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

The Fire Phoenix frantically burned its own essence and blood, urging all the original power of its inner core. The divine fire and essence and blood completely merged, activating the ultimate escape technique - Flowing Fire.

In an instant, its massive body transformed into an extremely dazzling crimson stream of light, forcefully tearing apart the confined space, and in a flash, it fled into the sky and disappeared from sight.

High in the sky, only Su Mu remained standing on the clouds.

Su Mu did not pursue, nor did he show any surprise. A level nine divine bird has many trump cards, and completely killing it is already extremely difficult.

Although the battle failed to slay the enemy, it was not without its gains. The Fire Phoenix forcibly burned its essence blood to escape, but the wound on its head could not close, and a large amount of warm, pure phoenix blood remained in the confined airspace without scattering or falling.

Su Mu sheathed the Six Harmonies Flying Sword, took out three high-grade jade bottles, and sealed and stored all the phoenix blood. This essence blood of a level nine divine bird was of immeasurable value.

He then sheathed his longsword and the remaining two powerful anti-air talismans, calmly descended, and returned to the second-floor balcony of the library.

The crowd below breathed a sigh of relief, their respect for Su Mu deepening. Everyone understood that without the spatial confinement talisman, Su Mu would be no match for Huo Huang in a direct confrontation. This young man's endless stream of trump cards was the true source of his invincibility.

The people of the capital city, unaware of the true terror of a level nine divine bird, simply assumed Su Mu's undefeated record was to be expected. Immediately, heated discussions erupted throughout the streets and alleys, with everyone speculating about the origins of the Fire Phoenix.

"What exactly is that large red bird?"

"That's a fire phoenix, a true divine beast and bird, definitely not an ordinary demonic beast!"

"Is he also a powerful figure from the Wulong Continent?"

"Unlikely, the monsters of Wulong Continent wouldn't cross over to invade Tianyuan."

"Could it be a native demonic beast? But our continent is depleted of spiritual energy, how could it possibly nurture a divine bird of this caliber?"

"He's most likely a veteran powerhouse who survived from ten thousand years ago, relying on secret techniques to stay alive until now!"

"No matter how strong it is, it still can't beat the Emperor Emeritus. My godfather will always be the strongest!"

……

On the balcony, Xiao Yunshang slowly walked to Su Mu's side and said softly, "This Fire Phoenix's essence was severely damaged, and the cost of its forced escape was extremely high. It definitely won't dare to come looking for trouble again in the short term. Unless its cultivation breaks through again, there's no guarantee of victory if it comes back."

"Hmm." Su Mu nodded in response, his expression becoming more solemn. "The fact that a divine beast from ten thousand years ago can still exist means we must be extra vigilant. Since a Nirvana Fire Phoenix has appeared, there's a high probability that a second or third ancient divine beast is lurking in the shadows."

"From now on, I'm afraid we won't lack formidable enemies." Su Mu chuckled lightly, but there was no fear in his eyes.

Inside the courtyard, Jinzi lay obediently on the ground; although the shockwaves from the battle high above were intense, they hadn't harmed it in the slightest. The palace quickly returned to its usual tranquility. Su Mu exchanged a few words with Xiao Yunshang, then turned and returned to his bedroom, where he sat cross-legged to meditate and recover the energy and spirit depleted by the battle.

……

The eastern part of the Great Qian Empire, in the coastal wilderness.

The crimson flames flashed and disappeared in an instant, revealing the Fire Phoenix in a disheveled state. The wound on its head still stung unbearably, its vital essence was severely depleted, and its aura was weak and listless.

Although the Blazing Fire Secret Technique is a top-tier escape technique, it comes at a great cost. In addition, it had previously used the Nirvana Divine Feather, so its combat power is now less than 30% of its peak strength.

"That's definitely a low-grade divine-level anti-space talisman; ordinary talismans couldn't possibly imprison my spatial teleportation!"

Fire Phoenix was filled with resentment and anger. "I was forced to use the Nirvana Divine Feathers, yet I still couldn't win. In the end, I had to burn my life essence to escape. It's an utter disgrace!"

It was utterly perplexed as to why a human cultivator who had just condensed his martial appearance would possess a top-tier divine body, a heaven-defying swordsmanship, a powerful martial appearance, and an unsolvable trump card like a divine talisman.

"Could it be that he has found the treasure trove of inheritance left behind by an ancient martial god?"

It had awakened with the intention of dominating the Tianyuan Continent and becoming invincible before the full-scale invasion of the Ghost Clan. Unexpectedly, it suffered a crushing defeat in its first battle against a junior human. The fractured skull still throbbed with pain. If it could not regain its honor in this battle, its ten thousand years of rebirth and dormancy would have become a joke.

"He still has the remaining uses of the anti-air talisman. As long as he has the talisman, I can never kill him head-on by myself."

The Fire Phoenix flapped its wings in frustration, feeling utterly stifled and caught in a dilemma. It wanted revenge, but was wary of the Void God Talisman that could not be broken; yet, it could not swallow its anger.

After a long while, it murmured to itself, expressing its thoughts: "If only I had a helper..."

As the thought arose, Fire Phoenix suddenly turned its head and looked towards the boundless East China Sea in the distance.

On the surface of the East China Sea, the black mist of the Ghost Clan continues to spread westward, but has not yet reached the coastline.

