Swallowing the starry sky, my clones can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 242 First Entry into the World, the Respect of the Li Yang Clan

On the mountain trails, a thin mist rises at dusk, which is normally a relatively dangerous time.

However, with a great expert like Shen Mu in charge, the group actually had a much easier time than when they came.

After all, there are basically no high-level ferocious beasts appearing on the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

As for the ancient ferocious beast mentioned earlier, it was actually Shen Mu who used illusion magic to lure it there in order to find a legitimate reason to contact the Li Yang clan.

"Senior, although our Liyang clan is only a small clan, it is one of the few ancient clans in the Chiwu Kingdom."

Li Yangchen excitedly told Shen Mu about his family's situation.

A family that has existed for thousands of years is one that has been passed down through generations.

Within the territory of Chiwu Kingdom, the Liyang clan was indeed a behemoth.

The Li Yang clan alone has more than sixty late-stage Chaos Realm experts within its own clan.

If we include elders from other clans and those who serve as retainers, the number exceeds three hundred.

"What level of strength do the retainers of your Liyang clan typically possess?" Shen Mu asked, looking at the people beside him.

Li Yanggu, who had been silent all along, quickly replied, "Generally, those experts at the peak of the Transcendent Realm can serve as retainers in our clan. Of course, in front of you, senior, those at the peak of the Transcendent Realm are not considered experts."

The gap between the peak of the Transcendent Realm and the peak of the Mortal Realm is still enormous.

Although those who have comprehended the fundamental Dao and reached the peak of the Chaos Realm are considered to be at the peak of the Transcendent Realm.

However, the depth of the Great Dao of Origin also varies. Shen Mu deduced that the comprehension level of most peak Transcendent Realm cultivators would be equivalent to that of ordinary Chaos Realm cultivators on the Origin Continent.

Only a very small number of those at the peak of the Transcendent Realm can be compared to the peak of the Chaos Realm in the Thunder Ancient Kingdom of the Origin Continent.

The beings in this realm are born with too many advantages. They don't need to comprehend any artistic conception. They only need to consume enough bloodline resources to evolve themselves.

Moreover, comprehending the Great Dao is too inefficient; instead, studying and mastering combat techniques using bloodline power yields greater improvement in a short period.

Therefore, the secret techniques used by cultivators in this realm during battle are divided into combat skills and divine arts.

Combat techniques are the most basic combat methods, containing relatively little of the profound mysteries of the Great Dao. Divine arts, on the other hand, refer to those secret methods that contain complete branches of the Great Dao, belonging to the God-King level.

On the Origin Continent, Shen Mu was a powerful figure who achieved transcendence in the Chaos Realm by relying on his divine body, and his level of comprehension was at the lowest level in the Chaos Realm.

But here, the level of understanding is exceptionally high.

At this opportune moment, Li Yangchen spoke up, "If you are willing to join my Li Yang clan, you will certainly be given the position of Supreme Elder, which is nominally equivalent to our clan's ancient ancestor. However, as a war god, you will naturally have a higher status."

The Li Yang clan has more than one ancestor. Li Yangchen doesn't know exactly how many there are. They are almost all ancient beings in slumber, belonging to the family's foundation.

All beings in the Chaos Realm of this world have a lifespan limit; under normal circumstances, they can only live for ten thousand years, which is equivalent to one cycle.

However, there are many ways to prolong life, and even to put oneself into a state of absolute sleep, in which lifespan will not be lost.

The ancient ancestor mentioned by Li Yangchen was an ancient being who had lived for over 60,000 years. He had lived for many centuries, and 99% of his life-extending methods were no longer effective.

If they cannot make a breakthrough in this era, they will have to choose to remain in eternal slumber, just like the ancient ancestors in history, until the family faces a crisis of destruction.

……

In the blink of an eye, more than sixty days have passed.

Led by Li Yang and his group, Shen Mu ventured out of the Ten Thousand Mountains for the first time and entered the civilized realm of this world.

This world should be a society similar to ancient China, but it still has a wild and untamed atmosphere, with quite a few people wearing animal skins.

Shen Mu and his group traveled at a fairly fast pace, easily covering 10,000 li a day.

Not long after, an ancient city could be vaguely seen on the distant horizon.

As you get closer to the ancient city, the surrounding mountains become increasingly beautiful, and there are many clear and pristine lakes around the city.

A variety of lively fish swam about, their colorful patterns shimmering, making the lake surface sparkle and full of life.

These spirit fish are all beings in the Chaos Realm. In Shen Mu's view, all living beings in this world contain endless opportunities, and they themselves are an explanation of the Great Dao.

"Senior, this is the ancestral city of my Liyang clan."

Beneath the towering, dark city walls, Li Yangchen bowed respectfully in greeting.

The Liyang clan has a population of over 100 million, and when including those with other surnames, the total exceeds one billion. Therefore, the ancestral city of the Liyang clan is an ancient and majestic city.

"This ancient city...is it a special treasure?"

As the successor of the Mountain-Sitting Guest, Shen Mu's skill in refining magical artifacts is quite high.

