Heaven and Earth Dao Gang, Tianya Valley

Gu An tucked the Bronze Fragment into his Storage Bag and asked, "Are the ten great Divine Abilities of the Ji Family really that powerful? Even a genius from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion like you is coveting them."

Jiang Qiong glanced toward the wooden cabinet nearby and said softly, "They are very powerful, and they aren't something you can master just because you want to. Within the Ji Family, anyone who can master even one of these Divine Abilities, regardless of their status, will receive prioritized cultivation from the family and be moved into the main lineage."

"Within the Great Cang Dynasty, even if you combined all the sects, it would be difficult to topple the Taixuan Sect. The same applies to the noble families; the gap is immense. There are three great noble families that stand above the dynasty, and the Ji Family is one of them."

Listening to her words, Gu An suddenly suspected that the Thousand Autumn Pavilion also had a mole within the Ji Family.

As expected of the Demonic Path!

Gu An followed her line of thought and asked, "Who are the other two?"

"The Zhou and the Gu."

"Why isn't the Li family included?"

"Heh, the Li family is merely a puppet."

Jiang Qiong's tone was filled with disdain for the Li family, which gave Gu An a fresh perspective on the Great Cang Dynasty.

The royal family isn't even the strongest noble family?

That makes sense; although Li Xuandao's maximum lifespan is impressive, it cannot compare to Ji Xiaoyu's.

Ji Xiaoyu is the person with the most terrifying natural talent Gu An has ever encountered. Gu Zong is likely a member of the Gu Family, and his Void Crossing Realm cultivation is enough to prove the depth of the Gu Family's heritage.

As for the Zhou Family, Gu An has yet to come into contact with them.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Gu An continued to ask Jiang Qiong about the world of immortal cultivation, and she answered him one by one.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Jiang Qiong grew impatient.

"Why do you have so many questions? Hurry up and arrange a place for me to stay!" Jiang Qiong glared at him.

This was the first time Gu An had heard her refer to herself as 'this lady,' so it seemed her injuries were becoming unbearable.

Consequently, Gu An took Jiang Qiong downstairs and personally arranged a room for her.

After settling in, Jiang Qiong began to circulate her energy to heal her wounds and did not leave the room again.

Zhen Qin found Gu An and curiously pressed him for information about Jiang Qiong's identity.

Gu An only said that she was an Inner Sect disciple, but that was enough to shock Zhen Qin. Just like that, the news that an Inner Sect disciple had arrived in the Mystic Valley spread rapidly; all the disciples knew about it, and they had heard that the 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.

He would investigate this Ji Family Divine Ability Treasury only after Jiang Qiong had left.

Autumn passed and winter arrived, with white snow gradually drifting down from the sky.

After recuperating in the Mystic Valley for nearly a month, Jiang Qiong bid Gu An farewell. Gu An watched as she flew away on her sword; the direction she headed was opposite to the Inner Sect, so she was likely leaving the Taixuan Sect.

Gu An looked toward Zhen Qin's house; he could sense that Zhen Qin was practicing some kind of strange technique, which was what Jiang Qiong had taught her.

Before leaving, Jiang Qiong had explained to him that it was Zhen Qin who had insisted on pestering her.

Gu An watched for a while before heading toward the mountain forest, intending to check on the Demon Sheep active in the woods.

The Demonic Path should have dispersed by now, and it was time to return to a peaceful life of farming.

Gu An would not become complacent just because he had reached the ninth level of the Void Crossing Realm; he felt it still wasn't enough. He had already begun to look forward to what functions would unlock at a million years of lifespan, hoping for something powerful.

In the days that followed, he would occasionally leave the valley to tend to the caves of the Outer Sect disciples, taking the opportunity to purchase seeds for high-grade medicinal herbs from the Outer Sect.

The winter snow grew heavier, plunging the world into a vast expanse of white.

One night, Gu An quietly arrived at the Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven.

He dug the Bronze Fragment out of the soil and brought it under the Azure Vine Tree. He sat down to meditate, and Hao Dragon sidled over, beginning to rub against him.

