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

For the past ten days, Su Mu hadn't stepped into the Time Mirror, staying entirely outside to be with his wife and child. Su Changsheng was newly born and still very young; even with his innate divine body, he couldn't stay in the Time Mirror for long. He needed to grow slowly in the real world and adapt to the rules of the universe. Su Mu wasn't in a hurry, and Xiao Yunshang, a new mother, was equally patient. There was no need for them to be together all day; from now on, Su Mu and Xiao Yunshang could take turns entering the Time Mirror for seclusion, while one of them remained in the palace to care for Su Changsheng.

After reaching the True God Realm, the cultivation speed of Chai Min and his disciples slowed down significantly. Even within the Time Mirror, where the flow rate was a hundred times faster, they were unable to break through in succession within a short period of time.

At the end of April, a powerful deity from the Star Palace crossed the sea of ​​stars and descended upon Tianyuan Star, landing directly in the courtyard of the Library. This deity had three vertical pupils, clearly indicating that he belonged to the Three-Eyed Clan.

"I am Tuhalen. I have come to convey a mission assigned to you by the higher-ups of the Star Palace!" Tuhalen said solemnly.

"What kind of mission is it?" Su Mu asked. Both were registered members of the Star Palace, and Su Mu couldn't attack a fellow Star Palace member without permission; such an action would violate the oath he took upon joining. Besides, the other party showed no hostility whatsoever.

"Although the native Gui Clan of Tianyuan Star has been completely wiped out, they are still rampant on many surrounding inhabited planets. The Star Palace's higher-ups have ordered you to exterminate all Gui Clan forces on planets near Tianyuan Star." After saying this, Tuhalun added, "As the resident envoy of Tianyuan Star, you have a duty to protect the stability of this planet. If the Gui Clan on the surrounding planets grows stronger, they are very likely to launch a large-scale invasion of Tianyuan in the future, so we must eliminate the potential threat in advance."

"I understand." Su Mu nodded calmly. The Star Palace has an ironclad rule that strictly forbids members from deceiving each other; to disobey is to break one's life oath. Su Mu knew that the mission was indeed issued by the Star Palace's higher-ups. However, these so-called higher-ups were most likely secretly instructed by a certain celestial being of the Three-Eyed Clan.

"I wish you all the best." As soon as Tuharen finished speaking, he leaped into the air and disappeared into the horizon in an instant.

Star Palace missions have their own rules: cultivators who know they are incapable of completing a mission, or whose missions involve deadly dangers, have the right to refuse. However, if one's strength is sufficient and the risks are manageable, one cannot deliberately refuse or make excuses to avoid the mission, as this also violates the Star Palace's rules. Su Mu has countless trump cards at his disposal, and wiping out the strange races on the surrounding planets is not a difficult task for him, so naturally he did not refuse.

"Once I break through to the Celestial God Realm, I will be able to join the upper echelons of the Star Palace. At that time, ordinary high-ranking officials will no longer have the authority to arbitrarily assign tasks to me," Su Mu thought to himself.

Even without this Star Palace mission, Su Mu planned to wipe out the Ghost Clan from the surrounding planets. Cultivating the *Human Emperor Scripture* has strict requirements; the imperial aura generated by the Tianyuan Star alone is insufficient to support his continued cultivation and advancement. He needs more subjects to offer him their devotion; the more subjects he has, the richer and purer the imperial aura will be.

Su Mu doesn't need to personally travel to various planets to wipe out the Ghost Clan. He's prepared for this moment. Chai Min and the others are now all True God Realm experts; as Su Mu's adopted sons and daughters, they should share his burden. Besides, cultivators can't just stay in seclusion for arduous training; practical combat experience is equally essential.

Su Mu did not immediately send anyone off, first instructing Chai Min and her disciples to consolidate their rapidly increasing cultivation levels after this breakthrough. In early May, following Su Mu's instructions, Chai Min and the others bid farewell to the Great Qian Imperial City and departed Tianyuan Star via a large interstellar teleportation array. Some headed to Wulong Star, while others traveled to other inhabited planets. To ensure everyone's safety, they all traveled in pairs, each carrying a sufficient number of top-tier life-saving trump cards, mid-grade and high-grade divine-level puppets, and various powerful protective talismans. Even if they encountered powerful enemies at the Heavenly God Realm along the way, they could escape safely.

The Black Mist Clan has a regeneration mechanism; after the original leader is killed, a new leader will be born after a period of time, making it impossible for Chai Min and the others to return in the short term. Su Mu doesn't care about the time wasted; with the Time Mirror as a backup, their cultivation progress won't fall behind in the slightest.

Su Mu stayed behind on Tianyuan Star, spending his days and nights with his wife and children. Su Changsheng grew rapidly every day, possessing an innate divine physique that was exceptionally gifted, allowing him to grow at a rate far exceeding that of ordinary children. At just one month old, he was already able to run and jump on his own, his steps steady and firm.

In mid-May, Jinzi successfully broke through to the True God Realm and emerged from the Mirror of Time. From then on, Su Mu and Xiao Yunshang took turns entering the mirror world for secluded cultivation. Xiao Yunshang consumed large quantities of Dao Integration Pills, focusing intently on comprehending the origin of the Thunder Dao to solidify her foundation for condensing her Dao Soul. She couldn't rely solely on dual cultivation with Su Mu to enhance her divine soul; independent comprehension of the Great Dao was essential. Su Mu, on the other hand, continued consuming Bodhi Inscription Dao Pills, devoting himself to comprehending the laws and preparing to condense his Dharma Body. One Dao Integration Pill could sustain continuous Dao comprehension for over twenty days, while one Bodhi Inscription Dao Pill could support three full months of Dao comprehension. Three months inside the mirror equated to less than a day outside, ensuring Su Mu wouldn't miss a single day of companionship with Su Changsheng.

