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"A true immortal! A true immortal! A living immortal who has lived for a thousand years and has long since attained immortality!"

Wu Yan, Lei Xuanyu, and the others took a deep breath at the same time.

The realm of the Immortal was already unimaginable for them.

After all, there is a huge hurdle between a Saint and a Void Immortal: the tribulation of lightning.

When a sage condenses his own "Dao," and activates it for the first time, intending to use his own "Dao" to trigger a resonance with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, he will attract a tribulation of heaven and earth.

Only after undergoing the baptism of heaven and earth's tribulations can a sage's "Dao" be recognized by heaven and earth, possessing the power to freely resonate with the Great Dao of heaven and earth, and thus ascend to the level of a virtuous immortal.

And the True Immortals above the Void Immortal level...

The Dao that one comprehends must go through the process of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and the Five Qi Converging at the Origin before it finally blossoms and bears fruit, forming the Dao fruit of the cultivator.

What is nurtured within the Dao Fruit is actually the body of a true immortal.

Cultivators can infuse their essence, energy, and spirit into the body of a true immortal, thus transcending their mortal form and becoming true immortals who live on dew and wind, soaring freely through the heavens.

"Only when the three flowers of essence, energy, and spirit, and the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are all perfected, can a true immortal body be born... This process, although not particularly dangerous, and the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth are so powerful that they are not necessarily too lacking, the perfection of the three flowers of essence, energy, and spirit... can only be achieved through a long period of time... The journey from a saint to a novice immortal already requires a great deal of time, and for a novice immortal to become a true immortal... there is simply not enough time!"

Si Xinghui said in a deep voice, "Only those with extraordinary talent or special physiques, whose innate essence, qi, and spirit can quickly approach perfection, can attain true immortality and longevity... The bodies that have been newly acquired or reincarnated Gu Jinlai obviously do not possess this innate physique, but as true immortals, their 'divine' aspect is already perfected. They only need to replenish their own essence and qi to reshape their true immortal bodies. And in terms of the efficiency of replenishing essence and qi, the path of martial arts is even more advanced than that of cultivation..."

His explanation made Wu Yan and Lei Xuanyu suddenly realize the truth.

At this moment, Lei Xuanyu suddenly realized something and said, "Gu Jinlai, people have replenished their essence by walking the path of the Martial Saint. The 'qi' in this process mostly comes from Thunder Magnetic Yuanjin! Thunder Magnetic Qi! That's why his cultivation level increases significantly every time he refines Thunder Magnetic Yuanjin. The first time, he bought it from our Purple Thunder City, and the second time, he directly exchanged it with the merits from conquering the Chilong Territory!"

"No wonder... He is essentially a true immortal, a being of essence, energy, and spirit... To be precise, he is a true immortal whose essence and energy are not yet complete, whose physique and energy are not sufficient, like a malnourished strong man, or a cultivator whose true essence is depleted. When he can replenish his nutrition and restore his true essence, he will naturally be able to unleash a world-destroying and powerful force!"

Wu Yan suddenly realized what was going on.

After figuring out the causes and consequences of Gu Jinlai's life, the three city lords exchanged glances, all of them seeing the horror in each other's eyes.

"Quickly! Report our guess! If this is indeed a true immortal from Gu Jinlai... who is replenishing his essence and energy through the Path of Martial Saint, then, having already obtained a large amount of Thunder Magnetic Essence Gold to restore his vitality, a single Grand Elder would be absolutely no match for him! We need more help! Please ask more Grand Elders to step forward!"

Lei Xuanyu hurriedly said, and added at the end, "Moreover, we must act quickly! If we don't deal with Gu Jinlai soon, he will become a major threat to our Holy Dynasty once he truly recovers his True Immortal power!"

With a grim expression, Si Xinghui took out a communication jade talisman and quickly sent out the message.

Wu Yan then thought of the lawsuit he, Si Xinghui, and Lei Xuanyu had filed against Gu Jinlai, and for a moment he couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

If they had known that Gu Jinlai had such abilities, they wouldn't have rushed out. They could have waited a day or two, and after Gu Jinlai destroyed the Dragon Cry Demon Emperor, they could have acted as if nothing had happened, and everyone would have been happy. Wouldn't that have been better?

Now look what's happened; we've offended a true immortal who seems to be on the path of reincarnation...

If the other party recovers and retaliates, the consequences will be unimaginable.

"This Gu Jinlai is a true immortal reincarnated, why didn't he say so sooner? If he had said so earlier, who among us would have dared to provoke him?"

Lei Xuanyu's tone was tinged with resentment.

"We won't provoke him, but the higher-ups probably won't be happy to see a True Immortal share their profits in the Holy Dynasty, especially since this True Immortal had just been reincarnated and his power hadn't recovered much."

Si Xinghui sighed as he spoke, "I've already sent out the message. Now, it's up to the higher-ups to decide."

In an instant, everyone in the room lost the will to continue celebrating and began to leave with a heavy heart.

Just as they left the main hall, Si Xinghui, whose senses were most acute, seemed to notice something and suddenly looked towards the horizon.

But then they saw a glimmer of light on the horizon, as if a thundercloud was spreading out.

However, the speed at which this thundercloud spread was significantly faster, and it appeared that a top expert was transforming into lightning and traveling at full speed.

Upon recalling the intelligence gathered from Gu Jinlai, Si Xinghui, Wu Yan, and Lei Xuanyu's expressions changed drastically at the same time.

"It has Gu Jinlai!"

"Gu Jinlai!?"

