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

This is merely the private palace of a disciple from one of the eight great holy clans who has one foot in the Great Saint Realm. If it were the palace of a top-tier expert from a holy clan, the treasures and resources within would be unimaginable.

Su Mu felt only a faint sense of emotion, not much shock. In his previous life, he had lived in the imperial palace and was well aware of the vast difference between royalty and ordinary people.

The same principle applies to all the heavens here. The eight great holy clans are the royal families of the heavens, while the cultivators of the other myriad races are all mere mortals. The difference in resources and foundations is already vast, so it's no wonder that countless cultivators are willing to risk their lives for a supreme treasure or a glimmer of opportunity.

Secondly, Song Qingmei, Song Pingchao, Tu Zhameng, and other core adopted sons and daughters all showed signs of breakthrough, and their cultivation was about to make a collective leap forward, which filled Su Mu with anticipation.

Just as Su Mu was waiting for everyone to break through and make stable arrangements, Qiao Lang had already arrived in the territory of Tianyuan Star.

With Qiao Lang's Saint Realm soul cultivation, he could lock onto the core of the imperial city with a single sweep of his divine sense and accurately locate Su Mu's residence.

This time he was extremely cautious, not daring to rashly force his way into the imperial city. He hovered high in the sky, respectfully calling out to request an audience, and was very courteous.

The other party treated him with courtesy, and Su Mu, in turn, did not fail to be polite, ordering someone to invite Qiao Lang into a side hall of the imperial city to receive guests.

Meanwhile, he had already guessed Qiao Lang's purpose for this trip, and had summoned two mid-stage Saint Realm puppets from the Immortal Palace in advance to stand quietly behind him.

It's not that there are no Saint Realm peak puppets available, it's just that Qiao Lang is not worthy of having a peak puppet appear before him.

Inside the side hall for receiving guests in the Tianyuan Imperial City.

Su Mu sat calmly in the central seat, his demeanor composed and serene. Two mid-stage Saint Realm puppets stood behind him, their auras open and undisguised, revealing their true combat strength without the aid of any formations or disguises.

Anyone with even a little cultivation and insight could immediately discern the grade and strength of these two puppets.

Su Mu raised his eyes to look at Qiao Lang standing below, a faint smile playing on his lips. His tone was calm yet sharp: "Fellow Daoist Qiao Lang, what brings you all the way from the Heavenly Saint Pavilion to Tianyuan Star?"

He deliberately emphasized the place names "Tiansheng Pavilion" and "Tianyuan Star" to subtly remind the other party that the two places were thousands of miles apart and that it was by no means a casual visit, so there was no need for pretense or polite perfunctory remarks.

Qiao Lang instantly understood the deeper meaning in the words, swallowed the polite words that were about to come out, his expression froze, and he quickly considered his words in his mind.

At the same time, he secretly paid attention to two key details, and his heart was shaken.

Firstly, Su Mu's cultivation has quietly broken through, leaping from the mid-stage of the Heavenly God Realm to the mid-stage of the God King Realm! Such a rapid leap is nothing short of heaven-defying and unprecedented.

Secondly, Su Mu addressed him as "fellow Daoist" rather than "senior".

With his Saint Realm cultivation, he was at the top level in this star field, and ordinary cultivators would all respectfully address him as a superior. However, Su Mu, with his God King Realm cultivation, dared to address him as an equal, which was enough to prove that he was confident, not afraid of him at all, and even had absolute confidence in controlling him.

Qiao Lang glanced at the two puppets behind Su Mu and examined them closely. He instantly figured out their true combat strength, took a deep breath, and his expression changed drastically.

Two genuine mid-stage Saint Realm puppets!

Those who can refine and control Saint Realm puppets must have at least the peak Saint Realm level in their own cultivation.

This means that Su Mu must have a peak Saint Realm expert standing behind him! This is only a minimum estimate; the true strength may be even more terrifying.

In that brief encounter, with just a greeting and two puppets, Qiao Lang had already completely straightened his posture, daring not to show the slightest contempt. He suppressed all arrogance, his face beaming with a respectful smile, and earnestly said, "Fellow Daoist Su Mu, I have come here on the orders of my sect leader, as well as the three lords of the Star God Palace and the Heavenly Universe Pavilion, solely to verify one matter. The secret realm of the Dadamu Planet has inexplicably vanished. Do you know the reason behind this?"

