The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu

Chapter 176: Black Moon City

The words of the Ancestor left the faces of the Long Clan’s Gu Cultivators filled with shock.

A Gu recipe requiring tens of millions of materials was simply terrifying. Could such an exaggerated Gu recipe really exist? It was hard to imagine the strength of a Gu that required such an amount of materials. Everyone was stunned.

Long Yuanshan sighed, “We must prepare for the worst. Regardless of whether Shi Haojun has refined the Forbidden Gu, we must treat him as if he has and make comprehensive preparations in advance.”

“From the current situation, it is evident that Shi Haojun harbors ill intentions toward Blackstone City. However, his conspiracy was exposed early, and since no one in the city has been affected by his Gu, can we defeat him?”

Long Yuanshan looked seriously at the Ancestor, speaking in a grave tone.

Long Yuan smiled bitterly, “When have those who refine the Forbidden Gu ever faced anything other than a group of opponents of the same rank? And what happens? They still end up wiping out entire cities, even when outnumbered.”

[Note: Demon Sky Sect will be changed to Demon Heaven Sect]

“Have you forgotten the story I just told you? At its peak, the Demon Heaven Sect was able to fight the entire world alone. If sheer numbers were effective, the whole world would have long since eradicated the Demon Heaven Sect.”

“The sheer number of materials required for a Gu of this level far exceeds your imagination. It’s a level of power that defies reason. This isn’t something that can simply be overcome by having more people. Once the Mutation Domain opens, how many people can actually do anything?”

“If my guess is correct, when he first came to Blackstone City to auction off the Living Wood, the Plague Demon Gu hadn’t yet completed its third evolution. He desperately needed a large amount of fresh blood.”

“At that time, although he was strong, he did not yet have the exaggerated power to take on an entire city alone.”

“That’s why he needed to lure the Black Moon City Gu Kings away in order to massacre the city in their absence.”

“Because of our selfishness, he succeeded in slaughtering the city, gaining a large amount of fresh blood, allowing the Plague Demon Gu to successfully evolve into a Mutant Gu.”

“Now, he no longer fears a large number of Gu Kings and dares to target Blackstone City.”

“Don’t harbor any false hopes. If he wasn’t confident in his strength, he wouldn’t dare to attack Blackstone City. Since he’s made his move, it’s certain that he has the confidence to destroy the city. No one wages a war they aren’t sure they can win.”

“There’s undoubtedly a tough battle ahead. Whether Blackstone City can survive this calamity is uncertain, but even if we do, the losses will be severe.”

Long Yuan sighed deeply, then suddenly looked at Long Wanli and said, “Blackstone City is about to change. You must quickly inform the City Lord of this matter and warn everyone in the city not to drink the water from the Black River.”

“It’s late at night, so not many people should be using water. If we act quickly, not many will die. We’ll need their strength to deal with Shi Haojun. Don’t even think about letting them lose too much of their power.”

“And also, immediately prepare water supplies. We can source it directly from the Long Clan in the far west. As much as we can get, bring it. The city will soon face a water crisis.”

Long Wanli nodded and quickly ordered people to make the necessary arrangements.

...

...

The night was dark and silent.

In a courtyard, a beautiful woman stood at the door, gazing out as if waiting for her husband to return.

When a handsome figure entered through the courtyard gate, her face immediately lit up with joy. She eagerly ran towards him, but her steps were weak and unsteady, nearly causing her to fall. The figure rushed forward to support her, his expression filled with concern.

“You’re already in this state, yet you still push yourself. Don’t go to that place anymore. You’re not a savior; you can’t save everyone.”

Shi Haojun rolled up her sleeve, revealing her arm covered in countless needle marks. His face instantly showed anger, and a flash of murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

Shi Rui quickly pulled down her sleeve.

“I’ll save as many as I can. I can’t just watch them die. By the way, how’s your investigation going? Did you find the source of the plague?” Shi Rui hurriedly changed the subject, looking up at him.

As expected, Shi Haojun’s attention was diverted. He smiled smugly and said, “Who am I? Is there any case I can’t solve when I get involved?”

“While others found nothing, I merely used my Seven Aperture Exquisite Heart to sweep the area, and soon found the culprit behind the incident.”

“The source of this plague came from a group of tomb raiders. They robbed a great tomb, and though they managed to escape alive, they brought something terrifying back with them.”

“This thing has a fatality rate even for Gu Kings, and it’s contagious. One person infects ten, ten infect a hundred, and in a very short time, the entire city is affected. There is no cure.”

“When I found them, they were already beyond saving and on the verge of death, so I didn’t get any living captives.”

“But I found a terrifying Gu recipe in their storage rings. This Gu recipe was brought out from that tomb. If I study it, it’s enough to give me unrivaled power. I’m torn over whether I should refine this Gu.”

Shi Haojun’s expression was filled with hesitation and uncertainty.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Shi Rui smiled gently and said, “If the Gu recipe is enough to make you hesitate, it must have significant negative effects. Since there’s a downside, don’t refine it.”

