Stirring the Outer Sect, Consecrating a God

Under the dim, snowy night, the sword intent of Zuo Yijian formed a shocking and overbearing pillar of energy, churning the wind and snow as it connected the sky to the mountains. Scorching flames surged from within the pillar, transforming into a Crimson Flame Dragon that rose into the air.

Zuo Lin watched, dumbfounded; he had never heard of his father's Flame-Devouring Sword Technique reaching such a state.

Boom!

A massive, thunderous roar suddenly erupted from behind Zuo Lin, startling him into turning around instinctively. Before he could even fully turn, a brilliant sword light illuminated his face. His eyes widened as his peripheral vision caught a dazzling streak of light streaking across the dark horizon.

That sword light was so bright it defied description. The falling snow was shredded by the impact of the light, creating a massive shockwave that made it seem as if the entire night sky were about to be pierced through. This sight left Zuo Lin deeply shaken.

Zuo Lin's mind went blank; he had no time to think.

The brilliant sword light tore through the night sky, passing right over his head. The powerful wind it whipped up instantly activated the formations around him, causing a protective barrier to appear and flicker violently, on the verge of shattering.

Under Zuo Lin's gaze, the brilliant sword light struck Zuo Yijian's sword intent with an unstoppable, destructive momentum.

Zuo Yijian's reaction was faster than Zuo Lin's, but even his speed was no match for his opponent.

He had no time to execute a sword technique and could only rely on his own sword intent to force a defense.

Boom!

The terrifying pillar of energy shrouding him was shattered instantly, and the Crimson Flame Dragon vanished in a puff of smoke. Zuo Yijian's sword intent was forcibly crushed.

His robes tore open, and blood erupted from his body.

His eyes widened, and a single leaf was reflected in his pupils.

"How is this possible..."

This thought flashed through Zuo Yijian's mind. Before he could even feel fear, the leaf pierced his shoulder. A terrifying sword energy exploded, blasting him backward. He crashed through mountain after mountain, finally slamming into a forest over ten miles away.

A hollow tunnel had been carved through the night sky, and the surrounding snow turned into mist the moment it touched the path, hanging between the mountains in a spectacular display.

On the mountaintop, Zuo Lin stood within the formation, staring in disbelief at the direction his father had disappeared.

He collapsed to his knees, unable to accept what he had just witnessed.

His invincible father had actually been defeated...

And defeated without the slightest chance to fight back...

Ten miles away, on a mountaintop.

Gu An maintained his waving posture. The cold wind, carrying snowflakes, caused his white robes to billow violently. The expression in his eyes beneath his mask remained calm.

How could your century of cultivation possibly contend with the investment of my two thousand years of lifespan?

Gu An thought to himself. He had already shown mercy; he had aimed for the shoulder, not Zuo Yijian's head.

He turned and left, disappearing into the vast, heavy snow as if he had never been there at all.

At dawn, Gu An led the disciples in their morning exercises as usual.

Zhen Qin swayed her waist while looking at the sky, remarking, "The snow seems to have lightened up today."

Wuxin looked into the distance and said, "It's not just the snow that has lightened; that powerful sword intent has vanished as well."

As soon as these words were spoken, the other disciples grew excited.

"Could it be that the person has already left?"

"It's possible. Legend says that sword cultivators must seek out scenic places with spiritual energy to comprehend nature; our area can hardly be considered a blessed land."

"Don't let your guard down. What if he's just taking a nap?"

"Did you forget the lightning tribulation from a few days ago? Would a great cultivator of that realm need to take a nap?"

Listening to their debate, Gu An couldn't help but chuckle.

He gave a fake cough and said, "Focus on your exercises. Whether that senior has left or not, we'll know soon enough."

He hoped no one else would come nearby to undergo tribulations or comprehend sword intent.

If he accidentally went too hard, the scene wouldn't be pretty!

Over the next two days, no sword intent shrouded the heavens. The disciples of Mystic Valley were now certain the person had left, and thus, Mystic Valley returned to its usual rhythm of life.

