https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-132-Can-the-Sword-Sovereign-Resist-the-Power-of-Great-Ascension-/12575473/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-134-Becoming-the-Master-of-Tai-Xuan-Gate/12575477/
Chapter 133: Mountain God, Karmic Ties
Chapter 133: Mountain God, Karmic Ties
Gu An remained silent as he heard Xuan Miao Zhenren's muttering to himself.
"You've come to my home, seeking blessings?"
His gaze fell on the compass in Xuan Miao Zhenren's hand, and he wondered what kind of treasure it was that could lead one to blessings, far surpassing the abilities of his White Spirit Mouse.
Ever since the appearance of the Xuan Qing Tree, the White Spirit Mouse had been dozing off all day and no longer ventured out to seek treasures; it had become useless.
The forest was quiet in the depths of night, with a faint mist drifting through the trees. Xuan Miao Zhenren could see the passing shadows of ghosts, but he paid them no mind.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind blew towards them, rustling Xuan Miao Zhenren's robe and causing him to narrow his eyes.
"This is the realm of the Mountain God. Mortals are forbidden to trespass."
A vague and ethereal voice rang out, causing Xuan Miao Zhenren to halt in his tracks. He looked around but could not see anyone speaking, nor could he sense any vital energy when he probed with his spiritual sense.
Xuan Miao Zhenren was certain that he wasn't imagining things. Cupping his hands together, he introduced himself, "I am Li Xuanmiao, the sole disciple of the Taiqing lineage from Sanqing Mountain of the Chentang Empire."
Li?
Li Xuanmiao, Li Xuandao... Gu An would never believe that they were unrelated if he were beaten to death.
The name Sanqing also reminded Gu An of the Three Pure Ones from the Taoist mythology of his previous life in Hua Xia. He wondered if there was any connection.
Probably not; otherwise, the novel Feng Shen Yan Yi that he wrote would have already caused some trouble.
Perhaps the Tao of the Three Pure Ones reflects the myriad worlds. This world has traces of the Three Pure Ones, and so might the world of Hua Xia?
Gu An's thoughts raced, and he did not respond immediately.
Xuan Miao Zhenren continued, "I have come in search of blessings, and I wonder if I may have the honor of meeting the Mountain God?"
He didn't seem to doubt Gu An's words, which made Gu An curious.
"Could there truly be a Mountain God in this world, and that's why Xuan Miao Zhenren isn't surprised?" Gu An suddenly felt the urge to get to know Xuan Miao Zhenren better and learn more about this world.
"Why do you wish to meet the Mountain God?" Gu An's voice echoed once more, its source still indiscernible.
Xuan Miao Zhenren replied, "Meeting a celestial being is a rare and fortunate event in one's life. Of course, I also have a personal motive."
Being able to meet the Mountain God brought him great joy, even more meaningful than finding a treasure.
With his cultivation at the Hua Shen realm, he scanned his surroundings but could not locate the speaker, indicating a vast difference in their cultivation levels. Even if the speaker wasn't the Mountain God, they were undoubtedly a great cultivator far beyond his own realm.
The fact that the speaker hadn't directly attacked him showed that they weren't an evil person. Whether they were the Mountain God or not, they were worth befriending.
Whoosh—
A gust of wind rushed towards them, stirring up fallen leaves. Xuan Miao Zhenren had to raise his hand to shield himself.
When the wind subsided, Xuan Miao Zhenren looked forward, and his pupils suddenly contracted as surprise flashed across his face.
Following his gaze, Gu An saw a small white-robed figure standing on a large tree in front of them.
Indeed!
A small figure!
Only three inches tall, small enough to be grasped in one hand! This person wore white robes and a dramatic mask, giving them an air of mystery.
This white-robed small figure was none other than Gu An, who had used the Great As-You-Wish Godly Power to shrink himself.
The Great As-You-Wish power was a divine ability awakened by the Innate As-You-Wish Art, and the Innate As-You-Wish Art was his qi-gathering cultivation technique, evolved from the Qi Nurturing Art.
Xuan Miao Zhenren immediately knelt on one knee and cupped his hands in a respectful greeting, "Li Xuanmiao pays his respects to the Mountain God!"
He could sense that this was not an illusion; it was the first time he had seen someone so tiny, and it immediately convinced him that this was indeed the Mountain God.
