What Realm Lies Above Spirit Transformation?

"My master suspects that Devil Lord Jiye of the Heavenly Absolute Sect may be about to arrive!" Ye Lan said gravely.

Gu An frowned and asked, "Why do you think so?"

"Last night, the spiritual energy of the Outer Sect was drained dry, even affecting the Inner Sect. Coupled with the fact that Lin Futian of the Ten Thousand Yin Sect was slain by the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal some time ago, all these events together prove that the Demonic Path is preparing to besiege the Taixuan Sect. Draining the Outer Sect's spiritual energy was the first step of their plan. Looking across the Demonic Path, only Devil Lord Jiye of the Heavenly Absolute Sect could accomplish such a thing. It is said that his Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art can erase all life from a thousand-mile stretch of land." As Ye Lan spoke, fear actually appeared in her eyes.

This...

Gu An was somewhat choked up.

He had killed Lin Futian, and last night's incident had also been his doing...

The Demonic Path had taken the blame for him?

Although Gu An had passively become a spy for Thousand Autumn Pavilion, he had never considered himself a Demonic Cultivator.

After thinking it over, he consoled her, "Junior Sister, don't worry. When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. The Taixuan Sect is the number one sect of the Great Cang Dynasty. Even if the Demonic Path attacks, how could they possibly shake the Taixuan Sect so easily?"

Ye Lan took a deep breath and looked at Gu An. Her eyes revealed a resolute expression as she gritted her teeth and said, "Senior Brother, let's run away together. I am already at the Foundation Establishment Realm. We can hide in some uninhabited mountain forest and cultivate in seclusion. I'll help you reach Foundation Establishment!"

Gu An nearly lost his composure.

Good lord, was she trying to use this chance to secretly pledge ourselves to each other?

Gu An said helplessly, "Junior Sister, you're exaggerating too much. Besides, where in this world is there an absolutely safe place? If we hid in the deep mountains and encountered a Golden Core Realm Demonic Cultivator, how would the two of us deal with them? And this is only your speculation. I don't think the Demonic Path would attack."

"If the Demonic Path truly planned to besiege the Taixuan Sect, shouldn't they have arrived by now? They have made such a huge commotion yet delayed taking action. Could it be that they are deliberately giving the Taixuan Sect time to summon the Great Cultivators who are away?"

When Ye Lan heard that, she found it reasonable.

After thinking for a moment, she said, "Then why don't you come with me to the Outer Sect and lie low for a while?"

Gu An said sternly, "Junior Sister, you truly do not need to worry about me. Do not let me affect your cultivation. Remember this: if you truly wish me well, then work hard to become stronger and take care of me in the future. That will also be good for you. If a cultivator does not place cultivation first, sooner or later they will encounter a moment when they are powerless."

Ye Lan felt ashamed, realizing that she had indeed been too hasty.

"Your senior brother is already at the ninth layer of Qi Refining. It won't be so easy for an ordinary Demonic Cultivator to kill me!" Gu An said with a smug smile.

Ye Lan burst out laughing. She hurriedly covered her mouth and said, "Senior Brother, how could a Demonic Cultivator daring enough to infiltrate the Taixuan Sect only be at Qi Refining? That Lin Futian who died before was said to be an old monster of the Nascent Soul Realm."

Gu An snorted. "What? Does a Nascent Soul Realm old monster not need to lift a hand to kill me?"

"Yes, yes, Senior Brother is the most formidable," Ye Lan said with a smile, the tension in her heart easing as well.

After that, Gu An asked about the Outer Sect's situation, and Ye Lan did not hide anything, recounting it all one by one.

It was not until evening that Gu An saw her off.

He had originally planned to improve his cultivation and spells again that night, but after hearing that the Outer Sect had already entered a state of war readiness, he did not dare act recklessly and decided to lie low first.

There was still one doubt in his heart.

If the spiritual energy nearby was drained dry and he continued breaking through, what consequences would that cause?

The Longevity Barrier would likely devour spiritual energy from even farther away. If that happened, the Taixuan Sect truly would not be able to sit still.

Over the next three days, Gu An remained in Mystic Valley and did not even go to Eight Scenic Grotto-Heaven.

Hao Dragon had already begun cultivating, so it was fine even if it went without meat for several days. Gu An had also prepared a batch of ripe Azure Vine Fruits in advance, so it could eat them whenever it was hungry.

