https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-63-Breakthrough-to-the-Fusion-Realm-/12575116/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-65-Subduing-Demons-the-Azure-Crane-s-Trembling-Cry/12575118/
Chapter 64: The Mysterious Grand Array at the Butian Platform
Chapter 64: The Mysterious Grand Array at the Butian Platform
The morning sun pierced through the earth and mountains, sweeping past the outer sect city. Disciples flew in and out, their movements hurried and subdued.
In a mansion within the city...
Chen Xuanjin's Nascent Soul hovered in the main hall, his head lowered in tension.
Before him sat a man dressed in a black robe adorned with dragon patterns. The man was young and handsome, but the aura of authority emanating from his brows gave him an oppressive presence that belied his youthful appearance. His long hair was coiled beneath a silver crown etched with kirin carvings, and even seated, he exuded an air of unparalleled dominance.
"Your younger brother was killed by a Demon Cultivator from the Qianqiu Pavilion, and now you've been severely injured by Feiye Jianxian. Don't you think there might be a connection between your brother's death and the master of Zuo Yijian?" The man in black spoke calmly, as if discussing a trivial matter.
Chen Xuanjin quickly raised his head and said, "It's possible. It's not uncommon for Qianqiu Pavilion to have spies within Tai Xuan Gate. Didn't you say before that there are definitely spies from Qianqiu Pavilion in the higher-ups? Looks like they've revealed themselves now."
Offending Zuo Yijian would undoubtedly bring endless trouble. But if he could topple the backer behind Zuo Yijian, then Chen Xuanjin would have nothing to fear.
The man in black narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on Chen Xuanjin, causing him to lower his head in fear.
Once again, silence fell upon the main hall.
After a long while, the man in black spoke in a soft voice, "Prepare the array. With the recent chaos caused by the Demon Cultivators, we can pin the blame for this matter on the Qianqiu Pavilion."
Chen Xuanjin hurriedly said, "But in my current state, I'm afraid..."
"This time, I will bear the brunt of it myself."
"What? No, it's too risky. We don't know if it will succeed yet, and the Way of the Heaven Sect is also waiting for us to make a move."
"Nothing in life is certain. The path of cultivation is fraught with thorns. This plan has been in the works for a hundred years. Tai Xuan Gate must act, and we cannot let those who lurk in the shadows ruin our grand scheme. Do not try to dissuade me further."
Hearing this, Chen Xuanjin could only suppress his worries and agree.
Meanwhile, in another part of the sect...
Xuangu Valley.
Gu An was instructing his disciples in their morning exercises. The disturbance from the previous night had kept the disciples restless, and they chatted in twos and threes, their voices filled with concern.
Tang Yu asked, "Master, how did you return so quickly?"
The other disciples turned to look at Gu An as well.
Gu An harrumphed, "Didn't you all sense the disturbance last night? I rushed back because I was worried about your safety."
Upon hearing this, the disciples felt ashamed. They realized that their weakness was a constant source of worry for their master.
Oikawa anxiously said, "Senior brother, why don't you go to the Inner Sect's Medicine Valley? We can disband, and we can all find our own paths in the outer sect city. That way, you'll be safe as well."
He wasn't afraid of death, but he didn't want Gu An to worry so much.
Gu An had already achieved the Foundation Establishment stage, and his future prospects far surpassed theirs. Why should he constantly live in fear because of them?
Gu An spoke, "If you want to leave for the outer sect city, I won't stop you. But I must remind you that the outer sect city might not be as safe as Xuangu Valley. Disciples often go missing in the city. I'm not threatening or hinting at anything, but whatever you choose, I will respect your decision. I won't force any of you to stay against your will. Whether you leave or stay, the bond we share in Xuangu Valley remains."
His words came straight from his heart.
He pursued longevity, and he knew that he would inevitably face countless partings and losses in the future. He had already prepared himself mentally to let go of the fates of others.
Unless someone truly touched his heart, in which case he would follow his heart's desires.
Hearing his words, the disciples fell silent, exchanging glances with one another.
Wuxin wanted to speak but stopped himself, ultimately deciding to remain quiet.
"Why would we leave? Where else would we find a role as support disciples and receive dan like Master provides for us? Xuangu Valley doesn't need so many support disciples, yet Master still took us in and maintained our treatment. We cannot be ungrateful!" Tang Yu spoke up first, his greatest regret being that he hadn't charged to the frontlines alongside Su Han when Qiu Chengli had caused trouble in the past.
Once upon a time, Su Han had been chasing after him, but now Su Han had achieved Foundation Establishment while he didn't even know if he would ever reach that stage in his life. That gap had started from the incident back then.
Tang Yu didn't blame Gu An; he only felt ashamed and vowed to work harder to regain Gu An's favor.
As soon as Tang Yu spoke, the other disciples chimed in, and the atmosphere became lively, no longer as oppressive as before.
Gu An smiled and then continued to guide the disciples in their exercises.
As soon as they finished, Ye Lan arrived to check on Gu An's safety. After confirming that he was unharmed, she left quickly.
Gu An stood by the window, gazing in the direction of the outer sect city.
Occasionally, powerful cultivators flew across the sky, but their numbers had decreased compared to the previous night.
Gu An's spiritual sense could easily span a thousand miles, allowing him to peer into the outer sect city. This was far from the limit of his spiritual sense.
He noticed that the construction of the massive array platform was accelerating, and some disciples had even started transporting spirit stones. He watched silently, unable to discern the purpose of the array for the time being.
The incident of the sinking spiritual energy had thrown Tai Xuan Gate into turmoil, and the tense atmosphere lasted for nearly ten days before easing slightly.
Gu An was not immune to the impact of these events.
