Immortality begins with becoming a master weapon refiner

"Fellow Daoist Gu, I have long admired your reputation."

Today is not what it used to be.

Having given prior notice, Gu Qing was greeted by a group of elders from Flame Immortal Mountain shortly after his arrival, many of whom, with their white hair, performed the junior's greeting.

Only one person, a mid-ranking fifth-grade official, came to greet them personally, which is enough to demonstrate the respect that Flame Immortal Mountain holds for them.

"I have long admired you, Master Pei."

This person is a famous figure from Cangwu.

Known as: "Having made friends with everyone under heaven, who doesn't know Fellow Daoist Pei—Pei Tianyi, Daoist Pei."

He gained fame a thousand years ago and challenged many renowned masters and immortals.

At less than three thousand years old, he is actually very young among Dao Lords. Gu Qing cannot be judged by conventional standards. Achieving the status of a Dao Lord at the age of three hundred has already broken the record in ancient history.

Having just entered the circle of top bigwigs, he had already gotten to know quite a few people. He needed to make some preparations before coming to Flaming Mountain, and getting to know someone wouldn't be a problem.

"A banquet has been prepared, please—"

Gu Qing did not mention the Wan Yan Tian Secret Realm in his invitation letter. He only mentioned that he manifested his power in the West Sea and destroyed a sect with a single strike using his fire-based divine abilities.

The Flaming Mountain side must know this, and it's no secret that he walks the Fire Path. How to communicate with him is a skill.

It is worth mentioning that the Flaming Immortal Mountain is actually one of the roots of Zhu Rong's legacy.

The eight surnames associated with Zhu Rong are: Ji, Dong, Peng, Tu, Yun, Cao, Zhen, and Mi.

Apart from the Yun clan in the Western Sea, the other seven clans are all in the Heavenly Wasteland.

They are also a first-rate power here. The Peng and Dong clans are the top forces in Flaming Mountain. Each clan has a fifth-rank Dao Lord and has great influence.

The Zhurong Divine Sword and the Fire God Robe, two quasi-immortal artifacts, are in the hands of these two clans, making them virtually invincible in the Desolate Heaven.

The banquet was held in the [Holy Ancestor Hall]. Later generations of cultivators who practiced the fire path all called Zhu Rong the Holy Ancestor. Flaming Mountain was also a famous immortal mountain of the fire path, so it was not surprising that there was such a hall there.

"please."

After everyone was seated, the melodious sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, and the fragrant maiden danced gracefully, highlighting a novel and interesting scene—wearing very little.
The Heavenly Wasteland is so hot that everyone from mortals to cultivators wears very thin clothes. Although the regions are not far apart, they give people a sense of exoticism.

"Fellow Daoist Gu possesses unparalleled talent and a handsome appearance, which I have heard many rumors about. But seeing you today, I realize that those rumors were just modesty."

"The rumors are mostly exaggerated and are unfounded praise. I, Gu, grew up listening to stories about Pei Daojun and have long admired him."

"Now that I'm young and successful, I'm inevitably a bit arrogant; please forgive any inappropriate words I may have."

"where---"

The two of them went back and forth, praising each other and saying nice things, and it was all true.

Hearing this, the other Flame Mountain Patriarchs, who were all quite old and still struggling at the sixth rank, felt ashamed and lowered their heads, afraid of being noticed.

They were geniuses too, and they were once full of vigor.

Most people who reach the sixth rank become mediocre, unlike Pei Tianyi and Gu Qing, who are still unstoppable and treat the bottleneck of their cultivation as nothing.

"I heard that Fellow Daoist Gu traveled through the Void Battlefield for a hundred years and soon after his return, he broke through to the fifth rank. Could you tell me what that world looks like?"

"Alright—"

When you're chatting, it doesn't matter what you talk about.

Upon hearing Gu Qing mention that the gods of the Mountain and Sea Realm could live forever, and that immortal lords had lifespans of over a million years, everyone exclaimed in amazement at how miraculous it was.

Upon further inquiry into his strength, it turned out to be roughly equivalent to that of a sixth-grade cultivator, which made him even more intrigued.

Once the conversation started, it wasn't limited to talking about his experiences; he talked about everything. So Gu Qing brought up the main purpose of his trip.

