The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Chapter 221: Li Laodao’s Plan

The group of geniuses exchanged confused glances, unsure of how to respond. Shi Kun was the first to speak: “This plan doesn’t match my expectations—it’s way too easy and safe.”

“You’re saying that your Five Ghosts Mountain Shifting Formation is enough to block everyone outside the palace, including the late-stage Spiritual Sea Gu cultivator, who might be an unpredictable factor. And inside the palace, there are only about a hundred Gu cultivators and body cultivators left.”

“These Gu cultivators and body cultivators are just weaklings who couldn’t survive in the Gu world. We could easily slaughter them.”

“This is an incredibly simple mission. Where’s the danger? Why the need for such a big operation?”

“Not only did you call so many geniuses, but you even summoned five of the top ten talents from the Demonic List.”

“Aren’t you making a big deal out of nothing? To kill those weaklings, you don’t need any of the Demonic List Prodigy. With just yourself and a few dozen ordinary Gu cultivators, it’s more than enough. You didn’t need to summon any of us.”

“You’re overestimating those Gu world outcasts. Using a cannon to kill ants—totally unnecessary.”

The others nodded in agreement, casting strange looks at him.

At first, when they saw Long Dan had summoned so many renowned geniuses, including five from the Demonic List, they instinctively thought this would be an extremely dangerous mission.

For a moment, they were all terrified, even thinking of excuses to refuse.

But now? It felt like a waste of their concern.

To take down a group of Gu world outcasts didn’t require Demonic list geniuses. Were they joking?

Long Dan took a deep breath, ignoring the group’s mockery. He sighed, “No matter what you all think, I believe this could very well be a trap.”

“Although I haven’t detected any immediate threats, when it comes to my life, I can’t afford to be reckless.”

“In my investigation, the only real wildcard, aside from that late-stage Spiritual Sea Gu cultivator, is the peak-grade Marrow Cleansing national master.”

“That’s why I plan to prepare for the worst, using five geniuses to take him down together.”

“I refuse to believe that even if he’s deeply hidden, he can withstand the combined power of five geniuses.”

“If anyone thinks this mission is too easy and lacks challenge, you can quit now. This is your last chance to back out.”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent. Not a single person dared to leave.

It would be a joke—sure, the mission seemed simple, but who would pass up the chance to claim the Heaven-Mending Tree?

Anyone quitting now would be a fool.

Just moments ago, they were worried about the mission’s dangers, considering backing out.

But now, their determination to join had only strengthened. Whoever tried to stop them now would have to face their wrath.

From the looks of it, the mission had no real danger. The Heaven-Mending Tree was practically falling into their laps. Only an idiot would pass up this opportunity.

It was like a pie falling from the sky, and everyone was smiling in anticipation.

Long Xuan carefully analyzed the information Long Dan had shared but still couldn’t find any potential threats.

He frowned deeply. Li Laodao had predicted this mission to be extremely dangerous, claiming that without him, everyone would die.

Where exactly was the danger coming from? He was confused.

Could Long Dan’s intelligence be wrong? Long Xuan considered this possibility but quickly dismissed it.

The fully activated Evil Dragon Emperor Eyes were terrifyingly accurate. He couldn’t believe that any danger in the city could escape its detection.

The possibility that the peak-grade Marrow Cleansing national master was hiding his true cultivation level was also ruled out. No one could hide their true strength from the fully activated Evil Dragon Emperor Eyes.

Even if he was deeply concealed, there was no way he could withstand the combined assault of the five geniuses.

Could the danger come from the late-stage Spiritual Sea Gu cultivator? But that Gu cultivator didn’t belong to the royal family, and the Five Ghosts Mountain Shifting Formation was enough to hold back any Spiritual Sea cultivator for a short time. What threat could he pose?

Long Xuan was perplexed.

Just as his head was about to explode from overthinking, Long Dan sent a soul message to him: “Long Xuan, anything can happen, no matter how perfect the plan. Unexpected changes can always arise—like disputes over the division of treasures.”

“That’s why I need assistance from a fellow clansman. Don’t you dare use a clone this time—someone will die if you do.”

“You might be able to fool the incomplete Evil Dragon Emperor Eyes with your clones, but you can’t fool me.”

“I need you to go all out this time. Trust me, this mission won’t be as easy as you think!”

Hearing this, Long Xuan looked at him and their gazes met.

He finally understood why Long Ruoxue knew about his attempt to flee during the Geng Metal mine mission.

It turned out the Long clan had always had an eye that could detect his clones. He had underestimated the fully activated Evil Dragon Emperor Eyes.

Long Xuan nodded silently.

Even without Long Dan’s request, he had already planned to use his real body for this mission.

Li Laodao had said that as long as he participated, he would be 100% safe. Clearly, Li Laodao wasn’t referring to a clone.

His clone wasn’t a match for Long Dan, let alone any crisis capable of killing Long Dan.

Using a clone for this mission might just cost him that clone.

Refining an external clone required restarting the entire cultivation process, which was too costly for him to afford.

Since there would undoubtedly be unexpected challenges, but no risk of death, he decided to go with his real body.

