Demon Slaying, Gaining 60 Years of Cultivation From the Start

Tianchi, stretching vast and wide, was like a colossal sapphire embedded into the land, its turquoise waters mystical and serene. Wisps of mist hung in the void, suffused with spiritual qi, while extraordinary flowers dotted the landscape and a foggy luster drifted upon the lake's surface.

The Snow Phoenix Lotus, an essential ingredient known to Gu Chen from an ancient medicinal recipe, prompted him to employ his Heavenly Eyes upon arrival. Symbols flickered deep within his pupils, and there was little in the world that could evade his probing gaze. Unsurprisingly, he found the Snow Phoenix Lotus at the bottom of the heaven and earth.

However, possessing its own spirit, the lotus burst into silvery radiance, attempting to break free as Gu Chen seized it. This anomaly was detected by the Green-Scale Clan and others on guard nearby, who demanded Gu Chen hand it over.

With a boom, at that moment, two Green-Scale Clan warriors of the Sky People Realm made their move, but Gu Chen simply ignored them and walked straight past.

"What is he doing, trying to commit suicide?!" The onlookers widened their eyes in perplexity at the scene unfolding before them.

"Uh..."

But in the next instant, blood splattered. The two Green-Scale Clan warriors who had attacked Gu Chen had their pupils dilated in horror, clutching their throats with both hands as blood gushed forth, their life force swiftly ebbing away.

"This is bad, young man, you've caused a great disaster!" A middle-aged man looked at Gu Chen with concern and said, "Do you know who you've killed? This is the Green-Scale Clan, and their strength surpasses even the top Da Sects, almost comparable to holy lands!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Chen paused, his expression remaining utterly calm as he replied, "So what?"

"You..."

The well-intentioned middle-aged martial artist was taken aback, then shook his head and said gravely, "You may not regard the Green-Scale Clan highly, but behind them is the Jiuying Clan! You should know that in this region there are Cave Heaven Realm cultivators from the Jiuying Clan, and even their young master is here. Young man, you've caused great trouble; it would be best if you leave here quickly before you're discovered."

The middle-aged man also saw that Gu Chen was young and feared that he might bring disaster upon himself in a fit of pique. Being from the Human Clan himself, he was inclined to help however he could, risking being implicated by speaking out.

Gu Chen naturally understood this rationale and did not hold any blame, instead nodding slightly and thanking the middle-aged man.

However, promptly afterward, Gu Chen stepped forward, continuing toward the very center of the area.

Because there lay the Evergreen Flower that he needed.

"Young man, you..."

Seeing this, the middle-aged man was somewhat at a loss for words, feeling as if his earlier advice had been entirely in vain, the other party having not taken it to heart at all.

Soon after, as Gu Chen's figure departed, the middle-aged man sighed, "This time, real trouble is coming."

Having said this, the people around immediately set out to leave the vicinity to avoid being implicated by the Green-Scale Clan and being dragged into their retribution.

But at that moment, a young man stared in shock in the direction of Gu Chen's departure, completely engrossed and unable to extricate himself.

His companion, somewhat puzzled, said, "What's wrong with you, petrified by fear? We need to leave this place quickly."

"He... He..." The young man pointed in the direction Gu Chen had gone, stuttering incomprehensibly.

"What about him?" His companion was very confused, and the people around glanced at the young man as well.

"He's Gu Jiuge!" the young man shouted excitedly.

"Gu Jiuge, which Gu Jiuge?" Many people were momentarily bewildered upon hearing this.

"The Gu Jiuge who made a name for himself on the Gold List, the very first of the younger generation to do so!" The young man was so excited he was almost incoherent, his face flushed red as he gestured wildly, anxious beyond measure.

"What?!" Upon hearing this, everyone's expression froze.

"You mean, the young man who just took on the Green-Scale Clan is Gu Jiuge?" The middle-aged man who had advised Gu Chen earlier swallowed hard, carefully venturing the question.

"Yes, yes!" The young man who had identified Gu Chen nodded vigorously, his excitement unabated.

"Oh my goodness..." Upon confirmation of Gu Chen's identity, the middle-aged man nearly fainted. What had he just been saying to a young prodigy?

The rest of the crowd also showed excitement upon hearing this news, not expecting to have the opportunity to come into close contact with the most mysterious young demon of the Gray Domain.

"Dashing and peerless, ethereal as a celestial being, upon first glance I knew he was extraordinary, but to think it was Gu Jiuge, the pinnacle prodigy of our Human Clan!" someone boasted.

Yet at that moment, no one interjected, merely blinking hard and gazing in the direction Gu Chen had left, eager for another glimpse of his figure.

After all, this young prodigy was too enigmatic; incomparable to others, there was virtually no news about him, which made them fail to recognize him at first glance.

...

Elsewhere, after Gu Chen left and his Heavenly Eyes were brought into play, he swiftly locked onto the location of the Evergreen Flower. However, that area was crowded with many people vying for various spiritual treasures.

Also, it was the core location of Tianchi. Even the water of the lake was imbued with copious essence and spiritual force, beneficial to both cultivators and martial artists.

Yet, as Gu Chen drew closer, several people stepped out to obstruct him, all with unfriendly expressions.

There were three powers that had substantial interactions with Gu Chen in the Nine Provinces: Vault of Sky Sword Sect, Five Elements Sect, and Pure Yang Martial Sect.

The other two were from different clans, the same Green-Scale Clan, and the Purple Crystal Clan. The former was affiliated with the Jiuying Clan, one of the four major foreign clans, while the latter was affiliated with the Tiankui Clan.

"Halt, who are you?"

