1323 Rapid Progress

Gu Yan'er smiled and her appearance changed slowly, saying, "Yan'er greets Senior Brother Mu. Senior Brother promised to gift me the Luminous Seven-color Butterfly to Yan'er then, but you haven't given it to me until now…"

"Huh?" Apotheon Mu's eyes widened and he looked incredulously at Gu Yan'er. "You're Little Yan'er? You… You… Didn't you…"

"Senior Brother Mu, I was trapped in a desperate situation in the Immortal World back then. After a long time of cultivation, I was finally able to break the seals and rushed out of that place. In fact, I also have another identity that I'm sure Senior Brother has heard of."

"Which identity is it?" asked Apotheon Mu.

"Immortal Rakshasi Monarch." Gu Yan'er chuckled slightly.

Apotheon Mu's eyes slightly contracted and disbelief overflowed in his eyes as he exclaimed in astonishment, "You turned out to be that notoriously famous Rakshashi Monarch who has shaken the entire Immortal World? Heavens! Back then, your existence became the talk of countless powerful people in the Immortal World. Your name reached even my ears in my seclusion!"

"Well, everything I did was for Master. Regardless of the process, I eventually found Master," Gu Yan'er said with a smile.

"Both of you being able to meet each other again is really a happy event." Tang Xiu slightly smiled. "Anyway, you will be in charge of the Heavenly Abode, Yan'er. After you've released all the Great Tang Empire's people outside, take all the Monster Immortals with Mu to clean up the Misty Spring Ocean. Later on, the Misty Spring Ocean will be the stronghold of the Great Tang Empire. We will use this region as the center for the campaign to rescue your Martial Brothers and Sisters as well as to expand our territory to all directions."

Gu Yan'er firmly nodded and said, "I understand, Master."

****

The Repose Cliff was a wonderful blessed land with rich immortal spiritual force. The mist here contained rich liquid immortal force, and just taking one breath here was able to shake and lift one's spirit. Further, the eight Immortal Veins gathered in this place and anyone who cultivated here could extract the rich spiritual force of this land's vein and absorb it into their body continuously to enhance their cultivation speed.

Two months later.

Apotheon Mu and Gu Yan'er teamed up to lead a large number of the Great Tang Empire's Monster Immortals as well as a number of loyal experts under Apotheon Mu to carry out a frantic clean-up campaign in the entire Misty Spring Ocean. In just 2 months, hundreds of thousands of immortals who were not loyal to Apotheon Mu throughout the Misty Spring Ocean were massacred, including some intel operatives from other forces.

The most important move was that all the experts at the Golden Immortal Stage in the Misty Spring Ocean were nowhere to be seen aside from those groomed by Apotheon Mu. The number of Celestial Immortals and Profound Immortals in the region had also become scarce. The only remaining tens of thousands of ordinary Immortals in the region were now responsible for the safety duty of the entire Misty Spring Ocean.

During this time, Gu Yan'er and Apotheon Mu teamed up to manage the four major legions of the Great Tang Empire and recruited the remaining tens of thousands of Immortals into four new major legions. At the same time, they also recruited and absorbed hundreds of thousands of warriors at the Great Ascension Stage and Crossing Tribulation Stage to form a new Dragon Army, Tiger Army, Phoenix Army, and Martial Army, with each legion consisting of 100,000 people, a total of 400,000 strong.

These 400,000 soldiers were stationed in eight directions around the Misty Spring Island, with each direction guarded by 50,000 people. Tang Xiu gave Gu Yan'er and Tang Min 5 million Crystal Essences to be exchanged into Immortal Crystals by the Ministry of Finance. A total of 500 million Immortal Crystals were then prepared to be used as military expenses.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Finance formed 8 logistics teams that continuously sent massive cultivation resources to the eight branches of the four major legions, where they were distributed to all members. Due to receiving such a huge amount of cultivation resources, the nearly 200,000 immortal warriors who were originally loyal to Apotheon Mu all accepted to be incorporated into the Great Tang Empire as soldiers. Both sides were now devoting themselves to cultivation wholeheartedly and began to blend and get along with each other and gradually merged into one.

The fourth month.

On the edge of Repose Cliff, Tang Xiu sat cross-legged as an enormous aura suddenly burst out from him. The hundreds of thousands of celestial bodies in the cosmic space in his body suddenly shook at the same time, while a mysterious yellow aura gradually formed and finally merged with the Primal Chaos energy.

Tang Xiu clearly sensed that the scope of the cosmic space in his body had expanded a lot and countless minuscule small planets also appeared. The Heavenly Path Universe Tree suddenly grew sharply to tens of thousands of meters high with lush and verdant leaves while exuding endless lifeforce from its trunk that merged into some huge planets.

"The progress is very rapid."

The moment Tang Xiu opened his eyes, a satisfied look could be seen overflowing in them. He was just a step away from breaking through the third major stage of the Heavenly Art of Cosmic Genesis. His strength was now comparable to a Golden Immortal. Reaching this realm within such a short time was mainly due to his comprehension and perception of his previous cultivation realm. At the same, the people Apotheon Mu sent had also gathered the medicinal ingredients enough for him to successfully refine 4 Demon Dragon Pills, all of which were taken by him completely.

