Immortality begins with becoming a master weapon refiner

This person, like Gu Qing, came from humble origins, reportedly from the Qi Kingdom, one of the five mortal kingdoms under the Baiyue Mountains.

She possesses extraordinary talent and is a female general on the frontier.

He followed the same path as Gu Qing, first cultivating in the mortal realm, and only after establishing a solid foundation and seeing the Divine Palace did he formally join the Baiyue Mountain sect.

He rushed to the frontier battlefield at the eighth rank and fought a bloody battle with the Golden-backed Eagle Clan. There, he gradually grew to the seventh rank. In the hundred years that Gu Qing went to the void, he broke through to the sixth rank.

Following closely behind Li Daoyang, he ranks fortieth in the Ancestral Hall.

When he served on the frontier battlefield, he had heard of Xue Shen'an's great name, but unfortunately he never got to meet him.

The difference between the two is that Gu Qing's cultivation speed is too outstanding. He broke through to the fifth rank at the age of only three hundred years old, and his name is known throughout the four seas and eight wastelands.

Xue Shen'an was the renowned number one genius of Baiyue before him, and was quite famous in the surrounding regions. He was also a staunch demon-slaying guardian of the human race.

The rumors are related to his childhood experiences.

He is only six hundred years old, yet he has already broken through to the sixth rank and become a patriarch. He is a person of extraordinary talent.

They must have heard that he was hosting a banquet in Xuefu City, and came uninvited.

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind, but reality hadn't even faded a moment ago.

Lian Chutiangong stood up for Gu Qing and raised his glass in welcome.

“Junior Sister Xue, I didn’t expect you to make a special trip here. Gu Qing, this is Xue Shen’an, the 40th member of the Ancestral Hall. He was your contemporary back in the border region.”

Gu Qing was taken aback. He hadn't expected that Lian Chutiangong would speak up for Xue Shen'an. But thinking about it, it made sense. Lian Chutiangong had been in the border region for five hundred years and was only able to break through his lifespan when he was almost old.

Their service periods perfectly overlapped, so the two must have had quite a bit of interaction.

"Brother Lian Chu and Daojun Gu, I, Xue, pay my respects."

The wine, once swallowed, is smoother than water, revealing a bold and unrestrained personality.

Xue Shen'an wore a close-fitting half-armor, black with red patterns. With a light tap of his foot, he landed in front of the table next to Gu Qing. With a gentle flick, his long robe spread out behind him, exuding a very grand air.

Her face was exquisite, with a high and straight nose that looked dashing, and red lips like a touch of cherry blossom pink, as if all the nectar had gathered between her lips and teeth, exuding a subtle fragrance.

With her fair wrists bound in armor, she turned her palm and poured out a glass of fine wine, expressing her admiration.

"I have long admired the name of Daoist Gu. I have come uninvited because I have important matters to discuss with you."

"Not urgent."

They clinked glasses remotely, and Gu Qing squinted as she scrutinized Xue Shen'an's unadorned face, finding no trace of any fierce aura.

He had seen quite a few female generals.

Among those with whom I had in-depth conversations was Tu Shan Yue, the nine-tailed fox.

Their sudden visit was truly unexpected; Xue Shen'an's thoughts and plans were completely unpredictable. After a moment's thought, he addressed the crowd.

"This banquet concludes here. I wish you all a smooth journey and that we shall meet again at the summit."

"Brother Qing, you're too kind. We're lucky to even be able to follow in your footsteps, let alone reach the top."

"Indeed, we will not disturb you any longer today."

"I hope that after we officially return to Baiyue Mountain, we can hold a grand banquet to celebrate with the people of Nanhuang and Cangwu!"

"well said."

"Drink to your heart's content—"

The reunion dinner came to an end. Elder Jiang and Jiang Xi'er were kept behind by Gu Qing, and Xue Shen'an also stayed.

Once the space became available, the grandfather and grandson consciously avoided any appearance of impropriety.

Only the two of them remained to talk.

"Junior Sister Xue, you can speak freely."

“Alright then.” Xue Shen’an, beaming with excitement, announced her plan.

