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

Following Su Mu and Yu Sheng, the rest of the group reached the summit one after another. After they all reunited, they headed to the next trial together.

What comes into view is a magnificent and boundless palace with a total of eighteen floors. Each floor is guarded by a puppet of the corresponding cultivation level, with the highest combat power reaching the peak of the Saint Realm, and its awe-inspiring presence is overwhelming.

The moment everyone stepped into the hall, Mu Bo's loud voice suddenly rang out, announcing the rules of the life-or-death duel, which were exactly the same as those previously told to Su Mu.

After the rules were explained, Yu Sheng felt puzzled and asked, "In previous trials, the top three finishers could participate in an additional ranking battle, and the winners could enter the secret realm and meet its master. Why is there no such rule this year?"

He knew perfectly well that the so-called treasure land and opportunity were actually a selection process for possession. In previous years, cultivators had been selected, but very few had been chosen by the master of the secret realm.

The fate of those who were not chosen depends entirely on the mood of the master of the secret realm. If the master is in a good mood, he will bestow treasures and let them pass; if the master is in a bad mood, he will simply eliminate them without giving them a chance to reincarnate.

Now that the remnant soul of the master of the secret realm has been completely eliminated by the system, this selection rule is naturally invalid, so Mu Bo never mentioned it.

"snort!"

The only response to Yu Sheng was a cold snort. The array within the hall suddenly activated, and a dazzling sword aura descended from the sky like a thunderbolt, striking directly at Yu Sheng!

At the critical moment of life and death, Yu Sheng could no longer hide his power. He unleashed his full early-stage Saint Realm cultivation and used all his strength to defend.

puff--!

Even though he barely managed to block the sword energy, he was still shaken by the powerful residual force, causing his blood and qi to surge. He spat out a mouthful of scarlet blood, and his aura instantly weakened by more than half, leaving him severely injured.

"Early stage of the Holy Realm!"

The three of them instantly saw through his true cultivation level, their eyes flashing with a sharp light and killing intent rising.

Dor's gaze darkened, and he sneered, "Such a profound way of concealing your abilities; I underestimated you."

The Star God Palace has strict rules that all cultivators under its command must report their breakthroughs to the Saint Realm immediately. Yu Sheng's deliberate concealment of his cultivation level is a violation of the sect's serious rules.

Yu Sheng understood that if he allowed the three of them to leave the secret realm alive, he would face endless accountability.

He had considered killing them to silence them, but now that the trial rules had changed and there was no need to join forces to break the deadlock, the Buchuan sisters would never help him again. Even in his prime, he wasn't entirely confident of victory against three opponents, let alone now that he was severely injured.

Looking to the side, the three of them, including Dor, had a chilling murderous intent in their eyes, which they made no attempt to hide.

In desperation, Yu Sheng could only place his last hope on Su Mu, and secretly transmitted his voice: "Fellow Daoist Su Mu, after leaving the secret realm, I will immediately leave the Star Palace. I wonder if you could introduce me to the forces of your behind-the-scenes senior?"

Su Mu instantly understood that the other party was referring to the Apocalypse Puppet.

He chuckled inwardly. The Apocalypse Puppet was all alone; what power did it have? He immediately replied telepathically, "I'm sorry, Senior Yu Sheng, that senior is trapped in the Origin Passage and has not yet emerged. I do not know his background and have no way to introduce him."

Yu Sheng gritted his teeth, filled with resentment, but ultimately had no words to say.

At this moment, Mu Bo's voice rang out again: "Choose a trial room immediately. Only one person is allowed per room. First come, first served. No duplicate selections are allowed."

Everyone's expressions instantly turned urgent, and they all sprang into action. Since the cultivation levels of those present were roughly equal, securing a good room meant seizing an opportunity. The trials against those of higher levels were extremely dangerous; even the rewards gained from fighting to the death had to be handed over, so no one was willing to take the risk blindly.

Dol reacted the fastest, flashing towards the late-stage Saint Realm room. He glanced back at the lagging Xiu Dun and Qiao Lang with a mocking look before pushing open the door and entering.

With his early-stage Saint Realm cultivation, the Star God Palace's life-saving trump card, and the fact that his opponent was merely a mindless puppet, he had the confidence to challenge opponents of higher levels.

The remaining two were immediately caught in a dilemma, with only the choice between the mid-stage Saint Realm and the peak Saint Realm remaining.

After a brief hesitation, Xiu Dun gritted his teeth and rushed towards the room at the peak of the Saint Realm.

