Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses Chapter 117

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Kill him, using a sword?

Gu An exchanged epiphanies with Wu Jue, talking all the way until the next morning. Both of them benefited greatly.

Before parting, Wu Jue reminded him once again not to reveal their epiphany to others.

Seeing Wu Jue's caution, Gu An smiled and promised.

Wu Jue watched Gu An leave, a smile spreading on his face.

Having lived in the Supreme Sect for so many years, Gu An was his first true friend. He had always been very self-conscious and didn't dare to communicate with others much. The only one he was close to was his master, so his master's death was a great blow to him.

Wu Jue turned back to his room to continue cultivating, while looking forward to his next exchange with Gu An.

Gu An stayed in the city for an hour before returning to the Third Medicine Valley. After inspecting the valley, he hurriedly left again.

After spending a short while in Mystic Valley, he came to the Mystic Heaven Cave Mansion.

The Mystic Heaven Cave Mansion already had a lot of medicinal herbs planted, but it was still far from being filled.

Gu An planned to plant herbs above the fifth rank here, as it was his private territory, a place truly unknown to anyone.

Though Jiang Qiong and Sky Dragon knew about the Eight Scenic Caves, only he knew about the Mystic Heaven Cave Mansion.

During the planting process, he felt the presence of a battle coming from the north.

The aura of the Nine Nether Road was still there, lasting for several months. The nine dynasties continuously sent cultivators to fight, temporarily curbing the chaos caused by the Ephemera Sect.

This was normal. If the strength of the Ephemera Sect far surpassed the nine dynasties, they would have swept across them long ago.

Gu An did not pay attention to the distant battle and focused on planting herbs.

He could stay overnight at the Mystic Heaven Cave Mansion, as it was already the end of the month. If Li Ya wanted to contact him, he could not afford to miss it.

Since Gu An and Li Ya made the agreement, Li Ya didn't appear on a mountain top at the end of the month to reveal his aura, possibly due to circumstances beyond his control. Yet, Gu An was not anxious. He would come to the Mystic Heaven Cave Mansion at the end of every month and use his Divine Sense to search for Li Ya's aura in the north.

Thus, Gu An finished planting all the seeds he brought and set up a formation. When night fell, he performed the Nine Extremes Yin Yang Body, transforming into a shadow and heading north.

Under the night sky, Li Ya, carrying the North Sea Heavy Sword, reached the mountain top. He looked ahead; the mountains stretched endlessly. The night sky was covered with dark clouds, obscuring the stars and moon.

“How far is this place from the North Sea Mountains? I wonder if the Primordial Ancestor can find me,” Li Ya thought worriedly.

The old ancestor's voice sounded in his mind: “The Great Cultivators of the nine dynasties continue to appear, yet they cannot budge that female cultivator. When the main branch of the Ephemera Sect arrives, it will be even more dangerous. Even if the Primordial Ancestor comes, he cannot turn the tide.”

He too acknowledged that Gu An was the Primordial Ancestor of the Li Family, but he had no confidence in the ancestor.

The Primordial Ancestor's cultivation level was higher than his own when he was alive, but the main branch of the Ephemera Sect also had such people, and not just one.

After hearing this, Li Ya fell silent.

He turned his head, spreading his Divine Sense, fearing that followers of the Ephemera Sect were tracking him.

After confirming no one was following him, Li Ya put down the heavy sword and sat cross-legged.

He placed the heavy sword on his legs, carefully stroking it, feeling the blade.

He had already mastered a trace of the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword Intent. The longer he delved into it, the more profound he found the swordsmanship. Once it was fully mastered, he would be unrivaled in his realm and even capable of cross-realm battles.

The cold wind blew. Though there was no flying snow, it was still bone-chillingly cold.

It was unclear how much time had passed.

A figure appeared behind Li Ya, silently watching him.

It was Gu An, using the Nine Extremes Yin Yang Body, observing Li Ya's swordsmanship accomplishments.

Not bad, he didn't waste the swordsmanship accomplishment he had left behind.

