With the Royal Realm forbidding participation in the war, these weapons would be quite deadly to the Minotaur King Realm.
As soon as Gu Yu and his group got off the plane, Gu Yu saw a familiar figure from behind—tall, strong, and with a touch of majesty, which made Gu Yu's gaze mist over.
"Long Aotian!" Gu Yu exclaimed. This was his comrade-in-arms from his previous life, who shared the same ideals and depended on him for life. Although they were not blood brothers, their relationship was far better than that of blood brothers.
"You're Gu Yu, right?" Upon hearing Gu Yu's call, Long Aotian turned around and looked at Gu Yu. However, upon seeing Gu Yu's gaze, he frowned.
Something's off about that look in his eyes! The more I think about it, the more goosebumps I get. "Damn, does this kid have some kind of weird fetish? I may be handsome, but I've never been able to attract women."
"Gu Yu, what's wrong?" Ri Jiu noticed the way Gu Yu looked at Long Aotian and sensed something was off.
"It's nothing." Gu Yu instantly realized that if he had looked at Long Aotian like this in his previous life, Long Aotian would probably have said he was disgusting and effeminate.
"Minister Long, Gu Yu is here to report for duty." Gu Yu regained his composure and said seriously. He was excited, but he had to control his emotions at this moment, otherwise he might be misunderstood.
"Gu Yu, we're in the same grade, no need to be so polite. From now on, let's call each other brothers." Long Aotian emphasized the word "brother" very deliberately, as he was afraid that Gu Yu might actually have some kind of weird fetish. Although he had heard that Gu Yu had a girlfriend, the world is a big place, and there are all sorts of strange birds out there. Who knows, he might not be picky about gender!
After all, geniuses are always different from others and have some hobbies that others don't understand. However, when Long Aotian looked at Gu Yu, he secretly decided that even if Gu Yu had any bad hobbies, he would correct them for him, even if they were gay, he would straighten them out.
"Yeah, brother." Gu Yu nodded. "If you don't mind, I'll call you Brother Long."
Regarding this title, Long Aotian in his previous life always felt that he was older than Gu Yu and that Gu Yu should call him brother. However, Gu Yu felt that his cultivation was no weaker than Long Aotian's, and that cultivators should be ranked according to their strength.
“Brother Long, you’re good.” Long Aotian nodded. “Come on, follow me, let’s have a couple of drinks.”
"Okay." Gu Yu nodded, and then the two left.
"I can't understand men's feelings." Ri Jiu shook her head and murmured as she watched Gu Yu and Long Aotian's retreating figures.
“Gu Yu has arrived at Tu Niu City. It’s time for us to make our move,” one middle-aged man asked another.
“Last time, if it weren’t for that woman and the arrival of the Kong family’s King Jing, I would have killed him long ago.” One of the middle-aged men was Jiang Kuang, whose face was now icy cold.
After his previous defeat, Jiang Tianchen was crippled again after taking the Tongtian Pill. After escaping back to the Jiang family, he was almost killed by Jiang Hai with a single palm strike. His hatred for Gu Yu had reached its peak, and he wished he could grind him to dust.
“Last time? You still have the nerve to mention last time? If it weren’t for your failure, how could my Jiang family be in such a passive position?” Another middle-aged man said. Although he was trying to hide his aura, it was far superior to Jiang Kuang’s. He was actually a King Realm cultivator.
"I..." Jiang Kuang was speechless for a moment.
“This time, our goal is not to kill him, but to control him. As long as we inject the Yin-Yang Heavenly Punishment Talisman into his body, he will listen to us. At that time, not only the Array Heavenly Book, but also the matter of going to Kunlun Source Gate to obtain the Dragon Marrow can be perfectly resolved. Only in this way can you atone for your sins,” the middle-aged man said.
“But what if…” Jiang Kuang hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"With that level of attack, how many times do you think he can land a strike? Once you force him to strike once, he definitely won't be able to strike again," the middle-aged man continued.
