The group of geniuses exchanged confused glances, unsure of how to respond. Shi Kun was the first to speak: âThis plan doesnât match my expectationsâitâs way too easy and safe.â
âYouâre 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.â
âThese Gu cultivators and body cultivators are just weaklings who couldnât survive in the Gu world. We could easily slaughter them.â
âThis is an incredibly simple mission. Whereâs the danger? Why the need for such a big operation?â
âNot only did you call so many geniuses, but you even summoned five of the top ten talents from the Demonic List.â
âArenât you making a big deal out of nothing? To kill those weaklings, you donât need any of the Demonic List Prodigy. With just yourself and a few dozen ordinary Gu cultivators, itâs more than enough. You didnât need to summon any of us.â
âYouâre overestimating those Gu world outcasts. Using a cannon to kill antsâtotally unnecessary.â
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 didnât require Demonic list geniuses. Were they joking?
Long Dan took a deep breath, ignoring the groupâs mockery. He sighed, âNo matter what you all think, I believe this could very well be a trap.â
âAlthough I havenât detected any immediate threats, when it comes to my life, I canât afford to be reckless.â
âIn my investigation, the only real wildcard, aside from that late-stage Spiritual Sea Gu cultivator, is the peak-grade Marrow Cleansing national master.â
âThatâs why I plan to prepare for the worst, using five geniuses to take him down together.â
âI refuse to believe that even if heâs deeply hidden, he can withstand the combined power of five geniuses.â
âIf anyone thinks this mission is too easy and lacks challenge, you can quit now. This is your last chance to back out.â
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent. Not a single person dared to leave.
It would be a jokeâsure, 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 missionâs 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 couldnât 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 Danâs intelligence be wrong? Long Xuan considered this possibility but quickly dismissed it.
The fully activated Evil Dragon Emperor Eyes were terrifyingly accurate. He couldnât 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 didnât 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: âLong Xuan, anything can happen, no matter how perfect the plan. Unexpected changes can always ariseâlike disputes over the division of treasures.â
âThatâs why I need assistance from a fellow clansman. Donât you dare use a clone this timeâsomeone will die if you do.â
âYou might be able to fool the incomplete Evil Dragon Emperor Eyes with your clones, but you canât fool me.â
âI need you to go all out this time. Trust me, this mission wonât be as easy as you think!â
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 Danâs 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 wasnât referring to a clone.
His clone wasnât 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 Xuanâs true combat power, even feeling a certain fear.
âAlright! Since no oneâs backing out, letâs finalize this. Weâll need some time to prepare, so the mission will begin tomorrow morning.â
âEveryone gather here in this room tomorrow morning. Iâll place the Sou Gu Hut in this room.â
âHowever, the matter of the Heaven-Mending Tree is of great importance. Itâs a treasure that can enhance oneâs aptitudeâsomething so heaven-defying it would arouse any Gu Kingâs greed. If word gets out, the consequences would be disastrous. I donât need to explain further.â
âSo, whatever Iâve said today must not leave this room. I assume no one here is a blabbermouth?â
Long Danâs aura suddenly shifted, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room.
âHeh! Regardless of whether anyone here is loose-lipped, weâll establish a rule: if anyone leaks information about the Heaven-Mending Tree, all the geniuses here will execute them together!â
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 didnât last long. After all, there were important matters to attend to the next morning, and no one wanted to delay them.
Thus, the geniuses didnât 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 Clanâs 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 havenât taken the Longevity Gu?" Long Xuan couldnât 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, "Iâve 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 wonât seem abrupt."
"But to be safe, itâs 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, "Youâve thought this through. I hadnât considered it fully."
"Letâs go together. We shouldnât 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 wasnât 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, letâs set off."
"Iâll 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, everyoneâs curiosity surged, and they couldnât 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, letâs 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 othersâ eyes lit up. They quickly stopped examining the Sou Gu House and entered one after anotherâ¦