https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-126-The-Golden-Ranking-A-Ghostly-Figure-in-the-Night/12575399/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-128-The-Way-of-Primordial-Spirits-a-True-Dragon-Emerges/12575464/
Chapter 127: The Crown of the Immortal King, The Evil Emperor
Chapter 127: The Crown of the Immortal King, The Evil Emperor
Gu An sent out thirteen life-span probes towards the thirteen figures in the woods, discovering that they all had the same cultivation level at the third layer of the Combined Realm, and they were all of the same age.
They all bore the surname Li.
Gu An immediately thought of the infamous Nine Yin Thirteen Li, who had once startled the entire cultivation world.
What were they doing here at Tai Xuan Gate, so many years before the next Golden List Assembly?
Noticing that they weren't moving at a fast pace, Gu An didn't hurry to stop them. Instead, he decided to observe and uncover their true intentions.
The large coffin caught his attention, and upon probing it with his spiritual sense, he discovered a set of bones within. The bones emanated an eerie feeling, and on its head rested a dark golden crown, now devoid of gems, leaving only empty slots. Even in its current state, it exuded an extraordinary aura.
About half an incense stick's worth of time had passed.
The thirteen figures came to a simultaneous halt, and the leader, Li Chief You, turned around. With a wave of his hand, he signaled to the four carrying the coffin to set it down, after which they began to open it.
As soon as the coffin lid was lifted, a hand suddenly pressed down on it.
The thirteen individuals turned their gazes towards the end of the coffin and saw Gu An, shrouded in dark purple demonic energy, standing there with his right hand pressing down on the coffin lid.
The woods fell silent.
Instead of fleeing or attacking, the thirteen figures, including Li Chief You, remained still, their faces hidden in the darkness, making it impossible to discern their emotions.
Li Chief You nodded slightly, and then knelt down. The other twelve followed suit and knelt as well.
"The Nine Dark Thirteen Li pay our respects to the Sword Sovereign of Fu Dao!" Li Chief You said in a low voice, his words clear and distinct.
Gu An was taken aback. Had these people come specifically to find him? No wonder their behavior was so peculiar; it didn't seem like they were here to invade.
"Give me a reason why I shouldn't annihilate all of you," Gu An said.
These thirteen were likely ghost cultivators, enveloped in ghostly energy, yet they still possessed human vitality and life force.
"We are the Nine Profound Thirteen Li, and we have come under the orders of the Ghost Mother of the Lotus Flower to present the Crown of the Immortal King to the Sword Sovereign, to assist you in regaining your position as a terrestrial immortal," Li Chief You replied.
The Ghost Mother of the Lotus Flower?
Gu An's curiosity grew. The Ghost Mother's cultivation was only one minor realm lower than that of the Nine Profound Thirteen Li. How could she command them?
"Why?" Gu An asked.
He hadn't sensed any hostility from these thirteen, indicating that they might be telling the truth.
"This is the Ghost Mother's instruction," Li Chief You answered. "She has been studying your sword intent at the Celestial Mystery Gate for many years and believes that you have likely cultivated the Supreme Origin Startling God Sword. This sword technique was propagated by the Li family of the Supreme Origin Imperial Court, but in truth, it did not originate with the Li family's ancestor. It came from the Immortal King of the Lotus Flower Sect, who is also the ancestor of the Ghost Mother."
"It is for this reason that the Ghost Mother came to the Tai Cang Imperial Court. She wishes to take advantage of the Nirvana Flower Sect's destruction of the Tai Cang Imperial Court to search for the ancestral legacy. Two hundred years ago, the Ghost Mother had come here once before, but unfortunately, the descendants of the Li family were of mediocre talent, and none of them could comprehend the Tai Cang Startling God Sword. Thus, the Ghost Mother had no choice but to lie dormant."
Indeed, Gu An's Tai Cang Startling God Sword did originate from the Li family, but he had never expected that the Li family's ancestor was connected to the Lotus Flower Sect.
"Your Ghost Mother wants to obtain the Tai Cang Startling God Sword?" Gu An asked.
"The Ghost Mother wishes to invite you back to the Tiantai Flower Sect," Li Chief You replied. "With the sword intent of the Tai Cang Startling God Sword, she aims to reclaim the position of the Sect Master of the Tiantai Flower Sect!"
Upon hearing this, Gu An fell silent, deep in thought.
What scheme was this?
A tiger to hunt the wolf?
