Within nearly a month and relying on Ephemera, Gu An harvested 10.7 million years of life span, most of which were harvested in the first half of the month. As time went on, it became increasingly difficult to seize life span, and more Ephemera withered directly after he picked them, which he found rather curious.
As if some force was pulling the vitality out of these Ephemera ahead of time, in the unseen realms.
Although he did not know the reason, Gu An was quite content.
Thanks to the Ephemera Sect, he saved twenty years of effort, and his life span reached 43.9 million years.
After the Ephemera Sect’s downfall, the lands of the Nine Dynasties all welcomed joyous times. Various versions of the story spread among the people, turning the Ephemera Sect into the most terrifying sect in the world, while the Mountain God became the faith of the common folk.
On this day.
Within a forest in the North Sea Mountains,
Sage Xuan Miao was kneeling on the ground, his expression devout.
Suddenly, he heard a voice and his face lit up with joy. He then walked in another direction.
Two ancient hours later, Sage Xuan Miao stopped. He stood on a mountainside and could see the shimmering North Sea.
“Build a Daoist temple for me here, and open up a field for planting medicinal herbs for me,” Gu An’s voice rang in Sage Xuan Miao’s ears.
Sage Xuan Miao immediately agreed, looking forward to the life of service that lay ahead.
And so, a day and night passed.
At the break of dawn.
Gu An, transformed into a white-robed petitesse, appeared on Sage Xuan Miao’s shoulder.
Sage Xuan Miao was meditating on the steps in front of the Daoist temple courtyard, with his eyes closed and practicing his skills.
Gu An assessed the Daoist temple that Xuan Miao built, which was decent. It was not grand, but neither was it stingy.
The courtyard walls were made of stone, as was the Daoist temple. The beams and pillars were of mahogany, while red tiles made up the eaves. Hidden amongst the mid-mountain forest, the temple was barely visible with a large cauldron burning incense within the courtyard, and the green smoke curling upwards, exuding the atmosphere of an immortals’ abode.
All in all, Sage Xuan Miao had put a lot of thought into it and managed to please him.
Gu An said, “The name on this plaque won’t do. Mountain God Temple is too generic, as there might be more than one mountain god in this world.”
Sage Xuan Miao’s eyes snapped open and he looked over reflexively, only to see the Mountain God standing on his shoulder. His body instantly stiffened, not daring to move.
He cautiously asked, “May I venture to ask for your immortal name…?”
“Haven’t thought of one yet.”
Gu An hopped down from Sage Xuan Miao’s shoulder and walked into the courtyard.
Sage Xuan Miao quickly got up and followed, curiously asking, “What do you mean you haven’t thought of one? Don’t you belong to a group of immortals, like the Heavenly Court in ‘Investiture of the Gods’?”
“Investiture of the Gods? What’s that?”
Sage Xuan Miao briefly recounted the tales of ‘Investiture of the Gods’, speaking of the book with reverence.
After listening, Gu An scoffed, “Mortals daring to conjecture about immortals? I don’t know if there’s a Heavenly Court in the world, but I’ve never seen other immortals since I was born.”
“Then how are you…”
“You want to ask how I dare to call myself a Mountain God?”
“Not at all, I didn’t mean that…”
“Being an immortal is not just about status, but also a certain realm. Keep cultivating, and perhaps one day, you will reach it too.”
Gu An’s words inflamed Sage Xuan Miao’s heart with passion.
He too, wanted to be as powerful as the Mountain God!
Seeing that the Mountain God was in a good mood, he began to inquire about the medicinal field.
“You can plant whatever you want, and when the time comes, I will harvest it and send these flowers and plants to rebirth,” Gu An replied casually, earning Sage Xuan Miao’s solemn respect.
He had never heard that flowers and plants needed rebirth.
The breadth of the Mountain God’s spirit was indeed beyond his imagination.
After Gu An gave some instructions to Sage Xuan Miao, he vanished into thin air, saying he was going to sleep underground and not to disturb him unless necessary.
Sleeping underground?
Sage Xuan Miao’s knowledge expanded further.
…
Two months after the fall of the Ephemera Sect, the Great Cultivators of the Supreme Sect began returning with their disciples. Their return brought back many insider stories, which once again spread the fame of the Mountain God throughout the Supreme Sect.
Lu Lingjun also returned.
She was placed into the Hall of Elders by Lv Baitian, her status catapulting. Lv Baitian originally wanted to move her out of the Third Medicine Valley, but this time it was she who refused.
“In the future, I will cultivate in the Third Medicine Valley and continue to protect you. But don’t think of ordering me around. If you can offer some herbs on regular days, I might be willing to help you with some tasks.”
In the loft, Lu Lingjun sat across from Gu An, speaking indifferently.
That demeanor…
Really putting on an act!
Gu An laughed and said, “Giving you herbs is not a problem. In fact, you could go and buy seeds, and I’ll help you grow them. The entire yield will be yours. It’s a small effort for me, and with you in charge of the Third Medicine Valley, I can rest easy.”
Hearing this, Lu Lingjun felt it made sense and said, “Indeed, I’ll head to the Main City of the Sect in a couple of days; the seeds there are of higher grade and rank.”
Afterwards, she began to recount the great battle at Wanji Forest, describing the battle she witnessed, which was even more brutal.
She held immense respect for the Mountain God, and as an Ascender, the significance of an immortal in her heart was even greater.
Listening to her speak of her awe for the Mountain God, Gu An secretly reveled.
Gu An didn’t give himself away, occasionally joining in with expressions of amazement.
When she finished, Gu An remarked, “The realm of the Mountain God is truly unimaginable. One wonders whether a mortal can ever hope to reach such heights in a lifetime.”
