Shen Zhen’s words failed to move Gu An. Sketching someone else’s battle was far too offensive, and besides, he wasn’t short of high-rank medical herbs right now, unless Shen Zhen could produce a seventh-rank herb to tempt him.
Shen Zhen came from the Daotian Sect of the Great Yu Dynasty, which was far away. It was hard to tell how long it would take just to convey a message there.
Gu An spoke up, “The whole city is in chaos. How can I be in the mood to draw? Ms. Shen, let’s find somewhere to hide to avoid…”
His words were cut off by a sudden loud boom. The whole inn shook violently, and a rolling cloud of dust attacked from outside the window, burying the two of them.
Shen Zhen, holding onto Gu An’s waist, quickly rushed out of the inn into its backyard.
Gu An tried to free himself from her hold, but she gripped him tightly. Her eyes were solemn as she looked behind the inn and whispered, “Don’t move.”
Gu An had no choice.
Do you still think you can protect me, a Great Cultivator of the ninth layer of the Mahayana Realm?
Shen Zhen frowned, and took a long flute out of her storage bag with her left hand. Following her gaze, a figure flew out from the dust on the other side of the inn.
Gu An remembered him, Zhang Hong, an Inner Sect Disciple who contemplated the sword at the Heavenly Repair Platform. Gu An saw him every time he went there, never expecting him to be a spy for the Ephemera Sect.
Zhang Hong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, turned his head, and saw the two of them. He immediately brandished his sword and slashed at them.
A sword qi pierced through the eaves, aiming straight for Shen Zhen and him.
The sword qi was so fast that all Shen Zhen could do was raise her flute defensively on instinct.
Boom!
The sword qi exploded, bringing the entire inn down with it, and dust roared into the sky.
Zhang Hong leaped into the air, fleeing swiftly, followed by a number of figures from behind, in hot pursuit.
Looking around, the entire Outer City fell into a battle frenzy, with even Elder Chi Han fighting. The City Protection Array above was twisting violently, possibly breaking at any moment.
As the sword qi dissipated, Shen Zhen pulled Gu An out; both were in a sorry state.
“Ms. Shen, are you alright?” Gu An asked with concern, though he could tell that Shen Zhen’s injuries were not life-threatening.
Zhang Hong was a Cultivator of the first layer of the Nascent Soul Realm, and even though Shen Zhen had blocked the earlier sword qi, she had been internally injured.
For Shen Zhen to block a Nascent Soul Cultivator’s sword with only a Core Formation cultivation level meant she had some skill.
Her jaw beneath the veil was dripping blood, and she feigned calmness saying, “As the Holy Daughter of the Daotian Sect, how could I be injured by a nobody? Let’s find somewhere to hide first.”
She relaxed her right hand, then quickly walked forward, with Gu An following closely.
The whole city was fighting, so they couldn’t fly and had to walk through the streets on foot.
Fortunately, they encountered a Disciple of the Law Enforcement Hall who led them to an underground palace for refuge. This underground palace was extensive, and many Disciples were taking shelter there, mostly Servant Disciples.
Shen Zhen found a spot and sat down cross-legged. She took out a bottle of elixir from her storage bag, swallowed it, and began cultivating energy for healing.
Gu An didn’t disturb her; instead, he scanned the underground palace to make sure everything was normal before sitting down himself and closing his eyes to observe the battles through his Divine Sense.
Not only this Outer City, but the entire Supreme Sect was in chaos, and battles raged in every city.
Lv Baitian and others felt the disturbances of the Supreme Sect and were rushing back.
Without the support of Golden Spirit Venerable, the Supreme Sect would certainly get through this internal strife, but some casualties would be inevitable during the process.
Gu An was mainly concerned with the safety of Third Medicine Valley and Mystic Valley.
Mystic Valley was outside the Outer Sect and had not encountered any threats because, for now, it was the spies of the Ephemera Sect causing chaos within the sect.
Third Medicine Valley had protectors; Gu Yu was leading a group of Cultivators to guard it, and a battle had already erupted there.
As long as the medical herbs weren’t damaged, Gu An couldn’t be bothered to get involved. The Supreme Sect needed tempering as well.
Time ticked away, second by second.
As Great Cultivators of the Unification Realm returned, the conflicts in the cities ended rapidly.
In less than 30 minutes, the Outer City where Gu An was located became silent of battle.
A figure ran out from the underground corridor, exclaiming with joy, “The battle is over, everyone can go out now!”
Upon hearing this, the Disciples all showed smiles, stood up, and helped each other walk out.
Shen Zhen also stood up. She looked at Gu An and said, “Why don’t you spontaneously offer to help me? Look at the others.”
Gu An laughed, “I feel that your injuries aren’t to such an extent. When we return to Medicine Valley, you can pick a batch of medical herbs as thanks for your protection earlier.”
Shen Zhen smiled but did not continue the conversation and walked towards the crowd with Gu An.
After leaving the underground palace, Gu An went to the streets. Looking up, he saw dark clouds rolling in the sky, several dragons made of Spiritual Power tumbling non-stop, a magnificent sight, as if celestial beings were protecting the city.
Gu An spotted a figure of a Great Cultivator of the Unification Realm suspended thousands of feet high in the sky. This person had been in a sorry state during the earlier battle with Golden Spirit Venerable, but now he appeared invincible and unparalleled.
Shen Zhen followed his gaze, ensuring the chaotic battle was thoroughly over, and then said to Gu An, “I need to go back. You should head back soon as well.”
With that, she turned and left.
She pretended to be at ease, speeding up as soon as she left Gu An’s field of vision.
Shen Zhen’s injuries would likely take several months to fully recover.
