“Is this… the Thunder Tribulation?”
Gu An looked at the thunderclouds outside the window, his brows gradually smoothing out as a look of curiosity spread across his face.
He wasn’t worried, because he felt that the heavenly might was far from Mystic Valley.
Tang Yu, Su Han, and Zhen Qin, who were clearing snow in the garden, turned their heads to look, while Ye Lan, who was sitting in meditation in the forest, also opened her eyes. Xiaochuan stepped out from his own house and gazed at the rolling thunderclouds in the sky.
Wuxin was meditating at the mountain peak, where the snowfall couldn’t hide his figure as he stared at the horizon, frowning deeply.
“Such a strong Sword Intent…”
Wuxin murmured to himself. Although his cultivation level was modest, he was from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion and had seen plenty.
The entire sky quickly became covered with thunderclouds, resembling a boundless ocean about to unleash towering waves, plunging the snowy forest into darkness, the wind between heaven and earth growing stronger, causing the forest to sway and shake off sheets of accumulated snow.
Disturbed by this heavenly might, Gu An found himself unable to concentrate on his writing, so he got up, descended the stairs, and called his disciples to look after various gardens.
An ancient hour later, several cultivators flew swiftly over Mystic Valley, hurrying toward the direction the heavenly might came from and disappeared into the vast snowy expanse.
This scene made the disciples in the valley even more nervous, uncertain of what was actually happening.
Only when it was nearly evening did a thunderclap rumble through heaven and earth.
Gu An stood on the mountaintop, seeing from a distance the lightning interweaving with thunder in the sky, striking a certain point on the ground and forming a tremendous fan shape, extremely magnificent. The lightning reflecting on his face as his black robe fluttered in the wind.
“No wonder I failed so many times in my evolutionary cultivation, with the Thunder Tribulation being so terrifying,”
Gu An lamented inwardly, his long-repressed grievances finally dispersing.
Though evolutionary cultivation consumed more life span than reality, it was safer, and looking back at his achievements, could the Supreme Sect find a second person who reached the ninth layer of the Nascent Soul Realm at the age of twenty-eight?
Afterward, he turned and descended the mountain, preparing to continue writing.
That night, the thunder roared on and off, causing everyone in Medicine Valley to not be able to cultivate in peace.
By noon the next day, the thunder was still ongoing, the wind between heaven and earth becoming fiercer as if a blizzard was imminent. Gu An occasionally led the disciples out to check on the medicinal herbs.
A full three days and nights passed before the thunder finally stopped. As the thunderclouds dispersed in the sky, sunlight finally poured down, giving the disciples of Mystic Valley a sigh of relief.
However, before they could enjoy half a day of happiness, a sharp and overwhelming pressure engulfed heaven and earth, making them feel a heavy pressure on their chests, their hearts pounding with fear.
Inside the loft.
Gu An put down the brush in his hand and looked out the window with a worried frown.
He felt a strong Sword Intent coming from the horizon, but for the moment, he couldn’t judge how far away it was.
“What is he doing?”
Gu An was puzzled. Had the person begun comprehending the sword right after the Thunder Tribulation?
Was he that desperate?
All Gu An could do was to pray that the other party wouldn’t disrupt his Medicine Valley.
Although the other’s Sword Intent was powerful, after a silent comparison, he felt it was not as profound as his Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword.
After all, the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword was the result of two thousand years’ sacrifice of his life span!
How many people in the Mortal World could live for two thousand years?
…
Late at night, Eight Scenic Caves.
Gu An came to visit Jiang Qiong, and he made his way to the base of the Green Vine Tree, lifting his hand to pay his respects to Jiang Qiong.
“Don’t come in for the next while, so as not to be discovered by Zuo Yijian,” Jiang Qiong said without even opening her eyes.
Zuo Yijian?
Gu An remembered this person, who was the father of Zuo Lin. When he and his son flew over Mystic Valley back then, Gu An had even performed a Life Span Detection on them.
