Hating Heaven Divine Sword, Taixuan Sect Upheaval

After Li Xuandao finished speaking, he looked at Gu An with a smile, waiting for him to make his choice.

Gu An was numb.

Even the emperor wanted him to be a spy?

This was forcing him to become a triple agent!

This was not what Gu An sought, but the key was that he could not easily refuse. Whether in cultivation or status, the other party stood above him.

If he did not refuse, trouble would never cease in the future.

If he refused, trouble would come right now!

Yet when Gu An thought of the high-grade herbs Li Xuandao had mentioned, his heart began beating faster against his will.

Gu An asked hesitantly, "Do I... have room to refuse?"

"Yes. If you refuse, I will erase today's memories from you and treat it as though we had never met," Li Xuandao said with a light laugh.

Gu An asked helplessly, "Why choose me? My aptitude is mediocre. With your status, poaching Taixuan Sect disciples would be as easy as turning over your hand."

Li Xuandao shook his head. "I did not deliberately seek to poach Taixuan Sect disciples. It simply happened that you have an excellent relationship with Li Ya, and I wished to support you. Besides, it is precisely because your aptitude is mediocre that I can rest easier, because I can satisfy your needs."

He paused, then said in a flippant tone, "The world does not wish for the emperor to live forever, and I do not wish for the master of my Medicine Valley to live forever either."

You really are quite humorous!

Gu An could only say, "Since that is the case, I can only agree."

"Decades from now, when you look back, you will not regret the decision you made today," Li Xuandao said with a smile, his tone brimming with bold ambition.

Gu An could not help asking curiously, "Has Your Majesty always been keeping watch over Senior Brother Li?"

"Our business is concluded. There is no need to call me Your Majesty anymore. Call me Uncle. That will make us seem like family," Li Xuandao said with a stern face.

Seeing that he did not seem to be testing him, Gu An called him Uncle.

Li Xuandao smiled. "To be honest, I have quite a few pieces on the board within the Taixuan Sect's Outer Sect. Naturally, I know Li Ya's circumstances."

Gu An had previously thought that Li Ya had a poor relationship with his imperial father. Now, it seemed that was not the case.

Could there be some misunderstanding behind this?

He wanted to ask on Li Ya's behalf, but he held himself back.

The emperor before him sought immortality. Such an emperor's attitude toward his sons was bound to be complicated. Even if he loved his sons, he likely harbored reservations in his heart.

Which Crown Prince wished to remain Crown Prince for life? Which prince did not secretly yearn for the throne?

Gu An was filled with emotion. He had once thought Li Ya and Li Xuanyu's talent was already formidable, but only after seeing Li Xuandao did he understand why the two of them were so gifted.

Bloodline inheritance!

Eighth level of the Spirit Transformation Realm at two hundred and thirty years old...

Had he broken through to the Spirit Transformation Realm when he was barely over a hundred?

That was utterly absurd!

Most importantly, this fellow had cultivated a secret art that concealed his aura. If Gu An had not possessed Lifespan Inspection, he would never have seen through his true cultivation.

Perhaps the imperial court and the cultivation world could not see through his cultivation either. That was why he had been able to cultivate peacefully until now.

Afterward, Li Xuandao began asking Gu An about matters in the valley, curious about the origins of the Spring Festival that the disciples kept mentioning.

Gu An answered him with the same explanation he used on everyone else.

Li Xuandao became interested in the Spring Festival and decided to participate that day. How could Gu An refuse?

Half an hour later, the two descended from the pavilion and prepared for the Spring Festival alongside the other disciples. The disciples were all delighted, their laughter and chatter unending, and it even infected Li Xuandao.

As night fell, Gu An brought out the firecrackers he had made himself. Explosions began echoing through Mystic Valley one after another, deafening to the ears.

Firelight flickered across Li Xuandao's face. He wore a broad smile and even drank with Xiao Chuan, making it impossible to associate him with the emperor of the Great Cang Dynasty.

