https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-61-The-Secrets-of-Tai-Xuan-Gate-the-Divide-Between-Righteousness-and-Evil/12575114/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-63-Breakthrough-to-the-Fusion-Realm-/12575116/
Chapter 62: Preparing for a Breakthrough, The Immortal Sword Formation
Chapter 62: Preparing for a Breakthrough, The Immortal Sword Formation
"What is there to be afraid of? There's more than one Gu An in this world, you know. Unlike you, I can't just make up characters. I need to be inspired by a person to write their story, and you fit the bill for a male protagonist. Based on what I know, your only flaw is your low cultivation level."
Shen Zhen's words were earnest, but they made Gu An's face twitch.
Was that a compliment?
It sounded more like a personal attack.
If I revealed my true cultivation, even your father might not compare! Gu An continued to persuade, but Shen Zhen stubbornly refused to change the name.
Finally, Shen Zhen offered to exchange a secret manual for the use of his name, and he had no choice but to agree.
After Shen Zhen left, Gu An remained in the attic, flipping through the secret manual she had given him.
"The Mystic Sound Technique!"
This was a sonic spell that could damage one's organs and confuse the senses—a very comprehensive ability.
It was exactly what Gu An needed, and he could deepen his understanding of it in the future.
After reading through it once, he tossed the manual into his storage bag and got up to leave.
...
A month later, Gu An arrived at the Outer Sect's city and headed to the Pill Hall to submit his harvest for the year.
Elder Zhu Qinglu received him, and Gu An noticed the elder's tired appearance and the faint demonic energy swirling within him, similar to Lu Jiujia.
"Elder Zhu, you don't look well. What's wrong?" Gu An asked.
He was unclear about the demonic cultivation practiced in the Outer Sect. People had gone missing, and during this visit to the Outer Sect's city, he noticed that many disciples had a hidden trace of demonic energy within them. These disciples were mostly from the various halls and were not ordinary disciples.
He couldn't tell if they had willingly joined the dark side or were being manipulated, and Shen Zhen hadn't elaborated either.
Zhu Qinglu smiled and said, "It's just exhaustion from cultivation. No need to worry. Don't you have a medicinal valley in the Inner Sect? You should move there soon and stay away from the Outer Sect. With demonic cultivators running rampant, it's too dangerous out here."
Gu An probed further, "Many people have told me that the Outer Sect is very dangerous these days. If it's so dangerous, why hasn't the higher-ups sent more people to eradicate the demonic cultivators?"
"Also, what's with the construction in the city? It's taking up almost a quarter of the area."
Ever since he arrived at the Outer Sect's city, he had seen disciples laying stones in the center of the city. Those stones were not ordinary; they could all store spiritual energy.
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like they were building a massive altar.
Zhu Qinglu casually replied, "The higher-ups have their reasons, which we can't speculate about. All we can do is try to protect ourselves. As for the construction, it's a formation platform that will protect the Outer Sect in the future."
From his demeanor, Gu An felt that Zhu Qinglu was not a good person. He probably knew the inside story and was benefiting from it.
Gu An didn't press further and only exchanged a few more pleasantries before taking his leave.
After leaving the Pill Hall, Gu An stood on the street, gazing from a distance at the formation platform under construction.
Dark clouds hung overhead, casting the once vibrant and sunny Outer Sect's city in a gloomy light, resembling a land of demonic cultivation.
Gu An stood there for a long while before turning to leave.
The autumn wind blew down the street, rustling his clothes. The Green Rainbow Sword at his waist swayed slightly, its sheath glinting with a cold light.
After leaving the Outer Sect's city, Gu An went to tend to the caves.
When he arrived at Li Xuanyu's cave, he found her inside.
"From now on, you don't have to come anymore. I'll be going to the Inner Sect, and these are for you." Li Xuanyu sat by the table and waved her hand, causing spirit stones to pile up on the table.
