Gu An had no idea what Li Ya had been through, but every few days, he would use his Divine Sense to search the Taicang Dynasty. Li Ya was practicing sword at the border of the Taicang Dynasty, and his body had gained an additional soul; it seemed that the Traveler of Graceful Crane had not deceived him.
Next, they were just waiting for the Ephemera Sect to gather, and then they would wipe them out all at once.
Since Gu An had destroyed the Ephemera Tree, the Ephemera Sect was still active, seemingly unaffected. Clearly, there was more than one Ephemera Tree.
The real enemy of the Supreme Sect was not the current Ephemera Sect, but the Great Cultivators of the Ephemera Sect Main Lineage that would soon arrive.
Gu An planned to find an opportunity to increase his Cultivation Level to the ninth layer of the Mahayana Realm.
The gap between small realms was not insignificant, especially at high realms!
After the new spring, everything returned to normal.
Lu Lingjun no longer came to find Gu An. She labored daily and practiced under the Mystic Pure Tree at night. When Gu An looked at her, he wasn’t sure if it was his illusion, but he felt like she didn’t want to meet his gaze.
An Xin quickly adapted to the life in the Third Medicine Valley. The type of Valley Master dictated the nature of the Medicine Valley. The disciples in the Valley were very kind, and the people here did not prioritize Cultivation Level, which made her feel at ease.
Spring departed and summer arrived; on this day, Gu An’s age jumped to sixty-one.
Today, Tang Yu received a Foundation Establishment Pill from Gu An, and the entire Medicine Valley was bustling. Tang Yu represented their future, and they seemed to see themselves attempting the Foundation Establishment.
This also made Lu Lingjun take a few more glances at Gu An, and An Xin completely let down her guard. She felt that she had misunderstood Gu An; he truly was a good person.
Gu An was not only kind to his disciples, but he also spoke very gently and never used foul language. It was almost never seen him frown; he was always smiling, making one feel as if immersed in a spring breeze.
Sending the disciples away meant it was time to recruit new ones. Gu An still let Xiaochuan take charge of this, as a way to increase Xiaochuan’s authority.
Around noon.
Ji Xiaoyu came to visit Gu An. She and her fellow top ten geniuses still cultivated their hearts within the Medicine Valley, but they seldom interacted with the servant disciples, keeping a significant distance.
“I am preparing to leave, to participate in the Holy Land assessment,” Ji Xiaoyu said softly after sitting down.
Holy Land?
As Gu An poured tea for her, he curiously asked, “What power is the Holy Land, and where is it located?”
Ji Xiaoyu answered, “The Holy Land is the oldest power on this continent, with a legacy of ten thousand years, located beyond the nine dynasties. They avoid worldly affairs and do not engage in any conflicts. Every hundred years, they recruit disciples. After entering the Holy Land to cultivate, one must leave within a hundred years at most.
How long one can stay entirely depends on one’s own fate; the Ji Family rose to prominence with the legacy from the Holy Land.”
After hearing this, Gu An became even more curious and said, “What does the Holy Land aim for, to not retain people?”
Ji Xiaoyu shook her head and said, “No one knows; even the elder relatives from our clan who have been to the Holy Land did not talk much about it upon their return. They only mentioned that it is possible to inquire about the Immortal Path only while in the Holy Land.”
That sounds quite mysterious!
“I’ve heard that there will be a great Demon calamity in a hundred years. Why doesn’t the Holy Land intervene?” Gu An asked further.
Ji Xiaoyu picked up a tea bowl and said, “Actually, before the nine dynasties, there have been great Demon calamities that led this continent to be dominated by demons, and the Human Race barely survived, being penned like livestock by ghosts and monsters. At that time, the Holy Land did not intervene.
Even without the Holy Land’s intervention, the Human Race later rose and established the nine dynasties. My clan’s elders say that the Holy Land has seen through the mundane world. They care not for the safety of a single lifetime’s people, but for the long-standing existence of the Immortal Cultivation Daoist Tradition.”
