“`
After bidding farewell to Wu Jue, in the following days, Gu An saw a large number of Supreme Sect disciples flying over the airspace of the Third Medicine Valley and Mystic Valley every day.
The Supreme Sect had begun its expedition!
Standing on a terrace, Gu An looked into the distance and could see battles erupting in the Wanji Forest; the sects that arrived first had already launched their offensive against the Ephemera Sect.
Unfortunately, the joint effort of forty Mystic Heart Realm Great Cultivators was nearly invincible, and ultimately, the cultivators of the various dynasties returned in defeat, waiting to accumulate more strength.
Gu An then turned his gaze towards the Dust-free Wasteland, which had been reclaimed by the Ephemera Sect, where a continuous stream of Ephemera Sect cultivators flew out of the entrance to the Nine Nether Road, all heading towards the direction of the Taichen Dynasty.
The nine dynasties were Taicang, Great Yu, Chentang, Tianwei, Taichen, Hanlu, Great Zhao, Great Jiang, and Wuzhen.
The strength of the Taichen Dynasty lagged behind, located in the center of the nine dynasties with a not-so-small territory, which had been occupied by the Ephemera Sect.
From a macro perspective, Gu An could see that, with the Taichen Dynasty as the center, cultivators from all directions were continuously going to lend support, presenting a magnificent sight.
Watching this, Gu An couldn’t help but boil with zeal, wanting to join in on the action.
However, he had to guard his own Medicine Valley; that was the most important thing.
Moreover, if he made a move too soon, that Mahayana Cultivator might not show up again.
The lack of action from the other party till now made Gu An feel that they were definitely preparing something.
To Gu An, the massive altar in the Wanji Forest looked like a target; he suspected that the Ephemera Sect might launch a sneak attack on the Supreme Sect.
It wasn’t just him who was suspicious. The Supreme Sect was clearly defensive as well; there was still one Mystic Heart Realm Great Cultivator left in the sect to guard it, and it wasn’t Ancestor Xuan Quan.
A month later.
The number of patrols in the cities of the Supreme Sect had increased, a tense atmosphere permeating within the sect, even affecting the servant disciples of the Third Medicine Valley and Mystic Valley.
As the chief disciple of Mystic Valley, Lu Jiujia began arranging disciples to take turns guarding the mountaintops surrounding the Medicine Valley, to prevent any Ephemera Sect demon cultivators from approaching.
The same was true for the Third Medicine Valley; the deacons took turns leading disciples on patrols.
On this particular morning, in the Third Medicine Valley.
The morning exercises had just ended, and Gu An was on his way to his own attic when he seemed to sense something, his eyes flickered, but he did not stop moving.
Boom!
Suddenly, a thundering roar resonated between heaven and earth, startling everyone in the valley, who involuntarily shuddered and turned their heads to look.
Across the sky in the direction of the Inner Sect, rolling thunderclouds emerged, sweeping towards the Third Medicine Valley as if to cover the entire sky.
“What was that sound just now?”
“Could it be an attack by the Ephemera Sect?”
“Wasn’t the Ephemera Sect in the Taichen Dynasty?”
“After all, if we, the Supreme Sect, are destroyed, the morale of the nine dynasties will surely fall significantly.”
“I hope it doesn’t affect our Medicine Valley…”
The disciples gathered and began to discuss among themselves.
Gu An also stopped in his tracks, standing in front of a wooden railing on the edge of a garden area, watching the distant sky, and peering at the battle in the Main City of the Sect.
The Main City of the Sect was the Supreme Sect’s largest city, where Inner Sect Disciples could enter but not reside; only the various levels of power within the Supreme Sect lived there.
At that moment, two Unification Realm Great Cultivators in the Main City of the Sect were fighting. As the two commenced combat, more and more cultivators joined the fray, eventually leading to a large-scale chaotic battle.
It was not an attack by the Ephemera Sect, but spies of the Ephemera Sect had begun to act.
Gu An watched for a while and noticed that the disciples causing trouble seemed to come from the same clan.
Lu Lingjun came beside Gu An and said, “Valley Master, from now on, you’d better not leave the Medicine Valley.”
