The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Seeing that the Integrity Gu in the insect rearing bag showed no response, Long Xuan finally relaxed, realizing Nie Qingcheng hadn’t lied. However, he still held a slight suspicion. The Integrity Gu could only detect if someone was lying, but if someone lacked skill yet was overly confident without self-awareness, the Integrity Gu would be ineffective.

Seeing the captain’s paranoia resurface, Leng Yan sighed helplessly, finally stepping forward and saying, “You can rest assured if she’s the one steering the ship. Even if you don’t trust her, can’t you trust your own vessel?”

“Your ship can use gravity to press itself into the sea. So, when the Shenlong’s hull is about to leave the waterfall’s surface, it can use the same method to re-anchor into the falls.”

“So, the chances of your ship reaching Sky Island are 100%. You have nothing to worry about.”

Hearing this, Long Xuan was completely at ease.

Indeed, with a gravity system and anti-gravity system in place, the Shenlong’s hull wouldn’t separate from the waterfall, so he could rest assured.

“Everyone, brace yourselves and grab the railing—we’re heading to the island!”

With a reminder from Nie Qingcheng, she excitedly dashed toward the control room.

Hearing her command, the other crew members quickly grasped the railing, some clinging to the mast, eyes filled with tension.

Under Nie Qingcheng’s control, the Shenlong’s wind system activated, sending powerful gusts against the sails, propelling the ship forward at high speed.

Just as they were about to collide with the waterfall, the gravity system lifted the bow, allowing the Shenlong to easily reach the top of the waterfall.

Affected by ocean currents, the water flow under the hull shifted direction from downward to upward, pushing the ship further up.

At the same time, three massive propellers at the stern began rotating rapidly, with the weight reduction and drag reduction systems activating in sync. Despite the impact of the water flow, the Shenlong surged swiftly up the waterfall with a powerful thrust.

The crew felt a strong wind blast across their faces, water droplets splashing against them, with the deafening roar of the falls in their ears.

The hull jolted violently, and the Shenlong suddenly reared up. Everyone experienced an instant of weightlessness, clutching the railing and masts tightly to avoid being thrown off.

As the Shenlong ascended so effortlessly, those on the ships behind looked on in shock.

This was no ordinary waterfall that any ship could scale—it required exceptional piloting skills. A single misstep could lead to a total shipwreck.

While many ships had gathered here, a considerable number could never make it up after countless attempts, leaving them stranded below in vain.

“What are those rotating things on the stern of that ship? Such powerful thrust!”

On the Golden Treasure Ship, Cai Shao’s eyes filled with amazement. This method of propelling a ship was something he had never encountered before, but it seemed incredibly efficient, far faster than any paddle.

“I’m not sure. It could be some new technology invented by the ship’s owner. It seems quite impressive and worth learning.”

“If we equipped our ships with this technology, I believe it could boost our collective speed significantly.”

An old shipwright approached, his gaze fixed eagerly on the three massive propellers spinning on the Shenlong.

“Really? Then this technology could be revolutionary, sparking a whole new era in shipbuilding.”

Cai Shao showed interest and added, “Many ships have already successfully ascended. We shouldn’t fall behind.”

“We’ve pretty much mastered the technique for climbing the waterfall, haven’t we? Let’s get moving before the ones ahead take all the treasure!”

With his command, the largest giant ship in the area finally started to move toward the waterfall.

The larger the ship, the heavier it was, making it difficult to climb. Cai Shao, seeking a steady approach, first observed how other ships scaled the waterfall, and after learning by watching, he set out for the island with confidence.

Following Golden Treasure’s lead, the Golden Fortune ship also set off, not wanting to fall behind. With these two enormous ships pushing forward, other vessels along the route made way.

The waterfall was wide enough for two seven-deck treasure ships to sail side by side.

Otherwise, these two ships might have fought for priority.

Atop the waterfall, Long Xuan stood at the bow, gripping the railing tightly, letting the water spray on his face.

His heart surged with excitement—it was truly a novel experience to sail on a waterfall, something to boast about when he returned.

At that moment, his expression changed suddenly. In front of the Shenlong, the hull of another ship detached from the water’s surface, crashing downward toward the Shenlong.

“Damn! Dodge quickly!”

Long Xuan’s face went pale as he shouted.

But turning the Shenlong wasn’t that easy.

Amid the panicked screams on the ship, a deafening roar erupted as a cannon blast shattered the incoming ship into fragments.

With a single shot, Di Xin had destroyed the falling ship, scattering it into countless pieces that splashed in all directions.

Some debris plummeted into the water below, while other fragments struck nearby ships, sparking a chorus of angry shouts.

Fortunately, the fragments were small enough that they wouldn’t hit the following ships.

The surrounding ships were all startled and quickly moved away from the Shenlong, fearing a cannon blast from it.

What kind of cannon was this, with such immense power? Everyone on the surrounding ships was in shock, their eyes filled with increased wariness.