Gu An pushed the coffin lid open with a palm strike. He found the coffin to be surprisingly sturdy, and upon further inspection, he discovered that it was also imbued with numerous intricate restrictions, likely making it a treasure.
His gaze fell upon the bones within, devoid of any signs of life. However, these bones felt extremely sinister, and to be safe, he sent out a life-span probe.
【Evil Emperor (Great Vehicle Realm, Layer Five): 7600/9999/9999】
Good heavens!
He could still probe its lifespan, and its maximum lifespan was identical to An Hao's.
Gu An's expression remained unchanged as he leaped into the air and landed on the edge of the coffin, looking down at the Evil Emperor's skeletal remains.
The Nine Dark Thirteen Li immediately knelt in silence.
Gu An's eyes widened, and two icy beams shot out from his eyes.
Boom!
The Evil Emperor's bones were instantly reduced to powder, leaving only the Crown of the Immortal King lying in the coffin, while the bottom of the coffin was pierced through by the destructive path of divine light.
The Nine Dark Thirteen Li lifted their heads to glance at the remains, then lowered their heads once more.
A prompt appeared before Gu An's eyes:
【You have successfully taken 320 years of lifespan from the Evil Emperor (Great Vehicle Realm, Layer Five)】
Gu An breathed a sigh of relief.
Damn!
He had almost been scared to death! Who would have thought that these bones were still alive and that they belonged to a cultivator at the fifth layer of the Great Vehicle Realm? In that moment, Gu An's mind raced with countless possibilities, and he even felt that he had just averted a potential disaster for the world.
The name 'Evil Emperor' did not bode well.
And to fake death, hiding within a coffin, clearly indicated a plot of immense proportions.
Gu An raised his hand and drew the Crown of the Immortal King into his grasp, careful not to touch it directly with his flesh. Instead, he used his spiritual power to manipulate the crown.
He turned to Li Chief You and asked, "Do you know of the Evil Emperor?"
Upon hearing this, Li Chief You hesitated for a moment before replying, "To be honest, these bones belong to the Evil Emperor. Five thousand years ago, there was internal strife within the Tiantai Flower Sect, and the Evil Emperor was betrayed and poisoned by a villain. Unable to gather his spiritual power due to the poison, the Evil Emperor, in a moment of desperation, donned the Crown of the Immortal King. However, his vitality was instantly drained, turning him into these bones. Thus, the Crown of the Immortal King was labeled as a sinister artifact by the Tiantai Flower Sect, and no one dared to touch it."
"Since you dare to bring such a thing before me, are you not afraid of incurring my wrath?" Gu An's tone carried a bone-chilling killing intent.
Li Chief You remained unhurried and replied, "If one were to cultivate the Tai Cang Startling God Sword to perfection, the Crown of the Immortal King would recognize its sword intent and acknowledge the cultivator as its master. Thus, the creator of this crown is none other than the creator of the Tai Cang Startling God Sword."
Gu An continued his interrogation, "What is the relationship between the Ghost Mother of the Lotus Flower and the Evil Emperor?"
"The Ghost Mother is a descendant of the Evil Emperor," came the reply.
"Then why would she send the bone remains of her ancestor to me? Isn't she afraid of offending me?" Gu An asked, his curiosity growing.
"The Ghost Mother hates her own bloodline. When she was young, her father turned her into an evil ghost. That is why she sought out the descendants of the Li family, as their bloodline is unrelated to hers. The ancestor of the Li family was once a disciple of the Lotus Flower Sect. She wants someone else who inherits the Tai Cang Startling God Sword to seize the position of the Sect Master of the Lotus Flower Sect to fulfill her revenge," Li Chief You explained.
"How dare you be so sure that you could find me?" Gu An asked, his eyes narrowing.
"The Ghost Mother said that as long as we get close to the outer city where the Supplementary Platform is located, even if we hide our cultivation, you will sense our presence due to the vast difference in our cultivation levels," Li Chief You replied.
Indeed, the method of suppressing their aura employed by Li Chief You and the others was extremely powerful, and only Gu An was able to see through it.
Even now, they had not revealed the slightest bit of their aura.
Gu An continued his interrogation, and Li Chief You answered each question without hesitation.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Gu An fell into deep thought and said, "Very well, I shall keep the Crown of the Immortal King. All of you may leave now."
Elder Li reached out and took out a short flute, saying, "This is the Nine Abyss Flute. As long as you blow on it, we will rush to your side at the first moment and await your commands. From now on, you are the Sect Master of the Lotus Flower Sect, at least in our hearts!"
