https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-111-The-Nine-Styles-of-the-Heaven-Severing-God-Axe-A-Distant-Presence/12575275/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-113-An-Epic-Battle-Enlightenment-Within-a-Painting/12575278/
Chapter 112: The Arrival of Xuan Xin!
Chapter 112: The Arrival of Xuan Xin!
The sky was vast and cloudless, and below lay a boundless wasteland, crisscrossed with fissures that, upon closer inspection, revealed themselves to be canyons.
In a flat stretch of the wasteland, a massive black aura hung suspended, resembling a rift in the air.
At the base of this dark aura loomed an altar, circular in shape and with a diameter exceeding ten zhang. Intricate and esoteric runes were carved upon its surface, and spiritual energy swirled about, causing them to reflect a faint glow.
In front of the altar stood a group of Thousand Illusion Sect disciples, numbering over a thousand. Among them were Jiang Qiong and Su Han.
At the forefront stood a gray-robed elder, his hand gripping a wooden staff, his spine bent with age. He gazed up at the black aura in the sky, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"The main branch of the Thousand Illusion Sect..." Jiang Qiong said, her eyes fixed on the spatial fluctuations within the black aura, a tense expression on her face.
Having been a member of the Thousand Illusion Sect for some time, she had gained a deep understanding of the sect. The branch she had joined in the Nine Mornings Lands was but a fraction of its true strength and could not compare to the main branch.
Suddenly,
A thunderous roar erupted from within the black aura, and it began to expand. A dark red sky was revealed within, with faint glimpses of swirling dark clouds.
Without warning, the gray-robed elder at the front knelt and shouted, "We humbly welcome the arrival of the Lord of the Main Branch!"
As soon as he knelt, the other Thousand Illusion Sect disciples followed suit, echoing his words in unison. The voices of a thousand disciples merged into a loud and clear chorus.
Under the watchful eyes of all present, a figure emerged from the black aura, his back to the dark red sky. He slowly stepped forward.
This figure was a man clad in a fitted purple robe, with a gold-trimmed red scarf tied at his waist. The robe was emblazoned with blooming thousand illusion flowers, and on his back was embroidered a thousand illusion flower tree. He had a handsome face and a cold, arrogant demeanor. His snow-white hair was coiled beneath a purple jade crown that faced the heavens, and set within the crown was a ruby that, at first glance, resembled a terrifying eye.
With his hands clasped behind his back, he looked down at the disciples below and spoke in a calm tone, "Who is Elder Chi Han?"
The gray-robed elder quickly replied, "I am, Lord!"
The purple-robed man remained high above, showing no intention of descending. He continued, "Find me someone to guide me to the Tai Xuan Gate. The rest of you will remain here and await the arrival of the main branch."
Elder Chi Han, upon hearing this, asked excitedly, "Are there more elders from the main branch coming?"
"Yes, it's time to let the thousand illusion flowers bloom."
...
The mysterious aura was too far from the Tai Xuan Gate, even beyond the range of a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator's spiritual sense. Gu An did not act rashly; his intuition told him that the aura was related to the main branch of the Thousand Illusion Sect.
Without knowing the true strength of the main branch, he would not make any hasty moves.
Although, from Zhong Liang and Su Shan's memories, the Thousand Illusion Sect was awaiting the arrival of a Great Heart Realm cultivator, Gu An was concerned that the situation had changed. What if more than one Great Heart Realm cultivator arrived?
Moreover, the Tai Xuan Gate was deeply rooted and might not even need his intervention. Perhaps one of the Great Elders would return.
Setting aside the Great Elders, the foundations of the Ji and Gu families were also unfathomably deep.
When Gu An used his spiritual sense to search for the main families of the Tai Cang Imperial Court, he could not find them, leading him to suspect that they were hiding within a small paradise.
Within this world existed small paradises, akin to innate spatial restrictions. They could also be described using Earth's terminology as 'alternate dimensions'.
The day after Lu Bai Tian's departure, the atmosphere within the Tai Xuan Gate became tense.
A large number of Golden Core Realm and Nascent Soul Realm cultivators flew over the Third Pill Valley, heading toward the outer gates. Even the nine geniuses cultivating their hearts in the valley were summoned and bid farewell to Gu An.
Each disciple possessed an identity token, allowing the Tai Xuan Gate to transmit orders to every disciple, including those training outside the sect.
