Seeing that the old man wanted to destroy his characters, Gu An’s complexion changed.
What does that mean?
To comprehend my sword intent and then smash my characters?
Gu An was about to take action himself, but fortunately, there was no need for him to intervene.
“Impudence!”
A thunderous shout rose, and the speaker was none other than Li Xuandao’s first sword attendant, Yi Liuyun.
As a ninth-layer Divinity Transformation Realm cultivator, Yi Liuyun’s presence was formidable. His thunderous shout startled everyone in the city.
Not only Yi Liuyun, but also other Great Cultivators around the characters for “righteous path” who were understanding the sword began to stand up one after another. Even the Underworld Demon Emperor of the ninth-layer Void Crossing Realm lifted his eyes to look at the elder in the sky, his gaze filled with dissatisfaction.
Gu An immediately used Life Span Detection.
[Pang Yu (Void Crossing Realm second layer): 1279/1720/1770]
Nearing his limit!
No wonder he is so crazed!
Pang Yu, in the sky, looked at Yi Liuyun and scoffed with contempt: “A mere Divinity Transformation, and you dare to obstruct me?”
Divinity Transformation?
The disciples on the Heavenly Repair Platform were in an uproar, retreating en masse, fearing that they might be affected by the combat between Great Cultivators.
“You look down on Divinity Transformation, but do you hold Void Crossing in esteem?”
An icy voice came through, not from the Underworld Demon Emperor but another cultivator. Gu An had seen him earlier; he was a fifth-layer Void Crossing Realm Great Cultivator, dressed in the robes of an elder from the Supreme Sect.
Pang Yu’s expression shifted slightly. He withdrew his hand and with a wave of his sleeve huffed, “Fine, your Supreme Sect has the advantage of numbers, truly remarkable. I’m leaving!”
With that said, he turned and flew towards the city’s outskirts, disappearing from the Outer City in the blink of an eye.
“You seek to leave after attempting to destroy my Supreme Sect’s place of enlightenment?”
A disdainful snort sounded, a voice all too familiar to Gu An, coming from Gu Zong.
Gu An felt Gu Zong swiftly sweep across the firmament, pursuing Pang Yu.
The fifth-layer Void Crossing Realm Great Cultivator also vanished from the spot.
The tense atmosphere on the Heavenly Repair Platform eased, and the cultivators on the platform began discussing the person from before while marveling at the might of the Supreme Sect.
Gu An felt that this Outer Sect city owed him a huge favor. When had so many Great Cultivators come here before? Now at any time, there were two Void Crossing Realm Great Cultivators watching over the city, making him feel incredibly secure.
All thanks to the characters for “righteous path” that he had left behind!
Afterward, Gu An led the Servant Disciples on towards Elder Tian.
The Servant Disciples were extremely excited. Today they were promoted to Servant Disciples and also witnessed the clash between Great Cultivators. The realm names of Divinity Transformation and Void Crossing left them yearning.
“Let’s go, it’s time to head back.”
Gu An patted Elder Tian on the shoulder and spoke.
Elder Tian snapped back to reality and stood up to follow.
As their gazes crossed, Gu An couldn’t shake the feeling that something about Elder Tian had changed, though he wasn’t sure if it was just his perception.
He instinctively used Life Span Detection.
Hmm?
Energy Cultivation Realm eighth layer?
How did he suddenly jump two layers?
How long has it even been?
Surprised internally, Gu An kept his face expressionless.
He had long anticipated that Elder Tian would make a comeback, as Elder Tian hadn’t stepped down due to defeat but because of his own oversight. Such a person could easily return to their peak.
An hour later, Gu An and the others returned to the Third Medicine Valley, where he asked Xiaochuan to help arrange for these disciples.
Xiaochuan had visited the Third Medicine Valley a few times and no longer wished to leave. He even transported all of the demon creatures he was raising over. Gu An was very fond of him and naturally wouldn’t refuse.
Among his peers, only Xiaochuan remained by his side.
