In the dark night, strong winds arose, and the forest swayed violently.
The flames of the temple flickered with the wind, and dust billowed up from the foot of the hill.
Li Ya crashed into the forest, his body smashing through the mountain wall, and the dust quickly engulfed him. His North Sea Heavy Sword flew hundreds of feet away, piercing a thousand-year-old tree and splitting its trunk.
Zhang Buku hovered in the air, holding a stone axe in one hand. He looked nervously down and asked, “Daoist Friend Li Ya, are you alright?”
Li Ya’s Sword Intent was so strong that he had to use the Heaven-Cutting Divine Axe. He was happy when he struck Li Ya down, but then he got worried, fearing that he might have killed him.
The two had met by chance; he never killed those without grievance or enmity.
Zhang Buku waved his left hand, dispersing the dust below, and looked at Li Ya lying among the shattered mountain wall.
Li Ya hung his head low, covered in blood.
That blow from the axe had almost split his body apart. Fortunately, he had taken the Dragon Image Divine Primordial; otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived.
Zhang Buku quickly flew to Li Ya’s side, panicking and unsure of what to do.
Li Ya struggled to raise his head, closing one eye and gritting his teeth, “What kind of monster are you…”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose. I really didn’t mean to. It’s just that you were too powerful; I had to give my all,” Zhang Buku hurriedly explained.
Hearing this, Li Ya felt slightly consoled.
But he still felt miserable!
Fortunately, the ancestor’s soul remained at Three Pure Ones Mountain; otherwise, it would have been a complete disgrace!
Afterwards, with Zhang Buku’s assistance, Li Ya landed, sat cross-legged, and began cultivating energy to heal his injuries. Zhang Buku went to retrieve his North Sea Heavy Sword.
An hour later.
Li Ya opened his eyes, looking at the uneasy Zhang Buku beside him, feeling somewhat helpless.
If Zhang Buku had been flaunting his victory, he could still be angry, but Zhang Buku’s respectful attitude left him with nothing to blame. After all, it was he who suggested the sparring.
“How old are you?” Li Ya asked.
“Seventy-one.”
“…”
At ninety-seven years old, Li Ya felt wounded once again.
At that moment, he truly understood what it meant to always have someone better.
Losing to An Hao, he could accept, as An Hao was renowned. But losing to an unknown half-human, half-demon in the wild made him feel terrible.
Suppressing his pain, Li Ya asked, “Who is your master?”
Zhang Buku scratched his head, saying, “I don’t have a master, though I do have an uncle. But all my skills were learned in a cave.”
A cave?
Li Ya thought of the encounters his ancestor had mentioned. He didn’t expect someone to be so fortunate, surpassing decades of his hard work by sheer chance…
Seeing him puzzled, Zhang Buku began to recount his experiences, omitting Gu An’s existence, as he had promised not to cause trouble for Gu An.
Listening to Zhang Buku’s story, Li Ya felt even more speechless.
Where did this sparrow come from?
Why hadn’t he encountered it?
Although he was known as the person of Heavenly Destiny in the Li Family, blessed with great qi fortune, he felt vastly inferior compared to Zhang Buku.
The two, now familiar through their fight, continued their conversation.
Far away, tens of thousands of miles away, Gu An, who was slaying demons, smiled and then turned to walk into the darkness.
After staying in the temple for two days, Zhang Buku and Li Ya joined hands to head north, seeking opportunities in the Demon Land.
During that period, Zhang Buku offered to teach his axe technique to Li Ya, which deeply touched him.
However, determined to concentrate on swordsmanship, Li Ya declined, realizing that his loss wasn’t due to his swordsmanship but because Zhang Buku’s physique was far stronger.
Li Ya began to wonder if accompanying Zhang Buku might lead to great opportunities.
Sigh, if Junior Brother Gu knew he was seriously injured again, he would surely worry about him.
…
Time flew by, and a year passed quickly.
In early May of that year, Gu An’s total lifespan reached ten million years, and the demons in the three dynasties had become scarce. He no longer descended the mountain, returning to his former farming life.
Although the trend of seeking opportunities northward was rising, the number of new disciples recruited by the Supreme Sect each year continued to grow, keeping the sect lively.
This year, the number of servant disciples in the third Medicine Valley exceeded six hundred, a quarter of whom were new; those who left had been promoted thanks to the Foundation Establishment Pills bestowed by Gu An. As a result, Gu An’s network within the Supreme Sect grew wider.
Now, whenever he went to Outer Gate City, disciples would always greet him.
The number of servant disciples in the Mystic Valley also reached fifty. When Gu An wanted to expand the Medicine Valley, the Outer Sect Great Elder Lv Songhan readily agreed. Gu An’s book “Shattering Void” had brought him many benefits, and combined with the Lv Family’s backing, he would comply with most of Gu An’s requests.
One day, Gu An came to the North Sea Mountain, embodying the Mountain God, to inspect Sage Xuan Miao’s progress over time.
Sage Xuan Miao had also recruited some minor demons to assist, giving him more time for cultivation.
When the Mountain God arrived, he immediately rose to welcome him and accompanied the Mountain God to pick medicinal herbs. During this process, he mentioned some recent events in the North Sea Mountain.
Though the demon disaster had ended, cultivators often fought over treasures and grudges. He saved many people in the name of the Mountain God, hoping to spread the Mountain God’s name.
Interestingly, although the Mountain God’s name was widely known, only Sage Xuan Miao could sense Gu An’s presence.
Gu An speculated that it was because others hadn’t seen him, while those, like Zhen Qin and other disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall, who had seen him, did not worship him. The disciples of the Supreme Sect only revered Sword Venerable Fudao.
