“Is that so? Then I’ll wait for you to help me,” Jiang Qiong said to Gu An, her smile all crinkles.
Gu An glanced at her and said, “Hold on, your real purpose isn’t targeting the Ji Family again, is it?”
“Hmph, with all the people coming and going, aren’t you afraid of being overheard by the Ji Family?” Jiang Qiong sneered.
There were indeed many people on the street, but there were just as many who talked big like Gu An, so he was not afraid at all.
“Within the Supreme Sect, who would dare to make things difficult for me?” Gu An declared with feigned arrogance, then immediately flashed a smile and greeted someone who was approaching.
Watching the adaptable Gu An, Jiang Qiong couldn’t help but want to laugh.
After Gu An’s acquaintance had moved on, Jiang Qiong teased, “You know, I’ve heard that Sect Master Lv wants to groom you as the next sect leader. I thought he was joking before, but now it seems you really might have a shot.”
Gu An shook his head and said, “Forget about it, he hasn’t mentioned this for many years.”
Since the integration of the overseas cultivators, Lv Baitian rarely brought up the position of sect leader. It wasn’t that he was reluctant to let go, but rather, he increasingly found himself not his own master, with the power of the sect leader being diluted. Moreover, appointing Gu An as sect leader would only bring trouble to Gu An.
“You’re just not diligent in your cultivation,” Jiang Qiong said irritably.
Over six hundred years ago, she had noticed Gu An’s extraordinary talent. Unfortunately, no matter how much she persuaded him, the lad was content to linger in the Medicine Garden, idly while away his days, fond of reading leisurely books, unwilling to cultivate diligently.
“What do you know? My approach is also a form of cultivation. You’ll understand sooner or later; Qi Absorption Cultivation is the most foolish method.”
“Should I look forward to that?”
“Don’t pretend to forget when the time comes.”
“You seem to understand women quite well.”
“I have no choice, I’ve gained many of my connections thanks to this face of mine. Naturally, I understand women after interacting with so many of them.”
“I really want to seal you in a coffin for a lifetime.”
The two chatted and strolled through the streets.
Jiang Qiong’s mind quickly wandered elsewhere.
Coming for help was true, but it wasn’t her main purpose.
She had come to find Sword Venerable Fudao!
…
As night fell, in the woods outside the Supreme Sect.
Jiang Qiong stood under a tree, frowning, the breeze stirring her robes, not feeling the cold at all.
Her heart was in tumult.
Centuries ago, when Sword Venerable Fudao had endowed her with the authority over the Ghost Mother of Ephemera, she used it to establish the Juhua Sect, rising from a helpless, solitary figure to a formidable force in the Immortal Cultivation World. Without Sword Venerable Fudao, she wouldn’t have achieved what she had today. How could she not be nervous in front of Sword Venerable Fudao?
Her greatest concern was not knowing what Sword Venerable Fudao really wanted in helping her.
Born into a Demon Sect, she didn’t believe in absolute perfection. Despite Sword Venerable Fudao’s reputation for justice, he must have another side.
She had foreseen many possibilities and was devising ways to cope.
Crack—
The sound of someone stepping on tree leaves came from not far away, startling her to turn and look, only to see a demonic figure emerging from the darkness.
The Demon Shadow Divine Skill of the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion!
Jiang Qiong immediately bowed to Sword Venerable Fudao.
“What’s the matter?” Sword Venerable Fudao asked in a hoarse voice.
Jiang Qiong remembered that voice; it was the same one that had sounded during the attack by the Sun and Moon Netherworld Emperor.
Taking a deep breath, she immediately stated the reason for her visit.
The Ghost Mother of Ephemera had been captured!
Her disciples had been possessed by a spirit thought of the captor all the way back to the Juhua Sect. It was only in front of Jiang Qiong did the spirit thought reveal itself, belonging to the Spirit Seize Demon Palace, wanting to use the Ghost Mother of Ephemera to force the Juhua Sect to serve them.