Buzz…

Amidst the dusky world, a terrifying aura suddenly formed above Tang Xiu. He was the only person who could sense this fearsome aura. Even Gu Yan'er, who was quietly reading an array manual from Tang Xiu, wasn't able to sense it.

"Another divine ability? Fusion?"

A happy and satisfied look was cast on Tang Xiu's handsome face. He had already obtained several star force supernatural powers, but this divine ability was a fearsome one by itself. He could tell that this ability even surpassed some terrifying secret arts in the Immortal World.

"Prior to this one, the strongest divine ability was Devour, and now I have the Fusion. If I go all out, I'm confident I can even kill a Golden Immortal with it."

Tang Xiu didn't attempt to try this Fusion divine ability since it was too horrible. He could tell that once he cast it, most Golden Immortals and Perfected Golden Immortals in the Misty Spring Ocean would be able to sense it.

****

At the Immortal Lyceum.

Apotheon Mu led Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch over. Their arrival made the Perfected Golden Immortal standing guard outside suddenly had a change in complexion. After the person sent a message, he glanced at Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch before asking Apotheon Mu, "What's your purpose in coming this time, Apotheon Mu?"

"I'd like to see Apotheosis Immortal Bella," said Apotheon Mu with a calm expression.

The Perfected Golden Immortal said in a deep voice, "I let you go in directly the last time you came, but you brought two Perfected Golden Immortals this time. I'm not sure if they're enemies or friends, so I sent a message to Venerable Bella. I can't guarantee whether you can see her or not."

"Well, I'll just wait here, then," said Apotheon Mu.

The moment after, a stream of light suddenly appeared in the hands of that Perfected Golden Immortal. When he read the message, he immediately shifted to Apotheon Mu and said, "Venerable Bella said that three of you can enter directly. She's waiting for you in the hall."

"Alright!"

Apotheon Mu's group of three entered the vortex portal and soon appeared on the square outside the palace. There, he stopped and looked at Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch, saying, "I have to ask both of you to stay and wait for me outside. There's something I need to discuss with Apotheosis Bella alone."

"Understood!"

Zenith Venerable and Seaway Monarch replied at the same time while cupping their fists.

Both men then looked at the back of Apotheon Mu as he flew into the palace. A surprised look glinted in their eyes, and Zenith Venerable transmitted his voice, "Brother Seaway, don't you think things are getting more interesting? The identity of our Master seems to be different from what we originally thought."

"You're right, Brother," Seaway Monarch replied. "Although we have never seen him in action, he's just an ordinary immortal from the aura he gives off. Yet, he has a Golden Immortal disciple and that Gu Yan'er is very likely not just a Golden Immortal. She's at least a Perfected Golden Immortal and likely not any weaker than either of us. Further, the dignified Apotheon Mu, a Perfected Golden Immortal is unexpectedly Master's disciple as well. Now I begin to speculate about our Master. He should be some terrifying Supreme expert, right?"

"Haih, that's exactly my thought." Zenith Venerable sighed. "I've been suspecting that our Master was once a Supremacy Stage expert. Even if he wasn't, he was at least a fearsome Perfected Golden Immortal. Furthermore, I just have some vague feelings, though I don't know whether I'm right. We have to be loyal to him for 5,000 years, but I'm afraid we'll never have an easy time going through it."

"What exactly do your gut feelings say?" Seaway Monarch was puzzled.

"I suspect that our Master has a deep connection with the then Star Cultivation Great Emperor who once overawed the Immortal World," said Zenith Venerable with a forced smile.

"How did you come with such inference?" asked Seaway Monarch with a horrified expression.

"Which powerhouse in the entire Immortal World doesn't know that the Immortal Lyceum's Apotheosis Bella Fern Regalia has been a pursuer of Star Cultivation Great Emperor for millenniums and that she has done countless great deeds to express her love for him? Yet our Master just set up his foothold in the Misty Spring Ocean, which is exactly within the Immortal Lyceum's sphere of influence! You also know that after Star Cultivation Great Emperor failed his tribulation and vanished, Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao have attempted to strike the Vermillion Bird Holy Sect. Just a while ago, our Master stated how repugnant he is towards Zither Demon Jiuyao, so he ordered us to kill those 8 Generals under him. All in all, it explains that our Master very likely has a deep connection with Star Cultivation Great Emperor. Meaning that we are very likely going to face Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao as enemies in the future."

Seaway Monarch's eyes gleamed and, after a long time of contemplation, he nodded and slowly said, "Your reasonings are sound, Brother. However, our lives are now in his hands. We won't be able to go against his order even if he wants us to kill Great Emperor Danqing and Zither Demon Jiuyao directly!"

"Yeah, I know that." Zenith Venerable sighed. "I guess we're going to face fights and battles during the next 5,000 years. However, we do have something else to be thankful for. He gives us hope and treats us well."

"You know, if the Great Tang Empire has the power to take Shade Demon Zhu Wushou in the future, I vow to pledge my eternal loyalty to him if he helps me kill that Shade Demon," said Seaway Monarch.

Zenith Venerable was shocked after hearing his statement. "We've never talked about our own issues prior to this, Brother Seaway. I really didn't expect that the one who plotted against you turned out to be Zhu Wushou. Was it him who injured you gravely and then sold you to the Convict Arena?"