https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-165-Demon-Invasion-Descending-the-Mountain-to-Hunt-/12575539/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-167-The-Green-Hero-Emerges-The-Nine-Cultivators-Under-Heaven/12575561/
Chapter 166: Eight Million Years of Lifespan!
Chapter 166: Eight Million Years of Lifespan!
As Ye Lan and the other disciples gazed upon the group of shadowy figures carrying the coffin, their brows furrowed in concern. They couldn't discern the strangers' auras, and this weighed heavily on their minds.
The figures were none other than the Jiu You Shi San Li, and under the cover of night, they appeared as thirteen ghostly shadows—a terrifying sight.
"We are disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall of Tai Xuan Gate," a male disciple declared in a low voice, his tone carrying the weight of their affiliation with the mighty Tai Cang Imperial Court.
Unmoved by this proclamation, the Jiu You Shi San Li continued their approach, forcing the Law Enforcement Hall disciples to back away.
"Alright, stop scaring them. Let them leave quickly," a weak voice said from within the coffin.
Zhen Qin widened her eyes and blurted out, "Su Shixiong?"
Su Han?
The Law Enforcement Hall disciples were shocked and quickly retreated, their faces paling at the mention of that name. Even Ye Lan's expression turned solemn.
Su Han was a notorious name in the cultivation world, infamous for his malevolent deeds.
"So it's your junior sister," a shadowy figure said in a sinister tone. "No wonder you wanted to let them go. Now scram."
Zhen Qin wanted to say something more, but Ye Lan stopped her. Without further exchange, Ye Lan promptly led the disciples away.
As they left, Zhen Qin kept turning back, her eyes fixed on the coffin, but her gaze couldn't penetrate its wooden surface.
And so, Ye Lan and the others quickly departed.
The Jiu You Shi San Li set down the coffin, and the lid was opened to reveal Su Han sitting inside, his hair disheveled as he clutched the coffin board with one hand.
The thirteen figures dispersed, setting up arrays in different directions.
Su Han's eyes followed the direction in which Ye Lan, Zhen Qin, and the others had left, his gaze complex and unreadable, lost in his thoughts.
A thousand miles away...
Gu An stood atop a tree, his eyes fixed on the distant scene, his hands clasping the Qinghong Sword, and his face hidden behind a mask. A faint glow shone in his eyes.
After a long while, Gu An turned away and leaped into the forest.
...
Spring arrived, bringing with it the revival of nature. The skies above Tai Xuan Gate turned a beautiful azure, adorned with fluffy white clouds, creating a picturesque scene.
In the Third Medicine Valley...
Gu An was busy plucking medicinal herbs, with An Xin by his side, holding a bamboo basket.
During these days, Gu An had been venturing out daily to slay demons and save people. While his lifespan wasn't increasing at a rapid pace, he still managed to gain several thousand years of lifespan each day.
More importantly, he wasn't solely focused on hunting demons. During these excursions, he also immersed himself in the lives and struggles of the common folk.
"Valley Master, do you have any news about my brother?" An Xin suddenly asked, a question she had been holding back for a long time.
She knew that Gu An was acquainted with An Hao and had a close relationship with his master, Lu Bai Tian.
"I heard about him some time ago," Gu An replied as he continued plucking herbs. "He's in Tian Wei, and there are rumors of him marrying a princess from the royal family there. The exact date hasn't been set yet, and he's currently in seclusion in Tian Wei."
This wasn't a secret; it had already spread within the inner sect. As the top genius of Tai Xuan Gate, An Hao's every move attracted gossip and speculation.
Tai Xuan Gate had dispatched elders to discuss this matter, and they supported the union between An Hao and the Tian Wei royal family.
Hearing this, An Xin heaved a sigh of relief and curiously asked, "How is the princess of Tian Wei in terms of talent and appearance?"
"I'm not sure about her talent, but she's supposed to be very beautiful," Gu An answered. "You should know your brother's taste by now. He wouldn't settle for anything less in the looks department."
Whenever the topic turned to An Hao, An Xin's face would light up with a smile, and she would eagerly share some embarrassing story from their childhood. Gu An listened attentively, never showing the slightest hint of impatience.
He was genuinely happy for An Hao's impending marriage.
Even though he himself had never married, the thought of his foster son taking this step filled Gu An with joy.
After they finished gathering the herbs, the two of them headed back toward the pavilion complex.
Gu An asked An Xin to take the medicinal herbs to the storage building, while he went upstairs alone to read and relax.
As evening fell, Gu An left the Third Medicine Valley and continued his wandering hero's journey.
Time passed, and months later, Gu An celebrated his ninetieth birthday. During this period, he had slain a total of 12,300 demons, adding nearly 400,000 years to his lifespan, pushing his total lifespan past the eight million-year mark.
Cultivators across the land were engaged in the same endeavor—slaying demons and helping those in need. While Gu An hadn't yet made a name for himself, the tens of thousands of people he had saved would never forget him. Sooner or later, his deeds would become widely known.
The eight kingdoms continued their internecine wars, inching closer to unification, while the cultivation world focused on repelling the demon hordes. However, no matter how many demons they vanquished, the number of demons in the Eight Kingdoms seemed to only increase.
The Demon Tribulation was different from what many expected. It wasn't a single overwhelming invasion but a constant infiltration.
Perhaps when the Demon Ancestor revived, the situation would change drastically.
In the heat of summer...
Gu An, disguised and traveling incognito, walked along a mountain path. Along the way, he encountered numerous refugees, their faces gaunt and yellow, their clothes dusty and tattered, their bodies swaying as they walked like lifeless zombies. Even as they passed by Gu An, they didn't turn their heads, as if nothing in this world could spark their interest or concern.
