https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-101-The-Divine-State-Scripture-the-Fear-of-the-Union-Realm/12575264/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-103-Defying-Heaven-to-Change-Fate-the-Fear-of-the-Cyan-Grapevine/12575267/
Chapter 102: The Ephemeral Wind, Arch-Nemesis
Chapter 102: The Ephemeral Wind, Arch-Nemesis
"You..."
Zong Ying's eyes widened in disbelief, his voice shaking as he spoke. He couldn't fathom what he was experiencing.
Despite exerting all his might, he couldn't break free from Gu An's grasp. It wasn't just a matter of being unable to escape; his power seemed completely suppressed, unable to be unleashed. Normally, with the might of a Combined Realm cultivator, a single outburst of power would cause the entire Medicine Valley to collapse instantly.
His physical strength and spiritual power were unable to extend beyond his body. An unimaginable force restrained him, and he had never felt so stifled.
He was a Combined Realm cultivator!
He could roam the Nine Kingdoms as he pleased!
Despair filled Zong Ying's heart as he realized he was about to suffer a crushing defeat. However, he didn't want to die!
"Spare my life, Senior!" Zong Ying pleaded, his voice devoid of the courage expected of a Combined Realm cultivator.
Gu An had already used his spiritual power to isolate the surrounding space, ensuring their voices couldn't be heard by others.
Having a rough idea of Zong Ying's identity, Gu An didn't immediately resort to killing him. Instead, he asked, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't kill you."
Even now, Zong Ying harbored no hostility towards Gu An, most likely because he had been scared out of his wits.
"I am known as the Ghost Thief... I came to steal the Xuan Qing Tree, not for myself, but for the mortal world... Senior, as a prominent figure of the Tai Xuan Gate, you should understand the disparity in resources within the cultivation world. The Tai Xuan Gate controls too many cultivation resources, leaving the common folk with scarce spiritual energy. Those without prominent backgrounds have no chance to break free and forge their own path. If this continues, the cultivation world will only be accessible to those from aristocratic families..."
Zong Ying spoke rapidly, and by the end of his speech, his eyes even reddened slightly.
Gu An's heart stirred with emotion. What a convincing performance.
He approved of the Ghost Thief's intentions to protect the mortal world; it was a chivalrous act. However, you shouldn't try to steal from me!
"Now that you know my strength, I have no choice but to kill you to prevent any leaks," Gu An said expressionlessly.
Upon hearing this, Zong Ying was so frightened that his soul almost left his body. His eyes darted around, and suddenly, an idea came to him. "I possess a curse that will make me completely obedient to you, unable to defy your orders. Should I violate this oath, I will suffer a calamity and perish miserably!"
There's an opportunity!
I can deceive him!
The fear in Zong Ying's heart dissipated, replaced by excitement.
[Zong Ying has developed hostility towards you and hates you to the core. Do you wish to use Life Investigation on him?]
You were about to let him go, and now he feels hostility towards you?
How intriguing.
Upon hearing this, Gu An's interest was piqued. "What kind of curse is it?" he asked.
Zong Ying explained, "It's called the Heavenly Judgment Curse. As long as we establish the ritual between us and I swear an oath to you, it will be sealed."
"Alright, then let's go. Let's find a secluded place to perform the curse." Gu An pulled Zong Ying towards the distant teleportation platform.
Zong Ying was still restrained by Gu An's spiritual power and couldn't move, but his heart relaxed as he felt that the other party seemed to truly believe him.
As he was being led away, Zong Ying's mind raced with thoughts.
Who exactly is this person?
How could he suppress a Combined Realm cultivator like me so easily? Could he have reached the Xuan Heart Realm?
Could he be the reclusive Grand Elder of the Tai Xuan Gate?
The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He knew he had to report this matter to his sect.
And so, the two of them teleported away from the Xuan Valley and then left it behind. During their journey, some disciples gave them curious glances, but seeing that they were chatting and laughing, they quickly averted their eyes.
After traveling dozens of miles away from the Xuan Valley, Gu An stopped when he was certain that no one was following them.