The crew of the Shenlong finally breathed a sigh of relief, casting their gaze toward Di Xin. They thought to themselves that her decisiveness had saved them from an unimaginable disaster. While they had calculated that the Shenlong would have a 100% chance of reaching Sky Island, unexpected mishaps could still cause failure.

The Shenlong was not the first to attempt the waterfall ascent; there were other ships ahead of them.

If one ship after another started falling, it would be a disaster for the vessels behind. Everyone’s faces turned pale as they imagined the potential chaos.

Just as they feared, the scenario they envisioned began to unfold.

The ships at the front of the line started falling from the sky one after another. Some landed on the ships below, triggering a chain reaction.

Thus, a chain collision ensued. A ship falling down often brought down a pile of other ships with it.

As for the fate of those on board, it’s clear: the fortunate ones might land on another ship and survive, but the unlucky ones would fall straight into the ocean trench and vanish instantly, with no chance of survival.

Chaos erupted behind the Shenlong as screams and cannon fire filled the air.

Some tried to imitate the Shenlong and fire their cannons to destroy the falling ships, but their weaker cannons couldn’t even come close to breaking a ship apart.

Instead, their ships wobbled and misfired, striking other vessels that were still moving forward, only adding to the chaos.

At first, people in the back thought they’d learn from the earlier ships’ mistakes and have a higher chance of success in reaching the island.

But now, it seemed that being in the back was the real disadvantage, and those in the rear regretted it deeply.

On board the Shenlong, the crew members’ faces turned pale as they anxiously watched the ships ahead, fearing they might suddenly fall.

“Hurry and overtake the other ships! Don’t stay behind those large ones!” Long Xuan ordered, “Di Xin, be ready to fire as soon as a ship falls toward us. Blast it apart right away! Anyway, those on board wouldn’t survive. We’re not committing any sins here!”

At Long Xuan’s command, the Shenlong accelerated. With its superior performance, it weaved through the large ships ahead, overtaking one after another.

Sky Island’s height pierced the clouds, and the waterfall seemed endlessly long. After sprinting for a considerable time, the Shenlong finally reached the island.

In that moment, the Shenlong soared into the air, before landing heavily on a grassy area, jostling the passengers so much that many struggled to keep their balance.

At last, the crew took a deep breath and lightly stepped onto solid ground.

Many of them panted heavily, their hearts pounding; the recent ordeal had been harrowing.

Long Xuan disembarked quickly and surveyed the surroundings. The island was filled with towering mountains, flowing streams, and brimming with spiritual energy and rare medicinal herbs.

Four other ships had docked nearby, making the Shenlong the fifth to arrive. They were among the fastest to reach Sky Island.

However, he was reluctant to leave the ship out in the open, fearing it might be stolen. Being cautious by nature, he stored the ship within the Ocean's Heart.

While others couldn’t carry such a large vessel with them, the Shenlong was different—it was fully portable for him, so leaving it unattended wasn’t an option.

“Getting up here was easy, but going down will be difficult. How are we supposed to get off the island?” Long Xuan looked over the edge of the island and asked with a slightly apprehensive expression.

“It’s too high up. If the Shenlong tries descending along the waterfall, it’ll be torn to pieces,” Nie Qingcheng replied.

“When the time comes, the island will naturally descend back to the water, and the Shenlong just needs to wait at a random edge of the island.”

“But as the island touches the water, the Shenlong must move quickly; if it’s too slow, it’ll get pulled into a gravity well in the ocean trench.”

“Let’s get moving. Although the island’s most precious treasures are concentrated in the City of Divine Mechanism, the herbs scattered across the island aren’t trivial either.”

“Since we’re among the first to arrive, we should make the most of this opportunity. Those who come up late might find only scraps.”

Leng Yan added, “Since we’re here to collect herbs, if we all stick together, we won’t gather much. I suggest everyone spread out but stay within a reasonable distance so that nearby crew members can assist if anyone encounters danger.”

Long Xuan nodded, “Agreed. Let’s get started!”

…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, the Red Demon had surfaced and landed on a rocky patch.

Large groups of pirates dressed in red leaped off the ship, filling the area within moments.

It was, after all, a pirate ship; no clan of Gu cultivators would dare to board it, so every Gu cultivator here was a member of the Red Demon Pirates in red attire.

Though strong, the Red Demon Pirate Crew only had a limited number of Marrow Cleansing Gu cultivators, so they supplemented their numbers with Spirit Gathering Gu cultivators, bringing their total to nearly ten thousand.

The Sky Island ruins restricted entry to those below the Spiritual Sea level, so Spirit Gathering Gu cultivators were allowed as long as they dared to come.

There were plenty of daring Spirit Gathering Gu cultivators, so not only was the Red Devil crowded with them, but so were many of the other ships.

Hence, there was no shortage of people here.

At this point, a handsome man in red leapt from the ship. The pirates around him all showed respect upon seeing him.

This man was Qin Kai, the youngest son of the Red Demon Pirates leader and the head of this expedition to Sky Island. All pirates on board were to follow his orders.