East Lake.

The blazing sun hung high in the sky, its light glinting off the sparkling waves.

A subtle spatial fluctuation flickered in the sky. An instant later, a man and a beast shot out and crashed into the lake.

As the splash erupted, the clear lake water was visibly stained crimson.

About ten miles from this spot, several disciples in the Magic Robes of the Longevity Sect sat cross-legged.

At that very moment, one of the men seemed to sense something. His eyes snapped open, and a Compass-like artifact materialized before him.

The man spoke softly,

"Spatial fluctuations, eighteen miles due east."

The man beside him asked, "Is it one of our Sect’s disciples?"

"There’s no trace of our Sect’s Restriction Token. It must be a Loose Cultivator or a disciple from another clan."

With that, the man stood up, dusted off his clothes, and chuckled. "Let’s go. We’ve got a job to do!"

Following his lead, several streaks of sword light shot into the sky, heading straight for the location of the spatial fluctuation.

"Wangcai, I really paid a heavy price for you this time!"

Chu Mu scrambled out of the water, looking wretched. His drenched body was covered in hideous, bloody gashes.

Wangcai was in no better shape. It had several deep wounds, and a section of its tail was missing—it looked like it had been bitten off.

WHIMPER...

Wangcai was anxious, letting out a series of whines.

"Someone’s coming?"

Chu Mu’s brow furrowed.

WHIMPER...

Wangcai whined again, tilting its head to look at the distant sky.

"Let’s go, go, go!"

Sensing the lingering spatial fluctuations, Chu Mu’s expression changed drastically. Ignoring his grievous injuries, he grabbed Wangcai.

He activated his already damaged Divine Wind Boots once more. In an instant, the man and beast became a blur, racing across the water’s surface at incredible speed.

Before long, a faint commotion from behind proved Wangcai’s judgment correct.

Chu Mu was speechless. He had just enjoyed a satisfying slaughter in the Secret Realm, taking down several powerful Wolf-type Demon Beasts.

But the last kill must have been the cub of a Tier Two Demon Beast, because the parent had hunted him down, leaving him with nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

Luckily, his time limit in the Secret Realm had expired, and he was ejected.

’But I just got out! How am I being targeted again?’

He glanced back. The white Magic Robes of the Longevity Sect were unmistakable.

’What rotten luck!’

Chu Mu cursed inwardly. But given his and Wangcai’s current injuries, he had no desire to get entangled with them.

He looked down at his damaged Divine Wind Boots and made a decision.

"Wind and Thunder Move!"

With a low shout, the Divine Wind Boots—already damaged from his escape from the Tier Two Demon Beast in the Secret Realm—unleashed their full power once more!

BOOM!

A sudden clap of wind and thunder echoed. The duo, already a blur, seemed to perform an Instant Teleportation.

In a flash, they opened up a huge distance, disappearing beneath the water’s surface within a few breaths.

"He’s fast!"

In the sky, several figures hovered in the air, gazing at the vast expanse of water. One of them grumbled,

"That man... he seems to be the wanted fugitive, Chu Mu!"

Another man analyzed the lingering Divine Soul Aura in the area, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"He actually escaped all the way here and even entered the Secret Realm!"

"Eldest Senior Brother, we can use this information to curry a favor!"

The man beside him grew excited. "Chu Mu killed Zhao Tang. Elder Zhao has put up a huge reward..."

"That’s enough. We’ll talk about it when we get back."

The leader waved his hand. "This man is not to be underestimated. If you run into him again, don’t be reckless fools."

"Don’t worry, Eldest Senior Brother. We’re not stupid..."

After exchanging a few more words, the group quickly vanished from the area.

Chu Mu sped for dozens of miles before a faint cracking sound was heard, and his near-instantaneous speed suddenly dropped.

He looked down at the cracked and dimmed Divine Wind Boots on his feet. With a thought, he stored the completely ruined boots in his Storage Talisman and replaced them with a pair of Middle Grade Spiritual Artifact boots taken from some unlucky soul.

He glanced up at the surface, then leaped, bursting out from beneath the water.

After scanning his surroundings and getting his bearings, he summoned his sword, grabbed Wangcai, and flew off using Sword Control.

He flew until a deserted mountain in the mortal world came into view. With a flash of sword light, he carved a simple cave into the mountainside.

He formed a hand seal and cast a Cleaning Skill to tidy the newly formed cave. Then, muttering an incantation, he set up a small isolation Restriction.

Only then did he lead Wangcai inside.

"You heal up first!"

Chu Mu flicked his sleeve, tossing out two Demon Beast carcasses from his Storage Talisman.

As for himself, he swallowed a Healing Elixir, sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began circulating his Magical Power, tuning out the outside world.

Wangcai sniffed around, as if to confirm their surroundings were safe. Then, it began to tear into the two Demon Beast carcasses. After devouring them completely, it obediently lay down at the cave entrance and fell into a deep sleep.

Days rose and set. Nearly twenty days later, the seated Chu Mu finally stirred, his eyes slowly opening.

With a wave of his hand, three Magical Artifacts appeared before him.

