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

His body, already weakened by a back injury and rapidly losing vitality, had now reached its absolute limit. Su Mu swayed precariously, his limbs weak and powerless, as if he would collapse at any moment and perish completely in this illusory realm.

His eyes were unfocused and lifeless, his body was unsteady, and he tried his best to look up at the familiar figure in front of him, but his vision kept blurring, distorting and overlapping.

That exquisite figure, etched deep in my heart and unforgettable, slowly blurred, swayed, and dissipated in my vision.

When the last bit of strength in his body was completely exhausted, the last glimmer of light in Su Mu's eyes dimmed and went out. Overwhelmed by resentment and endless sorrow, his eyelids drooped heavily, and he slowly closed his eyes.

As the light faded completely, the excruciating pain slowly dissipated, and Xiao Yunshang's figure vanished without a trace.

Boundless, deathly darkness completely enveloped his mind, and the long-dormant inner demons seized the opportunity to invade, frantically eroding and crushing his soul. The seven-colored illusion pearl within his body operated at full power, radiating pure purifying light, barely slowing down the rate at which his Dao heart turned black and his soul sank, but it was still unable to completely break free from the shackles of the cycle of reincarnation and dispel the confusion before him.

Reality and illusion blurred, life and death were indistinguishable. Everything around him was ethereal and elusive. Endless darkness gave rise to an extreme emptiness and desolation, slowly gnawing at his heart and devouring the foundation of his soul. Xiao Yunshang's piercingly harsh words echoed endlessly in his sea of ​​consciousness, tormenting his mind day and night.

His soul had sunk into darkness, and he could no longer distinguish the passage of time in the outside world.

It may be just a fleeting moment, or it may be the vicissitudes of eternity.

Just as his soul was about to be completely swallowed by the boundless darkness and completely controlled by his inner demons, a vow he had once made suddenly exploded in the desolate and silent depths of his heart, deafening and instantly tearing apart layers of illusion and fog.

"Even if I were to live a thousand lifetimes, experiencing countless cycles of reincarnation and trials, I, Su Mu, would still be me, Su Mu!"

Om-!

The dark confinement that had been ravaging his mind suddenly ceased, and the endless sorrow, despair, resentment, and obsession surging within him vanished in an instant.

Su Mu silently recited ancient verses in his heart, his voice clear and pure, completely shedding all obsessions and mental shackles.

"Ten years have passed, and we are separated by life and death. I try not to think of you, but I cannot forget you."

"A lonely grave a thousand miles away, nowhere to speak of my sorrow."

Even if we met again, we would not recognize each other, for our faces are covered in dust and our temples are like frost.

Life and death, ups and downs, the cycle of reincarnation, all kinds of obsessions, all become clear in a single day.

In the dark illusion, those heart-wrenching scenes and the cold, severing ties replayed slowly. But this time, seeing Xiao Yunshang's ruthless betrayal and icy words, Su Mu felt no ripples in his heart, no sorrow or joy, no anger or resentment, only complete clarity and indifference.

He has completely realized his true nature.

We are born alone, and we leave alone. All encounters, companionships, beginnings and endings, separations and gains in this world are merely fleeting moments along the way, passing clouds. No one can accompany all beings through eternity, forever.

Flowers bloom and wither, flourishing and decaying year after year; spring goes and autumn comes, life goes on endlessly. All things in heaven and earth have a beginning and an end, birth and death, and cycle endlessly, which is the eternal and unchanging law of nature.

All worldly splendor is but illusion, all attachments are but shackles. Only the true nature remains eternally intact, and the Great Way endures forever.

A ray of clear, pure light quietly sprouted and slowly blossomed from the desolate and lifeless inner world. Su Mu's spirits lifted, and facing this sole light, he struggled to break through layers of darkness and suddenly opened his eyes!

His vision instantly cleared, and the surrounding scenery remained unchanged. It was still that dark and deep corridor of reincarnation, with the soul lamp flickering and the surroundings deathly silent, just as before.

He focused his mind inward, carefully examining the changes in his own soul, and a look of understanding and joy flashed across his eyes.

"My spiritual cultivation has broken through its shackles and reached the mid-stage of the God-King realm!"

The sudden enlightenment he gained during the dark cycle of reincarnation caused his soul cultivation to surge dramatically, breaking through his long-standing barrier and reaching a new level. However, the Daoist insights and profound laws he gained from this enlightenment were too vast and boundless, like reading through countless ancient Daoist scriptures, and he was unable to fully comprehend and digest them in such a short time.

