Chapter 432 - 399: Plotting, Preparation, and Departure

Chapter 432: Chapter 399: Plotting, Preparation, and Departure

’Plans can’t keep up with changes...’

Feeling the massive surge in his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, Chu Mu let out a long, turbid breath, but his face held little joy.

Reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection was something he had long anticipated.

According to his original plan, he was supposed to cultivate step-by-step, ensuring a solid foundation while avoiding Erysipelas.

That way, breaking through to the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment would have been a natural outcome, without any bottlenecks or obstacles.

This would have meant that after reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection, he could have almost seamlessly prepared for Core Formation!

Instead, he had been forced to do this—disregarding the corrosion of Erysipelas to forcefully break through to Foundation Establishment Perfection.

A forced Broken Mirror and a natural outcome are two completely different concepts.

The appearance of a bottleneck meant that his Cultivation in his current stage was not at Perfection.

Just like in his previous experiments, it was either because the Erysipelas made his Essence, Qi, and Spirit mottled and impure, or because his Spirit Root Talent caused his Essence, Qi, and Spirit to be mixed with other Attributes.

To forcefully break through a bottleneck under such mottled and impure conditions obviously meant that this impurity would still exist within his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, even after reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection.

If he couldn’t refine and purge it in time to stabilize his foundation, this impurity would inevitably affect his breakthrough to Core Formation after Foundation Establishment Perfection.

If he could never get rid of it, it would create a vicious cycle that would eventually block his Immortal Path completely!

If not for the fact that his Sword Intent could refine his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, he wouldn’t have had the guts to pop Elixirs like candy.

Or rather, without his Sword Intent, he wouldn’t have reached his current level of Cultivation at all. After all, his entire Cultivation was built upon a mountain of Elixirs.

Even if there was a vicious cycle, it would have ended long ago.

’It will probably take about two years...’

Chu Mu briefly sensed the residual Erysipelas in his body. As his Sword Intent circulated, a rough estimate formed in his mind.

Two years, if there were no external disturbances, should be enough for him to completely purge the Erysipelas.

The only problem was that consuming so many Elixirs in a short period had made his Magical Power unstable. He would need to diligently cultivate the Void Nether Saber Scripture to properly polish and refine it.

He waved his hand, and several projections appeared, suspended in the air. It seemed that just as Xu Ning had said, opening a Gate of Space to the Secret Realm was no easy task.

A year had passed with no sign of progress.

Then, he waved his hand again. Several voice transmissions hovered over the Array Prohibition that isolated the inside from the outside.

The messages entered his ears. They were all from the major powers in the city, either inviting him to go out to sea, requesting Artifact Refining, or what amounted to a recruitment notice from the Chen Family Cultivators.

After a brief look, Chu Mu put the transmissions to the back of his mind.

If he couldn’t get through this business with the True Demon, then everything else was just an illusion.

If he really could get through it as smoothly as he hoped, it would be a blessing of immense fortune.

By then, once he achieved the Golden Core, there would be no more trouble for him in Chixia City.

As his thoughts churned, Chu Mu waved his hand, and a Divine Shadow Pill materialized at his fingertips. After a moment of contemplation, he swallowed the pill directly.

The Elixir entered his stomach, and as its Medicinal Power took effect, Chu Mu felt an inexplicable, invisible pressure descend upon him. Under this pressure, his Cultivation seemed to be suppressed, visibly changing before his eyes.

Foundation Establishment Perfection, Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment... all the way down to the Early Stage of Qi Cultivation. Only then did the descending pressure finally stop.

Then, with a slight thought, Chu Mu’s Cultivation, which was at the Early Stage of Qi Cultivation, began to slowly rise again. Early Stage of Qi Cultivation, Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation, Late Stage of Qi Cultivation... until it finally stabilized at Qi Cultivation Perfection.

’Interesting...’

After a little experimentation, Chu Mu couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised.

The effect of this Pill wasn’t the simulation he had expected, but rather... an adjustable suppression!

For example, right now, his Cultivation was suppressed to Qi Cultivation Perfection, and the amount of Cultivation he could use was only at the level of Qi Cultivation Perfection.

If he wanted to use a Cultivation level higher than Qi Cultivation Perfection, he would have to either remove the suppression or break it.

Chu Mu silently experienced the effects of the Divine Shadow Pill. Under his "Spiritual Radiance Blessing," all the changes in the pill’s efficacy were within his perception.

At the same time, thoughts swirled in his mind. Eventually, Chu Mu’s gaze settled on the Pill Recipe for the "Heavenly Deceit Pill."

If he remembered correctly, there were quite a few Tier Two Demon Beasts in the Secret Realm.

The Secret Realm had a limit on the Cultivation of outside Cultivators, the rules of which were unclear. But... for the Demon Beasts within the Secret Realm, there shouldn’t be a limit, at least not within the Tier Two category...

And the effect of this "Heavenly Deceit Pill"...

Chu Mu’s eyes flickered. ’If the "Divine Shadow Pill" can deceive the heavens and allow me to enter the Secret Realm, then could the "Heavenly Deceit Pill" also deceive the heavens once inside?’

At this thought, Chu Mu abruptly stood up. As he paced back and forth, one plan after another appeared in his mind.

After about a quarter of an hour, he suddenly stopped. Then, with a single step, he walked straight out of the True Understanding Pavilion.

Just over an hour later, he returned to the backyard, leading dozens of Demon Beasts.

In the days that followed, with the True Demon having suddenly appeared, Chu Mu’s life became surprisingly peaceful.

