Gu An put the Bronze Fragment into his Storage Bag and asked, "Are the Ji Family's ten great divine abilities really that powerful? Even a Thousand Autumn Pavilion genius like you is eager for them."
Jiang Qiong looked toward the wooden cabinet beside her and said softly, "They are very powerful, and it is not something one can master simply by wanting to. Within the Ji Family, anyone who manages to cultivate even one divine ability, regardless of status, receives the Ji Family's focused support and is moved into the Ji Family's main branch."
"Within the Great Cang Dynasty, even if all the sects were combined, they would still find it difficult to overturn the Taixuan Sect. The noble clans are the same; the gap is enormous. Three great clans stand above the dynasty, and the Ji Family is one of them."
Listening to her, Gu An suddenly suspected that Thousand Autumn Pavilion had an insider within the Ji Family as well.
As expected of the Demonic Path!
Gu An followed up on her words and asked, "Who are the other two families?"
"Zhou and Gu."
"Why not Li?"
"Heh, the Li Family is merely a puppet."
Jiang Qiong's words brimmed with disdain for the Li Family, giving Gu An a new understanding of the Great Cang Dynasty.
Even the imperial family was not the strongest noble clan?
That made sense. Although Li Xuandao's maximum lifespan was impressive, it could not compare to Ji Xiaoyu's.
Ji Xiaoyu was currently the most terrifyingly gifted person Gu An had encountered. Gu Zong was likely from the Gu Family, and his Void Crossing Realm cultivation was enough to prove the Gu Family's deep foundation.
As for the Zhou Family, Gu An had not encountered them yet.
Taking this opportunity, Gu An continued asking Jiang Qiong about the cultivation world, and she answered each question.
After the time it took to burn an incense stick, Jiang Qiong grew impatient.
"Why do you have so many questions? Hurry up and arrange a place for me to stay!" Jiang Qiong glared.
It was Gu An's first time hearing her refer to herself as "this old lady." It seemed her injuries were becoming too much to bear.
Thus, Gu An brought Jiang Qiong downstairs and personally arranged accommodations for her.
After moving in, Jiang Qiong began circulating her cultivation to heal her injuries and did not leave her room again.
Zhen Qin then found Gu An and curiously pressed him about Jiang Qiong's identity.
Gu An only said that she was an Inner Sect disciple, but that was enough to intimidate Zhen Qin. Just like that, news that an Inner Sect disciple had arrived in Mystic Valley quickly spread. All the disciples learned of it, and they heard that this Inner Sect disciple was very beautiful.
Late at night, Gu An entered the Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven alone and buried the Bronze Fragment in the soil.
After Jiang Qiong left, he would investigate this Divine Ability Treasury of the Ji Family.
Autumn passed and winter came, and snow gradually began drifting down from the sky.
After recuperating in Mystic Valley for nearly a month, Jiang Qiong bid Gu An farewell. Gu An watched her depart on her sword. She headed in the opposite direction from the Inner Sect, likely intending to leave the Taixuan Sect.
Gu An looked toward Zhen Qin's house. He could sense that Zhen Qin was cultivating some unusual technique, one Jiang Qiong had taught her.
Before leaving, Jiang Qiong had explained to him that Zhen Qin had stubbornly pestered her for it.
Gu An watched for a while before heading into the mountains, intending to check on the Demon Sheep active in the forest.
The Demonic Path should have dispersed already. It was time to return to a peaceful life of farming.
Gu An would not become complacent just because he was at the ninth level of the Void Crossing Realm. He felt it was still not enough. He had already begun looking forward to what function a million years of lifespan would unlock, hoping it would be something powerful.
In the days that followed, he occasionally left the valley to tend to the Outer Sect disciples' Cave Mansions, stopping by the Outer Sect to purchase seeds for high-grade medicinal herbs.
The winter snow grew heavier and heavier, casting heaven and earth into a vast white haze.
One night, Gu An quietly arrived within the Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven.
He dug the Bronze Fragment from the earth and brought it beneath the Azure Vine Tree. He sat down cross-legged on the spot, and Hao Dragon came over and began rubbing against him.