Oikawa approached Gu An, a worried expression on his face. "Brother Gu, has something big happened again? Could it be that the Thousand Illusion Sect is attacking?"
Every time he went to the outer cities, he heard other disciples discussing the Thousand Illusion Sect. They had swept through the demonic path, undefeated, and two hundred years ago, they had caused great trouble for the Tai Xuan Gate. All the disciples of the Tai Xuan Gate felt threatened.
"I'm not sure," Gu An reassured him. "Don't overthink it. We just need to focus on planting our herbs. If a fight does break out, you and I won't be able to make much of a difference. Let's put our trust in the sect."
Oikawa found his words reasonable, but his thoughts continued to drift toward the outer gates.
Gu An turned and left, heading out to harvest the mature herbs.
If the sky were to fall, the Tai Xuan Gate would bear the brunt of it. For now, harvesting grass and flowers were the top priorities!
An hour later, Gu An returned to the pavilion and drew out the Green Rainbow Sword, beginning his sword practice.
It was rare for him to practice swordplay, and his actions drew the attention of many disciples. They all assumed that he had sensed an impending crisis, so they began to cultivate their respective techniques, following his example.
Lu Lingjun also looked toward Gu An and shook her head.
Gu An's sword techniques were peculiar, and in her opinion, they didn't resemble sword techniques at all but rather axe techniques.
Perhaps the Valley Master was just trying to calm his nervousness.
Lu Lingjun glanced a few more times before turning her gaze toward the distant mountains. She made her way there, intending to gain a better perspective of the outer gates and assess the situation.
Indeed, what Gu An was practicing was not swordplay but the Divine Severing Heaven's Axe.
He had deliberately chosen to use a sword to mislead others, as the Divine Severing Heaven's Axe was not a technique that had been passed down within the Tai Xuan Gate, and no one practiced it.
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
On this day, after Gu An had finished tending to the Spirit Valley, he arrived at the Third Pill Valley to continue harvesting herbs.
The Third Pill Valley spanned a hundred li, and with so many herbs, there were always some that were ready for harvest. Each time Gu An came to collect, he would leave a portion behind, ensuring that each harvest would provide a substantial amount of lifespan income.
The herbs could be left for several months after maturity without any adverse effects.
After successfully harvesting enough herbs to extend his lifespan by five thousand years, Gu An asked a menial disciple to send the herbs to the storage tower. He then went to find Lu Lingjun.
"I'm planning to head to the Outer Sect. Would you like to come?" Gu An asked. Lu Lingjun had previously mentioned that she wanted him to take her along the next time he visited the Outer Sect.
Of course, there was a deeper reason for Gu An's invitation—he wanted to bolster the strength of the Tai Xuan Gate.
Lu Lingjun immediately nodded in agreement. Having been observing the situation for three days, she was eager to witness the excitement at the Outer Sect.
And so, Gu An set off for the Outer Sect with Lu Lingjun in tow.
Upon arriving at the Outer Sect, Gu An made a plan to meet up with Lu Lingjun in front of the Butian Terrace in the evening and then left on his own.
"What a sensible young man," Lu Lingjun thought to herself as she watched Gu An's retreating figure.
She turned to look in the same direction and saw a group of powerful cultivators hovering above the southern city gate, each with a large flag on their back. There were a thousand of them, encircling the entire Outer Sect city.
The lowest cultivation level among them was the Nascent Soul realm!
The presence of so many high-level cultivators in just one Outer Sect city impressed Lu Lingjun. She had previously used her spiritual sense to scan the other Outer Sect cities and found them to be similarly guarded, giving her a deeper understanding of the Tai Xuan Gate's profound foundations.
Based on the strength that the Tai Xuan Gate had displayed so far, Lu Lingjun felt that they could easily sweep through the mortal realm she had come from.
Meanwhile, on another front.
Gu An sought out Zhen Qin of the Enforcement Hall.
Instead of being assigned to battle, the Enforcement Hall was tasked with patrolling the city to prevent spies from the Thousand Illusion Sect from infiltrating.
Gu An pulled Zhen Qin to the side of the street and took out a copy of the 'Dao Yan Gong' from his storage bag. He handed it to her and said, "Keep this safe and cultivate it diligently when you get back. Don't tell anyone about it, not even your Master Ye."
Zhen Qin glanced at the book and, realizing it was a cultivation technique, became excited. She quickly nodded in agreement.
