"ROAR!"

"ROAR! ROAR! ROAR..."

With thunderous roars, the Demon Beast returned to the forest.

Upon entering the woods, it was as if the wildness hidden in his bloodline had been unleashed. Wangcai went wild, rampaging through the forest with ferocious roars.

Before his massive body, thick trees were fragile and couldn’t withstand a single blow. A mere lift of his paw was enough to snap a large tree and send it crashing down.

In the span of just a dozen breaths, this part of the forest had been utterly ravaged, left in a state of complete disarray.

Chu Mu watched the rampaging Wangcai, observing him in silence.

He had spent a year in seclusion, achieving Perfection in both Body Refining and Qi Cultivation. With an equally abundant supply of resources, Wangcai’s Cultivation progress had also been incredibly fast.

If compared to a Cultivator’s level, his Cultivation should be equivalent to the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation, nearing the Late Stage.

From everything Wangcai had displayed so far, there was nothing particularly mystical about him. His Combat Power was derived entirely from his physical body.

Although his Cultivation was only at the Middle Stage, approaching the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation, his physical body was surprisingly not the least bit inferior to Chu Mu’s own, which had reached Body Refining Perfection.

From what he had gathered, this wasn’t a rare phenomenon. The bodies of Demon Beasts were naturally blessed.

Some Demon Beasts with powerful bloodlines could even fight and kill Foundation Establishment cultivators while still at Tier One. It was a terrifying thought!

As for Wangcai’s Demon Beast Bloodline, based on his observations and research, it seemed to be an awakened bloodline of a Wolf-type Demon Beast.

This was evident from Wangcai’s current form. However, it seemed that due to years of habit, he still retained his dog-like mannerisms.

"Alright, that’s enough. Come here."

After observing for a long while, Chu Mu finally called a stop to Wangcai’s frolicking.

The pup’s massive body visibly shrank. With a couple of whimpers, he scurried back to Chu Mu’s side, wagging his tail.

’It’s a shame there’s no such thing as a Spirit Beast Talisman.’

Chu Mu stroked Wangcai’s smooth fur, his mind wandering.

The Divine Techniques of the Cultivation Immortal Realm were beyond imagination. Even entire worlds like Secret Realms could be refined for private ownership.

Storage Spaces existed, and there were even simplified versions like the Storage Talisman. It was obvious that Artifact Creations like the Spirit Beast Bag also existed.

However, from the information he had gathered, it seemed the Spirit Beast Bag had not evolved into a simplified creation like a Spirit Beast Talisman.

The reason for this wasn’t hard to guess.

After all, a Storage Talisman contained only a temporary and fragile space. From an Artifact Refining Skill perspective, it likely only contained trace amounts of Spatial Attribute Spiritual Materials.

But a Spirit Beast, a Demon Beast, was a living creature!

And life, clearly, could not be housed in a temporary and fragile space.

It would require a stable and normal space.

Furthermore, because it involved life, it was bound to be a more advanced creation than even Storage Rings or Storage Bags.

Creations of this type were clearly not something he could come into contact with at his current level.

"Let’s go."

As his thoughts churned, Chu Mu patted Wangcai, got his bearings, and started walking out of the forest.

Although he had been in seclusion for a year, he had clearly not stopped gathering information about the outside world.

Like the mysterious great fog over East Lake, the news of the warrant for his arrest, and the nearby... Black Market...

The closest Black Market to Water Heaven Workshop was located in the East Lake Waters, about six hundred li away.

The distance wasn’t great. Clearly, this Black Market was inextricably linked to the Xie Family.

’I hope I can gain something from this.’

Chu Mu’s heart felt a little heavy.

The opportunity for Foundation Establishment was very clear.

But right now, he was truly a bit lost.

’What exactly does the process of Foundation Establishment entail?’

He didn’t know and could only guess.

The helplessness of a Loose Cultivator was once again apparent.

If he were a disciple of a Sect or Clan, the path would have likely been paved for him long before he reached this stage.

To gain something, one must be willing to lose something.

He didn’t want to lose anything, yet he still wanted to gain. That meant he had to pay a greater price, and it would obviously be much harder.

「By the time he reached the outskirts of the Black Market, it was nearly dusk.」

The vast lake surface and the fiery red sky complemented each other, creating a scene of indescribable beauty.

Chu Mu walked on the water. Then, from his feet to his head, his entire body submerged into the lake.

Having reached Body Refining Perfection, his body’s functions were no longer human.

The instinct to breathe was no longer limited to his mouth and nose. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Every pore on his body could breathe. In fact... as long as Spiritual Qi was present, not breathing at all wouldn’t affect him much, aside from a slight, instinctive discomfort.

Wangcai’s Demon Beast body was clearly even more formidable. He showed no signs of abnormality, moving through the water as if on solid ground, and continued to follow obediently behind Chu Mu.

Once underwater, looking into the distance, he could clearly see a wondrous sight on the lakebed not far away.

A pale blue barrier, like a giant bowl turned upside down, rested on the bottom of the lake. Within the barrier, houses stood in rows, points of light flickered, and one could even see many Cultivators walking along the streets.

This Black Market was situated right at the bottom of the lake.

’What an extravagant display...’

Chu Mu was slightly amazed. An Array like this, under the immense pressure of the lake water, would have to be constantly active to be maintained. Every second, it would be consuming Spirit Stones.

Moreover, the operation of the Array would cause some wear and tear on the material on which the Array Prohibitions were inscribed—commonly known as the Array Plate.

Even if this wear was minuscule, it would accumulate over time and cause significant damage to the Array Plate. Frequent maintenance, and even replacing the Array Plate, would certainly not be a small expense.

It was just like the Magical Artifacts he used.

Every time they were used, the materials of the Magical Artifacts themselves would suffer a certain amount of wear.