The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Di Xin walked over, looking toward the explosion's direction and said, “There’s no need to be shocked. Both of these men are young masters of major merchant associations. Before entering the Sky Island ruins, they must have prepared thoroughly; naturally, they would’ve done reconnaissance in advance."

“They used the powerful intelligence networks of their chamber of commerce to quickly learn the way to deal with the Puppet General."

“They were clearly well-prepared. That Ninth Young Master used three 'Immortal Executioner Thunders'—powerful enough to kill a peak-grade Spiritual Sea cultivator with ease. There’s no way that Puppet General could have survived.”

“However, the method to make Immortal Executioner Thunder has long been lost, and those remaining in the world are extremely rare. Due to their scarcity, each one is worth a fortune."

“Using three in one go is like throwing away a mountain of gold. Whether his gains in the Sky Island ruins will cover the cost is anyone’s guess."

“The other Puppet General was forcibly teleported away by Luo Hongchen using the Luo clan’s exclusive 'Transfer Gu'.”

“We don’t know if that Puppet General is dead or not, but it’s definitely out of the picture for now, meaning this battlefield wrapped up quickly."

“However, although the Transfer Gu teleported the Puppet General away, it is likely destroyed in the process."

“Cai Shao must have paid a large sum to Luo Hongchen for such a transaction, otherwise he wouldn’t have been willing to sacrifice a Transfer Gu."

“Don’t be misled by the fact that the three Puppet Generals on the eastern city wall were dealt with so quickly; the ones on the other three walls won’t be so easy."

“Those Puppet Generals will surely inflict heavy casualties on the Gu cultivators over there."

“Let’s go down as well. Every building in the city contains treasures, each guarded by a puppet. Who gets the most treasures will depend on who can act the fastest!”

With a smile, Di Xin leapt off the wall, heading straight toward a specific building.

At this point, the others’ eyes turned red with excitement. They jumped down from the wall, each picking a building they liked and racing towards it eagerly.

Long Xuan now focused his gaze on a certain building in the city, one near the center of the city. It was where the letter mentioned the Golden Toad was hidden, which was also his target for this trip to Sky Island.

However, the Ninth Young Master, with a large group of followers, was also rushing toward the same building. It was obvious that his goal was also the Golden Toad, which made Long Xuan frown deeply.

Even if he were faster, the Ninth Young Master would certainly notice him entering the building first. There was no way he would give up on the Golden Toad, which would inevitably lead to a confrontation between them.

Who knew how many more Immortal Executioner Thunders that Ninth Young Master had? What if he had a whole stack of them? Long Xuan was very wary of that item and wasn’t confident his defenses could withstand its explosive power.

After contemplating for a moment with a frown, Long Xuan quickly devised a plan.

He used the 'Face-Changing Gu' to disguise himself as someone else, then instructed his Flame Clone, wearing his original appearance, to run toward the Ninth Young Master.

Once everything was in place, he confidently jumped off the city wall.

…

At the foot of the city wall, Gu cultivators from all sides had already bloodied their eyes in a frenzy. They were ruthlessly slaughtering the city’s puppets while madly rushing into various buildings to loot treasures.

The buildings contained all sorts of treasures—medicinal pills, spiritual artifacts, cultivation techniques, Gu techniques, and even Gu insect, everything imaginable.

It was almost like a blind box; few people knew what treasures were hidden in each building, so they could only randomly pick one and charge in, hoping luck would favor them.

Of course, there were patterns as well: the closer a building was to the city center, the higher the value of the treasures inside. The closer it was to the city walls, the less valuable the treasures.

The door of each building was sealed by a barrier, guarded by varying numbers of puppets.

The puppet guards weren’t the real problem, as they could be slain no matter how difficult. They weren’t more challenging than a Puppet General.

The real obstacle was the barrier sealing each door. The strength of the barrier directly correlated to the value of the treasures within.

The lower the quality of the treasures in a building, the weaker the barrier at its entrance; the more priceless the treasures, the stronger the barrier.

Some treasures were so rare that the barriers were beyond the strength of Marrow Cleansing level Gu cultivators.

And those who could enter Sky Island were all Marrow Cleansing level Gu cultivators, meaning that every time the Sky Island ruins closed, many rooms would still contain unclaimed treasures, such as the Golden Toad and the Gu God Bowl.

Those who left the ruins couldn’t always figure out what treasures were in which rooms, so they could only leave in disappointment.

But they were hardly content with that; they would often map out the rooms hiding precious treasures and pass them on to their descendants, who would try again when the Sky Island ruins reopened.

So, each genius who came here had their own specific goals. This included Zhu Clan’s Zhu Yue, Shui Clan’s Shui Juanyun, and Qin Kai from the Red Demon Pirate Crew, each tasked by their elders to retrieve certain treasures from specific rooms.

Thus, as soon as these geniuses jumped down from the city wall, they all had clear objectives and rushed toward certain buildings.

