Nascent Soul Blocks the Path, Despicable

"What big news?"

Gu An asked with a smile. Arriving at the Outer Sect City today, he had indeed sensed that the atmosphere was off, carrying an indescribable sense of tension.

Ye Lan spoke up, "The Sect Master is vying for power with a certain elder. Some time ago, the Emperor of the dynasty came to the Taixuan Sect and selected that elder's personal disciple to serve as the Imperial Preceptor, granting him a first-rank immortal official title and announcing it to the world. This has greatly boosted the morale of that elder's faction, and they have even been spreading unfavorable rumors about the Sect Master."

Lu Jiujia was beaten to the punch by her and looked a bit resentful. Once she finished, he hurriedly added, "The Sect Master's style is overbearing, offending many elders. Over these years, disciples have repeatedly suffered casualties in the territories outside the Outer Sect, and there have been Demonic Path incursions. Many elders in the sect are dissatisfied with this. Now that they have the Emperor's support, the Sect Master's rivals naturally won't hold back. With a struggle like this, how could it not be chaotic?"

Gu An asked curiously, "Does the Sect Master not have absolute authority? Isn't he the strongest cultivator in the Taixuan Sect?"

"Naturally not. The Sect Master was jointly elected by the elders. Furthermore, within the Taixuan Sect, the strongest in terms of cultivation is not the Sect Master, but the first disciple of the true transmission. It is said that he is the most talented person in the Taixuan Sect in a thousand years. He went out to travel and rarely returns. In any case, I've heard a rumor that if he wanted to be Sect Master today, he would be by tomorrow at the latest," Lu Jiujia replied, his tone becoming excited as he spoke of that true transmission disciple.

"That impressive? What is his name?"

"Ahem, I haven't found that out yet."

Lu Jiujia gave a fake cough, trying hard to hide his embarrassment.

Ye Lan rolled her eyes at him, then looked at Gu An and said softly, "I have indeed heard many inside stories at the Law Enforcement Hall. The infighting within the main sect city has already spread to the Inner Sect and the Outer Sect. Senior Brother, you must be careful in the Mystic Valley. Those people will do anything to seize power."

Gu An chuckled, "It can't be that bad, right? Surely no one would dare to slaughter the Mystic Valley just to frame the other side?"

As soon as these words left his mouth, Gu An felt a pang of panic himself.

There were already people raising Greed-Hatred Demon Ghosts outside the Outer Sect; what else was impossible?

Ye Lan noticed his worry, reached out to press his hand, and comforted him, "Senior Brother, don't be afraid. I will find a way to persuade the Law Enforcement Hall to increase patrols around the various Medicine Valleys in the Outer Sect."

Gu An naturally pulled his hand back. He had only been distracted for a moment, yet he had been ambushed by her.

Well, actually, he had seen it coming, but he was afraid that if he reacted too quickly, it would arouse the suspicion of his junior brother and sister.

Lu Jiujia secretly chuckled, only to be glared at by Ye Lan.

"Compared to me, you two should be more careful. Power struggles like this are far more dangerous than going out to slay demons," Gu An said earnestly.

Lu Jiujia was very confident, claiming that he couldn't possibly die.

Ye Lan said that since she was in the Law Enforcement Hall, others wouldn't dare to move against her easily.

The Law Enforcement Hall oversaw all departments. Joining it granted one authority that surpassed ordinary disciples, but the cultivation time for its disciples was not as long as that of ordinary ones, and they had to manage any incident that occurred in any department.

Gu An looked at Ye Lan, feeling deeply moved.

It had only been a few years since he left the valley, yet Ye Lan had been completely transformed. She was no longer the little girl who followed behind him; she was now heroic and spirited, making her feel reliable.

The three of them drank and chatted.

Most of the time, it was Lu Jiujia and Ye Lan doing the talking. Through their words, Gu An gained a much better understanding of the situation within the Taixuan Sect.

He felt very gratified; the junior brother and sister he had raised were now looking after him in return, which gave him a unique sense of accomplishment.

