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

"Our Great Qian army excels at head-on battles, strategic deployment, and large-scale warfare, but it's not adept at hunting scattered demonic beasts." Xiao Anran frowned, his face full of worry, his tone filled with concern. "Those demonic beasts are swift, cunning, and suspicious, skilled at ambushes, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. Our army simply cannot defend against them. If this continues, the western border will likely fall completely. Then, the demonic beasts will launch a massive invasion of the interior, harming the people, and the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Su Mu remained silent for a moment, gazing at the distant horizon with a calm expression and profound eyes. He slowly spoke, "Something unusual must have happened deep within the Cangmang Mountains and the seabed of the East China Sea, causing the demonic beasts and sea monsters to be so restless, migrating and plundering everywhere, disrupting the peace of the world."

"The most urgent task is not to send troops to encircle and suppress them, as that would only increase casualties and only treat the symptoms, not the root cause. We must find out as soon as possible what kind of anomaly has occurred and find the root cause of the problem. Only by finding the root cause can we prescribe the right medicine and fundamentally solve the incursions from both sides. Otherwise, even if we send out a large army, it will be in vain and we will not be able to completely quell the chaos."

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Xiao Anxun nodded hurriedly, not daring to delay in the slightest, his tone respectful, "Your Majesty, I will immediately select capable men and send two groups to the vast western mountains and the eastern sea to investigate the specific situation and find out the root of the anomaly. Once there is any news, I will report to Your Majesty immediately without delay!"

After saying this, Xiao Anxun hurriedly left the library with Li Lianqing, his expression solemn as he began to arrange the investigation. He dared not slack off in the slightest, for fear of delaying important matters and bringing about even greater disaster.

Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, Su Mu sighed softly—in truth, he didn't have a particularly reliable way to deal with the current situation, and he was also somewhat worried.

He was ultimately alone. Even if he were willing to leave the palace and rush to the front lines, he could only attend to one side, unable to simultaneously oversee both the western and eastern seas. Moreover, both borders were extremely long, and the demonic beasts and sea monsters were scattered and not a large, well-defined army. Even if he went, he could only kill a portion of the demonic beasts and sea monsters, providing temporary deterrence, but failing to address the root of the problem. Instead, it would waste a lot of time and hinder his own cultivation.

More importantly, Su Mu is currently at the final stage of his breakthrough to the Grandmaster realm. His true essence, imperial aura, and spiritual power have all accumulated to a critical point, and he is only one step away from successfully breaking through and entering a completely new realm. If not forced to, he would never easily leave the Great Qian Imperial City and delay his breakthrough—only by improving his own strength can he seize the initiative in the impending chaos, protect those he wants to protect, and safeguard the peace of Great Qian.

"Something extraordinary has definitely happened in this world." Su Mu murmured to himself, gazing at the distant sky, his eyes deep and thoughtful. "The treasure troves of ancient powerhouses from ten thousand years ago are being revealed one after another, and many young powerhouses from ten thousand years ago are breaking free from their seals. Now, demonic beasts and sea beasts are collectively restless and causing chaos everywhere. All of this is definitely not accidental. There must be a deeper reason behind it. Perhaps, an even greater calamity is quietly brewing."

"Xiao Yuanhou once said that the Tianyuan Continent is vast and boundless. The area I know so far is just the tip of the iceberg of the Tianyuan Continent and is not worth mentioning." Su Mu continued to murmur, "I know nothing about what the area east of the East Sea, west of the Cangmang Mountains, and north of the Savage Wilderness is like, and no one has ever set foot there."

"Perhaps, there are already experts above the True Martial Realm in other parts of the Tianyuan Continent, but we are unaware of it. Now that chaos has arrived, the future will only become more dangerous. I must break through to the Grandmaster Realm as soon as possible to improve my strength, otherwise, I will be eliminated by this chaotic world sooner or later, and I will not even be able to protect myself."

Feeling the rich imperial aura surging into his body and nourishing his spirit and true essence, Su Mu felt a little relieved—with the support of the imperial aura, his breakthrough might be smoother.

……

Deep within the vast mountain range, clouds and mist swirl, miasma pervades, creating a sinister and terrifying atmosphere that ordinary martial artists dare not venture into.

Several enormous demonic beasts gathered atop a high mountain, exuding a powerful aura. Their expressions were extremely solemn, and their gazes were all fixed on the west, filled with fear and unease.

Not far to the west, a thick black fog blanketed the sky, obscuring the sun. The dense fog surged like a tide, exuding an eerie and terrifying aura that sent chills down one's spine. Within the fog, strange figures flickered with incredible speed, their features obscured. Occasionally, a few piercing screams would pierce the air, sending shivers down one's spine.

The screams did not come from the eerie figures, but from the demonic beasts that had entered the black mist. Most of the demonic beasts that accidentally stepped into the black mist were doomed to die. Only a few powerful ones could barely escape with their lives, but they would be seriously injured and their cultivation would be greatly damaged.

This boundless black fog has actually existed for tens of thousands of years, but it has always been blocked by an unknown mysterious force, unable to spread eastward, and can only be trapped in a corner of the west, unable to pose a threat to other areas of the Cangmang Mountains.

But now, the situation has changed—that unknown, mysterious power, for some reason, has ceased to exert its influence. Freed from its restraints, the black mist has begun to expand eastward, leaving devastation and decay in its wake. Any demonic beast that falls into the black mist, unless it has reached level five cultivation, is doomed to die without a chance of survival. Even level five demonic beasts cannot linger in the black mist; otherwise, they too will be corrupted by its strange power and ultimately meet their demise.

The black mist wasn't expanding too quickly, but it never stopped. If it continued to expand at this rate, it would eventually engulf the entire Cangmang Mountain Range, turning it into a desolate wasteland.

Therefore, the monsters in the Cangmang Mountains ran out of the Cangmang Mountains and headed east to plunder everywhere—in their view, the further east they went, the safer they would be, and the further they could stay away from the terrifying black mist and save their lives.

These powerful demonic beasts atop the mountain possessed superior intelligence, far surpassing that of ordinary demonic beasts. They understood that fleeing eastward would only offer temporary safety, not a long-term solution. Once the black mist from the west had engulfed the entire Cangmang Mountain Range, it was highly likely it wouldn't stop expanding. Even if they fled to the ends of the earth, they would find it difficult to escape the black mist's erosion.

Of course, this black mist might suddenly stop expanding, and the unknown, mysterious force that previously blocked it might reappear and bind it once more. However, this possibility is extremely small; they dare not gamble, nor can they afford to.

For now, these powerful demonic beasts can only wait and see, silently awaiting changes in the situation, while secretly improving their own strength and preparing to deal with any unforeseen circumstances.

Coincidentally, the same black fog also appeared in the depths of the East China Sea. This black fog did not only spread on the surface of the water, but also seeped into the seawater, reaching the deep seabed and eroding all the creatures on the seabed, plunging the entire East China Sea into chaos.