Gong Clan
"Grandmother, we've confirmed that the contents of the scroll are authentic and free of any traps."
Bing Yi, a man in his fifties who exuded a rank-four aura, stepped forward and handed the scroll to his grandmother sitting in the chair in front of him.
"Free of any traps, huh? Don't joke with me. Even if all the Gu Masters in Southern Border checked it and confirmed it was intact, I wouldn't be convinced. This scroll must have been created by that boy, Lan Shi. No matter what happens, we must never lower our guard against him."
Old Mo Yao had always hated that boy, Lan Shi. He was always a pain in the neck. She couldn't know what he was capable of. His talent was always beyond her wildest expectations. Old Mo Yao had accepted that Lan Shi was capable of anything. She wouldn't even be surprised if he managed to refine a rank-six Gu one day.
This boy was completely out of the question. It's a good thing I was able to place a spy close to him, but...
Thinking about it Contents of the manuscript:
This manuscript contains a recipe that allows its user to return to their youth and extend their lifespan by 800 years! There are no side effects other than the inability of the Gu Master to use Lifespan Gu.
In the Gu world, the best way to increase lifespan was to use Lifespan Gu. However, this Gu was extremely rare and in high demand, even Gu Immortals wanted it. Because of this, it was nearly impossible for an ordinary Gu Master to obtain it. People turned to other methods to increase lifespan, but most of these methods had numerous side effects, such as halting cultivation, weakening the user, immobilizing them, disfiguring them, etc.
So, having a method like this that could increase the user's lifespan by 800 years while preventing them from using Lifespan Gu was absolutely perfect! Old Mo Yao was in the twilight of her lifespan, so when the Shen Clan offered her a way to increase her lifespan, it was only logical for her to accept it unless they intended to take her away by force in the future. But why would the Shen Clan offer Old Mo Yao a way to make her young again? Wouldn't it restore her strength to its former glory and give the clan another rank four gong gu master? This would be a major setback for the Shen Clan.
The answer, quite simply, was that the materials needed for this technique didn't exist on Huang Jin Mountain.
Based on her long experience, Old Mo Yao knew where these materials were located, but the problem lay in how to access them.
The nature of the Gu world was extremely harsh, and if she wasn't a Rank Three Gu Master, there was a high chance she would die. Even if she sent a Rank Three Gu Master, it would take a long time to gather these materials scattered throughout the Southern Border. By then, the war would be over, and this technique would have no effect on its course.
"This is probably their way of thinking, but unfortunately, my clan isn't an ordinary clan. I have those who can bring me these materials quickly. I think it's time to contact my dear grandson."
.....
Wen Wu's House, the Shen Clan Leader
Wen Wu sat in his room, reviewing a set of records in his hands. They contained the names of every person who had obtained A- or B-rank talent in the Gong Clan over the past fifty years, who had died or disappeared for some reason.
Only these people could pose a threat to the Shen Clan. His clan
His intuition, honed over decades of experience, had confirmed that the Gong Clan was plotting evil against them, but unfortunately, he had no proof.
So, he could only continue his investigations in his extremely limited free time.
"Ding Yuan Gu master, a rank two, preliminary stage, with a B-rank talent, died 31 years ago from an injury he sustained on a mission."
"Hu Mei Er Gu master, a rank two, upper stage, with a B-rank talent, died 5 years ago from an illness."
Fake death wasn't difficult in the Gu Year, so he didn't even rule out the dead.
Over the past month, he had thought about what might have tipped the scales of the war in his favor. He came to one conclusion: they had found the inheritance of a rank five Gu master from the period after the war 58 years ago and had chosen one of their clan's geniuses to secretly cultivate this inheritance.
So, he examined the records of everyone who had attained B-rank and A-rank proficiency. But the ones he was most suspicious of were the three geniuses who had appeared in the last fifty years and died.
"Ba Gui, a rank three, supreme stage, A-level virtuosity Gu master, died during the Beast Tide 40 years ago."
"Lin Jian, a rank one, supreme stage, A-level virtuosity Gu master, was killed by a demonic path Gu master 29 years ago."
"Tian Yu, a rank two, initial stage, A-level virtuosity Gu master, died during the Beast Tide 20 years ago."
Wen Wu stroked his gray beard, a habit he had developed while thinking about something since growing a beard in his youth.
"If Ba Gui were alive, he would have a chance of reaching the fifth rank, but it would be very difficult for both Lin Jian and Tian Yu due to the lack of time."
"Um, that means they would be close to the fourth rank, but can the fourth rank defeat the fifth rank?" Well, it's not as if this is impossible. It happened 58 years ago, although the outcome ended in the death of both parties. So, unless they wanted to risk their chances, their trump card shouldn't be a Rank 4 Gu Master, unless it was from the Enslavement Path.
The Enslavement Path was one of the strongest paths. It was a path where a Gu Master, with enough resources, could defeat people of higher ranks.
However, the problem with this path was that it required a lot of resources. Even large clans would find it difficult to support an Enslavement Path Gu Master.
"Besides, how did they manage to hide it? Unless Fei Hong?"
The Gu Master quickly appeared in front of him.
"Write me a report on every Enslavement Path Gu Master of the Demonic Path who has a flock of over one hundred thousand that has appeared over the past fifty years." Suddenly, the door to the room opened, revealing a servant.
"Sir, the caravan has arrived."