Several outer sect disciples had moved their cave residences, causing him to lose a few channels of lifespan absorption. These disciples were clearly trying to escape from this outer sect city.
However, Gu An was not discouraged. With three Medicine Valleys under his control, he expected to gain even more lifespans in the future. He even contemplated expanding the third Medicine Valley.
Gu An was now waiting for the matters in the Outer Sect to come to a close. As long as it didn't threaten Xuangu Valley and the handful of people he cared about, he was too lazy to meddle in Tai Xuan Gate's schemes.
Just as Shen Zhen had said, even the first sect of the Dayu Imperial Court, the Way of the Heaven Sect, was engaging in such affairs. Why should he forcefully intervene? He didn't have a strong sense of justice, nor did he wish to play the hero and save everyone in distress. There was so much suffering in the world; if he wanted to save them all, where would he even begin?
Moreover, such matters were inherently tricky to manage. If he forcefully disrupted Tai Xuan Gate's plans and the sect later faced a calamity at the hands of demons and monsters, struggling to withstand the onslaught, he would become the villain in their eyes. The entire Tai Xuan Gate would blame him, after all, aside from those who were sacrificed, everyone else benefited. Those he saved might even come to resent him, thinking that if he hadn't interfered, they wouldn't have been chosen as sacrifices.
There was no way he could save one group of people after another, constantly shouldering the burden of saving the world. Just the thought of it exhausted him.
Time continued to pass.
One day, Gu An arrived at Tianya Valley and began harvesting the mature medicinal herbs. Afterward, he led the three monkey demons in planting new seeds.
Luohun walked over and asked, "About a month ago, the earth's spiritual energy sank, and many powerful cultivators from Tai Xuan Gate patrolled the area, with some even passing by the skies above Tianya Valley. What exactly happened to the sect?"
Gu An casually replied, "It seems like there was an invasion by demon cultivators. Oh, and Li Ya was injured by a demon cultivator too. He's currently recuperating in the Inner Sect."
Upon hearing this, Luohun's eyebrows furrowed deeply, and he turned around and walked into the mountains.
Afterward, Gu An's spiritual sense saw him performing a technique on a piece of talisman paper. As his spiritual power infused the paper, it ignited and quickly turned to ashes.
Gu An, now at the Fusion Realm, could keenly sense a trace of Luohun's spiritual power escaping toward the horizon at an incredible speed.
It seemed that Luohun was sending a message to Li Xuandao.
Gu An didn't think much of it and continued planting.
After they finished planting, he gave the three monkey demons some instructions and then left Tianya Valley.
He cared more about the development of his medicine valley than the sect's conspiracies. Focusing his energy on that was the right thing to do.
...
The sky was covered in dark clouds, and the Outer Sect city was teeming with people.
Su Han and Zhen Qin stood in front of a stone tablet. Su Han read aloud, "Butian Platform."
Following Zhen Qin's gaze, they saw a massive array platform with a length and width of several li ahead of them. It was incredibly spectacular, and along the edges of the platform stood statues of various ancient gods and immortals, each with a unique pose.
At the center of the Butian Platform stood a hundred-zhang-tall stone pillar. The pillar was square and had many indentations on its surface, resembling the meridians of a human body, and exuding a profound aura.
"Senior Brother, what do you think is the purpose of this Butian Platform? Why has the sect gathered all the outer sect disciples to return and assemble on the platform tomorrow?" Zhen Qin asked, her eyebrows furrowed slightly, her tone filled with displeasure.
Su Han looked at the Butian Platform and replied softly, "I'm not sure either, but it might be related to the sinking of spiritual energy that occurred a month ago."
Behind them, the street was bustling with people coming and going, and many disciples were gathered, discussing the Butian Platform as well.
Many disciples had just returned and were witnessing the platform for the first time, leaving them deeply impressed.
They wondered how powerful the array must be to activate such a massive platform.
Zhen Qin, unable to get an answer, turned her head to look in another direction. In a daze, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure, but when she looked more closely, she didn't see anyone, as if she had imagined it.
"How strange..." Zhen Qin muttered.
Not far away, in the midst of the crowd, Jiang Qiong walked forward in a blue dress, her gaze fixed on the Butian Platform, her expression unreadable.
Beside her walked an old man with a hunched back, holding a cane in his hand, his head only reaching her shoulder.
"Miss, this array platform is no trivial matter. With something big happening tomorrow, do we really need to stay here?" The hunchbacked old man asked.
He wasn't the only one concerned; many disciples around them were worried and speculated about various possibilities.
Jiang Qiong's expression remained unchanged as she replied, "It's indeed not simple. The restrictions within the array platform are extremely complex, and it would take decades to decipher them fully. However, since we're already here, we must take a look tomorrow."
The hunchbacked old man looked at her and sighed, "Miss, you've changed a lot. Is there anyone in the Tai Xuan Gate that you care about?"
"There is, which is why I asked you to come."
"Hehe, it seems like my old bones will have to endure some hardship again."
The two chatted casually, never mentioning the Qianqiu Pavilion, so no one suspected their identities.
At the same time.
On the other side of the Butian Platform, on a nine-story pavilion, two figures stood at the edge of the building. Both had youthful appearances, and one of them was none other than Chen Xuanjin's backer, the man in black.
The man in black gazed down at the Butian Platform, his eyes deep and unreadable.
The young man beside him asked, "Master, the outer sect disciples of this city should have mostly returned. Should we summon the miscellaneous disciples from the nearby Medicine Valleys, Beast Fields, and Mines?"
This voice belonged to none other than Chen Xuanjin!
He had taken possession of a young disciple's body.
The man in black replied softly, "No need. Having too many miscellaneous disciples with impure cultivation levels will only hinder us."
(End of Chapter)
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