Gu An and Hao Dragon shared a soul resonance, so it remembered everything he told it. Since its birth, it had never caused him trouble. It was a child who put him at ease.

That night.

Gu An was reading in the pavilion. With his Supreme Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Root, a single breath could drain all the spiritual energy within a radius of thirty feet, and his efficiency at converting it into spiritual power was extremely high.

Because the Outer Sect's spiritual energy was still recovering, he could not cultivate and had been restraining himself.

Suddenly, Gu An sensed something, and his expression changed slightly.

He did not rise, instead continuing to read.

After the time it took an incense stick to burn, a figure appeared outside his window. The person quietly pushed open the window and then leaped inside.

Gu An immediately cast Lifespan Inspection on him.

[Fu Xiong (Second Layer of Foundation Establishment Realm): 160/198/240]

After encountering Li Xuandao and Lin Futian, Gu An had become even more reliant on Lifespan Inspection. There were simply too many old schemers in the cultivation world.

Fu Xiong looked to be around fifty years old. He was not especially tall, dressed in black, with dark eye sockets and hawk-like eyes that gave him the impression of being deeply calculating.

He straightened up, looked at Gu An, and asked, "Are you the Valley Master?"

Gu An frowned and asked, "I am. Who might you be?"

Fu Xiong did not answer. Instead, he sized Gu An up. After several breaths, he suddenly said, "A thousand autumns of Azure Vine, the heart never regrets!"

Gu An fell silent.

His divine sense had long since spread outward, confirming that Fu Xiong had come alone.

Very unwillingly, he replied, "When all ten thousand laws wither into silence, roots are hard to find..."

At those words, Fu Xiong's expression eased. He walked to the table and sat down as though he had returned home, pouring himself tea as he asked, "Where is Cheng Xuandan? Is he already dead?"

Gu An nodded. "Master has already left. May I ask why Senior has come looking for me?"

"Do you know the whereabouts of the Azure Vine Tree?" Fu Xiong drank a cup of tea and asked, his gaze sweeping through the room as he spoke.

Other than books, the room was filled with medicinal herbs wrapped in Spirit Protection Paper.

Seeing that Fu Xiong did not seem genuinely concerned about the Azure Vine Tree, Gu An asked, "What is the Azure Vine Tree?"

Upon hearing that, Fu Xiong withdrew his gaze and looked back at Gu An. "Your master never told you?"

Gu An shook his head to indicate that he had not.

"The Azure Vine Tree is the sacred tree of our Thousand Autumn Pavilion. More than two hundred years ago, our pavilion sent someone to bring an Azure Vine Tree into the Outer Sect of the Taixuan Sect. But too much time has passed, the clues were severed, and we no longer know where the Azure Vine Tree is hidden," Fu Xiong said with a frown.

It had come here over two hundred years ago?

Gu An frowned and pondered inwardly. Could Jiang Qiong have concealed something from me?

Fu Xiong sighed. "To be honest, my master is about to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm. The tribulation is far too dangerous, so I want to find Azure Vine Fruits to lend him a helping hand."

Upon hearing that, Gu An asked curiously, "What realm is Spirit Transformation?"

"Above Foundation Establishment is Golden Core, above that is Nascent Soul, and above Nascent Soul is Spirit Transformation." Fu Xiong stroked his beard and smiled, as though he himself were about to break through to Spirit Transformation.

"Even Nascent Soul Realm cultivators face danger when undergoing tribulation? I heard Nascent Souls are already equivalent to Immortals!" Gu An said in astonishment.

"What Immortals? There is still a long way to go. Going from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core also requires a tribulation. Any tribulation is dangerous, nine deaths and one life. The higher the realm, the more perilous the lightning tribulation. My master has prepared for ten years in order to undergo his tribulation." As Fu Xiong spoke, longing appeared on his face.

Gu An asked, "What needs to be prepared? Can't one simply undergo the tribulation directly?"

"How could that be possible? To undergo tribulation, you must prepare pills to sustain spiritual power and heal injuries. You also need formations to contend against it, and you must prepare several sets of magical artifacts on your person. I have never heard of anyone who could undergo tribulation directly."

Fu Xiong glared at Gu An, feeling that his question was far too stupid.

After hearing this, Gu An felt much more at ease.

