The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu-Chapter 443: Continuing the Deception

Not long after, the eight teleportation gates in the great hall suddenly disappeared, replaced by a black teleportation gate that materialized out of thin air.

The gate was as dark as ink, emanating a faint purple glow. Its frame was much larger than the previous eight teleportation gates.

It wasn’t difficult to guess—this teleportation gate was the entrance to the second stage of the River God’s Secret Realm.

Seeing that Shui Juanyun had not emerged from the previous teleportation gates, Long Xuan felt relieved. He thought to himself, “Since those eight gates have already disappeared, even if Shui Juanyun is still alive, he will most likely be trapped in there until he dies.” Finally, he was at ease.

Given what had happened in the first stage, everyone was wary of the second stage. They feared that the second stage of the River God’s Secret Realm would also present unforeseen dangers, possibly even deadlier ones. As a result, no one rushed into the teleportation gate immediately, their faces filled with hesitation.

Seeing the crowd’s hesitation, Jiu Kang stepped forward and spoke:

"Everyone, the geniuses of my clan have entered the River God’s Secret Realm countless times. Our clan has detailed records of each stage of the secret realm."

"According to these records, the second stage of the River God’s Secret Realm is filled with spiritual herbs—so many that they cannot possibly all be harvested. Among them are rare species that have long been extinct. If you manage to find them, you will become rich overnight."

"But time is limited. Once you enter the second stage, don’t waste time collecting every herb you see. Instead, focus on finding the most valuable ones within the given time."

"The primary danger of the second stage comes from the guardian spirit beasts. The more precious the herb, the stronger the guardian spirit beast protecting it."

"The greedier a person is, the more likely they are to die in this stage. As long as you can control your greed and avoid touching the most valuable herbs, you should not face life-threatening danger."

"Of course, these records are based on past experiences. This time, the River God’s Secret Realm has clearly undergone major changes. There is a high probability that the second stage will be very different from before."

"I don’t know what’s inside or how dangerous it is. The intelligence our clan has collected over the years is for reference only."

"But one thing is certain—no matter how difficult the second stage is, we must enter."

"You’ve all seen it—there’s only one gate here. If we want to get out, we have no choice but to keep moving forward. There are no other options. Staying here will only mean being trapped until we die."

Hearing this, everyone’s expressions darkened.

The River God’s Secret Realm only allowed entry, not exit. The only way out was to clear all the stages. This meant they were being forced to endure every deadly challenge the secret realm had to offer.

There was no doubt—since the first stage had been made more difficult, the later stages would only become more treacherous. How many of them could actually make it to the final stage alive? Silence filled the room.

However, there were always those who were unafraid of death.

Without a hint of hesitation, Zhu Jiuge stepped into the teleportation gate and vanished.

Watching the girl’s departing figure, Long Xuan’s mind stirred.

He had seen something within her—an infinite progress rate. As far as he knew, even the Ten Forbidden Gu did not possess such an ability. Only the Ten Innate Spirit Gu had an infinite progress rate.

The Ten Innate Spirit Gu were as old as the heavens and earth themselves, having reincarnated through countless human hosts over the ages. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Given the misfortune that befell anyone who associated with her, Long Xuan’s first thought was the Doom Gu—one of the Ten Innate Spirit Gu that could absorb a person’s luck.

The one who possessed the Doom Gu would become the Child of Destiny. Anyone who tried to kill them would suffer unexpected calamities and die. In other words, the owner of the Doom Gu was truly unkillable.

With only ten options, the answer was obvious.

Could Zhu Jiuge really be carrying the Doom Gu? Long Xuan was stunned by the thought.

After Zhu Jiuge entered, the second person to follow was Qi Chi. With a flash, he entered the teleportation gate and disappeared.

Seeing the others still hesitating, Long Xuan grew impatient. Without waiting any longer, he became the third person to rush into the teleportation gate.

Since going through this gate was the only way out, there was no point in hesitating.

Seeing him enter, Shui Wuqing sneered and followed closely behind, becoming the fourth person to step inside.

Watching this unfold, Shui Lao smirked coldly and thought to himself:

"So impatient? Truly a rash fool!"

"But that boy is unfathomable—not someone you can easily take down. Even with your Spiritual Sea-stage cultivation, it's hard to say whether you'll win or lose against him. You better not underestimate him and end up in disgrace."

Shui Lao crossed his arms, making no move to enter immediately.

His intentions were obvious. He wanted to delay his entry, allowing the two inside to fight to the point of exhaustion so he could reap the benefits afterward and take control of both Heavenly Waters.

..

As Long Xuan’s vision blurred, he suddenly found himself in a vast green world.

The landscape was filled with spiritual herbs of all kinds. Colorful spirit flowers covered the ground, with butterflies and bees dancing among them. The place brimmed with life.

The air here was incredibly fresh, and the spiritual energy was more than ten times denser than the outside world. The moment Long Xuan arrived, he felt revitalized, as if every cell in his body was breathing freely.

This was a paradise—a sacred land for cultivation that outsiders would fight over endlessly.

"Hmm?"

Before Long Xuan could fly too far, he sensed a murderous intent from behind him. Instinctively, he turned around and saw Shui Wuqing charging toward him, eyes filled with killing intent.

Clearly, his target was Long Xuan—most likely aiming for the Heavenly Water within him.

"What is Shui Lao playing at? Shui Wuqing has already entered, yet he still hasn’t shown up."

Glancing at the teleportation gate, Long Xuan saw waves of Gu Cultivators pouring in, yet Shui Lao remained absent. His brows furrowed.

Was he waiting for him and Shui Wuqing to weaken each other before stepping in?

A sneer appeared on Long Xuan’s lips. "Wishful thinking. I won’t play into your hands."

Eyes gleaming, Long Xuan sped toward a distant figure.

Since they had entered the teleportation gate in quick succession, he soon caught up with her.

Sensing someone approaching from behind, Zhu Jiuge instinctively stopped and turned around, thinking they had something to say.

However, to her surprise, the person did not stop. Instead, he circled around her and hid behind her.

Before she could react, Shui Wuqing’s attack had already arrived.

Shui Wuqing gathered a sharp water vortex in his hand, aiming directly for her heart.

Seeing Long Xuan shamelessly using a young girl as a human shield, Shui Wuqing’s mouth twitched. He was momentarily stunned by such audacity.

As a battle-hardened Gu King, he could have easily withdrawn his attack. However, despite realizing his mistake, he didn’t slow down. Instead, he increased his force by another three points.

The Shui clan and the Zhu clan were mortal enemies. Facing such a monstrous talent from the Zhu clan, he had long wanted her dead.

As the clan head, he couldn’t openly attack a junior without provoking all-out war between their clans.

But now, with someone else using Zhu Jiuge as a shield, he had a perfect excuse—an "accident."

Just as he reveled in his sinister thoughts, he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. His face contorted in pain, and his vortex attack dissipated.

Kneeling on one knee, hands pressing against the ground, he coughed up more blood, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Impossible! The Heavenly Water inside him had rebelled!

Why now, of all times?

Staggering, Shui Wuqing cursed and fled in agony.