The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Chapter 125: Meeting the Sacred Tree

The upcoming matches became much easier. Perhaps everyone was intimidated by him, as every opponent who was matched against him chose to forfeit directly, saving him quite a bit of effort.

However, no matter how easy it was for him, it couldn’t compare to how easy it was for Long Ziyan. In the first half of the competition, she simply stood there and effortlessly secured the first place. Unexpectedly, in the second half, she continued to stand there without even lifting a finger, yet still remained firmly in first place.

Whenever anyone was matched against her, they would curse their bad luck and then immediately surrender. Her first-place win was incredibly easy. However, although it seemed easy, it was actually quite tiring—standing for so long made her tired.

The Gu Battle Tournament proceeded quickly, and it didn't feel like much time had passed before the sky began to darken, with the sun about to set. By this time, the tournament was nearing its end.

At this point, Long Xuan had won seven out of ten matches in the second half, with a total score of 140 points, more than enough to place him in the top twenty.

As for the matches he lost, they were ones he deliberately forfeited. Without using peak-grade Gu insects, it was impossible for him to sweep all his opponents.

For example, there was Long Ziyan, who still hadn't moved from her spot. When Long Xuan was matched against her, he also chose to surrender immediately, just like everyone else. Without using peak-grade Gu insects, there was no way he could be her opponent. It was something he didn't even need to think about—who knows how many peak-grade Gu insects this little rich girl has.

Throughout the entire tournament, she never once had to make a move. No one could force her to reveal her trump card, and all of her Gu insects remain unknown. Long Xuan did not dare to take that risk.

When the Gu Battle Tournament finally concluded, as expected, Long Ziyan, with 200 points from twenty consecutive victories, firmly occupied the top of the leaderboard and became the champion of this year's tournament.

As for who came in second place, Long Xuan didn’t even need to think about it—it was naturally the perpetual runner-up, Long Qilin.

He only lost to Long Ziyan in one match, winning nineteen in total, with a final score of 190 points, placing him second.

He was born at the wrong time, encountering Long Ziyan was truly a tragedy. He would forever be overshadowed by her, and the label of "perpetual runner-up" was one he could never shake off.

However, he had long since grown accustomed to this disappointment. He stood there, expressionless, without any emotional fluctuation.

The sixteenth place was taken by Long Panpan, who had left a deep impression on him. As for the others, he didn't pay much attention to them—they were just background characters, and he couldn’t be bothered to remember their names.

As for himself, due to deliberately losing several matches to conceal his strength, he ranked eleventh, a position that was neither too high nor too low.

After the tournament ended, in order to save time, there were no elaborate ceremonies or awards presentations. Long Wanli called the top twenty contestants onto the high platform and then led them to the holy land where the Sacred Tree grew.

All the winners were very excited, closely following behind him. As they passed through the crowd, they stood tall with pride on their faces.

The Gu Battle Tournament had a high degree of prestige. Although luck played a role, those who made it into the top twenty were generally considered the most talented among the family, and they had every reason to be proud.

Long Xuan did not walk beside Long Ziyan or Long Qilin; instead, he hung back at the end of the group, deep in thought.

Even now, he still hadn't figured out a way to secretly take away a branch of the Sacred Divine Dragon Tree.

He was at a complete loss. He knew nothing about the situation in the sacred land and had no information at all.

In such a state of ignorance, what good plan could he possibly come up with?

At this moment, he could only play it by ear and see what kind of chaos Long Chen would stir up. As long as the Long family was in turmoil, he might have a chance.

It wasn’t long before Long Wanli led the group to the most spiritually rich place in the clan’s territory.

The most spiritually rich place in the family was naturally at the very center of the family’s domain. The concentration of spiritual energy in the air was highest at the center of the Long Clan's domain, gradually decreasing the further one went from it.

The concentration of spiritual energy in this world was never uniform. Some places had a high concentration, while others had low.

This mountainous region had a high concentration of spiritual energy, far surpassing other mountain ranges. It was said that this place used to be the territory of demonic cultivators, who tightly controlled this treasured land.

But after the Long family migrated to the extreme west, they had no place to settle. After a long period of searching for a suitable location, they set their sights on this area and used the pretext of a missing child to launch a war against the demonic cultivators living here.

Although the Long Clan was new to the area, their strength was not to be underestimated. The demonic cultivators on the mountain fought a bitter battle with the Long Clan's Gu cultivators for three days and three nights. In the end, the demonic cultivators were outmatched, their formations were broken by the Long Clan's Gu cultivators, and all the demonic cultivators living here were slaughtered.

The Long Clan then took over this treasured land and made it their home, building extensively. This is how the Long family, now one of the seven great clans, came into being.

This was the history of the Long family’s rise. It’s said that the child who went missing was never found.

The Long family established their residence in the area with the highest concentration of spiritual energy in the mountain region. At the very center of this area, where the spiritual energy was most concentrated, they planted the family's Sacred Tree, the Divine Dragon Wood.

The Divine Dragon Wood holds significant symbolic and spiritual meaning for the Long Clan. Every year on the day of eye-cleansing, the entire clan gathers here to kneel and pay homage to the Sacred Tree. At the same time, the clan offers many sacrifices to the Sacred Tree, and a grand sacrificial ceremony is held, with a complex set of rituals.