Fu Xiong suddenly smiled. "I see that your Medicine Valley has quite a few medicinal herbs. Why not acknowledge me as your master? In the future, I will back you up and teach you spells. You only need to offer me thirty percent of Medicine Valley's annual harvest as tribute. What do you say?"

Gu An frowned again.

Fu Xiong lowered his voice. "Kid, my master, who is also your grandmaster, is in the Inner Sect. Once he breaks through to Spirit Transformation, he will surely become an elder. By then, whatever you want, you can have!"

Gu An widened his eyes and asked in surprise, "Senior's master can become an Inner Sect elder? Then wouldn't that mean he has been lurking here for many years? Why does he not know the whereabouts of the Azure Vine Tree?"

"That is a long story. Let us discuss taking a master first," Fu Xiong said in a deep voice.

Gu An asked hesitantly, "But is this Senior's master's intention?"

"How could it be? My master does not even know that I came to this Medicine Valley. Kid, you are merely a Handyman Disciple. My master is such an important figure; how could he possibly notice you?" Fu Xiong said, greatly displeased.

Gu An stood up, looking down at him as he asked, "One final question."

Fu Xiong frowned and said heavily, "What question?"

He truly wanted to beat this kid to death. Why did he have so much nonsense to say?

"Do you know what realm lies above Spirit Transformation?"

"What?"

Fu Xiong froze for a moment, then flew into a rage. How could he know the realm above Spirit Transformation? He thought the other party was mocking him.

Just as he was about to rise, Gu An's right hand was already pressing down on his head.

He looked up, only to see that Gu An's face was ice-cold, his eyes gleaming with frigid light. His entire bearing had abruptly changed.

At that moment, Fu Xiong felt as though he were facing his master.

No, even his master was not this terrifying!

He wanted to open his mouth, but his consciousness quickly fell into blankness, and his eyes lost their focus.

Gu An was using the Soul Capture Technique. He had never managed to master it before, but now, with the Supreme Five Elements Heavenly Spirit Root, he understood it the moment he began.

Perhaps he was not yet proficient, but it was enough to deal with Fu Xiong.

His spiritual power suppressed Fu Xiong while his divine sense forcibly barged into Fu Xiong's mind and searched it with brute force.

Half an hour later, Fu Xiong had breathed his last.

Gu An opened his eyes again and let out a breath of relief.

This fellow truly did not know the Azure Vine Tree's whereabouts, nor had his master sent him.

Gu An raised his right hand, lifting Fu Xiong into the air. Spiritual flames surged from his palm and began burning him.

He closed his eyes, not daring to watch the cruel sight.

How powerful were the spiritual flames of the Void Crossing Realm? In less than four breaths, Fu Xiong was reduced to flying ash. Only a Storage Bag remained, and Gu An successfully seized four years of lifespan.

Gu An checked it and took out all the medicinal materials and Spirit Stones. As for the magical artifacts and talismans, he did not dare touch them. He directly burned them together with the Storage Bag to prevent anyone from tracing them here.

Early the next morning, Gu An went downstairs as though nothing had happened.

When the disciples gathered for their morning exercises, guilt quietly rose in his heart.

Oh no, I'm acting like the Demonic Path!

And so, another month passed. No more cultivators from Thousand Autumn Pavilion came looking for Gu An, and only then did he finally put his mind at ease.

That day, Du Ye suddenly came to find him, and the two spoke upstairs in the pavilion.

"Third Young Miss has mastered the Qilin Step, and the Clan Leader is greatly pleased. He is preparing to come celebrate for Third Young Miss, and a banquet will be held in the Inner Sect. The servants of our Ji Family must all attend and help receive the guests. Ten days from now, I will wait for you before the Outer Sect Law Enforcement Hall. Prepare a batch of medicinal herbs over the next few days to serve as a congratulatory gift. Perhaps you may earn Third Young Miss's favor," Du Ye said seriously.

Gu An nodded, reaching a decision in his heart.

Tonight, I'll spend lifespan on the Eight Directions Step!

Let's see just how powerful the Qilin Step Ji Xiaoyu mastered is.

Thank you to One-Way Ticket for the 500 Qidian Coin reward, Seeking Great Freedom for the 100 Qidian Coin reward, Fish That Cannot Blow Bubbles for the 100 Qidian Coin reward, Fierce Dragon for the 100 Qidian Coin reward, and Book Friend 20230711191309972 for the 100 Qidian Coin reward~~

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