Swallowing the starry sky, my clones can evolve infinitely.

Chapter 245 The Treatment of the God-King on the Verge of Death and the Guardian of the Nation

Outside the courtyard, the members of the Li Yang clan dispersed, leaving only one junior, Li Yangchen.

"Senior, when I was trying to comprehend the essence of fire and studying the 'Origin of Water and Fire,' I encountered many questions... Could you please offer some guidance?"

Li Yangchen bowed respectfully to Shen Mu.

Shen Mu chuckled and said, "Tell me, what are the things you don't understand?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Yangchen, who was standing to the side, was overjoyed: "Senior, in the classics you passed down, the description of the essence of fire..."

Shen Mu's gaze was deep and serene, falling on Li Yangchen as if he could see right through the countless doubts in Li Yangchen's heart.

In reality, ordinary Chaos Realm cultivators like Li Yangchen could no longer conceal their inner thoughts and feelings when facing Shen Mu.

This is an ability that Shen Mu gained after his sudden enlightenment of the mysteries of spirituality. It is somewhat similar to the 'telepathy' in myths and legends, but not as exaggerated.

"The realm of fire is vast and boundless; you have chosen the wrong path."

"Even I, when trying to comprehend the essence of a concept, only attempt to grasp one branch first."

"Fire can burn everything, but it can also give birth to life. However, I suggest you first try to grasp the most basic concept of fire, which is explosion."

Shen Mu's voice contained the fluctuations of the Dao of the Soul, like the ancient bell echoing in Li Yangchen's heart, stirring Li Yangchen's mind.

Shen Mu called this ability enlightenment. For a cultivator like Li Yangchen, being able to hear Shen Mu's enlightening words was an immense opportunity.

As Shen Mu finished speaking, Li Yangchen's thoughts raced, as if countless flashes of inspiration were appearing.

"Thank you for your guidance, senior. I'll go into seclusion now!"

Li Yangchen excitedly bid farewell to Shen Mu. After Shen Mu waved goodbye, he hurriedly returned to his courtyard to cultivate in seclusion.

After Li Yangchen left, Shen Mu took a deep breath and gazed at the distant horizon.

That's the direction of the capital of the Chiwu Dynasty.

"Becoming a Guardian of the Nation... isn't necessarily a bad thing; at least it would give me a legitimate origin and foundation."

"However, I don't need to rush this matter."

"The lifespan of the Chiwu royal family's venerable one is approaching, and as time goes by, they are the ones who are anxious."

Shen Mu snapped out of his daze and refocused his attention on his own cultivation.

"During this period of seclusion, my understanding of the Great Dao has reached a new level."

"Especially in the realm of the soul, he has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and skills, and is not far from fully comprehending the spiritual branches of thought."

"Let's put the other major paths aside for now; it's more appropriate to devote ourselves entirely to the path of the soul."

Shen Mu's eyes were half-closed, and spiritual energy surged around him.

At this moment, Shen Mu's consciousness was once again immersed in the boundless mysteries of the soul.

The soul's perception unconsciously spread out, covering the entire area of ​​Liyang City, where countless souls intertwined and collided.

Every soul possesses a unique spirituality, shining like a brilliant star in the universe, moving in accordance with the order of the Great Way of the Soul.

……

As Shen Mu began to reflect on the gains he had made during his seclusion, time passed day by day.

In the blink of an eye, nearly thirty years have passed.

On this day, Li Yangchen came to pay his respects to Shen Mu once again.

Li Yangchen has changed a lot since then. The fluctuations of his bloodline aura are more intense, and he has reached the initial stage of the seventh level.

As he comprehended the Great Dao of Fire, the power of his own bloodline increased at an increasingly rapid pace.

"Senior... I think I've hit a roadblock."

Li Yangchen looked at Shen Mu with some confusion. He felt that he had grasped the explosive intent of the Great Dao of Fire, but he just couldn't mobilize the power of the intent.

"You have a pure heart and a good state of mind, but your own comprehension is indeed somewhat lacking."

Shen Mu pondered for a moment, then looked at Li Yangchen: "I have a secret technique that might improve your comprehension, but this technique is newly created and requires modification of the soul, which carries considerable risk. Are you willing to take the risk?"

Through this self-examination, Shen Mu has gained a deeper understanding of the spiritual branch of the soul, namely, the spirituality of thought.

So-called spirituality, or wisdom, is one of the fundamental characteristics of the soul.

Both comprehension and the ability to understand and comprehend are merely manifestations of wisdom.

After this period of reflection and contemplation, Shen Mu integrated his insights into the spirituality of thought into his own supreme mental tribulation.

The new version of the Supreme Heart Tribulation is much more powerful than before, and can even grant...