Jiang Qiong had yet to agree when the spirit thought made its demands—every year, the Juhua Sect must deliver ten thousand cultivators under a thousand years old to the Spirit Seize Demon Palace.
Before Jiang Qiong could react, the spirit thought wounded high-ranking members of the Juhua Sect and left arrogantly.
Jiang Qiong had no other choice but to seek out Sword Venerable Fudao.
“The Juhua Sect is a Sect of the Righteous Path, how could it commit such atrocities at the behest of overseas demons from the Demon Path?” Jiang Qiong said emphatically.
Watching her serious demeanor, Gu An wanted to laugh.
Such an act.
Gu An turned away, dropping a sentence before moving into the darkness, “I understand now; they will not trouble you again, and as for the Ghost Mother of Ephemera, she will return on her own.”
Hearing this, Jiang Qiong breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at the retreating back of Sword Venerable Fudao and asked through clenched teeth, “Senior, why did you choose me?”
With that question, the dark cloud hanging over her finally dispersed.
Some things had to be faced!
After witnessing Sword Venerable Fudao’s Divine Skills suppress the Sun and Moon Netherworld Emperor, she felt she would never surpass Sword Venerable Fudao in this lifetime, so there was no need to wait.
Without turning back, Gu An kept walking, and his voice floated back to her:
“I helped you because of a request from my disciple. As for his identity, you need not worry. Isn’t he the only person you care about in this world?”
With those words, Gu An vanished into thin air.
He knew Jiang Qiong had always been worried about this matter, so he took this opportunity to ease her concerns.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Qiong’s eyes widened, and she froze on the spot.
After a long while.
She burst into laughter, whispering, “You really do have connections at the Supreme Sect.”
She didn’t mind that Gu An had deliberately concealed this from her. After all, her life had changed because of him—it was she who was indebted to him. What right did she have to complain?
In her heart, she felt more of a pleasant surprise.
With the guidance of Sword Venerable Fudao, Gu An’s future would certainly surpass hers.
Thinking back to what Gu An had said, that Qi Absorption Cultivation was the dumbest method, might actually be true. Sword Venerable Fudao had imparted to him a more profound method of cultivation.
Jiang Qiong lifted her head and gazed at the bright moon peeking through the leaves, finding it as beautiful as her current mood.
Elsewhere, Gu An returned to the loft in the Third Medicine Valley. His main body switched places with the clone, completely unbeknownst to Ji Xiaoyu below, and even the Sun and Moon Netherworld Emperor would be unable to see through it.
Gu An picked up the Fate Determining Pen on the table.
Before Jiang Qiong had arrived, he had already deduced the nature of the Demon Sect of Ghostly Bindings: a purely Demon Path power. Its sect leader was a reincarnation of a Heavenly Demon with awakened memories, choosing the Taicang Continent to investigate Sword Venerable Fudao, preparing for the Heavenly Demon’s invasion of the Great Heavenly Spirit Land.
Every single member of the Demon Sect of Ghostly Bindings was undoubtedly sinful to the extreme.
Killing them was, in essence, ridding the world of a scourge!
Gu An began to write in the air with the pen, scribing the characters for “Demon Sect of Ghostly Bindings,” then determined their life or death with the Longevity True Word.
Any linked to the Demon Sect of Ghostly Bindings’ Qi Fortune would be reduced to ashes!
The sect leader of the Demon Sect of Ghostly Bindings was a Divine Immortal of Wondrous Dharma. Below him, the sect’s influence was roughly comparable to the Star Sea Congregations, although they did not have as many members.
When Gu An placed the Fate Determining Pen back on the table, several notifications appeared before him:
[You have successfully seized 709 years of life span from the True Man of Yin Calamity (Loose Immortal Realm 7th Floor).]
[You have successfully seized 2171 years of life span from Lin Gexuan (Wandering Immortal Realm 2nd Floor).]
[You have successfully seized 624 years of life span from Yang Fu (Nirvana Realm 8th Floor).]
…
Gu An looked at these notifications, his face expressionless.
