The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu-Chapter 434: Shui Lao’s Conspiracy

Everyone in the arena immediately focused their gaze on him.

"In that case, I won't stand on ceremony."

Long Xuan adjusted his clothes, walked onto the stage with a smile, and headed straight for the coffee tree. Under the astonished and puzzled gazes of the crowd, he took the coffee tree away.

"This..."

"Little friend, this tree appears to contain the spiritual energy of a peak-grade spiritual herb, but it is actually useless. Its value is far from being the highest among all the treasures here."

"Why don't you take another look?" Cha Shan suggested with a puzzled expression, kindly advising him.

"No need! I’ll choose this tree."

With that, Long Xuan said no more and slowly walked off the stage.

Seeing him choose this tree, the lower-ranked participants, though confused, let out a long sigh of relief. Since this person had chosen the most useless treasure, the more valuable ones would naturally be left for them—something they couldn't ask for more.

"Why did you choose this tree? In my opinion, this is the least valuable treasure among all. You’ve completely wasted your first pick!"

As soon as Long Xuan stepped down, Shui Lao couldn't wait to send him a soul-transmitted message.

"I have my own use for it. As for the specifics, there's no need for you to ask, Shui Lao." Long Xuan replied simply and said no more.

Shui Lao fell into deep thought. He was well aware that this tree must have great significance for Long Xuan—otherwise, only a fool would take it.

The fact that Long Xuan ignored all other treasures and specifically chose this tree showed that, in his eyes, its value surpassed everything else here.

Shui Lao couldn't help but feel curious. Could it be that Long Xuan had already discovered the tree’s true function? If so, then it could indeed be a genuine peak-grade spiritual herb!

"You’d better be careful next. Even though you didn’t carry the Heavenly Water on you, you used it to brew tea, and Shui Wuqing has already sensed it."

"From now on, we must avoid any contact, lest he figures out my identity." Shui Lao transmitted his voice again.

"Understood. I’ll be cautious."

Long Xuan glanced at a certain individual from the corner of his eye, his vigilance rising.

In the River God’s Secret Realm, Gu Kings and Gu Insects would all be suppressed to the Spiritual Sea Realm. Under such circumstances, the only advantages a Gu King had over Spiritual Sea Realm Gu Cultivators were their rich battle experience and powerful soul.

In this case, Long Xuan was confident that he had nothing to fear from Shui Wuqing. Even if he couldn’t win, he could at least protect himself.

If he joined forces with Shui Lao, victory in this battle would be almost certain.

What truly concerned him, however, was what would happen after killing Shui Wuqing—who would claim the Two-Yuan Heavy Water he left behind? Would it go to himself or Shui Lao?

Did Shui Lao have his own designs on the Two-Yuan Heavy Water? Would there be a conflict over the spoils after killing Shui Wuqing? That was his real concern.

Despite their seemingly good relationship, like old friends despite their age difference, Long Xuan had never truly trusted Shui Lao. The reason Shui Lao generously gave him the Heavenly Water was that, with his previous strength, he was completely incapable of suppressing it.

After reshaping his physical body, Shui Lao was merely a Spiritual Gathering Initial Stage Gu Cultivator. No matter how powerful his techniques were, he couldn’t possibly control the Heavenly Water.

But what about when he recovered his Gu King Realm strength? Would he try to reclaim the Heavenly Water then? Would he really be willing to part with such an unparalleled treasure?

"Hmph! He’d better not have any funny ideas. Does he really think that just because he didn’t consume the pill he refined, he’ll be safe?"

Long Xuan found a secluded spot, sat down, and quietly waited for the tea ceremony event to begin

...

Meanwhile, on the other side.

"Ancestor, weren’t you a close friend of that person despite the age gap? If you join hands with him, dealing with Shui Wuqing would be more than enough. Why involve me?"

Shui Juanyun frowned as he looked at the elder beside him and spoke through soul transmission.

"You and I are from the same clan. If I hadn't run into you, that would be one thing. But now that I have, why would I choose to cooperate with an outsider rather than my own kin?"

"Moreover, he possesses One-Yuan Heavy Water and even has the ambition to obtain Two-Yuan Heavy Water. That alone makes it impossible for us to truly work together."

"One-Yuan Heavy Water is the sacred water that our clan has guarded for generations. No matter how close my relationship with him is, I absolutely cannot let it fall into an outsider’s hands. Otherwise, I, Shui Wuque, would truly become the sinner of our clan."

Hearing this, Shui Juanyun was startled and quickly asked, "Ancestor, have you already given him the One-Yuan Heavy Water?"

"How could you do that? If I were him, I would have killed you without hesitation. I can't guarantee that once you regain your Gu King realm, you won’t take back the Heavenly Water."

"Hmph!" Shui Lao snorted coldly. "Kill me? He never had the chance from the very beginning."

"Before I escaped my predicament, even if I couldn't defeat him, I could have self-destructed the Heavenly Water and perished with him."

"Do you really think I gave him the Heavenly Water out of foolishness?"

"At that time, after I restored my physical body, I was only at the early-stage Spirit Gathering realm. If he had truly subdued the Heavenly Water, he could have easily killed me to eliminate any future threats. Do you think I wouldn't have been on guard?"

"I have already died once. How could I possibly gamble my life on someone's character?"

"To be honest, I had two intentions in helping him subdue the Heavenly Water."

"First, it was for self-preservation. While assisting him in refining the Heavenly Water, I secretly tampered with it, ensuring that I could make it lose control inside his body at any moment."

"If he ever harbors ill intent toward me, I can guarantee that he will be the first to die."

"Second, it was to entrap Shui Wuqing. Once Shui Wuqing learns that he possesses the One-Yuan Heavy Water, he will certainly kill him to seize it."

"And the moment Shui Wuqing takes that tainted One-Yuan Heavy Water—whether he tries to refine it or merely keeps it on his person—his death will be inevitable."

"This plan allows me to kill two birds with one stone."

"However, that brat is extremely cunning. I don’t know if he has seen through my scheme, but he has always kept the Heavenly Water on his clone instead of his main body." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"If the Heavenly Water goes out of control, the only thing lost would be a mere clone. His true body will remain completely unharmed."

"If he is truly willing to sacrifice a clone just to strike at me, I cannot guarantee that I will come out victorious."

"That's why I must join hands with you. You are the most talented genius our clan has seen in a hundred years. If we work together, we will be more than capable of killing either him or Shui Wuqing."

"If we succeed, you will be able to return to the clan with honor, and I will help you ascend to the position of clan leader."

Shui Juanyun’s gaze flickered with hesitation before finally showing some interest. After a brief silence, he asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Shui Lao smiled and said, "Using the fact that we are of the same clan, I invited you to accompany us on this journey. The goal was to have you get closer to him, ideally even becoming his friend."

"So far, my plan has worked. After spending several days together, your relationship with him has improved significantly."

"Even if he does not trust you completely, his guard against you must be quite low. The moment you launch a sneak attack, you will surely gain the upper hand."

"But perhaps you won’t even need to make a move. He may die at Shui Wuqing’s hands first."

"When we reach the River God’s Secret Realm, we will decide our course of action based on the situation."

The two of them whispered their secret plans to each other. However, what Shui Lao did not know was that Long Xuan and Shui Juanyun already had past conflicts. There was no way Long Xuan would ever trust him.

In the end, Shui Lao’s carefully laid hidden scheme was destined to be in vain.