Whether they can break the barriers surrounding their respective targets remains entirely uncertain.

These barriers around the houses aren’t easy to break; each time the Sky Island Ruins appear, many houses remain untouched because no one, no matter how gifted, can shatter those protective barriers.

The immortal being at the center of the city didn’t place treasures in those houses out of generosity to benefit the fated. He’s not that kindhearted.

His true purpose is to lure outside Gu cultivators in with these incredibly powerful treasures.

These treasures are merely bait, and there’s no way he would allow anyone to take them away.

He has never intended to distribute these miraculous treasures. In fact, the reason some people even know about the exact treasures in each house is likely because he intentionally left clues to draw more people in.

Breaking the barriers on those houses would require an impossible level of strength.

When Long Xuan arrived in front of one such house, he swiftly dealt with the two puppets guarding the entrance. Then, with a single punch, he shattered the barrier at the door and dashed inside.

A wooden treasure chest sat prominently on a table in the room. Long Xuan couldn’t even be bothered to check what was inside; he figured that a barrier so easily broken wouldn’t be protecting anything of immense value.

So without a second glance, he tucked the chest straight into his storage ring.

He gritted his teeth and decided, "Without risk, there’s no reward." Determined, he extracted a branch of Soul Nourishing Wood from the World Tree Seed and reluctantly placed it on the table.

The Soul Nourishing Wood is one of the three great divine trees. Carrying an accessory made from it can constantly stimulate the growth of innate soul power.

This godly item was so extraordinary that he couldn’t believe it wouldn’t entice the two.

With a cold smirk, Long Xuan tossed the branch onto the table and quickly left the house.

In an instant, the Soul Nourishing Wood’s aura spread, surging beyond the sky, surpassing the fragrance of even the highest-grade spiritual herb, catching the attention of everyone nearby.

“This is… is this heavenly-grade spiritual herb? No! This is beyond heavenly-grade! A divine herb has appeared!”

Ninth Young Master glanced in the direction and, after a moment of surprise, revealed a look of greed.

He immediately changed course, leading his entourage toward the source of the divine herb’s aura.

Regardless of what kind it is, every divine herb is unique and has incredible effects, ranking among the world’s most valuable treasures. Encountering such a miraculous item today, he couldn’t let it slip away.

This treasure took precedence over his initial quest for the Golden Toad. He resolved to get his hands on the divine herb first, no matter the cost.

At the same time, Cai Shao’s gaze shifted towards the same direction, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

“A divine herb’s aura? Even with the Cai Clan’s wealth rivaling nations, I’ve never seen a divine herb before. Who would have thought that the Sky Island Ruins would hold such a treasure!”

“Forget the ancestral artifact for now. Let’s get the divine herb first!”

Without a second thought, Cai Shao, upon sensing the divine herb's aura, changed his course toward the aura’s location.

Behind him, the top warriors of the Cai Clan, equally thrilled, followed closely.

The Cai Clan and Qian Clan, with their overwhelming strength, were the two deepest-pushing factions.

Long Xuan had strategically placed the divine herb exactly midway between both teams, ensuring that both sides would reach the house simultaneously.

True to Long Xuan’s plan, the Cai Clan and Qian Clan men arrived at the house at the same time.

Ninth Young Master had only taken a few steps ahead of Cai Shao.

As soon as the two sides saw each other, they froze momentarily.

Yet Ninth Young Master, having the slight lead, rushed towards the door without delay.

Seeing this, Cai Shao’s anger flared; he hadn’t forgotten how Ninth Young Master had previously set him up, costing him dearly to finally defeat that puppet general. Now, all his old grievances resurfaced.

Without hesitation, Cai Shao followed him into the house.

With old foes meeting again, both were filled with enmity. Previously, they’d held back to maintain the bigger picture, but now that the Divine Mechanism City’s defenses had been breached, there was no need for restraint.

Their two clans, harboring generational grudges, would already be on the verge of fighting upon a chance encounter—let alone with a divine herb at stake.

The value of this divine herb far outweighed their respective mission objectives, making compromise impossible for either side.

Thus, the sounds of their clash soon resounded from the room, and chaos quickly ensued outside.

Meanwhile, not far away, Long Xuan peeked from behind another house and, seeing his plan unfold, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

These two young lords from wealthy clans carry practically anything in their storage rings, making it rare for any treasure to pique their interest. Only the most extraordinary items could instigate a fight between these two, which is why Long Xuan had to sacrifice a branch from the Soul Nourishing Wood.

It seemed his plan had succeeded: the Soul Nourishing Wood had sparked the desired conflict, escalating into an all-out battle.

Long Xuan exhaled deeply; Ninth Young Master was now entirely preoccupied with the fight and had no chance to interfere further.

It would be impossible for him to reach the house where the Golden Toad was hidden anytime soon.

Long Xuan wasted no more time observing and quickly delved deeper into the Divine Mechanism City, assured that no one else would vie with him for the Golden Toad now.