The reason people suffer is because they pursue the wrong things.
Pursuing the wrong things leads to a lack of motivation, everywhere there is pain and torment. Conversely, pursuing what you truly desire, the right things, brings a sense of genuine happiness, no matter how arduous the process or difficult the situation.
Chu Yun knew his own heart. Whether in his past or present life, countless trials by fire and water had made him understand himself.
As a lord of a territory, being confined to one place, bogged down by tedious administrative affairs all day, meant no freedom.
A worthy overlord would first consider the overall interests. Therefore, even when unwilling, reason would compel him to compromise and make some sacrifices.
This was not in line with Chu Yun’s true nature. What flowed in his veins was a blood that craved adventure. Moreover, he knew his greatest advantage lay in his familiarity with dangerous places and hidden treasures.
If he were to become a lord, every move would be scrutinized by major powers. How would he have the time or opportunity to explore hidden places? It would be like abandoning strengths for weaknesses, something a fool would do.
The wealth and rare treasures found in dangerous locales were often coveted by even island nations. To be confined to a small Shu Family Island and give up these opportunities would be to squander the fortune of his rebirth.
Chu Yun’s vision was far-reaching.
He also knew that as time passed, his advantages from rebirth would diminish. In twenty years, he would lose the immense benefit of foresight.
Only by seizing this opportunity to continuously transform his advantage of memory into strength would be the true path.
Shu Tianhao fell silent after hearing Chu Yun’s words.
“Father, I’m very sorry,” Chu Yun sighed. He knew Shu Tianhao wouldn’t feel good at this moment. It was only natural for a father to hope his child would inherit his legacy.
However, the path of life could only be walked by oneself.
Although Shu Tianhao was his adoptive father, a benefactor who had saved his life, Chu Yun did not want to follow in his footsteps. He wanted to forge his own path.
“Heh, an eagle must eventually leave its parent’s wing, and a beast king has its own territory. I understand.” After a long pause, Shu Tianhao exhaled.
“Father?” Chu Yun was surprised that Shu Tianhao had come to terms with it so quickly. He could see that Shu Tianhao wasn’t forcing himself but genuinely accepted his words.
“What? You brat, do you look down on your old man? It’s a good thing for young people to go out and make their mark. If you change your mind, you can always come back. You’ll always be the young island master of the Shu Family, always.”
Shu Tianhao sighed and continued, “Actually, in the Coral Forest, when I heard you deduce the Star Sea Dragon Palace, I had a premonition. Your eyes sparkled when you spoke, and your expression was more excited than ever. If you weren’t interested, how could you have studied these things to such an extent? I should congratulate you, father, you’ve found your path.”
“Father,” Chu Yun’s breath hitched, his eyes reddened, and a wave of emotion washed over him.
What is kinship?
Kinship is love, self-sacrifice, and letting go so you can fly. When you are tired from flying or injured, you can return.
Loved ones will always be at home, waiting for you.
This is a harbor, and life is like the sea, full of opportunities and risks. A harbor is always warm and safe.
“Don’t act like a pampered child. Shu Family Island is not a prison; you can leave whenever you wish. No one will stop you. You are always welcome back; this will always be your home. Rest well these days. We defeated the coalition forces decisively, hurting them deeply. We also released the Wei Family Island as bait, drawing most of the attention. I believe peace talks will begin soon. If you have time then, accompany me on a trip.” Shu Tianhao instructed.
“Mm,” Chu Yun nodded, thought for a moment, and agreed, “I plan to recuperate for a while. As for the peace talks, I’ll be happy to meet the various heroes with you, Father.”
August.
After the start of autumn, a hint of coolness permeated the air. The heat of summer had passed, and the sea breeze was refreshingly cool.
The autumn sky appeared particularly high and vast. When there were no clouds, it was like a flawless blue crystal, pure and transparent.
Chu Yun’s mood was as clear and cheerful as the sky.
This was not only about confronting his adoptive father and revealing his aspirations, which were then acknowledged. More importantly, he was happy for his adoptive father.