His divine soul has now reached the mid-stage of the God King realm, but his physical foundation remains at the mid-stage of the Heavenly God realm. His physical transformation and spiritual power advancement still require a long period of seclusion to hone his skills. However, the secret realm is fraught with danger and opportunities are fleeting, leaving him no time to calmly reflect. He can only temporarily suppress his surging divine soul cultivation and wait until he returns to Tianyuan Star to go into seclusion to stabilize his realm and fully digest the vast Dao fruits he has obtained.

Even so, the gains from this cycle of reincarnation and enlightenment were still incredibly rich and far exceeded expectations. With his divine soul surging, he completely mastered and freely applied the spatial laws he had previously comprehended; the tempering of ten thousand years in a single glance through the reincarnation channel allowed him to personally experience the flow of time and the changing of the years, quietly giving rise to extremely precious rudimentary insights into the laws of time.

The most crucial transformation in the entire trial is the profound enlightenment of the fundamental law of reincarnation. Ordinary cultivators can cultivate diligently for thousands of years, studying the Dao day and night, but it is not as effective as the profound understanding of one's true nature achieved in the instant of life and death, and in the cycle of reincarnation.

After this battle, his Dao heart became completely stable and flawless. From then on, worldly attachments, illusions, and all sorts of inner demons and illusions could no longer shake him in the slightest.

Su Mu collected all his thoughts, stopped lingering, and strode forward. From then on, no matter what illusory images or tempting demons appeared in his mind's sea of ​​consciousness, they could not stir his emotions or shake his Dao heart in the slightest.

One step treads on illusion, one step breaks through darkness.

Before long, at the end of the corridor, a brilliant ray of dawn light pierced through the deep darkness and came into view.

……

Deep within the secret mountain range, beyond the original formation.

Dor, Xiu Dun, and Qiao Lang had been waiting here for a long time. Ever since Su Mu stepped into this most dangerous and bizarre reincarnation passage, the three of them had immediately stationed themselves here, waiting for the outcome and waiting for the rabbit to come to them.

The rules of the Origin Formation are strict. Only one person can pass through the eight Origin Channels at a time. Only after the predecessor has completely cleared the channel, or died and the channel has been reset, can the successor enter smoothly.

Su Mu stayed inside for a full day and night.

The long wait fueled the impatience in the hearts of the three Saint Realm experts, while also solidifying their suspicions.

"This Su Mu is probably already trapped in the cycle of reincarnation, his soul locked by his inner demons, completely fallen, with no possibility of awakening again." Xiu Dun said in a deep voice, his tone filled with undisguised mockery and certainty.

Qiao Lang nodded slightly, his eyes filled with coldness, and sneered: "He's most likely completely ruined. With his weak soul at the mere Heavenly God Realm, he simply couldn't withstand the erosion of the Reincarnation Origin Law. The fact that he's lasted this long means his soul has collapsed and he's died."

"Heh." Dor chuckled softly, his expression indifferent and arrogant. "To say he was incredibly lucky, choosing the reincarnation passage that held unparalleled fortune, is ultimately a matter of bad luck. His divine soul foundation at the Heavenly God Realm was too weak, and he was not fortunate enough to enjoy such a top-tier opportunity. He was simply courting death."

"It's a bit of a pity, to be honest." Xiu Dun narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone laced with calculation. "I originally intended to spare his life so that if we were to face the hidden powerhouse behind him in the future, I could capture him alive and use him as leverage. The person who was willing to go to such lengths to bring him across the Blood Sea must value this boy highly."

"Unfortunately, it's meaningless." Dor said indifferently, "That hidden expert is at most at the early stage of the Saint Realm, the same level as us. When the three of us join forces, we can kill him with a wave of our hand. He is just a pawn, whether he is there or not will not affect the overall situation."

As the three chatted and mocked each other, secretly reassured, the reincarnation passage, which had been silent for a day and a night, suddenly flickered with a soft light, the formation restarted, and the passage was completely reset.

"Hmm? The passage was reset ahead of schedule, it seems to be completely dead." A faint smile flashed across Dol's eyes as he stepped forward, his tone arrogant, "Please wait here, I will go ahead and ascend to the Immortal Pavilion to await your arrival."

Before he finished speaking, Dol flashed and stepped straight into the reset reincarnation passage.

……

The end of the passage.

Su Mu stepped out of the dark corridor and was greeted by layers upon layers of endless white jade steps that rose straight up to the top of the sea of ​​clouds—this was the ultimate trial of the second stage of the secret realm, the Heavenly Ladder.

Yu Sheng had completed the challenge a step ahead of him and was now standing quietly in front of the Heavenly Ladder, gazing at the endless steps with a hint of emotion in his eyes.

Noticing the commotion behind him, Yu Sheng suddenly turned around and saw Su Mu emerge from seclusion unharmed and calm. A clear look of surprise flashed across his eyes, and he then smiled and gestured.

