https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-159-Jiang-Qiong-Returns-A-Helping-Hand-in-the-Dark-Night/12575526/
Chapter 158: Different Paths, Downfall
Chapter 158: Different Paths, Downfall
Late at night, beneath the depths of Xuan Valley, within the Eight Scenic Paradises, Gu An sat beneath the banyan tree, reading. His back rested against the main trunk, and two vines draped over his shoulders, gently massaging him.
Suddenly, he put down his book and straightened up.
"What's wrong, Master? Was I too rough?" The banyan tree's voice was soft and feminine, pitifully so.
"No, I just remembered something I need to take care of," Gu An replied.
The banyan tree trembled, its branches swaying as it hastily said, "Master, don't forget to bring some mutton next time!"
Gu An waved his hand and then disappeared from the spot.
He stepped out beyond the boundaries of the Tai Xuan Gate and appeared on a mountaintop. With autumn nearing its end, the night breeze was chilly, rustling his robes. His gaze was fixed on the distant horizon.
He could sense that Hao Long was in danger.
Although he had not formed a contract with Hao Long, ever since the dragon's birth, they had established a subtle connection—a link that felt similar to when the Xuan Miao Zhenren called out to him.
Following this subtle sensation, he extended his spiritual sense.
Soon, he locked onto a sect. His spiritual sense penetrated layer after layer of restrictions and entered a small realm similar to the Xu Xing Dong Tian.
Hmm?
"The Ghost Mother of the Epiphyllum, and the Nine Dark Thirteen Fierce!"
These guys were fighting the ancient masters of the Hao Zong!
Gu An's spiritual sense locked onto Hao Long, and his expression turned strange.
The one fighting Hao Long was none other than Su Han!
Su Han's aura was almost at the Nascent Soul stage, but it was chaotic and gave off the feeling that he could fall into the devil's path at any moment.
Although Hao Long was lazy and didn't cultivate much, his powerful bloodline meant that Su Han wouldn't be able to defeat him anytime soon.
The twenty-zhang-long Hao Long twisted his dragon body, occasionally spewing scorching flames from his mouth. Su Han's figure was like a ghost, dodging nimbly and swinging his sword from time to time. The sword qi slashed at Hao Long, causing his dragon blood to splatter continuously.
In Su Han's other hand was a cloth bag, which he was using to collect Hao Long's blood.
After hesitating for a moment, Gu An decided to intervene.
...
In the dim heavenly realm, Hao Long fled through the mountains and fields, with Su Han close behind, brandishing a bone sword.
"Damn... Who are you? I'll never forgive you for this!" Hao Long roared, his voice shaking the mountains and still sounding like that of a young boy.
Su Han's cold voice rang out from behind, "Hate God Sword, Su Han."
Hao Long's dragon eyes narrowed, clearly recognizing the name of the Hate God Sword, and fear flashed in his eyes. He fled even faster, his dragon body writhing like an eel.
Su Han leaped into the air, soaring into the high sky. He swung his sword, and a vast sword qi surged forth, condensing into seven sword shadows that struck at Hao Long. At the tail end of each sword shadow were several ghosts, as if evil spirits were pushing the swords. Under the night sky, the scene was eerie and terrifying.
A dark purple demonic shadow appeared out of thin air above Hao Long's dragon head. With a raise of its hand, it crushed Su Han's sword qi into nothingness.
Su Han's eyes widened as he recognized the figure.
It was him!
Su Han couldn't forget the mysterious demonic shadow that had killed his master, Zhong Liang, so he recognized it instantly.
Boom!
A terrifying spiritual sense instantly struck Su Han's mind, causing him to pass out and fall into the mountains.
Hao Long also suffered from the spiritual assault and instantly lost consciousness, his massive body crashing to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Gu An appeared before the fallen Su Han, who lay motionless on the grass, his life uncertain.
At that moment, the Ghost Mother of the Epiphyllum appeared out of thin air in front of Su Han. She knelt on one knee and cupped her hands, saying, "Please forgive me, Master. We didn't know that Hao Long was connected to you!"
