Chapter 331: Chapter 300 Golden Pill 9th Level _1
Five years later
In the cultivation room, Xu Mu’s purple flames burned to the extreme, and the purple thunder seemed to tear the void apart.
Roar!
An incredibly huge phantom of Kun Peng roared towards the sky, seeming to want to squeeze out of the void and descend upon the human realm.
“My cultivation has already reached its limit, it’s time to go back!” Xu Mu opened his eyes, murmuring to himself.
Over the course of five years, with the aid of plentiful resources, both his Purple Flame Heaven Thunder Scroll and his cultivation had reached their limits, leaving no room for further advancement.
In terms of strength, he far surpassed the limits of the Golden Core Stage.
Not long ago, in a mission organized by the imperial family to hunt monster beasts, he had effortlessly slain a berserk Ironback Gray bear with merely the strength of his physical body.
The Ironback Gray bear, notorious for its defensive power and its astonishing Earth-controlling Divine Skills, ruled supreme amongst tier nine monster beasts and was so formidable that even three Combined Golden Core cultivators struggled to kill it.
On top of that, Xu Mu had also managed to defeat all Golden Core masters during a martial contest held in the imperial capital, gaining significant fame and being recognized as the top expert below the Nascent Soul Stage.
Of course, this title of top expert was likely influenced by Li Youlan and the Fifth Prince, however, it still showed that Xu Mu’s strength had reached a peak, any cultivation of Martial Methods or Skills would not bring about any improvements anymore.
As for whether he had reached the Nascent Soul Stage, he wasn’t sure as he had never sparred with a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator.
“Sky-splitting Halberd, Mind Stabilizing Skill, Purple Flame Heaven Thunder Scroll, Bloodline of the Earth-splitting Whale, with so many abilities combined, even if I am not comparable to a Nascent Soul, I should not be far off. If all else fails, I still have a secret weapon that ensures my self-protection!” Xu Mu thought.
Xu Mu, now at the peak of his abilities, decided to bid farewell to Li Youlan.
In truth, he had been wanting to leave for a while now. The reason he stayed for so long was largely because of the abundant resources in the imperial capital, which accelerated his cultivation progress, and partly due to Li Youlan’s relentless attempts to keep him around.
However, if he didn’t leave now, it would be equivalent to wasting the precious time of his life.
In the past few years, with his help, Li Youlan had attained considerable fame. Not only had her cultivation level broken through to the late Golden Core stage, she had also risen to the same status as the Fifth and Second Princes.
She had also recruited a number of strong practitioners under her command, including two late Golden Core cultivators. Her force was much stronger than when he first arrived, with just a couple of kittens under her command.
Due to her fame, the Princes and Princesses, including the First Prince, Second Prince, and Third Princess, had more or less respectfully extended an olive branch ask her for her alliance. Even though Xu Mu politely declined, all of them still displayed a friendly attitude.
The competition for the throne among the princes and princesses was not just about individual talent and power, but also political maneuvering and personal relationships, hence their effort to recruit followers.
The Seventh Prince was once greatly gifted but failed to ascend to the throne because of his inability to manage his subordinates, which eventually led to his isolation and abandonment.
The only one who still displayed an unfriendly rather hostile attitude towards Xu Mu, at least outwardly, was the Seventh Princess.
Over the years, the Seventh Princess had taken every opportunity to make life difficult for him, but each time she only ended up suffering losses. As a result, their enmity had not faded, but had grown even stronger.
Faced with Xu Mu’s resignation, Li Youlan wanted to dissuade him, but didn’t know how to put it into words.
Xu Mu wanted to leave because he sought the opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage. Given his current situation, if he doesn’t break through to the Nascent Soul Stage, it would be almost like waiting for death.
How could she possibly keep him from leaving!
To hinder someone’s path is as sinful as killing their parents!
She could indeed employ some dirty tactics, however, given her character, she could not bring herself to do so.