However, this tradition takes place after the eye-cleansing ritual, which occurs in the evening.

Thus, the importance of the Sacred Tree to the Long family is evident. Given its significance, it is naturally heavily guarded by stationed experts, making it no easy task to obtain.

Long Xuan glanced at the tall walls surrounding the Sacred Tree and once again felt the daunting difficulty of this mission. Whether or not he could succeed, he had no confidence at all.

"Listen carefully! The Dragon's Tear will be personally prepared by me. The longer the Dragon's Tear is left unused, the weaker its spiritual effect. It’s best to use it as quickly as possible.

Anyone with the Evil Dragon Emperor Eye must undergo the eye-cleansing ritual on the spot. Those without the Evil Dragon Emperor Eye might not be able to withstand the medicinal power of the Dragon's Tear. In that case, you may take it back and use it slowly."

Upon hearing this, Long Xuan's expression subtly changed.

He knew that Long Wanli's words were directed at him. Everyone present had the Evil Dragon Emperor Eye, except for him—he was the only exception.

Anyone without the Evil Dragon Emperor Eye wouldn't even be participating in this Gu Battle Tournament. Anyone participating this year certainly had the Evil Dragon Emperor Eye in previous years.

Although his Eye Of Heavenly Secret looked very similar to the Evil Dragon Emperor Eye, it was clear that it couldn't fool Long Wanli.

Long Wanli wouldn't have said this in previous years, but because of the new addition of Long Xuan this year, he mentioned it. Then, amidst some puzzled glances from the crowd, he walked towards the gate of the surrounding wall.

At the gate, two Gu cultivators at the peak of Marrow Cleansing stood guard on either side. Seeing the family head approaching with people in tow, they respectfully saluted and then opened the gate, allowing everyone to enter.

As Long Xuan entered within the surrounding wall, a peculiar, towering tree immediately came into view.

The tree was entirely dark red, with sparse leaves, but its trunk grew in a twisted and coiled manner, resembling a spiraling dragon, completely unlike the upright and straight growth of other trees.

Perhaps it was due to this strange appearance that the tree was named the Divine Dragon Wood? The name seemed fitting—when ignoring the details, the tree indeed resembled a dragon from a distance.

A tree with such a unique appearance was undoubtedly extraordinary. Just by looking at it, one could tell that its grade was high; it must be an extremely rare and exceptional spiritual herb.

Instinctively, Long Xuan used his "Golden Finger" ability, looked up at the tree's crown, and soon a striking number appeared in his vision.

[?].

Seeing this strange symbol, Long Xuan gasped and felt a chill in his teeth.

Goodness! The progress was infinite. He couldn't help but widen his eyes.

He knew all too well what this symbol represented. It indicated that this tree was immortal, possessing an endless lifespan.

In this world, there are only two types of spiritual herbs that can break the lifespan limit: Earth-grade spiritual herbs or the legendary Heaven-grade spiritual herbs.

Long Xuan’s heart pounded wildly. No wonder this tree held such a high status in the Long family, was so heavily guarded, and had become the sacred tree protected by the family for generations—it was an invaluable treasure.

Now he finally understood. The grade of this tree was so high that it was terrifying; it was enough to be considered a family heirloom by any clan and passed down through generations.

At this moment, an elderly man sat beneath the tree. His clothes were somewhat shabby, and his beard was long, but his eyes were bright and sharp.

This person didn’t bother to conceal his aura at all. His peak Spiritual Sea cultivation was fully exposed, making him awe-inspiring.

Goodness! There were two peak Marrow Cleansing experts guarding the outside, and inside there was even a peak Spiritual Sea master sitting here.

Just how important was this tree to the Long family that they would allocate so many powerful resources to guard it? Long Xuan was astonished.

Seeing someone enter, the old man immediately stopped meditating, looked up at the newcomers, and slowly stood up.

“Senior Brother, it's been so many years that you've been trapped in this place—it must have been hard for you.”

Long Wanli was the first to speak, looking at the old man with an apologetic gaze.

“Hard? What’s so hard about it? Where isn’t suitable for sitting and cultivating? Is cultivation even something hard?”

“I think this place is great. The spiritual energy is the richest, and there’s no one to disturb me. I can cultivate here with complete focus, without being distracted by worldly matters. That’s why my progress has been so rapid—I'm already touching the threshold of the Gu King.”

“And what about you? As the family head, you’re burdened with too many trivial matters, wasting much of your cultivation time.”

“Among us brothers, your talent was clearly the best; you should have been the first to break through to the Gu King. But after becoming the family head, you’ve had less and less time for cultivation, while I, the one with the poorest aptitude, managed to reach the Gu King bottleneck first.”

“I’m very content now. It may seem like this place is a cage, but in truth, the one trapped is you—you just don’t realize it.”

“I’ve already seen through the truth. I’m too lazy to compete with you for the position of family head anymore. Whoever becomes the head is a fool, always worn out like a dog with a bunch of trivial matters, things even a dog wouldn’t want to deal with.”

“Speaking of which, I should thank you. If you hadn’t manipulated the drawing of lots, how would I have had the chance to live in this prime cultivation spot? I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to touch the Gu King bottleneck so quickly.”