Zuo Yijian’s cultivation level previously was precisely at the ninth layer of the Core Formation Realm.
After crossing the Tribulation, he would be a cultivator of the Nascent Soul Realm.
Gu An quickly thought about it in his heart, but asked anxiously, “Who is Zuo Yijian?”
“He is the one who has been crossing the Thunder Tribulation these past days. According to your master, he has already made a name for himself as the Maniac Swordsman of Canghu Lake,” Jiang Qiong answered.
The Maniac Swordsman of Canghu Lake?
Curious, Gu An asked, “Martial Master, did you know him from before?”
“Yes, indeed, I did know him. Once, in his overweening ambition, he sought me as a Daoist Companion and got severely humiliated by me, turning him into a laughingstock of the Inner Sect. Since then, he has devoted himself to Swordsmanship in isolation, not emerging from seclusion until I was injured and feigned death. I haven’t seen him since,” Jiang Qiong said.
She opened her eyes and looked at Gu An with a teasing smile, “Dear disciple, don’t get carried away with emotions in the future, they lead to suffering.”
Gu An responded, “Thank you for your teachings, Martial Master. I will surely bear them in mind.”
Then, Jiang Qiong told Gu An to take a seat and began to instruct him on the Poison Skills of the Myriad Poison Mystic Skill.
The Myriad Poison Mystic Skill included the Energy Absorption Skill as well as many Poison Skills and required a lot of time to study thoroughly.
After staying in Eight Scenic Caves for two ancient hours, Gu An then took his leave.
…
Three days later, at dawn.
Gu An was leading the disciples in drills; they stood atop the white snow, amidst bone-chilling winds, yet they were still lightly dressed.
Whoosh!
A sound of cutting air came, startling everyone to turn their heads. They saw a Sword Qi strike the eastern mountain peak, cutting down two large trees on the mountainside, which collapsed with a crash and rolled down the slope, finally being blocked by a row of trees, kicking up snow and dust like a white mist.
Looking up, there was a six-meter-long crack on the mountainside, as if it had been chopped by a giant sword, quite a spectacular sight.
Su Han said with a frown, “This is not the first time. If it continues like this, it will inevitably endanger us.”
The other disciples were also anxious, their training movements consequently slowing down.
Wuxin sighed and said, “Sword Cultivators seek enlightenment in their Sword Dao, which could be as short as a few days or as long as several decades, who knows how long that person will continue their enlightenment.”
Gu An rarely lacked a smile, but now his face was somber.
He was worried about the herbs in Mystic Valley.
Yesterday, he had made a trip to the Outer Sect to report the matter to the Elixir Hall, only to be told that he could choose to temporarily move to the Outer City and forgo this year’s harvest, but the Elixir Hall would not compensate for any losses in Mystic Valley.
The herbs in Mystic Valley were Gu An’s treasures, how could he simply give them up?
If Mystic Valley collapsed, even the Eight Scenic Caves might be exposed.
No!
He must think of a solution!
Gu An’s eyes flickered with determination; he could endure humiliation for the sake of survival, but for his herbs, he was willing to fight!
“Alright, hurry up and finish training, then proceed to your own cultivation practices. If that person hasn’t left in two more days, we will go to the Outer City to take refuge,” Gu An instructed.
Upon hearing this, the disciples were all revitalized, having been worried about the collapse of Mystic Valley and already considering taking refuge outside.
The short winter days quickly passed.
Night gradually fell.
Atop a mountain peak, Zuo Yijian sat in meditation, five swords standing before him, each with a different shape and even the widths of their blades varied.
As night descended, snowflakes filled the sky. As they landed on his body, they instantly melted into wisps of white mist, making his entire presence appear even more formidable.
A hundred yards away, on another peak, Zuo Lin sat meditating at the edge of a cliff, surrounded by three large banners fluttering in the wind. When sword qi approached, an invisible barrier deflected it, preventing him from suffering any harm.