If the disciples of the Mystic Valley were scattered across the various departments of the Outer Sect in the future, or even entered the Inner Sect, wouldn't he have eyes and ears everywhere?

Just thinking about it made Gu An feel a bit excited.

Two hours later, Lu Jiujia left first. Gu An politely declined Ye Lan's invitation to taste rare delicacies at her residence, and then left the Outer Sect City under her reluctant gaze.

Stepping on his flying sword and flying against the wind, Gu An was in a very good mood.

The sky gradually turned crimson as dusk approached.

Gu An's surface cultivation had already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining, so his flight speed was not slow. He admired the rolling mountains and forests along the way.

In the blink of an eye, half an hour passed.

Suddenly, while flying, Gu An saw a figure fly out from the forest ahead, rapidly approaching him. He couldn't help but slow down.

He saw an old man in white robes riding a sword, holding a wine gourd in his hand. His nose was as red as a date, as if he had just gotten dead drunk.

"Little friend, please stop!"

The white-robed old man's voice reached him. Gu An could sense that the other party's cultivation aura was at the Foundation Establishment realm, but to be safe, he cast a lifespan inspection.

[Lin Futian (Nascent Soul Realm, 1st Level): 603/800/840]

Good grief!

Nascent Soul Realm!

Gu An cursed the other party for being insidious; he had actually practiced a secret technique to hide his cultivation.

The two met in the air shortly after. Lin Futian wore a kind smile and said, "Little friend, I am a disciple of the Outer Sect's Law Enforcement Hall, Lin Kun. There is a matter I need to inquire about. Recently, Demonic Path spies have been appearing frequently. Shall we go into the woods to talk?"

Gu An nodded. At this point, refusing probably wouldn't work, so it was better to play it by ear.

The two quickly landed in the forest, and Gu An casually plucked two leaves.

Lin Futian stepped forward and asked mysteriously, "Little friend, have you heard of Xu Ruye from the Ten Thousand Yin Sect?"

Xu Ruye?

He was all too familiar with that name!

He was the one who killed him!

Back then, Xu Ruye and the Cicada Concubine had wanted to move into his Medicine Valley and had even injured Li Ya; how could he possibly forget?

Gu An feigned confusion and asked, "I have heard of the Ten Thousand Yin Sect, but who is Xu Ruye?"

"Xu Ruye is a genius of the Ten Thousand Yin Sect, and his father is the Vice Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Yin Sect. He died in this area, and recently, many spies from the Ten Thousand Yin Sect have been investigating the cause of his death," Lin Futian said, stepping forward.

Gu An immediately retreated, keeping his distance from him.

Seeing his guarded expression, Lin Futian grinned: "What? Little friend, you don't suspect that I'm a spy for the Ten Thousand Yin Sect, do you?"

Gu An shook his head and said: "This junior wouldn't dare, but this junior has truly never heard of Xu Ruye. Since you are from the Law Enforcement Hall, why do you need to ask me?"

"Hahaha--"

Lin Futian laughed loudly. He suddenly waved his sleeve, and surging spiritual power spread like mist, rapidly covering an area of several miles.

Gu An was flustered; he raised his sword with his right hand and looked at him nervously.

Lin Futian then opened his wine gourd, and a foul-smelling odor of alcohol spilled out. He sneered: "Don't be afraid, there are fifteen of your fellow disciples in here keeping you company..."

Gu An gritted his teeth and asked: "Who exactly are you? What is your background? Even if I am to die, can you let me die knowing the truth?"

"Haven't you already guessed?" Lin Futian sneered. He raised his hand and grabbed at the air, a powerful force of spiritual power binding Gu An and forcibly pulling him forward.

Gu An showed a look of despair, his body flying through the air, rapidly hurtling toward Lin Futian.

Lin Futian reached out with his left hand to grab him, while his right hand held the wine gourd, pouring it into his mouth.

Boom!

Gu An, who was in mid-air, suddenly erupted with a terrifying aura, instantly shattering his spiritual power.

Lin Futian's pupils dilated sharply, a single leaf reflected in his eyes.

