Chapter 393 - 363: Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, Successive Breakthroughs

Chapter 393: Chapter 363: Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, Successive Breakthroughs

The tides ebbed and flowed, seasons came and went. In this vast sea, the passage of time left few traces.

The island remained unchanged, save for the entrance to the cave. Over the years, it had become overgrown with weeds and vines, completely concealing it. It blended so perfectly with nature that no trace of the cave’s existence could be found.

One year, two years, three years...

It was not until the sixth year that a sharp claw extended from between the vines and weeds. With a rough swipe, the plants were sliced in half.

Wangcai walked out of the cave. Its Demon Body, which seemed forged from metal, was once again clad in a suit of Battle Armor. This time, however, the armor was not its former silver-white, but a dark black.

The Battle Armor was streamlined, fitting Wangcai’s Demon Body almost perfectly and protecting it from head to tail.

The aura of a Tier Two Late Stage Demon Beast emanated from it, completely unrestrained.

After leaving the cave, Wangcai patrolled the island as if surveying its territory before returning inside.

Inside the cave, Chu Mu sat cross-legged. The room was lined with puppets, just like his old Artifact Refining Room on Chixia Island.

Before him, the reforged Moonlight Battle Armor had taken its final shape.

As he slowly rose, the Moonlight Battle Armor before him disassembled. As if guided by an invisible force, its individual pieces attached themselves to Chu Mu’s body in an orderly fashion, even without him actively controlling it.

Finally, the dark black Battle Armor completely encased his body. As the parts sealed together, streams of light flickered. Wings slowly unfurled, their dark feathers glinting like turning blades. A terrifying Spiritual Pressure radiated outward, making even Wangcai shrink back with obvious unease.

’Feeling the terrifying power the Battle Armor provided, Chu Mu couldn’t help but feel a sense of intoxication. ’Compared to the original Moonlight Battle Armor, this suit of Armor, which uses demon beasts as its primary material, has significantly weaker defense due to the limited Grade of the Spiritual Materials.’

’But Demon Beast Spiritual Materials also have effects different from Spirit Ore. It’s just like the tattered feather on the Divine Wind Boots from when I first set out on the Path to Immortality. In terms of their natural specialties, Demon Beast Spiritual Materials provide an almost ultimate effect.’

This reforged Moonlight Battle Armor used the hides and bones of several Tier Two Demon Beasts as its main materials. He had used the blood essence of a Wind Attribute Tier Two Demon Beast to inscribe the Array Prohibition Patterns, increasing its speed by more than thirty percent compared to its previous version.

And its amplification of Power was boosted by nearly fifty percent!

After discovering the special properties of Demon Beast Spiritual Materials, he had decisively abandoned his pursuit of defensive strength, redesigning the Moonlight Battle Armor into its current form.

Like an assassin in the dead of night, it pursued the ultimate in speed and burst power!

’And when I add the speed and burst from the Human Sword Unity Technique...’

’If I ever face a group ambush like before, I’ll be able to handle it with almost elegant ease.’

"Kill a man every ten steps, and travel a thousand miles without leaving a trace..."

Just imagining it made the corners of Chu Mu’s mouth curve upward uncontrollably.

He looked at the other puppets in the cave. The Spiritual Materials he had harvested over six years in the Outer Sea had filled dozens of Storage Talismans, and he had used almost all of them for Artifact Refining after entering seclusion for his Cultivation.

In return, he now had these hundreds of puppets before him, each with a different design and function.

But...

After six years of Demon Hunting in the Outer Sea, after countless life-or-death struggles and repeated use of his puppets, he had gained a profound, unforgettable understanding of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

In terms of Combat Power, these puppets might not be much different from the ones he had refined on Chixia Island. However, when it came to their adaptability to the Vast Sea, they were a world apart from their predecessors.

After examining them for a moment, he waved his hand, and the hundreds of puppets in the cave were all swept into a newly unsealed Storage Talisman.

He scanned the now-empty cave, then closed his eyes to sense his own condition. The realm of the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment was perfectly clear within him.

Six years in seclusion had allowed him to advance both his Dharma and Body Cultivation to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment. Moreover, thanks to an abundance of Elixirs, he had already taken an extremely solid step into this new stage.

Chu Mu glanced at Wangcai lying beside him, a smile playing on his lips.

His gains had been substantial, and the same was true for Wangcai.

He had only barely broken through to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment in his third year of seclusion, whereas Wangcai had smoothly entered its equivalent stage in the second year.

The excellence of the Vajra Wolf Bloodline, supplemented by abundant flesh and blood resources and his own constant attention, made a Demon Beast’s path of advancement significantly easier than his own.

"Tier Two Late Stage... Late Stage of Foundation Establishment..."

Chu Mu let out a soft breath. As he murmured to himself, a nameless anticipation in his heart seemed to grow stronger.

’A Foundation Establishment Cultivator lives for three hundred years...’

’Now I’ve entered the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment. That lofty Golden Core...’

’It doesn’t seem so far away anymore, does it?’

At this thought, Chu Mu’s heart couldn’t help but pound violently a few times.

The difference between the Qi Cultivation Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm was like that between heaven and earth.

The difference between the Foundation Establishment Realm and the Golden Core Realm was also like that between heaven and earth—in fact, this gap was even more terrifying than the one between Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment.

