“`
Watching the defiant shape-shifting demon before him, Gu An’s memories were stirred.
He remembered the times he spent with his eldest martial brother, Zhang Chunqiu, whose life spanned from youth to old age in his memories.
This shape-shifting demon was none other than Zhang Chunqiu’s son, Zhang Buku.
When they first met, Zhang Buku was still a boy, but now he had grown up.
Seeing the miserable state of Zhang Buku, his eldest martial brother must feel heartbroken, right?
That’s what Gu An thought, his mind beginning to wander.
Zhang Buku’s injuries were not caused by him; before he lifted a hand, Zhang Buku was being bullied by other demons. Earlier, when he had killed demons, Zhang Buku had charged at him and been kicked to the ground by him. It wasn’t until all the demons were dead that Zhang Buku managed to stand up with difficulty.
From what the villagers said, Zhang Buku indeed had done no evil.
But why did this boy have an attitude of seeking death?
Gu An raised his Qinghong Sword and pointed it at him, asking, “Do you truly wish to die?”
But Zhang Buku, without hesitation, wore a ferocious expression and charged straight at Gu An.
Gu An inverted his grip on the sword and used the hilt to press against Zhang Buku’s chest. His upper body leaned backward, preventing Zhang Buku’s hands from reaching him.
Not waiting for Zhang Buku to change his moves, Gu An took off his mask and placed it over his face.
Zhang Buku instinctively retreated, then removed the mask, staring angrily at Gu An. Just as he was about to smash the mask in his hands at Gu An, his eyes widened in astonishment.
“Gu… Martial Uncle Gu?”
Zhang Buku asked cautiously.
Gu An wasn’t afraid of exposing his identity because the power he displayed when slaying demons, though strong, was far from his true cultivation level.
Plus, only in this way would Zhang Buku stop.
Gu An asked with a smile, “You still remember me?”
Zhang Buku wiped the blood from his face and said excitedly, “Of course I remember, you even gave me Spirit Energy Elixirs, how could I forget?”
Gu An sheathed his sword and then took out Healing Medicine to give to him, having him heal his injuries first.
Zhang Buku did not refuse, he swallowed the elixir and sat down to meditate on the spot. While cultivating energy, he watched Gu An collecting Demon Treasures.
An hour later, the two of them arrived at a small river. Zhang Buku squatted down, began to wash his face, and took the opportunity to clean his wounds.
After he was done, he turned to look at Gu An, who had put the mask back on, and asked, “Martial Uncle Gu, why do you dress like this?”
He was no longer the naive boy he once was. Having roamed the Immortal Cultivation World for so long, he was well aware of the status of the Supreme Sect.
In the Taicang Dynasty, disciples of the Supreme Sect were honored wherever they went.
Gu An replied, “In these chaotic times of demons, although I wish to save and help the suffering, I also fear trouble. Thus I wear a mask, not wanting to be recognized.”
Zhang Buku suddenly understood; he remembered his father’s assessment of Martial Uncle Gu.
Timid, cautious, yet also kind-hearted.
“Don’t tell anyone about what I’ve done,” Gu An added.
Zhang Buku chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, I keep my mouth shut. Besides, you just saved my life, Martial Uncle Gu, how could I possibly harm you?”
Gu An ruffled his hair and asked, “How did you end up mingling with these demons?”
As soon as he said this, Zhang Buku’s smile froze, and he lowered his head.
The night wind was hot and dry; Gu An looked at Zhang Buku’s back and sighed in his heart.
Actually, without asking, Gu An could guess his predicament.
The offspring of a human and a demon, born among humans, but as he grew older, the demon energy grew stronger. The human race would not accept him, but his beliefs had already been shaped by Zhang Chunqiu, so how could he integrate into the Demon Clan?
Gu An had previously heard those demons mocking him for his impure bloodline, meaning the Demon Clan didn’t accept him either.
“I obtained this cultivation technique said to be from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion. Being from the Righteous Path Sect, I shouldn’t cultivate it, so I might as well pass it on to you,” Gu An suddenly said. Then he pulled out a manual from his Storage Bag.
It was titled, Demon Shadow Divine Skill!
In fact, it was the cultivation method for the Yin Yang Extreme body!
Upon hearing this, Zhang Buku looked up, staring at Gu An’s offered hand, somewhat dazed.
In his sixty-six years of life, only Martial Uncle Gu before him had taken care of him without expecting anything in return.
He stood up, caught in hesitation.
Gu An directly stuffed the manual into his chest, saying, “Take it, and remember, don’t tell anyone that I gave you this cultivation technique.”
Zhang Buku took a deep breath, looked up at Gu An, and asked, “Martial Uncle Gu, am I truly a human, or a demon? Why does it seem that neither humans nor demons are willing to accept me?”
Gu An asked in surprise, “Who says no one is willing to accept you? I can accept you. As for whether you’re human or demon, does it matter? Buku, the suffering you’re experiencing now might be due to these troubled times. Think about those people trapped in the valleys, are they able to control their own fates? You can cultivate and have already surpassed ninety percent of the living beings.”
Zhang Buku fell into a daze; he began to think of those suffering people.
“`
“What’s important is not the identity you were born into, but the kind of existence you aspire to become in this life,” Gu An said with earnest gravity.
Zhang Buku took a deep breath and said, “Thank you for the enlightenment, Martial Uncle Gu.”
Fearing that Zhang Buku might harm himself, Gu An continued, “When he was young, your father often said how wonderful it would be if his Spirit Root Qualification were not poor. He too wanted to travel the world, to traverse rivers and mountains, to reach the highest peaks and ask the heavens whether immortals truly exist in this world.