“Be careful on your journey. If you need anything, you can contact me directly!”
Rather than forcefully trying to keep him, she decided to let him go, which was Li Youlan’s final decision.
“I know! I am grateful for the care Your Highness has given me over these years. If I am fortunate enough to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage, I will definitely come back and see you!”
“Then I wish you an early breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage!”
Although she wished him well, Li Youlan didn’t feel very hopeful in her heart.
If it was that easy to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage, it would not be esteemed so highly.
In the entire Eastern Region, including the Da Yuan Dynasty, there are millions of cultivators, yet the number of Nascent Soul Stage cultivators has never exceeded two digits.
A Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, regardless of whichever power they belonged to, including the rapidly expanding Tongyou Sect, would hold a significant status and would be warmly welcomed.
The statuses of the First Prince and Seventh Princess were already highly esteemed, yet they couldn’t recruit a single Nascent Soul Stage cultivator. This showcased the venerable status of the Nascent Soul Stage.
Nangong Suyi, who was considered a genius, had also fallen on the path to advancement to the Nascent Soul Stage.
And yet, that was for an ordinary Nascent Soul. The Ancestral Nascent Soul that Xu Mu intends to cultivate was even more difficult to attain.
After bidding farewell to Li Youlan, Xu Mu did not visit anyone else and secretly left the imperial capital. Li Youlan circulated the news that he had gone to seclusion to make a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul Stage.
As for the two maidservants, for the sake of security, Xu Mu did not take them with him.
…
“Your Highness, he has left!”
“Is the news reliable?”
“It’s almost certain!”
“Good! After enduring for so long, the time for revenge has finally come. Take my Jade Talisman and see Mister Xuan Mu, ask him to get rid of that man. He owes me a favor, he will surely agree!”
“Your Highness, that man is extraordinary. Mister Xuan Mu has been in the Nascent Soul Stage for only ten years. It might not be safe enough to deal with him. If he escapes, it would be harder to eliminate him next time!”
“Don’t worry! No matter how strong he is, he is ultimately just at the Golden Core Stage. He can’t be a match for a Nascent Soul cultivator, nor can he escape from one. However, you do have a point. Then, bring a few people along and take some Formation setting Magic Artifacts with you. When the time comes, use the Formation to seal off the surrounding area to prevent him from escaping!”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
…
After leaving the imperial capital, Xu Mu took out the Flying Boat he had recently purchased and headed towards Chi Zhou Prefecture.
All of his family members had already arrived at Chi Zhou Prefecture and were now residing in the little space. This time, he planned to assist a few of them to break through to Golden Core first, making sure his family had the capacity to protect themselves. Then, he would bring his two avatars and head to the Extreme North to find the Fortune Celestial Pond.
If he wanted to form an Ancestral Nascent Soul, he must restore his life force. Hence, he must find the Fortune Celestial Pond.
The journey from the imperial capital to Chi Zhou Prefecture was long. Xu Mu was alone and could not fly at full speed all the way, he had to rest occasionally. Hence, his speed of travel was not very fast.
Around half a month later.
Sitting in the Flying Boat, Xu Mu partly controlled the Flying Boat through one of his avatars, while part of him was studying the ancient book in his hands.
This was something he had collected from a small Marketplace nearby. It recorded various strange phenomena and extraordinary events on the continent, including some information about the Extreme North.
Although he has the worldly-wise Black YuanYing inside him, Xu Mu doesn’t fully trust it. Besides, hundreds of years have passed, even if Black YuanYing wasn’t deceitful, the Extreme North might have undergone major changes.
Moreover, while Black YuanYing knows about the Fortune Celestial Pond in the Extreme North and the route to get there, it has never been there personally. Hence, it won’t know much about the dangers in the Extreme North.
No matter for what reason, Xu Mu has to try his best to collect enough information and make thorough preparations.
“Huh?”
A pulse of Formation appeared around him, forcing his Flying Boat to stop.