He used the excuse of being in seclusion to block all the trivial matters caused by the turmoil in the Vast Sea, keeping them outside the True Understanding Pavilion.

Taking advantage of this period before the True Demon’s return, he methodically prepared for the trip to the Secret Realm.

He experimented with improving the Heavenly Deceit Pill’s Pill Recipe, refined a large number of Puppetry Tools to serve as trump cards for the Secret Realm trip, and in his spare time, he cultivated the Void Nether Saber Scripture, polished his Essence, Qi, and Spirit, and purged the Erysipelas in preparation for Core Formation.

For the sake of that Sealing Demon Array, he even made an exception and began to study the Array Dao, using the True Understanding Pavilion’s network and resources to collect a large number of books on Arrays.

With his foundation in the Array Prohibition Dao from his Artifact Refining Skill, coupled with the terrifying learning and comprehension ability from the leap in his thinking and intellect under "Spiritual Radiance Blessing," his understanding of the Array Dao changed and grew with each passing day.

「Time flew by.」

Under this tense yet orderly Cultivation, nearly two years passed in the blink of an eye.

In just two years, fueled by new grudges and old hatreds, the turmoil brought to the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World by the Profound Serpent Race was still ongoing.

What the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World defined as the Outer Sea had long become a forbidden zone for Cultivators. Even the coastal waters, after years of turmoil, had completely lost their former tranquility.

Countless Demon Beasts surged from the Outer Sea into the Inner Sea. Although the Chen Family blocked the vast majority of them, the Vast Sea’s terrain was unique. In the boundless ocean, often hundreds of miles deep, Demon Beasts could hide almost anywhere.

Even if only a small fraction slipped through, it was enough to throw the once-peaceful Inner Sea into complete chaos!

Although Chixia City was the core hub of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, it was naturally difficult to avoid the effects of such turmoil.

At Chixia Port, the former hustle and bustle had been nearly cut in half. Ordinary boats sailing the sea had all but vanished. Even the Flying Boats were mostly large vessels equipped for both offense and defense.

Moreover, most of these Flying Boats were official Chen Family vessels, used for transporting supplies and Cultivators.

The previous sight of Cultivators gathering from all directions was completely gone.

The entire Chixia Island had been completely transformed into a logistics base, radiating out across the Vast Sea to supply the massive war effort.

But today, at Chixia North Port, a rather exquisite, small Flying Boat had appeared. Beneath the massive Flying Boats that nearly blotted out the sun, the small vessel’s presence was clearly out of place.

Although Chixia’s controls were strict, this small Flying Boat departed from the port without any obstruction.

At the prow of the Flying Boat stood Chu Mu, still in his green robes. Inside the cabin, Xu Ning and Li Xiu sat properly. The youth still had a dazed, "foolish" look about him; two years had passed without much change.

The Flying Boat seemed to be wandering aimlessly. After traveling about ten thousand miles from Chixia, it began to circle the area.

In fact, that was exactly the case.

The True Demon’s voice transmission hadn’t specified a gathering point, only telling them to wait in this region of the sea.

Having reached this sea region before the True Demon’s arrival, they were naturally without a destination.

Chu Mu leaned against the prow, bored. Compared to his previous anxiety, he was now extremely calm.

This calmness wasn’t just on the surface; it stemmed from within.

Over the past few years, he had made every possible preparation for this trip to the Secret Realm, planning for every conceivable eventuality.

With such preparations, any further worry or anxiety was pointless.

At some unknown moment, Chu Mu felt the Flying Boat’s hull suddenly lurch. In the next instant, a figure had appeared on the deck.

"Senior!"

"Senior!"

Chu Mu bowed deeply. The two in the cabin also hurried to their feet.

The man looked at the still somewhat dazed youth, sizing him up for a moment before turning to the bowing Chu Mu.

"Young friend, are you prepared?"

"Reporting to Senior, the Divine Shadow Pills have been refined. One batch yielded six pills."

Chu Mu took out a Jade Bottle and respectfully handed it to the man.

The man took the Jade Bottle and waved his hand. Five Divine Shadow Pills floated in the air. He examined them and nodded repeatedly. "The Elixirs are bright and lustrous, their Medicinal Power restrained. Excellent, excellent. Young friend, your reputation for Pill and Artifact Dual Proficiency is truly well-deserved!"

"Have you tested the effects of this medicine, young friend?"

"This is a recording I, your Junior, made while testing the pill’s effects. I used Celestial Trace Stone Powder to inscribe the Cultivation aura. Senior, please take a look."

Chu Mu took out a Jade Scroll. With a thought, the recording of him taking the Divine Shadow Pill in his Secluded Meditation Chamber appeared.

The man watched it for a few moments, satisfaction growing in his eyes. His gaze towards Chu Mu held a bit more admiration. "Young friend, you are indeed thorough. It seems I, this old man, made the right choice in asking for your help."

Chu Mu was speechless and could only manage a forced smile.

"I have already found a weak point in the Secret Realm. Once we reach the destination, we can open a Gate of Space and enter."

"There is one thing you all must remember: the Secret Realm has an owner. Although there are no Cultivators present for now, its core has long been controlled by the Great Heng Imperial Family. After entering the Secret Realm, you must not cause trouble. Rendezvous with me as soon as possible!"

Chu Mu asked, puzzled, "Senior, you aren’t entering the Secret Realm with us?"

"Great Heng has wolfish ambitions. They intend to move the Secret Realm to their own spatial coordinates. The Secret Realm is constantly moving through the outer domain, and with the spatial turbulence, even when opening a Gate of Space, an inch of deviation leads to a mile of error..."

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