He had never encountered a magic spell or divine power that could shrink people; at most, he had seen spells that could capture people and shrink them into small spaces.
Gu An jumped from one branch to another until he reached the tip of the branch, looking down at Xuan Miao Zhenren. "What treasure do you hold in your hand?" he asked.
He cast a Life Span Probe.
【Xuan Miao Zhenren (Hua Shen Realm, Layer 5): 198/900/4500】
A maximum lifespan of 4,500 years?
That didn't quite match his performance.
The legacy of Sanqing Mountain must be extraordinary!
Xuan Miao Zhenren quickly answered, "This is a treasure passed down from generation to generation in my Sanqing Mountain sect. As long as I carry it with me, when the qi of fate connects with the treasure, it will guide me to seek out the blessings destined for me, accelerating my path to growth."
As he spoke, a smile appeared on his face.
It was destined that he would encounter the Mountain God!
Gu An, on the other hand, wondered if the Xuan Tian Cave Abode was originally meant for Xuan Miao Zhenren.
It was very likely. If not for his golden finger, which was as good as a system, he wouldn't have come to the Northern Sea Mountain Range to cross the Tribulation, and he wouldn't have cracked open the Xuan Tian Cave Abode. Naturally, it wouldn't have belonged to him.
Thinking of this, it seemed that Gu An had taken away Xuan Miao Zhenren's opportunity.
Xuan Miao Zhenren continued, "Senior Mountain God, I have just accepted a disciple, but he is afflicted with a severe poison that I am unable to cure. May I trouble you to take a look at him?"
He had originally come in search of blessings, but he never expected to encounter the Mountain God. Since the Mountain God was a celestial being, he should be able to help resolve his worries.
Gu An remained silent, but he raised his hand, stroking his chin with his left hand while supporting his elbow with his right, and looked at Xuan Miao Zhenren with a thoughtful expression.
Understanding his hint, Xuan Miao Zhenren opened his right hand, and a spirit herb appeared in his palm. He offered it with both hands, saying, "This is a sixth-grade Earth Spirit Ganoderma. I hope the Mountain God will accept it."
Gu An waved his hand, and the spirit herb was drawn into his hand. This herb was larger than his entire body, and he looked comical holding it.
However, Xuan Miao Zhenren didn't find it funny; instead, he felt that it was quite spiritual.
The actions and thoughts of celestials should not be fathomed or defined by mortals.
"Bring your disciple here at this time tomorrow night," Gu An said.
Xuan Miao Zhenren immediately expressed his gratitude. When he raised his hand again, Gu An had already disappeared.
A smile appeared on his face, and he stood up and left without continuing forward. This pleased Gu An.
At least from what Gu An could discern, Xuan Miao Zhenren didn't seem like the type of person who harbored deep schemes and loved to plot.
When Gu An had probed Xuan Miao Zhenren earlier, he had caught a glimpse of his yao beast disciple and had seen through the poison within it, which happened to be something he could cure.
After Xuan Miao Zhenren had left, Gu An returned to the Eight Sceneries Cave Abode and began refining pills.
He took out the ever-blooming jasmine flowers that he had been storing, placed them into the pill furnace, and then condensed the Grand Pure True Fire to ignite the dry firewood under the cauldron.
Suddenly, he thought of something.
"Could it be that Xuan Gu's pill refining technique also originated from Sanqing Mountain, which is why he could refine the Grand Pure True Fire?"
That was indeed a possibility!
...
On the second night, Xuan Miao Zhenren arrived with his disciple, and they met in the same grove, shrouded in mist.
The fox yao youth was tense, leaning against Xuan Miao Zhenren as his eyes constantly scanned the surroundings, afraid that evil spirits would appear.
Xuan Miao Zhenren lifted his robe and knelt down on the spot, gesturing for the fox yao youth to kneel as well.
After kneeling for a while, a gust of wind blew by.
A pill the size of a thumb rolled to a stop in front of Xuan Miao Zhenren, and he picked it up without hesitation.
"Have your disciple consume it," Gu An's voice floated over. Without hesitation, Xuan Miao Zhenren had the fox yao youth swallow the pill.
The pill melted as soon as it entered the mouth. Xuan Miao Zhenren held the youth's wrist, feeling its pulse carefully. Soon, a delighted expression appeared on his face.
He looked up and asked, "May I ask, Mountain God, what kind of poison is my disciple afflicted with?"
