In the dim snow night, Zuo Yijian’s Sword Intent formed a shocking and domineering column of air, stirring the wind and snow, linking the sky with the mountain. Hot flames ascended from within the column, miraculously transforming into a fire dragon rising up.
Zuo Lin stood with his eyes wide and his mouth agape, unable to believe that his father’s Devouring Flame Sword Technique had reached such a level, something he had never heard of before.
Boom!
A tremendous booming noise suddenly came from behind Zuo Lin, like a thunderclap out of the blue, startling him into turning around subconsciously. His face hadn’t completely turned when a bright sword light illuminated it, and his eyes widened, catching a glimpse of a dazzling sword light sweeping through the dim horizon.
That sword light was indescribably bright, its impact turning the falling snow into massive waves of air, as if the very night sky were about to be pierced through. This scene deeply shocked Zuo Lin.
Zuo Lin’s mind went blank, entirely too late to think further.
The dazzling sword light cut through the night sky, streaking above his head, the strong winds it created instantly activating the formations surrounding him, forming an energy shield that rippled violently, threatening to shatter at any moment.
Under Zuo Lin’s gaze, the dazzling sword light collided with Zuo Yijian’s Sword Intent with an unstoppable, ruinous force.
Zuo Yijian reacted faster than Zuo Lin, but not faster than his opponent.
He had no time to employ swordsmanship and could only desperately resist with his own Sword Intent.
Boom!
The terrifying column of air that enveloped him was directly dispersed, and the crimson flame dragon disappeared in an instant. Zuo Yijian’s Sword Intent was forcibly shattered.
His robe tore apart, and blood burst from his skin.
His eyes widened, reflecting the image of a falling leaf.
“How is this possible…”
Such a thought flashed through Zuo Yijian’s mind. Before he could even feel fear, the leaf pierced into his shoulder, the terrible Sword Qi exploding, propelling him backward, smashing through mountains after mountains, before finally crashing into the forest dozens of miles away.
The night sky had a clear path carved through it, where approaching snowflakes vaporized into mist, hovering between the mountains, an incredibly spectacular sight.
Atop the mountain, Zuo Lin stood within the formation, incredulously staring in the direction where his father had disappeared.
He then knelt to the ground, unable to accept everything he had just witnessed.
His father, who was unbeatable in battle, had actually been defeated…
And he was defeated without the power to fight back…
Ten miles away, atop a mountain.
Gu An maintained his gesture of a hand swipe, his white clothes flapping violently in the chilly wind mixed with snowflakes, his eyes calm beneath his mask.
“How can your hundred years of practice stand against the efforts of my two thousand years of life span?” he thought to himself. He had shown mercy, aiming not for Zuo Yijian’s head but his shoulder.
He turned away and disappeared into the vast snow, as if he had never been there.
…
At dawn, as usual, Gu An was leading his disciples in drills.
Zhen Qin, while twisting her waist, looked toward the sky and said, “It seems like the snow has lessened today.”
Wuxin gazed into the distance and remarked, “Not just the snow, that strong Sword Intent is also gone.”
Upon hearing this, the rest of the disciples immediately became excited.
“Could it be that person has already left?”
“It’s possible. It’s said that Sword Cultivators seeking Sword Enlightenment need to find a place with mountain spirits and scenic water to meditate on nature. Our area can hardly be considered blessed land.”
“Don’t be too careless, what if he’s merely taking a nap?”
“Have you forgotten the recent Tribulation Thunder? Would a Great Cultivator of that level need a nap?”
Listening to their debate, Gu An couldn’t help but smile.
He cleared his throat and said, “Focus on your drills. Whether that senior has left or not, we’ll find out by taking a trip down there later.”
Hopefully, there won’t be any more nearby Tribulation Crossing or Sword Enlightenment.
If he accidentally struck too hard, that would not be a pretty sight!
In the following two days, there was no Sword Intent enveloping the heavens and earth, confirming for the Mystic Valley disciples that the person had already left. Since then, Mystic Valley returned to its normal rhythm of life.