Gu An immediately bowed in gratitude and then proceeded to collect the spirit stones into his storage bag.
He didn't say much more and turned to leave.
Li Xuanyu watched his retreating figure and suddenly asked, "I heard your leg technique is quite remarkable?"
Gu An paused and turned to look at her, saying, "Did Li Ya tell you about it? My leg technique is not as good as his."
Some time ago, when Li Ya was in the Mysterious Valley, he had seen Tang Yu practicing the Remnant Wind Leg and had learned about Gu An's past of subduing Meng Lang with the same technique.
He hadn't expected Li Ya to tell Li Xuanyu so soon...
"Hmm, I was just asking casually," Li Xuanyu said calmly. She paused for a moment and added, "I look forward to the day you enter the Inner Sect so we can compete again."
Gu An was confused and helplessly said, "How can I compete with you, Senior Sister? I could never catch up to you."
"Go back now."
Li Xuanyu didn't respond to his words and instead gave him a dismissal.
Gu An had no choice but to leave.
After leaving her cave, Gu An didn't feel too burdened.
As long as he didn't admit it, what could Li Xuanyu do?
...
Late at night, Gu An traveled through the mountains. In the afternoon, he had already informed Wu Xin that he would be going out and wouldn't be back until the next day.
He had informed Wu Xin in advance because he was preparing for a breakthrough.
Once he broke through, the disturbance would be significant, and if the disciples happened to look for him and found him absent from his room, they might grow suspicious.
Ever since his visit to the Outer Sect's city, Gu An had felt a strong sense of danger.
The fact that those in power were cultivating demonic arts and that noble disciples were fleeing the Outer Sect filled him with worry.
Although the ninth layer of the Void Crossing realm was powerful, there were also Void Crossing cultivators in Tai Xuan Sect, so after struggling for several days, Gu An decided to break through a major realm first.
At worst, the function of extending his lifespan by a million years would be delayed by a year!
This time, he took a very roundabout route, traveling three hundred miles at night and stopping in a dense forest. The reason he stopped was that he sensed two Nascent Soul-stage auras, one of which he had encountered before.
Left Sword!
Zuo Yi Jian, also known as the Sword Maniac of Canghu, had once gained enlightenment in swordplay near Xuangu. He was injured by Gu An, who had disguised himself as the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal, and after that encounter, Gu An only saw him again at the Ji family mansion.
Gu An had suppressed his aura to the lowest level, ensuring he wouldn't be detected by anyone at the Yuan Ying stage.
Several miles away, high in the sky above the mountains, Left Sword stood in mid-air, clad in blue. Five swords floated around him, encircling his body and exuding the aura of a sword cultivator.
Facing him was a man in a wide black robe, tall and robust, holding a long staff. With thick eyebrows, a leopard-like gaze, and a stern, square face, the man's black robe billowed dramatically, and his overwhelming domineering aura caused the trees below to tilt to the side.
"Left Sword, instead of staying in the Inner Sect and reading books, you had to come and stop me?" Chen Xuanjin asked coldly.
Left Sword remained expressionless as he said, "Chen Xuanjin, as the Outer Sect's Great Elder, you cultivate demonic arts and harm your fellow sect members. It's not that I'm stopping you; it's that you are doing evil, and I am acting on behalf of the heavens to put an end to you."
Upon hearing this, Chen Xuanjin let out a mocking laugh.
"Don't you know who I'm working for?" Chen Xuanjin coldly huffed. He then struck the ground with his staff, causing rings of purple light to burst forth from its tip. The light condensed into purple runes, forming a complex and mysterious formation with a diameter of over a hundred feet.
Just as the edges of the formation were about to touch Left Sword, it was blocked by an invisible sword intent. From high above, it seemed like a piece was missing from the edge of the purple light formation.
"I know very well that I can't deal with him, but I can deal with you. If I kill you, even if the next Outer Sect Great Elder continues to do evil, at least for a while, I can protect the Outer Sect disciples."
