“`
Following Gu An’s gaze, sitting cross-legged directly above the character for “Dao” was a plainly-dressed man, whose figure and appearance were unremarkable, and even his aura seemed quite ordinary.
If it weren’t for Gu An’s constant use of Life Span Detection, he wouldn’t have noticed anything extraordinary about this person.
[Underworld Demon Emperor (Void Crossing Realm Nine Layers): 3847/5700/14000]
It’s actually a demon!
Gu An knew that demons of the same realm typically had longer life spans than Cultivators of Human Race, but he was still startled to see the opponent’s limit of fourteen thousand years.
What Cultivation Technique is this creature practicing that it doesn’t reveal any Demon Energy, that even he, a Unification Realm Great Cultivator, cannot detect it.
And, more importantly, do demons also take pleasure in practicing swordsmanship?
It reminded Gu An of the Sky Dragon he was raising, which was also obsessed with the Sword Dao.
He didn’t keep his gaze on the Underworld Demon Emperor, but instead continued to scan the other figures on the Heavenly Repair Platform.
Those who dare to sit and meditate on the sword have significant Cultivation Levels, after all, the Qi Cultivation Realm and Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators must busy themselves with Energy Absorption, and have not yet reached the stage of idle meditation for Path Enlightenment.
Gu An realized he had underestimated the influence of Sword Venerable Fudao.
Although he had not heard of Chu Xian before, with Chu Xian’s Cultivation Level, he must be quite famous among the major forces in the Immortal Cultivation World, especially among the Great Cultivators, who probably all knew of him.
The fall of a Void Crossing Realm cultivator would surely cause an upheaval in the Dynasty!
It seems that from now on I must keep a low profile. As my reputation ferments, who knows how many diverse entities might be drawn to me.
After surveying everyone on the Heavenly Repair Platform, Gu An eventually left.
He had already developed the habit of using Life Span Detection whenever he encountered a stranger; without checking their background, he felt uneasy.
In the following years, I shall devote myself to peaceful farming until the Immortal Cultivation World forgets Sword Venerable Fudao!
He had already written the book concerning Sword Venerable Fudao and the Outer Disciple scandal, Ji Hantian had been pressing him hard, and he had finished it last month. This book isn’t a serial novel; one volume is enough.
…
Spring vitality covered the land, bringing life to all things.
Within the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An and Gu Yu were drinking in the house.
“Your ‘Righteousness and Demons’ has spread all over the Taicang Dynasty, and now no one talks about Supreme Immortal Venerable; it’s all about Supreme Sect and Sword Venerable Fudao,” Gu Yu said with envy.
Gu An laughed, “After all, Supreme Sect is the foremost sect of the Righteous Path, and with such a scandal happening now, it’s natural that everyone would be curious. Don’t worry, in a few years, the Immortal Cultivation World will lose interest, and then they will still follow the legendary stories about your battles with the Demon Emperor from the Exotic Realm.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Yu’s expression brightened, and he began to praise Gu An for his good writing, eagerly asking about the continuation of the story.
Gu An wouldn’t reveal anything, which greatly tantalized Gu Yu.
“By the way, I’ve recently come across a book in which the protagonist is named Gu An, quite intriguing,” Gu Yu suddenly said as he took out a book from his Storage Bag.
Supreme Secret Records!
Gu An felt a tremor in his heart at the sight of this title.
Damned! She really went through with it!
My reputation is at stake, Gu An lamented!
Toting the Supreme Secret Records in his hand, Gu Yu chuckled and asked, “Brother Gu, have you read this book?”
Gu An curiously asked, “What book is this?”
“It’s a great book. Be honest, did you write it?” Gu Yu asked with a smile.
“How could that be? Let me have a look. Is it that interesting?”
Grabbing the Supreme Secret Records from him, Gu An began to flip through it.
Gu Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, “Really, you didn’t write it? Or was it written by someone you know?”
After finishing the first page, Gu An furrowed his brows as if truly seeing it for the first time.
Seeing him frown, Gu Yu refrained from teasing him further and continued to pour himself a drink.
Watching Gu An’s expression grow increasingly unpleasant, Gu Yu thought for a moment and said, “This book began to circulate within the Inner Sect; you probably don’t know many Inner Sect Disciples, so it might just be a coincidence, as the name Gu An isn’t that uncommon.”
Closing the Supreme Secret Records, Gu An took a deep breath and asked, “The Book Collection Hall actually allows this kind of book to circulate?”
“This book hasn’t gone through the Book Collection Hall; it’s being passed around privately by the disciples,” Gu Yu explained helplessly.
Gu An fell silent.
Seeing the atmosphere turn awkward, Gu Yu stood up to leave, offering a few words of comfort to Gu An before he departed.
After he left, Gu An began to critically examine Supreme Secret Records.
It had to be admitted, Shen Zhen really did study the Green Hero Travelogue, as this book seemed to him to have surpassed the original in excellence.
Although some contents were quite indelicate, the character of Gu An in the book was filled with chivalry, his personality was dashing and unrestrained, which made him quite likable and did not tarnish his image.
Only after reading for an hour did Gu An close the Supreme Secret Records, then he stepped out of the attic and continued his work.
His goal was to fill a hundred square miles with medicinal herbs as soon as possible. Today, he needed to fence off the land to prevent Inner Sect Disciples from intruding.
…
In the Inner Sect City, Ji Mansion.
Ji Xiaoyu sat at the desk, holding a book in her hands, with someone sitting opposite her – it was Ji Hantian.
“`
“How is it, how well is ‘Righteousness and Demons’ written?” Ji Hantian set down his teacup and asked.