Shi Haojun was momentarily stunned, looking at the beautiful woman in his arms. As if a burden had been lifted from his heart, he suddenly laughed and said, "Alright, I'll listen to you. I won’t refine this kind of Gu recipe anymore."

"Even for the sake of this little cutie inside, I shouldn't touch such a dangerous Gu recipe."

Shi Haojun leaned close to the woman’s abdomen, his eyes full of affection.

Shi Rui gently stroked her slightly protruding belly, showing a happy smile, and said, "I’ve heard it’s a girl. Why don't you give her a name now?"

"A daughter, huh? Daughters are great, they’re cuter and closer to the heart. I'll give her a cute name then—let's call her Shi Duo. Do you think it's cute enough?"

"Good! Then our daughter will be called Shi Duo. It’s indeed a cute name." Shi Rui said with happiness.

Suddenly, Shi Haojun gently set the woman down and looked into the distance, his smile fading into seriousness. "Those tomb raiders only stole a small part of that grand tomb. I’m thinking of going back to take another look."

"I overheard their thoughts—there’s a peak-grade spiritual herb in the burial hall of the tomb. But the Sleeping hall is extremely dangerous. The tomb raiders suffered heavy losses and didn’t manage to take the tomb’s treasure."

"Now that I know there’s a peak-grade spiritual herb in the burial hall, it would be a shame not to take it."

"I’m planning to enter the tomb personally. The resources within that tomb are far beyond what you can imagine. If I succeed, we’ll never have to worry about cultivation resources for the rest of our lives."

"I might be gone for a while. Stay home and take care of yourself, don’t go anywhere."

Shi Haojun’s eyes burned with ambition as he gazed toward the west.

Upon hearing this, Shi Rui’s joy turned to worry.

How could a tomb be easy to rob? Judging by the deadly plague that no one could solve, the tomb was bound to be filled with dangers, a place where death was almost certain.

She didn’t want Shi Haojun to take such risks—she hated it. She was scared of losing him. Every day he was gone would leave her sleepless, filled with anxiety.

Shi Rui didn’t care about endless resources; she only wished for his complete safety.

Her lips moved as if to speak, but in the end, she didn’t voice her objections. "Be careful. I’ll be here waiting for you."

"Mhm!" Shi Haojun nodded solemnly. He kissed her worried face and confidently said, "Don’t worry, there won’t be any danger. Who am I? I’m Shi Haojun. I’m invincible!"

"A mere tomb won’t stop me. I will definitely return alive. I still need to see my little girl. There’s no way I’ll die in there. I’m setting off now—wait for my good news."

After one more kiss, Shi Haojun turned and walked toward the gate of the courtyard.

"Haojun..."

Shi Rui watched his back with concern, taking a few steps forward before stopping.

Shi Haojun paused, turned his head to look at her, and smiled. "Wait for me to come back..."

With that, Shi Haojun steeled his heart and left.

…

Two months later.

"Shi Rui, I’m back! Hahaha… We’ll never worry about resources for the rest of our lives. Hahaha… Look at all the treasures I’ve brought back for you…"

As Shi Haojun re-entered the courtyard, his laughter suddenly stopped. The smile on his face froze.

The beautiful and virtuous woman was no longer waiting for him, eagerly anticipating his return as she usually did.

Instead, the courtyard was draped in white silk, and in the center of the house stood a prominent coffin with a large “?” character on it.[1]

His vision went black, and he almost fainted.

"Where is Shi Rui? Where is she?"

He didn’t dare to think about what his heart was suggesting. Clinging to one last sliver of hope, he grabbed someone nearby and demanded an answer.

"Brother!"

The man pointed to a large box on the table. Shi Haojun turned his head toward the box, his hand trembling as he slowly lifted the lid.

When his gaze fell upon what was inside, his eyes instantly filled with rage...

…

"No!!"

Shi Haojun suddenly sat up in bed, gasping for breath. His face was twisted in anger, and his eyes were bloodshot, radiating a terrifying killing intent.

After a long while, he finally calmed down. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was composed. He slowly climbed out of bed, opened the door, and walked outside.

However, instead of the fresh air he expected, the smell of blood filled his nostrils. The air was thick with the stench of death.

He stepped into the street, where corpses lay strewn about. The entire street was littered with bodies—too many to count. Blood had already formed rivers, staining the earth red.

The street was covered with corpses, their faces contorted in terror, as if they had died in extreme agony.

Shi Haojun walked, stepping over the countless bodies, slowly making his way toward the city gate.

Above the gate, the words “Black Moon City” were carved in large characters, standing out starkly.

At this moment, those words were drenched in blood, making them appear even more terrifying.

...

1. In this context, "?" is often used in the phrase "??" (diàn gu?n), which means "to lay in the coffin" or "to place in the coffin". It can also be used in other funeral-related phrases, such as "??" (diàn yí), meaning "funeral rites" or "burial ceremony".