Occasionally, Cultivators flew over Mystic Valley, and the disciples were already accustomed to it. Only Gu An knew that those people might be investigating the incident of Zuo Yijian’s injury, as he had detected that one of the Cultivators had the Cultivation Level of the Sixth Layer of the Nascent Soul Realm.
Night fell.
After several days apart, Gu An visited Jiang Qiong in the Eight Scenic Caves.
After exchanging formalities, Gu An said, “It seems that Elder Zuo Yijian has already left.”
Jiang Qiong, who wasn’t practicing her Cultivation but rather refining elixirs, stared at the flames beneath the Pill Furnace and said, “Not left, he’s now either dead or injured.”
“What? Why would you say that?” Gu An feigned shock as he asked.
He even added, “He is a Nascent Soul Realm Great Cultivator after all!”
Jiang Qiong gave him a sidelong glance, somewhat annoyed, “Nascent Soul Realm or not? There are levels beyond the Nascent Soul Realm. In the last few days, there were two bouts of strong Sword Intents clashing. One of the Sword Intents far surpassed that of Zuo Yijian, and the battle ended in an instant; this indicates that the other party’s strength far exceeds Zuo Yijian’s.”
Hearing these words, Gu An rejoiced secretly within his heart.
Externally, he frowned and hesitated, “Then, might Mystic Valley be in danger?”
“Rest assured, several days have passed. Would you stomp on an ant you see by the road?” Jiang Qiong looked back at the Pill Furnace and spoke softly.
She seemed calm, but her heart was filled with a sense of urgency.
She realized she might have fallen out of touch with the Immortal Cultivation World.
Seventy years was enough to overturn dynasties, and she herself had reached the Core Formation Realm in just forty years—who knows what the landscape of the Immortal Cultivation World is like now.
“When making a breakthrough in the future, one must be more cautious. Do not follow in Zuo Yijian’s footsteps; he might have thought no one would dare to interrupt him, unaware that internal conflicts within the Supreme Sect are intense.” Jiang Qiong said with a hint of melancholy.
Gu An, surprised, asked, “Are you suggesting that the one who attacked Elder Zuo Yijian is a Cultivator from the Supreme Sect?”
“Of course. Cultivators from other teachings would not dare to rashly invade the Supreme Sect’s territory. Moreover, the attacker disappeared quickly without a second battle; he could only belong to the Supreme Sect.” Jiang Qiong confirmed with a nod.
And you guessed it right!
“`
After Gu An made his move last night, he quickly left the scene of the incident. As soon as he arrived at Mystic Valley, he felt several powerful divine senses sweeping over him, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.
Thankfully, his Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill was strong enough!
Jiang Qiong clearly had many thoughts. She began to teach Gu An how to navigate the Immortal Cultivation World from now on.
After a long talk, Gu An finally got away from her to check on the Sky Dragon Egg.
The Sky Dragon Egg was placed by Jiang Qiong under a tree, surrounded by dry grass, with many talisman papers cushioned underneath. They were inscribed with Jiang Qiong’s spells to help the Sky Dragon Egg better absorb nature’s spiritual energy.
What would the Sky Dragon look like when it hatched?
Gu An had already begun to fantasize about riding atop a True Dragon and wandering the Mortal World.
…
The news of Zuo Yijian being seriously injured was more impactful than Gu An had anticipated. Even after more than half a month had passed, as he came to the Outer Sect, he often heard people discussing the matter along the way.
It used to be rare to hear about Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in the Outer Sect, but now the whole town was talking about Zuo Yijian, perhaps related to his recent Tribulation Crossing.
Before the Tribulation Crossing, Zuo Yijian was an elder of the Outer Sect and ranked among the top in terms of strength.
Following Elder Zhu Qinglu of the Elixir Hall, Gu An arrived at the Book Collection Hall of the Outer Sect.
The Book Collection Hall was in charge of all book towers in the Outer Sect, including the Scripture Pavilions in various places.
Cultivation techniques, esoteric texts, tales of wonders, and travelogues—any books that flowed into the Supreme Sect had to be registered at the Book Collection Hall.
