Demonic Shadow Divine Technique, First Display of Might

The reason Gu Zong sought out Gu An was simply to have Gu An write his life story into a book. Gu An naturally wouldn't refuse this; after all, he wasn't being asked to write Gu Zong as the protagonist of Investiture of the Gods.

In exchange, Gu Zong would promote Gu An to the status of an outer sect disciple and grant him a medicine valley twice the size of Mystic Valley.

Half a year later, Gu Yu would bring the materials to Gu An.

Writing a book in exchange for a medicine valley felt like a fair trade to Gu An; he had nothing better to do in his spare time anyway.

That night, after Du Ye returned to his room, he pressed Gu An to find out why Gu Zong had sought him out.

"It's sect intelligence. Are you sure you want to pry?" Gu An asked with a meaningful tone, which scared Du Ye so much that he shuddered and dared not ask again.

Early the next morning, as the guests at the Ji Mansion dispersed, a cultivator found Gu An and handed him a Storage Bag, claiming it was from the Third Young Miss. He scanned it with his divine sense and found it filled with a rich variety of materials for formations.

Gu An hesitated over whether to warn Ji Xiaoyu, but upon seeing that the number of Ji Family cultivators at the mansion had increased rather than decreased today, with many even sitting in meditation on the rooftops, he realized the Ji Family already sensed the impending crisis.

Since that was the case, there was no need for him to worry.

At noon, Gu An left with Du Ye, returning to the Outer Sect City via the teleportation formation as usual.

After bidding farewell to Du Ye, Gu An headed toward Mystic Valley.

He had already begun planning the planting schedule for his second medicine valley in his mind.

Combined with Li Xuandao's medicine valley, he would soon possess three such valleys, and his future lifespan income was bound to skyrocket.

Even though he had already reached the first level of the Void Crossing Realm, Gu An would never complain about having too little lifespan. There were certainly many more realms beyond the Void Crossing Realm, and the higher one climbed, the more lifespan was consumed.

His goal was immortality, to reach the very peak of the path of cultivation!

Standing atop his flying sword and soaring through the heavens, Gu An stood against the wind, his heart harboring a Spring and Autumn Longevity Dream.

When he returned to Mystic Valley, his brows furrowed.

He landed his sword, which then dove into his Storage Bag. Ye Yan, who was weeding nearby, saw him and immediately ran over.

"Master, you've finally returned. A senior came to our medicine valley to stay for a while yesterday," Ye Yan reported immediately.

Gu An nodded and said, "I know. You go back to your work."

He noticed banners hidden in the weeds throughout the hills surrounding Mystic Valley; it was clearly some kind of formation.

He first sensed the other party's aura, then pretended not to notice the formation and walked toward the direction of the cultivator's aura, quickly observing his herbs along the way.

Good grief!

Six fourth-tier herbs were missing!

Gu An's gaze turned icy.

The other party's cultivation was no simple matter—they were a Spirit Transmutation cultivator. But even if they were in the Spirit Transmutation Realm, if they dared to steal his herbs, they would have to pay the price!

Gu An walked all the way to Xiao Chuan's courtyard and saw someone refining pills. The pill furnace looked ancient and stood half a person tall, with wisps of green smoke rising from it.

The person refining the pills was an elderly man with a hunched back, a stout build, and graying hair tied back with a straw rope.

[Qiu Qianli (Spirit Transmutation Realm, 2nd Level): 486/930/1050]

Confirming that the other party wasn't hiding a higher cultivation level, Gu An immediately stepped forward and asked, "May I ask for your name, Senior, and what your background is?"

His tone was sharp, a complete departure from his usual demeanor toward others.

Qiu Qianli stood up, turned to look at Gu An, and chuckled, "This old man is named Qiu Qianli. I am just passing through this medicine valley and wish to stay for a few days."

Gu An asked, "Are you a member of the Taixuan Sect, Senior?"

Because Ji Xiaoyu was about to reach the Golden Core stage, he couldn't help but be suspicious of the man's identity.

Usually, no Spirit Transmutation cultivators ever came to his medicine valley.