Gu An raised his hand and, after using his spiritual sense to examine it and confirm that there were no monitoring or reverse tracking restrictions on it, he put it into his storage bag.
He jumped down from the coffin and gestured for the Nine Yin Thirteen Li to leave.
The Nine Yin Thirteen Li bowed to him and then carried the coffin away.
Instead of returning to the valley immediately, Gu An sat down under a tree and placed the Crown of the Immortal King in front of him.
According to Li Chief You, tens of thousands of years ago, there existed an Immortal Dynasty in the mortal realm, where every individual had the capacity to cultivate immortality. During that era, there was no emperor, and the ruler of the Immortal Dynasty referred to himself as the Immortal King, governing over the land and the Immortal gods. However, the Immortal Dynasty ultimately met its demise as it was ravaged by incessant heavenly calamities. Cultivators were afflicted by internal demons and a devastating plague swept through, culminating in the dynasty's downfall within a mere decade, from the pinnacle of its power to its complete annihilation.
Although the Immortal King survived, the Celestial dynasty was no more, and he dared not call himself an Immortal or challenge the heavens again.
In the years that followed, his descendants founded the Lotus Flower Sect. One of the sect leaders created the Tai Cang Startling God Sword, and its sword intent shocked the heavens, attracting a heavenly tribulation. Thus, it was named the "Startling God Sword." This sect leader believed that he had reached the realm of the Immortal King, but he still could not achieve immortality. As his lifespan was coming to an end, he used his own cultivation to forge the Crown of the Immortal King. This crown contained the power of the Immortal King, and successive sect leaders had studied it, but none could tame it. Instead, they brought calamity upon themselves.
Gu An used his spiritual sense to examine the Crown of the Immortal King, but even with his ninth-layer Great Vehicle Realm cultivation, he could not penetrate it.
He dared not test it with his own sword intent, not only because he wasn't sure if Li Chief You was lying but also because even if he was telling the truth, this method might not work. After all, no one had ever succeeded before.
After much thought, Gu An felt that this crown was too sinister to keep by his side.
He stood up and, using the Wuji Ziran Step, quickly arrived at the North Sea Mountains.
He dove directly into the northern sea and buried the Crown of the Immortal King and the short flute in the mud at the bottom of the sea, setting up restrictions to protect them.
He decided that he would come back to study them after breaking through a few more major realms.
After all, Gu An did not need to borrow the power of the Crown of the Immortal King.
After doing all this, Gu An quickly returned to the Xuan Valley and continued celebrating the festival with his disciples.
...
After the departure of the Nine Dark Thirteen Li, Gu An's life returned to its previous peaceful state, and no one disturbed him again.
Three years passed quickly.
Gu An turned seventy.
One day, in the distant Tianya Valley.
Gu An had just finished picking herbs and was in a good mood as he personally stored the herbs in the herb tower.
As he stepped out, he saw Lu Xian walking towards him.
Upon seeing Gu An, Lu Xian's expression became unnatural.
Ever since he was defeated by Gu An, he had been cultivating bitterly, and his cultivation had skyrocketed. Now, he had reached the sixth layer of the Nascent Soul Realm.
A ninety-nine-year-old at the sixth layer of the Nascent Soul Realm!
It was quite astonishing!
However, Lu Xian felt a sense of defeat as, despite consuming so many pills, he still couldn't break through to the Immortal Realm before the age of one hundred.
"Are you participating in the Golden List Assembly?" Lu Xian asked as he walked closer.
Gu An smiled and said, "Why would I participate? With my talent, I would only embarrass myself."
Lu Xian's jaw twitched, and he took a deep breath before saying, "I plan to participate. Three years ago, one night, I suddenly felt a lot less pressure, and in these three years, I haven't been affected by heart demons or dreams. I might as well go to the Golden List Assembly to relax a bit."
Relax?
Others would probably be in for a tough time.
Gu An scoffed inwardly as he sensed the residual soul essence within Lu Xian's body.
Hmm?
There was one less residual soul; there were seven before, but now there were only six.
That night three years ago...
Gu An suddenly thought of something. Could it be that the Evil Emperor had also left a residual soul in Lu Xian's body? That didn't make sense.
What connection could there be between the Evil Emperor and Lu Xian? The Evil Emperor was the long-dead sect leader of the Lotus Flower Sect, and Lu Xian was the biological son of Lu Baitian...
Wait!
Could Lu Baitian be related to the Lotus Flower Sect?
(End of Chapter)
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