“Mountain God, what do you think of the Holy Land?” Sage Xuan Miao suddenly asked, his expression slightly tense.
While picking medicinal herbs, Gu An replied, “Why do you ask?”
Sage Xuan Miao answered, “I always felt the demon disaster was related to the Holy Land, and the recent rumors about the Evil Demon. I found in some historical records of Three Pure Ones Mountain that the Evil Demon appeared only after the birth of the Demon Ancestor. There’s no clue about where he came from or why he came.”
“Didn’t Three Pure Ones Mountain also claim to be a Holy Land? If you suspect something, why not investigate the Seven Stars Spirit Realm?” Gu An asked nonchalantly.
Did Sage Xuan Miao want him to act against the Seven Stars Spirit Realm?
That was impossible!
Before fully understanding the Seven Stars Spirit Realm, Gu An wouldn’t act rashly.
Sage Xuan Miao stepped forward and whispered, “We did investigate before, but it resulted in a near-catastrophic disaster. Since then, Three Pure Ones Mountain no longer dares to mention the Holy Land; even my master stays apprehensive about them.”
Gu An wasn’t surprised. The land of the three dynasties had undergone numerous dynastic changes and sect upheavals, yet only the Seven Stars Spirit Realm persisted. Surely, there were those who suspected it but didn’t dare offend it.
“Be careful tonight; their people are coming for you,” Gu An suddenly said with a smile, catching Sage Xuan Miao off guard.
Gu An’s visit to gather medicinal herbs today was because he sensed two Mahayana Realm presences approaching the North Sea Mountain, one of whom had set off from the Supreme Sect.
Sage Xuan Miao wanted to ask more, but Gu An refused to say anything.
After gathering the herbs, Gu An took a portion, leaving the rest for him, and then disappeared into the forest.
Sage Xuan Miao became restless, anticipating an encounter with people from the Seven Stars Spirit Realm that night.
…
At dusk, the North Sea shimmered.
Ji Xuanling stood at the shore, holding a book with the words “Sword Venerable Legend” on its cover.
Out of nowhere, a figure appeared beside him, a man dressed in a gold-threaded red robe, with a ruby-embedded headpiece burning with golden-red flames. His right hand was placed behind his waist, and arrogance marked his brows.
“Why are you slower than me?” Ji Xuanling asked nonchalantly.
Lin Chen stared at Ji Xuanling and snorted, “That’s what I should be asking you.”
He shifted his tone and asked, “After staying at the Supreme Sect for a year, any information on Sword Venerable Fudao?”
“The information is in my hand. Do you want to see it?” Ji Xuanling raised the book in his hand, smiling.
Lin Chen immediately confiscated the book, quickly scanning it with his Divine Sense. He looked up at Ji Xuanling and said coldly, “Are you mocking me?”
Ji Xuanling raised his chin and said, “Lin Chen, who told you that I came to the Supreme Sect to investigate Sword Venerable Fudao?”
Lin Chen frowned.
Ji Xuanling continued, “The higher-ups want to be on friendly terms with Sword Venerable Fudao. He’s likely at Loose Immortal Realm Nine Layers or even higher. Such a great cultivator couldn’t have appeared out of nowhere; he might be from a great sect overseas. Lin Senior’s death was indeed unfortunate, but it’s his fault for not being strong enough. If someone like him, a Loose Immortal, had to die, I advise you to give up on this idea.”
Lin Chen sneered coldly, “So your faction prefers to endure humiliation? Sword Venerable Fudao dared to kill my father. Are you sure he has respect or goodwill towards the Seven Stars Spirit Realm?”
Ji Xuanling shrugged, “Why don’t you ask him yourself? I don’t want to court death. Honestly, our family sent me here to recruit the Supreme Sect, which means recruiting Sword Venerable Fudao.”
Lin Chen’s eyes flashed with anger.
He threw the book against Ji Xuanling’s chest and turned to leave.
Ji Xuanling grabbed the book, smirking, “It’ll be dark soon; be careful if Sword Venerable Fudao pats you on the shoulder.”
Lin Chen stopped and looked back at him, while Ji Xuanling raised the book.
Next, Lin Chen vanished into thin air.
Ji Xuanling smiled and then sat down to continue reading.
At night.
Lin Chen arrived at the Mountain God Temple where Sage Xuan Miao resided to inquire about the Mountain God, suspecting that the Mountain God was Sword Venerable Fudao. How could two such great cultivators appear simultaneously in the land of three dynasties?
As a disciple of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm, he had never seen any mention of the Mountain God in ancient records.
Lin Chen expressed that the Holy Land wished to recruit the Mountain God and sent him here for this purpose.
Sage Xuan Miao was cautious towards him, merely stating that the Mountain God’s whereabouts were elusive, and he wished to see the Mountain God himself, which was why he had built the temple there.
After inquiring for a long while and getting no satisfactory answers, Lin Chen felt a murderous intent but held back, fearing the Mountain God might be nearby.
He suddenly noticed the small wooden figure in Sage Xuan Miao’s hand and asked, “Is this the Mountain God’s wooden figure? Can you give it to me?”
Sage Xuan Miao had leisurely carved many small wooden figures of the Mountain God, intending to spread the Mountain God’s name.
He tossed the wooden figure to Lin Chen.
Lin Chen said no more, taking the wooden figure and leaving.
Burdened with thoughts, he walked through the forest at night, his eyes fixed on the wooden figure in his hand, increasingly convinced that the Mountain God might be Sword Venerable Fudao, his eyes filled with uncontrollable killing intent.