https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-116-The-Nine-Kingdoms-Calamity-Reaping-Lifespans/12575389/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-118-To-Kill-Him-Does-One-Need-a-Sword-/12575391/
Chapter 117: Birds of a Feather
Chapter 117: Birds of a Feather
On a snowy night, deep in the mountains, Gu An crouched down and plucked the last lotus flower from the snow, placing it in his storage bag.
He had only reaped a year's worth of lifespan, but he was content as he had accumulated almost five million years' worth of lifespan this month, pushing his total lifespan past the million-year mark once more.
It was incredibly exhilarating!
After tonight, the last of the lotus flowers in the Tah Cang Imperial Court would be gone.
Within a month, he had plucked over a million lotus flowers, and half of them didn't even grant a year's worth of lifespan, having only sprouted recently.
If Gu An didn't pick them, the cultivators of the Tah Cang Imperial Court would eliminate them anyway, so he had no choice but to pluck them whenever he saw them, taking a gamble.
He couldn't very well disregard the safety of the world and forbid others from eradicating the lotus flowers, and he also feared the Lotus Flower Sect.
Lifespan could be accumulated slowly, but if the Lotus Flower Sect's plan succeeded and he was powerless to stop them, then he would be in deep trouble!
In the dimly lit woods, Gu An stretched lazily and then made his way towards a nearby city.
Dawn was approaching, and he intended to explore the city.
It wasn't good to sequester himself away in the Medicine Valley all the time; occasionally venturing out to take in the sights and experience different landscapes could help broaden his perspective.
Ever since he had stumbled upon Wu Jue's enlightenment, Gu An had been pondering the concept of enlightenment.
He felt that aside from relying on opportunity, enlightenment was also connected to one's life experiences.
As the sun gradually rose, the bustling noises of the city a hundred miles away signaled the start of a new day.
At noon, Gu An sat drinking in an inn on the second floor, occupying a spot by the window, overlooking the street below where he could observe the martial artists shouting and displaying their skills.
Where there were people, there was the jianghu (a community of martial artists). Even though everyone in the Tah Cang Imperial Court knew of the existence of cultivation, ninety percent of the population was unable to cultivate, which gave rise to the creation of the jianghu, independent of the cultivation world. They had their own exciting adventures and feuds.
In the entire city, Gu An only sensed the presence of three cultivators, and like him, they were pretending to be mortals.
The cultivation world was facing the threat of the Lotus Flower Sect, and countless demons and monsters beyond the Nine Empires were waiting for their chance to strike. In contrast, the lives of ordinary people remained unaffected.
Most of them would only live for a few decades, and by the time their lives were over, the demon calamity might not have even arrived yet.
Such was the difference between the immortal and the mortal.
Immortals and mortals lived by different rules of time.
Gu An's contemplation of the differences between the immortal and the mortal evoked a myriad of emotions within him.
He wanted to try and see if he could enter an enlightenment state through this train of thought.
However, he sat there the entire day without managing to enter an enlightenment state, but he didn't feel like he had wasted his time.
Occasionally, it was nice to just sit, observe, and take in the myriad human conditions without saying a word.
As dusk fell once more, the snowfall that had paused during the day started again.
Gu An stood up, left some silver coins, and departed.
He didn't leave the city immediately but instead began to wander through the streets, letting the snow fall on him as he immersed himself in the mortal world.
It wasn't until the next morning that Gu An returned to the valley.
Upon arriving at the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An saw his disciples gathered together, chatting excitedly.
From a distance, he heard them discussing a Grand Elder.
The return of a Grand Elder! This news shook the entire Tai Xuan Gate, and the identity of this Grand Elder had also been made public. The Grand Elder, who had lived for a thousand and five hundred years, possessed a cultivation base that could be described as peerless.
Currently, with the Tai Xuan Gate facing the threat of the Lotus Flower Sect, the return of the Grand Elder greatly boosted the sect's morale.