She, too, was looking towards the Main City of the Sect, her expression grave.
She had already sensed the aura of at least five Unification Realm cultivators!
It wasn’t just the Unification Realm that was enough to make her anxious; she had a premonition that something extremely terrible was about to happen.
Gu An nodded slightly and then continued to watch the battle.
The Third Medicine Valley quickly darkened, as if night had fallen.
Rumbling——
A deep rumbling of thunder echoed across the sky, as if ancient beasts were roaring in the sea of clouds, deafening to the ears.
“Your Excellency should reveal yourself now. The battle between you and me will determine the fate of the Supreme Sect!”
A cold voice echoed through the entire Supreme Sect, making everyone who heard it feel a heaviness in their chests, very uncomfortable.
Lu Lingjun’s expression shifted slightly; she was certain the owner of the voice had a cultivation level surpassing the Unification Realm!
Gu An had already seen a figure walking above the sea of clouds, a person in a black robe and purple crown, with eighteen golden daggers floating behind. As the figure moved forward, his sleeves caught the wind, stirring up airwaves like dragons accompanying him, exuding overwhelming authority.
Mystic Heart Realm fifth layer!
This person was probably among the upper echelon of the hundred venerables within the Ephemera Sect; the Mystic Heart Realm Great Cultivators within the Supreme Sect were three minor cultivation stages below him.
Meanwhile.
In the Book Collection Hall in the Inner Sect City.
Elder Xu Lu stood in front of the counter, looking at the figure descending the stairs in the distance, and couldn’t help but ask: “How confident are you?”
Following his gaze, an old man with an aura of immortality in a black robe came down, holding a horsetail whisk, his face calm.
Without pausing, the man walked down the stairs and left only one sentence:
“One does one’s best.”
Xu Lu turned to look out the window, where the rolling thunderclouds seemed like a black ocean, stirring up frightening waves, oppressive and thrilling, worry evident in his eyes.
“Today is the first time this poor Taoist will face a Mystic Heart Realm cultivator in combat since stepping into the Mystic Heart. May I inquire the name of your Excellency? My Taoist name is Ancestor Kusong.”
The voice of the black-robed elder resounded through the entire Supreme Sect, calming the restless atmosphere of the cities.
Mystic Heart Realm?
Lu Lingjun was hearing the name of this realm for the first time.
“`
Unification Realm above is Mystic Heart?
Lu Lingjun had already captured the figure above the sea of clouds, her eyes brimming with envy and admiration.
She was determined to reach this realm!
No!
She wanted to surpass the Mystic Heart Realm!
“I am Venerable Chi Qian from the Ephemera Sect, and to die by my hand is an honor, for you have bore witness to the Path of Mystic Heart!”
The previous voice rang out again, its tone of pride causing the cultivators of the Supreme Sect to sweat on behalf of Ancestor Kusong.
Boom——
A tremendous oppressive force descended, enveloping the entire Supreme Sect; thunderclouds churned violently in the sky, as protective barriers of light were simultaneously lit up in each city, with formations fortifying against the impending battle pressures from above.
Venerable Chi Qian and Ancestor Kusong had begun their battle!
Both were combatting high in the sky, not affecting the ground below, yet their might was so strong that it caused mountains to tremble between heaven and earth.
Lu Lingjun kept her gaze firmly fixed on the heavens, unwilling to miss any detail of the battle between two Great Cultivators of the Mystic Heart Realm.
Gu An could not help but glance at her.
Hmm?
Could she achieve enlightenment from this?
After a while,
Lu Lingjun was still in a state of self-forgetfulness, while Gu An turned and headed towards the entrance of the valley.
It wasn’t just Venerable Chi Qian who was sent by the Ephemera Sect; another even more powerful being had already arrived at the entrance of the Third Medicine Valley.
From a distance, Gu An saw a woman clad in white, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, her presence mystical. Her fair hands were poised in front of her lower abdomen, pale as snow, her demeanor dignified as if she were a fairy descended from the heavens, making it hard to associate her with a demon cultivator of the Ephemera Sect.
