"What major event?"
Gu An asked with a smile. Having come to the Outer Sect City today, he had indeed sensed that something was off about the atmosphere, an indescribable tension hanging in the air.
Ye Lan said, "The Sect Master is fighting a certain elder for power. Some time ago, His Majesty of the imperial dynasty came to the Taixuan Sect and selected that elder's personal disciple as the Imperial Preceptor, granting him an immortal registry official rank of the first grade and proclaiming it to the world. This greatly boosted the morale of that elder's faction, and they have even been spreading unfavorable rumors about the Sect Master."
Having been beaten to the punch by her, Lu Jiujia looked somewhat aggrieved. Once she finished, he hurriedly added, "The Sect Master is overbearing in his ways and has offended quite a few elders. Over these years, disciples have repeatedly suffered casualties in the territories beyond the Outer Sect, with incursions by the Demonic Path occurring as well. Many elders in the sect are dissatisfied with this. Now that they have the emperor's support, the Sect Master's enemies naturally will not continue swallowing their anger. With such a struggle, how could things not descend into chaos?"
Gu An asked curiously, "Does the Sect Master not hold absolute authority? Isn't he the Taixuan Sect's strongest cultivator?"
"Of course not. The Sect Master was jointly elected by the elders. Moreover, within the Taixuan Sect, the strongest in cultivation is not the Sect Master, but the Head Disciple. It is said that he possesses the greatest talent the Taixuan Sect has seen in a thousand years. He travels abroad and rarely returns year-round. At any rate, I have heard a rumor: if he wished to become Sect Master today, then by tomorrow at the latest, he would be Sect Master." As Lu Jiujia spoke of that Head Disciple, his tone grew excited.
"That formidable? What is his name?"
"Ahem, ahem. I haven't learned that yet."
Lu Jiujia gave a fake cough, trying hard to conceal his embarrassment.
Ye Lan rolled her eyes at him, then looked at Gu An and said softly, "I have indeed heard much inside information in the Law Enforcement Hall. The open and covert struggles in Main Sect City have already spread to the Inner Sect and the Outer Sect. Senior Brother, you must be careful in Mystic Valley. For the sake of fighting over power, those people are capable of anything."
Gu An chuckled. "Surely not? Could someone really dare slaughter Mystic Valley and then pin the blame on the other side?"
The moment he said it, even Gu An himself felt his heart clench.
Someone had already been raising Greed-Hatred Demon Ghosts beyond the Outer Sect. What could possibly be impossible?
Seeing his concern, Ye Lan reached out and pressed a hand over his, comforting him. "Senior Brother, don't be afraid. I'll find a way to persuade the Law Enforcement Hall to increase patrols around the various Medicine Valleys of the Outer Sect."
Gu An naturally withdrew his hand. He had merely been distracted for a moment, yet she had actually launched a sneak attack.
Well, he had actually seen it coming. He was only afraid that reacting too quickly would arouse his junior brother and junior sister's suspicions.
Lu Jiujia secretly snickered, only to receive a glare from Ye Lan.
"Compared to me, the two of you need to be more careful. A power struggle like this is far more dangerous than going out to slay demons and exterminate devils," Gu An said earnestly.
Lu Jiujia was extremely confident, claiming that he could not possibly die.
Ye Lan said that she was in the Law Enforcement Hall, so others would not dare touch her lightly.
The Law Enforcement Hall oversaw all halls and departments. By joining it, one could gain authority above that of ordinary disciples, but Law Enforcement Hall disciples had less cultivation time than ordinary disciples. Whenever any hall or department encountered trouble, they had to deal with it.
Gu An looked at Ye Lan, filled with emotion.
Only a few years after leaving the valley, Ye Lan had undergone a complete transformation. She was no longer the little girl who used to trail after him; now she was valiant and dashing, making people feel they could rely on her.
The three drank and chatted at the same time.
Most of the time, Lu Jiujia and Ye Lan did the talking. Through their words, Gu An gained much insight into the Taixuan Sect's current situation.
