https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-114-Who-Are-You-Impostor-of-Xuan-Tian-Laozu-/12575279/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-116-The-Nine-Kingdoms-Calamity-Reaping-Lifespans/12575389/
Chapter 115: Ephemeral Gathering, Enlightenment
Chapter 115: Ephemeral Gathering, Enlightenment
Shen Zhen's words did not move Gu An. Painting someone else's battle was too offensive, and he currently had no shortage of high-tier medicinal herbs. Unless Shen Zhen could offer a seventh-tier herb, he was not interested.
Shen Zhen, hailing from the distant Da Yu Royal Dynasty's Dao Tian Sect, was so far away that it was unknown how long it would take for a message to reach her.
Gu An spoke up, "With all the chaos in the city, I'm in no mood to paint. Miss Shen, let's find a place to hide and avoid any trouble."
Before Gu An could finish, a sudden roar interrupted him, shaking the entire inn. Dust and debris engulfed them as the building trembled violently.
Shen Zhen swiftly wrapped her arms around Gu An's waist and rushed out of the inn, heading toward the backyard.
Gu An tried to break free, but she held him tightly, her eyes fixed on the back of the inn with a serious expression. "Don't move," she said in a low voice.
Gu An was helpless.
You still want to protect me, a Great Vehicle Realm Ninth Layer cultivator? Shen Zhen frowned and took out a long flute from her storage bag with her left hand, following her gaze toward the dust on the other side of the inn.
Gu An recognized the figure that emerged—an inner disciple named Zhang Hong, often seen cultivating the sword at the Supplementary Heaven Platform. He never expected that Zhang Hong was a spy for the Ephemeral Flower Sect.
Zhang Hong wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and, upon spotting Gu An and Shen Zhen, immediately swung his sword at them.
A sword qi pierced the eaves and shot toward the pair.
The sword qi was too fast, and Shen Zhen could only instinctively raise her flute to block it.
Boom!
The sword qi exploded, reducing the entire inn to rubble as dust and debris filled the air.
Zhang Hong leaped into the air and fled, with several figures in pursuit, hot on his trail.
As far as the eye could see, the Outer Gate City was in turmoil, even involving Great Elder Lv Songhan. The protective array above the city was severely distorted and on the brink of collapse.
As the sword qi dissipated, Shen Zhen pulled Gu An out, both of them looking disheveled.
"Miss Shen, are you alright?" Gu An asked with concern, although he could tell that her injuries were not life-threatening.
Zhang Hong was at the first layer of the Infant Soul Realm, and although Shen Zhen had blocked his sword strike, she had also sustained internal injuries.
Being able to block a strike from an Infant Soul Realm cultivator with her Golden Core Realm cultivation was a testament to Shen Zhen's skill.
Blood dripped from her chin beneath her veil, but she maintained a calm demeanor. "I am the Holy Maiden of the Dao Tian Sect. How could I be injured by a nobody? Let's find a place to hide first." With that, she released her right hand and quickly walked forward, with Gu An following closely behind.
With the entire city in chaos, the two of them could not fly and had to walk through the streets on foot.
Fortunately, they soon encountered disciples from the Enforcement Hall, who led them to an underground palace for shelter. Many other disciples, mostly menial ones, were also taking refuge there.
Shen Zhen found a spot, sat down cross-legged, and took out a bottle of pills from her storage bag. After consuming one, she began to channel her energy to heal her injuries.
Gu An did not disturb her but instead scanned the underground palace to ensure there were no anomalies. Only then did he sit down and close his eyes, using his spiritual sense to observe the battles.
Not only was the Outer Gate City in turmoil, but the entire Tai Xuan Gate was in disarray, with intense battles raging across the cities.
Upon sensing the disturbances in Tai Xuan Gate, Lu Baitian and the others were rushing back.
Without Jin Lingzun's support, Tai Xuan Gate would surely weather this internal strife, but the process would result in casualties.
Gu An's spiritual sense focused mainly on the Third Medicine Valley and the Dark Valley.
Located outside the Outer Gate, the Dark Valley faced no immediate threats as the spies of the Ephemeral Flower Sect wreaked havoc within Tai Xuan Gate.
The Third Medicine Valley, however, was under protection, with Gu Yu leading a group of cultivators to safeguard it. The battle had already commenced.
As long as the medicinal herbs were unharmed, Gu An saw no reason to intervene. Tai Xuan Gate needed this tempering.
Time ticked by, second by second.
With the return of the Combined Realm cultivators, the conflicts in the various cities swiftly concluded.
In less than an incense stick's worth of time, the battles in Gu An's Outer Gate City came to an end.
A figure emerged from the underground passage, exclaiming with joy, "The fighting is over! Everyone can leave now."
Hearing this, the disciples broke into smiles and helped each other to their feet, making their way out.
Shen Zhen also stood up and turned to Gu An. "Why aren't you offering to escort me? Look at how others are treating their companions."
Gu An smiled and said, "I don't think your injuries are that serious. When we return to the Medicine Valley, you can choose some medicinal herbs as a token of my gratitude for your protection."
Shen Zhen smiled but did not respond, walking alongside Gu An toward the crowd.
After leaving the underground palace, Gu An found himself on the street, his eyes drawn to the rolling dark clouds above. Spiraling dragons made of spiritual energy filled the sky, a spectacular sight akin to celestial beings protecting the city.
Gu An spotted the figure of a Combined Realm cultivator hovering thousands of feet in the air. During the previous battle against Jin Lingzun, this person had been in a dire situation, but now they exuded an air of invincibility.
Shen Zhen looked around, ensuring that the turmoil had truly ended, before turning to Gu An. "I should return now, and you should do the same as soon as possible."
Without another word, she turned and left.