"The poison of the jasmine flowers. He must have visited the place where the jasmine flowers grow and mistakenly ingested them," Gu An answered, appearing on a tree branch.
The fox yao youth stared with wide eyes at the miniature Mountain God.
Upon hearing this, Xuan Miao Zhenren's expression turned gloomy, and he grit his teeth, "The Jasmine Sect truly brings harm to the world and deserves to be eradicated!"
Gu An squatted on the tree branch, watching them, and said, "Your disciple is saved now, so you should leave. Remember, do not reveal my existence to anyone, or I will make things difficult for you."
Xuan Miao Zhenren looked up and said, "Mountain God, can you impart to me the ultimate skill to become the best in the world? I am willing to give up everything I have in exchange."
Being defeated by An Hao had become a thorn in his heart.
This was also the reason why he had been reluctant to return; he simply couldn't face his fellow sect members.
"The best in the world? If you could become the best, you wouldn't come to me. Since you can't become the best, everything you have is not worth the value of being the best." Gu An said nonchalantly.
Xuan Miao Zhenren's expression turned ugly, but a spark of hope ignited in his heart.
The Mountain God hadn't refused him! He had only been testing the waters, and he never expected there to be a glimmer of hope.
Indeed, no disciple of Sanqing Mountain had ever encountered a terrestrial immortal in all these generations, showing how difficult it was to find one.
Xuan Miao Zhenren said, "Please enlighten me, Mountain God. As long as it is within my ability and does not go against the principles of Sanqing Mountain, I will definitely agree to it!"
Gu An pretended to be deep in thought, his hands folded across his chest. After a while, he suddenly said, "I have an idea. What was the ability you used to summon the Xuan Heart Realm cultivator earlier? Trade it with me for what you desire."
Xuan Miao Zhenren's face changed drastically.
He felt even more reverence for the Mountain God in his heart!
The Mountain God could see through the realm of his backers, showing how profound the Mountain God's cultivation was!
Moreover, the battle had taken place far from this location.
Xuan Miao Zhenren quickly said, "This ability is called the Divine Gate of Communication. It can only be used to summon others and will not harm mortals. I can trade it to you, Mountain God."
As he spoke, he took out a scroll from his sleeve and held it up with both hands.
Gu An waved his hand, pulling the scroll to his side. He scanned it with his divine sense to confirm its authenticity before waving his right hand.
A book quickly landed in front of Xuan Miao Zhenren.
Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body!
Xuan Miao Zhenren's eyes lit up at the sight of these five words.
Since Gu An would eventually upgrade the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body, he wouldn't be stingy about imparting it. Moreover, this skill originated from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion.
He wanted to see how long it would take for Xuan Miao Zhenren, with his talent, to cultivate the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body.
Xuan Miao Zhenren picked up the secret manual and started browsing through it, but Gu An wasn't in a hurry. He put away the Divine Gate of Communication scroll into his storage bag.
After browsing for a while, Xuan Miao Zhenren's hands began to tremble.
He suddenly closed the manual and kept it in his embrace. Then, he took out seven wooden boxes, one by one, from the storage ring on his thumb.
He said, "This ultimate skill is even more powerful than the Divine Gate of Communication. I can't take advantage of you, Mountain God. These are the seeds of seventh-grade heavenly treasures. They were gifts from various dynasties to me, and I originally intended to use them to improve my cave abode. Now, I offer them to you!"
Hmm?
How thoughtful!
Gu An's impression of Xuan Miao Zhenren improved.
He waved his hand, placing the seven wooden boxes on the tree trunk next to him, and said, "You can leave now."
Xuan Miao Zhenren immediately kowtowed, and then had the fox yao youth do the same before leaving without lingering.
Gu An watched their departing backs and sighed inwardly, "What a twist of fate."
The twist of fate he was referring to was not between him and Xuan Miao Zhenren but between Xuan Miao Zhenren and the fox yao youth.
He couldn't help but send another lifespan probe.
【Yellow Spring Fox Yao (Qi Refining Realm, Layer 4): 14/999/14,000】
This maximum lifespan was identical to the Yellow Spring Yao Emperor, and they both had 'Yellow Spring' in their names. There must be a connection!
Gu An even suspected that this fellow was the Yellow Spring Yao Emperor!
(End of Chapter)
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