"But who will force him to make that move? Me?" Jiang Kuang asked the middle-aged man emotionally. "Jiang Ze, we are brothers! I am your younger brother."
“Jiang Kuang, you’re right. We’re brothers, so I’ll protect you unless absolutely necessary. But if there’s really no other way, I’ll have to give up your life,” Jiang Ze said. “Don’t worry, that kid is hot commodity right now. Someone will eventually make a move. The Array Book is such a tempting treasure.”
Jiang Kuang looked at Jiang Ze, but he didn't say anything more. The answer was obvious: compared to the Array Book, his life was nothing in his brother's eyes.
By this time, Gu Yu and Long Aotian had already drunk several rounds of drinks and were both somewhat tipsy.
"Brother Gu Yu, I don't know why, but drinking and chatting with you gives me a sense of familiarity, even though I didn't know you before," Long Aotian said with a puzzled look.
“Perhaps we were brothers in a past life, and we often sat here drinking and talking freely,” Gu Yu said. He hadn’t felt this way in a long time.
"Perhaps!" Long Aotian nodded upon hearing Gu Yu's words. "But we're brothers now. Once we've defeated all those despicable invaders from the Source Gate, we can retire to the countryside and enjoy wine and conversation every day. How wonderful would that be?"
“That day will come,” Gu Yu said.
"I hope so!" Long Aotian's face showed a worried expression. "I was able to take over this Bull-Slaughtering City because the Emperor Realm couldn't intervene. If all the Emperor Realm members of the Minotaur Clan were to intervene, we probably would have to retreat in less than half an hour, and we might even face the crisis of the southwest falling."
"Brother Long, there's something I don't understand," Gu Yu said.
"You want to ask why that lord didn't just storm into the Source Gate and slaughter all the Emperor Realm cultivators of the Minotaur race, right?" Before Gu Yu could even ask, Long Aotian guessed what Gu Yu was going to ask.
“That’s right. Since China has a God Realm expert, why not just suppress them with swift and decisive measures? Ideally, we should annihilate all their high-end combat forces to prevent future troubles.” Gu Yu’s eyes were filled with ruthlessness as he spoke. You can’t blame him for being ruthless. Compared to the methods used by the invaders from the Origin Gate World in his previous life, annihilating their high-end combat forces was far too merciful.
"At first, when I saw that sir take action, I thought the same thing. It wasn't until I asked my teacher that I understood that it wasn't that I didn't want to do it, but that I couldn't," Long Aotian explained.
"Why not?" The Divine Realm is home to true powerhouses, beings who can truly awe and intimidate all heroes.
“Because of the Holy Mountain,” Long Aotian replied.
“The Holy Mountain?” Gu Yu frowned. “I don’t understand. Even if China and the Holy Mountain are at odds, now is a time of crisis for humanity. Can’t we put aside our grudges and join forces to deal with the invaders?”
"Impossible. The feud between China and the Holy Mountain is irreconcilable. Their ideologies differ; they advocate for humanity to submit to the Source Gate world," Long Aotian said. "Do you know why no one has dared to touch the GZ Alliance?" Because the Holy Mountain is behind the GZ Alliance.
"I don't understand. Since Your Majesty has reached the realm of gods, why would you choose such an absurd approach? Even birds kept in cages have the thought of escaping and resisting, but a hawk doesn't?" Gu Yu asked in confusion.
“Then we’ll have to ask that divine being on the Holy Mountain,” Long Aotian replied. “Moreover, the Qilin Guardian died on the Holy Mountain back then, and even the Qilin totem has always been on the Holy Mountain, which is why no new Qilin Guardian has appeared in China.”
"What?" Gu Yu's pupils widened upon hearing this news; he really didn't know about this.
"Back then, the great powers attacked China because the Holy Mountain waged war against China. Originally, China was not afraid. As you know, we have always advocated peace. We invented gunpowder, but we did not use it to manufacture weapons in large quantities. Instead, we used it to make fireworks for people to watch. This is because we have no intention of invading others. Of course, it is also because our ancestors opened up rich lands for us. We did not want to fight and always tolerated it. But those great powers thought we were afraid to fight and kept taking advantage of us."
