Chapter 512 - 466: Offensive and Defensive Alliance

After a long moment of thought, Chu Mu seemed to have an idea. With a slight flicker of his will, the space before him suddenly rippled, surging like the surface of the sea.

Immediately after, the Sword Intent Battle Puppet lurking in the void transitioned from illusory to solid, taking form and standing before him.

Even after solidifying, the War Puppet remained faint and nearly transparent. Only the blades in its hands were like two bright crescent moons. At a glance, it resembled an assassin hidden in the darkness, perpetually ready to deliver a killing blow.

Chu Mu studied the puppet, lost in thought.

This Sword Intent Battle Puppet was the culmination of nearly all his knowledge and understanding of Sword Intent.

How to embed it with Sword Intent, how to enable that Sword Intent to unleash its ultimate Mighty Power without his direct control, and even how to make the War Puppet's soul perfectly compatible with his own Sword Intent.

He had figured out every last detail through painstaking research and experimentation.

In the end, he had forged this one-of-a-kind Sword Intent Battle Puppet.

Wielding his Sword Intent with unrivaled attack power, this puppet could slay a Golden Core cultivator!

'And as for this puppet's application of Sword Intent...'

Chu Mu's eyes narrowed, his gaze locking onto the towering Demon Corpse.

'When this demon was alive, its greatest strength was its physical body, while its greatest weakness was its Divine Soul.'

'Even if I refine it into a Corpse Puppet, its greatest strength will still be its physical body, and its weakness will remain its Divine Soul.'

'How can I mitigate that weakness? And how can I ensure the Corpse Puppet won't turn on its master at a critical moment? The best place to make modifications is undoubtedly the Divine Soul.'

'And when it comes to the Divine Soul, my best tool is undoubtedly Sword Intent.'

After a moment of thought, Chu Mu waved his hand. The War Puppet before him vanished back into the void. He took a step, departing the True Understanding Tower and heading straight for Celestial Spirit Island.

A crimson Tunneling Light streaked across the sky. It shot out from the port, sped over the sea, and after passing several islands, the light came to an abrupt halt in the sky.

Chu Mu hovered in the sky, gazing at Celestial Hero Island in the distance.

As far as he knew, Celestial Hero Island was originally just a logistics hub, supplying the entire Demon Suppression Islands.

But now, Celestial Hero Island seemed to have become the heart of the Demon Suppression Islands. From all directions, Flying Boats bearing the Chen Family's banner converged. Streaks of Tunneling Light crisscrossed the sky as Chen Family Cultivators flocked toward the island.

Chu Mu's gaze shot toward the open sea beyond the islands. The sky and water were calm and vast. Even the stagnant Blood Qi had been completely washed away by the blizzard-like snow a few days prior.

Looking back at the bustling Celestial Hero Island, Chu Mu couldn't help but feel puzzled.

'If nothing has happened at the Demon Suppression Islands, then what's all this fuss about...?'

He took out his Sound Transmission Order. But just as he was about to send an inquiry, he seemed to notice something and slowly lowered it.

'They're all... Chen Family cultivators...'

Chu Mu's eyes flickered with surprise and suspicion.

After a moment's thought, he took a step. His figure flickered a few times, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished onto Celestial Spirit Island.

Barely an hour after arriving, Chu Mu left Celestial Spirit Island and hurried back to Earth Demon Island, where he was stationed as a guardian.

He had just returned to the True Understanding Tower when the Array Prohibition outside was triggered. Chu Mu looked out. The other two Golden Core guardians of Earth Demon Island had arrived together.

As fellow Golden Core guardians of Earth Demon Island, he was naturally familiar with them.

One was He Fengshan, who had been guarding the island since Chu Mu's arrival. They had become quite familiar over the years.

The other had replaced Rakshasa True Master, who left years ago. He was also a Loose Cultivator, but not a Vast Sea Bloodline Cultivator. Instead, he was a Corpse Cultivator with a Golden Core, his Cultivation having reached the Middle Stage. His name was Chi Shan, and he was said to have journeyed here from a small nation in the Southwest of Great Chu.

