Chapter 467 - 429: Planning the Immortal Path

Chapter 467: Chapter 429: Planning the Immortal Path

The sun rose and set; springs turned to autumns.

This solitary island remained as it had always been—desolate and barren, its Spiritual Qi thin.

The Cave Mansion on the island was protected by a functioning Array Prohibition, its entrance still sealed shut.

Several years slipped away.

Not until the fourth winter, amidst a flurry of heavy snow, did the entrance, sealed for years, finally swing open.

A figure in worn green robes appeared at the mouth of the cave as Chu Mu slowly walked out.

Beneath the concealing Array Prohibition, the heavy snow fell unimpeded, passing right through it. The area surrounding the cave was already covered in a thick layer of snow.

As far as the eye could see, the entire island was draped in white, a crystalline, snow-covered landscape.

Chu Mu looked deeply exhausted, but despite his fatigue, he couldn’t suppress the look of joy on his face.

Years of Refinement had been years of an evolving war between Immortal and Demon within him. It was just like before, only this time, it had been far more tenacious.

And now...

Chu Mu closed his eyes, turning his senses to his Sea of Consciousness.

His Divine Soul was now flawlessly clear; even the most perfect jade in the world could not compare to its crystalline purity.

The once-ferocious Demon Patterns that had coiled around it had vanished without a trace.

Though the injuries to his physical body had not yet fully healed, the sinister Demonic Qi originating from the Demon Patterns was also completely gone. His Demonized body had returned to normal.

As for his remaining injuries, without the hindrance of the Demonization Erosion, they would simply require a slow and steady recovery over time.

And as for time...

’Now that I’m in the Golden Core Realm...’

’...I won’t have to worry about time for a long, long while.’

With the root of the problem eradicated, Chu Mu was in high spirits, and he took a moment to admire the mundane beauty of the snowy landscape with great interest.

But then, he seemed to notice something. Chu Mu raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise on his face.

’This snow... It has traces of a Magic Technique...’

Chu Mu gently caught a snowflake and examined it with his senses. He then looked around at the blizzard blanketing the sky and covering an untold expanse of the sea. His surprise deepened.

’To cover such a large area, even if this is just the aftereffect... I can only imagine how terrifying the Magic Technique that caused this weather phenomenon must have been!’

’A battle between Nascent Soul Great Powers...’

Chu Mu pursed his lips and gazed toward Chixia Island, his eyes glinting, lost in thought.

After a moment, he turned back into the cave. He rested for a few days to shake off some of his fatigue. On the third day, a fiery red Tunneling Light tore through the blizzard, soaring high into the sky and heading straight for Chixia Island.

The solitary island was located behind Chixia Island, so the journey was relatively peaceful and uneventful.

When he was still thousands of miles from Chixia Island, several silver-white Flying Boats engraved with the Chen Family insignia flew toward him.

"Halt! You are approaching the restricted territory of Chixia Island. Please present your identity token, fellow Cultivator!"

The voice transmission floated over as the Flying Boats spread out with practiced coordination, forming a loose encirclement around Chu Mu.

Chu Mu froze for a second, then scanned himself and belatedly realized what was happening. Ever since the Demonization Erosion, he had subconsciously suppressed his aura and Magical Power to prevent anyone from detecting signs of the Demonization.

He had kept up the habit to this day, and here...

Chu Mu gave them a quick once-over. With only one Bloodline Foundation Establishment cultivator and a few Qi Refining Perfect Cultivators, it was only natural they couldn’t see through his disguise.

They had likely mistaken him for an unidentified person.

"Fellow Cultivator, please present your Identity Token. The Vast Sea has issued a Decree: no one of unknown identity is permitted to enter Chixia."

A middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache stepped onto the prow of a Flying Boat, watching Chu Mu warily.

As he spoke, the surrounding Flying Boats shifted into a subtle formation, radiating an aura that promised to suppress Chu Mu on the spot if he made a single wrong move.

Chu Mu studied the Flying Boat’s Grand Array with interest. After just a moment’s observation, a hint of surprise touched his features.

Of the six Flying Boats, the five on the perimeter corresponded to the five Attributes: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth.

The Flying Boat belonging to the Foundation Establishment cultivator, however, had no discernible elemental Attribute, yet it seemed to be the core of the array.

’In that case...’

’Though I’m not familiar with this specific array, I can see the faint pathways of the Array Prohibition. It only took me a few breaths to arrive at a clear answer.’

’If I’m not mistaken, this array’s power doesn’t lie in its own offensive or defensive capabilities.’

’Instead, it gathers power and channels it all into that Foundation Establishment cultivator.’

’The Flying Boats harness the Power of the Five Elements, and when combined with the strength of this squad of Qi Cultivation Cultivators, this man—despite only being in the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment—could likely fight a Middle Stage or even a Late Stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.’