As Ji Xiaoyu flipped through the book, he replied, “Very well. The narrative is immersive and doesn’t shield the wrongdoings of the Supreme Sect. It portrays Chu Xian’s hideousness in great detail, yet the united spirit of the Outer Disciples is also touching. At least when I read it, I don’t think the Supreme Sect is completely rotten.
Instead, I sense the depth and spirit of the Taicang’s foremost orthodox institution.”
The corners of Ji Hantian’s mouth curved, and he said, “Do you know who Pan An is?”
Ji Xiaoyu was silent.
“It’s actually your house servant Gu An, surprising, isn’t it?” Ji Hantian asked with a smile.
Ji Xiaoyu spoke somberly, “I knew, I just didn’t expect that you would know too, great-grandfather. You didn’t have him write this book, did you? It could cause him a lot of trouble.”
Ji Hantian coughed artfully and said, “No matter, I will protect him. Thanks to this book, I now have more say in the Hall of Elders. It’s not impossible to bring down Chu Tianqi in the future.”
Ji Xiaoyu looked at the book in his hands again and said indifferently, “I feel that the Ji Family should not aspire to the position of Sect Leader. It’s quite good as it is now, spread across various factions, not becoming a target of public criticism.”
“You don’t understand the hard times I endured under Lv Baitian’s thumb, otherwise, why would I have let you join the Supreme Sect? It was to gain face with your talents,” Ji Hantian snorted, feeling irritated just at the mention of Lv Baitian.
“You’ve gotten Gu An into such trouble; is there any compensation?”
“Of course, I’ve expanded his Medicine Valley to a hundred miles in diameter. Oh yes, in the future, you can provide him with the Ji Family’s high-rank medical herbs to plant. I’ve looked into it; the lad really has a knack for managing Medicine Valley. Getting closer to him, he might eventually reflect well on the Ji Family.
I’ve read ‘Investiture of the Gods’; his portrayal of Ji Fa indicates he has the Ji Family in his heart,” Ji Hantian spoke earnestly, eliciting a frown from Ji Xiaoyu.
Dissatisfaction flashed in Ji Xiaoyu’s eyes as he said, “Great-grandfather, in dealing with people and affairs, one must not be too calculating.”
“Silly child, this isn’t calculating—it’s about creating a win-win situation. Why not do it?”
Ji Xiaoyu bowed his head and continued reading, causing Ji Hantian to shake his head slightly.
Getting to his feet, Ji Hantian said, “The Conference of a Hundred Races is about to begin. You should prepare yourself. You must secure the top position on the Hidden Dragon List.”
With that, he took two steps and then vanished into thin air from within the room.
Ji Xiaoyu remained seated, continuing to stare at the book in his hands.
…
In March, the spring breeze was cool.
On a day in the early part of the month, the Ji Family sent people to the Third Medicine Valley to deliver a large number of medicinal herb seeds to Gu An. The lowest grade among them was fourth-grade, which pleased Gu An immensely.
The Ji Family cultivator, before leaving, hinted openly and covertly that the Third Miss was quite fond of him and that the seeds were personally selected by her. For any future needs, he could seek her out.
Naturally, Gu An would not refuse and stated that he would never forget the Third Miss’s kindness. Only after hearing this did the cultivator leave contented.
Both the Ji Family and Gu Zong, Jiang Qiong included, were pressing seeds on him saving Gu An a lot of costs. He planned to recruit more Servant Disciples, filling at least twenty positions, assigning each a Demon Beast and providing the best treatment.
One day, Gu An took Elder Tian to the Outer City. Elder Tian had taken the initiative to come, wanting to see the word ‘Righteousness’ on the Heavenly Repair Platform.
Arriving at the Outer City, the two split up.
Gu An had just reached the entrance of the Chores Hall when a male disciple approached him, whispering, “Daoist Friend, I have a treasure here, for just two Low-Grade Spirit Stones.”
“Two pieces? Why don’t you just rob?” Gu An responded irritably and walked around him.
The disciple blocked his path again and took out a book from his Storage Bag, saying mysteriously, “Look carefully, do you recognize this book? Many Inner Sect Disciples read it after ending their closed-door cultivations, it contains great opportunities.”
Gu An glanced at it and saw four words.
‘Supreme Secret Records.’
He pushed the other aside, leaving behind the words, “Sorry, I read ‘Investiture of the Gods’.”
The disciple watched his back and cursed silently before turning to pitch to others.
An hour later, Gu An walked out of the Chores Hall, followed by eleven people, men and women, all very young and excited.
The fact that Gu An could recruit so many Servant Disciples at once meant his identity was certainly not simple; following such a senior would make their journey of Immortal Cultivation much broader.
They proceeded to the Heavenly Repair Platform in great numbers.
The Servant Disciples had always been curious about the Heavenly Repair Platform, but with their low Cultivation Levels, they dared not come on ordinary days, fearing they might displease a Great Cultivator.
Gu An quickly spotted Elder Tian’s figure, who was staring intently right below the ‘Righteousness’ character.
He glanced in another direction.
The Demon Emperor of the Void Crossing Realm’s Nine Layers was still there, at this moment, his right hand was gesturing something.
Gu An only watched for two breaths and thought, good fellow.
Isn’t that a technique of the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword?
This chap can comprehend sword techniques just by contemplating Sword Intent?
That’s monstrous!
No, I must put forward the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword next time, invest a life span of a few thousand years to maintain my standing in the Sword Dao.
Gu An withdrew his gaze and approached Elder Tian.
“Hahaha, I’ve got it! I’ve got it!”
Suddenly, a loud laughter erupted from the Heavenly Repair Platform, resonant and loud, turning the heads of tens of thousands of people on the platform.
The speaker was an old man wearing a Taoist robe, his grizzled hair slightly unkempt.
He leaped into the air, soared high, then stretched out his hand, pointing two fingers towards the word ‘Righteousness’ on the platform.