Over the past year and more, watching Shu Family Island flourish, Shu Tianhao’s spirit had also slowly risen. After conquering the Azure Sea Dragon and defeating the coalition forces, Chu Yun could clearly feel that Shu Tianhao, like a sleeping tiger, had awakened. His ambition, dormant in his heart since his severed arm, was also reviving.
Based on his deep understanding of Shu Tianhao, he knew his adoptive father would not be content to merely guard Shu Family Island.
Shu Tianhao was the most reluctant to give up Wei Family Island.
Once Shu Family Island recovered from the great battle and digested the treasures of the Star Sea Dragon Palace, expansion and conquest would be inevitable.
Was the man known as the Fierce Tiger of Many Stars someone who would rest on his laurels and lose his drive?
“Future wars are inevitable. Although Father has the Azure Sea Dragon, it is currently only at the Great Demon realm. Most heads of first-rate forces have Spirit Demon battle power. If I can grow quickly and also possess a Spirit Demon, I believe it will be of great help to Father.”
Chu Yun began to examine himself, sorting through the spoils of the recent battles.
First, the cultivation of the demonic creatures he possessed had generally soared.
Combat and absorbing Demonic Crystals were always paths to raising cultivation. The Drunken Snow Saber in Chu Yun’s hand had killed countless Demonic Beasts, Demon Soldiers, and Demonic Plants. Of course, a significant portion of Demonic Crystals were lost on the battlefield. But this did not hinder the rapid progress of the Drunken Snow Saber’s cultivation.
The Drunken Snow Saber, originally with 570 years of cultivation, had now reached 933 years. This was the peak cultivation for a Great Demon Soldier; one more step would lead to a Spirit Demon Tribulation.
If it successfully passed the tribulation, it would gain a blade spirit, ushering in a completely new realm.
The Sky Fox, originally with only 366 years of cultivation, had surged to 648 years. Chu Yun could feel that it was close to growing its fifth tail.
“The fifth fox tail should represent the element of Wood. If it grows, the Sky Fox will possess the five elements, and its combat power will undergo a qualitative change. I will also gain the Wood Eye, in addition to the Fire Eye, Gold Eye, and Earth Eye, thereby achieving the Five Element True Eyes.”
Chu Yun felt a sense of anticipation. Sky Foxes typically grew a new tail when their cultivation reached a certain level, continuing until all nine tails were present.
With each new tail grown, the Sky Fox would gain a new attribute, allowing it to use new elemental cultivation methods. Simultaneously, spiritual energy would feed back into the Beast Tamer, transforming their body and granting them different visual talents.
Currently, Chu Yun could perceive the Fire, Gold, Earth, and Water Vital Energies in the air with concentration. If he could gain the Wood Eye, he would possess the Five Element True Eyes, a qualitative improvement in his observational abilities.
In addition, the Star Positioning Bow had also grown to 758 years of cultivation. The cultivation that grew the slowest was the Revolving Pill Vitality Tree. It was, after all, a non-combat demonic plant. It typically grew its cultivation slowly by absorbing Wood Vital Energy.
There was also the Dragon Wish Tree. It was at the Great Demon level, with 660 years of cultivation. It possessed no offensive capabilities and could absorb any Vital Energy, not requiring specific types. However, it had to subsist on Dragon Qi, and its cultivation increased annually.
This Dragon Wish Tree, deceptively ordinary in appearance, was actually quite mysterious. Even the former King-level expert, Sea Dragon King Jiang Bo, could not fathom its true nature. Chu Yun had asked the Azure Sea Dragon, but the latter knew little. It had never even seen the Dragon Wish Tree bear fruit.
The Drunken Snow Saber, Sky Fox, and Star Positioning Bow were Chu Yun’s primary combat demonic creatures. The Dragon Wish Tree was an auxiliary demonic creature. Besides these, there was the Upper grade Immortal Pouch, known as the Star Sea Dragon Palace.