“He is here…”

The old ancestor's voice sounded in Li Ya's ear, with a complex tone.

Upon hearing this, Li Ya opened his eyes and turned his head. As soon as he saw Gu An, he immediately stood up and saluted him with the North Sea Heavy Sword in hand.

Now he could lift the North Sea Heavy Sword with one hand.

“Greetings, Primordial Ancestor!”

Regarding the title Li Ya used, Gu An couldn't bother to explain. As long as Li Ya didn't guess his real identity, it was fine.

“Tell me about the Ephemera Sect,” Gu An said, his voice as usual with a changed tone.

Li Ya began reporting the situation.

Currently, all the followers of the Ephemera Sect were gathered at the entrance of the Nine Nether Road, numbering over a million. Every one of the Ephemera Sect's followers bore the Ephemera Seal, causing those wavering cultivators to be unable to escape.

He mentioned the Ephemera Tree. Nearly every day, cultivators went to fight against the Ephemera Sect and ultimately died, becoming nutrients for the Ephemera Tree.

Speaking of this tree, the fearless Li Ya's face too showed a trace of fear.

Gu An wasn't concerned about these. He was only curious about the strength of the strongest person in the main branch of the Ephemera Sect.

Unfortunately, Li Ya didn't know either. After talking for half a day, it was all about the battles around the Ephemera Tree, without mentioning the situation inside the Nine Nether Road.

“I wondered why you came out secretly, turns out it was to pass on information. It seems your backer is also helpless and unable to respond to you.”

A contemptuous laugh echoed, startling Li Ya, his face turned pale. He looked behind Gu An.

Only to see a scholar-dressed Traveler of Graceful Crane walking out from the forest. Gu An, with his back towards him, did not turn around.

“Shadow Magic Skill, I wonder which master from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion you are?” Traveler of Graceful Crane asked with a smile as he took off the book box behind him, placed it in front, and began to search inside it.

Before Gu An spoke, Li Ya anxiously shouted: “Primordial Ancestor, he is Traveler of Graceful Crane! It's him who previously captured my old ancestor's soul! He is very strong, you must not be careless!”

Gu An turned his head slightly, glancing at Traveler of Graceful Crane.

[Traveler of Graceful Crane (Unification Realm Ninth Layer): 1209/3020/3030]

Unification Realm Ninth Layer, no wonder he spoke so arrogantly.

With such cultivation, he could indeed roam freely in the Taicang Dynasty!

Gu An slowly turned around, looking at Traveler of Graceful Crane rummaging through his things, not in a hurry, watching him perform.

A grand Unification Realm Ninth Layer cultivator needed to search for something by hand?

This guy clearly thought he had Gu An in the palm of his hand, deliberately messing with Gu An and Li Ya's minds.

“Primordial Ancestor? So you are family. In that case, I'll torture you to death in front of him to put an end to his wild thoughts,” Traveler of Graceful Crane sneered coldly.

Upon hearing this, Li Ya immediately moved to stand beside Gu An, offering the North Sea Heavy Sword to him.

“To kill him, do I need a sword?”

Gu An's hoarse voice sounded, making Li Ya pause, causing Traveler of Graceful Crane to halt his search.

Traveler of Graceful Crane looked up at Gu An. The two stood on a slope, with Gu An standing higher.

He couldn't see Gu An's true face, but for some reason, looking at the opponent's posture gave him an uneasy feeling in his heart.

He suddenly pulled out a scroll from the book box. When the scroll unfurled, terrifying magma erupted, blocking out the sky and blotting out the sun with a mighty force.

Li Ya stood dazed, unable to react.

Gu An swiftly raised his right hand, flicking his finger to release a beam of light. It pierced through the terrifying magma, forcefully piercing Traveler of Graceful Crane's throat, blood spurting from the back of his neck.

Traveler of Graceful Crane's eyes widened in disbelief.

As his body leaned backward, a foot stepped on his back.

Boom!

The mountain quaked. Under Li Ya's watchful eyes, the formidable Traveler of Graceful Crane, who once made him despair, was trampled under the foot of the Primordial Ancestor, stone debris flying everywhere.

