Hearing the words of the Ghost Mother of Ephemera, Su Han remained silent. He didn’t refute because he also felt weak.
Along the way, he had escaped death several times, and it wasn’t due to his own strength.
Su Han was very aware that he was merely a pawn, just like the Ghost Mother of Ephemera before him, who wholeheartedly helped him, surely had her own schemes; he had no other choices.
“The time left for you is running out, the great disaster of demons is approaching, and the Defying Fate Divine Skill can only absorb the spiritual power of Cultivators, not the demonic power, once the great disaster of demons arrives, and you are unwilling to abandon your principles.
At that time, all Cultivators will be busy fighting demons, and it will be difficult for you to grow stronger,” the Ghost Mother of Ephemera said.
Hearing this, Su Han asked, “Are you in a hurry? What exactly do you want me to do for you?”
The Ghost Mother of Ephemera answered, “That depends on how strong you can become. The one who should be anxious isn’t me, but you. Since you began cultivating the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword, your lifespan has already been decreed; no matter how high of a realm you attain, your lifespan will not increase, unless you can reach the legendary Immortal Realm.”
Su Han frowned.
The Ghost Mother of Ephemera had mentioned the shortcomings of the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword more than once. It seemed like a reminder for his own good, but what he felt was a threat, oppression.
“I will try my best,” Su Han said and then started to practice meditation on the spot.
The Ghost Mother of Ephemera watched him for a while, then dissolved into a burst of ghostly air and vanished.
Su Han looked up at the round moon outside, and for some reason, he suddenly felt desolate and lost.
There was probably no one in the world who worried about him anymore.
…
With the arrival of winter snow, the Third Medicine Valley was covered in vast white snow, everything appeared bleak.
Gu An stood on the terrace, admiring the snowy landscape while also contemplating the next volume of Shattering Void.
Shattering Void had become popular, and its popularity had far surpassed Gu An’s expectations, exceeding the total sales of all volumes of Supreme Immortal Venerable.
The theme of Shattering Void was essentially the same kind of exhilarating literature as Supreme Immortal Venerable, but its theme resonated deeply with the current mood of Cultivators around the world.
With the imminent disaster of demons approaching, various sects continually sent disciples to gather information. As more and more information accumulated, the entire world of Immortal Cultivation became increasingly oppressive.
More and more people felt the end of their paths in Immortal Cultivation, wondering how wonderful it would be if they could shatter the void?
In the distance, a White Spirit Rat scurried through the snow with Xiaochuan chasing behind. Failing to catch it and instead getting a face full of snow thrown at him by the rat, Gu An couldn’t help but laugh.
He didn’t know what charm this plump rat had that made Xiaochuan so fond of it.
Lu Lingjun walked up to Gu An’s terrace, looked up at him, and said, “Valley Master, do you feel something?”
Gu An eyeing her, asked, “Cold?”
“That’s one way to put it. There’s a strong demonic energy coming from the north. I don’t know if it signifies that the great disaster of demons is close,” replied Lu Lingjun, her gaze turning northwards.
Gu An had actually felt it long ago. A Mahayana Great Demon was moving southward, approaching the Eight Dynasties’ territory.
He did not stop it. He wanted to see if there were any hidden experts in the Eight Dynasties’ territory.
Once the great disaster of demons erupted, he could not rely solely on his own power to reverse the situation, dangerous as it was, and such actions would easily attract the attention of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm.
Although Gu An’s Divine Sense could cover the territory of the Nine Dynasties, the world was vast, and there were always some people who were hidden, just like the Star-Master Cave, which he had not been able to detect using Divine Sense before.
Gu An asked, “If the great disaster of demons arrives, what will you do?”
Lu Lingjun answered, “Naturally, I will fight alongside the Supreme Sect, but if the enemy is too powerful, and there’s no hope, I will head south to seek fortunes in the Immortal realm.”
Having ascended many years ago, she had a deep understanding of this land.
Since ancient times, when Great Cultivators encountered dead ends, they ventured southward, even though the seas were more dangerous than the land of demons, nonetheless, there were always those who followed one after another, without looking back.
As an Ascender, Lu Lingjun would naturally not face death alongside the Supreme Sect.
Gu An nodded slightly, making no comment.
Lu Lingjun looked at Gu An and asked, “And you, Valley Master?”
Gu An feigned hesitation, saying, “I will actively cultivate medicinal herbs to contribute my strength.”
“What if the Supreme Sect falls?”
“Then I will kill myself, to avoid being eaten by demons.”
Hearing this, Lu Lingjun gave Gu An a stern look, thinking him beyond help.
Gu An chuckled, not continuing the discussion further to avoid causing panic amongst the other Servant Disciples who might overhear.
But how should the world of Immortal Cultivation respond to the impending Mahayana realm great demon?
The white snow, seemingly endless, as if it intended to bury the world beneath it.
Night fell.
Gu An arrived at the Nianchu Cave at Heavenly Phoenix Mountain.
As soon as he entered, he saw Tian Yao’er squatting in front of the Medicine Cauldron, warming herself by the fire, hugging her knees, shivering, her head buried.
Approaching Tian Yao’er, Gu An deliberately made noise with his steps, startling her so that she looked up and upon seeing Gu An, she appeared thrilled, rushing over to embrace him like a gust of wind.
“What’s the matter with you?” Gu An, seeing her genuine fear, did not push her away but asked with concern.
Tian Yao’er buried her head in Gu An’s chest, murmuring softly, “I’m scared… I feel something terrifying approaching…”
She clung tightly to Gu An’s waist, fearful he would leave.
Gu An patted her shoulder, comforting, “Don’t be afraid, that fellow isn’t heading for Heavenly Phoenix Mountain; we are very far from it.”
Hearing this, Tian Yao’er looked up, cautiously asking, “Really?”