At the end of May, in the courtyard of the library, Xiao Yunshang revealed her divine form, faced the baptism of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and successfully condensed her Dao Soul.

In early June, after consuming three Bodhi Inscription Pills, Su Mu's Dao Soul underwent a perfect transformation, advancing to the Dharma Aspect and officially entering the true Great God Realm! The core advantage of the Dharma Aspect over the Dao Soul lies in mastering at least a portion of the laws of one Great Dao, enabling him to directly unleash the power of those laws in combat.

Not long after Su Mu condensed his Dharma form, Chai Min and Chang Wei rushed back to Tianyuan Star, both of them bearing serious injuries and looking disheveled.

"What happened?" Su Mu asked, his brows furrowed, looking at Chai Min and Chang Wei, who were pale and disheveled.

"Reporting to Godfather, we were ambushed by alien races on the way!" Chai Min said indignantly, "If it weren't for the Heavenly Fire Puppet bestowed upon us by Godfather, who fought desperately to stop us, we would both have perished on the spot!"

"Can you tell the race of the attackers?" Su Mu continued to ask.

"It's the Horned Scale Clan!" Chang Wei answered with certainty, and Chai Min nodded in confirmation.

"It seems that the Celestial God of the Horned Scale Clan has personally intervened." Su Mu's eyes narrowed slightly, a surge of anger rising within them. Chai Min and Chang Wei each carried a Heavenly Fire Puppet and a mid-grade Divine Gold Puppet. Without a Celestial God present, the opponent could not possibly have severely injured two True God cultivators. Su Mu had previously instructed all his disciples who were away from Tianyuan Star to immediately release their personal puppets upon leaving, in case of a sudden crisis and not having time to activate their puppets for protection.

"Your child has failed you, Godfather!" Chai Min said, her face full of guilt. "I failed to complete the mission and even lost the Heavenly Fire Puppet you bestowed upon me!" Her personal Heavenly Fire Puppet had unleashed its full power, its Dao Embryo Origin and Heavenly Fire, forcefully tearing apart the spatial confinement set up by the opposing God, thus giving the two of them a chance to escape using the Great Teleportation Token. The two of them successfully escaped, but the puppet's Origin Power was exhausted, and it would inevitably be completely destroyed by the Horned Scale Clan God. The opposing God also could not seize control of the Heavenly Fire Puppet; a God of the same level could not subdue a puppet, and only a God-King had the ability to forcibly refine and control it.

"It's alright, you two go into the Time Mirror to heal your injuries first." Su Mu took out a large quantity of top-grade healing pills and handed them to Chai Min and Chang Wei, then sent the two into the Time Mirror. True God Realm cultivators who are seriously injured usually need a long time to recover from ordinary rest, but with the Time Mirror, there is no need to worry. Only one day has passed in the outside world, and Chai Min and Chang Wei walked out of the mirror, their injuries completely healed.

Over the next few days, Ding Chao, Li Sheng, Sun Fang, Helian Ye, and others returned to Tianyuan Star. The group had set off in early May, spending over a month training and slaying countless members of the Ghost Clan, bringing back a large number of Ghost Pearls, including some high-level ones left behind by fallen Ghost Generals. Since their own cultivation was insufficient to kill the Ghost Generals, they relied entirely on their personal puppets to subdue them.

Sun Fang and Helian Ye were also ambushed by the Horned Scale Clan's Heavenly God, and the Heavenly Fire Puppet they carried with them could not be saved.

Su Mu's anger flared completely. He immediately ordered Xiao Yunshang, Chai Min, and all the other disciples to enter the Time Mirror for seclusion, while Su Changsheng and Jinzi were also sent into the mirror to recuperate. Su Changsheng had been in the Time Mirror for two months and was able to stay there for a short period of time to cultivate.

Su Mu left behind a top-grade divine-level Dao Fruit puppet to guard the palace. Dao Fruit puppets possess the combat power of a God-King; even if they are not a match for a true God-King, ordinary Heavenly Gods would have absolutely no power to contend with them. With this puppet guarding the palace, the safety of everyone would be guaranteed.

Su Mu put away the Time Mirror, leaped out of the Great Qian Imperial City, and sped westward. Before long, he crossed the southwestern border of the Vast Mountain Range and continued his long westward journey. A gigantic interstellar teleportation array came into Su Mu's view.

Six colossal stone pillars, each a hundred feet tall, stood at the four corners of the valley, their surfaces intricately engraved with spatial Dao patterns. These six pillars encircled a central hexagonal platform. This platform served as a teleportation device, with each of its six corners corresponding to a giant pillar, its surface also covered in spatial Dao patterns. At the base of the platform were massive recesses filled with energy crystals to power the array. Short-distance interstellar teleportation required only a sufficient quantity of top-grade spirit stones to fill the recesses; long-distance interstellar teleportation, however, necessitated the input of divine stones to provide energy.

Within the starry sea, there are even higher-grade, super-giant teleportation arrays; this is the only medium-sized interstellar teleportation array within the Tianyuan Star territory. Moreover, the energy consumption of a single activation of a high-level giant teleportation array is terrifying, and very few people can afford it.

Su Mu first filled the groove with a massive amount of top-grade spirit stones, and then leaped onto the central teleportation platform.