Upon hearing this, a resolute glint flashed in Li Yangchen's eyes. He said without hesitation, "Teacher, I am willing to bear the side effects. As long as there is an opportunity to comprehend the essence of fire, I will spare no effort."

Shen Mu nodded: "The process may be a little painful, so please bear with it."

As soon as he finished speaking, pure soul energy surged forth, instantly spreading across the entire sky above Liyang City.

High in the sky, colorful lights intertwined, resembling a magnificent painting.

Within the light, mysterious runes appeared and disappeared, as if they were symbols formed by the pulsating laws of the universe.

Ultimately, countless symbols intertwined to form an ancient and mystical tree.

Countless people in Liyang City were startled by this powerful phenomenon. They stopped what they were doing, looked up at the sky, their eyes filled with shock and curiosity.

"What kind of tree is this?"

"I don't know, I've never seen it before!"

"This fluctuation must be a change caused by that Venerable One, right?"

This great tree is neither a product of this world nor a product of the cosmic sea; it is merely a creation from Earth's myths and legends.

This is the Bodhi tree, also known as the Tree of Wisdom. In Buddhist legend, the Buddha attained supreme enlightenment under this tree, gaining great wisdom and perfect enlightenment.

As time passed, the light grew ever brighter, and within the endless radiance, the illusory image of the Bodhi tree also grew rapidly, emanating a powerful soul fluctuation.

Touched by this ripple of soul energy, everyone in the entire Liyang City received immense benefits, and their souls underwent a subtle transformation.

In just a short time, the Bodhi tree completed its transformation, rapidly growing from a seedling into a fruit before quickly withering away.

……

Inside the ancient courtyard, Li Yangchen stared in shock at the Bodhi fruit in Shen Mu's palm, his expression one of utter astonishment.

"Senior... the illusion has become real?"

Shen Mu chuckled lightly, "Illusion and reality... are merely a matter of a single thought."

Although he said that, this was the first time Shen Mu had used such a method.

"This is a Bodhi fruit, which has the effect of enhancing wisdom and increasing understanding. Give it a try."

"Yes, senior!"

Li Yangchen excitedly consumed the Bodhi Fruit, but did not immediately notice any changes.

Just as Li Yangchen was about to say something, his consciousness was suddenly swallowed up by an illusion.

Within this illusion, Li Yangchen arrived in a strange world, a world known as the Blood Luo Continent.

"Little one, how much fortune you have depends on yourself."

As Shen Mu spoke, he looked out of the courtyard.

At this moment, a group of people from the Chiwu royal family arrived again at the entrance of Shen Mu's courtyard.

Clearly, his use of the new ability of "Supreme Heart Tribulation" had made the royal family restless.

knock knock!

A knock came at the small wooden door, and Li Yangtiancheng's aged voice came from behind: "Your Excellency, the Fourth Prince of the Royal Family requests an audience."

"What is it?"

Shen Mu's voice was distant and profound, resonating deep within everyone's soul, causing them to tremble and their expressions to become even more respectful.

Then, the fourth prince of the royal family hurriedly kowtowed and said, "Your Excellency, on behalf of Venerable Yan of my clan, I would like to invite Your Excellency to be a guest of my royal family."

"Very well, since it was Venerable Yan who invited me, then I shall go."

As soon as Shen Mu finished speaking, the courtyard gate suddenly opened, and the royal family saw Shen Mu for the first time. They quickly kowtowed and paid their respects again.

"Let's go, Your Highness, please lead the way."

"No, no, please follow me aboard the flying boat, Your Excellency."

In this realm, although those in the Chaos Realm cannot fly directly, they can still fly with the help of divine weapons, magical artifacts, and so on.

……

A moment later, above the sky.

Shen Mu stood at the bow of the flying boat, his gaze fixed on the majestic imperial city not far away.

Without a doubt, this imperial capital is a true divine city, even more majestic and vast than Liyang City.

The entire divine city is like a monument standing between heaven and earth, seemingly formed from the power of the world's origin, suppressing the surrounding space and time.

The city walls are covered with mysterious runes, each rune containing a completely different Dao fluctuation.

Upon entering the skies above the imperial city and looking down, the streets were bustling with traffic and people. Almost everyone there was a mid-stage Chaos Realm cultivator, and their auras were quite powerful.

At the very center of the imperial city, naturally, lies the residence of the Chiwu royal family, the central area of ​​the entire protective city formation, where the imperial palace is located.

Deep within the palace stands a nine-story tower, which is the absolute core of the city's protective formation.

Before long, led by the four princes of the royal family, Shen Mu arrived outside the ancient tower.

The tower is three thousand feet tall, a rare sight in this world, and seems to connect heaven and earth.

Each floor of the nine-story tower exudes a different aura, and the surface of each floor is engraved with a pattern of a mythical bird.