The two men stood in the forest, and throughout their journey, Zong Ying had been unable to free himself from Gu An's spiritual suppression.
Zong Ying put on a smiling face and asked, "Senior, can we begin now?"
Gu An nodded, a smile also appearing on his face.
As soon as Zong Ying saw Gu An's smile, his expression changed drastically, and he instinctively sensed danger. Before he could think further, a powerful divine sense rushed into his mind.
Soul Capture Technique!
...
In a dimly lit grand hall, Zong Ying knelt on the ground, his gaze fixed on the mysterious shadow on the steps. This shadow was shrouded in black mist, obscuring its true form.
"Your ability to conceal your aura is the most powerful. It's up to you to test the depth of the Tai Xuan Gate," the mysterious shadow said in a cold, emotionless male voice.
Zong Ying hesitated and asked, "With Lu Baitian reclaiming the position of the Sect Master of the Tai Xuan Gate, has his cultivation reached the ninth layer of the Combined Realm? Are we really going to clash head-on with them?"
The mysterious shadow replied, "This is an order from the Main Sect. We must annex the Great Cang Empire before the Demon-Beast Calamity arrives. The Great Cang Empire's proximity to the sea is of utmost importance to our sect's future plans."
Upon hearing this, Zong Ying asked excitedly, "An order from the Main Sect? Does that mean the Main Sect is finally going to lend us a hand?"
"Yes. The failure two hundred years ago displeased the Main Sect, and although we have infiltrated the Great Cang Empire, compared to the achievements of the other branches, we have brought shame to the Ephemeral Sect. You take the lead and investigate the current strength of the Tai Xuan Gate. Once the Grand Cultivator of the Xuan Heart Realm from the Main Sect arrives, we will launch an offensive against the Tai Xuan Gate."
Hearing the words of the mysterious shadow, Zong Ying eagerly agreed, believing that this was a great opportunity to make a name for himself!
The scene shattered, and Gu An's divine sense probed further into Zong Ying's other memories.
This fellow was not the Ghost Thief at all. He was merely using the Ghost Thief's name to prompt the Tai Xuan Gate to make early preparations, allowing him to gauge the number of powerful experts the sect possessed.
The reason he didn't use the Ephemeral Sect's name was to avoid alerting the enemy. If he failed, he could still survive as the Ghost Thief.
The Ghost Thief's actions were heroic, and as the Tai Xuan Gate was a righteous sect, they might not have killed him.
If not for his Life Investigation ability, Gu An might have been deceived by him.
After a long while, half a shichen (a unit of time equivalent to two hours) had passed. In the forest, Zong Ying fell to the ground with a thud, his eyes rolled back, and his body stiffened. He was thoroughly dead, his soul scattered by Gu An's powerful spiritual power before his body.
Gu An expressionlessly took away Zong Ying's storage bag and then used his spiritual fire to burn the corpse.
After killing Zong Ying, he gained 240 years of lifespan, but it did not improve his mood.
In Zong Ying's memory, there was no mention of the Heavenly Judgment Curse, but Gu An did see his misdeeds—killing to steal treasures, slaughtering entire clans, humiliating female cultivators, refining souls to create ghostly artifacts, and more. He truly had committed all kinds of evil.
This left Gu An with a very poor impression of the Yin Hua Sect.
Originally, he had thought that the conflict between the Yin Hua Sect and the Tai Xuan Gate was just an ordinary rivalry between sects. But now, he felt that if the Yin Hua Sect were to unify the Great Cang Empire, life would only become more difficult for its people.
While there was darkness within the Tai Xuan Gate as well, its Combined Realm cultivators would not stoop to such despicable acts.
"The Xuan Heart Realm..." Gu An thought to himself, and then turned to leave.
The autumn wind blew into the forest, scattering Zong Ying's ashes, which eventually dissipated completely in the air, leaving no trace.
Gu An first returned to the Eight Scenery Cave Heaven and inspected Zong Ying's storage bag, destroying anything suspicious to avoid exposing the location of his secret realm. He only kept the cultivation resources.