Although she feigned nonchalance, Gu An noticed that she abruptly increased her speed once she was out of his line of sight.
It would likely take Shen Zhen several months to fully recover from her injuries.
Gu An began to wander the city, witnessing the destruction that had befallen many buildings. Disciples passed by, bearing various injuries as they inspected the aftermath of the battle.
Gu An could sense Zhen Qin and Ye Lan's presence; neither of them were injured, so he had no intention of seeking them out.
The mysterious presence he had felt a few days ago remained, and due to its distance from the Great Qing Imperial Dynasty, Gu An was also unclear about its origin.
He guessed that it had something to do with the Nine Profound Road.
Jin Lingzun had said before his death that the leader of the Ephemeral Flower Sect was about to arrive, which meant that this calamity had only just begun, and more Grand Master Xuans could appear later.
What a troublesome time! Gu An sighed inwardly as his gaze was suddenly drawn to a distant figure.
There was a disciple walking among the crowd who looked ordinary in every way—his build, appearance, and cultivation were all unremarkable, and as he walked down the street, few people paid attention to him.
The reason Gu An was drawn to him was because of an indescribable aura about him that felt vaguely familiar.
Let's spend a lifespan to investigate!
[Martial Decision (Foundation Establishment, Second Layer): 63/280/310]
Such a limit on lifespan wasn't particularly remarkable in the Outer Sect.
As Gu An looked at the Martial Decision, he soon realized why the other's aura gave him a sense of familiarity.
Enlightenment!
The other party was actually in a state of enlightenment, no wonder he seemed so absent-minded as he walked down the street.
Gu An became intrigued and kept his eyes on Martial Decision, wanting to observe the state of enlightenment from an outsider's perspective.
He had experienced enlightenment before, and after that time, he wasn't sure what changes had occurred within him. After all, he occasionally used his lifespan to improve himself, and even if there were changes, they were easily masked, making it difficult to distinguish whether they were due to his own fortune or the transformation brought about by the evolution of his lifespan.
Gu An began to follow Martial Decision, maintaining a distance of several dozen feet.
As they walked down one street after another, Gu An suddenly felt Martial Decision's aura rise a notch. This improvement wasn't a cultivation improvement but rather a subtle and profound change.
Subconsciously, he sent another lifespan probe towards the other.
[Martial Decision (Foundation Establishment, Second Layer): 63/280/340]
Hmm?
His maximum lifespan had increased by thirty years!
This was the first time Gu An had seen anyone's maximum lifespan increase.
Was this the change brought about by enlightenment?
No wonder Han Ming said that his swordsmanship improved by leaps and bounds after enlightenment, and his talent and aptitude probably improved as well.
Gu An was secretly amazed and became even more interested in Martial Decision.
...
On the barren plain, over a thousand Ephemeral Flower Sect cultivators gathered in front of the array platform, whispering among themselves, their eyes occasionally drifting towards the black crack on the platform.
The black mist had disappeared, but it left behind a black spatial crack in the air, reflecting a dark red sky, like the entrance to another world.
Elder Chi Han sat cross-legged at the front, his brow furrowed.
For some reason, he suddenly felt restless.
He tried to calm himself and then closed his eyes to cultivate.
The sun set and the moon rose, and a night passed.
At dawn.
Footsteps sounded on the array platform, startling Elder Chi Han, who opened his eyes. Not just him, but many other cultivators also opened their eyes instinctively.
"Jin Lingzun is dead. All members of the Ephemeral Flower Sect are to gather here."
A cold voice rang out, reaching the ears of everyone present. The speaker was a woman in black, her face hidden behind a mask adorned with Ephemeral flower patterns.
Upon hearing this, the Ephemeral Flower Sect cultivators stirred.
They knew that Jin Lingzun was the honorary title of the purple-robed man they had seen earlier. He had seemed so powerful, and yet, in just a few days, he had died?
How formidable is the Tai Xuan Gate?
Jiang Qiong, who was in the crowd, also frowned, feeling awe at the depth of Tai Xuan Gate.
Elder Chi Han's face changed dramatically, but he didn't stand there in a daze. Instead, he stood up and gave orders to prepare for the gathering of the Ephemeral Flower Sect.
At this moment, far away in the Tai Xuan Gate, Lu Lingjun was also shocked.
News of Fu Daozun's slaying of the Ephemeral Flower Sect's leader had spread throughout the sect, with disciples everywhere talking about it. Some inner sect disciples even came specifically to the Third Medicine Valley to proclaim this achievement, stirring the valley's disciples and sparking more discussions about Fu Daozun's might.
Gu An also took this opportunity to leave and fly towards the Outer Sect cities.
After entering the city, he quickly made his way through the winding streets until he arrived at a particular street.
There, he saw Martial Decision, who had been in a state of enlightenment earlier, standing still under an old tree, facing the tree trunk, deep in thought.
Gu An could sense that he had already come out of his enlightenment state and was now probably sorting through his thoughts.
[Martial Decision (Foundation Establishment, Second Layer): 63/280/540]
His maximum lifespan had increased from 310 years to 540 years, almost doubling! Gu An was curious about what exactly he had realized.
Thinking of this, Gu An pretended to pass by, stopping behind Martial Decision, and asked with concern, "Are you alright, brother?"
Martial Decision turned at the sound of Gu An's voice, his expression flustered as he waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, I was just thinking about my cultivation technique and got a little distracted."
After speaking, he smiled awkwardly, bowed to Gu An, and turned to leave.
Gu An watched his retreating figure but didn't follow. Instead, he secretly decided to keep an eye on this person in the future.
A maximum lifespan of 540 years was still not enough to stand out in the Outer Sect, but he wanted to see if Martial Decision would continue to seek enlightenment.
(End of Chapter)
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