Knowing the deadly dangers of the Reincarnation Path, he immediately activated his Saintly Realm Divine Soul to secretly probe Su Mu's cultivation level. But this probe suddenly stirred up a monstrous storm in his heart.

Su Mu, who appears to still be maintaining the physical cultivation of the mid-stage Heavenly God Realm, has actually broken through in his Divine Soul Realm and stepped into the mid-stage God King Realm in one fell swoop!

Despite being extremely shocked, Yu Sheng remained calm and smiled as he cupped his hands in congratulations: "Congratulations, young friend, on your sudden enlightenment and great progress in your spiritual soul. Your fortune is truly remarkable."

Su Mu casually cupped his hands in response, his expression calm and unwavering. He then raised his eyes to look at the endless, towering staircase that stretched straight into the sea of ​​clouds.

Yu Sheng spoke up at the opportune moment, explaining the trial rules: "This place is the Heavenly Ladder, with a total of ten thousand steps. It does not test the soul's comprehension of the Dao, nor does it examine one's understanding of the Great Dao. It is solely a test of the physical body's resilience, a pure physical trial. To reach the top and enter the core of the Immortal Pavilion, one's physical foundation must at least reach the peak of the God King Realm. If one's physique is weak and one forces their way up, at best their body will shatter and their cultivation will be completely destroyed, at worst they will perish on the ladder, leaving no trace of their body."

Upon hearing this, Su Mu frowned slightly, a deep sense of doubt arising in his heart. The three trials—traversing the Blood Sea of ​​Despair, refining the heart through the Origin Passage, and tempering the body through the Heavenly Ladder—were progressively challenging and interconnected, specifically designed to hone a cultivator's physique, soul, and Dao heart; this was no accident. What was the purpose of this secret realm's master setting up such perilous trials?

Seeing him frowning in thought, Yu Sheng mistakenly thought he was afraid of danger and immediately comforted him gently: "Young friend, there is no need to worry. Even if you cannot reach the top, you will not be in danger of dying here. After we have explored the core of the third section of the secret realm and opened the evacuation passage, you can leave the secret realm with us."

Su Mu smiled faintly, his gaze firm and clear: "Thank you for your kindness, senior, but I still want to try it myself and see if my physique can reach the top of the ten thousand steps."

Yu Sheng didn't try to persuade him further, but inwardly he sneered, assuming Su Mu was relying on the Apocalypse Puppet's power out of wishful thinking and deliberately showing off. He harbored his own selfish motives and didn't tell Su Mu the core taboo of the Heavenly Ladder—this trial was extremely exclusive; no external force could intervene, no one could help, and the puppet couldn't provide any support; Su Mu had to rely solely on his own physical strength to overcome the obstacle. In his eyes, Su Mu and the Apocalypse Puppet were merely pawns to be used, disposable at any time once they were no longer needed.

A day and a night passed in the blink of an eye, and people from the eight fundamental channels broke through their barriers one after another.

Aside from Yu Sheng, who emerged first, and Su Mu, who followed closely behind, there were three Saint Realm experts—Dor, Xiu Dun, and Qiao Lang—as well as the sisters Bu Chuan Ku Cha and Bu Chuan Nai Zhao. The peak-level Divine King cultivator from Tianyu Tower who had accompanied them earlier had already perished completely within the Origin Passage, leaving no trace. The group was already accustomed to the life-and-death struggles of the secret realm and remained completely unmoved and unfazed by this.

What shocked and filled the three of them with doubt was that the Apocalypse Puppet, who had been protecting Su Mu the whole time, did not come out of seclusion with them.

In the battle of the Blood Sea, the Heavenly Revelation Puppet displayed combat power approaching the Saint Realm, its foundation far exceeding that of ordinary God-King cultivators. It was highly likely a top-tier Saint Realm warrior with concealed cultivation. Such a powerful being, yet it perished within the Origin Passage?

Everyone grew increasingly wary of the immense danger of the secret realm; even Saint-level warriors struggled to escape unscathed, and secretly gloated in their hearts. Only Su Mu knew perfectly well that the Apocalypse Puppet had never perished.

The moment he stepped out of the passage, he had already stored the Apocalypse Puppet in his storage space and concealed all his aura. The core opportunity of the secret realm was within reach, and Yu Sheng, Dor, and others were all ambitious and eyeing it covetously, harboring murderous intentions. Rather than exposing a top-tier Saint Realm combatant to the outside world and attracting covetousness and being targeted and controlled, it was better for him to quietly lie in wait, concealing himself and waiting for the crucial moment to strike and decide the outcome of the treasure hunt.