The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu-Chapter 436: The Mysterious Mine

"Very well! Since everyone is so confident in their own strength, I shall say no more."

After Cha Shan finished speaking, he withdrew his gaze and looked toward the surging river.

With large amounts of tea and wine poured into it, the river had undergone a massive transformation.

The water became extremely turbulent, the current fierce, creating towering waves that crashed against the riverbanks. In the center, eight small whirlpools lined up in a row.

As time passed, these eight whirlpools grew larger and larger, almost emptying the river, their tips reaching straight to the riverbed.

At the bottom of each whirlpool, eight bottomless black holes emerged, so deep that even light couldn't penetrate them. Just looking at them inspired fear—no one knew where they led.

"Has the River God Secret Realm finally opened? Could this be the entrance? This passageway is quite unique."

"It should be. These eight black holes must be the gateways to the River God Secret Realm. But why are there eight of them? And what is the difference between them?"

"Which one should we choose? I can sense that each black hole emits a different type of spiritual energy. Could it be that each leads to a different world?"

As the black holes appeared, the crowd murmured among themselves. Most people's eyes were filled with excitement, eager to jump in.

Jiu Kang smiled, looked around, and spoke loudly, "Everyone, these eight black holes are the entrances to the River God Secret Realm. If you wish to enter, simply choose one and jump in."

"But each black hole leads to a different world, corresponding to the attributes of metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, thunder, and ice. Each world has varying degrees of danger and difficulty, but the differences aren't too great—it depends on the individual."

"Choose whichever world suits you best. Now, make your selection."

As soon as Jiu Kang finished speaking, the crowd could no longer hold back and quickly leaped into different black holes.

Nearly a thousand Gu cultivators on the shore dived in like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, each choosing their own path.

Long Xuan did not jump in immediately. The danger of these black holes didn't just come from the worlds themselves—the greatest threat would be other people.

Instead of choosing based on the world's elemental attribute, he first observed where the most formidable competitors had gone.

Once most people had made their choice, Long Xuan noticed that the metal-attribute black hole had the fewest dangerous individuals. Without hesitation, he jumped in.

Shui Juanyun had been keeping an eye on him. The moment Long Xuan entered the metal black hole, he followed without hesitation.

…

Long Xuan felt a wave of dizziness, and when he regained his senses, he found himself in a strange world.

This world was desolate, filled with rolling hills but completely devoid of greenery. The wind howled, kicking up yellow sand that stung like blades against his face.

Looking around, he saw that all the others who had entered the metal-attribute black hole were nearby. No one acted rashly; each person had a serious expression, first choosing to observe their surroundings carefully.

"Haha! This place is overflowing with treasures! Don't be fooled by the lack of vegetation or life—it may seem barren, but…"

"This land is rich with mountains, and many of them contain valuable treasures, precious metals of all kinds."

"If I’m not mistaken, this entire area is one giant mining zone, filled with countless mineral deposits. Even rare metals can be found here!"

"This place is an absolute treasure trove of mineral resources, beyond anyone's imagination! We're going to make a fortune!"

An old man gazed at the vast expanse of mountains, his face flushed with excitement, eyes gleaming with greed.

The others also started breathing heavily, staring at the mountains with the same hunger in their eyes.

"Heh! What's the point of getting excited? The River God Secret Realm has a time limit—you won’t be allowed to stay here mining forever."

"We only have half a month to find treasures, and this is just the first stage. We’ll need even more time for the later challenges."

"Mining takes time and effort. With such limited time, how much can you even mine?"

A female Gu cultivator's voice rang out. It was like a bucket of cold water poured over everyone’s heads, instantly sobering them up. Their expressions returned to normal.

Their faces turned grim as they reluctantly looked away from the mines.

She was right—their time here was too short. Staying to mine would be a waste.

If the first stage already contained such abundant treasures, what kind of riches would await them in the later stages?

They needed to dedicate most of their time to those. It would be foolish to waste it all here.

"Jiu Qi! Your Jiu Clan has been entering the River God Secret Realm for generations. Even if each person only brings back a little information, after so many years, your clan must have a thorough understanding of this place."

"What dangers exist in this mining area? Can you tell us in detail?"

One person turned to look at a young Gu cultivator from the Jiu Clan. The crowd immediately followed, all eyes fixed on him.

Seeing everyone's expectant gaze, Jiu Qi smiled bitterly and sighed. "You're right. After countless generations, our Jiu Clan has indeed gathered a vast amount of intelligence on this place."

"No one understands the River God Secret Realm better than the Gu cultivators of the Jiu Clan."

