Gu An originally just wanted to eavesdrop, but the woman in the purple dress used her Divine Sense to probe him and even developed hostility toward him, signifying a desire to tear him to pieces.
Could he tolerate this?
Gu An directly captured her!
Before killing her, he decided to probe for information about the Ephemera Sect. This woman’s identity was clearly not simple, and he might be able to attain some useful intelligence.
The woman in the purple dress was called Su Shan, a former elder of the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion. She joined the Ephemera Sect two hundred years ago and had been hiding within the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion ever since the Ephemera Sect’s defeat.
Yang Ni was personally recruited into the sect by her. Yang Ni’s reason for joining the sect was Su Shan’s promise to help her find the killer of her sister.
Su Shan’s purpose in recruiting Yang Ni was to keep an eye on Li Xuandao and Li Ya. Since Li Ya had inherited the Heavenly Residence Sword, Su Shan felt that this child could potentially become the Crown Prince, so she had Yang Ni monitor this father and son duo, waiting for the Ephemera Sect to make its comeback.
Yang Ni did not fully trust Su Shan either, but regarded her as an additional channel to find the truth.
Little did she know, the one who killed her sister was Su Shan herself!
The power structure of the Ephemera Sect was very complex, with many branches. Each Elder of the Void Crossing Realm was building their own merits, and if their contributions were great enough, they could enter the Nine Nether Road in pursuit of the Immortal Path.
As for the Nine Nether Road, Su Shan had only heard of it and had never seen it. It was said that the Nine Nether Road could cross the ocean to another continent. The Nine Nether Road is a Yin Yang path opened by the Ephemera Sect, passing through the Ghost Realm where Yin and Yang meet, a place filled with evil ghosts and extreme danger, but also full of opportunities.
Gu An had probed for a long time but was unable to obtain information about the Ephemera Sect Main Lineage, and had no way of understanding just how strong the main lineage was.
When he retracted his Divine Sense, an hour had passed.
He looked down at Su Shan’s enchanting face, his eyes full of disdain. During the Soul Capturing Skill he had employed earlier, he had seen many unsightly scenes.
Once a Demon Cultivator, always a Demon Cultivator!
Gu An then ended Su Shan’s life and burned her body to ashes.
Thus, this Great Cultivator of the Void Crossing Realm died without any sound.
She had contributed decades of life span to Gu An, which was somewhat satisfactory.
After that, Gu An began to sort through her two Storage Rings.
Meanwhile, Yang Ni was in her own room, still unable to calm down for cultivation, the threat of Su Shan continuously surfacing in her mind.
Thinking about how she involved Gu An made her feel sorry.
It wasn’t that she had special feelings for Gu An, but after many years of association, their relationship had grown closer. The thought of a junior with such good character possibly being persecuted because of her obviously made her uneasy.
When morning came, Lu Jiujia called the disciples out for morning exercises, and Gu An also came downstairs.
“The plans for the day lie in the morning, Yang Ni, it’s time for morning practice!”
Gu An walked to the courtyard where Yang Ni lived and shouted.
Yang Ni quickly came out, merely nodding slightly at Gu An as if she hadn’t experienced the events of last night.
Gu An did not say much, but he was somewhat reassured when Yang Ni had dared to draw her sword when facing Su Shan’s threat last night.
Well, in the future, he thought he’d allocate more land to her, allowing her to plant more flowers and plants.
…
Since the night she encountered Su Shan, Yang Ni would go to the Outer Sect every other day, ostensibly to look for high-rank seeds.
Gu An’s life, however, was not disrupted and he continued to shuttle to and from the three sides of Medicine Valley.
At the end of summer.
Gu An arrived at Tianya Valley. Luo Hun and Yi Liuyun had gone out, taking three monkey demons with them, and only Lv Xian remained in the Medicine Valley.
“Thousands of miles away, a Great Cultivator’s Cave was discovered, along with many heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Yi Liuyun took them to move the finds. They will not return for several days,” Lv Xian came up to Gu An and explained. His gaze fixed on Gu An, burning intensely.
Gu An nodded slightly, then turned and walked toward the garden.
“Who exactly are you, Gu An?” The voice of Lv Xian came from behind, his tone different from usual, heavy with resentment.
Gu An stopped his pace, turned to look at Lv Xian, and smiled, “Who am I? I’m no deity, just an ordinary cultivator who enjoys planting.”
This guy is acting strange!
Why does it feel like he’s a completely different person?
Could it be that another remnant soul within him has taken over control of his thoughts?
Gu An thought perplexedly.
Lv Xian gave a cold laugh, his face turning ferocious, “I’ve only taught you a few times, yet your mastery of the Mystic Tortoise Surging Wave Palm has already surpassed my ten years of arduous practice.”
Gu An raised an eyebrow, not expecting that his deliberate control had still given hints to Lv Xian.
This could be troublesome.
Lv Xian took a step forward, his aura as a ninth-layer Core Formation Realm cultivator suddenly erupting, lifting the fallen leaves on the ground like a tornado taking off, grand and imposing.
Though his cultivation level was at the ninth layer of the Core Formation Realm, it was comparable to the aura of a lower-tier Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.
Deserving of his reputation as the once number one talent of the Supreme Sect.
“I had discovered that Cave long ago, calculating the day you would come and deliberately sent them away. Today, let us determine who is superior,” Lv Xian said with a cold smirk.
His right palm began to accumulate Spiritual Power, with the space beneath his palm churning fiercely, as if a surge was about to come.
Gu An raised his hand, “Don’t be irrational, I’m really not any genius. Why fixate on me? I pose no threat to you.”
If you act rashly, I’ll have no choice but to kill you.
Lv Xian licked his lips, “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I just want to test your depth. If you continue to hide your strength, be careful not to end up like Li Ya.”