The busy disciples also cast their gazes toward the courtyard. In truth, they could all feel that Qiu Qianli's background was not simple, so they felt a sense of relief upon seeing Gu An return.

"And you? Are you the owner of this medicine valley?" Qiu Qianli asked with a chuckle.

Gu An replied, "That's right. Why won't you answer me, Senior?"

Qiu Qianli shook his head and laughed, muttering to himself, "A mere Qi Refining rogue cultivator dares to use such a tone with me."

He suddenly crouched down and slammed a palm onto the ground.

In an instant, the earth trembled. The large banners hidden in the hills in every direction vibrated, erupting with surges of Sha energy. The Sha energy rose rapidly, forming a demonic net that shrouded the entire Mystic Valley, before the net turned transparent, as if everything that had just happened were a hallucination.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Gu An asked, feigning panic.

The disciples in the distance sensed that something was wrong, and some immediately rushed over.

Xiao Chuan and Ye Yan arrived first, followed by Wuxin, Zhen Qin, and Su Han. Although others rushed over, they dared not approach rashly, standing outside the courtyard and watching nervously.

Su Han stood at the very front, gripping a sword, though his trembling legs betrayed his intense nervousness.

Zhen Qin's face had turned deathly pale, yet she still stood in front of Gu An, which made him want to laugh.

This silly girl!

Qiu Qianli's right palm was wreathed in sinister Sha energy. He slowly stood up, a ferocious grin appearing on his face as he said, "Since the valley master has returned, this old man won't pretend anymore. If you want to live, then be obedient. Otherwise, I will peel your skin, extract your souls, and make you wish for death!"

Feeling his terrifying aura, all the disciples were filled with dread.

Wuxin gathered his courage and asked, "We are all just chore disciples. Even if you refine our souls, it won't benefit you. Let's talk this over; what do you want us to do?"

He was terrified that Gu An might not see through the opponent's cultivation level, so he spoke up first.

Qiu Qianli sneered, "You're a sensible one. From now on, you will all wait in the valley for my orders. I intend to use your Medicine Valley to refine pills. Don't even think about escaping; my formation is invisible and intangible. Even a Golden Core cultivator would instantly turn into a puddle of blood if they touched it."

Everyone had just witnessed the formation manifesting, so they naturally believed his words.

Qiu Qianli looked at Gu An and laughed mockingly, "Valley Master, I'll tell you now: I am from the Ten Thousand Yin Sect. What will you do about it?"

The Ten Thousand Yin Sect!

They really are like ghosts that refuse to dissipate...

Gu An had not killed many people in his life; aside from Fu Xiong, everyone else he had eliminated belonged to the Ten Thousand Yin Sect.

Gu An feigned terror, gritted his teeth, and said, "Please, Senior, forgive my previous offense. As long as you do not harm my disciples, I will do whatever you command. Even if you must refine a soul, please refine mine first!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the disciples became anxious, yet they dared not make a sound for fear of angering Qiu Qianli.

Wuxin gripped his hands inside his sleeves, secretly regretting, "If only I had practiced harder, if my technique had reached perfection, how could I let Senior Brother suffer like this..."

Zhen Qin, Xiao Chuan, Su Han, and Ye Yan shared similar thoughts.

Qiu Qianli laughed, his expression full of contempt.

Gu An hurriedly said, "Senior, I have fifth-grade medicinal herbs in my room that are perfect for use as a medicinal primer. Do you need them?"

"Not bad, you are quite sensible. Go quickly!" Qiu Qianli waved his sleeve and said.

Gu An immediately turned and ran toward his pavilion.

The others watched Qiu Qianli vigilantly, terrified that he might act recklessly.

Qiu Qianli picked at his ear, turned his gaze toward Zhen Qin, and smiled, "Little girl, come here and help me out."

Seeing his malicious smile, Zhen Qin felt extreme disgust, but her heart was filled with even more fear.

What should she do?

Judging by the formation just now, surely no one in this valley was a match for this Demonic Cultivator.

Just as Zhen Qin was trembling with anxiety, a purple-black figure appeared out of thin air beside Qiu Qianli.