“Young brother, your idea to write a book is good. I fully support you. If it passes, I will notify them to increase the scale of your first batch of books,” said Zhu Qinglu, walking ahead and turning back with a smile.
Ever since taking advantage of the Green Vine Fruit, he treated Gu An like a younger family member, at least outwardly.
Gu An replied with a smile, “I’m deeply grateful for the senior’s support. I will certainly not forget your kindness.”
“Hahaha, you are too formal,” said Zhu Qinglu, stroking his beard and laughing. Though he said these words, the smile on his face was even brighter.
The Book Collection Hall was vast, no less so than the Elixir Hall. Passing through a series of corridors, they arrived inside a large hall, where an old man sat drinking tea at a table, with rows of bookshelves visible in the adjoining room.
“Elder Liu, it’s been a while. How have you been?” Zhu Qinglu crossed the threshold, cupped his fists, and greeted with a beaming smile.
Gu An immediately conducted a Life Span Detection on him.
[Liu Chang (Foundation Establishment Realm Nine Layers): 226/270/340]
Seeing Zhu Qinglu, Liu Chang immediately put down his teacup and stood up to greet him.
After exchanging pleasantries, Liu Chang pulled Zhu Qinglu to sit down. They reminisced about the last time they had met, even talking about their joint entry into the Supreme Sect two hundred years ago.
Gu An stood behind Zhu Qinglu, portraying a demeanor of seriousness and curiosity. Elder Liu occasionally glanced at him, apparently quite satisfied.
After chatting for nearly half an Ancient Hour, Zhu Qinglu finally stated his purpose for the visit.
“That sounds fine. Young man, hand over your book to me. I’ll take a glance. If it’s suitable for distribution, then it’s a deal,” said Elder Liu, looking toward Gu An and speaking with confidence.
Gu An promptly took out the book he had written.
Elder Liu received it and glanced at the cover, commenting, “Investiture of the Gods? Nice title.”
He began to leaf through it while Zhu Qinglu stood up and wandered to the nearby bookshelves.
Gu An respectfully stood by the side.
Initially, Elder Liu was casual, flipping through the pages without much care, but as he read on, he sat up straighter.
Just then, a young man in white robes strode in and loudly said, “Elder Liu, do you have any books about Sword Cultivators? I want to see who in the Taicang World can defeat the Maniac Swordsman of Canghu Lake with a single leaf!”
Elder Liu raised his hand, signaling for the young man to be silent.
Gu An turned to look and subconsciously performed another Life Span Detection.
[Gu Yu (Foundation Establishment Realm Eight Layers): 34/291/1402]
A prodigy!
Gu An had seen such geniuses before, so he didn’t give Gu Yu another glance.
Gu Yu approached Elder Liu and leaned over to see the Investiture of the Gods in his hand.
It didn’t take long for Gu Yu to become engrossed as well.
Half an hour passed.
Zhu Qinglu came over and asked in surprise, “Brother Liu, wasn’t it just supposed to be a quick look? Why are you taking so long?”
He then glanced at Gu An.
What did this kid write?
Could it be crossing the line?
Elder Liu looked up, a bit stunned, then stood and intently stared at Gu An before asking, “Did you really write this?”
Gu An nodded, thinking to himself that indeed, it was written by one of his Earth’s ancestors.
Zhu Qinglu frowned and asked, “Is there a problem? If it’s not suitable, I’ll have him rewrite it.”
“No problem, it’s fascinating,” replied Elder Liu, shaking his head. He looked at Gu An again and said, “This book can be distributed. Your talent is admirable. I’ll arrange for you to have a 30% profit share. Each book sold will have half its Spirit Stones handed over to the Sect, and 20% given to the Book Collection Hall.”
Gu An naturally didn’t dare to object and quickly expressed his gratitude.
Zhu Qinglu nodded slightly, feeling that Elder Liu had given him face.
With a smile, Elder Liu asked, “Will the author’s name be your real one?”
Gu An shook his head and said, “Better not. I fear it might bring trouble later on.”
“Then let’s go by the name ‘Pan An’ for the author,” he said.
“`