Eternal Life from the Golden Needle Technique

As the primary bastion of rampaging Demon Cultivators, the law of the jungle reigned supreme within the Nanyue Kingdom. The infighting was so fierce that even Demon Cultivators in the Soul Emergence Realm could become fodder for the cultivation of their stronger peers with the slightest misstep.

Because of this brutal internal attrition, the Nanyue Kingdom was already at a disadvantage in terms of the number of its Demon Cultivators in the Soul Emergence Realm.

Their ability to remain undefeated in previous battles at the Soul Emergence Realm level was primarily thanks to their strange and formidable Gu Dao Secret Techniques.

These techniques had caught the Soul Emergence Realm Cultivators of the Tian Nan Domain completely off guard.

But with the emergence of the Gu-controlling Secret Technique from that brat Shen Changchuan, most Gu Dao Secret Techniques now had a universal counter.

The very methods the Demon Cultivators relied upon were rendered useless.

The war at the Soul Emergence Realm level collapsed into a total rout,

and so,

the massive Mountain Protection Array was breached layer by layer.

Ultimately, the tide of defeat spread to the battlefield of the higher Divine Travel Realm.

This led to the final, disastrous defeat at Broken Soul Mountain!

It would be no exaggeration to say

that this crushing defeat was entirely due to that Shen Changchuan!

"The great defeat at Broken Soul Mountain was indeed rooted in that Shen Changchuan."

"But that brat has already spread his Gu-controlling Secret Technique. Even if we killed him now, what good would it do?"

"As long as that Gu-controlling Secret Technique, which allows for precise control over Gu Insects, exists, the threat of our Gu Dao Secret Techniques will be drastically diminished."

"It’s too late to be talking about this now!"

The Seven Extremes Old Demon frowned slightly and spoke matter-of-factly.

In fact, this wasn’t the first time he had heard the name Shen Changchuan.

As long as six or seven years ago,

his disciples, Ying Wuya and the others, had crossed paths with the boy, which was how he’d first learned of him.

At the time,

he had even considered capturing such a genius and refining him into a living vessel.

But the plan never came to fruition.

’Now might be a good opportunity.’

But,

’it won’t have much of an impact on the grand scheme of things.’

"You can all rest assured on this point."

"I have long been prepared for this. Otherwise, why would I have had you hold them off for three years?"

The blood-robed figure’s voice was filled with confidence

as he said,

"It actually doesn’t matter whether that brat Shen Changchuan exists or not."

"That Shen Changchuan is just a junior, barely in his twenties. He’s not even a fraction of our age. What skills could he possibly possess? How could he solve a problem that stumped even his own master, Master Wandering Dragon of the Yuqing Immortal Sect—a Divine Travel Peak Realm expert—not to mention the many other Divine Travel Realm Cultivators in the Tian Nan Domain?"

"In my opinion, the boy is relying on nothing more than the Minghuan Gu Scripture."

"Several years ago, Shadow, who was suspected of possessing the Minghuan Gu Scripture, died at his hands. I imagine the scripture fell into Shen Changchuan’s possession then. That’s the only reason the brat was lucky enough to decipher most of the Gu Techniques."

"So what?"

White Bone Old Demon interjected from the side.

In fact,

the upper echelons of the Demon Dao all thought the same.

They believed the boy, Shen Changchuan, had simply gotten lucky. He killed another junior named Shadow, chanced upon a fragment of the Minghuan Gu Scripture, and managed to figure out a counter to their Gu Dao Secret Techniques from it.

It wasn’t just them; even some of the low and mid-level Cultivators in the Tian Nan Domain’s Immortal Cultivation Realm shared this view.

But so what?

At least,

now, the Gu-controlling Secret Technique and the mass breeding of Gu Insects had become the universal counter to most Gu Dao Secret Techniques.

’He’s just spouting obvious nonsense.’

White Bone Old Demon was thoroughly annoyed. If it weren’t for the speaker’s status and the Dao Heart oath he had sworn, he would have stormed out long ago!

