The Path of Immortality: Starts With Creating Water Bear Gu-Chapter 474: Meritorious Deed

[TL - Virtual Gu is Void Gu btw, sorry for the mistranslation]

Four months later.

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

“Boom!”

…

One wave after another of black mist violently struck the barrier, causing deafening explosions with every impact.

Under the repeated bombardment, the barrier flickered continuously with light, but it remained unshaken, holding firm against all the black mist attacks.

Long Xuan stood before a massive metal pillar, with the blazing flames of the Sunset Fire engulfing the golden pillar. Under the pressure of his formidable soul power, invisible, intricate array patterns were etched onto the pillar—one after another.

In just a palm-sized area, there were more than ten thousand array runes.

And how many such palm-sized areas did this giant pillar have? And how many such giant pillars were there in total?

A grand formation capable of sealing a True Spirit could never be simple—the sheer number of formation foundations required was far beyond imagination.

It was only thanks to Long Xuan’s ability to control a vast number of soul fragments that he could borrow their strength to carve these array formation patterns. Otherwise, with just his own power, completing such an enormous task would be utterly impossible.

Without the assistance of his soul fragments, even if he spent a hundred years here, he might still never finish and leave this place.

But by using his own soul fragments, along with the fragments of his various clones, he compressed what would’ve been a century of work into just four months.

"Four months have passed already. How much longer do you need?" asked Zhu Jiuge impatiently from the side.

She was of no help with the array formation, but she had accompanied Long Xuan here for four whole months without leaving.

Although she had stayed, her cultivation hadn’t stagnated at all—this place’s spiritual energy density was astonishing, even greater than that of the Demon Suppressing Pagoda above. What was dangerous for others was a sacred training ground for a genius like her.

After four months of cultivation here, Zhu Jiuge had completely stabilized her Gu King realm.

"Almost done. It will definitely be finished today."

Long Xuan allowed a rare smile to tug at his lips. Less than a day remained, and he could finally leave this cursed place.

He didn’t want to stay in this lightless abyss a moment longer.

"By the way, my clone outside has detected a large number of Gu Kings. Things may be taking a bad turn—something big is happening outside," Long Xuan said with a slight frown, his expression turning solemn.

His Fire Clone had remained outside refining Go Gu for him, and thus had a clear understanding of external events.

At this moment, a vast number of Gu Kings had gathered within the Holy Gu Academy. A rough estimate suggested nearly a thousand—was this the hidden strength of an academy in wartime? Long Xuan couldn't help clicking his tongue in amazement.

And the opposing force confronting the Holy Gu Academy's Gu Kings was no less significant. It looked to be an alliance of many demonic sects. Although they had fewer Gu Kings, none of them seemed afraid, each one bearing savage auras and fierce eyes. Clearly, they had come well-prepared.

Both sides stood locked in confrontation at the academy gates, a tense standoff on the verge of erupting into full-scale battle.

Long Xuan was immensely curious about what event could possibly bring so many Gu Kings into conflict and felt a strong urge to rush out and see for himself.

“Don’t concern yourself with them. Our task is to repair the formation here—everything else is irrelevant to us.”

Although Zhu Jiugē said this, her gaze was still fixed in that direction, worry etched into her eyes.

Meanwhile, on the surface…

“Heh… Headmaster, we meet again. Our last fight didn’t satisfy me. How about we settle this once and for all today?”

With a light chuckle, a handsome young man stepped out from the crowd, his sharp eyes locked onto the elder leading the opposite group.

“Humph! Ancestor Soaring Heaven! You actually dare invade my Holy Gu Academy? Do you really think you can swallow us whole with just this small army? Be careful not to break your own teeth!”

The Headmaster’s gaze swept past the many Gu Kings behind the young man. The more he saw, the heavier his heart grew.

These weren’t ordinary people—they were infamous demonic cultivators from the Central Lands, many of whom were actual sect leaders. Each one had a fearsome reputation. With such a force, even without Ancestor Soaring Heaven himself, the damage they could inflict on the Holy Gu Academy would be catastrophic.

“Old man, I’m not here to chat. Let’s cut to the chase. We’ve taken a liking to this place. Take your people and leave, and I promise no blood will be spilled.”

Ancestor Soaring Heaven wasted no time and stared at the Headmaster with murderous intent, his words laced with threat.

“Hahahaha…” The Headmaster let out a mad laugh, then glared back coldly. “How arrogant—you covet our land and want to drive us out? The Soaring Heaven Sect really is tyrannical.”

“You’re targeting the Demon Suppressing Pagoda, aren’t you? Can’t move it, so now you want to take the land it stands on.”