Although Wuxin was his junior brother and had come late, he didn’t hold the same importance in his heart as Xiaochuan did.
Since childhood, Xiaochuan had always followed Gu An, obedient in every way. Such a junior brother was naturally cherished by him.
Gu An knew that after two hundred years, when his old friends passed away, it would be hard for him to form such a bond with others again, so he cherished it all the more.
After returning to the valley, Elder Tian went to sit in meditation under a big tree alone, seemingly deep in thought.
The setting sun cast its last warm glow on the mountain top, where Ye Yan practiced with his spear against the backdrop of the sunset, creating a unique atmosphere that led the newly arrived Servant Disciples to discuss incessantly.
…
The seasons changed, and more than two years swiftly passed by.
That summer, the now forty-six-year-old Gu An stood on the mountain peak, looking down at the landscape. Everywhere he looked, there were medicine fields, and glimpses of garden scenery could be seen amid the trees.
It had taken Gu An more than two years to fill a hundred-mile radius with medicinal herbs. Looking out at the fields, his heart swelled with a sense of accomplishment.
A figure came up beside him, none other than Xiaochuan.
“Brother, Ye Yan has been gone for several months. When will we recruit another Servant Disciple to fill the vacancy? Our Medicine Valley is so vast; with one person short, the others have to walk that much further,” Xiaochuan inquired.
Gu An took out the Valley Master Token and handed it to Xiaochuan, saying, “You go recruit. It’s a good opportunity to see your judgment.”
Upon hearing this, Xiaochuan immediately brightened with joy, quickly expressed his thanks to Gu An, and then hastened down the mountain.
Gu An’s gaze, however, turned towards the Outer City. He sensed a potent surge of sword intent.
Someone else had succeeded in comprehending the sword at the Heavenly Repair Platform.
In those two years, there had been four individuals who experienced a major boost in sword intent on the Heavenly Repair Platform, further increasing the reputation of both the platform and Sword Venerable Fudao.
The Heavenly Repair Platform even became the holy land for the sword cultivators under the Taicang Dynasty, with sword cultivators from various sects and schools coming to visit, and the Supreme Sect demonstrating the magnanimity of the foremost righteous sect by allowing disciples from other sects to come and comprehend the Sword Intent.
This approach, on top of the spread of “Righteousness and Demons,” not only preserved the good reputation of the Supreme Sect but elevated it to the next level.
Every time Gu An thought about this, he admired the people of the Hall of Elders.
Those were truly capable people, skilled at power struggles and excellent in handling crises, no wonder they managed to become Elders.
After pausing at the mountain summit for a while, Gu An turned and descended.
Two years had passed, and the majority of the herbs were still growing, but his current life span was increasing rapidly.
He decided to restart his daily routine.
Every night, he invested five years of life span into his cultivation level, gradually enhancing it.
Being at the first layer of the Unification Realm made him feel somewhat vulnerable, as more and more Great Cultivators arrived at the Heavenly Repair Platform, and who knows when an old monster of the Unification Realm might appear.
He walked down the slopes of the mountain, headed to his loft more than twenty li away, taking a walk like this every day, appreciating his base of operations without ever feeling tired.
Just like now, he strolled while enjoying the scenery along the way, his mood pleasant.
After half an ancient hour.
Gu An walked along the riverbank when a figure descended from the sky and landed behind him.
“Long time no see,” Li Ya said, patting Gu An’s shoulder, trying to scare him.
Gu An pretended to shiver, because Li Ya had practiced a method of concealing his energy, landing without a sound.
“How come you’re here? How have these years treated you?” Gu An asked Li Ya with surprise.
Li Ya chuckled proudly, “Of course it’s good. After being severely injured by a demon cultivator last time, I’ve been training hard and have made great progress.”
“Is that so, I don’t believe it.”
“Want to compare?”
“Forget it, the gap between our realms is too big, it wouldn’t be fair.”
“As long as you know.”
“Heh.”