Si Xinghui snapped to attention and abruptly ordered the Celestial Person being presiding over the array's central point, "Quick! Quick! Activate the city-protecting array! Activate the city-protecting array as quickly as possible!"

"Buzz!"

A burst of brilliant light quickly swirled above Haifeng City, soon forming a massive light shield that seemed to envelop the city and block all living beings from entering or leaving.

Seemingly sensing that the city's protective formation was about to be activated, the lightning bolt suddenly increased its speed.

"Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

Seeing this, Si Xinghui's eyes widened, and he urged them on urgently.

His figure soared into the air, heading towards the city's protective formation with all his might, followed closely by Wu Yan and Lei Xuanyu.

However, just as the city's protective formation was about to be fully activated, a bolt of lightning illuminated the night sky.

Immediately afterwards, a field of lightning expanded at an extremely fast speed, instantly spreading towards the central array of the city's protective formation.

Upon arriving at the same time, Si Xinghui witnessed this scene and his eyes widened in horror. "No! No! No!"

"Boom!"

Thunder roared!

The Celestial Person located at the center of the formation were all enveloped by lightning. Hundreds of bolts of lightning exploded and bombarded simultaneously. In a dazzling explosion and flames, the city-protecting formation, which was only a breath or two away from being fully activated, quickly dimmed.

The shimmering light that enveloped the entire city gradually faded away.

"It seems that Lord Si does not welcome my arrival."

At this moment, a voice came from the tower that represented the center of the formation.

Immediately afterwards, bathed in flames and thunder, the figures of Gu Jinlai slowly appeared.

Yesterday, when Si Xinghui saw this figure, he was mainly filled with resentment and greed. But now, seeing Gu Jinlai's true form again, the city lord of Haifeng City felt a chill run down his spine.

Despite it being a cool season with temperatures in the teens, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, and his body couldn't help but tremble slightly.

"It would be even better if Lord Wu and Lord Lei were here as well."

The focus Gu Jinlai shifted back to Wu Yan and Lei Xuanyu.

The two city lords did not perform much better than Si Xinghui.

The Gu Jinlai before us are beings who are suspected to be reincarnated true immortals.

Even disregarding his identity, his sheer strength is evident from the fact that he single-handedly defeated the demonic tide led by the Dragon Cry Demon Emperor.

His strength...

Even if he hasn't fully recovered, he's probably still one of the top, most powerful, and most powerful virtual immortals.

Apart from those with great Divine Ability powers and peerless immortals, no one dares to say they can defeat him.

"Ancient... ancient city lord..."

Si Xinghui, Wu Yan, Lei Xuanyu and the others managed to force a smile.

"I heard that the three of you have jointly filed a lawsuit against me for disregarding the overall situation, saying that I intend to use the Dragon Cry Demon Emperor to split the Holy Dynasty?"

Gu Jinlai at the three men, Gu Jinlai sneered, "You say I'm utterly loyal to the Holy Dynasty! I've devoted myself to eradicating Demonic Beasts and upholding the rules and laws of the Holy Dynasty! Yet you've framed me and made me a wanted criminal by the Demon Cult!? How can I bear such injustice!?"

"Us..."

Si Xinghui, Wu Yan, and Lei Xuanyu broke out in a cold sweat as they looked at Gu Jinlai, who was bathed in lightning.

Circumstances are beyond our control.

Si Xinghui said in a hoarse voice, "This is our mistake. We believed the rumors and misunderstood the City Lord..."

"So, you admit you made false accusations?"

This Gu Jinlai.

"Yes, we were momentarily blinded..."

Wu Yan and Lei Xuanyu quickly replied.

"It's good that you admit it."

Gu Jinlai, he glanced behind him and asked, "Did you hear that, Madam?"

"I... I heard it."

A figure then appeared.

It was Duanmu Yao, the Lady of Shunguo, who represented the royal family.

Since Si Xinghui, Wu Yan, and Lei Xuanyu had already admitted it, she had no way to proceed no matter how much she wanted to plan the matter further. So she could only say, "It was the Holy Lord who mistakenly believed the City Lord Gu. I will immediately send a message to the Holy Lord to remove the City Lord Gu from the list of demonic cultists and restore the City Lord Gu's innocence."

"That's great."

Gu Jinlai brandished a piece of audio-visual stone in his hand. "I recorded it all."

This proof has no other use than to allow Gu Jinlai to stand on moral grounds.

And it would make what he was about to do seem legitimate.

"Now that it has been proven that the fault lies with the three city lords, shouldn't they give me an explanation for this matter?"

Gu Jinlai have looked towards these three individuals.

A simple glance sent a shiver down the spines of Si Xinghui, Wu Yan, and Lei Xuanyu, the three city lords who held sway over the lives of hundreds of millions of people.

"Let's take it one step at a time. This time, I defeated the demonic tide and killed countless Demonic Beasts. First, use the Heavenly Image Device to help me record my contribution points into my Demon-Slaying Token and help me exchange for some items."

This Gu Jinlai.

"Exchange items?"

Si Xinghui suddenly realized something.

Just then, the communication jade talisman on his body stirred slightly.

He sensed for a moment with his Divine Sense and received a message from Si Xuanyuan, the Supreme Elder of their Taihao Cave Heaven.

Let him do everything he can to buy time and stabilize the Gu Jinlai.

He did not come alone.

Upon receiving the response, Si Xinghui secretly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said, "No problem, no problem, I will personally activate the Heavenly Image Device to help the Ancient City Lord record his contribution points."