Gu An suddenly noticed that Hao Dragon's physique was starting to widen, which was not a good sign.

He began to admonish Hao Dragon, telling it not to be gluttonous; he did not want to raise a fat dragon.

After playing with Hao Dragon for a while, Gu An began to use his divine sense to strike the Bronze Fragment.

Jiang Qiong had not lied to him; this Bronze Fragment did indeed contain a powerful restriction that could not be broken by force unless one was in the Void Crossing Realm.

Gu An had already decided: if this item could only be passed on to one person, he would pass it to Jiang Qiong after he had learned it; if it could be used repeatedly, he would pretend he had never touched it.

BOOM!

His powerful divine sense at the ninth level of the Void Crossing Realm surged into the Bronze Fragment. The mysterious restriction held for only a moment. Once the restriction was forcibly shattered, a massive amount of memory flooded into his mind.

This memory was extremely complex and chaotic; various pieces of information barged into his mind aggressively, causing him to frown slightly.

After breaking the restriction, he actually had to sort through the information himself—perhaps this was also a form of assessment.

Gu An's divine sense was powerful enough to capture subtle connections, and after a while, he had sorted it all out.

This Divine Ability was called Heaven and Earth Dao Gang!

The winter snow was heavy; the snow this year was far greater than before, and Gu An had to lead the disciples to shovel it.

As long as it wasn't an emergency, they did not use their spiritual power. In Gu An's words, this was also a form of cultivation.

The flying snow fell like a heavy downpour, not easing until a full half-day had passed.

Gu An stood before the wooden fence, watching the medicinal herbs he had planted. Not a single one had been harmed, which brought a smile to his face.

After watching for a while, Gu An's gaze drifted toward the valley entrance. He saw a man wearing a rain hat and a straw cape approaching, a long spear wrapped in cloth slung across his back.

[Luo Hun (Golden Core Realm, 8th Layer): 66/400/2803]

A maximum lifespan of two thousand eight hundred years!

Not simple at all!

Gu An immediately walked over, making his way to Luo Hun and cupping his hands in a salute. Just as he was about to ask a question, the other man spoke first: "Who is the valley master, Gu An?"

Luo Hun's voice sounded somewhat young, yet it was full of vigor.

Gu An replied, "I am he. And you are?"

Luo Hun looked up. Beneath the rain hat, a handsome face was revealed, though there was a brand on his left cheek carved with the character for Prisoner.

"His Majesty sent me. You have one hour to prepare, then you come with me," Luo Hun said expressionlessly. With that, he brushed past Gu An and headed into the valley.

Upon hearing this, a flash of joy crossed Gu An's eyes.

Finally, it was time!

He wanted to see just how large the Medicine Valley prepared by Li Xuandao really was.

He immediately went to find Wuxin, who had already taken the position of head disciple of Mystic Valley, capable of managing the entire valley.

The title of head disciple was a position; it did not necessarily mean one was the valley master's apprentice, much like the head disciple of the Taixuan Sect, who possessed the greatest strength but was not the sect leader's apprentice.

Hearing that Gu An would be away for a while, Wuxin was very excited. Gu An couldn't help but give a few extra instructions, especially that the herbs were to be left for him to harvest personally upon his return.

Wuxin knew that his senior brother didn't have many hobbies, and harvesting was one of them; he promised he would never pick them without permission.

Luo Hun, meanwhile, had arrived beside Ye Yan, who was swinging a long staff, practicing a family-style staff technique.

Seeing Luo Hun approach, Ye Yan hurriedly stopped, looking at him nervously.

Luo Hun reached into his robes, pulled out a secret manual, and tossed it to him, saying, "Your natural talent is decent. You can practice this."

Ye Yan caught the manual and replied, "But I only have miscellaneous spiritual roots..."

"Spiritual roots only define one's aptitude for absorbing qi and cultivation. A person's talent has other aspects. Your physical foundation is good, stronger than the average person. You are a good seedling for spear training. Once you master it, you can go to Cang Province to join the army, earn merit, and then trade for heavenly treasures to cleanse your marrow and change your destiny."

