Chapter 510 - 464: A Windfall from Heaven

'If that's the case, they're even less likely to let this go…'

Chu Mu's brows furrowed slightly, but they soon relaxed.

As long as the defensive line at the Demon Suppression Islands held, the rule of equals fighting equals—king against king, general against general—would not be broken.

Besides, it wasn't as if he was required to take on missions outside the islands. Given his status in the Demon Suppression Islands, it wouldn't be a major issue even if he didn't leave for years or fulfill his duties as a guardian.

As long as he remained on the islands, even a Tier Four Great Demon could only look on helplessly from afar.

As his thoughts churned, he took out his Sound Transmission Order. After listening to several messages, he slowly rose and went to the window. Looking out from his high vantage point, he had a panoramic view of Earth Demon Island.

Several years had passed, but Earth Demon Island hadn't changed much. The only difference, perhaps, was that the Cultivators stationed here had been replaced, one batch after another.

As for this True Understanding Base, it was as quiet as ever. After the Beast Tide all those years ago, he had cashed in some favors to change the True Understanding Pavilion's duty from guarding the front lines to managing logistics for the Demon Suppression Islands.

Under this new arrangement, the conscripted Cultivators of the True Understanding Pavilion naturally had a much easier time and faced far less danger.

For this reason, the True Understanding Pavilion's reputation had become extremely sought-after in the current Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

Join the True Understanding Pavilion, and you wouldn't have to worry about being sent to your death as cannon fodder. This point alone was a massive draw for Low Tier Cultivators in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World.

Therefore, only a few Cultivators were stationed at the True Understanding Base on Earth Demon Island, responsible for handling some trivial matters he assigned and transporting the supplies the True Understanding Pavilion had gathered for him.

He pondered for a moment, then seemed to sense something. His gaze shifted and settled on the area below the high tower. He saw a young disciple in a True Understanding Robe standing respectfully at the base, lightly touching the tower's Array Prohibition.

"What is it?"

Chu Mu asked slowly.

The man started, then quickly took out a Storage Talisman. Bowing deeply, he held the Storage Talisman up high. "Reporting, Perfected One. The Spiritual Materials you instructed the Pavilion to gather are ready."

Chu Mu beckoned with his hand, and the Storage Talisman immediately floated up and landed in his palm.

Only then did the man respectfully withdraw.

His Divine Sense swept through it, and hundreds of Jade Boxes piled within the Storage Space clearly appeared in his perception.

Atop the small mountain of stacked Jade Boxes, a Light Gold Jade Box was quite conspicuous.

Chu Mu raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

The existence of the True Understanding Pavilion was just a casual move he had made. Its sole purpose was simply to gather Cultivation resources for him.

And now, with the True Understanding Pavilion's reach extending across more than half of the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, it could occasionally provide him with pleasant surprises, just like the old True Understanding Pavilion shops used to.

For instance, a branch in Yunming City had once acquired a piece of Tier Four Upper Grade Iron Essence from a Loose Cultivator.

It was just what he needed for Refining his Sword Intent Battle Puppet, allowing him to complete the puppet, which had previously only been a rough concept, far ahead of schedule.

The Cultivation Immortal Realm was incredibly vast, with countless opportunities passed down through innumerable ages. Any opportunity could be obtained by any Cultivator, even the most inconspicuous Low Tier Cultivator.

It was for this very reason that he had put some thought into the True Understanding Pavilion's expansion, even going to the trouble of changing its role from guarding the front lines to managing logistics.

The occasional surprises that emerged truly did... surprise him greatly.

If it had value to be used, it was naturally worth his attention and support.

Chu Mu opened the Light Gold Jade Box. A Spiritual Material shimmering with a brilliant golden light and a Sound Recording Charm appeared before him.

Chu Mu was stunned, seemingly unable to process it for a moment.

"Nine Heavens… Profound Gold?"

Chu Mu looked on in disbelief. He examined it closely again before confirming that this golden ore was, indeed... Nine Heavens Profound Gold!

With a wave of his hand, a Jade Box he kept treasured in his Storage Space appeared. He lifted the seal, revealing two pieces of golden ore, each about the size of a walnut kernel.

Both shimmered with the same golden light. Both were... Nine Heavens Profound Gold!

These latter two small pieces were what he had painstakingly managed to save after repairing the Soldier Puppet.

From the very beginning, he had considered two Spiritual Materials, Nine Heavens Profound Gold and Shoushan Red Copper, as candidates for his Sword Intent Supreme Treasure.

After extensive experimentation and comparison, he had ultimately determined that Nine Heavens Profound Gold was slightly superior and selected it as the main Spiritual Material for Refining the Sword Intent Supreme Treasure.

But to Refine a Sword Intent Supreme Treasure that could change its size at will and required high purity, these two small pieces of Nine Heavens Profound Gold were clearly a drop in the bucket. The goal was a long way off.

But now, a heaven-sent opportunity had arrived. A fist-sized piece of Nine Heavens Profound Gold, added to his two small pieces, was still not enough to Refine the Sword Intent Supreme Treasure. But at least, there was now a glimmer of hope. It was no longer a hopelessly distant goal.

Chu Mu couldn't hide his delight. He pointed a finger, and a recorded message from a young woman on the Sound Recording Charm began to play softly by his ear.

After the message ended, Chu Mu looked somewhat surprised.

