https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-62-Preparing-for-a-Breakthrough-The-Immortal-Sword-Formation/12575115/
Chapter 61: The Secrets of Tai Xuan Gate, the Divide Between Righteousness and Evil
Chapter 61: The Secrets of Tai Xuan Gate, the Divide Between Righteousness and Evil
After Li Ya left, Gu An quietly placed Elder Chen's storage bag inside the Eight Scenic Grotto-heaven before heading to the Third Medicine Valley that afternoon.
He wandered around, inspecting the valley, his brow furrowed in concentration.
After a long while, Elder Tian finally took the bait.
He approached Gu An and asked curiously, "Valley Master, why are you frowning?"
Gu An glanced at him and shook his head slightly without saying a word.
Elder Tian took a step forward and said, "Perhaps I can't help you, but sometimes, just speaking your mind can make you feel better. I might be able to offer some advice from an outsider's perspective."
Upon hearing this, Gu An sighed and proceeded to tell him about the recent events at the outer sect, including how Li Ya, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, had been injured while protecting him.
He specifically mentioned Li Ya by name because he wanted this former sect master to remember Li Ya's contribution.
Gu An always felt that Elder Tian wouldn't simply spend the rest of his life here; perhaps one day, he would stage a comeback.
After Gu An finished speaking, Elder Tian furrowed his brow.
Gu An couldn't help but complain, "The Demon-catching Hall of the outer sect is always on the lookout for spies from the demonic path, but even after all these years of catching them, there are still demonic cultivators infiltrating Tai Xuan Gate. Is Tai Xuan Gate truly the number one sect? We can't even guarantee the safety of our disciples within our own sect!"
"It's fine if I get killed, but I worry about my disciples."
At this point, he sighed again, feeling anxious and frustrated.
Even he had to admire his own acting skills.
If acting skills could be included in the attribute panel, he would have surely reached the pinnacle of perfection, leaving some room for improvement to strive for a return to simplicity.
Elder Tian sighed as well and said, "It does sound troublesome, but that's just how the cultivation world is. No matter which sect it is, they don't pay attention to the menial disciples. To put it bluntly, they don't even consider them true disciples."
Gu An's brow furrowed, and this time, it was a genuine reaction.
Hearing such words from the former sect master stung.
"However, I've heard that the new sect master is a righteous and virtuous man, and he's the elders' hall's preferred choice. Perhaps he can change the current situation and will definitely be better than the previous sect master," Elder Tian continued, his expression unchanged, as if he wasn't the one being criticized or speaking in a sarcastic tone.
Gu An didn't respond and merely sighed before continuing to inspect the medicinal plants.
Elder Tian didn't keep pace with him, and Gu An didn't bring it up again, fearing that too much would be suspicious.
An hour later, Gu An returned to Xuan Valley.
Recently, he had planned to stay in Xuan Valley and return on the same day if he went elsewhere.
The disciples of Xuan Valley were puzzled as to why Gu An had been staying in the valley lately. It was only when Wu Xin and Tang Yu went to the outer sect that they learned that demonic cultivators had infiltrated, which made them feel both tense and touched.
Their master had them in his heart!
Ever since the establishment of the Third Medicine Valley, the disciples had felt that their relationship with Gu An had become more distant, but now, they felt close to him again.
Wu Xin felt the greatest pressure, so he began to urge the disciples to practice spells, striving for each of them to have at least a strand of self-preservation strength.
He purchased some loud and flashy spells from the outer sect for the disciples to cultivate.
It would be difficult to counter-attack the demonic cultivators, but if the battle created enough noise, they might be able to attract support from the outer sect.
Gu An didn't stop him, thinking that this matter might enhance Xuan Valley's cohesion and, at the same time, hone Wu Xin's leadership and organizational skills.
Several days later, Ye Lan arrived.
Like Li Ya, she had come because she was worried about Gu An.
In the attic, Ye Lan took out a sword from her storage bag and placed it on the table. "There have been demonic cultivators lurking around lately, and their cultivation levels are not low. This sword is called the Green Swan Sword. Carry it with you. Although it doesn't possess great power, it is linked to my White Spirit Sword. If you encounter danger, I will be able to sense it immediately, and I will come to rescue you."
Gu An couldn't help but laugh and say, "Junior Sister, your cultivation is only a few layers higher than mine. Don't come here to throw your life away!"
"Throwing my life away?" Ye Lan thought about it for a moment and immediately understood what he meant. She glared at Gu An and humphed, "Senior Brother, if it comes to a fight, I can subdue you with just one move. Don't think that just because you act this way in front of me, I can't handle myself against others."
"It seems that my junior sister is indeed powerful. I've underestimated you, sister."
Gu An laughed and picked up the Green Swan Sword.
The scabbard was exquisite, adorned with a carving of a wild goose soaring in the clouds, giving it a unique charm. He drew the sword, and a flash of light revealed a slender blade.
"It's so beautiful. I'll wear it at my waist from now on," Gu An smiled.
This remark made Ye Lan's eyebrows dance with delight.
Gu An found that although Ye Lan's appearance wasn't as stunning as Ji Xiaoyu's or Li Xuanyu's, she was quite attractive the more he looked at her.
Ye Lan sat down and smiled as she watched Gu An fiddle with the Green Swan Sword.
Gu An suddenly asked curiously, "If you were in danger, could the Green Swan Sword sense the White Spirit Sword?"
Ye Lan raised an eyebrow and said, "What, Senior Brother, do you want to protect me?"
"Hahaha, how is that possible? You know that your senior brother has never fought anyone. I would only get in your way if I went."
"As long as you know, Senior Brother. If I'm in danger, don't come to me no matter what."
"Rest assured, I'm a coward."