What you have now is something your father spent his entire life unable to touch. Practice your cultivation diligently, for Immortal Cultivation will guide you to the meaning of life.”
Zhang Buku’s maximum life span was two thousand three hundred years; even with half of the Demon Clan’s bloodline, it still proved that his qualification was not poor.
Having said that, Gu An patted Zhang Buku on the shoulder, then tossed him a Storage Bag and left.
Zhang Buku hastily asked, “Martial Uncle Gu, where are you going?”
“To save those who suffer just as you do,” replied Gu An.
Gu An raised his hand in farewell, not looking back.
Watching his retreating figure, Zhang Buku’s eyes were filled with admiration.
He knew of Martial Uncle Gu’s background—having no parents, born as a house servant, while he himself at least had his father’s company into adulthood.
If Martial Uncle Gu could still be so free-spirited, why should he wallow in self-pity?
When Zhang Buku saw the Storage Bag on the ground, he picked it up. Just as he was about to call out to Martial Uncle Gu, he was already out of sight.
He probed into the Storage Bag with his Divine Sense and then his expression grew complex.
Inside were all the Demon Treasures left by the demons they had encountered earlier.
He gripped the Storage Bag tightly, his head bowed, tears streaming down his cheeks. As he cried, the corners of his mouth began to turn up into a smile.
“I will practice my cultivation diligently, Martial Uncle Gu. One day, I will repay you and make you proud.”
…
A year swiftly passed by.
Throughout the year, Great Cultivators had been returning from overseas, one after another, their life stories proclaimed by their Sects, spreading throughout the land, rousing the fervor of Cultivators everywhere.
The demon calamity was indeed terrifying, but just like Pan An wrote in ‘Shattering Void,’ the Human Race, relentless in strengthening itself, would surely endure all calamities!
Gu An had a fulfilling year; when not gathering herbs, he spent his time descending the mountain to alleviate suffering. If he encountered oppressed demons, he would lend a helping hand as well.
Gradually, a legend about a Swordsman spread among the common folk—the Swordsman was known as the Green Sword Hero, and somehow, as the tale evolved, it turned into the Green Hero.
At Mystic Valley, in front of the pavilion, Gu An was practicing his swordsmanship with Chu Jingfeng.
Ye Lan was watching from the side.
In the end, Gu An barely managed to defeat Chu Jingfeng. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he sighed, “Without using Spiritual Power, it’s truly difficult to win against Brother Chu just with swordsmanship.”
Chu Jingfeng was gasping for breath, but he smiled and said, “Your swordsmanship is very good. I’m not disgraced by my defeat.”
Even though he lost, he was not discouraged because Gu An’s victory had not come easily either.
Afterward, he took his leave, not wanting to disturb Gu An and Ye Lan.
Gu An led Ye Lan upstairs.
After entering the room, Gu An went to wash his face while Ye Lan closed the door and walked to the desk to speak, “Lately, there have been more and more demons along the borders of the Five Dynasties, even Mystic Heart Realm Great Demons have appeared. It seems the death of the Six-Headed Sea Dragon hasn’t had a deterring effect on the Demon Land.”
In the past year, the Chentang Dynasty was annexed by the Great Jiang Dynasty, the world thus having one fewer Dynasty.
“I’ve heard that there are seventy-two Great Demon Kings in the Demon Land, and the Six-Headed Sea Dragon was one of them. When the true demon calamity arrives, I wonder how the Human Race will cope. In my opinion, the combined strength of the Nine Pinnacles is far from sufficient,” said Ye Lan, sitting down with a troubled expression.
The Nine Pinnacles was a title proclaimed by the Supreme Sect, including the Daoist Lord of Cangtian Sect, the Taoist of Immortality from the Three Pure Ones Mountain, and Sword Venerable Fudao from Supreme Sect.
With the Nine Pinnacles united, the morale in the Immortal Cultivation World surged, with Supreme Sect frequently mentioned in conversations.
Lv Baitian had thoroughly researched and understood the strategies taught by Gu An.
Gu An turned around, smiling, “At least the strength of the Immortal Cultivation World is continuously improving, which is a good sign. As long as there’s hope, that’s all that matters.”
Ye Lan followed with, “It is said that above the seventy-two Great Demon Kings, there are even more terrifying existences. Who knows what the Demon Land is really preparing for.”
“Let’s not think about that. You and I can’t change the course of the world, all we can do is to live with the tide,” Gu An consoled her.
Ye Lan nodded and said, “If Great Jiang falls, brother, let’s head south and set sail. I have been preparing for it. The ocean is dangerous, but at least it’s a path to life. If we can find an island to live on in the future, even if we can only survive another decade or two, it would not be a wasted life.”
Gu An asked with a smile, “What kind of life would that be? Just the two of us? Wouldn’t that be boring?”
“How could it be boring? We would work at sunrise and rest at sunset. I have many ways to keep brother entertained,” Ye Lan replied, giving Gu An a suggestive raise of her eyebrow that led his thoughts astray.
Gu An cleared his throat and said, “If it really comes to that, then that’s all we can do.”
Hearing this, Ye Lan became excited and began discussing the resources she had prepared.
Seeing her smile, Gu An thought to himself, don’t worry, junior sister, I won’t let you be destitute and drifting!
Gu An’s lifespan had already exceeded nine hundred and thirty million years, getting ever closer to the milestone of ten million!
If he worked hard this year, he might just accumulate a lifespan of ten million years by year’s end.
For his junior sister, he was willing to test the sharpness of the great demon calamity!