She was well aware that Gu An had a medicine valley in the Inner Sect, which gave him a status far above hers. She knew that any technique he gave her would be extraordinary.
Although she had been cultivating Jiang Qiong's technique, her progress had stagnated in recent years, and she had been feeling frustrated.
After a brief chat, the master and disciple pair parted ways.
Gu An did not seek out Ye Lan because he knew that she was currently at the Great Elder's mansion, attending an Outer Sect meeting.
The entire Tai Xuan Gate had entered a state of war preparedness! The reason Gu An chose this day to visit the Outer Sect was that he had sensed a presence beyond the Combined Spirit Realm entering the Tai Cang Imperial Court and approaching the Tai Xuan Gate.
It was a Xuan Heart Realm cultivator!
The cultivator was not flying quickly because someone was guiding them, and they were also likely trying to exert pressure on the Tai Xuan Gate. Their blatant display of power could be felt not just by Combined Spirit Realm cultivators but also by Shattering Void Realm and Crossing Tribulation Realm cultivators, which explained the tense atmosphere within the Tai Xuan Gate.
Gu An did not feel the need to rush into action. Instead, he wanted to observe the strength that the Tai Xuan Gate could bring to bear.
After all, he couldn't be expected to deal with every enemy that came their way.
Killing cultivators may grant him additional lifespan, but the gain was not significant, not much different from harvesting medicinal herbs. Therefore, he did not yearn for battle.
However, if the enemy sent a large force, he would be more than happy to join the fray and claim his share of the spoils.
Gu An made his way to the Butian Terrace and stood behind the Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower Sect, pretending to be sensing the sword intent on the platform.
"Why, if it isn't my friend Gu! What brings you here?" A cheerful voice rang out, and the Great Sword Maniac Han Ming of the Great Yu walked over with a smile.
He joined Gu An behind the Ghost Mother and exchanged greetings.
The Ghost Mother of the Tanhua Sect seemed unaffected and kept her eyes closed.
Even with the impending battle, there were still hundreds of cultivators on the platform, meditating in pursuit of enlightenment.
Han Ming, a fifth-layer Shattering Void Realm cultivator, did not realize that the female disciple sitting next to him was an old monster at the second layer of the Combined Spirit Realm.
After some polite conversation, Gu An asked curiously, "With the attack from the Tanhua Sect imminent, why haven't you left yet? Aren't you afraid of getting caught in the crossfire?"
"What's the Tiantian Sect to be afraid of? They've been defeated by the Tai Xuan Gate before, and I expect the same will happen this time. The Tai Xuan Gate has too many powerful cultivators and old monsters. You'll get to see the excitement for yourself and gain a deeper understanding of the Tai Xuan Gate," Han Ming said with a laugh.
Intrigued, Gu An began to question Han Ming about the powerful cultivators of the Tai Xuan Gate.
Han Ming shared everything he knew about the Tai Xuan Gate, and nearby disciples couldn't help but eavesdrop.
Ninety percent of Tai Xuan Gate disciples had no idea how strong their sect truly was because it was simply too vast.
The Ghost Mother of the Lotus Sect seemed disturbed and stood up, intending to move away.
Gu An deliberately turned his back to her and pretended to back away naturally, bumping into her.
Realizing he had collided with someone, Gu An quickly turned around and apologized, "I'm sorry, miss."
The Ghost Mother of the Lotus Sect frowned but merely shook her head slightly without saying anything.
She brushed past Gu An.
"Stop!" Han Ming's voice suddenly rang out, his gaze fixed on the Ghost Mother.
The Ghost Mother paused in her tracks.
The surrounding disciples looked on in confusion. Han Ming was a prominent figure on the Butian Terrace, and his actions easily drew attention.
Gu An quickly spoke up, "I'm the one who bumped into her! It was an accident."
Ignoring Gu An, Han Ming stared at the Ghost Mother's retreating figure and said coldly, "Who are you, really? Although you've hidden your presence well, you briefly leaked your aura just now."
"You're not human, you're a ghost!"
A ghost?
Upon hearing this, the surrounding disciples stood up, and some even drew their magical treasures.
Gu An was shocked by the accusation and turned to look at the Ghost Mother with wide eyes before backing away.
The Ghost Mother turned around. Without glancing at Gu An, she looked at Han Ming with indifference and said, "What business is it of yours? I'm not from the Tai Xuan Gate, so why meddle in their affairs?"
(End of Chapter)
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