, and no one has ever been able to explore the deepest part of the palace. The peerless treasures stored inside remain intact to this day.

These words indirectly told Su Mu that the true core opportunity of the secret realm has remained untouched to this day, and its value is immeasurable.

But then, Xiao Xuance revealed an incredibly shocking secret that completely overturned Su Mu's understanding.

Historically, those who explore the secret realm have never been the Star Palace and its two other major affiliated forces, but rather the top transcendent beings behind each of the three forces.

The reason why the Star Palace and other affiliated forces are allowed to enter first in every exploration is, to put it bluntly, to let the lower-level cultivators explore the way first, risk their lives, and act as cannon fodder to deplete the danger of the secret realm!

Upon hearing this, Su Mu frowned deeply, greatly surprised, as this was completely different from his previous expectations of seizing treasures in the secret realm.

If he was only there to be cannon fodder, why did Xiao Xuance insist on bringing him along?

Xiao Xuance saw through his doubts and immediately explained, "Although we are cannon fodder, those top-tier experts have extremely high standards; ordinary treasures are simply beneath their notice. The low- to mid-level treasures within the secret realm will be left for us to fight over. The only way to gain more opportunities is to recruit powerful individuals to accompany us!"

Su Mu immediately felt the urge to retreat.

He risked his life to enter the secret realm, fighting bloody battles, only to end up picking up scraps that top experts wouldn't even look at. He had absolutely no interest in such a thankless task.

Sitting peacefully on Tianyuan Star, waiting for my adopted son and daughter to break through and receive system rewards, and cultivating and improving in a stable manner is a hundred times more comfortable than running to the secret realm to be cannon fodder and scavenge for trash.

Having made up his mind, Su Mu was about to politely decline.

Xiao Xuance spoke first, his expression extremely solemn, his tone somewhat urgent: "Su Mu, don't be so quick to refuse. Let me ask you, has the reclusive senior behind you already stepped into the Saint Realm?"

He asked the questions with extreme caution and a solemn expression, clearly indicating that the matter involved a great secret.

Su Mu pondered for a moment and replied truthfully, "Although you have not truly entered the Saint Realm, if you were to go all out, you would be able to fight a Saint Realm early stage expert head-on."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuance's eyes lit up instantly, a surge of intense joy flashing within them. He then revealed the Star Palace's deepest calculation: "To be honest, my Star Palace now possesses a Saint Realm expert! If the senior behind you is willing to lend a hand, we might be able to monopolize the core treasure at the deepest part of this secret realm! At that time, my Star Palace can leap into the ranks of the universe's top powers!"

Did the Star Palace secretly harbor a Saint Realm expert?

Su Mu was slightly startled, instantly recalling the secret story Song Pingchao had mentioned earlier—that there was a God-King in the Star Palace who, while exploring a secret realm years ago, was deeply entangled in the shackles of the Law of Reincarnation. Now it seemed that person had turned misfortune into fortune, achieving enlightenment and breakthrough within the Law of Reincarnation, taking a crucial step and attaining the Saint Realm!

Even knowing this, Su Mu still didn't rashly agree, calmly questioning, "Even if that senior lends a hand, plus the Saint Realm expert hidden in the Star Palace, it's only two Saint Realm early-stage combatants. The top-tier forces behind the other three parties must have more than that much backing; our chances of winning are slim."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuance smiled calmly and then revealed the most crucial, hidden rule of the secret realm.

The creator of this secret realm has a special identity, and there are strange rules of balance within the realm: the stronger the cultivator who enters, the more terrifying the danger they will encounter.

A team led by a late-stage Saint Realm expert once broke in, but they were all wiped out, with no survivors.

After countless years of exploration and experimentation, the three top powers finally figured out the pattern: only by sending experts at the early stage of the Saint Realm to the field can they protect themselves to the greatest extent and explore safely.

From then on, each time the three top forces entered the arena, they would only send one or two early-stage Saint Realm cultivators.

Upon hearing this, Su Mu completely understood the Star Palace's entire scheme.

They deliberately concealed their two Saint Realm combat powers, and when they entered the arena, they deliberately suppressed their auras and disguised themselves as ordinary God Kings to lull the other three forces into a false sense of security.

Once everyone has ventured deep into the core of the secret realm, and the various forces are locked in fierce battles, resulting in mutual destruction and depletion of their strength, the Star Palace will suddenly unleash its Saint-level combat power, making a powerful move to kill and seize treasures, thus reaping the benefits of the situation!

As for the three parties seeking accountability afterward? Xinggong has already planned its escape route.

Firstly, there's no evidence, making it impossible to hold anyone accountable; secondly, as long as they seize the core treasure of the secret realm, their overall strength will skyrocket, and at worst, they can all relocate or go into hiding. With the foundation of the Holy Realm in hand, they can establish themselves and dominate wherever they go!