“Really, and aren’t I here with you?”
“But you can’t even defeat the Demon Mother, and I feel that that terrifying being is even stronger than the Demon Mother.”
“Indeed, I can’t defeat her, but I will take you and flee.”
“Then don’t lie to me, if you’re going to leave here, you must take me with you.”
“I won’t lie to you.”
Gu An replied. If it weren’t for his rescue, Tian Yao’er would probably have already perished within the belly of a demon. She could only rely on him, how could he abandon her?
However, Tian Yao’er’s reaction caught him off guard.
Both being demonic creatures, how could she be so afraid?
He sat down with Tian Yao’er, urging her to tell him why she was so scared.
Unfortunately, Tian Yao’er hemmed and hawed for a long time but couldn’t explain clearly.
Based on the memory of the Black Crow Demon Envoy, Gu An knew the origin of that Great Demon.
The Six-Headed Sea Dragon, one of the seventy-two Great Demon Kings, dominated a territory of over a hundred thousand miles, commanded countless demon soldiers and generals, was notoriously violent and ferocious, and even the Black Crow Demon Envoy was careful when meeting him, fearing he might be swallowed whole.
At that moment, the Six-Headed Sea Dragon was leading hundreds of millions of demons southward, constantly being joined by other demons along the way, even some Demon Kings willing to follow.
His overwhelming demonic power had alarmed the human Immortal Cultivation World, and Gu An could feel that many cultivators from the eight dynasties were rushing there, with more than twenty from just the Mystic Heart Realm alone.
Gu An comforted her for a long while until Tian Yao’er finally calmed down, what made him helpless was that the girl had fallen asleep on his lap.
It seemed he would have to stay here longer this night.
…
Hum—
At the break of dawn, a dragon’s hum sounded from afar, startling the servant disciples in Mystic Valley.
Chu Jingfeng, who was meditating on the cliff, opened his eyes and looked toward the horizon, his brows furrowed, the snow on him gradually melting.
The servant disciples in the valley gathered together, discussing where the sound had come from and which demon had made it.
Gu An arrived on his flying sword through the heavy snowfall, landing in the valley. After storing his flying sword, the servant disciples immediately crowded around him, asking about the dragon’s hum.
“I also don’t know which demon made that sound, but you can all rest assured, nothing will happen as long as you stay within the Supreme Sect,” Gu An reassured them.
Now the disciples of Mystic Valley had been replaced by a new batch, except for Lu Jiujia and Chu Jingfeng, none knew of the various calamities Mystic Valley had experienced, so the disciples easily believed Gu An’s words.
In the days that followed, news kept flowing into the Supreme Sect.
The title of the Six-Headed Sea Dragon strongly entered the eyes of the disciples of the Supreme Sect as there had been a Mystic Heart Realm Great Cultivator eaten alive by him; this news unsettled the entire Supreme Sect.
Massive numbers of disciples were dispatched to support the northern territories, and even Gu Zong himself had come to the Third Medicine Valley to request Lu Lingjun to take action.
After some hesitation, Lu Lingjun decided to intervene.
Xuan Quan also accompanied him!
The news of their departure spread throughout the cities of the Supreme Sect; however, when Gu An was wandering in the Outer City, he found that many people held little hope for the two from Lu Lingjun, with more people praying that these two Mystic Heart Realm Great Cultivators would not meet any misfortune.
The fall of Ancestor Kusong had cast a long shadow over the Supreme Sect.
Gu An was also following the distant battle. Once again, the Cangtian Sect took on the role of leader, and the Cangtian Sect led by example, gathering the spiritual power of a million cultivators to form a grand formation, creating a huge barrier to block the invasion of the Demon Clan.
Fourteen Mystic Heart Realm Great Cultivators besieged the Six-Headed Sea Dragon, none daring to approach, the battle was completely one-sided.
However, the Six-Headed Sea Dragon showed no intention of invading the human territories, merely making threats and insults, which annoyed and frightened the Immortal Cultivation side.
It seems that the Six-Headed Sea Dragon was testing the lands of the eight dynasties.
Perhaps he was wary of the Daoist Lord of the Cangtian Sect, or perhaps he feared the Mountain God.
The next morning, Lu Lingjun and Xuan Quan joined the war, and Gu An watched the entire event to ensure they didn’t die.
Facing the powerful Six-Headed Sea Dragon, the duo from Lu Lingjun quickly lost and then fled back to human territories to recuperate.
Gu An felt that Lu Lingjun was shirking in battle, deliberately getting injured, then retreating.
Perhaps Lu Lingjun also thought that if they fought to the death, they might truly die.
The longer the Six-Headed Sea Dragon refrained from invading human lands, the more Gu An suspected there was an even stronger demon watching from behind.
The father of Di Xie, the Demon Emperor!
That Demon Emperor ruled over the demons of the Demon Land, perhaps this was a trial he had orchestrated.
Several days later.
Gu An arrived at the Outer City, but the scene he witnessed was complicated.
He saw the vast Heavenly Repair Stone seated with hundreds of thousands of disciples, with even Gu Zong sitting under the characters for “Righteous Path,” causing those who were practicing sword enlightenment to be forcibly removed from the stage.
Di Xie had stepped down.
He happened to see Gu An and came over, saying with emotion, “The Northern Territory is in urgent need, and the sect is pleading with Sword Venerable Fudao to make a move.”
Gu An worriedly asked, “With Mystic Heart Realm Great Cultivators already perished, is relying on Sword Venerable Fudao enough?”
Di Xie sighed and said, “Perhaps it’s useless, but what else can be done?”
Being a demon himself, he knew well the strength of the Demon Land.
He spoke in a mournful tone, “This calamity is inevitable, perhaps only the sea is the path to survival.”