Lu Lingjun said earnestly, “It may be difficult, but since we’re on the path of immortal cultivation, we must strive towards that goal, without regret even in death.”
Gu An saw that her life span had reached the ultimate life span, which is 3,700 years. She still had nearly 1,700 years left, and he wondered if she could change her fate against the heavens and reach the Nirvana Realm in the remaining years.
He didn’t have the intention of imparting the Primordial Reincarnation Skill to her just yet. His relationship with Lu Lingjun hadn’t reached that level.
He would see how she performed in the future first.
If he could be made happy, he would indeed lend a hand.
But if this fellow had a bad attitude towards him, then forget about it.
An hour later, Lu Lingjun got up to leave. Before going, she reminded him, “Don’t look at those broken books. Write another ‘Investiture of the Gods’ when you have time, I want to see what kind of stories those people have after becoming Gods.”
Broken books?
You don’t understand at all!
Gu An glared at Lu Lingjun’s departing figure, and only after she closed the door did he take out the Supreme Secret Records.
This was the last volume of the Supreme Secret Records; he planned to burn it after reading.
He turned the first page and began to appreciate it.
Huh?
The writing style of Shen Zhen changed; this last volume actually had a melancholic tone, not as unrestrained as before.
Good, I like it.
As a melancholic person, Gu An decided not to burn the Supreme Secret Records.
Watching the male lead and his beloved companion express their deeply buried sorrows at the moment of parting, the emotional conflicts that had been built up over many years were finally released.
Next was the illustration, which Gu An usually disdained.
He had to take a good look to see if Shen Zhen’s drawing skills had any flaws.
…
With the arrival of the new year, Gu An participated in the celebrations of the Third Medicine Valley and Mystic Valley. Then, late at night, he came to the Nianchu Cave on Heavenly Phoenix Mountain.
He brought Tian Yao’er delicious wine and food, planning to celebrate the festival with her.
Apart from tending to the herbs, Tian Yao’er spent all her time cultivating, which made her days quite dull; hence, Gu An always brought her all kinds of delicious food whenever he visited.
This was Tian Yao’er’s first time drinking alcohol.
She held the jug and choked on the first sip.
This was Spiritual Wine, and even a Core Formation Realm Cultivator would get drunk if they drank too much.
Drunk as one might get, this wine could enhance one’s Cultivation Level and was considered a good medicine for cultivation.
Tian Yao’er’s pretty face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. Gu An reminded her, “If you can’t drink, don’t rush; save it for later. You’ll get used to it after drinking more.”
A Demon getting red-faced from drinking?
This was beyond Gu An’s expectations.
Tian Yao’er shook her head and said, “I can drink, why can’t I?”
Seeing Gu An finish a bowl of Spiritual Wine, she naturally refused to admit defeat.
Moreover, the wine made her feel warm all over, and despite the heat, she found it comfortable and wanted to drink more.
Gu An was about to speak when he suddenly sensed something and stood up, saying, “Have some meat first, I’ll be back soon.”
As his voice faded, he disappeared into thin air.
Tian Yao’er picked up the jug again, licked her lips, and took another sip. This time, she continued to drink despite the burning sensation in her nose.
…
Under the cover of night, the mountains stretched endlessly, and one of the ridges undulated ceaselessly. Upon closer inspection, it was a huge snake with human-like feet and a human face.
It was the Chen Snake that had previously appeared in Wanji Forest.
Chen Snake was covered in blood, weak, and breathing heavily like thunder. The demon fog around it churned, and ghostly shadows crept closer.
The snake’s lively eyes were extremely weary and seemed ready to close at any moment.
“Such strong vitality, an Ancient Species.”
A cold sneer sounded, startling Chen Snake to open its eyes. In the distant demon fog, a figure appeared; it was an old woman in a black robe with two horns on her head and a pair of wings on her back. Her cheeks were covered with black fine hairs, making her look even more terrifying.
The Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother looked down at Chen Snake with eyes full of greed.
Chen Snake tried to move but was powerless to rise.
The Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother began to close in on Chen Snake, emitting dense demon energy from her body that coiled around the massive snake like two black dragons.
“If you don’t want to die, then turn around and leave.”
A voice came from Chen Snake’s direction, causing the Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother to stop and squint, looking forward to see a white-clothed little person standing on Chen Snake’s forehead, wearing a mask.
The Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother scoffed, “How is it? Who are you, revered guest? Are you unaware of who I am?”
As soon as Gu An heard this, he wanted to respond but then thought it bothersome.
He waved his sleeve immediately, and terrifying mana surged towards the Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother like a wind, instantly turning her to dust.
[You have successfully taken 203 years of Life Span from Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother (Unification Realm Nine Layers)]
The Demon King that Tian Yao’er most feared died at the hands of Gu An, utterly powerless to resist.
Chen Snake struggled to open its eyes, spitting out human language, “Are you… the Mountain God…”
Its voice was indistinguishable between male and female, weak and breathless.
That day during the battle at the Ephemera Sect, it had been injured and fallen, catching sight of a wooden figure.
The image of the wooden figure greatly resembled the current Gu An.
Gu An spoke, “In consideration of your efforts to save the people, I will save your life.”
He took out a bottle of Elixirs that he had already refined and poured them into Chen Snake’s mouth.
Having suffered severe injuries and being poisoned by the Origin Tree of Ephemera’s Ephemera Poison, only the Ephemera Elixir, refined from Ephemera, could cure it.
“Mountain God… someone… has inherited the power of the Ephemera Sect…” Chen Snake strained to speak, and its serpentine eyes shone, revealing a figure’s silhouette.
Gu An focused his gaze, and his eyes beneath the mask took on a strange expression.
How could it be him?