Tang Yu, Su Han, and the other disciples prepared several performances: storytelling, sparring, acrobatics, and more. The night's liveliness continued until deep into the night.

At noon the next day, Gu An saw Li Xuandao off.

Two more years, huh? That is truly something to look forward to.

Gu An thought silently. Li Xuandao had said that he would send someone to bring him to Medicine Valley in two years.

He planned to reach one hundred thousand years of lifespan within those two years, then break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm.

No, he had to surpass the Spirit Transformation Realm. Unless he was stronger than Li Xuandao, he truly could not rest easy. After all, serving a ruler was like living beside a tiger. What if Li Xuandao suddenly lost his mind one day and decided to harm him?

Gu An looked in the direction Li Xuandao had departed, secretly wondering why this emperor had come to the Outer Sect alone.

Could the person he had truly come to see be Li Xuanyu?

Li Ya had said that Li Xuandao's favorite child was Li Xuanyu.

Gu An stopped dwelling on it, turned, and walked into the valley, intending to plant some more herbs.

Spring passed and summer arrived. In the midst of summer, Gu An turned thirty-four.

That day, he saw off Du Ye, who had come to request herbs.

At the mouth of the valley.

Du Ye turned back and said, "Over the years, you have provided quite a few herbs. Young Master Ji Lin is very satisfied with you. Before long, he will send someone to deliver a Foundation Establishment Pill to help you reach the Foundation Establishment Realm as soon as possible. Once you become a true Outer Sect disciple, he will also find a way to let you continue managing this Medicine Valley."

With that, he turned and left, riding his sword over the mountain forest.

Gu An shook his head with a smile. When he had sent Li Xuandao away at the beginning of the year, Li Xuandao had said something similar.

He would have to keep his distance from the Ji Family in the future. Otherwise, if the Ji Family ever plotted against the Taixuan Sect, they might need him to contribute.

Though sects were powerful, the strength of Aristocratic Clans could not be underestimated either.

On this land, dynasties rose and fell, sects perished and new ones emerged, yet some Aristocratic Clans endured forever. The Ji Family was one of them.

Sigh!

I only want to peacefully gather grass and pick flowers. Why are so many people trying to win him over?

With that thought in mind, Gu An walked into the nearby forest.

Someone was practicing swordsmanship in the woods. It was Su Han.

Su Han had now reached the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm, second only to Gu An and Tang Yu in the valley.

Tang Yu practiced leg techniques, while Su Han practiced the sword. However, the sword art he normally practiced had been taught to him by Li Ya, and could not be considered especially profound.

Gu An watched him practicing from afar, wondering whether he should offer some guidance.

Su Han was diligent in his daily work and hardworking in cultivation. Gu An could not find a single fault with him.

Huh?

No, that was not the Li Family Seven Swords.

Looking closely, Gu An realized that this was the first time he had seen the sword art Su Han was using.

Did this kid have a fortuitous encounter too?

When had it happened?

Gu An was secretly curious, then deliberately stepped on a dry leaf, making a sound.

Su Han, who had been practicing his sword, noticed Gu An's arrival. He immediately stopped and turned to bow to Gu An.

"Xiao Han, entering the Outer Sect depends on cultivation. Why are you practicing sword arts so diligently?" Gu An asked with a smile.

Su Han scratched the back of his head with his left hand. "I am not in a hurry to enter the Outer Sect. I want to first practice this sword art until I grasp its essence."

"Why do you think that?"

"Once I enter the Outer Sect, I will have to carry out missions. If my strength is insufficient, I would only ruin my own future."

Su Han's answer amused Gu An.

Not bad. This kid suited his tastes well.

Gu An asked curiously, "Is your sword art a family inheritance?"

Su Han nodded. "It was my father's sword art, but it is too profound. Only recently have I barely managed to comprehend it."

"Your father must have been very formidable. Though I do not enjoy practicing the sword, I have seen quite a few exquisite sword arts in the Outer Sect, yet none compare to the sword art you just displayed," Gu An said curiously.

