Deep into the night, heavy snow descended upon the forests of the North Sea mountains.
Gu An sat on a cliff, having activated a Life Span Barrier; he had invested a hundred thousand years of life span into the Infinite Traceless Mystic Heaven Step.
The Infinite Traceless Mystic Heaven Step advanced successfully to the Limitless Freedom Step!
It was still at the peak of perfection!
Spiritual Energy descended; he began to pass on the Limitless Freedom Step.
An hour later, Gu An opened his eyes, having fully inherited the Limitless Freedom Step.
With the Limitless Freedom Step, one could predict an opponent’s attack trajectory, cross over Restrictions and Formations, and tread upon Dharma Aspects with infinite cunning uses.
It was good for both fighting and escaping!
In another month, he would enhance the Great Yin Yang Transformation and the Demon Shadow Divine Skill, which could conceal one’s identity and was very suitable for his Traditions of Immortal Cultivation.
Gu An stood up and flew towards the Supreme Sect.
Along the way, he spread his Divine Sense, searching for Li Ya.
Li Ya was practicing his swordsmanship by the lakeside in the North Sea, working diligently—it was unclear when he might master the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword.
Gu An started looking forward to Li Ya’s duel with An Hao. Imagining both of them simultaneously unleashing the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword, he could foresee their shocked and incredulous expressions.
It was so interesting!
Gu An then started to search for Sky Dragon, only to find Sky Dragon was nowhere to be found in the North Sea mountains.
Could it be that he was driven out by the demons of the North Sea mountains?
As for the possibility of being eaten, it was also there—if really eaten, then it was just its bad luck.
Taking advantage of the darkness before dawn, Gu An hurried back to Mystic Valley at full speed.
…
A new year came, and so did the Spring Festival.
Lv Baitian arrived, bringing his newly accepted disciple, An Hao, to celebrate the Spring Festival at the Third Medicine Valley; An Hao went to the Outer Sect to bring An Xin over.
The grown-up An Xin was lithe and graceful, standing next to An Hao, they looked like a match made in heaven.
The Third Medicine Valley, home to three hundred Servant Disciples, bustled with activity, Gu An planned to go to Mystic Valley that evening, not wanting to play favorites.
Gu An and Lv Baitian sat under an old tree, drinking and talking about the trivialities of the Third Medicine Valley, and Lv Baitian enjoyed listening.
According to Lv Baitian, the most comfortable days of his several hundred years of life were spent in the Medicine Valley.
“Since you reminisce about our Medicine Valley so much, why don’t you relinquish your position as Sect Leader and return to a pastoral life?” Gu An jokingly asked, feeling comfortable enough to tease Lv Baitian now that they were more familiar with each other.
Of course, his greatest reliance was still his own Mahayana Realm cultivation level!
Lv Baitian shook his head and laughed, “To not advance is to go back. If I were to give up the position of Sect Leader, it wouldn’t be long before I’d be branded a traitor of the Supreme Sect and even smeared with all sorts of filth, maybe even accused of being a spy for the Demon Path.”
“Moreover, the Lv Family and the Gu Family, who support me, would not allow me to step down. In the Supreme Sect, cultivation level is key, but sometimes, it is not all that important.”
As he said these words, his tone was deep and meaningful, as if hinting at something to Gu An.
Gu An changed the subject, “Recently, a branch of the Ephemera Sect has surfaced in the Immortal Cultivation World; You must have heard of it, right?”
Having stayed in the Supreme Sect for a while, he still felt attached to it.
Lv Baitian nodded lightly, then picked up the wine pot to pour more for Gu An, “The Supreme Sect has long been aware of the Ephemera Sect’s existence. In fact, two hundred years ago, the Ephemera Sect tried to infiltrate the Taicang Dynasty. At that time, the Imperial Family was under the control of the Ephemera Sect.
I led the Supreme Sect in a battle against the Ephemera Sect in the North Sea and managed to repel them.”
“The Ephemera Sect’s resurgence probably stems from the belief that the Supreme Sect, having just experienced a great battle, is significantly weakened. In truth, the Supreme Sect is indeed temporarily unable to hinder the Ephemera Sect’s absorption of the Demon Path.”
Upon hearing this, Gu An asked in confusion, “What do we do then? Just let them grow in power?”
Lv Baitian calmly replied, “It doesn’t matter. The Ephemera Sect has spies within the Supreme Sect, and we also have informants within the Ephemera Sect. The Ephemera Sect has many branches, but we have yet to understand their origins. ‘To know the enemy and to know oneself is to be undefeated in a hundred battles.’ Let us wait and see.
Also, I am preparing for a breakthrough to challenge my Heavenly Destiny.”
How could that be considered no matter at all?
Not even knowing how strong the enemy truly was!
Gu An felt Lv Baitian was feigning composure because he wanted to break through before taking action against the Ephemera Sect.
“Speaking of the Ephemera Sect, I plan to send ten of the young disciples with the most exceptional talents from our sect to the Third Medicine Valley. They can protect you and cultivate their minds alongside you,” Lv Baitian said with a smile.
Gu An was taken aback, asking in bewilderment, “What could they cultivate here with me? I can’t provide any guidance to them.”
“You don’t need to guide them. Just by immersing themselves in the life here, allowing their hearts to become still is enough,” Lv Baitian shook his head and replied.
Suddenly, Gu An wondered if this man had recognized him as Sword Venerable Fudao.
Otherwise, why would he be so good to him, even sending talents to be his underlings?
Claiming it was for them to cultivate their minds—did he actually want Sword Venerable Fudao to impart some guidance?
Gu An began to probe Lv Baitian, asking why not have Sword Venerable Fudao teach these disciples since the Immortal Cultivation World praises him as the strongest.