“Ugh…”

Traveler of Graceful Crane spat out a mouthful of reverse blood, desperately finding his Spiritual Power suppressed within his body, incapable of manifesting outside or casting spells for escape.

He had never felt such suppression.

Even a great Mystic Heart Realm cultivator couldn't suppress him like this.

Could it be that he had reached above the fifth level of the Mystic Heart Realm?

Traveler of Graceful Crane felt an absurdity.

Boom! Boom! Boom…

Gu An started stomping, foot by foot on Traveler of Graceful Crane's back. More blood pooled beneath him, forming cracks in the mountain surface.

Shrouded in dark purple Demonic Qi, Gu An appeared like a Demon God from the Netherworld. Even Li Ya couldn't help but feel a tinge of fear in his heart.

The primordial spirit of the old ancestor within him was also silent.

After nine stomps, Traveler of Graceful Crane had lost his combat ability.

Gu An's right foot ignited with Taiching True Fire, attaching it to Traveler of Graceful Crane's body. He then stepped back, using his left hand to capture Traveler of Graceful Crane's primordial spirit, while his right hand picked up the book box beside him.

Traveler of Graceful Crane's body was swiftly incinerated to ashes. Gu An's figure vanished, leaving only a sentence:

“From now on, survive at your best. There's no need to seek me out again.”

Li Ya stood on the slope, gazing at the ashes of Traveler of Graceful Crane, speechless for a long time.

After quite a while.

He couldn't help but ask in his mind: “Do you still think the Primordial Ancestor has no chance against the main branch of the Ephemera Sect?”

The old ancestor didn't respond.

Inside the Mystic Heaven Cave Mansion, Gu An sat at a stone table, performing the Soul Capturing Skill on Traveler of Graceful Crane's primordial spirit.

Indeed, Traveler of Graceful Crane was not from the nine dynasties. He came from the main branch of the Ephemera Sect, having arrived early on.

Three hundred years ago, the main branch of the Ephemera Sect descended upon the land of the nine dynasties. He and several fellow disciples scattered; the others enacted the primary branch's major plan, searching for suitable puppet sects, while he traveled alone, seeking immortal opportunities.

His actions were unique due to his core disciple status within the primary branch, possessing a prestigious background.

Two hundred years ago, he encountered the mighty Lv Baitian, realizing he wasn't an opponent, so he avoided it, hiding away for two hundred years.

The main branch of the Ephemera Sect came to the land of the nine dynasties knowing it would be devoured by demons. In their view, the human race here was doomed and better be fed to the Ephemera Tree.

The Ephemera Tree craved the Spiritual Power and flesh of human cultivators. If it could devour the humans of the nine dynasties, it could transcend the Heavenly Destiny, reaching the legendary Ninth Rank.

At that time, the Ephemera Tree could open the Nine Nether Road anytime, providing convenience for the primary branch of the Ephemera Sect to act, traveling wherever they wanted.

Through Traveler of Graceful Crane's memories, Gu An learned about the hierarchy within the primary branch of the Ephemera Sect. Previously, he had slain Golden Spirit Venerable, one of the hundred venerables within the primary branch, each with a Mystic Heart Realm cultivation level. The master of the primary branch had, five hundred years ago, transcended the Mystic Heart Realm to enter the legendary Mahayana Realm.

In other words, there was only one Mahayana Realm cultivator in the primary branch of the Ephemera Sect!

Five hundred years could allow that branch master to reach the Ninth Layer of the Mahayana Realm?

Gu An pondered silently.

Several ancient hours later, he withdrew his Divine Sense, then finished Traveler of Graceful Crane off, claiming 209 years of lifespan.

Gu An's right hand rested on the book box, lightly tapping it with his finger, eyes flickering.

No more waiting!

Tomorrow, he would resolve the Ephemera Tree below the Nine Nether Road to prevent any long-term worries. Anyway, if he didn't act, the primary branch of the Ephemera Sect wouldn't just let it go!

Chapter end

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