The five guardians discussed the matter and decided to negotiate with the Holy Mountain to ease the situation. The Holy Mountain agreed to the negotiations, but only two of the five guardians went: one was Qilin, and the other was the current White Tiger. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until they reached the Holy Mountain, where Qilin and White Tiger discovered a conspiracy—a plot to ambush them. In that battle, Qilin fought desperately to give White Tiger a chance to escape, though White Tiger was severely injured. Those were the darkest days for China. Facing invasions from countless foreign powers, we endured over a century of resistance before finally emerging from that darkness.
"So that's how it is. The Holy Mountain deserves to be destroyed." Gu Yu said through gritted teeth. He had always known that China and the Holy Mountain were at odds, but he did not know that there was such a great grudge between them. Moreover, the Emperor was an enemy that China could never defeat.
The century-long, dark War of Resistance against Japan resulted in countless families being torn apart and countless people suffering inhumane treatment. For the Chinese people, this is a hatred etched into their very bones, a hatred that will be remembered for generations to come.
"Actually, China is not afraid of the Holy Mountain. Unfortunately, some people have long forgotten all of this. Not only do they not seek revenge, but they also aid and abet evil, even joining the GZ Alliance. This is simply outrageous and intolerable." Long Aotian's face was filled with rage, and it was clear that his blood was boiling.
Gu Yu's blood was also boiling, fueled by the rage coursing through his veins.
"If one day I am strong enough, the first thing I will do is to storm the Holy Mountain, slaughter them all, and take back the Qilin Totem," Gu Yu said through gritted teeth.
“That’s right, kill them all without leaving a single one.” Long Aotian said, picking up the wine jug and pouring it into his mouth.
On the morning of the second day, all the Dragon Division students gathered together. Tens of thousands of people stood under the city gate of Slaughtering Bull City, waiting for Long Aotian's arrival, because today was the start of the qualifying competition.
Gu Yu sensed the presence of the people around him. Most of those standing in front were familiar faces: Xiang Tianyou, Xiang Tianjiao, Li Daoquan, Kong Yan, Kong Yue, Sima Wentian, Ling Juefeng, Zhang Huangling, Ma Li, Lu Yao, and a few others whom Gu Yu had never met before. Their strength ranged from the lowest level of the Three Cones to the peak of the Four Cones.
There was one man dressed in black, standing 1.9 meters tall, exuding a terrifying aura. His face was cold, and although his cultivation was also at the peak of the fourth level, he gave Gu Yu a dangerous feeling.
"Master, that's Dugu Xing. I heard he just arrived in Tu Niu City a few days ago and killed two Minotaur warriors at the peak of the Fifth Cone level," Lu Yun said to Gu Yu from the side.
"Dugu Xing," Gu Yu murmured. He had heard of this person's name before, but had never met him. Now that he had met him, he realized that this person was no ordinary person. Kong Yan had the Fire Phoenix Source in his body, which was already dangerous enough, but compared to Dugu Xing, he seemed to be much less dangerous.
Just as Gu Yu was looking at Dugu Xing, Dugu Xing's gaze also fell on Gu Yu, but Gu Yu saw contempt and disdain in Dugu Xing's eyes.
However, Gu Yu didn't care, because Dugu Xing had the strength, and if he were to fight Dugu Xing now, he really had no chance of winning.
"Flowers of the Dragon Clan, I think I don't need you to introduce me!" At this moment, Long Aotian suddenly appeared on the city gate and looked down at the crowd.
"Minister." Shi Polu and his group bowed and greeted Long Aotian upon his arrival, while the Dragon Division students below the city gate also bowed in greeting.
"Hmm!" Long Aotian glanced at the students below the city gate and nodded. "Not bad, stronger than I expected, but that's far from enough. Do you know that among the Minotaur race, some of you your age have already reached the Commander Realm? Of course, I'm not saying this to discourage you, but to tell you that once you come here, no matter how noble your origins or how powerful your backing, in the eyes of the Minotaur race, you are all prey, treated equally. If you want to survive and achieve a good ranking, you must be ruthless and bloodthirsty, and you must rely on your own strength to face them."