"But I have searched through all the records in my clan, and I have never seen any mention of this mining zone."

"Our clan has no records of this terrain whatsoever. No one knows where this mine came from."

"Believe me or not, I genuinely have no knowledge of this place."

"But one thing is certain—there is definitely danger here. Proceed with caution, everyone."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at him with suspicion, their gazes growing increasingly hostile.

The Jiu clan was established right next to the River God’s Secret Realm, yet he claimed to know nothing about this place. Who would believe that?

Just as the crowd was about to confront him, a Gu cultivator from the Cha clan furrowed his brows and said solemnly, "He is not lying. He truly doesn’t know the situation here."

"We of the Cha clan are also frequent visitors to the River God’s Secret Realm, and we were confident that we had gathered all the intelligence on it. But after reviewing all the ancient texts within our clan, I have never come across any records mentioning this mine."

"This mine must have appeared for the first time, or perhaps it existed a long, long time ago—so long ago that it predates our clan's recorded history, which is why we have no knowledge of it."

Hearing this, the crowd finally calmed down and no longer doubted the authenticity of Jiu Qi’s words.

If even the Cha clan’s Gu cultivators were unaware of this place, then this terrain truly must have appeared for the first time.

The emergence of a mysterious landscape was never a good thing for them.

Everything about the new terrain was unknown, containing hidden dangers. They had no intelligence on this place, and the greatest danger always came from the unknown—what they didn’t know could very well be the death of them.

"So what do we do now? No one knows what dangers lie ahead, and no one has the courage to scout the path. We can't just stay here forever."

"How about we capture some cannon fodder to explore ahead?"

A fat Gu King in the crowd smirked wickedly as he suggested this.

As soon as he spoke, all the Spiritual Sea Stage Gu cultivators showed fear, and many subconsciously took a few steps back, afraid of being chosen as sacrificial scouts.

"Heh! Do you really think you’re still a Gu King?"

"Here, all Gu Kings’ cultivation realms have dropped to the Spiritual Sea Stage. Haven’t you realized that your realm is no longer that of a Gu King?"

"And along with this downgrade, your Gu insects have also weakened. Under these circumstances, while a Gu King can still defeat a Spiritual Sea Stage cultivator, the difference is no longer as vast as heaven and earth."

"Those so-called ‘cannon fodder’ are no longer at your mercy. You can’t just order them around as you please."

"Take back your arrogance before you make a fool of yourself."

A bold young man at the Spiritual Sea Stage level stood in the crowd, completely unafraid of the Gu King, and spoke with open disdain.

Perhaps he had the strength to dominate within his realm, which was why he truly did not fear a Gu King whose cultivation had been forcibly suppressed.

The fat Gu King’s face twisted in rage. Just as he was about to charge forward and tear the insolent brat apart, he saw that all the Spiritual Sea Stage cultivators had already gathered together, forming a defensive group.

He had no choice but to stop in his tracks.

Indeed, outside of this place, these Spiritual Sea Stage cultivators were mere ants to him—easily slaughtered at will. But here, they possessed the power to threaten him.

One-on-one, he could still handle them, but if they banded together, rushing in recklessly would be suicide.

"Brat, you’re courting death. Those people may protect you for now, but they can’t shield you forever." The fat Gu King roared in anger.

"Hmph! That’s only if you even figure out who I am. Besides, do you really think you’ll make it out alive? I’d actually love to experience the feeling of slaughtering a Gu King across a major realm gap."

Facing the fury of a Gu King, the young man remained utterly unfazed, even curling his lips into a sneer as he continued provoking him.

"You…!"

"Enough! Both of you, calm down."

An elder Gu King, respected and experienced, stepped forward to mediate. "This is only the first trial, yet you’re already fighting among yourselves."

"No matter how difficult the first trial is, how hard could it possibly be? There's no need to send cannon fodder to cautiously scout ahead. Our time is precious."

"I say we all go in together and crush whatever obstacles stand in our way with overwhelming strength."

"I refuse to believe that the first trial is difficult enough to wipe us all out."

"Agreed! Sending people as pathfinders is far too cruel. Let’s all proceed together. We’ll face whatever danger comes our way as a group—no one should try to take advantage of others." Another elderly Gu King spoke up.

"Fine! Then let’s move forward together. I am confident I can handle this first trial, but I’m not sure about certain others."

The fat Gu King shot a cold, menacing glance at the young man, his killing intent completely undisguised.

He couldn't act now, but once they encountered danger and the Spiritual Sea Stage cultivators were scattered, it would be all too easy to take advantage of the chaos and eliminate the brat.