https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-193-If-You-Can-t-Lift-It-You-Can-t-Lift-It/12575814/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-195-Be-Careful-Fu-Daojian-Zun-May-Pat-You-on-the-Shoulder/12575867/
Chapter 194: Just Sparring, No Killing
Chapter 194: Just Sparring, No Killing
As summer arrived, Gu An was out in the Herbal Valley, gathering herbs under the scorching sun. With the drastic reduction in the number of demons across the land, the skies were clearer and bluer than ever. The Three Sects, the Holy Land, and the Demon Emperor's forces were all actively eradicating demons, causing Gu An's rate of harvesting lifespans to slow down.
However, everything was gradually returning to peace, which was a good thing for him.
A peaceful world, quiet farming, and secret cultivation—that was the true path to longevity.
Lu Jiujia approached Gu An and asked softly, "Senior Brother, will you be participating in the Pill Refining Competition at the end of the year?"
After the Demon Ancestor's death, Lu Baitian had begun to make his moves. First, he had Xuan Tianyi write a book, and now he was hosting the number one pill refining competition in the world, attracting the attention of cultivators everywhere with generous rewards. Disciples of the Tai Xuan Gate were also allowed to participate.
In Lu Jiujia's opinion, Gu An's pill refining skills were exceptional. He had helped batch after batch of menial disciples advance to outer sect disciples. In the Herbal Valley alone, more than twenty disciples had successfully built their foundations, and new faces appeared in the valley almost every year.
"I won't be joining the competition. Having my name on the gold list is enough for me to coast through life," Gu An replied casually.
There would be many more similar competitions in the future, and if there was a calligraphy competition, he might consider participating as he enjoyed practicing calligraphy in his free time.
Lu Jiujia began to reminisce about the development of the Tai Xuan Gate.
The sect had undergone earth-shaking changes since he first joined. The sect's culture had improved, and it had become more powerful. In the past, it was rare to even see a Nascent Soul realm cultivator, but now the Supplementary Platform had many more at the Spirit Creation, Void Traversing, and Union of Man and Sword realms. He had even heard tales of cultivators at the Xuan Heart realm.
The stronger the Tai Xuan Gate became, the more opportunities it would provide for its disciples. Take the upcoming pill refining competition, for example; even those who merely helped organize the event would receive generous rewards, which would greatly benefit disciples with ample time but lacking in cultivation resources.
Gu An listened attentively while continuing to pluck herbs.
Hearing the opinions of low-level cultivators about the Tai Xuan Gate was a better way to gauge whether the sect was on the right path.
Wait a moment!
Why am I thinking like a sect leader again?
Blame it on Lu Baitian!
However, Gu An had grown accustomed to being Lu Baitian's behind-the-scenes strategist, and he rather enjoyed it. He could give orders without having to execute them, satisfying his desire for command without exerting himself.
Lu Baitian also found this arrangement agreeable, and he believed that, in time, Gu An might even want to take control of the sect himself.
Months had passed since the Demon Ancestor's fall, and the Tai Xuan Gate had been sending inner and outer sect disciples to eradicate demons while dispatching formally acknowledged and true lineage disciples to explore the Land of Demons.
The Land of Demons was vast, and to the Three Sects, it was an unknown treasure trove. Even Xuan Heart realm grand cultivators couldn't resist venturing there.
Lu Lingjun had also left the Third Herbal Valley, but her departure had not affected the valley's operations.
After Lu Jiujia finished speaking, Gu An said thoughtfully, "Make sure you cultivate well the cultivation technique left by Wu Xin. The Tai Xuan Gate's rise indicates that the times are changing, and both you and I will have opportunities."
Lu Jiujia nodded, his mind beginning to wander as he imagined the possibilities.
Gu An handed over the herbs he had gathered to Lu Jiujia and gave him a few instructions before leaving the Herbal Valley.
Next up were the Celestial Valley, the Xuan Tian Cave Abode, the Mountain God Temple, and the Nianchu Cave Abode for herb gathering, and in the evening, he still had to enter the Eight Scenery Cave Heaven. It was a busy but fulfilling schedule.