Ordinary small immortal pouches, like the Small Cloud Immortal Pouch, connected to the outside world upon opening, revealing only a corner of the bag’s contents. This Upper grade Immortal Pouch, when fully unfurled, transformed into a palace, possessing strong defensive capabilities and capable of assisting demonic creatures in crossing tribulations.
The immortal pouch’s space was the Star Sea Dragon Palace, divided into three levels, corresponding to three halls.
The rear hall was for preserving Dragon-attribute demonic beasts, but it was currently empty.
The front hall could only store stone coins and maintain the Vital Energy concentration within the Dragon Palace.
The middle hall could store 30 different types of heavenly materials and earthly treasures. However, as the spaces could not be stacked, other immortal pouches could not be stored. Currently, it held all of Chu Yun’s possessions.
Two Upper grade Pills, the Life’s Dream Pill and the Black Heart Intestinal Break Pill, obtained from Grandmaster White Brow.
Two quasi-Supreme grade Pills, the Heaven Spirit True Heart Pill, and its Prescription, obtained from Master Yu Ya.
Half a bottle of Three Power Fire Dragon Pill, obtained from the Lord of Jianghan Kingdom.
The Drunken Snow Saber, the Star Positioning Bow, and the Meteor Arrowheads were stored in the middle hall for easier access.
In addition, from the Star Sea Dragon Palace’s treasures, the three most valuable items were retained: the Great Demon Soldier Jade Sea Tide-Rising Flute, the Supreme grade Beast-Taming cultivation method “Laughing at the Vast Sea,” and the marriage contract Jade Slip from Mermaid Island.
This was everything.
Originally, there were other items, such as the Great Demon Soldier Clear Heart Crown, which was given to Yan Que. The Blazing Flame Spear, Cold Jade Trident, and Heart-Piercing Claw were given to the Three Elders.
These items, if kept by him, would only go to waste. However, by giving them to Shu Family Island, they would bring benefits. Shu Family Island was Chu Yun’s background force, and its strength was entirely beneficial to him.
There were also some heavenly materials and earthly treasures used for weapon forging, which Chu Yun did not need and were given to Master Yu Ya.
Sea Dragon King Jiang Bo had great talent in weapon forging, and the Star Sea Dragon Palace Immortal Pouch was crafted by him. These remaining weapon forging materials, of high quality, made Master Yu Ya smile from ear to ear for a long time. He felt that staying on Shu Family Island was the wisest decision of his life.
“After this great battle, I believe there won’t be any wars in the Shu sea domain for a considerable time. We can use this period to improve the Sky Fox’s cultivation. Also, I need to prepare for the Drunken Snow Saber to undergo its Spirit Demon Tribulation. Furthermore, I need to learn new cultivation methods.”
As the cultivation of his demonic creatures increased, the spiritual light within them would also grow. He could now learn and comprehend more cultivation methods.
Regarding the Spirit Demon Tribulation, Chu Yun sought advice from Master Yu Ya.
“Undergoing a Spirit Demon Tribulation is not easy,” Yu Ya said with a deep frown and a worried expression. “Demon Soldiers are different from Demonic Beasts and plants; they are artificially created and inherently imperfect, attracting heavenly jealousy. The demonic tribulations for Demon Soldiers are often more powerful and terrifying than those for Demonic Beasts and plants. To be frank, with your current strength, young island master, your chance of successfully crossing the Spirit Demon Tribulation is less than ten percent.”
Chu Yun was shocked: “That terrifying?”
In his previous life, he had never undergone a Spirit Demon Tribulation, nor had he ever possessed Spirit Demon-level combat power. Hearing Master Yu Ya’s words, he felt an immense pressure.
Although he had studied specific tribulation-crossing courses at the academy, he had not anticipated the war, nor the rapid increase in the Drunken Snow Saber’s cultivation. Therefore, he had not studied them in-depth.
Just as he was about to ask further, a messenger arrived: “Reporting to the young island master, the envoy inviting for peace talks has arrived. The Island Master requests your presence.”