The materials used in this ancient city are of very high quality; they could be used to forge God-King level palace main weapons even on the Origin Continent.

However, the people of this realm are really not very good at comprehending the Great Dao, so this ancient city can only barely compare to the Cosmic Ship, and is even somewhat inferior to the Cosmic Ship.

Upon hearing this, Li Yanggu lowered his posture and said, "Senior has keen insight. My Li Yang Ancestral City is a divine city built by the clan's powerful members over countless years. Even ordinary Divine Realm experts cannot even think of breaking into the Ancestral City."

Li Yanggu was relatively low-key, but the young Li Yangchen didn't think that much and told everyone everything.

"Senior, our clan's protective formation can fuse the power of tens of thousands of Transcendent Realm experts into one, making it capable of rivaling true Divine Realm experts in critical moments!"

As he spoke, Li Yangchen wore a proud expression.

Even without a god-level expert in charge, the ancient families of this world must have ways to deal with attacks from god-level experts.

On the city wall, a group of guards at the mid-stage of the Transcendent Realm recognized Li Yangchen and his group from a distance, and naturally also saw the huge ferocious beast corpses being carried by several guards.

"It's the Sixth Young Master! The Sixth Young Master is back!"

"Look, Sixth Young Master and the others brought back a huge, ferocious beast, three zhang tall!!!"

Even if a ferocious beast that is three zhang tall is not an ancient ferocious beast, its strength must far exceed that of an ordinary peak ferocious beast.

The guards were very excited. Many of the young masters had returned from this hunting ceremony, but none of them could match the Sixth Young Master's catch.

The whole "battle for the throne" had nothing to do with these guards who were in the mid-stage of the Transcendent Realm. But that didn't stop them from watching the drama unfold, and they were all discussing it enthusiastically.

The two newly promoted seventh-level elders in charge of guarding the city wall exchanged a glance, their expressions a mixture of surprise and confusion.

"This super ferocious beast is beyond the capabilities of Sixth Young Master and Elder Gu. Old Teng, have you seen that young man beside Sixth Young Master? I can't figure him out."

"I can't see through it either. There seems to be an artistic conception on this person. He is probably a master at the peak of the realm. It is likely that this super ferocious beast is the work of this master."

A strange smile appeared on the old man's face: "Tsk, Sixth Young Master has brought back a great expert from another family this time. I'm afraid Fourth Young Master and the others will be restless."

"Alright, stop thinking about it. You and I are just newly promoted to the late stage, these things don't concern us much. Let's report this situation to the master first."

"Alright, I'll go inform them. Old Teng, you go and greet the Sixth Young Master. You should understand what I mean, right?"

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

……

When Shen Mu and the others arrived at the foot of the ancestral city, the ancient city gate had already been opened.

A powerful expert at the late stage of the Chaos Realm, accompanied by a group of guards, came forward to greet them: "Teng Shan greets Sixth Young Master and Elder Gu."

After bowing to the Sixth Young Master and the others, Tengshan looked at Shen Mu and said, "Elder Gu, who is this...?"

Li Yangchen quickly said, "This is Senior Shen Mu, a great expert at the War God Realm. Elder Tengshan must not be negligent!"

War, the God of War!?

Fujiyama looked incredulous.

Shouldn't this thing just be a legend? While geniuses capable of defying the divine realm may theoretically exist, no one has ever actually seen one.

There are hundreds of Divine Realm experts in the entire Chiwu Kingdom and the surrounding thirty-six northwestern kingdoms, but not a single War God.

At this moment, a voice transmission entered Tengshan's ears; the sender was none other than Li Yanggu.

"Old Teng, this Senior Shen Mu is a traveler who has traversed the Ten Thousand Mountains. I speculate that he is a young powerhouse from the Eastern Divine Dynasty. It is an incredible opportunity that the Sixth Young Master was able to invite this powerhouse to our Li Yang Clan. You and I need to be careful."

Fujiyama finally came to his senses and, as if he hadn't heard Li Yanggu's telepathic message, hurriedly bowed to Shen Mu.

"This is the first time Fujiyama has witnessed the legend of the God of War, and I was slightly out of sorts. Please forgive me, Senior Shen!"

Shen Mu chuckled and said, "Elder Tengshan, there's no need for that. I was invited by young friend Chen to visit the Liyang Clan."

Upon hearing this, Fujiyama, though his face remained increasingly respectful, began to mutter to himself.

Is this person really a god of war?

Any being in the divine realm is extraordinary and otherworldly. Ordinary mortals are nothing but ants in their eyes. Why would they be so polite?

However, regardless of whether Shen Mu is a true God of War or not, or whether his abilities are exaggerated, he is still much stronger than a nobody like him who is only a newly promoted late-stage warrior. Naturally, he could not show any negligence.

"You're too kind, senior..."

Before Tengshan could finish speaking, several more figures appeared in the distance, led by several beings at the ninth level of the Transcendent Realm.

"Haha, it is an honor for our Li Yang clan to have you as a guest, senior."