"Hehe, I'm also a coward. I don't want to die. I must live on. If something happens to me, I'm afraid you'll be bullied, Senior Brother."
"Nonsense. Have I been bullied over all these years?"
"Then I wish Senior Brother a lifetime of peace."
...
After Li Ya left, Xuan Valley didn't encounter any more danger. When autumn arrived, Gu An calculated the time and realized that a batch of medicinal herbs in the Third Medicine Valley should be mature, so he returned.
After exiting the teleportation platform, Gu An's gaze involuntarily drifted towards his pavilion.
There was someone in the pavilion!
Shen Zhen!
Instead of going directly to find Shen Zhen, Gu An wandered into a garden area, beginning to pluck herbs as various prompts popped up before his eyes. A smile tugged at his lips, and he felt incredibly pleased.
No matter how high his cultivation base became, seeing his lifespan increase always brought him joy.
He wondered how far a million years of lifespan could take his cultivation.
Gu An had searched through all the books in the Outer Sect's library and found no records of ascension. Moreover, no one seemed to know just how vast this world was.
The larger the world, the higher the cultivation levels would be. Just within the Tai Xuan Gate, there were Grand Masters at the Crossing Tribulation Realm, and that true disciple who was out traveling might have already surpassed that realm. Yet, even they couldn't claim invincibility in this world.
The path of cultivation was long and arduous.
As Gu An picked the herbs, his mind wandered.
When he finished, he turned and headed towards his pavilion.
Passing by Elder Tian, the elder spoke up, "That Shen young lady has come looking for you several times."
Gu An nodded slightly and continued on his way.
Elder Tian hesitated for a moment before saying, "I told Elder Gu Zong about what you mentioned. Perhaps things will improve for the Outer Sect."
Hearing this, Gu An turned back with a smile on his face. "Elder Tian, you see, everyone has their use. You always say that you're ready to return to the earth, but you can also help the countless disciples of the Outer Sect. Thank you." Gu An raised his hand in a salute and then turned to leave.
Elder Tian looked thoughtful, murmuring to himself, "Everyone has their use..."
On the other side, Gu An entered his pavilion and pushed open the door. He saw Shen Zhen sitting at the desk, writing with a brush. She was still dressed in black, her face veiled, her long hair pinned up with two graceful strands framing her face, giving her a gentle and watery beauty.
Without lifting her eyes, Shen Zhen seemed to sense his presence and continued writing unhurriedly.
Gu An walked over and stood beside her, curious about what she was writing.
She paused, then slowly put down her brush and began to roll up the paper.
However, Gu An had already caught a glimpse of the content, and his expression turned strange, as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
Shen Zhen stood up and tucked the paper into her sleeve. She walked to the side, creating some distance between them, and said with a smile, "I've been looking for you several times, but you're never here. Is that outer sect's medicine valley so captivating?"
Gu An replied helplessly, "Lately, the outer sect hasn't been safe. I can't bring all my disciples with me, so I have to stay and guard them since my cultivation is higher than theirs."
The reason he revealed this was that he hoped she would pass on the message to the higher-ups.
The more people spoke about it, the more likely something would be done.
"With your current achievements, not only entering the inner sect but even going to the Tai Xuan Gate's main city would be easy. Why don't you just focus on writing instead of getting involved in these trivial matters?" Shen Zhen asked curiously.
Gu An answered, "You are the Holy Maiden of the Dao Tian Sect, with resources that ordinary people can't even dream of. Why don't you focus on cultivating instead of indulging in music, chess, painting, and calligraphy?"
Shen Zhen fell silent.
Gu An started tidying up the table.
After a while, Shen Zhen sighed, "As expected of the one who wrote about the Tai Xuan Immortal Lord, only you can understand me. If something happens to you, I won't just lose a good book to read, but also a confidant."
"Don't worry, I'll tell you a secret."
She waved her sleeve, and a gust of wind closed the door. Then, she took out a stack of talismans and pasted them on the doors and windows.
Gu An looked at her curiously, wondering what secret could save his life.
"There are people within the Tai Xuan Gate who want to cultivate demonic powers to reach higher realms and face the future demon calamity," Shen Zhen said calmly, her eyes colder than ever before. "Whether this art will succeed is yet to be determined, so your outer sect's city is like a testbed. They can't be too obvious about it, as it would damage the reputation of a righteous sect. So, they use the pretext of capturing demonic cultivators to cover their tracks."
Frowning, Gu An asked, "How do you know about this?"
"Because the Dao Tian Sect is also attempting the same thing," Shen Zhen replied. "Sacrificing some low-level disciples for the long-term survival of the sect is a worthy trade."
Gu An's heart twisted uncomfortably at her words.
"What kind of demonic art requires sacrificing disciples?" he demanded.
"In the path of cultivation, we go against the heavens," Shen Zhen explained. "The higher the realm, the more one can sense the mandate of heaven. This demonic art allows those Grand Masters who have reached a cultivation bottleneck to break through that mandate. In any case, you should give up on that outer medicine valley. Staying there will only bring you harm. They are afraid that you will write about this, so they don't dare to tell you directly. Don't say that I told you."
Gu An fell silent, feeling conflicted.
The distinction between righteousness and evil seemed absurd at this moment.
Shen Zhen's eyes curved into a smile as she asked, "By the way, what did you think of my book? The one you read earlier."
Gu An's expression turned strange again, and he said seriously, "Actually, 'The Green Hero's Journey' also has its flaws. There are some things that one shouldn't emulate."
"Why not?" Shen Zhen asked. "It's the most realistic portrayal of human emotions."
"Must you write it?"
"Yes."
"Then can the protagonist not be named Gu An?"
...
(End of Chapter)
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