https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-91-The-Passing-of-Time-and-a-Place-Among-the-Honored/12575245/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-93-The-Awakening-of-the-Azure-Vine-A-Realm-Beyond-Fusion/12575247/
Chapter 92: A Lifespan of 700,000 Years, an Ancient Legacy
Chapter 92: A Lifespan of 700,000 Years, an Ancient Legacy
Upon hearing Shen Zhen's words, Gu An almost lost his composure. He quickly clarified, "How is that possible? I was just teasing you. I would never write such a book."
He felt compelled to explain himself to clear any suspicion that Shen Zhen might have of him.
Shen Zhen fixed him with a penetrating gaze as if trying to see through him, but Gu An remained calm and unfazed.
"Alright, then I'll take your word for it," Shen Zhen said softly, but her tone was different from before, leaving Gu An unsure of what she was thinking.
Gu An walked over to the tea table and began preparing tea with hot water.
Only when he brought the tea bowl to Shen Zhen did she speak again. "Actually, I came here for another reason."
"Go on," Gu An replied as he sat down at the table.
Shen Zhen said, "It is said that the Elder Tian from the Medicine Valley back then was none other than the current Sect Master, Lu Baitian. Is that true?"
Gu An saw no reason to hide the truth, so he nodded.
Ever since the great battle half a year ago, Gu Zong and Ji Hantian had not made an appearance again. He wondered if they had been dealt with by Lu Baitian.
While Gu Zong's allegiance to Lu Baitian was clear, Ji Hantian had openly criticized Lu Baitian and expressed his desire to become the Sect Master in the Third Medicine Valley.
"I want you to introduce me to Sect Master Lu on my personal behalf, not representing the Way of Heaven teachings," Shen Zhen said, her eyes fixed on Gu An.
Gu An frowned, hesitating.
Shen Zhen took out a redwood box from her storage bag and said, "This is a sixth-rank spirit tree, the Purple Mist Bamboo. Just one section of it can form a bamboo grove. If planted at the edge of the Medicine Valley, it will automatically create a purple mist maze, and the bamboo shoots of the Purple Mist Bamboo are top-grade medicinal ingredients with a high price."
"What do you mean by that? What is our relationship that you would need to do this?" Gu An asked in a low voice as he put the redwood box into his storage bag. Then, he continued sternly, "Whatever it is that you need, just ask. I will help you, but let this be the last time!"
Shen Zhen paused for a moment, then covered her mouth and laughed.
When she laughed, her eyes looked especially captivating.
Gu An thought to himself as he joined in the laughter, dispelling the awkwardness between them. Their conversation returned to its usual relaxed state.
After a long chat, Shen Zhen finally took her leave.
Gu An began wandering through the Medicine Valley, searching for a suitable place to plant the Purple Mist Bamboo.
In the end, he chose to plant it in the southern edge of the mountainous area and assigned Tang Yu to guard it specifically.
He eagerly anticipated Lu Baitian's arrival.
It wasn't so much for Shen Zhen's sake, but because he was looking forward to Lu Baitian fulfilling his promise.
Lu Baitian had said that he could be approached for any request!
Gu An didn't want a fourth Medicine Valley for now. Instead, he desired high-grade medicinal herb seeds to gradually replace the low-grade ones. If he could plant high-grade seeds within a hundred miles, his lifespan and income would soar.
Once he reached a million lifespan points and unlocked new functions, he would work on improving himself comprehensively!
Days turned into weeks, and finally, in early autumn, Lu Baitian arrived.
He wore a black robe adorned with dragon patterns, his black hair neatly tied under a jade crown, and his demeanor was majestic—a far cry from the Elder Tian of the past. Now, he exuded the aura of a Sect Master.
As soon as they met, Gu An sent out a lifespan probe toward Lu Baitian.
Lu Baitian (Fusion Realm, Ninth Layer): 755/3150/3200
Impressive! He had indeed reached the ninth layer of the Fusion Realm! And his lifespan was already nearing its limit, making further increases difficult.