"The Myriad Flames Heaven Secret Realm?"

“Indeed.” Pei Daojun stroked his chin, guessing Gu Qing’s purpose. He said, “This is easy to handle. Half a century ago, the Wan Yan Tian Secret Realm was opened to the entire human race.”

"Fellow Daoist Gu can enter at any time if he wants, but..."

"But it doesn't matter."

The matter was rather complicated, so Pei Daojun organized his thoughts and began to explain the cause and effect.

"As everyone knows, there is a wisp of imperial flame left behind by the Flame Immortal Lord in the Myriad Flames Heaven Secret Realm. It can not only sense the birth of strange flames of heaven and earth, but also connect with the first ancestor who ascended to the Immortal Realm."

"But after the last demon immortal ascended to heaven three thousand years ago, this connection was severed, and the ascension process ceased."

Not only humans and demons, but even the dragon races of the four seas have not seen any cultivators ascend to immortality; normally, an ascension ceremony would occur at least once every thousand years.

"It is unreasonable that no one has ascended to immortality in the past three thousand years."

"Therefore, we believe there is a problem with the ascension passage, but in fact, the passage can be seen in the void battlefield, and there is nothing unusual about it."

"The public unveiling of the Myriad Flames Heaven Secret Realm is actually a grand [Fire Sacrifice Ceremony], attempting to use the fortune of the young prodigies of the human race and the connection between the Emperor Flame and the Flame Immortal Lord to reconnect with the First Ancestor."

Gu Qing had never heard of the fire sacrifice ceremony before and never imagined it was such a secret.

"What's the result?"

"It failed—"

After drinking a cup of spiritual wine, Pei Daojun continued.

"The twelve immortal sects are all paying attention to this matter, after all, it concerns ascension. There are currently two versions of the story from Kunlun."

"How to say?"

"Firstly, the operation of the Heavenly Dao is abnormal, and the method of bypassing the Heavenly Dao through the Ascension Path has failed, causing problems with the Ascension Tribulation."

"Secondly, the last demon immortal tampered with the ascension passage."

We tend to favor the second conclusion.

"Humans and demons have been enemies for generations, and their blood feuds have accumulated over the ages, making peace negotiations impossible. In the past, the Twelve Immortal Lords ascended to the fourth rank and laid the foundation for fifty kingdoms for the human race to proliferate."

"The Twelve Immortal Sects thus reached their zenith."

"That demon immortal broke through to the fourth rank, but instead of uniting the eight desolate demon races or launching a demon lord attack on the human race, he chose to ascend directly. There's something wrong with that no matter how you look at it."

Gu Qing pondered.

"But if we really did something shady, the demon race wouldn't be able to ascend either. Wouldn't that be like hurting the enemy a thousand while losing a thousand of our own?"

"However, there are rumors that the last demon immortal was a half-demon, half of whom had the bloodline of Kunpeng. In his early years, his bloodline was not obvious, and he was hunted down by the demon race for half his life."

Her father was a demon by blood, while her mother was a fifth-rank Dao Lord of the human race, known as the [Northern Darkness Golden Mother Yuanjun].

He is one of the founders of Jiuli Mountain, and is still alive today. He possesses a celestial artifact called the [Kunpeng Heaven-Shaking Wings], which grants him unparalleled speed.

"this---"

Gu Qing realized the meaning: those who cultivate the demonic body and Dao heart in Jiuli Mountain need to uphold the precepts to suppress their demonic nature. The more rules and regulations they follow, the stronger they become.

If one could trick a Kunpeng into giving birth to a weapon, killing it would indeed fit the style of Jiuli Mountain.

That demon immortal, whose father died early and whose mother didn't love him, and who suffered countless hardships in the demon race because of his half-demon identity, certainly had the motive to be ruthless towards both races.

"Is the rumor credible?"

"Rumors are rumors. If the parties involved don't deny them, they're true. Who knows where they came from? You and I are still young and have a long lifespan. Our cultivation hasn't reached its limit yet. Those old guys can't sit still."

"Since the Northern Underworld Golden Mother Yuanjun did not step forward, it means she tacitly agreed. It won't be long before the Twelve Immortal Sects hold a Dao Lord Banquet."

"I see..." (End of Chapter)