Chu Mu had obtained his Corpse Puppet Technique from this very man.

Chu Mu waved a hand, storing the Demon Corpse away in his Storage Space. He then dispelled the tower's Array Prohibition, and the two Golden Core cultivators waiting outside entered.

After they entered the room and sat down, both wore grave expressions. He Fengshan got straight to the point, "Fellow Daoist, you just left the island. You must have seen the commotion on Celestial Hero Island, right?"

"I had just arrived at Celestial Spirit Island to prepare for some Artifact Refining when I happened to see it..."

At this, Chu Mu paused thoughtfully before looking at the two of them. "Do you know what's going on?"

The two men exchanged a look. Chi Shan spoke up, though with some uncertainty, "There are rumors, but I can't be sure if they're true."

"I was planning to visit an old friend in Chixia today, but when I got to the Teleportation Hall, I was told that the Teleportation Array on Celestial Secret Island has been temporarily shut down. The rumor is that someone used a Space Treasure to disrupt the space around the Demon Suppression Islands..."

Chi Shan's voice was heavy. "And have you noticed, Fellow Daoist, that the ones gathering on Celestial Hero Island are all cultivators from the main branch of the Chen Family? After assembling, they immediately headed toward the Inner Sea!"

"The Demon Suppression Islands have held back the Demon Race's invasion for years, and the bulk of the Chen Family's forces are stationed here. The situation in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World has been worsening recently, and now this..."

"I suspect a major incident has occurred in the Inner Sea, or perhaps the Southern Border. Otherwise, with the enemy at the gates, the Chen Family would never pull precious forces from the front lines and send them to the rear..."

At this, Chi Shan glanced at He Fengshan before turning back to Chu Mu. "If that's the case, then I'm afraid we'll have to start thinking about an escape plan."

"With troubles both internal and external, if something were to happen to the Demon Suppression Islands..."

Chi Shan said no more. The implications were no secret to any reasonably well-informed cultivator in this place.

After all, with the grueling war at the Demon Suppression Islands, the internal chaos in the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World in recent years could only be described as spiraling out of control.

Ostensibly, the Chen Family had labeled all this chaos as the work of rampaging Evil Cultivators.

But it wasn't hard to see that external forces were surely at play.

Given the Chen Family's deep-rooted control over the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World, even with a great enemy at the gates, a few so-called 'Evil Cultivators' hiding in the shadows could never cause such turmoil.

Never mind anything else, of the several Chen Family Nascent Soul Great Powers stationed at the Demon Suppression Islands, if even one of them were to return to the rear, they could end any disturbance, no matter how large, with a single slap.

Yet, in just a few short years, the so-called 'Evil Cultivator rampage' had escalated almost uncontrollably. The reasons for this were certainly worth pondering.

After all, there weren't many major powers around the Vast Sea Cultivation Immortal World with both the ability and the motive to cause such trouble.

But for Chu Mu, given his status as the Ninth True Inheritor of Longevity, the situation was crystal clear.

'The Longevity Sect is the mastermind,' Chu Mu thought. 'The Profound Serpent Race is definitely involved, and there are probably other Demon Races participating too.'

'An opportunity to kick someone while they're down is a gift. If I were in their shoes, I'd gladly take it.'

The situation was clear. Chu Mu could even guess how events would unfold—it would be a repeat of what happened in Great Chu, and perhaps even more chaotic.

But...

No matter how clear or simple the situation appeared.

In reality, it would manifest as a monstrous, world-shaking wave!

'Caught in the middle of it, I have to consider what I'll do... where I'll go once this tidal wave hits?'

Chu Mu looked at He Fengshan and Chi Shan. This was clearly what worried these two Golden Core cultivators as well.

Once the tidal wave hit, it was uncertain whether the Demon Suppression Islands would be suppressing the Outer Sea's Profound Serpent Race or the Chen Family's own Flood Dragon Race.

And right now, they were all still stuck here.

Chu Mu asked tentatively, "Your meaning is...?"

"Let's wait and see for now,"

He Fengshan spoke first. "If things are as we suspect, the Profound Serpent Race will likely launch a major offensive to tie up the Chen Family's attention."