Gu An suddenly thought of something. Had Chu Xian's grand formation sacrifice outside the outer gate been prepared for Lu Baitian? No, that couldn't be right. Lu Baitian had eradicated the entire Chu family, so it was unlikely that he would have done that for them.
Gu An's thoughts raced as he welcomed Lu Baitian into the house for a conversation.
Lu Baitian took out four books from his storage bag and placed them on the table. "I have established the Honored Pavilion according to your suggestion. These are the records of the four founding members of the Honored Pavilion. You can take a look."
Hearing this, Gu An immediately picked up one of the books. He found that it contained not only the names and portraits of the Honored Pavilion members but also detailed information, including their life stories.
He quickly flipped through the book, appearing perfunctory, but in reality, he was memorizing all the information.
The last book was about the Sword Sovereign of Supporting the Dao. It only had his title and record of battles. In the cultivation world, he was known as the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal, and the Tai Xuan Gate honored him as the Sword Sovereign of Supporting the Dao.
The Sword Sovereign of Supporting the Dao, Gu Gua, Ji Hengse, and Zhou Yu! It was unbelievable that they were from the three most powerful aristocratic families in the Tai Cang Empire! And they were all in the Fusion Realm!
Gu An had not met these three individuals before.
Now, he had seen six cultivators in the Fusion Realm: Lu Baitian, Ji Hantian, Gu Gua, Ji Hengse, Zhou Yu, and Lei Zhen. And this was still not the full extent of the Tai Xuan Gate's strength.
Gu An always remembered that the strongest disciple of the Tai Xuan Gate was the true disciple who had left the Tai Cang Empire.
He wondered if the Tai Xuan Gate had a Grand Elder as well.
Gu An asked with a mix of awe and curiosity, "Sect Master, isn't it inappropriate to show me this kind of information?"
Lu Baitian laughed and said, "If you ever plan to write a book similar to the 'Investiture of the Gods' in the future, you can include the Tai Xuan Gate in it. The Tai Xuan Gate in the 'Tales of the Tai Xuan' is a bit theatrical and not profound enough."
"I'll consider it after I finish writing the 'Tales of the Tai Xuan.' That series has at least five million words, and I release one book a year, with each book containing only about a hundred thousand words. Sometimes, I even take two years to write one book, so it will be a while before it's completed," Gu An replied.
The main reason he didn't want to stop writing the "Tales of the Tai Xuan" was that it brought in a substantial amount of spirit stone revenue, far surpassing the "Investiture of the Gods."
Lu Baitian smiled but did not pressure him further.
Gu An seized the opportunity to bring up Shen Zhen's request, and Lu Baitian readily agreed to meet with her without any hesitation.
Gu An then asked, "Master, do you still stand by what you said to me before?"
"What? Are you having second thoughts about becoming the sect master?" Lu Baitian asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes, his tone filled with delight.
"No, you said that I could come to you with any requests, and I want more high-level medicinal herbs. I can even help you cultivate them, and deliver them to you once they mature. I want to learn about all kinds of exotic flowers and plants in the world to enhance my path of cultivation," Gu An hastily explained.
Path of Cultivation...
Lu Baitian's lips twitched, and his gaze turned odd.
In the end, Lu Baitian agreed and said that he would send people with the herb seeds in a few days.
Subsequently, Gu An got up to find Shen Zhen and bring her to meet Lu Baitian.
After the two met, Gu An went downstairs, not wanting to disturb their conversation.
This time, Lu Baitian cast a restriction, preventing even Gu An from eavesdropping.
They chatted for an entire hour before dispersing, with Lu Baitian leaving first. Shen Zhen stood beside Gu An, seeing him off.
Shen Zhen turned to him and smiled, asking, "Aren't you curious about what we talked about?"
Gu An shook his head and replied, "I dare not ask, nor do I want to know. I'm afraid of causing trouble."
"I provided him with some intelligence in exchange for the strongest musical spell of the Tai Xuan Gate. Once I master it, I'll show it to you," Shen Zhen said with a smile. After finishing her sentence, she leaped into the air and flew towards her cave abode.
Gu An didn't think much of it. Whatever Shen Zhen did had nothing to do with him, as long as it didn't threaten him.