They furrowed their brows, their subordinates standing guard in various areas nearby. They were puzzled as to how this young man had managed to reach this location.

Quickly, a Green-Scale Clan warrior rushed over and upon seeing Gu Chen, his expression changed. He whispered something into the ear of a Green-Scale Clan leader.

"How dare you be so rampant?!"

The leader of the Green-Scale Clan, upon hearing this, looked at Gu Chen with a fierce gaze and shouted, "Seize him for me!"

Upon hearing the order, the Green-Scale Clan warriors swarmed up all at once. The Vault of Sky Sword Sect and other forces saw this and took a step back in unison.

Gu Chen saw this and slightly frowned—these lackeys were indeed like dog skin plasters, always sticking close to him.

Whoosh!

The next moment, lights and shadows transformed, and a residual image flashed by—Gu Chen's figure had disappeared from where he stood.

"Not good!"

Seeing this, the three great Human Clan sanctuaries, as well as the Green-Scale and Purple Crystal Clans, were all shocked, recognizing that this man was definitely a master.

"We must report this information immediately!" They shivered inwardly and quickly left the area.

The Green-Scale Clan members, in particular, were acutely aware that Gu Chen had amazing spiritual treasures on him, found in the area they were responsible for, and they had to have their Young Master personally snatch them back.

Gu Chen took a step and vanished in an instant, arriving at the very heart of the Heavenly Pool.

The waters here were clearer and more transparent, flowing like a spirit spring with essence so thick it seemed almost tangible, exceedingly abundant.

"Only a place like this, after enduring countless years, could possibly nurture treasures like the Snow Phoenix Lotus and the Evergreen Flower." Gu Chen's eyes swept across the area and immediately caught sight of the Evergreen Flower hidden in the front.

As a spiritual being of this level, possessing innate spirituality, it could not be compared with the Human Clan or other exotic clans in wisdom and direct cultivation. However, gathering essence over the years in this place, breathing in the quintessence of heaven and earth, one day it might actually have the chance to embark on the path of cultivation.

At least now, such spiritual beings already had some intelligence and could selectively hide themselves.

But unfortunately, they could not escape Gu Chen's divine vision.

"Evergreen Flower!"

Approaching closer, Gu Chen saw a lush green, transparent flower bud, ready to bloom, emitting an astonishing fragrance. It was hidden in the deepest part of a collection of exotic flowers, concealing all its anomalies, just as the Snow Phoenix Lotus had done before, lying dormant here in silence.

This was the Evergreen Flower, never withering, which, when refined into a pill or taken with other rare items, could grant ageless beauty, maintaining youth for at least thousands of years.

All of these abilities stemmed from a trace of "immortality" contained within the Evergreen Flower. Eternal youth was just the most trivial of its effects.

This trace of "immortality" was of great use to cultivators; absorbing it would yield tremendous benefits and work wonders for the physical body!

It was for this reason that Gu Chen required the Evergreen Flower for the ancient prescription he had learned from Elder Lu Qingfeng of the Xuan Yi Sect's Medivine Valley to break through the constraints of his physical body and advance it further.

Be it the Snow Phoenix Lotus or the Evergreen Flower, both were rare treasures hard to find in the world, only possibly birthed in places with incredibly rich earthly forces.

The Evergreen Flower, emerald and nearly transparent like flawless jade, was as big as an adult's palm, radiating iridescent colors and emitting a brilliant luster. Up close, one could also smell its astonishing scent, which could immerse one's mind and make it difficult to break free.

However, Gu Chen's spirit was resolute, and such effects were ineffective on him. He extended his hand, and a powerful oppressive force fixed everything in the vicinity, preventing the Evergreen Flower from escaping.

"Hand over the Evergreen Flower!"

Just as Gu Chen was about to pluck the Evergreen Flower, a loud shout suddenly came from the sky, and immediately after, a figure descended.

"Give it to me!"

This person was extremely domineering and aggressive, straightaway attempting to snatch the Evergreen Flower from Gu Chen's palm upon arrival.

He had long green hair, a cold look in his eyes, and a piece of green scale covered his brow. He was powerful, having reached the pinnacle of the martial realm.

The Young Master of the Green-Scale Clan—Qingye!

But just as his hand was about to touch Gu Chen's body, Qingye's eyes hardened as he felt an immensely strong resistance.

Bang!

In the next instant, he was sent flying backward, his outstretched arm in excruciating pain, twisted grotesquely, with every bone shattered.

This scene shocked the following Green-Scale Clan members greatly.

Not just Qingye, members of the Purple Crystal Clan, Vault of Sky Sword Sect, Five Elements Sect, Pure Yang Martial Sect, and other forces rushed to the scene upon receiving the news.

Among them was also the descendant of the Spirit Path Mountain, Xue Ningshan, who was present as well.

Seeing Gu Chen, Xue Ningshan's beautiful eyes fixated and she couldn't help exclaiming, "Young Master Gu, you're here too?"

"Young Master Gu?" Upon hearing the title used by the descendant of the Spirit Path Mountain, Xue Ningshan, everyone present became somewhat puzzled.

"No matter who it is, whoever dares to injure our Young Master must pay with their life!" Several guardians of the Green-Scale Clan roared furiously, their eyes filled with menace as they moved forward to capture Gu Chen and seek vengeance.

However, at this moment, Xue Ningshan spoke, and her words instantly stunned everyone present.

"He is Gu Jiuge." Then, the descendant of the Spirit Path Mountain, Xue Ningshan, with a complex expression, revealed Gu Chen's identity in front of everyone.

Suddenly, the area fell into utter silence, the atmosphere so still it was as if time had frozen.