Qiao Lang instinctively wanted to fight, but he raised his toes and quickly pulled them back, ultimately choosing the mid-stage room of the Holy Realm as a safe option.

In just a few breaths, all three sacred realms had selected rooms and entered the game.

The Bu Chuan sisters were stamping their feet in frustration, but there was nothing they could do. Previously, with Yu Sheng joining forces, they could still compete with the Three Saints, but now that Yu Sheng was seriously injured and had lost all his fighting power, they were powerless to fight for it.

In previous trials, fierce competition for rooms was the norm, but this time it was the most peaceful since the secret realm opened.

After the three saints were chosen, only the early stage room of the Holy Realm remained, becoming the target of competition between Yu Sheng and the Bu Chuan sisters.

Just as Yu Sheng was about to move, he was locked onto by the two women's icy hostility. He knew in his heart that if he dared to take a step, a fight would break out on the spot, so he could only reluctantly withdraw his steps.

The Buchuan sisters exchanged a glance and then entered the game, stepping into the rooms for the peak of the God King realm and the early stage of the Saint realm, respectively.

Yu Sheng sighed helplessly, turned around and flew towards the room of the late-stage God King, intending to try his best to gain some opportunities.

But whether he could actually make it out of what he thought was a safe path was never up to him.

Everyone selected a room and entered the game, but under the vast palace, only Su Mu remained standing still.

Uncle Mu quietly appeared beside him, bowed, and asked, "Master, shall we proceed according to the original plan?"

Su Mu nodded slightly. He had originally planned to leave everything to Mu Bo so he could handle the rest. But when he thought of Dor's previous harassment and arrogant behavior, he immediately changed his mind.

Some people, if you don't personally crush and deal with them, you'll never be able to find peace in your heart.

Even someone as laid-back and easygoing as him couldn't help but want to crush the other party's arrogance with his own hands and teach him a lesson.

Su Mu raised his eyes and gave the order in a deep voice:

"Uncle Mu, the person in the mid-stage Saint Realm room, leave him alive and let him pass."

"I will personally go into the room in the late stage of the Holy Realm to deal with Dor."

"As for Yu Sheng in the late-stage God King's room, increase the pressure on him, keep him alive, and don't kill him for now. I'll deal with Dor after I've dealt with him."

With just a few words, he easily arranged the life and death of several Saint Realm experts.

At this moment, a subtle change arose in Su Mu's heart.

Even though he was the retired emperor and held imperial power on Tianyuan Star, he had no desire for power and his heart was never disturbed.

But now, with a mere wave of his hand, he could decide the life or death of a Saint Realm expert, and with a single thought, he could decide the fate of everyone. For the first time, he felt an unparalleled sense of control and pride.

No one feels proud of crushing an ant; only by taming a tiger can one truly understand power.

At this moment, a thought quietly took root in his heart—he wanted to establish a truly supreme power of his own, so that in the future, all the eight holy clans and all the myriad races of the heavens would grovel at his feet!

Suppressing his lofty ambitions, Su Mu signaled to Mu Bo to activate the teleportation.

The next moment, his vision suddenly went dark, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in an endless grassland, which was the trial space for the late stage of the Saint Realm.

In the void ahead, Dor was fiercely fighting with a late-stage Saint Realm puppet, the flames of battle roaring and the power overwhelming.

With a casual wave of his hand, Su Mu sent the puppet, which had been secretly controlled, away from the battle. It flew to Su Mu's side and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Master."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Saint Realm Puppet flickered and vanished into the void like a ghost, quietly retreating.

Su Mu chuckled to himself. Mu Bo was indeed well-versed in human nature, deliberately acting in this way to shake Dor's mind and throw him off balance.

as predicted!

The scene of the puppet suddenly retreating and bowing to Su Mu completely shattered Dor's understanding.

He stood there, stunned, his pupils shrinking, his face filled with horror. It took him more than ten breaths to regain his senses, his voice trembling: "Su Mu... just now the puppet called you master?"

"Just who are you?!"

Su Mu stretched his limbs, his fingertips clicking lightly, a cold smile curving his lips: "Want to know my identity? Beat me, and I'll tell you."

The moment the last word fell, Su Mu's figure suddenly exploded like a cannonball, the sound of it tearing through the air was deafening, and countless afterimages appeared behind him. In an instant, he was in front of Dor.

Dol was greatly shocked. Without time to think, he quickly crossed his arms and formed a cross in front of him to defend himself with all his might.

boom--!