The gap between the Qi Cultivation Realm and the Foundation Establishment Realm was merely one of Cultivation level. In the grand scheme of the Cultivation Immortal Realm, there wasn’t a fundamental difference between them.

But the difference between those above Foundation Establishment and those below...

...could perhaps be described with a single phrase: all those below the Golden Core are but ants.

This was clear from every aspect of the Cultivation Immortal Realm. Even in the world-shaking war between the Longevity Sect and the Righteous Alliance, Golden Core True Masters were pillars holding up the heavens, forever remaining high and above it all.

"There should be... a chance, right...?"

Chu Mu pressed his lips together. Even now, he was still apprehensive.

It felt so close, and yet... so incredibly distant.

He took a deep breath and patted Wangcai.

With a single step, as if using the Shrinking Inches technique, he appeared outside the Cave Mansion in an instant.

He glanced back at the Cave Mansion, then flicked his hand, sending out a blast of Saber Qi that collapsed the entrance. With a sweep of his sleeve, the Array Plate flew into his Storage Space.

He waved his hand again, and an ancient-looking Flying Boat landed on the island.

The Flying Boat was quaint and exquisitely crafted. It looked almost identical to his previous one, as if it had been cast from the same mold.

But while its appearance was the same, the Flying Boat’s capabilities were vastly different from before.

With a Tier Two Late Stage Crocodile Dragon as its keel and the feathers of a Tier Two Late Stage Dark Cloudhawk as its frame, every aspect of the Flying Boat’s performance had undergone a near-qualitative improvement.

However, for him at his current level, this improvement didn’t mean much.

No matter how fast the Flying Boat was, its size meant its speed could never reach the absolute limit.

The same was true for its stealth capabilities.

As for offensive power, a small Flying Boat like this one clearly had none to speak of.

In the end, this Flying Boat was merely a tool for regular travel; it had little significance in combat.

"Let’s go."

He leaped, and both man and beast boarded the Flying Boat.

With a mere thought, the Flying Boat slowly activated, soaring across the sky and heading straight out toward the vast, open sea.

This time, his destination was Crescent Island.

Having learned his lesson from before, Chu Mu was naturally much more cautious this time.

Upon leaving the nameless island, the Flying Boat went into full stealth mode. His improved Hunting Falcon Puppets monitored the surrounding area for miles in every direction, leaving almost no blind spots.

Even so, as the saying goes, the tree may prefer stillness, but the wind will not cease. Lured by the promise of immense profits, the law of the jungle in these Outer Seas was far more brutal than Chu Mu had anticipated.

As long as he didn’t go out of his way to detour and avoid others, his caution was of little use.

No matter how powerful the Flying Boat’s concealment was, in a sea region prowled by packs of wolves, the chances of remaining undiscovered were slim indeed.

However, even when he revealed his Cultivation aura and kept Wangcai in plain sight to project an intimidating presence, he, a lone traveler, was still targeted time and again.

He disdained killing others for their treasures.

But if they came seeking death, he had no qualms about sending them on their way.

His journey of tens of thousands of miles was one of continuous slaughter.

Empowered by the Moonlight Battle Armor and using his Sword Intent True Flame as his primary weapon, he ended one battle after another with decisive speed.

By the time Crescent Island came into view, over a dozen vengeful souls had fallen to his blade—and he had not only killed them but extracted their souls as well.

He now had another thick stack of Storage Talismans, all filled with the spoils of his battles.

He entered the port, presented his Identity Token, and stepped onto Crescent Island without any trouble.

After more than a decade, this central hub of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World’s Outer Sea seemed to have hardly changed at all.

The layout of the buildings was just as he remembered it from when he left, and the streets were still just as deserted.

The few Cultivators who did appear all wore "stay away" expressions and hurried past.

One could still see a few Cultivators hawking their wares on the streets, their stalls mostly filled with various Demon Beast Spiritual Materials.

"Friend."

Chu Mu had just walked a hundred meters from the port when a voice called out from behind him.

Chu Mu turned to see a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache walking quickly toward him. The man stopped a few meters away.

Chu Mu sized up the man. He had a Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment Cultivation, a cold and sinister aura, and was clearly a Bloodline Cultivator.

"Have you just returned from the Outer Sea, friend?"

The man asked, but then, clearly afraid that Chu Mu might misunderstand, he quickly added, "I am Xu, the Shopkeeper for the Four Seas Trading House here on Crescent Island. If you have any spare Demon Beast Spiritual Materials, our trading house would be willing to purchase them at a high price..."

Chu Mu glanced at the man, then shifted slightly to look back toward the port. Beyond the docks, several other Foundation Establishment Cultivators were clearly loitering around...

Seeing the change in Chu Mu’s expression, the man immediately said, "Rest assured, friend, our prices are absolutely fair..."

Chu Mu nodded. He was about to speak when he seemed to think of something. The words on the tip of his tongue changed, and he asked a rather strange question instead: "How did you know I just returned from the Outer Sea?"

The man faltered for a moment, then hastily explained, "Friend, the Evil Qi around you has not yet dissipated. It’s obvious you’ve just come from the Outer Sea—"

Chu Mu chuckled and turned to leave before the man could finish speaking.

"Friend!"

The man grew anxious and hurried after Chu Mu. When Chu Mu ignored him, the man gritted his teeth and sent a voice transmission, "Friend, as long as you’re willing to give me your business, I can tell you the real reason."

...