Although there were fewer and fewer demons falling into madness, Gu An could still gain a lot of lifespans by gathering herbs.
He was even considering expanding the Nianchu Cave Abode and finding two female demons for Tian Yao'er.
Night fell.
In the Nianchu Cave Abode, Gu An sat at a stone table, sipping tea as he watched Tian Yao'er with the two little cat demons.
The Land of Demons was filled with countless demons, and Gu An was looking for those who were suffering.
The two little cat demons were twins, and their parents had been devoured by a mad demon the previous month. They had barely escaped and suffered numerous injuries over the past month. Tian Yao'er was helping them clean their wounds.
Seeing her joyful yet pained expression, Gu An couldn't help but think of An Xin.
Did all women like keeping pets?
Gu An extended his spiritual sense towards the depths of the Land of Demons. Legends of the Feared Demon were spreading throughout the Three Sects' lands, and it had become a source of dread for all. It was an existence even more terrifying than the Demon Ancestor, one that even the Holy Land, standing for countless millennia, could not shake.
The Feared Demon's demonic aura was spreading, and even Gu An, at the ninth layer of the Traveling Immortal realm, would need some time to locate it.
After a stick of incense's worth of time, Gu An's spiritual sense locked onto a location deep within the continent, a place nearly a million miles away from Tianhuang Mountain. The range of the demonic aura's coverage exceeded a hundred thousand miles.
Gu An's spiritual sense delved into the area with the densest demonic aura. Along the way, he spotted a group of mysterious cultivators, all of whom were quite powerful, with the weakest at the Grand Accomplishment realm. They were stationed in a temple within the mountains, cultivating individually without any interaction.
It seemed the Seven Star Spirit Realm wanted to guard the Feared Demon's unsealing.
Soon, he sensed a powerful restriction that could only be broken by someone at the Traveling Immortal realm. He felt that he could break through it, but he didn't want to disturb the Seven Star Spirit Realm or the Feared Demon, so he withdrew his spiritual sense.
There was no rush; he could take it slow.
It would be best if he could reach a lifespan of one hundred million years before the Feared Demon broke free of its seal, but if he couldn't, he would just have to break through early.
Gu An brought up his attribute panel and saw that his lifespan was about to reach nine million years. He felt no panic.
After a while, Gu An asked, "Have you thought of names yet?"
The two little cat demons didn't have very high spiritual intelligence and were still at the first tier.
Tian Yao'er thought for a moment and said, "Master, why don't you choose their names? Come to think of it, I don't even know what your name is."
As she spoke, her tone turned slightly plaintive, and she looked at Gu An with a hint of grievance in her eyes.
Gu An ignored her gaze and said, "How about Tian Qing and Tian Bai?"
Both cat demons were white cats, and the reason he chose the names Tian Qing and Tian Bai was because he thought of his own Qinghong Sword and Ye Lan's Bailing Sword.
Tian Yao'er immediately flattered, "What beautiful names, as expected of Master."
Gu An stood up, leaving with a final instruction, "Remember, don't let them step on the medicinal herbs."
Seeing him disappear into thin air, Tian Yao'er pouted, then hugged the two cat demons and walked towards the stone table. She suddenly noticed two books on the table.
"The Legend of the Sword Sovereign?"
Tian Yao'er's interest was piqued, and she placed the two cat demons on the table before picking up one of the books and flipping through it.
...
As summer drew to a close, the oppressive heat lingered in the heavens and earth.
Inside the Third Herbal Valley, Xuan Tianyi sat in a chair, his face filled with gloom. He couldn't help but ask, "Why is my book about the Sword Sovereign selling less than yours?"
Gu An replied without looking up from his writing, "Perhaps there are too many similar books, so the impact is diminished."
Not to mention other sects, but just within the Tai Xuan Gate, dozens of books about the Sword Sovereign Fu Dao had been published. With Qing Xia lacking Pan An's charisma, how could it gain popularity?
Xuan Tianyi sighed, feeling that he was more suited to writing travelogues.