The orthodox sect had regained its dominant aura, looking down proudly upon the world once more! This Grand Elder went by the name of Xuan Quan, and was known as Grand Master Xuan Quan.
Gu An guessed that the reason for his return was that the Tai Xuan Gate had informed him of Grand Master Xuan Tian's death at the hands of the Lotus Flower Sect.
After listening for a while, Gu An continued to collect herbs.
As he picked the herbs, he savored the insights he had gained over the past two days.
Even though he hadn't entered an enlightenment state, a new rune had appeared on his Spirit Heart.
The Spirit Heart could condense divine abilities, and although Gu An had reached the ninth layer of the Great Vehicle Realm, this divine ability was still incubating. The condensation of divine abilities relied not on cultivation, but on insight.
He already had the basic idea, and with further refinement, the divine ability would naturally take form.
Three days later.
Gu An arrived at the Outer Sect's library, where Elder Liu Chang, as always, received him personally.
After not seeing each other for several months, Gu An noticed that Liu Chang had aged significantly, and his vitality seemed to be waning.
Liu Chang (Foundation Establishment, Ninth Layer): 258/270/340
Looking at Liu Chang's lifespan, Gu An sighed inwardly.
It was clear that Liu Chang's cultivation base had been enhanced by pills, hence his lower lifespan compared to others at the same level.
After interacting for so many years, the two of them had become close friends despite their age difference. Now, facing the imminent departure of his old friend, Gu An couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.
However, he had long been prepared for this.
Eventually, he would have to bid farewell to everyone around him; the path to longevity was destined to be a solitary one.
Even if he could find a way to change the limit of lifespan in the future, it would only be an increase. To achieve true immortality was incredibly difficult, and Gu An couldn't transfer his lifespan to others.
This expected loneliness didn't make Gu An sad; instead, it made him even more determined.
The more so, the more he wanted to live on! He wanted to see the world for his departed friends, to witness the wonders of the world in millions of years, and to behold the changes that would occur over tens of millions of years.
"Old Liu, this is the last volume of the Tai Xuan Immortal Sovereign's writings," Gu An said as he took out a book from his storage bag and smiled.
Liu Chang took the book with curiosity, asking, "I thought you would wait a few more years. Why did you finish it so quickly?"
Gu An chuckled and replied, "The story has to come to an end, and the protagonist joining forces with the people of the world to vanquish demons and bring peace resonates with the current situation."
He paused before continuing, "Although I have mediocre talent and lack the power to turn the tide, if my writings can inspire others to fight, I would have contributed in my own small way."
Instead of flipping through the book, Liu Chang expressed his admiration, "Your books have already influenced many. Before you, cultivators rarely read books outside of cultivation. Your name, Pan An, already carries the aura of a sage."
"You flatter me, Liu," Gu An humbly responded.
"Haha, what will you write about next?" Liu Chang asked.
"I don't plan to write another one for now. I'll see how I feel in the future," Gu An said.
"That's understandable. A masterpiece cannot be rushed; it comes about by chance," Liu Chang agreed.
The two chatted casually, and Liu Chang began to reminisce about how they first met. Gu An listened attentively and responded thoughtfully.
After chatting for two hours, Liu Chang suddenly said, "After arranging for the publication of the last volume of the 'Tai Xuan Immortal Sovereign,' I plan to resign from my position as an elder and leave the Tai Xuan Gate to return to my hometown. It's been 240 years since I entered the sect, and I wonder if my homeland has changed."
His words carried a sense of foreboding, as if he had a premonition of his approaching death.
People often yearn to return to their roots before their demise.
Gu An couldn't help but think of Cheng Xuandan, who had also left alone as her end drew near.
"Then I wish Elder Liu a safe journey," Gu An said softly with a smile, as if unaware of Liu Chang's impending fate.
After bidding farewell to Liu Chang, Gu An made his way to the Pill Hall.