He felt greatly comforted. The junior brother and junior sister he had raised were now looking after him in return, giving him a unique sense of accomplishment.
If Mystic Valley's disciples later scattered among the various halls of the Outer Sect, or even entered the Inner Sect, would he not have eyes and hands reaching everywhere?
Just thinking about it made Gu An a little excited.
Two hours later, Lu Jiujia departed first. Gu An politely declined Ye Lan's invitation to visit her residence and sample fine delicacies, then left the Outer Sect City beneath her reluctant gaze.
Standing atop his Flying Sword and riding the wind, Gu An was in an excellent mood.
The sky gradually turned crimson as dusk approached.
Gu An's apparent cultivation had already reached the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, so his flying speed was not slow. He admired the endlessly rolling forests and mountains along the way.
In the blink of an eye, half an hour passed.
Suddenly, while flying, Gu An saw a figure emerge from the forested mountains ahead and rapidly approach him. He could not help slowing down.
He saw an old man in white robes riding a sword toward him, a wine gourd in hand. His nose was red as a date, as though he had just drunk himself into a stupor.
"Young friend, please wait!"
The white-robed old man's voice carried over. Gu An could sense that the other man's cultivation aura was at the Foundation Establishment Realm, but to be safe, he still cast a Lifespan Inspection on him.
[Lin Futian (Nascent Soul Realm, first layer): 603/800/840]
Good heavens!
Nascent Soul Realm!
Gu An cursed the man's treachery inwardly. He had actually cultivated a secret art that concealed his cultivation.
The two soon met in midair. Lin Futian wore a kindly smile as he said, "Young friend, I am Lin Kun, a disciple of the Outer Sect's Law Enforcement Hall. There is a matter I need to ask you about. Demonic Path spies have appeared frequently of late. How about we speak in the woods?"
Gu An nodded. At this point, even if he refused, it likely would not work. He might as well adapt to the situation.
The two quickly landed in the forest. Gu An casually plucked two leaves.
Lin Futian stepped forward and asked mysteriously, "Young friend, have you heard of Xu Ruye from the Ten Thousand Yin Sect?"
Xu Ruye?
He knew him all too well!
I was the one who killed him!
Back then, Xu Ruye and Cicada Concubine had wanted to move into his Medicine Valley, and they 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 was a genius of the Ten Thousand Yin Sect. His father is even the Vice Sect Master of the Ten Thousand Yin Sect. He died in this area, and lately many spies from the Ten Thousand Yin Sect have been investigating the cause of his death." Lin Futian took another step forward.
Gu An immediately retreated, maintaining his distance from him.
Seeing the vigilance on his face, Lin Futian grinned. "What? Young friend, you don't suspect that I am a spy from the Ten Thousand Yin Sect, do you?"
Gu An shook his head. "This junior would not dare. It is only that this junior truly has never heard of Xu Ruye. Since Senior is from the Law Enforcement Hall, why must you come ask me?"
"Hahaha—"
Lin Futian burst into laughter. Suddenly, he swept his sleeve, and surging spiritual power spread out like fog, swiftly covering an area several miles around.
Gu An looked utterly flustered. He raised his sword in his right hand and stared at him nervously.
Lin Futian then opened the wine gourd, from which a foul stench of alcohol wafted out. He grinned viciously. "Don't be afraid. Fifteen of your fellow disciples are keeping you company inside..."
Gu An gritted his teeth and asked, "Who exactly are you? Where do you come from? Even if I am to die, can you at least let me die knowing the truth?"
"Didn't you already guess?" Lin Futian sneered. He raised a hand and grabbed through the air. A powerful force of spiritual energy bound Gu An and forcibly dragged him toward him.
Despair appeared on Gu An's face as his body soared through the air, flying rapidly toward Lin Futian.
Lin Futian reached for him with his left hand while holding the wine gourd in his right, tilting it toward his mouth.
Boom!
Gu An, suspended in the air, suddenly erupted with a terrifying aura, instantly shattering Lin Futian's spiritual power.
Lin Futian's pupils abruptly widened. A leaf was reflected in his eyes.