He picked up a piece of paper that Gu An had just written on and began to read the words: "In the beginning, chaos reigned and the heavens were in turmoil. In the vast and boundless void, no one was there to witness. Then Pangu split the chaos, and from that moment on, clarity and turbidity were distinguished..."
Just the opening poem had captured his interest.
This was definitely a book akin to the Investiture of the Gods!
He read on with growing fascination.
When he finished the first page and looked for the second, he found that Gu An had not yet finished writing it.
Gu An was not only recalling the plot but also thinking about his handwriting, wanting to make it look nice.
"Never mind, take your time writing. I came here today to bid you farewell," Xuan Tianyi said, putting down the paper in his hand.
Without lifting his eyes from the paper, Gu An asked, "Where are you going?"
"To the Land of Demons, to seek out powerful demons. The Holy Land is leading us on this expedition," Xuan Tianyi replied.
Gu An nodded, "Be careful and don't let your guard down just because of your cultivation level."
"You brat, how dare you lecture me? I've wandered the oceans, unlike you, cooped up in the Tai Xuan Gate all day. Rest assured, I won't die easily. Below the Immortal Path, I am invincible," Xuan Tianyi boasted as he rose to his feet.
Gu An looked at him and asked, "What if you encounter an existence on the Immortal Path?"
"Then I shall die a glorious death!"
With that, Xuan Tianyi turned and strode towards the door, turning back at the threshold to urge, "Write faster. I want to see if your book can surpass the Investiture of the Gods."
He pushed the door open and left, and Gu An did not get up to see him off.
Surpass the Investiture of the Gods?
Gu An smiled and continued writing.
As dusk approached, he finally left the Third Herbal Valley.
...
In the depths of the night, within the mountain forests.
Zhang Bukou, clad in animal skins, strode forward with a stone axe at his waist. His gaze was fixed on the firelight coming from the mountain, where a temple stood, emitting a warmth that carried a strangely familiar aura.
It had been a month since he left the cave, and he had been heading north, intending to venture into the Land of Demons in search of opportunities. Along the way, he had barely interacted with cultivators or demons, so he felt nervous as he cautiously made his way up the mountain.
Before long, he entered the temple compound, which was quite large. He stood in the outermost courtyard, hesitating as the firelight was just beyond a wall.
"Since you're here, come and show yourself," a voice called out from the other side of the wall. Hearing this, Zhang Bukou breathed a sigh of relief and leaped over the wall in a flash.
He landed in front of the fire, sizing up the black-clad man sitting opposite him. The man had a cold and stern visage, and beside him was a striking heavy sword that drew the eye.
As Zhang Bukou examined Li Ya, Li Ya was also appraising him.
"My name is Zhang Bukou. May I ask for your name, friend?" Zhang Bukou asked, cupping his fist in a polite greeting.
He could sense that the man before him was powerful, but he was no longer the same as before. He felt a bit nervous, but not afraid.
"My name is Li Ya. Why do you have the aura of a demon within you?" Li Ya asked in response.
"My father is human, and my mother is a demon. Are you the same?" Zhang Bukou inquired.
Li Ya?
The name sounded vaguely familiar.
Hearing his question, Li Ya glared at him and coldly huffed, "How is that possible? I merely consumed a demon treasure and possess the power of demon blood."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Bukou couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed.
Li Ya noticed the stone axe at Zhang Bukou's waist and stood up, a smile appearing on his face. "Boy, how about a spar between us?"
Ever since witnessing the Sword Sovereign Fu Dao's Cangxing Town Heaven Infinite Sword, his understanding of the Great Azure Surprising God Sword had deepened. After half a year of diligent practice, he was eager to test his skills against someone.
Zhang Bukou subconsciously reached for the stone axe at his waist and asked, "Just a spar?"
Li Ya nodded, "Just a spar, no killing. I've been practicing my sword technique for half a year, and I want to see the fruits of my labor."
Zhang Bukou's eyes lit up, and a smile appeared on his face as he said, "To be honest, I've also been practicing hard for some time. Very well, let's begin."
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(End of Chapter)
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