Occasionally, cultivators would fly over Mystic Valley, but the disciples had grown accustomed to it. Only Gu An knew that those people were likely investigating the injury of Zuo Yijian, as he had detected one cultivator with the cultivation of the sixth level of the Nascent Soul Realm.

At night.

After several days apart, Gu An went to the Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven to visit Jiang Qiong.

After paying his respects, Gu An said, "That senior, Zuo Yijian, seems to have left."

Jiang Qiong was not practicing; she was refining pills. Staring at the flames beneath the furnace, she replied, "He didn't leave. He is either dead or severely wounded by now."

"What? Why do you say that?" Gu An asked, feigning shock.

He even added, "He is a great cultivator of the Nascent Soul Realm, after all!"

Jiang Qiong rolled her eyes at him and retorted, "So what if he's in the Nascent Soul Realm? There are realms beyond the Nascent Soul Realm. A few days ago, two powerful sword intents clashed. One of them far exceeded Zuo Yijian's, and the battle ended in an instant, which means the opponent's strength far surpassed his."

Hearing this, Gu An felt a secret sense of satisfaction.

On the surface, however, he frowned and hesitated, "Then, will Mystic Valley be in danger?"

"Rest assured, several days have already passed. Would you stop to step on an ant by the side of the road?" Jiang Qiong looked back at the alchemy furnace and said softly.

She appeared calm, but in reality, her heart was filled with a sense of urgency.

She realized that she might have become disconnected from the world of cultivation.

Seventy years is enough for dynasties to change; one must know that it only took her forty years to reach the Golden Core realm, and heaven knows what the cultivation world looks like today.

"In the future, when you undergo tribulation, you must be cautious. Do not be like Zuo Yijian. He perhaps thought no one would dare to interfere with him, not realizing that the internal strife within the Taixuan Sect is intense," Jiang Qiong said gloomily.

Gu An asked in surprise, "Do you mean that the person who attacked Zuo Yijian is a cultivator from the Taixuan Sect?"

"That is natural. Great cultivators from other sects would not dare to rashly break into the Taixuan Sect, and the opponent vanished very quickly without a second battle breaking out. He can only be someone from the Taixuan Sect," Jiang Qiong nodded and said.

You really guessed it right!

After Gu An struck last night, he quickly left the scene. The moment he arrived at the Mystic Valley, he felt several powerful divine senses sweep over him, breaking him out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, his Dragon Force Divine Origin Technique was powerful enough!

Jiang Qiong clearly had many thoughts, and she began to lecture Gu An on how to walk the path of cultivation in the future.

After chatting for quite a while, Gu An finally managed to get away from her to go check on the Hao Dragon egg.

The Hao Dragon egg had been placed by Jiang Qiong under a tree, surrounded by piles of hay, with many talisman papers laid out underneath. On them were drawn Jiang Qiong's spells to help the Hao Dragon egg better absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

I wonder what the Hao Dragon will look like when it is born?

Gu An had already begun to fantasize about the image of himself stepping on a true dragon and roaming the world.

The news of Zuo Yijian being severely injured had a greater impact than Gu An had anticipated. Even after more than half a month had passed, when he arrived at the Outer Sect, he frequently heard people mentioning the matter along the way.

Previously, one rarely heard news of Nascent Soul Realm cultivators in the Outer Sect, but now the whole city was talking about Zuo Yijian, perhaps because it was related to Zuo Yijian having just undergone his tribulation.

Before the tribulation, Zuo Yijian was an elder of the Outer Sect, and his strength ranked among the top tier in the Outer Sect.

Gu An followed the Alchemy Hall elder, Zhu Qinglu, to the Library Hall of the Outer Sect.

The Library Hall managed all the book buildings of the Outer Sect, including the scripture pavilions in various locations.

Cultivation techniques, secret manuals, heterodox scriptures, travelogues, and so on—any book that entered the Taixuan Sect had to be registered at the Library Hall.

"Little brother, the idea of writing a book is good. I support you. If it passes, I will put in a word so they can increase the scale of your first batch of books."

Zhu Qinglu walked in front, turned his head, and smiled.