Gu An began to wander around the city. As he passed through, many buildings had suffered damage and the Disciples passing by bore various injuries, while they were inspecting the whole city.
Gu An could sense the presence of Zhen Qin and Ye Lan. Both women were unharmed, so he did not feel the need to go find them.
The mysterious presence he had sensed a few days ago was still there, and due to the distance from the Taicang Dynasty, Gu An was unclear about the origin of this aura.
He speculated that it had something to do with Nine Nether Road.
Before Golden Spirit Venerable’s death, he had said that the Ephemera Sect Main Lineage was about to arrive, which meant that this disaster had only just begun, and more Great Cultivators of the Mystic Heart Realm might appear in the future.
What a time of troubles!
Gu An was reflecting on this when his gaze was suddenly drawn to a figure in the distance.
Among the crowd walked a disciple who appeared very ordinary. His stature, appearance, and cultivation level were nondescript. Roaming the streets, very few took notice of him.
The reason Gu An was drawn to him was this indescribable aura he had about him, which felt strangely familiar.
Let’s send out a Life Span Detection!
[Wu Jue (Foundation Establishment Realm Second Layer): 63/280/310]
Such a life span limit was not outstanding in the Outer Sect.
Gu An thought this as he observed Wu Jue. It didn’t take him long to understand why the latter’s aura seemed vaguely familiar to him.
Path Enlightenment!
The man was actually in the midst of Path Enlightenment; no wonder he seemed somewhat absent-minded as he walked the streets.
Gu An’s interest was piqued, and he continued to watch Wu Jue, hoping to observe the state of Path Enlightenment from the perspective of a bystander.
He too had experienced Path Enlightenment before, and he didn’t understand what changes had taken place within him after. Since he would sometimes use life span to enhance himself, any changes could easily be concealed, making it difficult to distinguish whether the transformation was his own fortune or an evolution brought about by his augmented life span.
Gu An began to follow Wu Jue, maintaining a distance of several yards.
As they traversed street after street, Gu An suddenly felt a surge in Wu Jue’s aura. It wasn’t a rise in cultivation, but rather another type of profound change.
Subconsciously, he sent another Life Span Detection toward him.
[Wu Jue (Foundation Establishment Realm Second Layer): 63/280/340]
Hmm?
The life span limit had increased by thirty years!
This was the first time Gu An had seen someone’s life span limit increase.
Was this the change brought about by Path Enlightenment?
No wonder Han Ming said that the Sword Dao had undergone a tremendous progression after Path Enlightenment. It was likely that even his aptitude and comprehension had improved.
Gu An was secretly amazed and became even more interested in Wu Jue.
…
Above the barren plains, thousands of Ephemera Sect cultivators gathered in front of the Array Platform, whispering among themselves, their eyes occasionally glancing at the black rift on the platform.
The black Qi had already dissipated, but a black space rift remained in the air, reflecting the dark red sky on the other side as if it were an entrance to an exotic world.
Elder Chi Han sat meditating in the front, his brows slightly furrowed.
For some reason, he suddenly felt uneasy.
He tried hard to calm his emotions and then closed his eyes to cultivate.
The sun set and the moon rose, and the night passed.
It was early morning when the sound of footsteps appeared on the Array Platform, startling Elder Chi Han into opening his eyes. It wasn’t just him; many cultivators instinctively looked that way.
“Golden Spirit Venerable is dead; summon all Ephemera Sect members to convene here.”
A crisp and cold voice reached everyone’s ears. The speaker was a woman in black clothes, wearing a mask engraved with patterns of ephemera.
As these words came out, the Ephemera Sect members were in an uproar.
They knew that the title Golden Spirit Venerable referred to the purple-robed man who had appeared earlier, a formidable figure. Just a few days ago, and he was dead?
Was the Supreme Sect really that powerful?
Jiang Qiong in the crowd furrowed her brows, shocked by the depth of the Supreme Sect’s resources.
Elder Chi Han’s face changed dramatically, but he did not stand still. Instead, he got up to give orders, preparing to assemble the Ephemera Sect.
Meanwhile, far away at the Supreme Sect, Lu Lingjun was also shocked.
News of Sword Venerable Fudao slaying the Ephemera Sect demon had spread within the sect. Disciples everywhere were discussing it. Some Inner Sect Disciples had even gone to the Third Medicine Valley and loudly announced this deed, causing the disciples in the valley to be exhilarated and spark new discussions about the power of Sword Venerable Fudao.
And Gu An took the chance to leave, flying towards the Outer City.
After entering the city, he moved swiftly through the streets and came upon a road.
The disciple Wu Jue, who was previously in the midst of Path Enlightenment, had stopped under an aged tree, facing the trunk as if lost in thought.
Gu An could sense that he had woken from his Path Enlightenment and was probably sorting through his thoughts now.
[Wu Jue (Foundation Establishment Realm Second Layer): 63/280/540]
His life span limit had jumped from three hundred and ten to five hundred and forty years, almost doubling!
Gu An was very curious about what exactly he had comprehended.
Thinking this, Gu An pretended to pass by, came behind him, and asked with concern, “Brother, are you alright?”
Upon hearing this, Wu Jue turned around, his expression somewhat frantic as he waved his hand, “Nothing’s wrong, I was just contemplating a cultivation technique; I got distracted.”
After saying that and giving an awkward smile, he clasped his fist in a salute to Gu An and walked away.
Gu An watched his retreating figure. He didn’t follow but decided in secret to observe this man more in the future.
A life span limit of five hundred and forty years was not enough to stand out from the Outer Sect, let alone see if he would continue on the path of Enlightenment.