The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Chapter 363: The Origins of the Gu Emperor City

Long Xuan's expression instantly froze.

This was truly a calamity falling from the skies—how could he end up being caught in such a situation?

He wasn’t a Gu King at all! He was merely a Gu cultivator in the Spiritual Sea Stage. Participating in this task was no different from courting death.

After all, the target was an old devil specializing in refining Forbidden Gu. With his current cultivation level, he’d likely be drained of all spiritual power before he even got close. Now, it seemed his act of posing as a Gu King had gone too far.

Faced with the Demon-Extermination Decree from the Gu Emperor City, he really had no way to refuse.

Back when Shi Haojun's rampant massacres triggered the Demon-Extermination Decree, Long Xuan had thoroughly studied the origins of the Gu Emperor City.

The history of the Gu Emperor City was extremely ancient, dating back to the very birth of Gu cultivation.

In that distant era, an individual named Gu pioneered the path of Gu cultivation. He spread his teachings and nurtured the first generation of Gu cultivators among the human race. For this, he was revered as one of the Ancestors of Humanity.

The Gu Emperor City was founded by ‘Gu’ himself. Its purpose was to unite all Gu cultivators worldwide to resist invasions from alien races.

Back then, the land was teeming with alien races. The human race was weak, surviving only in the cracks between territories of the alien powers.Thanks to the might of the Gu Emperor City, Gu cultivators across the world united, ensuring the survival of humanity on this land.

Under Gu’s leadership, the cultivators of the Gu Emperor City destroyed one powerful alien race after another. Gradually, humanity came to dominate the land, becoming its central figures.

When most of the alien races were exterminated, Gu fell in battle. Yet, the Gu Emperor City did not disband with his death.

Instead, it began electing a new Gu Emperor. The city's purpose also shifted from repelling alien races to maintaining the stability of humanity.

Whenever an event arose that threatened widespread destruction among humans, the Gu Emperor City would rally the strongest experts from across the world to confront the crisis together.

Extermination the demon who refined Forbidden Gu was one such monumental event that necessitated the intervention of the Gu Emperor City.

The Gu Emperor City functioned as a public organization. Periodically, it selected the strongest individuals worldwide to join its ranks. Members came from all surnames and factions, and the Gu Emperor was chosen from among the strongest of them.

As such, the Gu Emperor City became the foremost power in the world of Gu cultivation—a position it had held unchallenged since ancient times.

The Gu Emperor City was home to a congregation of powerful cultivators from all over the world. When it issued an order in the name of righteousness, no force, regardless of its strength, could dare refuse.

To defy the Gu Emperor City was to oppose the entire world.

How could Long Xuan openly disobey the Demon-Extermination Decree?

He could only reach into his storage ring for a talisman that allowed him to flee a hundred miles at a moment’s notice, which gave him some reassurance.

With a bewildered expression, Long Xuan followed the powerful cultivators of the Sword Cleansing Pavilion toward the Great Buddha Temple.

...

The Great Buddha Temple was a Buddhist sect. Upholding the principle of compassion, the monks of the temple refrained from killing. When practicing Gu cultivation, they ensured that their Gu insects only consumed non-living materials to avoid taking lives.

Buddhist Gu insects represented another major branch of Gu cultivation, and they were exceptionally formidable.

Under the power of these Buddhist Gu insects, the Great Buddha Temple became one of the five strongest forces in the Flaming Court Empire, rivaling the Sword Cleansing Pavilion.

Long Xuan had no idea why the Gu Emperor City's enforcer had chosen to gather all the Gu Kings participating in the demon extermination mission at the Great Buddha Temple.

But he didn’t dare ask too many questions, opting instead to follow orders.

A few hours later, a flying vessel engraved with a sword streaked through the sky before descending slowly onto the temple grounds.

The temple was adorned with golden statues of Buddhas. Some of these statues were massive, towering over a hundred meters tall, standing proudly before the mountains and reflecting a golden radiance under the sunlight.

The temple was filled with monks, yet it was extremely quiet. Unlike the hustle and bustle of other places, the temple radiated a serene and tranquil atmosphere befitting a sacred Buddhist site.

As Long Xuan landed and listened to the chanting of scriptures around him, he felt his mind settle significantly.

Following the crowd through the temple’s winding corridors, Long Xuan eventually entered a spacious chamber. There, he finally saw the other Gu Kings participating in the demon-extermination mission. The sheer number was staggering—there were at least a hundred of them.

This was a rare gathering of Gu Kings. To have over a hundred Gu Kings in one place was an unimaginable spectacle.

As the group from the Sword Cleansing Pavilion entered the chamber, the eyes of the assembled Gu Kings immediately turned toward them. After briefly scanning the seven or eight Sword Kings, their gaze settled on Long Xuan’s unfamiliar face.

Since the Demon-Extermination Decree drafted local cultivators, most of those present were acquainted with one another. Apart from the ten cultivators from the Gu Emperor City, Long Xuan was the only unfamiliar figure, naturally drawing more attention.