This divine bird resembles both the Golden Crow and the Phoenix; it is the supreme divine bird in the myths and legends of the Red Crow Kingdom, eternally burning with flames.

This divine bird is not only a myth and legend of the entire Chiwu Dynasty, but also a symbol of the Chiwu royal family.

"Senior, this is a forbidden area of ​​the imperial palace. I am not qualified to enter. Please forgive me."

The fourth prince bowed respectfully to Shen Mu, his expression extremely reserved.

"Thank you for your trouble."

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Mu stepped into the nine-story tower.

After Shen Mu entered, the Fourth Prince breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, a figure dressed in a magnificent yellow robe appeared beside the Fourth Prince.

"Fourth Brother, has that senior entered the tower?"

The newcomer was none other than the current ruler of the Chiwu Dynasty, a young expert at the peak of the Transcendent Realm.

The Fourth Prince nodded, then looked at the sacred ancient tower with a complicated expression: "I wonder if this senior can grant the Ancestor's request."

The King of Chiwu also fell silent: "If nothing had gone wrong, my fourth brother would have had a chance to break through that realm."

Upon hearing this, the Fourth Prince beside him had a complicated expression, but still managed a slight smile: "Let bygones be bygones. Even without any unexpected events, my chances of breaking through are extremely slim."

As he spoke, the Fourth Prince said with some emotion, "Now I only hope that this Venerable Shen Mu can serve as the Guardian Venerable of my Chiwu Dynasty... I ask for nothing more."

……

On the other side, the moment Shen Mu stepped into the tower, a pressure that had increased hundreds of times over rushed towards him.

Shen Mu frowned slightly. His perfect divine body instantly burst forth with dazzling light, and the fluctuations of the Dao of Soul and Dao of Life erupted simultaneously, naturally forming a special domain that deflected all the pressure.

"Some kind of test?"

Shen Mu's heart stirred slightly, and he looked ahead.

The interior of the tower is magnificent and solemn, with mysterious runes engraved on the walls. Each rune faintly exudes an independent soul fluctuation.

In the very center of the hall, there were two futons made of interwoven crimson feathers, emanating an aura that even Shen Mu felt threatened by.

On one of the prayer cushions sat an elderly man with white beard and hair, his aura calm and composed, his eyes bright and reserved, as if he were an ordinary mortal.

Shen Mu stepped forward and bowed slightly in politeness: "Greetings, Venerable Yan."

Venerable Yan quickly waved his hand and said with a smile, "Venerable Shen, you are too kind. We are both Venerables of the Divine Realm, and should be treated as equals."

As he spoke, Venerable Yan slightly extended his hand and said, "Venerable Shen, please sit down."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mu sat down as well, showing no concern whatsoever about the energy within the futon.

Seeing this, Venerable Yan smiled and said, "May I ask where Venerable Shen comes from? I have heard that you have traveled across the Ten Thousand Mountains, so you must have had an extraordinary experience. Could you perhaps be from the legendary Eastern Divine Dynasty?"

Shen Mu smiled but remained silent, offering no reply.

Seeing that Shen Mu was unwilling to say more, Venerable Yan stopped pressing the matter and said, "Then I wonder if Venerable Shen has any knowledge of the countries surrounding my Chiwu Kingdom? For example, the Xingyao Dynasty and the Tianyue Dynasty."

Shen Mu shook his head and said, "Venerable Yan, please speak frankly. I have been staying in Liyang City ever since I left the Ten Thousand Mountains."

"This visit to Liyang City is also my first time setting foot on the Northwest Continent."

When Shen Mu directly exposed Yan Zun Zhe's thoughts, he was not embarrassed at all, but instead became frank with him.

"To be honest, I'm sure you've already heard that as the guardian of the Chiwu Kingdom, my lifespan is coming to an end."

Shen Mu nodded slightly. Previously, Shen Mu had only thought that this Venerable Yan's lifespan was coming to an end.

Looking back now, it's not that his time was coming to an end, but rather that his time had already come. Now he's relying entirely on his meditation to keep his bloodline and divine body from decaying.

Unlike those in the Mortal Transformation Realm, the Divine Realm Venerables in this realm have almost no means of prolonging their lives.

Once the end is near, there is basically only one path left: wait to die.

Seeing Shen Mu nod, Chi Wuyan spoke directly: "Since Venerable One is aware of the situation, I will speak frankly."

"Venerable One, would you be willing to assume the position of Protector of the Nation?"

"As the protector of the nation, all the resources of my Chiwu Kingdom are at your disposal."

"As long as Your Excellency can protect the throne of my Chiwu clan, everything is up to Your Excellency to decide."

"If Your Excellency is willing... my clan's princesses and imperial daughters are willing to serve as concubines. If they are fortunate enough to bear children in the future, they will surely become the next rulers and empresses!"

(End of this chapter)