Qiu Qianli's pupils shrank abruptly, and he instinctively turned his head to look.

So fast!

How is this possible!

Just as Qiu Qianli tried to strike, the opponent's right hand shot out like a sword, piercing directly through his chest and lifting him into the air.

His eyes widened as he looked at the person beneath him in disbelief.

It was a figure wreathed in dark purple energy, its true face obscured, as if it had emerged from the Nine Nether Springs.

Wuxin, Zhen Qin, and the others were also terrified by the sudden appearance of the mysterious figure and retreated in unison.

"Qianqiu... Pavilion... Demonic Shadow Divine Technique..." Qiu Qianli stammered, his tone filled with dread.

He realized in despair that he couldn't mobilize the spiritual energy in his body at all. With that single strike, the opponent had shattered his Golden Core, and their overbearing spiritual energy was suppressing his Primordial Spirit, preventing it from escaping his body.

The opponent must be above the Spirit Transmutation realm!

Gu An, who was performing the Great Yin-Yang Transformation, glanced back at Wuxin.

Wuxin seemed to realize something, and his face changed drastically.

Immediately after, the right hand that had pierced through Qiu Qianli suddenly clenched into a fist. A terrifying Sword Qi erupted, instantly shattering Qiu Qianli's physical body. Only his Primordial Spirit remained hanging on the arm, while Qiu Qianli's Storage Bag fell into the figure's other hand.

Flesh and blood splattered everywhere!

Wuxin and the others were splashed, but they were already scared witless and could not react; they could only stand there in a daze.

"Sen..."

Qiu Qianli's Primordial Spirit stammered, but before he could finish, he was crushed into nothingness by Gu An's overbearing spiritual energy.

Gu An's figure then vanished into thin air.

The next second, the sound of a door being kicked open echoed from afar, and Gu An, holding a fifth-grade Tiger Blood Flower, leaped down from the balcony of his pavilion.

He rushed toward the courtyard where Wuxin and the others were, shouting loudly, "Senior! Don't act recklessly!"

He vaulted over the courtyard wall and arrived beside Zhen Qin. Seeing the blood covering the courtyard, he quickly looked back at his disciples, and only after seeing that not a single one was missing did he heave a sigh of relief.

He asked nervously, "That demon... where did he go?"

His voice was very low, as if he were terrified of being heard by Qiu Qianli.

Zhen Qin seemed to be jolted awake; she let out a scream, then grabbed Gu An's robe and trembled, "Master, he is dead... he was..."

The other disciples also snapped out of their stupor and turned to look in other directions, fearing that the mysterious demonic shadow might reappear.

It took Gu An quite a while to understand what had happened from their accounts.

One had to admit, acting was truly exhausting.

Gu An signaled for his disciples to remain on high alert and not to let their guard down.

At the same time, he secretly exerted force with his right foot, sending spiritual power spreading through the ground to destroy the invisible formation.

A curtain of demonic energy suddenly appeared above Mystic Valley, and immediately after, this mysterious Demonic Path formation began to collapse. The demonic energy dissipated as if it had never existed, and the autumn leaves on the mountaintop drifted down in its wake.

"The formation has been lifted?" Ye Yan asked cautiously.

Wuxin took a deep breath, looked at Gu An, and said, "Senior brother, let's find somewhere else to talk!"

Slaying Qiu Qianli had gained him sixty-six years of lifespan, which was not bad at all.

In a pleasant mood, Gu An feigned a look of confusion; he hesitated for a moment before choosing to nod.

The two walked toward Gu An's pavilion, while the other disciples gathered together to discuss the situation that had just occurred.

Once inside the pavilion, Wuxin closed the door, turned to look at Gu An, and gritted his teeth as he said, "The one who acted just now must have been a great cultivator from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion. It's possible that my father sent someone to protect me..."

Thanks to Fleeting Time Like a Grave for the 500 Qidian coin tip, Xue Rengui for the 500 Reading Coin tip, and Seeking Great Freedom for the 253 Qidian coin tip~~

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