Gu An suddenly noticed that Hao Dragon's body was starting to grow wider. That was not a good sign.
He began warning Hao Dragon not to be so greedy with food. He did not want to raise a fat dragon.
After fooling around with Hao Dragon for a while, Gu An finally began using his divine sense to strike the Bronze Fragment.
Jiang Qiong had not deceived him. This Bronze Fragment truly contained a powerful restriction, one that could not be forcibly broken without the Void Crossing Realm.
Gu An had already made up his mind. If this item could only be passed on to one person, then after learning it, he would teach it to Jiang Qiong. If it could be used repeatedly, he would pretend he had never touched it.
Boom!
The powerful divine sense of the ninth level of the Void Crossing Realm surged into the Bronze Fragment. That mysterious restriction held for only a moment. Once it was forcibly broken, an immense flood of memories poured into his mind.
The memories were extremely complex and chaotic. All sorts of information barged brutally into his mind, making him frown slightly.
Even after breaking the restriction, he still had to sort through the information. Perhaps this was another method of assessment.
Gu An's divine sense was powerful enough to seize upon subtle connections. After a while, he had sorted it all out.
This divine ability was called Heaven and Earth Dao Gang!
Winter snow blanketed the land. This year's snowfall was far heavier than before, forcing Gu An to lead the disciples in clearing the snow.
Unless there was an emergency, they did not use spiritual energy. In Gu An's words, this counted as cultivation too.
The flying snow fell like a torrential rain, only slowing after half a day.
Gu An stood before the wooden fence, looking at the medicinal herbs he had planted. Not a single herb had suffered damage, and a smile appeared on his face.
After watching for a while, Gu An's gaze swept toward the valley entrance. He saw a man approaching, wearing a rain hat and a straw rain cape, with a cloth-wrapped spear slung across his back.
Luo Hun (Golden Core Realm, eighth level): 66/400/2803
A maximum lifespan of two thousand eight hundred years!
He was no simple man!
Gu An immediately walked over, arriving before Luo Hun. He clasped his fists in greeting and was about to ask a question when the other man spoke first. "Who is Valley Master Gu An?"
Luo Hun sounded rather young, but his voice was full and vigorous.
Gu An replied, "That would be me. And you are?"
Luo Hun raised his head, revealing a handsome face beneath the rain hat. However, there was a brand on his left cheek, bearing the character for Prisoner.
"His Majesty sent me. You have one hour to prepare, then come with me." Luo Hun spoke expressionlessly. With that, he brushed past Gu An and headed into the valley.
At those words, delight flashed through Gu An's eyes.
It was finally here!
He wanted to see just how large the Medicine Valley Li Xuandao had prepared was.
He immediately went to find Wuxin. Wuxin had already become Mystic Valley's senior disciple and could oversee the entire valley.
The so-called senior disciple was a position, not necessarily the valley master's disciple. Just like the Taixuan Sect's senior disciple, who possessed the strongest strength yet was not the sect master's disciple.
Upon hearing that Gu An would be leaving for a period of time, Wuxin was very excited. Gu An could not help giving him a few more instructions, especially that the medicinal herbs had to be saved for him to harvest personally upon his return.
Wuxin knew that his senior brother had few hobbies, and harvesting was one of them. He promised he would absolutely not pick anything without permission.
Meanwhile, Luo Hun approached Ye Yan. Ye Yan was swinging a long staff, practicing his family's inherited staff technique.
Seeing Luo Hun approach, Ye Yan hurriedly stopped and looked at him nervously.
Luo Hun took a secret manual from his robe and tossed it to him. "Your bones are good. You can practice this."
Ye Yan caught the manual and replied, "But I only have a mixed Spirit Root..."
"A Spirit Root only determines one's aptitude for gathering qi and cultivation. A person's aptitude has other aspects as well. Your skeletal foundation is good, stronger than ordinary people's. You are fine material for spear practice. Once you master it, you can join the army in Cang Province, earn military merit, then exchange it for heavenly treasures to cleanse your sinews and marrow and alter your fate."