Ever since he took advantage of the Azure Vine Fruit, he had treated Gu An like a junior of his own, at least on the surface.

Gu An smiled and said, "Then many thanks to you, Senior, for your support. I will certainly not forget your kindness."

"Hahaha, saying it like that makes us strangers."

Zhu Qinglu stroked his beard and laughed. Although he said that, the smile on his face became even brighter.

The Library Hall was very large, no smaller than the Alchemy Hall. Passing through corridor after corridor, the two arrived in a large hall where an old man sat by a table drinking tea. Looking toward the side hall, there were rows upon rows of bookshelves.

"Elder Liu, long time no see. How have you been lately?" Zhu Qinglu stepped over the threshold, cupped his hands, and said with a face full of smiles.

Gu An immediately cast a lifespan inspection.

[Liu Chang (Foundation Establishment Realm, 9th Layer): 226/270/340]

When Liu Chang saw Zhu Qinglu, he immediately put down his teacup and stood up to welcome him.

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, Liu Chang pulled Zhu Qinglu to sit down. They talked about the scene of their last meeting, and later even discussed the past when they joined the Taixuan Sect together two hundred years ago.

Gu An stood behind Zhu Qinglu with an earnest and curious expression. Liu Chang occasionally glanced at him, feeling quite satisfied in his heart.

After chatting for nearly half an hour, Zhu Qinglu finally stated his purpose.

"Easy, easy. Junior, give me your book. I will take a look, and if I determine it can be circulated, the matter is settled." Liu Chang looked at Gu An and said with a smile, his tone quite grand.

Gu An immediately took out the book he had written.

Liu Chang took it, lowered his eyes, and smiled: "Investiture of the Gods? A good name."

He began to flip through it, while Zhu Qinglu stood up and walked toward the bookshelves nearby.

Gu An stood honestly to the side.

At first, Liu Chang did not pay much attention and read very casually, but as he read on, his body began to straighten up.

At this moment, a young man in white stepped in and said loudly: "Elder Liu, is there any book about sword cultivators? I want to see who in this Taicang World can defeat the Canghu Sword Fanatic with a single leaf!"

Liu Chang raised his hand, signaling him to shut up.

Gu An turned his head to look and subconsciously cast a lifespan inspection.

[Gu Yu (Foundation Establishment Realm, 8th Layer): 34/291/1402]

A genius!

This was not the first time Gu An had seen such a genius, so he did not look at Gu Yu again.

Gu Yu leaned over to Liu Chang's side and looked down at the Investiture of the Gods in his hands.

Not long after, Gu Yu also became engrossed in the reading.

A full hour passed.

Zhu Qinglu walked over and asked in surprise, "Brother Liu, didn't you say you were just taking a casual look? Why have you been at it for so long?"

He then cast a glance toward Gu An.

What on earth did this kid write?

He didn't cross any lines, did he?

Liu Chang looked up, stunned for a moment, before standing up and staring intently at Gu An. "Did you really write this?"

Gu An nodded, thinking to himself that it was indeed written by one of his ancestors back on Earth.

Zhu Qinglu frowned and asked, "Is there a problem? If it's not up to standard, I'll have him go back and rewrite it."

"No problem at all, it's brilliant."

Liu Chang shook his head. He looked at Gu An again and said, "This book can be published. You have talent, so I'll grant you a thirty percent share of the profits. Of the Spirit Stones earned from each book sold, fifty percent goes to the sect, and twenty percent goes to the Library Hall."

Gu An naturally had no objections and quickly bowed to thank him.

Zhu Qinglu nodded slightly, feeling that Liu Chang had given him face.

Liu Chang smiled and asked, "Will you be using your real name as the author?"

Gu An shook his head and said, "Better not, I'm afraid of running into trouble later."

"I'll use Pan An as the author's name."

Thanks to Fierce Dragon for the 500 Qidian coins tip, vlnen for the 100 Qidian coins tip, Book Friend 20230711191309972 for the 100 Qidian coins tip, and YFZC for the 100 Qidian coins tip~~

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Gu An has made his move twice in a row and has already started to make a name for himself. Care to guess what his first title will be?