This leaf was surrounded by sharp Sword Qi, fast as lightning, piercing directly through the center of Lin Futian's brow. Blood splattered, and the leaf continued its trajectory.

Rumble--

One by one, the trunks of large trees were shattered, dust rising into the air like a massive gray wall over ten miles long.

Lin Futian trembled all over, his face showing disbelief. He shouted in shock and anger: "You... you actually hid your cultivation... despicable..."

Gu An stepped forward until he was right in front of him, his right index and middle fingers pressed together like a sword, pressing against his chest.

Boom!

Sword Qi erupted, instantly shattering Lin Futian's physical body and continuing on to disperse the dust waves behind him. It was overwhelmingly domineering, causing the trees on both sides to fall outward, revealing a trench several miles long.

A figure suddenly flew out from the rolling dust; it was an infant, but its face was old and eerie. It was none other than Lin Futian's Nascent Soul.

He flew toward the horizon at full speed, but suddenly, the sound of something piercing the air reached his ears.

He instinctively turned his head to look, and a leaf came speeding toward him, directly extinguishing his Nascent Soul. A mist of blood bloomed in the air.

Gu An raised his hand and grabbed his flying sword, took a step, and with Sword Qi coating his body, he transformed into a sword shadow and sped away, rapidly disappearing into the forest.

He did not head toward Mystic Valley, but instead went in another direction. On his way, a prompt popped up:

[You have successfully plundered 25 years of lifespan from Lin Futian (First Level of Nascent Soul Realm)]

A bit low, but there was no helping it. Although Lin Futian was in the Nascent Soul Realm, at six hundred and three years old, he only had one hundred and ninety-seven years left to live.

Gu An didn't dwell on it. He took a wide detour before returning to Mystic Valley at his maximum speed.

He climbed through the window into the attic hall. He sat at the table, raised his right hand, and pulled a jar of wine from the wine cabinet through the air. He began to drink heavily.

After a gulp of wine, he gently set the jar down. His right hand was trembling slightly, and his heart was beating violently.

"Hoo, hoo..."

Gu An tried his best to calm his emotions.

That was damn terrifying!

Just going home and I run into a Demonic Path spy!

Worried that the commotion from his attack earlier was too great, Gu An decided not to leave the valley for the next month to avoid the limelight.

"No, it's too dangerous... If they sent a Nascent Soul Realm expert to intercept me today, a Spirit Transmutation Realm expert or even someone of a higher realm could appear any day..."

Gu An hurriedly pulled up his attribute panel. Looking at his lifespan of over ninety-one thousand years, the anxiety in his heart subsided slightly.

The path of immortality is truly fraught with danger. An ordinary cultivator at the ninth level of Qi Refining could be intercepted by a great cultivator at the first level of the Nascent Soul Realm. Isn't that scary?

Gu An thought of the fifteen souls in that wine gourd and couldn't help but feel sympathy for them.

Next, he planned to forcibly harvest a wave of herbs to push for one hundred thousand years of lifespan, see if he could unlock new features, and then burn his lifespan at the first opportunity!

Gu An took a deep breath and pulled the Travels of the Green Hero from his robes to distract himself.

Night fell, and the cheers of disciples rang out from outside the window. Gu An used his divine sense to probe and found that it was Tang Yu and Su Han sparring again, with other disciples watching the excitement.

Under normal circumstances, he would have gone down to watch, but he was in no mood for it now.

He read the Travels of the Green Hero intently. His heart had calmed down, though he still felt some lingering worry.

After a while.

A series of footsteps approached, followed by the door being pushed open. Zhen Qin walked in quickly and said: "Master, the First Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother are fighting!"

Her gaze fell on the cover of the Travels of the Green Hero, and she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

Thanks to Liu Mengxiyuan for tipping 500 Qidian coins~~

Six thousand words during the new book period is already very fast. To think someone is asking me to release a massive update upon launch today—I don't know whether to laugh or cry. The new book period needs exposure to accumulate results. Once it officially launches, the update frequency will definitely be higher than it is now~~