Longevity: Starting from Refining Gu

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Hu Yao timidly asked, "Are you saying that Ji Dang and the ancient dragon have both reached the southern part of the Death Realm?"

Xu Yaofeng was puzzled, "What's wrong?"

Hu Yao said, "Then I can lead the Demon Clan alliance to raid Ji Dang's headquarters, Chaotian City."

Xu Yaofeng asked, "Do you have enough troops under your command?"

Hu Yao replied, "I can still muster over a thousand great demons from the Ghost Face Realm."

Xu Yaofeng paid no mind to the Demon Clan's combat power at this moment, for any diversion of enemy forces was beneficial.

The battle strength of the Demon Clan had always been a mystery; at times, they were as fierce as Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, while at other times, they seemed less coordinated than a disorganized mob.

Xu Yaofeng sincerely expressed his gratitude, "Then I'm counting on you. The more troops, the better, and if you can make them pull back some forces for reinforcements, that would be excellent."

Xu Yaofeng said, "Earlier, we should have seized power from Shang Tong within the sect. Now he, under the guise of the Master of the Mortal World, has stripped the followers under his command of their right to communicate with the sect."

"He already controls a significant portion of the Jiguang Sect."

"If he were to defect from the Jiguang Sect, the situation could be very dire."

Listening to the current dire situation, Chen Qing felt a headache forming in his mind.

However, it wasn't unsolvable. With Hu Yao distracting some of Ji Dang's forces and Xu Yaofeng residing in the Death Realm for many years, he was indeed a general of his era when it came to its warfare.

They could just barely stand their ground.

Xu Yaofeng said, "I can no longer stay here; I must go out to prepare for the battle."

He respectfully looked at Chen Qing, "Senior, please excuse me for leaving first."

Chen Qing nodded slightly, "Go ahead."

Murong Lang, listening to the intense battlefield of the Death Realm on Chen Qing's side, showed a hint of envy.

He was currently very bored because after entering the Death Realm, relying on the "Book of Communication with Gods" and the "Nanli Common Gu Theory," he instantly became the recognized top Daoist Master.

Everyone was afraid something might happen to him, and there were over a hundred guards even in the Death Realm.

He was quite idle.

"By the way, Red Lotus, I have many Demon Clan texts here. Do you want them?"

Hu Yao, never one to turn away such offers, responded, "However many you have, I'll take them all!"

Hu Yao bargained with Murong Lang for a while; this little girl, now leading a large group of Demon Clan members, had become quite shrewd.

After half an hour, the gathering ended, and Chen Qing removed the bronze ghost mask from his face.

He pushed open the door and walked alone to the main hall.

After contemplating for a moment, he finally ordered, "Send word for Su Yi, Wei Qingchen, Qing Ran, Jiang Xingchuan, Zhang Can, and Ma Yuan to come see me!"

Zuo Chuan bowed and said, "Yes, Lord Wei, I'll go immediately."

The midnight summoning didn't keep Chen Qing waiting long; within a short hour, they all arrived.

Su Yi was the last to arrive, and upon entering the hall and seeing Chen Qing's furrowed brow, he immediately knew that the rumors from a few days ago might be true.

Chen Qing glanced at the assembled group and, seeing they were all present, ordered, "Send word to command Xuan Cuo, Xuan Mang, Yan Bailiang, Lu Shenglong to immediately lead all Dragon Cavalry forces and all Foundation Establishment Great Perfection under their command to Jiuhe City."

Su Yi bowed and said, "Yes, I'll go relay the command right away."

Chen Qing continued, "Wei Qingchen, prepare to open the Ghost Gate. As for the specific medium to enter the Death Realm, I'll inform you after consulting with Si Zhao."

Wei Qingchen hurriedly stood and bowed, saying, "I'll complete the task without fail!"

Chen Qing continued, "Send word for Qing Shan to return."

"Send word for Wushang and Li Liufeng to leave the Dao Origin Land and come to Jiuhe City to assume positions."

"Send orders for all scholar-teachers in the academy to disperse across the eight nations, establishing academies and educating the populace."

Chen Qing rose and approached Jiang Xingchuan, "Jiang Xingchuan, after I leave, all academy matters will be entrusted to you."

"This is a major responsibility. If my army is defeated, as long as the academy remains enduring, I'll still have the strength to rise again!"

Jiang Xingchuan felt the weight of this responsibility, "I understand, and I will definitely spread the Principal's writings throughout Jiuli!"

Chen Qing looked at Qing Ran and ordered, "Allocate all the longevity Gu; I want to reward the generals!"

"Besides the main armies, how many Foundation Establishment Great Perfection can your Shadow Guard muster?"

