Long Xuan and Li Laodao were thest two to crawl in.


    When Long Xuan emerged again, he found himself on a rooftop.


    The Sou Gu hut was situated right on top of a building’s roof.


    There were four formation gs on the rooftop, forming a barrier that tightly protected the Sou Gu hut.


    This formation also seemed to have an illusion effect, as the patrolling guards below appearedpletely oblivious, unable to see the dozens of people standing clearly on the rooftop.


    At this moment, all thirty-six individuals had arrived, but no one made any immediate moves. Long Dan stood at the highest point, using the Evil Dragon Emperor Eye to survey the pce, observing the positions of all the Gu cultivators.


    At that moment, Lei Shun leaped onto the roof and said, “I’ve ced the formation gs at the four corners of the walls. As expected, now that the Five Ghosts Mountain Shifting Formation has isted this area, no one inside or outside the pce has noticed anything unusual.”


    “But the key is that no one can enter or leave the pce during this time. Although it’s the morning court session, when few people enter the pce, it’s still best to act swiftly.”


    “Aren’t the Four Kings of the Imperial Garden and the National Advisor in court the strongest? Let’s rush in, kill them, and leave the rest of the mortals. Once we’ve divided the Heaven-Mending Fruit, we can leave immediately,” Lei Shun said eagerly, itching to act.He was the fastest among them. In the brief time the others were arriving, he had already circled the pce and set up the Five Ghosts Mountain Shifting Formation.


    “No!” Long Dan’s expression turned serious, and he immediately stopped him, saying, “We can’t be reckless. The National Advisor attending the court is just a clone he left behind.”


    “Oh? Then where is his real body?” Lei Shun asked, confused.


    Long Dan’s face twisted strangely, and after some hesitation, he finally said, “His real body is in the Empress’s chambers.”


    Upon hearing this, everyone’s expressions turned odd. They exchanged knowing smiles, with lustful looks in their eyes.


    Upon hearing this, Long Xuan immediately activated his ''Heavenly Eye'' to peer into the Empress’s chambers.


    Sure enough, a lecherous young man was sprawled on the Empress’s bed. Around him were not only the Empress but also dozens of concubines and princesses, all unclothed.


    Their eyes were vacant, as if they were hypnotized, entirely at his mercy.


    What a carefree life he was living.


    For a powerful Gu cultivator, controlling a group of mortals was a simple task. The old emperor had made a mistake by appointing such a powerful Gu cultivator as his National Advisor.


    His honor was already in shambles.


    For a mortal to try and control powerful Gu cultivator was inherently unreliable. If one with ill intentions was recruited, it was akin to inviting a wolf into the house, ultimately ying with fire and facing destruction. Attempting to wield such powerful forces would inevitably lead to being consumed by them.


    The old emperor was already facing light consequences. If this were an evil demon cultivator, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had been reced altogether.


    Even a low-tier Gu cultivator who couldn''t survive in the Gu world would cause massive disasters if they entered the mortal realm. The incredible powers of Gu cultivator were far beyond what mortals could resist.


    “Hahaha… That National Advisor sure knows how to enjoy life. I’m almost envious!” Shi Kunughed heartily, looking in the direction of the harem.


    The others joined in theughter, except for Long Dan, who remained serious. He sternly said, “Alright, get serious. Since he’s busy with that, it makes it easier for us tounch a sneak attack.”


    “Now, listen to my orders. We’ll split into two groups of eighteen.”


    “The strongest will follow me to the Empress’s chambers to deal with the National Advisor and the dozen Gu Masters guarding the ce.”


    “The rest will attack the Imperial Garden and swiftly eliminate the Four Kings.”


    “Don’t worry about the other areas. Once chaos erupts in these two ces, the remaining Gu cultivators and Body Refiners wille running to their deaths.”


    “Once we’ve neutralized the pce’s forces, we’ll quickly divide the fruits, and then we’ll leave through the Sou Gu hut as fast as possible.”


    “And don’t even think about stealing all the Heaven-Devouring Fruits for yourself and running. Let me warn you, while outsiders can’t enter the Five Ghosts Mountains Shifting Formation, neither can anyone inside leave without mymand. No one can return through the Sou Gu hut without my permission.”


    “If you all follow the rules, each of us will get one Heaven-Mending Fruit.”


    Long Dan cast a sharp nce at the group and then waved his hand. “Now, follow me and attack.”


    With that, he was the first to leap off the roof, heading straight for the Empress’s chambers.


    The others shouted in excitement and followed, splitting into two groups and charging in different directions.


    Long Dan, Long Xuan, Lei Shun, Shi Kun, Bai Youran, and thirteen other geniuses from various ns targeted the Empress’s chambers.


    This route was evidently the strongest, as the five geniuses from the Demon Prodigy List were all here.


    Long Dan believed that the National Master was the strongest among them, possibly pretending to be weak to lure him into a trap set by Qin Tian.


    Therefore, he nned for the worst and simply gathered the five geniuses from the Demon Prodigy List to gang up on the National Master. Long Dan thought that no matter how much the National Master pretended to be weak, he could never defeat thebined strength of five geniuses.


    However, everyone thought he was making a fuss over nothing, taking the National Master too seriously. Still, since Long Dan was the one who initiated the mission, they had no choice but to go along with it.