“How many more are yet to arrive, Lord Lei?”

An elderly man in a black robe was the first to break the silence.

Long Xuan shifted his gaze to the elder in the room. This elder's presence was extraordinary, lacking the humility others displayed when dealing with the enforcers of the Gu Emperor City.

Given that he was the first to speak, Long Xuan deduced that this person’s identity and status must be remarkable. Without surprise, he was likely one of the strongest among the Gu Kings present in the room and would serve as a key figure in opposing Duan Tianwu.

Seeing Long Xuan's gaze settle on the elder, Pavilion Master Ren, who stood nearby, used sound transmission to introduce him:

"This man is Qin Manyuan, the foremost expert of the royal family of the Flaming Court Empire. His combat strength is on par with mine."

"It's surprising that the royal family has dispatched so many experts for this mission. The Qin clan alone has sent nearly twenty Gu Kings, making them the force with the largest number of Gu Kings here."

Long Xuan pondered aloud, "Sending so many Gu Kings—aren’t they worried about suffering heavy losses during this demon extermination mission?"

Pavilion Master Ren's eyes flashed sharply as he speculated:

"Duan Tianwu killed many Gu Kings of the Flaming Court Empire in his earlier battles, including numerous members of the Qin clan. For the Qin clan to mobilize such a significant force, led by Qin Manyuan himself, it seems they are here for revenge. They’re determined to kill Duan Tianwu."

Nearby, Enforcer Lei counted the people in the room and finally said, "Including the ten of us from Gu Emperor City, there are now 125 Gu Kings in the room. This is the final number for this demon extermination mission."

Hearing this, the expressions of the Gu Kings in the room shifted subtly. They exchanged glances but remained silent.

While this number might be sufficient to kill the yet-to-mature Duan Tianwu, having more Gu Kings would mean spreading the damage among the factions, reducing individual losses. Naturally, they hoped for more participants in the mission.

Qin Manyuan’s eyes gleamed as he said in a deep voice:

"The numbers seem a bit low. This is our only chance to kill Duan Tianwu. We cannot afford to be careless. If we fail this time, dealing with him in the future will be even more difficult."

"To ensure absolute success, I suggest gathering at least 300 Gu Kings for the assault. Preparing for the worst-case scenario, only with such numbers can we guarantee success."

As soon as he finished speaking, the Gu Kings in the room nodded in agreement.

“Hmph! You just want to use the numbers to spread the damage and preserve the Qin clan’s strength to the greatest extent, don’t you?”

Enforcer Lei gave him a sharp look, then glanced around at the other Gu Kings in the secret chamber and said sternly:

"Everyone fears death. I understand your thoughts."

"I fear death too, and I also want to use the Demon Extermination Order to summon more people, ensuring a higher chance of success before encircling Duan Tianwu."

"Who doesn’t want stability? But we don’t have much time left. We simply can’t afford to summon more people."

"I’ve already mobilized all the Gu Kings nearby. Summoning Gu Kings from farther regions would take time—anywhere from a few months to half a year."

"You all know how fast Duan Tianwu cultivates with the Demon Devouring Gu in his possession. It won’t take him long to reach the peak of the Gu King realm."

"By then, what’s the point of summoning more Gu Kings? Even ten times the current number wouldn’t be enough to stop him."

"So, striking now is our best chance. The longer we delay, the worse it will be for us. Ideally, we should act today."

The Gu Kings in the room fell into deep thought. They understood the truth. Duan Tianwu was once at the peak of the Gu King realm, and his cultivation had no bottlenecks. With the Demon Devouring Gu, he only needed to absorb spiritual power continuously, making it feasible for him to reach the peak of the Gu King realm in a short time.

While it seemed that more participants increased their odds of success, the reality was the opposite. Spending time gathering more Gu Kings would only diminish their chances of victory. They had underestimated the urgency of the situation.

Seeing the crowd swayed by his reasoning, Enforcer Lei added, "Rest assured, these 125 Gu Kings are more than enough."

"You’ve all heard of Lei Wan, haven’t you? If Lei Wan steps in, do you still think we cannot defeat him?" Enforcer Lei exuded confidence.

Hearing this name, many of the Gu Kings in the room were visibly surprised. Their confidence in the battle grew significantly.

Lei Wan’s reputation was unparalleled. Even though he resided thousands of miles away, many in the Central Lands had heard of him.

The Southern Region was divided into seventy-two regions, with the central region being the strongest. Lei Wan was the foremost expert of the Central Region, a figure comparable to Duan Tianwu in his prime. Their combat strength was nearly equal.

Lei Wan possessed one of the Top Great Extraordinary Physiques, the Thunder Punishment Physique, allowing him to command immense lightning power. His combat prowess was unrivaled within his tier. This unique physique was particularly effective against demonic cultivators. Combined with his two-realm advantage over Duan Tianwu, his participation made this battle highly favorable.

With Lei Wan in the fray, their chances of victory were immensely high.