Though unharmed, the booming sound of sword qi striking the formation jolted Zuo Lin awake.
He lifted his eyes toward his father, his brows furrowed tightly, eyes filled with admiration.
They say the dragon begets the dragon and the phoenix begets the phoenix, so why hadn’t he inherited his father’s aptitude for the Sword Dao?
Feeling his father’s strong Sword Intent, Zuo Lin aspired to be strong.
Despite having outstanding Spirit Root Qualification and cultivating his Energy Absorption much faster than his peers, he only wished to become a powerful Sword Cultivator like his father.
If it were not for the need for sword enlightenment, his Cultivation Realm would certainly not be limited to the Second Layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
“Alas!”
Zuo Lin sighed, then prepared to continue his study of the Sword Dao, unconvinced that he couldn’t make a name for himself in the way of the sword.
Just as he was about to close his eyes, he suddenly saw his father standing up, causing him to be taken aback.
Was it over?
Zuo Yijian stood at the peak facing the direction of Zuo Lin, but his gaze was set higher, on a taller mountain in the distance where night shrouded any sign of life, yet he could feel the lock of Sword Intent on him.
The five precious swords before him began to tremble as if facing a formidable enemy.
Zuo Lin, on the other mountain, also stood up, calling loudly, “Father, what’s wrong? Did you succeed?”
Zuo Yijian did not answer him but instead called out, “I do not know which Daoist Friend has arrived. Why not show yourself?”
Ten miles away.
Gu An, clad in white, stood atop a mountain peak, wearing a wooden mask. Spiritual Power covered his face beneath the mask to avoid detection by Divine Sense.
His white garments fluttered, blending into the snow behind him.
In his right hand, he fiddled with a leaf wrapped in strands of Sword Qi.
From high above, his gaze could see Zuo Yijian as well as Zuo Lin.
Before releasing his Sword Intent, he had already scouted the area for a hundred miles to ensure no other powerful cultivators were present, and only then had he come to the mountain top.
Gu An disliked needless killing, but Zuo Yijian threatened his precious Medicine Valley, and he had to drive him away.
“Blame yourself for choosing the wrong place,” Gu An muttered to himself. As he spoke, he was already stimulating his cultivation technique, channeling Spiritual Power into the leaf.
Meanwhile.
Upon hearing his father’s words, Zuo Lin quickly turned around, but with his Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation, he was unable to discern the person ten miles away, especially in the darkness with snow obstructing his vision.
Unable to see the newcomer, he couldn’t help feeling tense.
Zuo Yijian felt the opponent’s Sword Intent rising and knew that the fight could no longer be avoided.
“A spy from the Demon Path? Or could it be… they sent someone?” Zuo Yijian’s gaze flickered. His right hand grasped a precious sword before him; the blade was slender and crimson, flaring up with flames as he gripped it, becoming the brightest object in the night sky.
He drew the sword and slashed through the air, igniting a wave of fire that hung across the night sky.
“Under the cold sky, to use the Devouring Flame Sword Technique… it seems the past few days of sword enlightenment has greatly improved father’s mastery of the sword…” Zuo Lin turned his head and saw the sword fire in his father’s hand, his face showing admiration.
No matter who the opponent was, he believed his father could not be defeated.
“Since the Daoist Friend refuses to speak, I can only assume that you wish to disrupt my path enlightenment. Let this icy snowy land bear witness to whose Sword Intent is stronger!” Zuo Yijian’s icy voice echoed between heaven and earth, and as his words finished, a surge of soaring Sword Intent burst forth from him.
The mountain he was on trembled violently, snow avalanching down, and even the one Zuo Lin was on began to shake.
Ten miles away.
“Too much talk.”
Gu An murmured softly, so quietly that only he could hear himself. As his words faded, he violently flung the leaf in his hand.
The object that flew was not a leaf but a Divine Sword that pierced through time and space!