Qing Ran stood and bowed, "Lord Wei, six hundred Shadow Guards, ready for orders anytime!"

Chen Qing nodded, "Good!"

"The war has already begun, and none of us can escape it."

"Since we can't escape, we must win!"

"Our first group entering the Death Realm will consist of three thousand strong, with six hundred Shadow Guards."

Chen Qing felt the orders were mostly given, and said, "Go about your business, in life or death, I'll be with you all!"

"If I become king, each of you shall have a family with a legacy of thousands of years!"

Everyone stepped forward, kneeling respectfully, saying, "We pledge to follow Lord Wen to the death!"

Chen Qing had already prepared to transfer the position of Li Bingwei's Lord to Wushang, so naturally, everyone addressed him by the title they had long wished to use.

Lord Wen sounded much grander than Lord Wei.

Lord Wei was merely the leader of a faction.

But Lord Wen, emerging once every ten thousand years.

After dispersing everyone to their tasks, Chen Qing paced to the rear hall, where Xuanping and Yan Sisi were handling some intelligence.

When Xuanping saw Chen Qing approaching, she said, "I received news from Da Yan that Li Chonghuan plans to sever longevity."

"It seems what that Daoist said is true; Ji Dang has already entered the Death Realm ahead of us."

Yan Sisi suggested, "We could send a team of Death Soldiers to Da Yan to seek out the medium to open the Ghost Gate in Chaotian City."

Chen Qing was slightly surprised, "Are you saying we can deceive Ji Dang into thinking I'm entering the Death Realm from Chaotian City?"

Yan Sisi said, "If not for your brother's faith in Xu Yaofeng, we could have completely entered the Death Realm from Chaotian City."

"This way, even if Xu Yaofeng doesn't hold it, we wouldn't lose much."

"If he holds it, Ji Dang could find himself in a situation with no city to rely on."

Chen Qing smiled, "Xu Yaofeng must not be harmed; I have great use for him."

"The Demon Clan on the other side has agreed to send a detachment, perhaps enough to briefly distract Ji Dang."

Yan Sisi remarked, "That's not bad; with Chaotian City defenseless, the Demon Clan's assault would appear normal."

"Brother, where do you plan to enter the Death Realm from?"

Chen Qing said, "Tell Ma Yuan to summon Si Zhao, and I'll make the decision then."

Yan Sisi immediately nodded and began writing the orders.

Chen Qing stepped forward and placed three jade bottles on the table, "Leaving you three and Wushang behind is what I can't put at ease."

"These are three thousand-year-old longevity Gu I've painstakingly collected over the years."

"We're just a small household, unlike wealthy Great Sects, so we only have these three."

"Xuanping, you take them for when you need them to sever longevity in the future."

Yan Sisi said, "Brother, I don't need it; I can't practice cultivation."

Chen Qing took out a sword talisman from True Yang and handed it to Yan Sisi, "This is a sword talisman left to me by True Yang of the Upper Immortal Island when I once visited it."

"He said, should I need him for anything, I can crush this sword talisman."

"Just like you, he's an abnormal person, but perhaps he's found a way to cultivate."

"If I'm no longer here, crush this sword talisman and go with him."

"I promised your brother to find you a good place."

Yan Sisi stared at Chen Qing blankly, "Brother is my brother, and so is my big brother."

"In this sense, I should call you Second Brother."

Chen Qing sighed, "Back then, I competed with your big brother out of necessity, unrelated to you."

"Fortunately, your big brother didn't die by my hand, and you bear no grudge."

Xuanping and Yan Sisi were about to continue speaking when Chen Qing gestured for them to stop, "Don't worry, there's no way I'll be defeated."

"What about Ji Dang? Just a prince."

"I, Chen Qing, am not necessarily inferior to him!"

"You two should prepare well and assist Wushang in managing Jiuli, providing me with troops."

"I want to go and ponder under the Immortal Tree for a while."

Alone, he came to the Immortal Tree, where he had spent many years meditating. With Wushang watering it several times with fresh blood, this crystal-clear Immortal Tree had now grown into a towering giant.

It was as thick as a carriage.

Sitting under the tree, Chen Qing contemplated his recent experiences and past events.

He never imagined that once a brash first-tier warrior, a tiger in the mire, he was now vying for a Royal Decree.

He stood beneath the tree, dismissing everyone from the Linglong Divine Palace, and said loudly, "I suspect this Linglong Divine Palace is the handiwork of my Sword Travel Palace. If that's the case, I request the senior from the Sword Travel Palace to come forth!"

"It would solve my confusion and let me pursue this throne without distraction!"

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