Luo Hun's words invigorated Ye Yan, and he hurriedly bowed in thanks.
Luo Hun nodded faintly, then walked elsewhere. He wandered through the Medicine Valley, observing the medicinal herbs planted there.
After the time it took to burn an incense stick, Gu An found him and said they could leave.
Luo Hun raised a hand and drew out the spear from behind his back. A dazzling golden spear dropped into his grasp, drawing the gazes of the valley disciples.
What a show-off!
Gu An grumbled inwardly.
Luo Hun leaped into the air and stepped onto the spear, hovering in midair. He glanced at Gu An in the snow and said, "Come up."
Gu An immediately jumped up, landing behind him with his feet on the spear shaft.
With a surge of Luo Hun's spiritual energy, the spear carried them away at high speed. It crossed over the mountaintops, carving a long line through the white, misty snowy sky.
The valley disciples gathered together, curiously discussing Luo Hun's identity.
The high sky was freezing. Gu An's black hair was blown back, revealing a fair and delicate face.
"Not bad. Your control over spiritual energy is very precise. You stand very steadily."
Luo Hun's voice sounded out. He had his back to Gu An, and his tone carried a hint of praise.
Gu An casually replied, "I usually enjoy the Sword Flight Technique, so I have studied it before."
"Though your cultivation is very low, since His Majesty values you, you must have something extraordinary about you. When we reach that Medicine Valley, work without restraint. I will protect the valley's safety..."
Luo Hun began speaking about the Medicine Valley, and Gu An listened carefully.
According to Luo Hun, that Medicine Valley was very important to His Majesty. His Majesty would nurture a group of geniuses there for future use. If Gu An performed well, he could also receive a batch of precious medicinal herbs.
Gu An could sense that Luo Hun sincerely respected Li Xuandao, which made him curious about the Prisoner brand on Luo Hun's face.
Li Xuandao's Medicine Valley was called Tianya Valley. Although it was near the Taixuan Sect, it was several thousand miles away from Mystic Valley, located within a great mountain range overrun by Demon Beasts.
Gu An suggested building a Teleportation Array within Tianya Valley to conveniently connect it to his Mystic Valley, but Luo Hun rejected it. Luo Hun said Tianya Valley's existence could not be known by the Taixuan Sect.
That made Gu An want to complain.
You built it so close to the Taixuan Sect, and you still wanted to hide it?
However, thinking of the Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven, perhaps Li Xuandao had set up a high-grade Formation.
To accommodate Gu An, Luo Hun did not fly quickly. Even after night fell, he was still flying.
Gu An sensed demonic qi permeating the forests in this region. There were even demonic creatures no weaker than the Golden Core Realm.
Sure enough!
A third-rank demonic bird suddenly swooped down from behind them. Luo Hun answered with a punch, his spiritual energy condensing into a golden spear shadow that directly tore the demonic bird apart, while he casually drew its Demon Core into his hand.
After that display, no more demons dared obstruct them.
Not until the following morning did Gu An finally catch sight of Tianya Valley.
The mountains and land ahead were shrouded in a white expanse of snowy mist. Amid the mountain ranges was a vortex of snow, and beneath the sunlight, White Cranes circled within it, beautiful as an immortal realm.
Gu An's gaze pierced through the snowy mist and fell upon Tianya Valley. His expression became strange.
Tianya Valley lay between the mountains. In terms of area, it truly was twice as large as Mystic Valley. Stone Steles stood across the surrounding mountains, clearly forming some kind of Formation, though it had yet to be activated.
The fatal part was that weeds ran rampant throughout the valley. It was far too pristine and untouched!
In other words, he would have to reclaim the wilderness first!
Gu An could not help asking, "For now, are there only the two of us in Tianya Valley?"
Luo Hun stared ahead and began guiding the spear downward. He replied, "No need to worry. I will capture a few demons nearby to help you. This valley cannot recruit people casually. We must wait for His Majesty to send people over."
Before you continue