'This Nine Heavens Profound Gold actually came from a Qi Cultivation Cultivator.'

At the True Understanding Main Pavilion, that Qi Cultivation Cultivator had traded this piece of Nine Heavens Profound Gold for a bottle of Foundation Establishment Pills, a Tier Two Upper Grade Puppet, and two Top Grade Spiritual Artifacts—one for offense and one for Defense.

It was a good thing this Qi Cultivation Cultivator went to the True Understanding Main Pavilion in Chixia, and it just so happened that Chang Er was on duty and received him.

Otherwise, if it had been someone else, or any other True Understanding branch—or any other business, for that matter—this Qi Cultivation Cultivator would have undoubtedly been killed for his treasure.

As for the True Understanding Main Pavilion, while not exactly an exception, for him, it was better to use a trivial price to gain a benefit. With his Cultivation and status, he naturally wouldn't stoop to being blinded by greed and murdering someone for their treasure at the drop of a hat.

Since the establishment of the True Understanding Pavilion, he had issued a strict order: fair trade for all, cheating neither old nor young. The goal was to cultivate a good reputation.

However, with the True Understanding Pavilion's expansion, while this strict order would likely be followed at the True Understanding Main Pavilion and the several branches in Chixia City...

...for the branches outside Chixia, it was a case of "heaven is high and the Emperor is far away." His reach was too short.

As for other businesses, they were even less likely to follow any rules.

After all, profit moves the heart!

'If you're not tempted, it only means the prize isn't big enough.'

This rule applied to everyone, including himself.

Chu Mu mulled it over for a moment, then waved his hand, and a projection materialized before him.

A moment later, the face of a handsome youth slowly appeared in the projection.

The image came from the Memory Array Prohibition he had installed in the True Understanding Pavilion. After reaching Core Formation, he had specially modified the relevant Array Prohibitions inside the True Understanding Main Pavilion.

He had put particular effort into modifying the memory surveillance Array Prohibition, simulating a Breaking Illusion effect. Anyone who came to the True Understanding Pavilion would have no secrets, unless their Cultivation surpassed the array's detection range or they possessed an exceptionally profound concealment Secret Technique Divine Technique.

This young man's disguise was decent, but his Cultivation was merely at the Qi Cultivation Realm, so he naturally couldn't evade the Memory Array Prohibition's Breaking Illusion surveillance.

'He looks younger than twenty, with a Cultivation at Qi Cultivation Perfection. His aptitude should be... extremely good. And he's an Immortal Dao Cultivator...'

Chu Mu thought for a moment, then was suddenly reminded of the chaos in the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World.

'Such aptitude, such a Cultivation level, all alone, an Immortal Dao Cultivator, and carrying a Supreme Treasure like Nine Heavens Profound Gold...'

'There's a high probability he's a core disciple from the direct line of some major Clan. After his Clan was destroyed, he fled to the Vast Sea to escape the Longevity Sect's pursuit...'

Chu Mu mulled over this speculation, his eyes narrowing slightly as he considered something.

"Forget it!"

After a moment, he seemed to have made up his mind. He let out a long breath, and with a flick of his finger, the projection dissipated.

In the end... he still had some moral bottom line.

'Getting this unexpected windfall isn't bad at all...'

Chu Mu chuckled. A few Tier Two Spiritual Puppets were practically nothing to him. To be able to trade them for a fist-sized piece of Nine Heavens Profound Gold was a deal so good he'd wake up laughing from his dreams.

'And then there's this... Demon Beast!'

His gaze shifted, and Chu Mu once again looked at the enormous corpse in the room.

The Spiritual Materials used to modify this Demon Beast were rare, but since they had already been smelted into an Artifact, they were no longer of much significance.

At least for now, he had never seen any record of a method to revert them to their original elements, not even in the Artifact Refining General Outline Lower Volume.

Moreover, this modification was designed specifically for this Demon Beast's original state. Even if he disassembled it, it wouldn't be very useful.

The only useful parts of this Demon Corpse were its flesh and bones, and its Tier Three Demon Pill.

Chu Mu circled the Demon Corpse and seemed to notice something. His previous casualness slowly began to fade.

He pondered for a moment. A sharp blade edge formed at his fingertip from within his sleeve. He pointed lightly, and a faint gash immediately appeared on the modified Puppet Armor on the Demon Body's chest.

Chu Mu's brow furrowed. The blade edge moved, slicing along the flesh at the edge of the Puppet body. The Demon Beast was already dead, yet the sharpness of his Sword Intent could only leave a tiny bloody line on its fur.

'This isn't pure flesh and blood anymore...'

Chu Mu was lost in thought. No matter how powerful an ordinary Demon Beast's bloodline was, its flesh and blood would absolutely not retain such formidable Defense after death.

The only possibility was that this Demon Beast's modification wasn't just about replacing parts of its Demon Body with a Puppet's body. Its own flesh-and-blood body had also undergone some kind of special transformation.

Chu Mu had to strike several more times before he could finally cut through the Demon Body's hide. A faint trace of red blood seeped out from the wound.

The blood was bright red, but within the red, there was a faint silvery sheen, like liquid mercury.

Chu Mu's eyebrow twitched in surprise. He observed it closely, and the answer gradually revealed itself.

"Secret Silver Blood Fusion, Iron Essence Marrow Infusion... what a vicious method!"

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