The Demon Sect of Ghostly Bindings, which had brought despair to Jiang Qiong, was as insignificant as dust on a table in his eyes.
However, as more notifications kept coming, Gu An felt a special Qi Fortune approaching him through the depths. He felt a familiar attachment to it, instinctively wanting to accept it, but he restrained himself.
This was the Heavenly Dao’s reward for him – slaying those with heavy sins would grant him this Qi Fortune.
To be precise, it was not exactly Qi Fortune, as it was both invisible and intangible.
Merit!
Gu An suddenly had an epiphany.
The concept of merit was long rumored among the Mortal World; it was not without foundation. Indeed, as humans acted, the heavens did watch.
Unlike the Great Cold Demon Sect, the Demon Sect of Ghostly Bindings bore greater sin. While the Great Cold Demon Sect could wash away much of its sins with the Qi Fortune of the Holy Court, the Demon Sect of Ghostly Bindings did not rely on the Holy Court, acted recklessly, and had sins rarely seen in this age.
The Heavenly Dao Merit Gu An would receive for eradicating the Demon Sect of Ghostly Bindings was immense. If he mentally accepted it, it would rush toward him.
Gu An did not accept the Heavenly Dao Merit; he decided to keep a distance from the Heavenly Dao.
Finally, the notifications ceased.
In one go, he had obtained seven billion years of life span!
Still, earning life span through killing was the fastest method!
At that moment, Gu An even felt the impulse to eradicate all the forces of the Demon Path in the world, but then he remembered the fate of Long Zhan, and he held back.
No matter how he persuaded himself, he was acting out of self-interest. The more people he killed, the greater the impact would be – he could not act rashly.
Gu An opened his Attribute Panel and saw that his life span had reached over 29 billion years. His Daoist Heart calmed down.
With more years accumulated, he would be ready for a breakthrough!
Although he had no concerns about the passage of time, he knew he must continue to grow stronger lest any insurmountable enemies appeared.
The moon set and the sun rose.
At noon the next day, Ji Xiaoyu came to find Gu An.
“The Juhua Sect disciples have been released,” Ji Xiaoyu said, looking intently at Gu An.
Gu An put down the book in his hands and looked up with a smile, “Thank you.”
“What is your relationship with the Juhua Sect Leader?” she asked.
Hearing her query, Gu An did not conceal the truth and roughly explained the process of his acquaintance with Jiang Qiong.
“She offered me considerable help in the early stages of my immortal cultivation. Without her guidance, I wouldn’t have achieved what I have today,” Gu An said earnestly.
“What else?” Ji Xiaoyu inquired.
Gu An asked in surprise, “What do you mean by ‘what else’? What else do you want to know?”
Ji Xiaoyu was about to speak but then her expression shifted, and she said, “Never mind, I have my destiny in this life, and cannot obtain longevity. The fact that you have so many women who treat you well means that even if I return to my original self, I would have lived a content life this time around.”
“You speak as if you’re a different person. You are you, and the soul doesn’t change. You have no need to worry,” Gu An said, trying to comfort her.
Ji Xiaoyu shook her head, “You don’t understand this feeling.”
With that, she turned and left.
Watching her go, Gu An couldn’t help but think of her previous incarnation as the Third Miss.
He suddenly felt some regret.
Perhaps it was from experiences in his youth, but he held complex feelings for the Third Miss – gratitude, and perhaps affection as well.
Maybe Ji Xiaoyu was right – at least in this life, she seemed like a different person compared to the Third Miss.
In that case, he had yet to see the Third Miss for the last time.
Perhaps at the end of her life, the Third Miss never even thought of him. Find exclusive content at empire
Gu An shook his head and chastised himself for being sentimental. He picked up the Green Hero Travelogue and began to cultivate his mind.
It was Xuan Tianyi’s free-spirited literary style that influenced Gu An, helping him dispel the meaningless sorrows in his heart multiple times.
Those who were gone had passed away; it was important to cherish those who were alive. Life must go on!
Such were Gu An’s thoughts as he soon became engrossed in a story of an isolated island.