The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Chapter 220: The Mortal Nation

When the Divine Tree was mentioned, Long Dan's eyes lit up more and more, showing an excited expression. He finally said, "Do you know of the three Divine Trees of heaven and earth, the four Divine Bamboos, the five Spirit Ginsengs, the six Divine Mushrooms, the seven Divine Lotuses, the eight Divine Flowers, the nine Divine Grasses, and the ten Divine Trees?"

Upon hearing this, Long Xuan was the first to be taken aback, showing a thoughtful expression.

The three Divine Trees of heaven and earth, four Divine Bamboos, five Spirit Ginsengs, six Divine Mushrooms, seven Divine Lotuses, eight Divine Flowers, nine Divine Grasses, and ten Divine Trees—of course he knew what they were and had even seen them. In fact, he possessed one in his hand right now.

These divine objects all surpassed even peak-grade spiritual herbs, possessing almost rule-defying powers.

Each of them was unique in the world. Only one would exist at any time. If destroyed, it would randomly reappear somewhere in the world with an eternal lifespan.

The Soul Nourishing Tree was one of the three Divine Trees, and Long Xuan was very familiar with it.

So, when Long Dan mentioned it, Long Xuan immediately realized that the Divine Tree in the Black Wind Nation was likely one of the ten Divine Trees.

His heart surged with excitement. He had a particular fondness for tree-based spiritual herbs, and not only him—Heavenly Dream Dragon Silkworm, the Medicinal Gu, and the Rabbit all loved them too.

An elixir that surpassed peak-grade spiritual herb would cause anyone to lose their composure in front of such a treasure.

Seeing the blank expressions on everyone's faces, Long Dan sighed, "Too few people have seen such unique items of heaven and earth, and there are even fewer records of them in books."

"It's no wonder you wouldn't recognize it. Even the Gu cultivators of Black Wind Nation couldn’t identify it. Otherwise, we wouldn't even have this opportunity."

"I won’t keep you guessing. The Divine Tree in Black Wind Nation is none other than the Tenth Divine Tree in the world—the Heaven-Mending Tree."

"The Heaven-Mending Tree is extremely rare. Only one exists in the entire world at any given time, so very few people can study its alchemy formulas."

"However, even eating the Heaven-Mending Tree's fruit raw can unconditionally improve a person's aptitude by one grade without altering their attributes. This applies even to peak-grade geniuses."

As soon as Long Dan said this, the whole room was filled with the sound of heavy breathing. Everyone's eyes turned red with excitement, and some even stood up, their expressions crazed, showing extreme greed.

An item capable of improving one's aptitude was something none of them had even heard of before.

At this moment, everyone present had gone mad. No one could remain calm in front of such a treasure.

Even Long Xuan's mood was not calm. After all, he was by no means a natural genius. His aptitude was quite ordinary, to the point where he could be considered a waste. He was the one who needed a treasure to improve his aptitude the most.

Especially since the improvement in aptitude would occur without changing his Five Elements attributes, making the temptation even greater for him.

If eating the Heaven-Mending Fruit raw could unconditionally raise one's aptitude by a full grade, then what if someone could develop an alchemy formula using the Heaven-Mending Fruit? How much aptitude could such a pill improve?

This thought flashed through Long Xuan’s mind, and he could no longer stay calm.

The temptation was far too great for him; how could he possibly resist such allure?

Bai Youran’s eyes turned red for a moment before she was the first to regain her composure. She hurriedly shouted, "Wait a minute! If there is such a heaven-defying treasure, why are you sharing it with us? Are you sure you’re not hiding something from us?"

As soon as she said this, everyone instantly regained their rationality and looked at Long Dan with calm eyes, waiting for his explanation.

Indeed, this kind of heaven-defying treasure—was Long Dan really generous enough to share it with outsiders? Why wouldn't he give it all to the members of his own Long Clan? Something didn't seem right.

Long Dan chuckled at himself and said helplessly, "I already told you the reason. It was information revealed to me by Qin Tian before I killed him."

"Haven't you considered the possibility that this might be a trap he set for me before his death?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, showing thoughtful expressions. Indeed, Long Dan’s concern was not unfounded.

It was quite normal for someone to set a trap for their enemy right before dying, attempting to take them down.

In such a case, who could guarantee that the information Qin Tian provided was completely true? No one could be sure.

Now, everyone understood what Long Dan meant.

The truth of the information was uncertain, and recklessly going to seize the Heaven-Mending Tree was indeed risky.

If Long Dan brought only the members of the Long Clan and it turned out to be a trap, many powerful cultivators at the Marrow Cleansing stage could die, which would severely weaken the Long Clan.

So Long Dan intended to spread the risk, letting the geniuses of all the clans of the Western Lands contribute. If there was a reward, everyone could share it. If there was danger, everyone would bear it together.

The geniuses in the room exchanged glances, all showing conflicted expressions, their emotions shifting repeatedly.

It was truly a difficult decision. Choose right, and their aptitude would improve by one grade. Choose wrong, and their lives would be forfeit.

Humans die for wealth, as birds do for food. Greed is often the cause of death. Everyone understood this, but they couldn’t suppress the temptation in their hearts.

After a long silence, with only the sound of their heavy breathing filling the room, Lei Shun’s face twisted into a grim expression as he said, "I need more detailed information."

"For example, what kind of country is Black Wind Nation, and where exactly is it? Why have I never heard of it?"

"And what is the defensive strength of that place? What are our chances of success? You should clarify all this, right?"

"And, are you certain that the Heaven-Mending Tree is really there? You’d better make sure of this information!"