“But with so many factions on your side, are you sure there’s enough of the tower to go around?”

The Headmaster glanced over the faces of the various demonic cultivators, an ambiguous smile forming on his face.

“No need to sow discord. We’ve already discussed the division—it’s none of your concern.”

Greed shone in Soaring Heaven’s eyes as he sneered, “To think your Holy Gu Academy actually sealed a True Spirit and has been using its immense spiritual energy to mass-produce experts. Bold move.”

“All factions desire that True Spirit energy. My Soaring Heaven Sect also needs such a sacred cultivation ground. That Demon Suppressing Pagoda—I will have it! Will you hand it over or not?”

Ancestor Soaring Heaven narrowed his eyes and delivered another cold threat.

“Humph! You only see this place as a cultivation tool. You know nothing of what it truly means. Giving it to you would be a disaster for mankind.”

“No more talk. I will never give you the Demon Suppressing Pagoda. If you want it, you’ll have to step over my corpse.”

The Headmaster turned his head toward the students and instructors behind him, his voice resonating with power: “All instructors and disciples—hear my order! Swear to defend the Holy Gu Academy to the death!”

At that command, all those behind him shouted in unison: “Swear to defend the Holy Gu Academy to the death!”

The shout rang through the sky, shaking the clouds.

Ancestor Soaring Heaven’s expression darkened. Coldly, he said, “Since you reject the toast, you’ll drink the penalty. You want death? I’ll grant it.”

“Kill them all! Leave none alive!”

With a wave of his hand, countless demonic cultivators rushed forward, grinning malevolently, clashing with the Holy Gu Academy’s Gu Masters in a brutal melee.

At the very moment the two forces collided, Gu Kings began to fall. Both sides suffered casualties, but due to their superior numbers, the academy initially held the advantage.

Ancestor Soaring Heaven didn’t strike immediately. As his own side started to suffer more losses, rather than being worried, a wicked smile crept onto his face.

The group he brought was a temporary alliance of major demonic forces bound together by mutual interests. If these forces suffered losses, it was actually a beneficial outcome for him.

The Headmaster also remained still, locking his aura firmly onto Ancestor Soaring Heaven, eyes staring intently at him.

"Ancestor Soaring Heaven, what are you waiting for! Just casually strike down that old man! If you delay any longer, all our people will be dead!"

After a while, an enraged voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. Ancestor Soaring Heaven knew he couldn’t afford to wait any longer. While the deaths of some Gu cultivators in the alliance might serve his interests, excessive losses would not.

At that moment, he pulled out a small silver pagoda with nine tiers from his robes and held it in his hand. He looked at the Headmaster with a sly smile.

"Take a look at this. Do you know what it is?"

"Old man, I’ll give you one final chance. Order your people to surrender right now—there’s still time."

"Otherwise, I guarantee—no one here will leave alive," Ancestor Soaring Heaven said viciously, his eyes sharp as knives.

Seeing the silver tower, the Headmaster’s heart sank. His gaze became extremely grave.

"The Spirit-Sealing Pagoda? So it really is in your hands!"

"Hmph! Just to harness the power of this tower, you exterminated your entire clan? Such a heinous, inhuman act—anyone with a conscience would demand your death!"

"Even if it costs me my life, I, old as I am, will uphold the Heavens' justice today!"

With a thunderous roar, the Headmaster finally charged toward Ancestor Soaring Heaven!

"Stubborn fool!"

Ancestor Soaring Heaven’s expression turned cold. He patted his Insect Pouch, which trembled violently—but nothing seemed to fly out.

However, upon seeing this gesture, the Headmaster’s face changed dramatically, as if encountering something terrifying. He hurriedly tossed out a massive golden bell that enveloped his entire body.

“Clang…”

Just as he activated the bell, a deafening peal echoed through the air, as if it had been struck by something unseen.

At the same time, several white marks appeared on the surface of the golden bell.

“The Vajra Bell? I didn’t expect you to have such a treasure. Consider yourself lucky.”

Since his attack failed, Ancestor Soaring Heaven soared into the sky. At the same time, the silver nine-tiered pagoda in his palm also floated up, rapidly enlarging until it reached the size of a regular tower.

The moment the Spirit-Sealing Pagoda stopped expanding, the doors of the first through fourth floors all opened at once. Although no one could see what flew out, the turbulent winds and the intense "whoosh" sounds revealed that a great number of things had been released.

Very soon, the previously dominant Gu cultivators from the Holy Gu Academy began to fall in pools of blood.