The ghostly aura around her dissipated, revealing the pale face of a woman. Her eyes, as she looked at Gu An, were filled with delight.
Gu An asked indifferently, "Are you the Ghost Mother of the Epiphyllum?"
Although he had seen the Ghost Mother before, Fu Dao Jian Zun had not, so he needed to ask for confirmation.
"Yes, I am the Ghost Mother of the Epiphyllum," she replied respectfully.
Gu An continued, "The Ancient Hao Sect is also under my protection. Hao Long is the sacred beast of the Ancient Hao Sect, and I will not allow you to plunder from them."
By saying this, he implied that he had intervened because of the Ancient Hao Sect, not necessarily for Hao Long.
Upon hearing this, the Ghost Mother of the Epiphyllum cautiously asked, "Why are you protecting both sects?"
Gu An countered with a question, "The Epiphyllum Sect has been destroyed. Why haven't you returned to the Nine Abyss Road?"
The Ghost Mother of the Epiphyllum sighed, "We do want to go back, but the way back on the Nine Abyssal Road has been blocked by a Seven Star Spirit Realm cultivator. We had no choice but to escape back here."
Seven Star Spirit Realm?
Hearing this, Gu An became even more convinced that the Seven Star Spirit Realm was behind the demonic tribulation.
"Is this kid your disciple?" Gu An asked.
The Ghost Mother of the Epiphyllum gazed at Gu An, who was enveloped in demonic energy, and hesitated for a moment before responding, "He is not my disciple, merely one of my pawns. With the impending demonic tribulation, the world is on the cusp of a calamity. I sought to utilize this opportunity to cultivate him and transform him into a tool for me to transcend the Nine Abyssal Paths."
Using Su Han as a tool to break through the Seven Star Spirit Realm cultivator blocking the Nine Abyss Road? Gu An couldn't help but feel pity for Su Han, but he had no intention of rescuing him.
Su Han's desire for power had already become an obsession. Even without the Ghost Mother of the Epiphyllum, he would have strayed onto the wrong path. In Su Han's eyes, he wasn't doing anything evil—he was just striving to become stronger.
The reason Gu An didn't take Su Han's life himself was that he had never heard of Su Han slaughtering innocent civilians. Many had died by Su Han's hand, but they had all had grudges against him or the Hate God Sword, and most had tried to kill him first.
The Hate God Sword was originally Su Han's family sword style, so the relationship between him and Gu An couldn't be considered a true master-disciple relationship. Gu An had only provided him with some pills.
The past master-disciple relationship had already been severed, and Su Han's life and death were no longer related to Gu An.
Gu An's main concern now was to see what would become of Su Han.
Su Han, a master of the Reverse Life Divine Art, could devour the spiritual power of other cultivators. In a sense, this was similar to Gu An's ability to seize lifespan.
However, the path Su Han had chosen was completely different from Gu An's. This young man fought wherever he went, and his notoriety spread throughout the world.
The Ghost Mother of the Epiphyllum spoke of the effects of the Reverse Life Divine Art, and it was identical to the art practiced by Gu An, without a word of exaggeration.
From the Ghost Mother's perspective, she naturally didn't know that Fu Dao Jian Zun also cultivated the Reverse Life Divine Art, so she could speak freely. Perhaps she truly intended to establish Gu An as the leader of the Epiphyllum Sect.
"In the land from which we came, the Epiphyllum Sect stood for tens of thousands of years. The Spirit Energy there far surpasses that of the Nine Kingdoms. Although the Epiphyllum Sect has been destroyed by the Mountain God, only the traitors who sided with Jing Xian were eliminated. Our orthodox disciples remain, and if you accompany me back, at most a thousand years will pass before the Epiphyllum Sect can regain its former glory." The Ghost Mother spoke earnestly.
Gu An asked, "Is it because I know the Tai Cang Shocking God Sword? Don't you fear that I will sacrifice you, just as the Epiphyllum Sect has done?"