Left Sword spoke expressionlessly as the five swords around him simultaneously left their sheaths, filling the night sky with sword radiance.
"You want to kill me?"
Chen Xuanjin found this hilarious, his face twisting into a sinister grin. His aura suddenly erupted, causing violent winds to stir and the trees within a ten-mile radius to shake violently.
Left Sword's expression changed slightly, and he narrowed his eyes.
"Do you think you, at the first layer of the Yuan Ying stage, can kill me, at the ninth layer? Left Sword, do you think that just because you have your master backing you, I won't dare to kill you?"
"Since you've chosen to pursue power and not walk the path of justice, you are already making a mistake. Saving some mediocre Outer Sect disciples is insignificant compared to saving the entire Great Cang Empire. If you can't understand this, you've wasted your life!"
Chen Xuanjin stood proudly, his domineering aura pressing down on Left Sword's sword shadows, causing his five swords to tremble.
"I'll give you one last chance. Turn back now, and it's not too late. Otherwise, go back and continue reading your 'Investiture of the Gods.' Otherwise, you die." Chen Xuanjin's staff spewed forth demonic energy, which condensed into a massive black dragon coiled around him.
Left Sword took a deep breath and said, "Since you mentioned the 'Investiture of the Gods,' do you know about the Immortal Execution Sword Formation?"
Immortal Execution Sword Formation!
Chen Xuanjin's expression changed, and a look of astonishment flashed across his eyes.
Even Gu An, who was secretly observing from a distance, was surprised.
"One qi, three qings, a strange momentum, and the wonderful method in the pot penetrates the universe..."
Left Sword mumbled as the swords around him trembled violently and quickly dispersed, forming a formation that sent killing intent soaring into the sky.
Gu An, who was standing under a tree, was stunned.
Could one actually learn a magical technique from reading a book?
Is he a genius?
Chen Xuanjin was also startled and immediately launched an offensive spell.
A great battle was about to unfold! The earth shook, and the mountains and forests trembled.
Gu An stood firmly under the tree, his eyes flashing with sword light as he watched Left Sword's figure intently.
After ten breaths...
The battle ended.
Gu An breathed a sigh of relief.
Scared me there for a moment! Gu An thought Left Sword had really deduced the Immortal Execution Sword Formation from the 'Investiture of the Gods.'
If that were true, wouldn't it mean that the 'Investiture of the Gods' was real? That would be troublesome!
Left Sword's self-created sword technique was indeed powerful, allowing him to hold his ground against a ninth-layer Yuan Ying cultivator, but he couldn't maintain it for long.
The night sky's scattered clouds parted, revealing desolate mountains and forests, with dust and debris flying upwards.
Chen Xuanjin hovered in the air, panting heavily. His face was filled with lingering fear as he looked down at the rolling dust below.
He could sense that Left Sword was still alive, and he frowned in hesitation.
Although he wanted to kill Left Sword, his rationality told him that doing so would likely bring trouble.
Even though he was at the Yuan Ying stage, within the Tai Xuan Sect, he was still just a pawn.
Just then, a piercing sound tore through the air, causing Chen Xuanjin to glance over with widened pupils.
A cold light came speeding from the horizon, dispersing the dust along the way and sweeping up countless leaves. It was like a sword that sliced through time, rushing towards them.
Left Sword, lying in the ruins, sensed something and opened his eyes reflexively. The dust above him was suddenly swept away, and the night sky was reflected in his pupils, with a dazzling light shining through the darkness.
"It's him..."
Left Sword's eyes widened as he watched the swirling leaves, surrounded by sword energy, pierce through Chen Xuanjin's chest, spraying blood across the night sky.
At that moment, Left Sword finally understood.
Back then, the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal hadn't intended to hurt him but was guiding him. Otherwise, how could he have survived?
Now, the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal had saved him again, filling him with both joy and shame.
Who exactly was this senior?
(End of Chapter)
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