Luo Hun's words invigorated Ye Yan, who hurriedly bowed in thanks.

Luo Hun nodded slightly and then walked toward other areas, wandering through the Medicine Valley to observe the herbs planted there.

An incense stick of time later, Gu An found him and said they could leave.

Luo Hun raised his hand and drew the long spear from his back. A golden, shimmering spear landed in his palm, drawing the eyes of the disciples in the valley.

What a show-off!

Gu An muttered to himself.

Luo Hun leaped into the air, stepping onto the long spear. He glanced at Gu An on the snowy ground and said, "Come up."

Gu An immediately jumped up, landing behind him with his feet on the spear shaft.

Luo Hun channeled his spiritual power, and the long spear sped away with them, vaulting over the mountain peaks and carving a long line through the vast, white, snowy sky.

The disciples in the valley gathered together, curiously discussing Luo Hun's identity.

The high altitude was cold, and Gu An's black hair was blown backward, revealing a fair and handsome face.

"Not bad. Your control over spiritual power is very precise; you stand very steadily."

Luo Hun's voice rang out. He was facing away from Gu An, his tone carrying a hint of appreciation.

Gu An replied casually, "I enjoy the Sword Flight Technique in my spare time, so I've studied it a bit."

"Although your cultivation is very low, to be valued by His Majesty, you must have your own merits. Once we reach that Medicine Valley, feel free to do as you please. I will guard the safety of the Medicine Valley..."

Luo Hun began to talk about the Medicine Valley, and Gu An listened carefully.

According to Luo Hun, that Medicine Valley was very important to His Majesty. His Majesty intended to cultivate a group of geniuses there for future use. If Gu An performed well, he would even be entitled to a share of precious herbs.

Gu An could sense that Luo Hun's respect for Li Xuandao came from the heart, which made him interested in the character for Prisoner on Luo Hun's face.

Li Xuandao's Medicine Valley was named Tianya Valley. Although it was near the Taixuan Sect, it was thousands of miles away from Mystic Valley, located deep within mountains infested with demonic beasts.

Gu An suggested building a teleportation array within Tianya Valley to conveniently connect to his Mystic Valley, but this was rejected by Luo Hun. Luo Hun stated that the existence of Tianya Valley must not be known to the Taixuan Sect.

This made Gu An want to complain.

You've set it up right next to the Taixuan Sect, and you still want to keep it a secret?

However, he thought of the Eight Sceneries Grotto-Heaven and wondered if Li Xuandao had perhaps set up high-level arrays.

To accommodate Gu An, Luo Hun's flight speed was not fast, and they were still flying after nightfall.

Gu An noticed that the mountain forests in this area were filled with demonic qi, and there were even demonic creatures not inferior to the Golden Core Realm.

Sure enough!

Suddenly, a third-tier demonic bird lunged from behind. Luo Hun threw a punch, his spiritual power condensing into a golden spear shadow that tore the demonic bird apart, and he casually snatched its demonic core into his hand.

After this display of power, no more Demons and Monsters dared to obstruct them.

It was not until the following morning that Gu An finally caught sight of Tianya Valley.

The land and mountains ahead were shrouded in a vast, white snowy mist, and amidst the mountain ranges lay a vortex of white snow; under the sunlight, white cranes circled within it, beautiful as a fairyland.

Gu An's gaze pierced through the snowy mist to see Tianya Valley, and his expression turned strange.

Tianya Valley was nestled among the mountains, and in terms of territory, it was indeed twice the size of Mystic Valley, with stone tablets erected on the surrounding peaks—clearly some kind of formation, though it had yet to be activated.

The fatal issue was that the valley was overgrown with weeds; it was far too "natural"!

In other words, he would have to clear the land first!

Gu An could not help but ask, "Is it just the two of us in Tianya Valley for the time being?"

Luo Hun kept his eyes fixed ahead and began to guide the long spear downward as he replied, "Do not worry, I will go catch a few Demons and Monsters nearby to assist you. This valley cannot just take in anyone; we must wait for His Majesty to send people over."