"Knowing the Tai Cang Shocking God Sword is only one reason. I have stayed in the Tai Xuan Gate for many years and have come to understand your deeds. The fact that you could inscribe the characters for 'righteous path' on the Supplementary Heaven Platform is enough to prove your character. If you are willing to lead the Epiphyllum Sect, you will surely guide it towards the righteous path. While the Epiphyllum tree is an evil entity, the Epiphyllum Sect was initially established by subduing the Epiphyllum tree and saving the people. Thus, its doctrine was established."
As the Ghost Mother spoke, she raised her right hand, and a token appeared in her palm.
"This is the command token of the leader of the Epiphyllum Sect. The deceased leader had always been searching for this token, unaware that it was in my possession. This token can locate all the disciples of the Epiphyllum Sect, as well as the hiding place of the orthodox disciples' heritage."
Gu An reached out and sent his spiritual sense into the token.
He felt a powerful restriction that could only be broken by a Grand Vehicle cultivator. Of course, this restriction was only considered powerful to others, but to him, it was as if it didn't exist.
As his spiritual sense entered the token, he felt as if his spiritual sense was overlooking the earth. He saw a chaotic and dim world filled with darkness and terrain, devoid of flora and fauna.
Through the scenes within the token, he could locate the positions of other Epiphyllum Sect cultivators.
In addition, this token had other functions, and the many restrictions within it intrigued Gu An.
He withdrew his spiritual sense and said, "I'll take this token for now. From now on, showing this token is as good as seeing me."
Upon hearing this, the Ghost Mother was overjoyed and quickly thanked Gu An.
Gu An then disappeared from the spot.
The Ghost Mother immediately got up and left with Su Han, not daring to lay a finger on the distant Hao Long.
...
At the end of autumn, in Xuan Valley.
Gu An watched as his disciples swept the fallen leaves from the various gardens, while his spiritual sense was focused on the distant battle between the Tai Cang Imperial Court and the Han Lu Imperial Court.
Lu Xian and Wu Jue were also participating in the battle, showcasing their prowess. They were already approaching the Han Lu Imperial City.
Gu An's gaze was mainly fixed on Ye Yan, who was also from Xuan Valley. After receiving guidance from Luo Hun and Zhou Tongyou in spear techniques and body tempering methods, he joined the army after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.
Decades had passed, and Ye Yan was now a general in the Tai Cang Imperial Court, with remarkable military achievements. Although he had not yet formed his Golden Core, his strength on the battlefield was not to be underestimated.
After all, most soldiers were below the Elixir stage, and those who could form an Elixir had mostly transcended the constraints of the imperial court, pursuing their own immortal path.
As Gu An watched the battle, he felt that it resembled the plot of the "Investiture of the Gods."
Cultivators from both sides charged into battle, engaging in magical duels. The losing side would then be overwhelmed by the enemy army, gradually retreating.
Just as he was engrossed in the battle, Zhen Qin flew over on her sword and landed beside Gu An. She said in a low voice, "Master, Su Han is being hunted by the Ancient Hao Sect."
Gu An replied nonchalantly, "I've said it before. He's not your senior brother."
Zhen Qin pouted and said, "Of course, he's not my senior brother on the surface, but we grew up together. How could I possibly cut off all ties with him?"
"Then telling me is useless. What do you expect me to do?"
"Master! I'm just anxious and want to chat with you!" Zhen Qin retorted, rolling her eyes.
Gu An glanced at her and smiled. "Don't worry about him. He's been hunted for so many years, yet he's still doing fine. Instead of worrying about him, you should worry about yourself. It seems like you've encountered more danger than he has."
He was referring to the incident where Zhen Qin was saved by Xuan Miao Zhenren, although she hadn't mentioned the existence of the Mountain God. However, Ye Lan knew about her encounter and had informed Gu An.
Zhen Qin was about to refute when she suddenly sensed something. She took out her disciple token from her storage bag.
Gu An did the same, taking out his Valley Master token and sending his spiritual sense into it. Immediately, he heard the voice of the Ancient Sect:
"The Grand Elder, Ku Song, investigated the land of demons and unfortunately perished. Three days later, all disciples will enter the affiliated cities to pay respects to the ancestors!"
Thanks to Xinglingzhixue for the 5,000 starting coins!
(End of Chapter)
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