He didn't enter but stood on the street, gazing at the plaque above the hall.
Liu Chang's presence reminded him of Zhu Qinglu, the elder of the Pill Hall and the one responsible for handing over duties to Gu An. Zhu Qinglu also didn't have many years left.
It was a sign that in the coming years, Gu An would have to part ways with more acquaintances.
At this moment, Gu An entered a state of oblivion.
Time passed, and Gu An suddenly snapped back to reality. His vision cleared, and he found a disciple standing before him.
It was the same Wu Jue who had previously achieved enlightenment.
"Are you alright, brother?" Wu Jue asked cautiously.
Passing by, Wu Jue had been drawn to Gu An's state and wondered if he had entered an enlightenment state like his own. As he approached, he recognized Gu An as the disciple he had met on the day he achieved enlightenment.
What a strange twist of fate.
On the day Wu Jue achieved enlightenment, he met Gu An, and now, Gu An encountered him during his enlightenment.
Wu Jue felt a connection with Gu An and deliberately stayed nearby to ensure he wasn't disturbed. He had been waiting for a while and felt anxious that he might have interrupted Gu An's enlightenment when he suddenly opened his eyes.
Indeed, Gu An had entered an enlightenment state, and another rune had appeared on his Spirit Heart. He looked at Wu Jue and smiled, "I'm fine. Do I know you?"
Wu Jue returned the smile, "Yes, I was sitting under a tree, and you asked if I was alright, just like I'm asking you now."
Gu An sent a lifespan probe toward Wu Jue.
Wu Jue (Foundation Establishment, Second Layer): 63/280/1040
How did his lifespan increase by another 500 years?
What's the deal with this guy? Has he been enlightened again recently?
This is too outrageous!
Han Ming only achieved enlightenment once in his life, but Wu Jue has done it twice in two months?
"You must have entered an enlightenment state just now. Let's find a place to talk," Wu Jue suggested enthusiastically.
Gu An agreed, as it aligned with his intentions.
Soon, they arrived at Wu Jue's private courtyard, and after closing the door, they sat down to converse.
Wu Jue became very enthusiastic and shared his life story.
He was an orphan, adopted and brought to the Tai Xuan Gate by his master, who was an outer disciple. His master found him hanging in a tree as an infant, abandoned by his parents, who likely feared he would be devoured by wild beasts.
Within the Tai Xuan Gate, Wu Jue's spiritual roots were mediocre, but under his master's protection, he lived a good life. However, not long ago, his master was killed by a cultivator from the Lotus Flower Sect while on a mission. Wu Jue learned of this tragic news from a fellow disciple of his master. The news felt like the sky was falling on him.
Coincidentally, on the second day, the Lotus Flower Sect attacked, and as he witnessed the fierce battle between the cultivators, Wu Jue's heart was filled with confusion. He couldn't understand why people had to fight to the death. Amidst this turmoil of emotions, he entered an enlightenment state.
After sharing his story, Wu Jue looked at Gu An and asked, "Brother Gu, what led you to enlightenment?"
Gu An replied, "My enlightenment is also related to life and death. A close friend I've known for decades is nearing the end of his life."
Although Gu An spoke calmly, Wu Jue sensed the underlying sadness in his words. Nonetheless, Gu An's reason for enlightenment made Wu Jue feel a stronger connection to him.
"Brother Gu, please keep enlightenment a secret," Wu Jue said earnestly. "After my enlightenment, I found that my absorption of spiritual energy has sped up, and even my comprehension has improved. My master always taught me to be discreet and keep a low profile in everything I do."
Gu An nodded, feeling pleased inside.
It seemed that Wu Jue's master was also a kindred spirit.
However, he felt that Wu Jue's enlightenment wasn't due to a profound realization but rather the impact of his master's death, which led to two enlightenments in quick succession.
That didn't seem reasonable!
(End of Chapter)
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