"What Fellow Daoist Chi and I mean is, since the three of us are guarding this place together, we should look out for one another."

"Even if the unexpected happens, with our combined strength, we should have more than enough power to protect ourselves, as long as we don't run into a Tier Four Great Demon."

"What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"

"Agreed."

Chu Mu nodded.

"Then let us make a pact here and now. If something happens, we will watch each other's backs and form a mutual defense alliance!"

He Fengshan produced a pale gold scroll. He looked at Chu Mu and Chi Shan, and seeing them both nod in agreement, he raised a hand. With a surge of Magical Power, the scroll slowly unfurled.

At the same time, jet-black characters materialized stroke by stroke on the open scroll, forming several clauses.

The pact was simple, with only a few clauses, such as forbidding attacks against fellow members and requiring aid when necessary.

Chu Mu's Divine Sense stirred, and after signing his name on the pact, he asked casually, "This pact... it's not a modern artifact, is it?"

"You have a sharp eye, Fellow Daoist. This Divine Soul Contract comes from an ancient Artifact Refining family. It's Tier Three Upper Grade. Below the Nascent Soul realm, it's nearly impossible to defy its restrictions."

He Fengshan laughed heartily and also signed his name. As the final stroke was laid down, the open scroll suddenly erupted in a brilliant golden light before transforming into three golden beams that shot into the bodies of the three men.

At the same time, a faint sensation of being shackled washed over the three of them.

The three men shared a smile. Afterward, He Fengshan and Chi Shan didn't linger. They exchanged a few more pleasantries and then took their leave.

Chu Mu returned to his room and sat cross-legged. The Demon Corpse reappeared before him, but this time, his attention was clearly elsewhere.

He gently stroked his Ninth True Inheritance Order, his brow furrowed in deep thought.

'The turmoil in the Vast Sea... Where do I go from here?'

This was not a problem that a temporary Divine Soul Contract could solve.

After a long while, Chu Mu seemed to snap out of his reverie. His Divine Sense swept into his Storage Space, where Jade Boxes were piled up like a mountain—most of them the fruits of his years on the islands.

In his years of suppressing demons, although his Cultivation hadn't advanced significantly, his Protective Means and the resources he needed for Cultivation had both seen a near-quantum leap.

Currently, he had twelve bottles of Cultivation Elixirs to support cultivation at the Early Stage of Golden Core, totaling over 120 pills. Among them, more than twenty were Pill Pattern Elixirs.

He also had eighteen Tier Three Lower Grade Demon Pills, twelve Tier Three Middle Grade Demon Pills, and even nine Tier Three Upper Grade Demon Pills.

As for other Spiritual Materials, they were simply innumerable, ranging from the common and rare to the exceptionally precious.

These gains came almost entirely from his skills in Pill and Artifact Creation. Take the Demon Pills, for example. In all his years of Demon Suppression, he had strictly followed the principle of not standing under a collapsing wall, so the number of times he'd left the island could be counted on one hand.

He had personally hunted very few Demon Beasts.

Mostly, he had just remained on Earth Demon Island, amassing a fortune.

'What a pity...'

With a soft sigh, Chu Mu pushed the thoughts away. 'I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it.'

'As for just running away if things look bad...'

'The Teleportation Arrays are closed now. To leave, I'd have to cross this stretch of sea on my own.'

'In the past, that might have been a good option.'

'But now...'

Chu Mu looked at the massive Demon Corpse before him and couldn't help but sigh again.

'I'll just have to take it one step at a time...'

Chu Mu refused to dwell on it any longer. 'To forge iron, one must first be strong.' Advancing his Cultivation would take more than a year or two. The immediate priority was to figure out how to increase his own capabilities as much as possible.

'This Demon Corpse before me, with its incredibly powerful body...'

The tower's Array Prohibition began to circulate. Under the effect of the Spiritual Radiance Blessing, Chu Mu once again cleared his mind of all distractions, focusing every ounce of his attention on the terrifyingly powerful Demon Corpse...

「Time flew by...」

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