These fallen cultivators seemed to have been ambushed by unknown forces. Most of the fatal wounds were on their backs, with no time to react before they were slain—many died with eyes wide open, unwilling.

In just a blink, the Gu cultivators of the Holy Gu Academy suffered severe losses, and the battlefield instantly tilted in favor of Ancestor Soaring Heaven. The academy was thrown into complete disarray.

The sudden and strange ambush stunned the academy’s Gu cultivators. They looked around in panic, fearing another unseen strike.

Soon, they discovered that these attackers were completely invisible—no matter what they did, they couldn't see them. Their only option was to fully activate their defenses, but there was no real solution.

In such conditions, they couldn’t even focus on fighting their current enemies. From time to time, a Gu King from the academy was slain while distracted.

“Damn it!” the Headmaster roared, his eyes bloodshot.

To counter the Void Bugs used by Ancestor Soaring Heaven, he had gathered many Gu cultivators with Eye Gu, none of them weak in the Gu World. Yet, they still couldn’t perceive the Void Bugs hidden on the ninth floor.

Now, they could only be mercilessly slaughtered by Ancestor Soaring Heaven, completely powerless to resist. This battle was utterly hopeless.

The Headmaster clenched his fists, gritting his teeth tighter and tighter.

"Heh! Don’t waste your strength. Your preparations are useless. My Feng Clan was once the foremost Eye Technique Clan. If my Void Bugs could be so easily seen by Eye Gu, would I have needed to massacre my own clan to seize them?"

Ancestor Soaring Heaven laughed maniacally, looking mockingly at the Headmaster.

Meanwhile, near the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda, Long Xuan stood atop its spire, his expression grim as he gazed into the distance.

He had encountered these invisible bugs before—during his raid on the Mortal Nation for the Heaven-Mending Fruit.

Only Eye Gu and Spiritual Eyes could see these creatures known as Void Bugs. The stronger the pupil power, the more Void Bugs one could see. The most hidden ones could only be detected with the highest-tier Eye Gu.

Yet, in the face of Ancestor Soaring Heaven’s swarm, Long Xuan found that even his Heavenly Eye of Secret could only detect most of them. A small portion remained hidden.

One can only imagine how dangerous such imperceptible creatures are in battle.

"How many can you see?" Long Xuan turned to ask Zhu Jiuge.

Zhu Jiuge shook her head and sighed, “I only recently advanced to Gu King. Some Void insect and Void Gu are still invisible to me.”

“Do you have any way to see them all? If we can’t locate the ninth-floor Void insect, then the Holy Gu Academy is doomed,” she said urgently, frowning.

Long Xuan knew the gravity of the situation and dared not hold back. The academy’s survival benefited him greatly—he would not allow it to fall and let demonic cultivators take the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.

He finally unleashed his strongest secret, sweeping his sharp gaze across the battlefield. Instantly, markers began appearing in his vision, pinpointing various locations in the air.

To the naked eye, nothing could be seen in these spots.

Having identified the positions of the most deeply hidden Void Bugs, Long Xuan wasted no time. He immediately used Soul Voice Transmission to relay their coordinates.

Zhu Jiuge’s eyes lit up with surprise. Without asking how he found them, she darted straight into the battlefield.

Startled, Long Xuan almost stopped her but then remembered she was now a true Gu King—qualified to fight this war—so he reluctantly retracted his hand.

As Zhu Jiuge entered the battlefield, black shadows erupted from the ground one after another—countless in number. These shadows stood like vertical silhouettes, without substance, and were nearly immune to all attacks.

With Long Xuan’s guidance, they precisely knew the location of each Void Bug and charged in madly.

Long Xuan recognized them as Shadow Demons, born in the Shadow Realm—immune to all damage.

As they swarmed the battlefield, the Void Bugs seemed to meet their nemesis. Their attacks passed through the shadows harmlessly.

On the contrary, with knowledge of their exact positions, the Shadow Demons could effortlessly destroy the Void Bugs.

Soon, hordes of Void Bugs were slain. The pressure on the Holy Gu Academy drastically lessened.

And the Shadow Demons didn’t stop at killing Void Bugs—they also slaughtered the demonic cultivators. The magic cultivators’ attacks were equally ineffective against the Shadow Demons. As a result, countless demonic cultivators were quickly eliminated.

In the blink of an eye, the battlefield reversed again—Holy Gu Academy once more took the upper hand.

Seeing this, the Headmaster finally let out a long sigh of relief. In his heart, he couldn’t help but marvel—indeed, Zhu Jiuge’s heaven-defying luck could overcome any crisis.

Thankfully, she was here today—otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.