The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

The Ninth Young Master glanced at him disdainfully, saying, "Do I really need to be told that handling those things requires a swarm strategy?"

"The question is, who will go into the fray? Who would willingly battle those golden puppets?"

"Especially those three puppet generals on the city wall—those are equivalent to peak-grade Spiritual Sea stage. Who would dare face such terrifying entities?"

"If we were to surround and kill those three puppet generals, it would require an ocean of casualties. Who’s willing to sacrifice themselves for others? Is there anyone foolish enough here?"

Cai Shao sighed, "There’s no other way. If we draw lots, sending in weaker people first would certainly get them slaughtered, and if the casualties pile up too high, the rest of us won’t benefit from this at all."

"To deal with the gold and silver puppets, it has to be all of the strongest among us; no one can shirk their duty."

"This approach will no doubt be an easy pass for the weaker ones, but there’s no other choice. If we don’t sacrifice a batch of elite Gu cultivators, no one can enter the city."

"I’ll just have to position the weaker ones at the front line during the siege to balance out the interests of both sides."

"I can’t think of a more ideal solution."

"At that time, you handle one, I’ll take on another, and the last one we’ll leave to that genius who can slay Spiritual Sea stage Gu cultivators. He should have no problem taking down one puppet general by himself."

"With us two alliance leaders leading the most dangerous task, I doubt anyone will object." The Ninth Young Master cast a glance at him, a smirk slowly forming at the corner of his mouth.

Hearing this, Cai Shao's heart sank.

Since he proposed this plan, it naturally had to benefit him.

He wasn’t a fool; as an alliance leader, he intended to create a plan that would be advantageous for him, not one that would ensnare himself. He had no desire to take on a puppet general, nor did he have the spirit of self-sacrifice for the greater good.

He was indeed among the strongest here, but who would know that if no one mentioned it?

This place had gathered people from far and wide, from all corners of the world, all strangers to each other. Who knew who? Who would know who’s the strongest here? They couldn’t exactly host a tournament right on the spot.

Like that person who could leap realms to kill Spiritual Sea stage Gu cultivators—if not for Luo Hongchen knowing him, who would’ve known he had such power? Everyone would’ve thought he was just a nobody and let him slip by.

Only a select few were aware of the strength of Cai Clan’s eldest young master, and he could avoid direct confrontation with the puppet generals because he had no known combat achievements.

However, plans can’t keep up with changes.

He hadn’t anticipated that his rival would go this far just to trap him, even at the cost of putting himself on the battlefield. It was truly ruthless.

Was he attempting mutual destruction? It was simply harming others without benefiting himself.

Cai Shao felt a surge of frustration. He knew that if the Ninth Young Master intended to pull him in forcefully, there was no way he could dodge it, no matter how he tried to reason.

Your greatest enemy is always the one who knows you best; this rival knew all his secrets.

Taking a deep breath, Cai Shao managed to force a smile, presenting a facade of righteousness. "As an alliance leader, it’s only right to take the lead and set an example. I was just thinking the same thing."

"Let’s each take one hundred people to handle the puppet generals. As for the remaining gold and silver puppets, select people to surround each one with groups of a hundred."

"But that’s assuming we have enough manpower left after dealing with those fifty thousand puppets."

The Ninth Young Master responded without hesitation, "I estimate it’ll take half of our forces to wear down the fifty thousand puppets on the city wall."

"At that point, we’ll still have ten thousand Gu cultivators left, which should be enough to clear out the gold and silver puppets in the East City."

Cai Shao looked at him seriously, saying in a low voice, "But there are still uncertainties. If the teams attacking other parts of the city wall fail, causing a wave of reinforcements to head to East City, we’ll be in real trouble."

Looking at the city wall surrounding Divine Mechanism City from all directions, Cai Shao showed a hint of doubt.

How could he be sure these strangers would be able to handle those puppets?

If that group proved more trouble than they’re worth, fleeing in the midst of battle and drawing large numbers of puppets as reinforcements, they’d really be in a mess.

"You can rest assured about that; they’ll definitely break through."

An elegant young man in blue walked over, a Gu character stitched on his clothing.

Facing the imposing aura of the two alliance leaders, this young man showed no hint of fear and smiled, "Our Gu Spirit Sect has thoroughly researched the Sky Island Ruins and uncovered a pattern."

"Each time the Sky Island Ruins open, no matter how many people are attacking the city, over half of them will die."

"But every time, without exception, the city has fallen. Throughout history, each time the Sky Island Ruins open, the army of Gu cultivators has broken through Divine Mechanism City’s defenses; those puppets on the walls have never once successfully defended it."

"So, even if the teams attacking the city from other directions are weak, they’re bound to get into the city. It’s just a question of the casualties they’ll sustain; it’s a trend that’s held throughout the history of the Sky Island Ruins."