Lv Baitian frowned and said, “Truthfully, we don’t have the slightest clue as to who Sword Venerable Fudao really is. He might be a reclusive Ascetic, and such cases are not uncommon in the Supreme Sect.
The Supreme Sect has existed for thousands of years with over a million disciples; invariably, some obtain great fortune, change their destinies against the heavens, yet choose not to reveal themselves.”
“There’s another possibility—that Sword Venerable Fudao is one of the Supreme Elders. The Supreme Elders are elusive, sometimes returning unexpectedly. Considering the words ‘Righteous Path’ on the Heavenly Repair Platform, it is very likely that a Supreme Elder is guiding the Supreme Sect’s ethos.”
There really is a Supreme Elder!
No wonder Lv Baitian was not panicked.
What truly relieved Gu An was that Lv Baitian seemed not to associate him with Sword Venerable Fudao.
On second thought, Gu An suddenly realized he was indeed overthinking it.
How old was he?
How could he possibly be Sword Venerable Fudao?
At most, they would think he had some relation to Sword Venerable Fudao.
With his worries alleviated, Gu An asked, “Sect Leader, if you successfully break through, could you sweep through the Ephemera Sect by yourself?”
Lv Baitian laughed and said, “If the Ephemera Sect still had the strength it did two hundred years ago, and I were to break through, I could sweep them all by myself.”
“Young man, do you know what realm I am in?”
He lifted his chin, looking proud and haughty.
Gu An pondered and said, “You should be above the Divinity Transformation, shouldn’t you?”
“Hahaha!”
Lv Baitian roared with laughter, drawing the attention of others in the distance.
Gu An watched Lv Baitian show off, feeling secretly pleased inside.
“Above Divinity Transformation is Void Crossing, and above that is Unification. And I, I am at the ninth layer of the Unification Realm!” Lv Baitian said softly. When he spoke these words, Gu An distinctly perceived his Spiritual Power diffusing, creating a Barrier to prevent other disciples from eavesdropping.
Gu An showed a look of shock and muttered to himself, “The ninth layer of the Unification Realm… How many years of cultivation does it take to reach that?”
“Haha, with your aptitude, let alone the Unification Realm, it’s hard to say if you could reach the Nascent Soul in this lifetime. As my disciple, my cultivation level will be yours one day,” Lv Baitian revealed his intent once again, his tone full of seductive implications.
Gu An’s face showed longing and delight, pleasing Lv Baitian inwardly.
This kid is on the right track!
“Forget it, standing high is not necessarily a good thing, just like you, there are times when you’re helpless. How high must one’s cultivation be to be considered high? Isn’t enjoying life more meaningful?” Gu An shook his head and said, making Lv Baitian want to spit blood.
This kid really doesn’t know the dangers of the Immortal Cultivation World!
If it weren’t for the protection of the Supreme Sect, how could Gu An be so carefree?
Just as Lv Baitian was about to speak, he thought of Gu An’s previous opinion on the Outer Sect and his own teachings, and his words got stuck in his throat.
Wasn’t it precisely because of Gu An’s disposition that he took an interest in him?
If the desireless Gu An were to become the Sect Leader, that would be a blessing for the Supreme Sect. He may not be willing now, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be in the future, especially since his time was far from over.
And so Lv Baitian convinced himself.
Gu An then asked, “Sect Leader, what realm lies above the Unification Realm?”
He was probing the depths of the Supreme Sect!
Lv Baitian snorted, “When you become my disciple, I’ll tell you!”
“Why do you insist on me becoming your disciple? Haven’t you already taken An Hao as a disciple? Why not cultivate him to become the Sect Leader?”
“His background is unclear, and he has been a disciple under Chu Tianqi. I took him in simply appreciating his talent, not necessarily trusting him.”
“So you definitely trust me?”
“Of course, I have already checked you thoroughly. You were a house servant raised by the Ji Family, with some connection to Li Xuandao, and even possibly some ties to the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion. But I can see, you are compelled against your will.
You have connections to Li Xuandao because of Li Ya, and to the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion because of the previous Valley Master,” Lv Baitian finished with a look that said he had already seen through Gu An.
Gu An was moved, his substantial change in expression satisfying Lv Baitian’s psychological needs greatly.
“I didn’t expect you already knew. It’s indeed against my will. Do I need to sever ties with them in the future?” Gu An asked nervously.
Lv Baitian waved his hand and said, “No need, just keep it as before. Directly severing ties will only bring you trouble. Besides, I might even glean some intelligence about them from you. There are as many spies in the Supreme Sect as there are stars, and I know of and have left untouched thousands of them.”
Gu An suddenly found it hard to judge him and could only give him an admiring look.
Lv Baitian grew even more complacent and then went on to talk about the major disturbances caused by spies in the past.
Whenever such disturbances arose, Lv Baitian would round up the spies all at once. Officially, he caught them all, but in reality, he kept half of them. He branded half of his internal competitors as spies from the Demon Path and dealt with them together.
The surviving spies from the Demon Path were promoted by him. Those spies must have felt deeply trusted by him, either turning to the Righteous Path or becoming more reckless, readying to strike on Lv Baitian’s orders the next time.
After chatting for a long time, Gu An realized that Lv Baitian was teaching him how to handle Sect affairs.
Until evening, Gu An came alone to Mystic Valley and joined the other disciples for dinner.
As the conversation reached its peak, Gu An announced that he was making Lu Jiujia the eldest disciple, in charge of handling all the affairs of Medicine Valley, which confused Lu Jiujia.
Yang Ni frowned and thought to herself, “He really suspects me. On a regular basis, he does not interact with this disciple named Lu Jiujia; how could he suddenly appoint him as the eldest disciple?”
She felt it was time to make a move!