Upon hearing these words, Gu An’s eyes turned cold.
“Try my Mystic Tortoise Surging Wave Palm!” Lv Xian let out a thunderous shout as he struck with his palm.
The palm wind swept out, shaking heaven and earth, a sudden whirlwind starting from the ground as the overwhelming pressure headed straight for Gu An, grass along the way getting uprooted as dust filled the air.
Boom——
The palm wind of the Mystic Tortoise Surging Wave Palm shot up to the sky, forming a wave of air nearly a hundred feet high, a magnificent sight.
The smile on Lv Xian’s face froze, and following his gaze, behind the waves of air, Gu An stood unmovable, his palm strength forcibly blocked.
Behind Gu An, the medicinal herbs of each garden swayed in the wind, untouched by the assault, still planted in the soil.
At this moment, Gu An’s expressionless face, his entire demeanor changed abruptly, making Lv Xian feel estranged.
“You…”
Lv Xian spoke tremblingly, as he saw Gu An step towards him.
With just one step, Gu An crossed a distance of several feet and instantly appeared in front of him.
Boom!
Lv Xian’s momentum was directly scattered, and the terrifying power made him fall backward, landing on the ground with no semblance of the grandeur befitting the leader of the Hidden Dragon List.
Gu An raised his right hand, looking down at him, his palm facing his head.
To his horror, Lv Xian found himself unable to move, a force of Spiritual Power that he could not contend with was oppressing him.
“Divinity Transformation…” Lv Xian gritted his teeth and said.
He was right in his judgement; Gu An had indeed suppressed his realm to the Divinity Transformation Realm, enough to easily suppress him.
“Why did you have to force me?” Gu An looked down at Lv Xian and asked quietly.
The killing intent in his eyes materialized, causing Lv Xian to feel the breath of death.
The expressionless face was so terrifying, Lv Xian had never seen such a frightening look before.
“Wait!”
Lv Xian hurriedly spoke, showing a color of panic on his face for the first time.
Gu An just quietly looked down at him.
In fact, Gu An didn’t want to kill him either. After all, Lv Xian was Lv Baitian’s son, and he held no actual enmity towards him, indicating he really just wanted a sparring match.
To avoid further entanglement, Gu An had to use the power of the Divinity Transformation Realm to strike terror into his heart.
“I was wrong… don’t kill me…” Lv Xian forced out through clenched teeth, as he lowered his proud head, not daring to look at Gu An.
Still sitting paralyzed on the ground, unable to stand up, such a posture made him feel ashamed.
“But you made me reveal my true Cultivation Level, which will surely result in endless troubles in the future. This troubles me greatly. I just wanted to cultivate plants in peace. Why did you have to force me, why?”
Gu An said coldly; by the end, his voice seemed like a low roar, his face distorting as if he were about to go mad.
Lv Xian looked up, startled by his hysterical expression, and quickly said, “I won’t tell anyone… I promise! I swear!”
Gu An’s right palm began to condense Spiritual Power, the terrifying power of the Divinity Transformation Realm frightening Lv Xian.
“Wait, I know a clue about an eighth-tier Spirit Flower. This flower has been gestating for hundreds of years and hasn’t yet become sentient. Don’t you like cultivating plants? You can take it!” Lv Xian said hastily, truly frightened, beginning to tremble.
Gu An was moved and narrowed his eyes to ask, “Where is it?”
Feeling the oppressive force on him weaken, Lv Xian quickly took out a scroll of a map from his Storage Bag and said, “This is the map, I got it when I participated in the Great Hundred Tribes Meeting from an old senior who gave it to me.”
Gu An took the map, gave it a quick glance, then tossed it into his Storage Bag.
He looked back at Lv Xian, frowning and said, “You truly won’t speak of it?”
“If I speak of your cultivation, this life’s Tribulation Crossing will surely be plagued by demons of the heart, leading to death and the vanishing of my Dao!” Lv Xian immediately swore an oath.
After hearing this, Gu An retracted his aura, and his Cultivation Level returned to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
The swaying flowers and grass in Medicine Valley also came to a halt; Lv Xian instantly sighed in relief, sweating profusely, catching his breath deeply.
Gu An resumed his usual gentle demeanour, pulled Lv Xian to his feet, and dusted him off, saying, “Brother Lv, apologies for the offense. Promise me you won’t make such jokes again; they’re not funny!”
Hearing these words, Lv Xian gave a forced smile.
After that, Gu An turned and walked away, heading back to his original spot.
Watching his retreating figure, Lv Xian remained silent for a long time.
An hour later, Gu An bade farewell to Lv Xian and left.
Lv Xian sat on the grass, watching the sun in the sky, remaining lost in thought.
As the day gave way to night and then two days and nights passed, he didn’t get up.
It wasn’t until Luo Hun, Yi Liuyun, and the three Monkey Demons returned, all talking and laughing with evident good gains, that he stirred.
Seeing Lv Xian sitting still on the ground, Yi Liuyun asked with a laugh, “Lv Xian, why aren’t you cultivating?”
Lv Xian’s body shivered slightly; he turned his head to look at Yi Liuyun and asked, “Do you think I can achieve Divinity Transformation by the age of a hundred?”
He knew about Gu An’s age because Gu An was about the same age as Li Ya.
“If you hadn’t wasted time before, you would have definitely reached the Divinity Transformation Realm by the age of a hundred, but alas, you are now ninety, and it’s difficult to go from the ninth layer of the Core Formation Realm to the first layer of the Divinity Transformation Realm in ten years.” Yi Liuyun shook his head and said.
Luo Hun suggested, “His Majesty values you so much, if you ask, he will definitely provide you with a great number of Elixirs.”
Lv Xian remained silent.
He fell into self-doubt, wondering if he was truly not a genius at all?