[Fairy Bai Xia (Mystic Heart Realm Nine Layers): 2180/4900/6500]
Nine Layers of the Mystic Heart Realm!
They really plan to utterly demolish the Supreme Sect!
Gu An felt moved, his pace quickening.
He soon approached Fairy Bai Xia and greeted her respectfully, “The Ephemera Sect is causing chaos, may I inquire as to why the Predecessor has come?”
The veil hanging from Fairy Bai Xia’s hat allowed a faint glimpse of her red lips, seemingly heavily rouged.
This witch was extremely cautious, having used some kind of secret technique to make her Cultivation Level appear to be at the first layer of the Elixir Formation Realm.
“Little brother, the spiritual energy in this Medicine Valley is so rich, surely your identity is no simple matter, tell me, what is your identity,” Fairy Bai Xia spoke, her voice melodious, stirring one’s imagination.
Gu An raised his hand and caught her wrist, saying, “I am just an ordinary Outer Disciple of the Supreme Sect.”
Fairy Bai Xia smiled, her laughter carrying a chill. She did not struggle from Gu An’s grip, but instead used the Sound Transmission Skill, “Rumors say that Sword Venerable Fudao is active within a thousand miles of this area. Young brother, if you have any information on Sword Venerable Fudao, I can spare your life.”
Gu An had anticipated that she would use the Sound Transmission Skill, so he chose to listen to her entirely.
Gu An’s expression turned solemn, “It seems you truly are a demon cultivator!”
In an instant, Fairy Bai Xia felt a force of overwhelming power invade her body; under the veil, her face lost its color. She tried to pull her hand away from Gu An but found she could not do it at all.
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
What frightened her even more was that she could neither speak nor let her Primordial Spirit emerge.
She had never felt such terror before.
Her Cultivation Realm began to fall rapidly, and her Primordial Spirit was pressed deep into her soul; her Cultivation Level dropped to the first layer of the Core Formation Realm, just as she had displayed outwardly.
“Impossible…”
Fairy Bai Xia was near collapse, her rationale slipping away with the immense strength of her adversary and the reduction of her Cultivation Level.
Under her gaze of despair, Gu An produced a pearl.
The Thousand-Shadow Pearl given to him by Lv Baitian!
With his left hand gripping Fairy Bai Xia’s wrist, his right hand pressed the Thousand-Shadow Pearl against her abdomen.
“Demon cultivator, take this!”
Gu An shouted loudly. With a boom, the Thousand-Shadow Pearl burst forth with brilliant, strong light, and bursts of Strength Energy erupted, turning Fairy Bai Xia into a bloodied corpse, her blood splattering all over Gu An.
The Thousand-Shadow Pearl could not kill someone of the Mystic Heart Realm, so before activating it, Gu An had used mana to forcibly scatter her soul, causing her to die instantly.
His loud cry attracted the attention of many Servant Disciples.
Lu Lingjun appeared out of nowhere in front of Gu An, frowning as she asked, seeing his bloodstained face, “Are you alright? Why didn’t you call for me just now?”
Putting on an act of shock, Gu An said, “I thought an Inner Sect Disciple had come in, but she turned out to be a demon cultivator from the Ephemera Sect! We must destroy the corpse and erase the traces quickly, lest the Ephemera Sect come after us later!”
His hand holding the Thousand-Shadow Pearl was trembling.
Killing Fairy Bai Xia gained him four hundred and ninety-five years of Life Span, not a bad result!
With a disapproving tone, Lu Lingjun said, “It looks like you weren’t scared out of your wits; look at you pretending to be afraid. You’re at least a Golden List Genius, and yet a demon cultivator who has just entered the Core Formation Realm has scared you into this state!”
She then began to reminisce about her feelings from observing the battle.
Deep down, she felt like she might have grasped something.
Indeed, the Mystic Heart Realm is enviable!
The gap between the Ninth Layer of Unification Realm and Mystic Heart Realm is unimaginable.
Suddenly, she felt that only by achieving the Mystic Heart Realm could one truly be considered a Great Power cultivator!