The storage bag of a Combined Realm grand cultivator was indeed extraordinary, containing countless magical artifacts of all kinds, as well as a large number of pills, including many despicable ones.
After fiddling with it for a shichen, Gu An finally left the Eight Scenery Cave Heaven.
Upon returning to the Xuan Valley, Gu An went to find Yang Ni to check on the Yin Hua plant's progress.
He saw her meditating amidst the Yin Hua garden, absorbed in her cultivation. Previously, she had been busy cultivating and had not been disturbed by Gu An and Zong Ying's presence. Usually, disciples from the Pill Hall, the Enforcement Hall, and the Ji family would come to look for Gu An from time to time, and she had already grown accustomed to it.
Of course, the main reason was also Zong Ying's exceptional aura-concealing technique.
"Why are you cultivating here?" Gu An asked, noticing that Yang Ni was absorbing the spiritual energy of the Yin Hua plant, which was not a good thing for its growth.
Yang Ni opened her eyes and said, "I'm cultivating in the valley to avoid exposing my cultivation level."
Gu An pulled her to her feet and led her towards his pavilion. "Come and cultivate in my room. Not long ago, I set up a restriction that prevents disciples from prying into what's happening inside."
Yang Ni frowned but didn't dare to directly refuse Gu An's suggestion, so she followed him back to the valley.
...
Winter arrived, covering the Third Pill Valley with a layer of white snow.
Gu An was reading a book in his room when Ji Xiaoyu suddenly came to visit him. He quickly put away the Tai Xuan Secret Manual and got up to welcome her.
Ji Xiaoyu closed the door and cast a restriction before asking, "Did you come up with the Divine State Sutra in your dreams?"
It had been half a year since she started to ponder the Divine State Sutra, and she had gained many insights.
Gu An said seriously, "This is not a cultivation method but a way of life, one that can stabilize your state of mind. A calm mind will help you cultivate better."
"Not something you came up with in your dreams?"
"Of course not. I met a senior outside the sect some time ago, and he gave me the Divine State Sutra. He said something about the Tao being simple, a bunch of nonsense. But over the years, I've often read the Divine State Sutra. Although my cultivation hasn't improved, my state of mind has become calmer and more open. Nothing can make me anxious, and I won't be obsessed with anything."
Gu An shook his head as he spoke. Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaoyu looked at him deeply.
Ji Xiaoyu said, "This book is indeed useful. My state of mind is indeed much calmer than before, and I no longer think about things that I can't achieve for the time being."
"I want to bring this book back to the Ji family. Do you agree? If you do, I will try to get you a seventh-grade spirit tree. The Ji family's background is not worse than that of the Tai Xuan Gate."
"Of course. If you disagree, I won't force you, and I promise not to reveal the Divine State Sutra."
A seventh-grade spirit tree?
The Ji family has such strength? Gu An suppressed the excitement in his heart and calmly said, "I'm naturally willing. Confucius in the sutra also had the aspiration to spread his ideas to the world. How could I be selfish?"
The Divine State Sutra was a compilation of quotes from ancient Chinese sages such as Lao Tzu, Confucius, and Zhuang Tzu, and Gu An had also included their names in the book to shape their extraordinary images.
Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaoyu smiled and began to discuss the Divine State Sutra with Gu An.
They chatted for a long time before she finally took her leave.
Just as she was about to reach the door, Ji Xiaoyu suddenly turned around and said to Gu An, "Now that you possess such a large Third Pill Valley and your identity and status have changed, you should have heard of the Yin Hua Sect. If someone from the Yin Hua Sect tries to woo you, don't agree to it."
"Why?"
"The Yin Hua Sect's actions are sinister and deviate from the righteous path. Collaborating with them will hardly bear good fruit, and moreover, the Ji family and the Yin Hua Sect are sworn enemies."
The latter reason is probably the main point, Gu An thought to himself. At the same time, he could sense the impact of the Yin Hua Sect on the Tai Xuan Gate, and Ji Xiaoyu's words indicated that many people had been wooed by the Yin Hua Sect.
(End of Chapter)
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