After hearing this, Gu An looked at the Holy Land in a new light. It seemed that this Holy Land truly transcended worldly concerns.
Afterward, he no longer asked further but wished Ji Xiaoyu success in passing the Holy Land assessment and to have smooth sailing.
Ji Xiaoyu did not stay long; she had to leave today.
Gu An saw her off down the stairs, watching as she departed.
Lu Lingjun, who was passing by, came over and curiously asked, “Valley Master, who is this woman? She seems quite extraordinary.”
She had noticed the ten geniuses cultivating their hearts within the Medicine Valley and learned that these people were arranged by the Sect Leader and personally taught by Gu An, which made her regard Gu An highly.
Among the ten, the one she was most curious about was Ji Xiaoyu.
She could sense the aura of the Primordial Daoist Talisman, and she even felt an impulse to snatch it, but she restrained herself.
“A True Disciple of the Sect, and the young miss of the Ji Family, named Ji Xiaoyu, one of the top talents of the Sect,” Gu An introduced.
Truly one of the top. Among the cultivators, only An Hao had a longer life span than Ji Xiaoyu.
An Hao had already succeeded in Core Formation and was said to have become a legend in the Inner Sect with no one able to rival him. Gu Yu even compared him to the True Inheritor who was out gaining experience.
There are many paths in this world; not all talents need to participate in the Hundred Clans Conference or enter the Holy Land.
Lu Lingjun nodded and then asked, “Valley Master, have you read the Supreme Secret Records?”
The smile on Gu An’s face suddenly stiffened, and he frowned, saying, “Why are you reading such books?”
Good gracious!
When will the ways of the Supreme Sect be rectified?
Even the Ascenders who just arrived are deeply affected!
Gu An couldn’t help but curse Shen Zhen a few times in his heart.
“Someone from the Outer Sect recommended it to me; could it be that it’s not written by you, Valley Master? I saw the protagonist’s name is also Gu An…” Lu Lingjun truthfully said.
Gu An angrily said, “Do I look like that kind of person to you?”
“Indeed, you don’t seem like it, so I had to ask.”
Lu Lingjun’s face then broke into a smile, the knot in her heart dissolving, making Gu An suddenly appear more pleasant to her.
She had been holding back for a long time and couldn’t resist inquiring about this matter today.
“Next time, I still need to check the Book Collection Hall. The supervision is not strict enough; there are still people selling this book. You better destroy the book,” Gu An said seriously.
Lu Lingjun rarely saw him so serious, and she felt inexplicably happy. She asked with a smile, “Valley Master, do you think the Supreme Secret Records is well written, or is the Green Hero Travelogue better?”
Upon hearing this, Gu An was dumbfounded.
Lu Lingjun did not wait for his reply and turned to leave.
Gu An watched her departing figure, wanting to say something but eventually just sighed.
His reputation was ruined!
He shook his head, turned, and walked toward the attic while taking out the “Green Hero Travelogue” from his pocket.
Since his reputation was already ruined, he might as well not hide it anymore!
…
The moon was bright, and the stars were sparse over Mystic Valley.
Gu An was in the attic, reading a cultivation technique manual. It was a fire attribute basic skill; previously, when he had gone to the Inner Sect, he had bought other attributes’ basic skills because it seemed there were no Five Elements Skills in this world, so he planned to figure it out by himself.
After all, he didn’t cultivate ordinarily, but what if he figured it out?
Although his comprehension was poor, he had plenty of time to grind it out.
Deep into the night, Gu An suddenly sensed a presence entering within a hundred miles of Mystic Valley.
A Void Crossing Realm Cultivator!
Such cultivators stealthily approaching Mystic Valley were definitely not a good sign.
Gu An did not act immediately because he suspected a person in his mind.
Sure enough, after a while, Yang Ni left her separate courtyard, quietly departed Mystic Valley, and hurried toward the direction of that Void Crossing Realm Great Cultivator.
Eventually, the two met in a forest more than thirty miles away.
In the dim woodland, Yang Ni stopped and looked toward a figure under the trees ahead. By the moonlight, one could see it was a female cultivator.