The leader, a peak Chaos Realm expert, was none other than the current patriarch of the Li Yang Clan, also known as the "Grand Master" in their eyes, Li Yang Zhengde.

"Greetings, Uncle!"

"Greetings, Your Excellency!"

A group of people quickly bowed.

"Senior, this is not the place to talk. Please come to the clan's interior for a chat."

Shen Mu smiled and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you all."

……

Before long, they arrived at the center of the ancestral city of the Liyang clan.

This is an ancient palace, magnificent in appearance, with auspicious energy rising from it.

This ancient hall is extraordinary; it is usually only opened when distinguished guests arrive.

When Shen Mu entered the ancient city, information about him had already reached the ears of the Li Yang clan's higher-ups.

The arrival of a powerful figure who is suspected to be a god of war is no small matter.

The fact that he could kill an ancient ferocious beast so easily shows that he is no ordinary peak Transcendent Realm cultivator. Even if he cannot fight against a God Realm expert, he is enough to save his life in the hands of a God Realm expert.

Therefore, the people of the Liyang Clan did not dare to be negligent. More than a dozen peak-level retainers from both direct and indirect lineages came forward, including the only ancient ancestor of the Liyang Clan in the present era, who also had to personally appear.

Inside the ancient hall, Shen Mu looked the palace up and down.

The materials used to build this palace were even more precious, resembling a translucent crystal glass that emitted a rainbow of colors.

Inside the hall, there are also many precious bones of ancient ferocious beasts embedded in the walls, emitting rays of light that illuminate the entire magnificent hall.

These ancient ferocious beasts, possessing supreme bloodlines, can all generate bloodline divine arts, and their treasures are naturally top-quality materials for refining weapons.

"It is an honor for our Li Yang clan that Venerable Shen has come to visit us."

"Please rest assured, Venerable Shen, I will personally extract the bloodline of the ancient ferocious beast you hunted and refine it into a Bloodline Golden Pill!"

The one who spoke was an elderly man with white hair and beard, and a faint, almost imperceptible medicinal fragrance lingered around him. He seemed very approachable.

"Venerable One" is the title given to powerful beings in the God Realm of this world.

"Elder Tiancheng, you're too kind. We've troubled you this time."

"During this time, I will give Xiaochen some pointers as a way of repaying him."

Upon hearing this, Li Yangtiancheng smiled, his deep wrinkles folding together as he bowed slightly to Shen Mu.

"It is an honor for young Chen to receive guidance from Venerable Shen."

"I heard from young Chen that Venerable Shen is not from my Northwest region. I wonder if he would be willing to be granted the title of Supreme Respectful Master in my Liyang Clan?"

"If Venerable Shen is willing, you may freely access all the secret techniques and inheritances of the Liyang Clan."

"Furthermore, thirty percent of our clan's annual surplus will belong to Venerable Shen."

Shen Mu hesitated for a moment, but did not agree directly: "I, Shen Mu, do not wish to have too many entanglements when I walk among people."

"However, Xiao Chen has a pure and innocent nature, which suits my taste. I will give him some pointers."

Li Yangtiancheng smiled warmly and said, "Haha, very well, then we won't disturb you any longer. Our clan has already arranged accommodations for you. If you have any requests, please feel free to make them."

"In that case, I shall accept the offer without hesitation."

Shen Mu smiled and stood up in response, then, led by a servant of the Li Yang clan, walked deeper into the Li Yang clan's territory.

After Shen Mu left, the worshippers in the hall finally couldn't help but speak up.

"Ancient Ancestor, is this Venerable Shen Mu truly a God of War?"

"Yes, I always felt that this Venerable Shen Mu was too polite and lacked confidence, unlike the legendary God of War."

Li Yangtiancheng was also puzzled by this, but he did not doubt Shen Mu's strength.

"You did not see with your own eyes the ancient ferocious beast that died at the hands of Venerable Shen."

"I thought it was just a high-level ferocious beast with supreme bloodline, but I didn't expect it to be a peak ferocious beast. Moreover, it has comprehended the dual intents of fire and poison. It is definitely an ancient ferocious beast."

"Faced with such a terrifying beast, even if I personally took action, I could only barely hold it off and protect Chen and his group as they escaped."

"But according to Li Yanggu and Chen Xiaozi, this Venerable Shen only uttered a single harsh word, which caused the ferocious beast to howl in pain and had no power to resist."

"Then he killed the ferocious beast with a single shot and healed Li Yanggu's burnt bloodline injury with a wave of his hand, which must have been due to his understanding of some kind of life essence."

"With such formidable strength, even the current royal family's protector might not be a match for this Venerable Shen."

"As for why this Venerable Shen is being so polite..."

After thinking for a long time, Li Yangtiancheng finally came up with a rather outlandish guess: "Perhaps he really values ​​Chen boy."

"After all, this Venerable Shen comes from a mysterious Eastern Divine Dynasty, and his background is probably not low. There is nothing in my Liyang Clan that they could possibly covet."

(End of this chapter)