Seeing Long Xuan agree, Long Dan felt relieved. He was confident that with Long Xuan by his side, he could essentially ignore any risks. He had a deep understanding of Long Xuan’s true combat power, even feeling a certain fear.

“Alright! Since no one’s backing out, let’s finalize this. We’ll need some time to prepare, so the mission will begin tomorrow morning.”

“Everyone gather here in this room tomorrow morning. I’ll place the Sou Gu Hut in this room.”

“However, the matter of the Heaven-Mending Tree is of great importance. It’s a treasure that can enhance one’s aptitude—something so heaven-defying it would arouse any Gu King’s greed. If word gets out, the consequences would be disastrous. I don’t need to explain further.”

“So, whatever I’ve said today must not leave this room. I assume no one here is a blabbermouth?”

Long Dan’s aura suddenly shifted, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room.

“Heh! Regardless of whether anyone here is loose-lipped, we’ll establish a rule: if anyone leaks information about the Heaven-Mending Tree, all the geniuses here will execute them together!”

Shi Kun also scanned the room with a smile, but his smile sent a chill down everyone's spine.

"Alright, since Brother Kun has suggested it, this rule is now established. It's not difficult to watch your mouth, and I think none of you here are fools."

"As for now, let's eat and drink. Today, it's my treat!"

Long Dan raised his wine glass, and the group of geniuses smiled, raising their glasses together before drinking it all in one go.

Long Xuan used his Heavenly Eye to scan the wine and found nothing unusual, so he finished his drink in one gulp.

He couldn't help but frown. "What is this? It tastes awful, like horse urine."

Of course, it was because the recipe he created for wine was too exquisite, spoiling his taste buds. Ever since drinking his own wine, he could never drink anything else.

The meal didn’t last long. After all, there were important matters to attend to the next morning, and no one wanted to delay them.

Thus, the geniuses didn’t indulge in the drinks. Once they were full, they quickly dispersed, eager to prepare the supplies they might need for tomorrow.

Everyone was filled with anticipation for what was to come.

---

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

After a restful night's sleep, Long Xuan, feeling refreshed, quickly completed his morning routine. After a simple breakfast, he headed to the agreed meeting point.

As soon as he stepped out of the Long Clan’s residence, he saw the elderly Li Laodao, who had been waiting at the door for quite some time, which made Long Xuan pause.

"You still haven’t taken the Longevity Gu?" Long Xuan couldn’t help but ask through spiritual voice transmission.

At this moment, Li Daode still looked old, with no sign of youth returning. His cultivation progress also showed no changes, so Long Xuan concluded that he had not taken the Longevity Gu.

Li Laodao smiled and replied, "I’ve always been cautious. If I suddenly use the Longevity Gu and become young, how could people around me not become suspicious?"

"Anything that can extend life easily stirs greed in others."

"So, there's no rush to take the Longevity Gu. I plan to wait until after this mission, then hide away for a while. At that time, if my appearance changes, it won’t seem abrupt."

"But to be safe, it’s better to leave this region entirely and head to the eastern territories. That way, no one will notice that my lifespan has increased."

Long Xuan nodded and said, "You’ve thought this through. I hadn’t considered it fully."

"Let’s go together. We shouldn’t keep them waiting."

---

When Long Xuan and Li Laodao entered the room, they found that everyone else had already arrived. They were the last two to show up.

However, it wasn’t that they were late; it was just that everyone else had arrived too early.

The treasure that could enhance their aptitude had excited everyone, making them all arrive earlier than expected.

Only Long Xuan remained calm. No matter what heaven-defying treasures he encountered, he never panicked.

Seeing that the last two had arrived, Long Dan wasted no words and stood up, saying, "Since everyone is here, let’s set off."

"I’ll go first. You all line up and follow."

With that, Long Dan took out the Sou Gu House and placed it in the center of the room, then immediately stepped inside.

The Sou Gu House was a bit small, requiring Gu Masters to bend over to enter. But it was much better than having to crawl into a tiny Sou Gu hut.

Everyone stared curiously at the Sou Gu hut, with some even unable to resist reaching out to touch it.

The fame of the Sou Gu had spread far and wide across the western lands, and they had heard of it countless times. In their minds, the Sou Gu hut was already shrouded in mystery.

Now, having the chance to see it up close, everyone’s curiosity surged, and they couldn’t resist wanting to study it further.

This Gu insect, which could build houses to achieve long-distance teleportation, was truly heaven-defying, and all clans envied it.

The Great Yin Dynasty had suffered countless losses in the face of this terrifying Gu insect.

"So this is the small house built by the Sou Gu? It really is fascinating. I wonder which genius came up with such an absurd Gu insect."

"With a Gu insect like this, the Long Clan will soar to new heights, unstoppable!" Lei Shun said enviously as he gazed at the Sou Gu hut.

"Alright! Now's not the time to study this thing. We have important matters to attend to. First, let’s teleport. Nothing is more important than the Heaven-Mending Fruit."

With that, Shi Kun was the second to enter the Sou Gu Hut.

Hearing the words "Heaven-Mending Fruit," the others’ eyes lit up. They quickly stopped examining the Sou Gu House and entered one after another…