A pair of Divine Wind Boots, a Magic Robe, and a Shield.

Without exception, all three were damaged.

The Divine Wind Boots were completely ruined from his escape after leaving the Secret Realm. As for the Middle Grade Magical Artifact Robe and the Top Grade Magical Artifact Shield he had taken from Zhao Tang...

...they had been torn apart by a single swipe from the Tier Two Demon Beast in the Secret Realm. Even the Top Grade Defensive Spiritual Artifact Shield had a piece shattered off it.

Recalling his powerless escape, Chu Mu couldn’t help but feel a lingering fear.

Facing that Tier Two Demon Beast, he had been completely outmatched in every aspect except for Spiritual Wisdom.

He had been utterly powerless to resist.

’If it weren’t for...’

Chu Mu reached into his robes and grasped the Talisman Treasure he considered his final trump card.

The Sword-shaped Rune on the Beast Skin Talisman Paper was now noticeably dimmer than before.

Clearly, a significant portion of the Talisman Treasure’s power had been consumed.

He had managed to escape the pursuit of a Tier Two Demon Beast almost entirely thanks to this Talisman Treasure.

’However, with my current Cultivation, using a Talisman Treasure is still too much of a strain.’

The three broken Magical Artifacts before him were proof of that.

First, Wangcai tried to buy him time, only to be sent flying with a single swipe.

Then, with another swipe, his Shield shattered and his Magic Robe was torn. He was forced to activate Wind and Thunder Move at the cost of damaging his Divine Wind Boots.

Risking the backlash of chaotic Magical Power, he fled for some distance before he could finally unleash a fraction of the Talisman Treasure’s might to momentarily hinder the Tier Two Demon Beast.

Otherwise, he and Wangcai would have likely ended up as a meal for that Demon Beast.

As he thought, Chu Mu subconsciously recalled the scene in the valley, where the clan Cultivators had used an Array to restrain the two-headed giant serpent before trying to slay it with a Talisman Treasure.

Without a doubt, those clan Cultivators had executed their plan almost perfectly. The Array formed by the Cultivators had almost completely pinned down the serpent.

Even when the serpent went berserk later, the Talisman Treasure that descended nearly killed it.

If the serpent’s bloodline hadn’t suddenly mutated, that battle would have surely ended in a successful cross-realm kill.

’Arrays...’

Chu Mu pondered this silently. The idea was tempting, but he ultimately suppressed it.

’Everything will have to wait until after I reach Foundation Establishment.’

He waved his hand, storing the broken Magical Artifacts and the Talisman Treasure back into his Storage Talisman.

After glancing at the still-sleeping Wangcai, he mulled for a moment before closing his eyes again, focusing his attention on the Great Sun Scripture within his Sea of Consciousness.

Ever since his Essence, Qi, and Spirit reached Perfection in the Inheritance Land, the opportunity to break through to Foundation Establishment had become clearer than ever before, as if guided by fate.

He even had a feeling that if he just followed that fated opportunity, he would inevitably reach Foundation Establishment.

’Is it a premonition, or am I just deluding myself...?’

He didn’t know.

And so far, he hadn’t found an answer.

Although he had gained some understanding of the Foundation Establishment Realm through other Foundation Establishment Techniques, he was still unclear on the specifics of how to break through and what the process entailed.

’The Great Sun Scripture...’

Chu Mu felt a little anxious. If a Cultivation Technique inherited from an Ancient Sect couldn’t give him the answers he needed, he would have to seriously consider finding a backer.

After all, from what he had gathered, the major clans and the Longevity Sect had clearly formed some kind of unspoken agreement.

They maintained strict control over all resources and knowledge related to the Foundation Establishment Realm and beyond.

Anything available on the open market was either a family heirloom from some Loose Cultivator, a relic from a Cave Mansion, or the result of some Cultivator’s personal lucky encounter.

And even these chance discoveries were often quickly snatched up by the various powers.

The barrier between Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment was far more difficult to overcome than the leap from the mortal world into the Cultivation Immortal Realm.

For an ordinary Loose Cultivator at Qi Cultivation Perfection, the only real path to Foundation Establishment was to pledge allegiance to a powerful faction and slave away for them. There weren’t many other options.

’Foundation Establishment Pill... just what is it?’

His heart was filled with anxiety and unanswered questions.

He slowly extended his Divine Sense to touch the ancient Great Sun Scripture.

The moment he made contact, the ancient characters instantly transformed into a great sun that illuminated his entire Sea of Consciousness.

The boundless heat of the blazing sun and a raging sea of fire spread out. Chu Mu let out a muffled groan as a trickle of blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The next second, he found himself within an illusion, standing in that endless sea of fire beneath the great sun.

Gleaming golden, ancient characters rotated and flashed around him. Like a Seal, each flashing character was imprinted directly onto his Divine Soul, engraved deep within his mind.

It felt as if he had only glanced at them, yet in his memory, it was as if he had silently recited them ten million times.

After about fifteen minutes, the illusion vanished. Chu Mu’s eyes remained tightly shut, the bloodstain still on his lips, as if he were still digesting the massive amount of information from the Cultivation Technique...

...