That leaf was wreathed in fierce Sword Qi. Swift as lightning, it pierced straight through Lin Futian's brow, blood spraying as the leaf continued onward.
Rumble—
Tree after tree had its trunk blasted apart, while dust billowed into the air like a towering gray wall stretching more than ten miles.
Lin Futian trembled all over, disbelief written across his face. He shouted in shock and fury, "You... actually hid your cultivation... Despicable..."
Gu An took one step and arrived before him. He pressed the index and middle fingers of his right hand together like a sword, pointing them at Lin Futian's chest.
Boom!
Sword Qi erupted, instantly shattering Lin Futian's physical body. It continued onward, dispersing the waves of dust behind him with unparalleled tyranny. Trees on both sides toppled outward, revealing a ravine that stretched several miles.
A figure suddenly flew out of the rolling dust. It was an infant, but its face was aged and strange. It was Lin Futian's Nascent Soul.
He fled toward the horizon at full speed when the sound of something tearing through the air suddenly rang beside his ear.
He instinctively turned his head to look. A leaf came speeding toward him and directly annihilated his Nascent Soul, a cloud of blood mist blooming in the air.
Gu An raised his hand and drew his Flying Sword to himself. Taking a step forward, Sword Qi wrapped around his body, and he transformed into a streak of sword shadow that shot away, swiftly vanishing into the forested mountains.
He did not head toward Mystic Valley. Instead, he sped in another direction. As he raced along, a notification appeared:
[You successfully seized 25 years of lifespan from Lin Futian (Nascent Soul Realm, first layer)]
A little too little, but there was nothing to be done. 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 did not dwell on it. He made a wide detour, then returned to Mystic Valley at his fastest speed.
He climbed through the window into the pavilion's main hall and sat down at the table. Raising his right hand, he drew a jar of wine over from the wine cabinet through the air and began drinking in great gulps.
After taking a mouthful of wine, he gently set the jar down. His right hand was trembling slightly, and his heart was pounding even more fiercely.
"Phew, phew..."
Gu An tried hard to calm his emotions.
That was fucking terrifying!
He had run into a Demonic Path spy just while heading home!
Gu An worried that the disturbance caused by his attack earlier had been too great, so he decided not to leave the valley for the next month and lie low for a while.
"No, it's too dangerous... Today, a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator jumped out to block me. One day, a Spirit Transformation Realm cultivator, or even someone at a higher realm, might appear..."
Gu An hurriedly summoned his Attribute Panel. Looking at his more than ninety-one thousand years of lifespan, the anxiety in his heart eased somewhat.
The path of cultivation was truly fraught with dangers on all sides. Even an ordinary cultivator at the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm could be intercepted by a Great Cultivator at the first layer of the Nascent Soul Realm. Was that not terrifying?
Thinking of the fifteen souls inside that wine gourd, Gu An could not help sympathizing with them.
Next, he intended to forcefully harvest a wave of herbs, charge toward one hundred thousand years of lifespan, and see whether he could unlock a new function. Then he would immediately burn lifespan!
Gu An took a deep breath and pulled Travels of the Green Hero from his robes, shifting his attention elsewhere.
Night fell. Cheers from the disciples rang out beyond the window. Gu An swept out with his divine sense and discovered that Tang Yu and Su Han were sparring again, while the other disciples watched the excitement.
Normally, he would definitely have gone downstairs to watch, but he was not in the mood now.
He read Travels of the Green Hero intently. His heart had already settled, though some lingering worry remained.
After a while.
A series of footsteps sounded, followed by the door being pushed open. Zhen Qin hurried in and said, "Master, Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother have started fighting!"
Her gaze fell upon the cover of Travels of the Green Hero, and she could not help raising an eyebrow.
Thanks to Liu Mengxiyuan for the 500 Qidian Coin reward~~
Six thousand words a day during the new book period is already very fast, yet someone actually asked me to put it on the shelves today and unleash a massive update. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. The new book period requires exposure and accumulating results. Once it goes on the shelves, updates will definitely be more frequent than they are now~~
Before you continue