He began to look forward to the high-level herb seeds that Lu Baitian had promised.
Five days later, Lu Baitian's people arrived and handed Gu An a storage bag. He probed it with his spiritual sense.
The seeds were of high quality, with a quantity of several tens of thousands. There was also a booklet and a letter inside.
Gu An returned to his room to read the letter, in which Lu Baitian stated that these seeds were provided from his private collection, without using the resources of the Tai Xuan Gate. If Gu An cultivated them well, he could keep half of the yield, but if he failed, he would have to become his disciple.
Upon reading this, Gu An felt helpless.
He couldn't understand why Lu Baitian was so insistent on taking him as a disciple.
Could it be that my charismatic personality has won him over?
...
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, five years had passed.
During these five years, nothing major happened in the Tai Xuan Gate, and Gu An's life became quite mundane. Ye Lan, Shen Zhen, Li Ya, Jiang Qiong, and Gu Yu were all busy cultivating and rarely sought him out.
Although the battle between righteousness and evil had ended quickly, its impact was significant.
One day at noon, Gu An arrived at Xuan Valley through a teleportation formation, feeling cheerful and even humming a tune.
He had just calculated that this year's lifespan income was expected to break 100,000, and his total lifespan had already exceeded 700,000 years.
The prospect of reaching a million years of lifespan was tantalizingly close, and he couldn't wait to become stronger.
As soon as he arrived at Xuan Valley, he sensed Li Ya's presence. Li Ya was in the pavilion, drinking tea with Yang Ni.
Li Ya didn't deliberately hide his aura, so Gu An headed straight for the pavilion.
Upon entering, Li Ya spoke first, "Junior Brother Gu, I plan to leave the Tai Xuan Gate and go to the Beihaishan Mountains for cultivation. I won't return until I reach the Nascent Soul stage."
Gu An curiously asked, "What is the Beihaishan Mountains?"
Li Ya smiled and said, "The Beihaishan Mountains are located north of the Tai Cang Empire, and its territory is as vast as the entire Tai Cang Empire. It is surrounded by the Four Empires and is a place where demons gather and cultivators seek opportunities for advancement. Of course, it's also very dangerous."
Upon hearing this, Gu An suddenly felt that the Beihaishan Mountains would be a suitable place for his next breakthrough.
Advancing from the ninth layer of the Fusion Realm to a higher realm would undoubtedly create a huge disturbance, so it would be best to be far away from the Tai Xuan Gate!
Yang Ni spoke up, "Are you thinking of going to find the Beihaishen Fish?"
Li Ya scratched his head and said, "You've discovered my plan. A few years ago, news spread that the Beihaishen Fish appeared in the Beihaishan Mountains, and I want to go and see for myself. Anyway, I have nothing better to do, and it will be a good opportunity to get away from the people arranged by my father."
Gu An sat down and asked, "What is the Beihaishen Fish?"
Yang Ni glanced at him and said, "You should still remember the Swallowing Darkness Demon Bird, right? In this world, there exist ancient species from the primordial times. They are different from demons, possessing immense bodies, and the difficulty of their transformation far surpasses that of the demon race. Because of their enormous size, they are revered as mountain gods or sea gods by the human race, and their movements are shrouded in mystery."
Gu An became even more intrigued and started inquiring about other ancient species in the world.
Yang Ni gave a brief description, sparking his imagination.
"Well, I should be off. Lately, a freak named An Hao appeared in the sect. He's only twenty-two years old and is already preparing to form his Golden Core. It's truly unbelievable. I must work harder in my cultivation and not become his stepping stone." With that, Li Ya got up to leave.
Gu An was surprised to hear about An Hao's rapid progress in cultivation.
This indicated that Lu Baitian valued An Hao greatly and had invested a significant amount of cultivation resources in him.
As Gu An was thinking about this, Li Ya directly climbed through the window and departed.
Some habits never change! Gu An turned to Yang Ni and asked, "Now that he's left, what about you?"
"I'm not leaving. I'll stay here and help you plant flowers and herbs. It feels quite enjoyable, better than all the fighting and killing," Yang Ni replied.
(End of Chapter)
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