"The conflict between humans and demons has been going on for a long time, and the blood feud between them is irreconcilable. I heard that my senior brother has established a sect in the West Sea and shares the position of founder with two half-demons. Is this true?"

Gu Qing frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

"Is General Xue dissatisfied with my collusion with a half-demon?"

"No."

Seeing that Gu Qing looked unhappy, Xue Shen'an stopped keeping him in suspense and explained.

"I understand what you mean by this move, Senior Brother. It is simply because you have a legitimate reason for doing so. I have heard that there are hundreds of real dragons working under your command in the West Sea Dragon Palace."

"I wonder if you are interested in the Eagle Demon Clan of the Southern Wilderness?"

"oh---"

Gu Qing's voice trailed off, carrying a rather profound meaning.

Others don't know that he was the only one who was the three founders of Qinggong. They just think that he grew up wildly outside and made a few like-minded friends. So, his problematic background isn't considered a serious stain.

At that time, he didn't mind the trouble of establishing a name, so that he would have a legitimate reason to plunder the resources of the demon race in the future.

Xue Shen'an saw this not because he knew him well.

Rather, it stemmed from some kind of intuition.

And they investigated Gu Qing's past—from the smuggling of the Fengbao clan on the border, to the smuggling of underground water veins in the Jinsha Water Mansion, to the construction of the Tianyaohuang Tomb to amass wealth, and then to the Xuantian Black Market in Pingdingshan, Huiji.

He never hesitated to use the demon race, killing countless demons, and even wiped out the Bai clan, a near-first-class immortal clan in the Southern Wilderness, along the way.

These were all things Gu Qing had been doing since he was a seventh-rank lower-level official in Baiyue Mountain, because he needed Lian Chutiangong's endorsement to legitimize his actions.

Therefore, all of these records are filed, and these files can be accessed after one has entered the Ancestral Hall.

This experience also allowed Gu Qing to accumulate a large amount of initial capital. Even after cultivating to the seventh rank, he still had abundant resources, and his spirit stones numbered in the millions.

From intuition to empirical evidence, Xue Shen'an felt that Gu Qing was planning something big, which was consistent with her speculation about Gu Qing's personality. It just so happened that Gu Qing also wanted to cause some trouble after breaking through to the sixth rank.

Upon learning of Gu Qing's banquet for old friends, he took the initiative to visit Gu Qing and seek cooperation.

"I guess my senior brother is preparing to plunder the demon race, and he can avoid the human race's title by turning it into an internal demon race conflict, with a mixed-blood half-demon fighting against a pure-blooded demon race. It has nothing to do with the human race in terms of both reason and emotion."

"It can also severely damage them!"

"Senior brother, you have to choose a demon court to attack either way. Why not use the Eagle King Demon Court in the Southern Wilderness as an example? After all, the demon race in the Southern Wilderness has been suffering from the Eagle Demons for a long time."

"With a single call to arms, countless cannon fodder can be summoned, letting them fight like dogs! It harms demons, benefits humans, and benefits oneself—why not do it!"

Xue Shen'an spoke with righteous indignation and impassioned passion.

Gu Qing shook his head.

"Junior sister's words are all baseless speculation. How could I, Gu, be such a treacherous person? Even if what you say is true, why would I cooperate with you?"

"Furthermore, did you incite me to attack the demon race in the Southern Wilderness because of personal grudges or the human race? Do the Second Ancestor and the Ninth Ancestor know that you intend to take action against the demon race?"

"If something unexpected happens and triggers the third war between humans and demons, Xue Shen'an—can you take responsibility?!"

Towards the end, Gu Qing's words became a bit harsh.

To her surprise, Xue Shen'an's eyes lit up as she listened, and Gu Qing's attitude made her believe that her guess was true.

"Senior Brother Gu, I understand."

"A matter is accomplished in secrecy, and ruined by being revealed."

"This is not the place to talk. Shen An holds a top-tier bargaining chip. If you knew this, you would definitely be willing to cooperate with me. This is a Heaven-Reaching and Earth-Penetrating Talisman, which cannot be intercepted by anyone below the fifth rank."

"Within three months, we await good news." (End of Chapter)