Su Han shook his head. "My father was just a cripple. Ever since I could remember, he had been blind in both eyes and knew not the slightest spell. When I was seven, he died of illness. Later, I found this sword manual in his bundle."

As he spoke, he pulled a sword manual from his chest and directly handed it to Gu An.

Gu An took it and looked it over, slightly raising his brows.

Hating Heaven Divine Sword!

What a strange name!

The moment Gu An saw that name, he immediately wanted to drive Su Han out of Mystic Valley.

This fellow clearly carried grudges and enmity on his back!

Gu An casually flipped through it once. As a ninth-level Nascent Soul Realm cultivator, he had a photographic memory. However, whether one could master it still depended on one's own comprehension of the sword.

He returned the sword manual to Su Han and said after a moment of contemplation, "This sword art truly is exquisite, but its mental cultivation method seems somewhat sinister. Must you practice it?"

This sword art required one to use Sword Qi to temper one's internal organs, subjecting the sword practitioner to unimaginable pain. Moreover, there were some methods that even Gu An could not see through.

With his attainments in the sword, he could conclude that this sword art was exceedingly sinister!

Su Han froze, then asked, "Master, do you think I should not practice it?"

Gu An shook his head. "I only think that this sword art may bring you pain. But I do not know your background, so I cannot understand your feelings. Whether you practice it or not is your own decision. If you choose not to practice it, you may remain in Mystic Valley for as long as you wish. You will always be my disciple."

Su Han was moved upon hearing this. He tucked the Hating Heaven Divine Sword into his chest and nodded heavily.

Gu An pulled out a book from his robes. It was the latest volume of Investiture of the Gods, which Du Ye had given him. Du Ye had said that Ji Lin was obsessed with the book, causing all of his followers to read it as well.

"The book you wanted." After handing Investiture of the Gods to Su Han, Gu An turned and left.

Holding Investiture of the Gods, Su Han smiled.

After returning to Medicine Valley, Gu An began observing the other Handyman Disciples.

First Li Ya, then Wuxin, then Su Han—all of them had unusual backgrounds. This Mystic Valley was truly too mystical!

Something was not right!

Half an hour later, Gu An finally returned to his pavilion.

For the time being, he could not spot any issue with the other Handyman Disciples, which settled his heart.

On second thought, it made sense. Who among those who entered the cultivation world did not possess an extraordinary background or experience? In their own eyes, each of them was the protagonist.

Late into the night, Gu An quietly entered Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven.

After playing with Hao Dragon for half an hour, he took out the Heavenly Abode Sword and began cultivating the Hating Heaven Divine Sword.

A wealth of skills never burdened a man. He would first cultivate it until it appeared on the Attribute Panel!

For a time, gusts of wind rose beneath the Azure Vine Tree—the sound of a sword blade slicing through the air. Hao Dragon watched curiously from several yards away, Gu An's sword-practicing form reflected in its dragon eyes.

Near the end of summer.

Gu An came to Outer Sect City. He first went to the Alchemy Hall and handed in a year's herb harvest, then went to the Library Hall to submit his manuscript.

Ever since Investiture of the Gods had become wildly popular, Elder Liu Chang had valued him especially highly. Every time, Liu Chang personally received him, afraid that word might leak out.

Liu Chang frankly said that he feared Gu An's fame would be exposed and that he would then be abducted by the Demonic Path. In that case, the Library Hall would earn far fewer Spirit Stones. This made Gu An even more cautious.

After completing his official business, Gu An went to visit Lu Jiujia. Lu Jiujia was delighted and invited him to visit Ye Lan together, as Ye Lan happened to be in the city too.

Not every Outer Sect disciple opened up a Cave Mansion outside the city. The cost of constructing a Cave Mansion was exorbitant, so more disciples chose to reside within the Outer Sect and enjoy its spiritual energy.

In the courtyard, after the three sat down, Lu Jiujia poured wine for Gu An and mysteriously said, "Something huge has happened in the Taixuan Sect!"