Seeing Qiao Lang's humble attitude and impeccable manners, Su Mu remained calm and composed, casually and smoothly replying without revealing any flaws: "The secret realm disappeared? I was completely unaware of it either. After passing the final test of the secret realm, I was randomly teleported to another unfamiliar planet by the power of the secret realm. After a long and winding journey, I was finally able to return to Tianyuan Star."

Qiao Lang stared intently at Su Mu's expression, trying to find flaws and distinguish between truth and falsehood from subtle expressions.

Su Mu's eyes were as deep as an endless abyss, calm and composed, making it impossible to discern his thoughts. His smile was indifferent and unhurried, without the slightest fluctuation of emotion.

For a moment, Qiao Lang couldn't help but doubt himself: Could it be that the disappearance of the secret realm really had nothing to do with Su Mu?

But if it wasn't Su Mu, then who could it be?

His first suspect was Yu Sheng.

Yu Sheng has experience entering secret realms, and after leaving a secret realm, he expanded his power on a large scale, making a great commotion and thus the most suspicious.

But Su Mu had already made preparations in advance, teaching Yu Sheng a preemptive strike.

Yu Sheng voluntarily went to the Star God Temple and publicly swore a solemn oath against his inner demons, stating that he had never obtained any opportunities or treasures from the secret realm. Bound by the oath and guided by the will of Heaven, no one dared to question him easily.

Moreover, Yu Sheng took the initiative to assist the Star God Temple in reorganizing the star system's forces and bringing all parties under its control. This move completely dispelled all the Star God Temple's doubts and cleared the way for the Star Palace's subsequent expansion.

With Yu Sheng's suspicions completely cleared, all doubts fell on Su Mu.

Qiao Lang understood that the most direct way to verify Su Mu's innocence was to ask him to swear an oath. But he dared not utter such a question.

If he angers Su Mu and a conflict ensues, he will have no chance of escaping unscathed against two mid-stage Saint Realm puppets; his fate will undoubtedly be death.

After weighing the pros and cons, Qiao Lang could only suppress his thoughts and tentatively ask with a forced smile, "Since that's the case, then I'll be frank. My lord and the two tower masters have long admired your talent and would like to invite you to the Heavenly Saint Pavilion for a chat. Would you do me the honor?"

Before he could finish speaking, Su Mu interrupted him coldly, his tone forceful and unyielding: "If your sect leader wants to see me, have him come to Tianyuan Star to pay him a visit."

"If you're trying to force me to..."

Su Mu deliberately emphasized the word "please," his tone full of provocation and dominance, and gave a faint sneer: "Why not let him try and see if he has the ability?"

Such a straightforward and forceful attitude would have prompted Qiao Lang to take action to suppress and forcibly capture the other party in the past.

But at this moment, facing Su Mu, whose aura was imposing and whose foundation was unfathomable, and the two Saint Realm puppets behind him who were eyeing him covetously, Qiao Lang felt a chill in his heart and did not have the slightest courage to fight.

He quickly lowered his head and apologized, saying with an embarrassed smile, "Fellow Daoist is too kind. My sect leader merely admires your strength and demeanor and has no intention of offending you. Since you are busy with your affairs, I will not disturb you any longer and will return to report to you."

Su Mu nodded calmly, his tone indifferent: "Take care, I won't see you off any further."

The more composed and fearless Su Mu appeared, the more convinced Qiao Lang became that he possessed profound knowledge and immense confidence, and was definitely not an ordinary rogue cultivator. Not daring to linger, he quickly turned and left.

After leaving Tianyuan Star, Qiao Lang did not return directly to Tiansheng Pavilion. Instead, he settled on a nearby planet and immediately sent a message to Zhan Bai and the other two, reporting everything he had seen and heard on Tianyuan Star, Su Mu's assertive attitude, and the secrets of the two Saint Realm puppets.

After learning all the details, Zhan Bai and the other two became even more certain that Su Mu must have a top-tier expert backing him up, and his identity was definitely not simple.

However, at the same time, the possibility of the secret realm's opportunities falling into Su Mu's hands also increased dramatically.

Having the opportunity to possess endless treasures, how could they easily give it up? A single test is far from enough to make them give up.

The three quickly met to discuss and immediately devised a new strategy.