"Fellow Daoist White Bone, don’t be so hasty."

"If I bring this up, it is naturally because I have a plan."

As he spoke,

the blood-robed figure gave a light wave of his hand.

A page fragment, made of a dark golden material that was neither metal nor jade, floated down from above the altar. Enveloped in a bloody light, it drifted slowly before the two of them.

"This is... the Minghuan Gu Scripture?!"

Seven Extremes Old Demon saw the words within the bloody glow,

and his pupils constricted.

’The Minghuan Gu Scripture,’

’This was the legacy of the only Master Profound Pill in the Nanyue Territory from several thousand years ago!’

’It had only been thirty-four years since the ruins of Master Minghuan were discovered.’

’The great battle of that day was still vivid in his memory.’

’Back then,’

’even several experts at the Divine Travel Peak had fallen...’

’Unfortunately, the complete Minghuan Gu Scripture had been lost to the void during that great battle.’

’Even he and White Bone Old Demon’

’had only managed to obtain one or two fragmented pages.’

"That’s right! It is the Minghuan Gu Scripture!"

"As the saying goes, you must fight fire with fire. To counter the Minghuan Gu Scripture, we must use the Minghuan Gu Scripture!"

"That boy may have derived a Gu-controlling Secret Technique from the Scripture to handle ordinary Gu Dao Secret Techniques, but how could it possibly stand against a Secret Technique from the original text?"

"What’s recorded on this Minghuan Gu Scripture Fragment is exactly what we need to turn the tide of this war!"

This fragment of the Minghuan Gu Scripture

was the Netherworld Sect Leader’s greatest trump card!

"Of course, while the boy himself is not of great importance, he is, after all, the junior prodigy who developed the Gu-controlling Secret Technique from the Minghuan Gu Scripture."

"To prevent that brat from obtaining more Minghuan Gu Scripture Fragments in the future and truly deciphering the Gu Dao Secret Technique on this page—a mistake that would lead to a repeat of the Broken Soul Mountain disaster—we must take him seriously!"

"Kill the boy and eliminate this threat for good!"

"Then make good use of the Secret Technique on this fragment... I don’t need to teach you the rest, do I?"

Neither Seven Extremes Old Demon nor White Bone Old Demon said a word.

They stared at the Minghuan Gu Scripture Fragment before them, which glowed with a red light.

Within their pupils,

a sinister glint flashed.

...

Shen Changchuan was completely unaware of the events unfolding in that distant land.

After finishing a long period of seclusion,

Shen Changchuan rested for two days, clearing his mind after such a long and intense period.

He soon recovered, his spirit full and his energy overflowing.

He left his temporarily rented cave residence

and made his way to the Dragon Cloud Sect’s temporary encampment.

The person now stationed at the Dragon Cloud Sect’s post in Barbaric City was Wu Tianhao.

"Junior Shen, it looks like you’ve gained quite a lot from your seclusion!"

Wu Tianhao said, somewhat astonished, when he saw Shen Changchuan.

Although Shen Changchuan had spent two days stabilizing his aura, which was now at the Soul Emergence Sixth Layer Peak, and had retracted it completely, making it difficult for others to discern his true Cultivation Realm unless he took action,

the spiritual light that occasionally flashed in his eyes

was enough to show that he had made significant progress.

"I truly never imagined that in less than three years, you would have already grown to this extent!"

"I’m afraid that in just a few more years, you’ll leave me completely in the dust!"

Wu Tianhao looked at the incredibly young Shen Changchuan before him,

his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions as he sighed.

He had a rough idea of the progress of Shen Changchuan’s Cultivation Realm.

As early as three months ago,

the young man had already reached the Sixth Layer Late Stage.

Now he had advanced even further.

’He’s probably reached the limit of the Sixth Layer, with the Soul Emergence Seventh Layer Realm just around the corner!’

Even though he had expected it,

in Wu Tianhao’s heart,

it was still a whirlwind of complicated feelings.