Hearing this, Cai Shao glanced at the handsome young man, looking at him intently and asking, "Gu Tianyi, you seem to know quite a lot about this Sky Island Ruins."

"Your Gu Spirit Sect has quite a number of people here. If you’d like to see fewer of them perish, I’d advise you to share even more detailed information."

Gu Tianyi shook his head and laughed, “That’s all I know. Even if I knew more details, it wouldn’t make a difference. No matter how well-prepared we are, the death toll won’t change.”

With that, he shook his head again, turned around, and left without saying another word.

Watching his retreating figure, Cai Shao frowned deeply and said sharply, “This person clearly knows a lot about the secrets of the Sky Island ruins. He’s keeping many things from us, and this information is crucial for us.”

The Ninth Young Master looked at him with a smile and said, “I know he’s hiding many secrets. He obviously knows this Divine Mechanism City very well, but he won’t say anything. What can we do about it?”

“Are we really going to force him to talk?”

“Don’t forget, he’s the number one genius of the Gu Spirit Sect. His strength is terrifying, absolutely not below ours.”

“People with the surname ‘Gu’ are never simple. They can disable all Gu insect; if a Gu cultivator can’t use Gu insect, doesn’t that make them useless?”

“If a Gu cultivator doesn’t have Gu insect, then he’s at the mercy of others.”

“This man is simply too terrifying. If it weren’t for the fact that we have someone here who can kill a Spiritual Sea-stage Gu cultivator, the task of encircling and killing the other Puppet General would definitely have been left to him.”

“I certainly don’t want to face such a frightening opponent. Let him do as he pleases.”

“Since he’s participating in this siege mission, it’s clear that even if he won’t reveal those secrets, it won’t stop us from taking Divine Mechanism City.”

Hearing this, the sharp look in Cai Shao’s eyes faded, and he abandoned the idea that had just come to mind.

“He’s on your ship, and since you’re so confident in his strength, you two leading the attack on a Puppet General should be solid.”

“Your side should also be the first to take down a Puppet General.”

“However, after you defeat the Puppet General, you must immediately support me. You absolutely cannot go treasure-hunting first; I need you to guarantee this in front of the Integrity Gu.” Cai Shao squinted his eyes at him.

The Ninth Young Master helplessly took out a Integrity Gu and placed it on his shoulder, saying, “I swear, once I deal with that Puppet General, I’ll immediately support you and won’t seize any treasures.”

“Now, can you rest assured?”

Cai Shao nodded and said in a low voice, “In that case, the three Puppet Generals can definitely be dealt with.”

“As for the person to handle the third Puppet General, you go inform him. I noticed he also has a Integrity Gu, so he should be quite familiar with your Qian clan. It should be easy for you to speak to him.”

The Ninth Young Master laughed bitterly, “Who told you he’s close to me? He seems to be my third brother’s person. I’m not familiar with him at all.”

“Forget it; I’ll just go notify him myself.”

“With his talents, he has no choice in the matter.”

With those words, the Ninth Young Master finally left, walking in the direction of Long Xuan.

Watching him leave, Cai Shao sneered.

He wasn’t foolish enough to think that the Integrity Gu would ensure this person’s commitment to keeping his promise.

Though their conversation seemed without conflict, that was just because they were both smart enough to prioritize the bigger picture. They kept a peaceful front, but in truth, each was scheming and setting traps for the other.

The Cai and Qian clans were rivals, so how could this Ninth Young Master genuinely help his enemy?

Your enemy always understands you best, and he surely knows how to bypass some of the Integrity Gu’s effects.

For instance, through wordplay.

The Ninth Young Master just said, “Once I deal with that Puppet General, I’ll immediately support you and won’t seize any treasures.”

That “you” could refer to everyone involved in the siege, not just Cai Shao.

And the “I” only referred to himself, not his companions, meaning he could fulfill the promise, but his companions might not.

Who was he trying to fool? Did he really think I was that naive? Cai Shao sneered inwardly.

Even if the Ninth Young Master didn’t resort to wordplay, he could delay, pretending to fight a prolonged battle even though he could end it quickly, and thus cause heavy losses on my side.

So, I never expected the Ninth Young Master to genuinely help; I can only rely on myself.

Cai Shao’s gaze flickered, and finally, he thought of Luo Hongchen. As the top genius of the Great Yin Dynasty, he not only possesses formidable strength but also has many talented followers. With his help, capturing that Puppet General should be within reach.

Without hesitation, Cai Shao immediately headed in Luo Hongchen’s direction.

---

On the other side, after the Ninth Young Master left, he sent a clone to find Long Xuan while his real body walked in the opposite direction and found Gu Tianyi.

As soon as they met, the Ninth Young Master said, “According to your instructions, I successfully set a trap for Cai Shao. He won’t be able to get into the inner city for some time, and that Puppet General will delay him significantly.”

“I’ve already given you the Sea Stabilizing Pill, so our transaction is now complete.”