“You’re a bit slow, Yang Ni. Why have you been staying in the Outer Sect all this time? Didn’t Li Xuandao arrange for you to go to the Inner Sect?” the female cultivator asked, her voice cold.
This female cultivator wore a purple gown, her long hair pinned up in a bun, interspersed with several jade hairpins. She held a dignified pose with beautiful features, and even though her eyes were full of coldness, they had a charm that enchanted the living.
Yang Ni replied, “No, Li Xuandao asked me to protect an Outer Disciple who has a close connection with his son, Li Ya.”
“Has Li Xuandao detected your real identity?”
“He shouldn’t have, otherwise he wouldn’t have sent me to protect Li Ya.”
“The Ephemera Tree was exterminated by a mysterious cultivator, and even the Sect Hierarch died. It could only be a Great Cultivator from the Supreme Sect. You must find a way to investigate if there are other Unification Realm cultivators above the fifth level within the Sect, excluding the Sect Leader.”
Unification Realm above the fifth level!
Yang Ni was visibly moved and quickly said, “With my cultivation level, how could I possibly make contact with Unification Realm cultivators?”
“According to the news from our people in the Hall of Elders, Lv Baitian has already failed in his tribulation crossing. It’s unlikely he’s the killer of the Sect Hierarch. Given the mystery, it’s highly probable it was Sword Venerable Fudao. Ever since Sword Venerable Fudao became famous, our sect has been investigating him.
Having ruled out all other possibilities, we can only speculate that Sword Venerable Fudao is a cultivator who hides his cultivation level, possibly even lurking within the Outer Sect, where the Heavenly Repair Platform is.”
Yang Ni frowned tightly at the words of the woman in the purple gown.
“Of course, Sword Venerable Fudao is merely a guess, but in any case, you’ll need to find a way to investigate the Outer Sect.”
Upon hearing this, Yang Ni couldn’t resist saying, “I’ve been cultivating Ephemera lately, I can’t leave.”
“Can’t leave?”
The woman in purple hesitated, then spread out her Divine Sense to probe the distant Mystic Valley.
A few breaths later, she snorted coldly, “That kid does have a good skin.”
Yang Ni’s expression changed, and she hurriedly said, “Don’t you dare harm him!”
“What’s your relationship with him?”
“He’s not only the person Li Xuandao wants to protect but also my newly accepted disciple!”
“Your disciple? How about offering him to me?”
“Shut up!”
Yang Ni was furious and actually drew her sword.
The woman in purple looked at her with scorn and said, “I’ll come again next year. If you haven’t provided information that satisfies me by then, that kid will be mine. After draining his life force, I’ll make his bones into a pendant and gift it to you, so you can look at it whenever you remember him.”
With that, she turned and left.
Yang Ni watched the back of the woman in purple, eyes full of rage, but her hand holding the sword hilt could not draw the weapon.
She took a deep breath and could only turn back to the valley, her movements swift as if she feared something might happen to Gu An.
As she hurried back to Mystic Valley, the woman in purple walked through the woods, thinking about Yang Ni’s reaction just now and a sneering smile crossed her face.
Snap!
Suddenly, a hand pressed down on the shoulder of the woman in purple, stopping her in her tracks, her pupils dilating immediately.
Almost reflexively, she tried to twist her body, catching a glimpse of a deep purple demon shadow in the corner of her eye.
“Thou…
Boom!
A terrifying Divine Sense forcibly invaded her mind, making her eyes go vacant.
Elsewhere.
Yang Ni returned to Mystic Valley and reached the attic where Gu An was. Seeing the oil lamp still lit inside and sensing Gu An’s presence, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Inside the room, Gu An was sitting at a table, the woman in purple kneeling in front of him, with his right hand on her head, applying the Soul Capturing Skill.
His Spiritual Power enveloped the woman in purple, ensnaring her with the innate creation of his Nine Extremes Yin Yang body, making her invisible and undetectable by Divine Sense unless someone walked in.