"I'll announce the rules," Shi Polu said, stepping forward. "This selection competition will use a points system. Each person will receive a points card shortly. Points are awarded for slaughtering minotaurs. Killing a martial artist (regardless of level 1, 2, or 3) earns 0.1 points; killing a Grandmaster or comparable minotaur earns 1 point; killing a minotaur with a single horn earns 10 points, a two-horn earns 100 points, a three-horn earns 1000 points, and so on, up to the General realm. The proof of killing a minotaur is the horn on its head. During this time, you can act individually or as a group. As for the points, you can distribute them among yourselves after you've killed all the minotaurs."
Shi Polu explained the rules in one breath, which immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the students.
"But let me warn you beforehand, don't stray too far from Slaughter City, because the farther you go, the more dangerous it becomes," Shi Polu warned. "Of course, if you encounter any life-threatening danger, you can use your points card to ask us for a rescue, but each rescue will deduct points. Of course, if you stray too far, beyond our control, or encounter too great danger and get killed instantly, there's nothing we can do. If any of you regret your decision now, you can choose to withdraw from the qualifying competition."
After Shi Polu finished speaking, no one spoke. Since everyone had come, no one had considered leaving halfway through.
"Very well, I hereby declare the qualifying rounds open. Of course, to give you a chance to regret it, I've specially arranged some Tauren for you," Long Aotian suddenly said with a wicked smile.
The next second, many students' expressions suddenly changed, and a bloodthirsty aura emanated from the closed city gates.
Roar...
A series of deafening sounds rang out, and the next second, the closed city gates were suddenly flung open, and hundreds of minotaurs rushed out instantly. Their strength was all around the first level, which was specially arranged by Long Aotian.
Because most students had never seen a minotaur before, let alone knew how terrifying they were. Each of them was over two meters tall, with a body exactly like a human's, but with a bull's head and bloodshot eyes. They looked fierce and menacing, like demons from hell.
The Dragon Division students standing at the forefront had disdain in their eyes. A single blow was nothing to them. But the next second, Gu Yu's pupils suddenly contracted.
Behind the hundreds of minotaurs, three incredibly imposing minotaurs emerged, their faces filled with rage, their aura clearly that of a general.
Looking at the three-headed Minotaur at the General Realm, Gu Yu glanced at Long Aotian on the city gate. This action seemed to be Long Aotian's doing.
This qualifying tournament is different from the past. In the past, it was just a duel in the arena. This time, the participants actually kill minotaurs to gain points and rankings. On the one hand, it is to train the students' courage when facing other races. On the other hand, it is to promote unity and mutual assistance among the students.
Among these people, it can be said that none of them could kill the Minotaur in the General Realm alone. Of course, Gu Yu felt that Dugu Xing and Kong Yan could, but that was three heads.
“Hehe…” Looking at the students whose expressions had changed drastically, Long Aotian sneered, “This is just an appetizer. Prepare to release that thing in a moment.”
“Minister, that’s a Commander-level expert, what if…” Shi Polu’s expression changed immediately upon hearing Long Aotian’s words.
“Children raised in a greenhouse can’t withstand the storms of life. Since they’ve come all this way, let them see how terrifying the alien races are,” Long Aotian said. “This is something they will have to face sooner or later, and it will only be a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand times more cruel than this in the future.”
"Those with higher cultivation levels should fight forward, and those with lower cultivation levels should retreat," Gu Yu said. The students behind him were all members of the combat department, and he had an obligation to protect them. As for the others, they all had their own gangs, and their gang leaders were not weak.
Upon hearing Gu Yu's order, the Dragon Clan members with higher cultivation levels immediately stepped forward, while those with lower levels stepped back. In their eyes, Gu Yu was extremely powerful; even the Demon Emperor had lost an arm to Gu Yu, let alone these Minotaur tribesmen before them.
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