Gu An smiled, thinking to himself, brother, it’s you who wouldn’t stand a chance!
The two chatted as they moved forward.
Li Ya talked about his experience going to the Inner Sect, where he immediately sought the Hall of Elders. Unfortunately, before he could await the result, a calamity broke out in the Outer Sect. He was extremely worried at that time, fearing that something might have happened to Gu An.
He took a day to visit Gu An in Mystic Valley, but Gu An was not there when he arrived.
After learning that Gu An was safe, he returned to the Inner Sect to focus on his cultivation.
He didn’t want to be defeated again, nor did he want to keep fighting across realms.
“What brought you to me today?” Gu An asked curiously.
Li Ya laughed, “The emperor ordered me and Li Xuanyu to attend the Grand Assembly of Hundreds. The Assembly is no trivial matter; it is a competition of combat among the hundred great clans of the nine dynasties, complete with strength rankings recorded in books and circulated in the Immortal Cultivation World. Moreover, the victor receives unimaginable opportunities.
It’s a matter that concerns not only the face of the clan but is also a struggle for personal fame and fortune.”
“By the way, Ji Xiaoyu of the Ji Family will also participate,” shared Li Ya.
Gu An imagined the various scenarios, quite interested.
However, he had no qualification to participate, and even if he did, he couldn’t be bothered to go.
Such things were better left heard but not attended.
“Can you beat our third young lady?” Gu An teased.
Li Ya said confidently, “I couldn’t before, but now it’s not a certainty.”
Gu An glanced at him; something was off about this kid’s Qi-Blood.
Why did it feel like he had the essence of a demon beast?
Chatting like this, the two made their way back to the valley. That evening, they drank until late, with other disciples gathered around to listen to Li Ya talk about the Grand Assembly of Hundreds. Even Elder Tian joined in on the fun.
“By the way, the former Sect Leader, Lv Baitian, once captured the top spot in the Hidden Dragon List, Dragon and Phoenix List, and Immortal Fate List. He was an unrivaled force at every stage. It is said that he was the strongest Sect Leader in the past three thousand years of the Supreme Sect. It’s just that, alas, he has fallen after a deviation,” Li Ya remarked with a sigh.
Gu An raised his eyebrows; Elder Tian was that impressive?
He didn’t look towards Elder Tian to avoid revealing that he knew of Elder Tian’s true identity.
Tang Yu couldn’t help asking, “Martial Uncle Li Ya, could Zhou Tongyou claim the top spot on this season’s Hidden Dragon List?”
The Hidden Dragon List was a ranking competition among the geniuses of various clans who were under a hundred years old.
Zhou Tongyou had already become the foremost among the young generation, and his fame grew even larger thanks to the book Supreme Immortal Venerable. Many people believed that the Zhou Tongyou in the book was the very same Zhou Tongyou who had been to the Supreme Sect, dominating his peers and leaving the sect with his head held high.
Li Ya glanced at him and said, “What are you talking about? That top spot is naturally mine. What Zhou Tongyou? Just watch, this time your Martial Uncle will teach him the taste of defeat!”
With these words, all the disciples looked up to Li Ya in admiration; such high-spiritedness was indeed enviable.
Elder Tian chuckled, “Actually, Zhou Tongyou is not your biggest rival. There’s someone else in the Supreme Sect whose talent surpasses Zhou Tongyou. It’s just that he has been in seclusion and hasn’t made his name known.”
Li Ya looked at him and asked, “Who?”
“Lv Xian; he reached Core Formation by the age of thirty.”
“What?”
Li Ya was moved, and the others were shocked as well.
Most of those present were over thirty and couldn’t imagine what it took to achieve Core Formation at such an age.
Gu An’s expression turned strange; in the past two years, someone from Tianya Valley had come, and it was Lv Xian.
He had not previously associated Lv Xian with Lv Baitian, but now it seemed these two might share some blood relations?
Li Xuandao was indeed impressive, managing to recruit the Supreme Sect’s most hidden genius. This was somewhat outrageous.