Long Dan quickly responded, "This is a matter of my own life. How could I not investigate thoroughly and make all the necessary preparations?"

"I've already done my research. The Black Wind Nation is a mortal kingdom controlled by the Great Yin Dynasty. It's rather inconspicuous, but it's extremely far from our current location."

"To be honest, if we were to walk there, it would take several years to reach that place."

"However, my Limit-breaking Gu recently gained an additional slot to break the limit, and I’ve already given this slot to my Sou Gu."

A smile appeared at the corner of Long Dan's lips, gradually showing his pride.

"Under the influence of the chaotic spatial turbulence, a normal Sou Gu can no longer use its teleportation abilities. Only my Limit-breaking Sou Gu is an exception."

"However, considering that my Sou Gu has only evolved once, it can only teleport Gu cultivators at the Marrow Cleansing stage."

"Before the Great Yin Dynasty detonated the Realm Pearl in the Great Yin Dynasty, I had already placed one of my Sou Gu huts in the royal city of the Black Wind Nation. We can teleport there at any time."

"Once we kill off all the defending forces in the royal city and snatch the Heaven-Mending Tree, we can teleport back the same day, completely undetected."

A flash of sharpness appeared in Long Dan's eyes.

At this moment, Long Xuan interjected and asked, "I’ve never heard much about mortal kingdoms. Could you explain to me what they are? Do they have any forces that could threaten a peak Marrow Cleansing Gu cultivator?"

Long Dan glanced at him and patiently explained, "As we all know, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is unevenly distributed in this world."

"The places with the sparsest spiritual energy are completely unsuitable for cultivation."

"As a result, those barren lands have no Gu cultivators or spirit beasts. Without spirit beasts, there's naturally no body cultivation either."

"So, in regions where spiritual energy is almost nonexistent, one mortal kingdom after another is formed. In these mortal kingdoms, cultivation is impossible, so they are mostly filled with mortals."

"Remember, I said 'mostly.' Gu cultivation is impossible there, but that doesn't mean there are no cultivators at all."

"There are many Gu cultivators who couldn't make it in the Gu world and have completely given up on the path of strength. They enter the mortal world, seeking pleasure, and become servants to mortal nobles."

"These Gu cultivators who couldn’t survive in the Gu world are the weakest of the weak, at the very bottom of the Gu world hierarchy, constantly bullied."

"In the Gu world, they are trash, but in the mortal world, they are like gods. They become addicted to the wealth and luxury of the mortal world, completely turning into the dogs of mortal rulers, losing all their dignity as cultivators."

Long Dan showed a disdainful expression and continued, "So, when I said 'few,' it was a matter of proportion. There are plenty of Gu and body cultivators in the royal city of the Black Wind Nation."

"After all, it's the royal city. You could throw a brick and hit a noble. Every noble keeps a few guards, and when you add them all together, the number of Gu and body cultivators in the royal city is staggering."

"The number is easily a hundred times greater than ours."

"Don't be impatient. Let me finish." Long Dan stopped the few geniuses who were about to speak and continued, "I visited the royal city today through my Sou Gu hut."

"Due to the ongoing war, the Great Yin Dynasty’s vassal states have sent troops to assist, leaving the Black Wind Nation in a state of military emptiness, with weak defenses in the royal palace."

"No matter the level of Gu cultivator, none can escape my detection."

"From my investigation, there’s only one late-stage Spiritual Sea Gu cultivator in the entire royal city. However, his aura is quite extraordinary and doesn’t resemble the Gu cultivators of a mortal nation. He’s currently staying in an inn with a young man, quite far from the royal palace. He’s probably just passing through."

"According to the rules, higher-level cultivators cannot attack lower-level cultivators. This rule binds us, but it also binds them."

"Not to mention, this Spiritual Sea Gu cultivator is probably not connected to the royal family. Even if he has past ties, he would likely stand aside and watch, as the rules of war dictate. So, we can mostly ignore him."

"As for the royal palace, there are about one hundred Gu and body cultivators. But as I said, the Gu cultivators who have become dogs of mortals are worthless trash with terrible combat strength. The few dozen of us can easily sweep through them."

"However, there’s one National Master and four Vajra Guards in the Imperial Garden who are at the peak of the Marrow Cleansing stage. These five have pure spiritual power and require our extra attention."

"Outside the palace, there are also two hundred thousand imperial guards and nearly ten thousand body refiners and Gu cultivators raised by the nobles."

"This force is massive enough to surround and kill us."

"That's why I’ve prepared the Five Ghosts Mountain Shifting Formation disk. This formation was acquired by our clan during a siege against a powerful female thief. It’s terrifyingly powerful and can completely shroud the royal palace, isolating all the sounds of battle inside so that no one will notice."

"Even if we’re somehow discovered, it doesn't matter. The defensive power of this formation is terrifying, and the more people die within it, the stronger the defense becomes."

"To put it bluntly, this formation can withstand the attacks of ten thousand Gu cultivators, including that late-stage Spiritual Sea cultivator."

"However, this formation is evil because it draws its energy from human souls. Even if we slaughter everyone in the royal palace, the formation will only protect us for half an hour at most."

"So, our operation time is limited to half an hour. We must kill all the defending forces in the palace within that time, find the Heaven-Mending Tree in the Imperial Garden, divide the Heaven-Mending Fruits, and retreat through the Sou Gu hut."

"That’s my plan. If anyone has concerns or suggestions, now is the time to speak up."

Long Dan finished in one breath, took a sip of wine to wet his throat, and looked expectantly at the group of geniuses below him.

***

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