The thoughts flickered through his mind, but Chu Mu didn’t pay it too much heed.

Arrays that channeled power like this always came with major restrictions.

These restrictions stemmed from many factors and were all extremely stringent.

For example, to channel the power of multiple individuals into one person, they must all practice a special, systematized Cultivation Technique. Sharing the same source of Magical Power and bloodline was the most fundamental condition.

Furthermore, the choice of the array, and even the selection of the Spiritual Materials for Refining it, involved extremely demanding requirements.

Typically, only a major power would have the resources to cultivate such a force.

"Fellow Cultivator..."

This time, the middle-aged man’s voice was deeper, and his gaze toward Chu Mu had turned hostile.

Chu Mu flicked his wrist, tossing out the Token that represented his identity. At the same time, he let a few wisps of his Golden Core Realm aura leak out.

The man’s face paled. He caught the Token but didn’t even have time to glance at it before bowing deeply. "This junior was unaware of Senior’s presence! I have been deeply offensive, please forgive me, Senior!"

Chu Mu waved his hand, his voice calm. "It is no matter. I have been in seclusion for many years and know little of the current situation. Please, check the token first. When you are done, if you would be so kind, tell me what has been happening."

"As you command, Senior!"

The man bowed again and respectfully offered the Token back, seemingly without having even checked it.

Immediately after, the man began to recount the recent events with the fluency of one listing family heirlooms.

The man spoke clearly, but it still took him a full fifteen minutes to explain the current situation in the Vast Sea.

"Safe travels, Senior."

With the man’s respectful shout echoing below, the fiery red Tunneling Light appeared in the sky. The man watched it depart, his heart still pounding with lingering fear, but also sighing in relief.

Chu Mu soared through the sky, his gaze fixed on the faint outline of Chixia Island on the horizon. The man’s words replayed in his mind.

According to the man, after the Profound Serpent Race drove the Beast Tide straight into the Chixia Sea Area, a series of battles between Nascent Soul cultivators had erupted.

The outcomes of those battles were still unknown.

However, the Chixia defense line had held firm to this day and had not collapsed again.

As for the endless snowfall, it was the handiwork of a Tier Four Profound Snake Great Demon from half a month ago.

It was said that the Tier Four Demon Beast had spat a mouthful of frost, instantly freezing dozens of miles of the sea’s surface. After a great battle, a thousand-mile stretch of ice remained, which directly triggered a meteorological phenomenon and led to this heavy snowfall.

’They couldn’t hold them back before, but now that the front has been pushed back to Chixia, their defenses are suddenly as solid as a rock...’

Chu Mu mused.

A situation this strange seemed difficult to explain.

But in the Cultivation Immortal Realm, strange situations like this often had a very simple explanation.

The only possibility was an imbalance between the High-Tier powers on both sides at the outset of the war.

Otherwise, even with a raging Beast Tide that even a Nascent Soul Great Power would have to avoid meeting head-on, it should have been impossible to suffer one crushing defeat after another, all the way back to Chixia... the very heart of the Vast Sea.

But this was undoubtedly even stranger.

’If the High-Tier forces were imbalanced, why did their defenses suddenly become rock-solid after falling back to Chixia?’

’Did an outside power intervene?’

The questions piled up, with no easy answers in sight.

For him, however, this seemed to be good news.

After all, his own enterprise was located on Chixia Island.

Compared to his current Cultivation, the enterprise that was the True Understanding Pavilion was not much to speak of.

But looking to the future, this enterprise was a rather important piece on his board.

When he was in the Foundation Establishment Realm, the True Understanding Pavilion was perhaps just a single building, confined to one street in Chixia City.

Now that he was a Golden Core True Master, it would clearly not be difficult for the True Understanding Pavilion to become a major power dominating the region.

The founder of the Yun Xiao Trading House—once hailed as the number one merchant guild in the Vast Sea—was True Master Yun Xiao, and he was only a Middle Stage of Golden Core cultivator.

To transform the True Understanding Pavilion into a power with deep and tangled roots in the Vast Sea.

This would obviously be a great boon to him.

Setting aside the material benefits of having a faction, at the very least, if he needed something, a single command would send thousands upon thousands of Cultivators scrambling to do his bidding, even risking their lives for him.

In this Cultivation Immortal Realm, where ultimate power is concentrated in the individual, this was the most fundamental reason for any faction to exist.

As for how to transform the True Understanding Pavilion into a major power, nothing could be simpler for him.

With his Cultivation at the Golden Core Realm, he only needed to put out the word, and potential vassals would undoubtedly flock to him in droves.

Not to mention, with the Vast Sea having been in chaos for so many years, there were probably countless displaced people, like stray dogs, desperately searching for a patron...

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