It remembered the level nine Xuanjia sea turtle that had lived for ten thousand years in the depths of the East China Sea.

The two only met once ten thousand years ago, and their relationship was superficial. One was a flying divine bird, and the other was a deep-sea behemoth, with no prior connection. However, the sea turtle possessed the heaven-defying divine technique of long-term slumber, and its lifespan was unparalleled in the four seas. It was highly likely that it had survived ten thousand years and was still alive today.

"I will rest and recuperate here first to recover from my injuries. Once I have regained my strength, I will head to the East Sea to join forces with that sea turtle."

The Fire Phoenix concealed its aura and sank into the wilderness to recuperate. Unable to defeat Su Mu in a one-on-one fight, it would seek out a powerful opponent of equal strength to join forces and launch another attack.

After just one day of seclusion and meditation, Su Mu's body was completely restored, and both his physical body and soul returned to their peak condition.

As night fell on July 3rd, darkness enveloped the entire library.

Su Mu first swallowed an eighth-grade Dragon Essence Pill, the powerful medicinal force instantly washing over his limbs and bones, boosting his physical foundation and combat strength in all aspects. Immediately afterwards, he opened his mouth again and swallowed a ninth-grade Nirvana Pill of the upper-level Heaven Rank.

The Ninth Grade Nirvana Pill is extremely potent and powerful. If an ordinary Martial Emperor cultivator were to take it rashly, his physical body would shatter. Fortunately, the Eighth Grade Dragon Essence Pill had already solidified his physical foundation, and Su Mu's Imperial Dao Overlord Body was also incredibly strong, which was enough to withstand this violent medicinal power.

At the same time, he activated his martial aura, drawing upon the natural power of heaven and earth to integrate into his physical body, further neutralizing the malevolent energy of the elixir and stabilizing his condition.

He was not in a hurry to use the level nine Fire Phoenix essence blood he had previously collected.

Currently, the physical body has not yet completed its final transformation. Forcibly absorbing the essence blood of the divine bird would be a waste of a precious treasure, even if the body could barely withstand it.

He had already made a plan: first, rely on the Ninth Grade Nirvana Pill to complete the ultimate transformation of the Imperial Body, so that his physical body can truly enter the ranks of divine bodies, and then refine the essence blood of the Fire Phoenix, so that he can bring out the value of this divine bird treasure to the fullest.

This period of seclusion and arduous practice lasted until the early morning of July 5th, when it finally came to an end at dawn.

hum-

A silent roar resounded from Su Mu's body, marking a qualitative leap in his Imperial Body, completely shedding the shackles of mortal form and achieving a true divine body!

Su Mu pushed open the door and slowly walked downstairs to the spacious courtyard of the library. He casually stretched his limbs and loosened his muscles to adapt to the new divine power.

This transformation is not merely a quantitative change, but a genuine leap in physical physical development.

Su Mu secretly sensed that at this moment, without using any techniques or martial arts skills, he could directly shatter a ten-thousand-foot-high mountain with a single punch using only his physical strength. His physical destructive power had reached an unprecedented peak.

His eyes flickered slightly as he clarified his subsequent cultivation path: his physical body had already become a divine body, and the next step was to break through the three major bottlenecks in turn, advancing the Imperial Dao Profound Spirit to the Divine Embryo, the Martial Aspect to the Divine Aspect, and his own Purple-Gold Profound Fire to the Origin Divine Fire.

During the day, Su Mu spent his time in the courtyard familiarizing himself with his surging physical strength. When night fell again, he returned to his bedroom and spent time tenderly with Xiao Yunshang.

After a tender moment, with the room still warm, Su Mu took out two well-sealed white jade bottles and handed one of them to Xiao Yunshang.

"Both bottles contain the essence blood left behind by the mid-stage level nine Fire Phoenix that day. Keep this one safe."

Xiao Yunshang looked down at the jade bottle in her hand, and could clearly sense the powerful and scorching aura of the divine bird's essence inside. She immediately shook her head slightly, her face showing helplessness: "The essence blood of a ninth-level divine bird is comparable to a top-grade heavenly treasure. My innate Xuan Lei body has not yet fully transformed, and I simply cannot withstand this violent power. Even if I accept it, it can only remain idle in my storage ring."

"No need to rush, it won't be long before you're able to steadily absorb the effects of this medicine."

Su Mu then took out an eighth-grade Dragon Essence Pill and a ninth-grade Nirvana Pill, placed them in her palm, and carefully explained the effects and combined use of the two pills.

Xiao Yunshang still frowned and bluntly stated the crux of the matter: "Even with the support of the eighth-grade Dragon Essence Pill, my physique is still far inferior to your un-transformed Imperial Body. I still can't withstand the impact of the ninth-grade Nirvana Pill."

"Don't forget the wonders of our dual cultivation." Su Mu smiled and spoke calmly, "My life essence is incredibly abundant. In the future, when we cultivate together, you can absorb my life energy to continuously nourish your innate Xuan Lei Body. Your physique will steadily grow stronger by leaps and bounds."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Yunshang's fair face flushed crimson, her ears turning completely red. She was both ashamed and embarrassed, and she raised her hand to pinch Su Mu's shoulder hard to hide her inner panic.

She knew in her heart that everything Su Mu said was true.