This wasn't the first time Gu An had witnessed such a scene.
These refugees had likely lost their homes to the demons and were now making their way to other cities in search of refuge. However, in these turbulent times, it wasn't just demons that brought misery; there were also evil humans who took advantage of the chaos to prey on the weak. Gu An had even slain a few such villains who were in the midst of abusing helpless women.
Gu An did not turn his head to look at the refugees either. He was pondering a question: If he didn't have the ability to take away lifespan, how would he survive in this world? From the holy lands above, where demons bred calamity, to the common folk below, suffering at the hands of evil beings and villains.
Gu An wanted to continue his selfish cultivation, but if it didn't put him at risk, he also wanted to do what he could to help.
As he walked, he pondered.
Suddenly, he sensed a presence approaching from the south, and he snapped back to attention, his spiritual sense sweeping out to investigate.
His Nirvana Realm Level Nine spiritual sense swept over the land and rivers, reaching the boundless azure ocean.
At the edge of the horizon, he spotted a dazzling white light. Upon closer inspection, it was a cluster of white lotuses forming a staircase in the sky, extending forward endlessly. The lotuses behind disappeared as a Daoist figure walked upon them, stepping on the lotuses, leaving them blooming in his wake, like an immortal walking in the mortal realm.
A Great Vehicle Realm cultivator!
Finally, a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator had returned, and Gu An felt relieved.
If he had to face the Demon Tribulation alone, he would seriously consider fleeing with his people.
The power to change the fate of a sect's destruction, the Seven Stars Spirit Realm, and those unseen forces would surely focus their attention on him. Even if he hid himself well, he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't be found out. This went against his principles of cultivation.
With someone to share the burden, he could act more freely.
Subsequently, Gu An quickened his pace, continuing his demon-slaying plan.
He didn't kill every demon he came across; he only targeted those that attacked villages and innocent people.
If he could earn a few dozen thousand years of lifespan in a year, then in less than three years, he would be able to break through.
Gu An was eagerly anticipating the second realm of immortality.
...
The return of the Daoist from the Cang Tian Sect!
This news was like a bombshell, shaking the entire cultivation world. When the news reached the Tai Xuan Gate, the disciples were thrilled, and various legends about the Daoist began to spread throughout the cities.
When Gu An went to the Outer Gate Library to return some books, he overheard many disciples discussing the Daoist.
Information about the Daoist was scarce, but one thing was clear: the Cang Tian Sect referred to him as a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator!
After all these years of tribulation, the Great Vehicle Realm was no longer a secret in the cultivation world. It symbolized the pinnacle of what mortals could achieve and represented the highest realm of cultivation!
With the Daoist's return, various sects were actively trying to contact their absent elders, hoping for the emergence of a Great Vehicle Realm cultivator among them.
It's worth mentioning that during this month, the Wu Zhen Dynasty surrendered to the Tai Cang Dynasty, which once again annexed their lands. Meanwhile, Tian Wei annexed the Da Zhao Dynasty, reducing the once Nine Dynasties to six.
In terms of territorial expanse, the Tai Cang Dynasty was now the largest, and the name of Li Xuandao was often mentioned even in the cultivation world.
After leaving the library, Gu An walked through the streets, listening to the surrounding disciples discuss various events in the cultivation world, and he found it all fascinating.
The cultivation world was rallying its forces, and he couldn't afford to fall behind.
He aimed to quietly break through to the second realm of immortality before the unification of the world.
Half an hour later, Gu An left the outer gate city and headed towards the Bei Hai Mountain Range to pluck herbs from Xuan Miao Zhen Ren's herb garden.
Late into the night, Gu An set out once more.
This time, he arrived at a valley less than two hundred li away from the nearest town. The valley was shrouded in demonic energy, and within it, several dozen people were captured, with over two hundred demons present. The strongest among them had reached the Nascent Soul Realm, and due to its severe injuries, it ordered its underlings to descend the mountain and capture humans.
Gu An stood on a cliff, overlooking the flickering fires in the valley below. Suddenly, he sensed a presence, and his eyes narrowed behind his mask.
Without hesitation, he leaped down.
When dealing with demons that preyed on civilians, Gu An never used spells or supernatural powers; he relied solely on his sword techniques to slay them.
Half an incense stick's time later.
In the valley, several dozen ragged commoners knelt on the grass, kowtowing to Gu An.
On the cliff wall in front of Gu An hung a giant cat demon, its body riddled with wounds, embedded in the mountain, with rocks sliding down continuously.
In addition, all around Gu An lay the corpses of demons, a grisly sight.
Gu An spoke, "Hurry and return to your homes."
Hearing this, the commoners quickly got up and ran towards the valley entrance.
Gu An's gaze fell on a transformed demon lying below the cat demon's corpse. Its body was twitching.
A woman suddenly turned back and said, "Noble Sir, that demon treated us well and even wanted to save us. Please don't kill him."
As soon as she spoke, the other fleeing commoners stopped and joined her in pleading for the demon's life, testifying to its kindness.
Gu An waved his hand, and the commoners had no choice but to leave. The woman bit her lip and eventually followed suit.
Soon, the valley fell silent.
The transformed demon below the cat demon struggled to its feet. It looked more like a human than a demon.
"Whether you kill me or not is up to you..." Zhang Bukou looked at the mysterious swordsman before him and said resolutely, his eyes fearless.
Thanks to cRa2yH for the 100,000 Qidian coins and Yizhan Candelight for the 100,000 Qidian coins!
Tonight, two alliance leaders emerged, their fame overshadowing even the return of the Daoist. How terrifying!
Thank you, thank you!
Today's update begins!
(End of Chapter)
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