    Not long after they jumped down, they were discovered by the Imperial Guards stationed there. The sound of rapid footsteps immediately rang out, as arge number of armored soldiers charged towards them. Along with them came several Gu cultivators who rushed to the scene. Soon, both sides were entangled in a fierce battle.


    Long Dan let out a loud roar and immediately began to transform, ripping through his clothes as he morphed into a half-dragon humanoid form. With his ws, he tore ate-stage Marrow Cleansing Gu cultivator in front of him in half.


    He then charged into the crowd of mortal Imperial Guards, unleashing a massacre. Wherever he passed, bodies of Imperial Guards fell in heaps, their armor, which they wore for protection, was torn to shreds by his ws as though it were made of paper.


    Seeing Long Dan transform into his half-dragon form, the geniuses behind him all disyed expressions of wariness.


    During the war with the Great Yin Dynasty, the Long n''s Dragon Blood Battle Gu had made a terrifying name for itself. The fame was so widespread that anyone who encountered a Long n Gu cultivator in battle feared for their lives.


    Once a Long n Gu cultivator transformed, they became unstoppable, killing anyone in their way—no one could withstand their power. Their feats of ughter left Gu cultivators of the Great Yin Dynasty trembling at the mere mention of them.


    Now, in the Western Lands, the Dragon Blood Battle Gu was notorious, discussed by many. The geniuses behind Long Dan were shocked to see that he also possessed a Dragon Blood Battle Gu.


    That he would reveal such a powerful trump card in this battle, and use his full strength right from the start, without holding back, surprised everyone.


    They were all slightly stunned. Could the National Master really be such a threat that Long Dan felt the need to go to such lengths?


    Seeing Long Dan act so cautiously, the other geniuses finally got serious and started using more of their power as they made their way toward the Empress''s sleeping quarters.


    Mortals in a battle of Gu cultivators were nothing more than cannon fodder.


    With Long Dan''s ws carving the path, any Imperial Guard in front of him eithery scattered on the ground or was flung high into the air by his brute strength, only tond and crush more soldiers beneath them. There was no one who could withstand a single strike.


    Shi Kun, covered in stone armor by his Stone Transformation Gu,pletely ignored the attacks of the mortal soldiers’ iron weapons. He violently charged into the crowd, sending any Imperial Guard in his way flying through the air. Some flew several meters high, only to crash back down into the crowd, causing more chaos and screams of agony.


    Every time he swung his fist, an Imperial Guard''s head would be smashed, their iron helmets offering no protection whatsoever.


    Lei Shun, on the other hand, was covered in lightning. Any iron weapon that struck him was immediately shattered by the lightning. Despite being shed dozens of times by swords and knives, none could break through his defense.


    He, too, rampaged through the crowd, and anyone he crashed into was instantly reduced to a mist of blood.


    Compared to the others, Bai Youran was much gentler. After cutting through the mortals'' weapons with his spirit sword, he swiftly slit their throats. At least, those who died by his sword had their bodies left intact.


    The rest of the Gu cultivators also charged into the mortal army and started ughtering them. Each one of them seemed like a one-man army, possessing the strength to fight thousands.


    The elite Imperial Guards, handpicked from the nation’s finest, werepletely no match for them. They were quickly ughtered and driven into retreat.


    Before long, the ground was littered with corpses, and the road leading to the Empress''s quarters was flowing with blood.


    No matter how many Imperial Guards there were, they couldn’t withstand such ughter. In no time, the area was emptied of both Imperial Guards and Gu cultivators, all of them wiped out by this small group of eighteen.


    It was a bloodbath from start to finish. None of the eighteen were killed or even injured, and none were out of breath. The vast gap between mortals and Gu cultivators was starkly apparent.


    Hearing the fierce sounds of battle outside, the National Master was so frightened he nearly lost his nerve, but his fear quickly turned into anger as he rushed outside.


    “Damn it! Who dares to disturb my important matters? I’ll rip your souls apart!”


    He kicked the door open and, seeing the dozen or so people already nearing the entrance, let out a vicious grin and charged straight at them.


    Seeing the National Master charging towards them, Long Dan''s heart sank.


    They had already cleared out all the Gu cultivators and body cultivators guarding the area.


    If the National Master still dared to charge at them now, that meant he was either incredibly foolish or supremely confident—he must have a powerful trump card that made him fear none of the eighteen of them.


    Long Dan narrowed his eyes, realizing that there was indeed something strange about this National Master. He couldn’t possibly be some random rogue cultivator who had no ce in the Gu world—he must have an extraordinary background.


    “Everyone, be careful! This National Master is no ordinary person!”


    However, just as he finished speaking, a series of screams echoed from the crowd.


    Five Gu cultivators suddenly copsed into pools of blood, their limbs torn apart as if something had ripped them to shreds, or even devoured them, leaving their corpses in horrific states.


    Even the five strongest prodigies suddenly found themselves under attack. Shi Kun was thrown backward, crashing into a pir and skidding across the ground for a long distance. He crawled up, vomiting blood, though luckily, his stone armor’s defense was formidable. This injury barely counted as anything.


    Long Dan quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding some kind of attack.


    Long Xuan gave Li Laodao a heavy kick, sending him flying face-first into the ground. At the same time, Long Xuan rolled to the side.