If I become a saint, a celestial official will summon me to raise horses.

Chapter 102 The Ephemeral Bloom, The Nemesis

"you……"

Zong Ying's eyes widened, and he said in a trembling voice that he could not believe his own feelings.

He had tried his best, but he still couldn't break free from Gu An's grasp. Moreover, it wasn't just that he couldn't break free; he couldn't even unleash his power. Under normal circumstances, if the power of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator were to erupt, this entire medicine valley would collapse instantly.

His strength and spiritual power could not be transmitted from his physical body. An unimaginable force was suppressing his entire body, and he had never felt so frustrated before.

He's at the Integration Realm cultivation level!

The land of nine dynasties, you can come and go as you please!
Zong Ying was filled with despair, realizing that he was about to capsize, but he didn't want to die!

"Senior, spare my life!" Zong Ying said through gritted teeth, showing no backbone befitting a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Gu An had already used his spiritual power to isolate the surrounding space, making it impossible for the outside world to hear their voices.

He had a rough idea of ​​Zong Ying's identity, so he didn't immediately kill her. Instead, he asked, "Give me a reason not to kill you."

Even now, Zong Ying hasn't shown any hostility towards Gu An, probably because she's been scared out of her wits.

"I am known as the Ghost Thief... I stole the Xuanqing Tree not for myself, but for the sake of all mortals... Senior, since you are a master of the Tai Xuan Sect, you should understand the resource gap in the cultivation world. The Tai Xuan Sect occupies too many cultivation resources, and the spiritual energy in the mortal world is weak. Those without prominent family backgrounds simply cannot break through. If this continues, the cultivation world will only have people from aristocratic families..."

Zong Ying spoke quickly, and as he finished speaking, his eyes even turned red.

Gu An thought to himself, "Such realistic acting."

Gu An agreed with the Ghost Thief's idea: protecting all living beings is truly chivalrous, but you can't steal from me!
“You already know my strength, so I have no choice but to kill you to prevent the news from leaking out,” Gu An said expressionlessly.

Upon hearing this, Zong Ying was nearly scared out of his wits. His eyes darted around, and he suddenly remembered something. He quickly said, "I have a spell that can make me completely obedient to you and unable to disobey you. If I disobey, I will suffer misfortune and die a violent death!"

Have the opportunity!
We can fool him!

Zong Ying's fear subsided, replaced by excitement.

[Zong Ying harbors hostility towards you and hates you to the core. Should we use lifespan detection on him?]

I was just about to let you go, and you've become hostile towards me?
interesting.

Upon hearing this, Gu An became interested and asked, "What kind of spell?"

Zong Ying explained, "This is the Heavenly Mirror Incantation. Once both parties establish the spell, and I swear an oath to you, the spell will be complete."

"Alright, come with me then. Let's find a secluded place to cast the spell." Gu An pulled Zong Ying toward the teleportation array in the distance.

Zong Ying was still suppressed by his spiritual power and could not move, but he felt relieved. It seemed that the other party really believed him.

As Gu An pulled him along, he pondered to himself.

Who is this person?

Could it be that he has already reached the Profound Heart Realm, given that he can suppress someone at the Integration Realm so easily?
Could this person be a retired Supreme Elder of the Tai Xuan Sect?
He became increasingly alarmed as he thought about it; he knew he had to report this to the church.

And so, the two were teleported to Xuan Valley and then left. During this time, some disciples cast curious glances at them, but seeing that they were chatting and laughing, they quickly looked away.

After traveling dozens of miles from Xuan Valley, Gu An stopped only after confirming that no one was following him.

The two stayed in the woods, and from beginning to end, Zong Ying was unable to escape Gu An's suppression of spiritual power.

Zong Ying smiled obsequiously and said, "Senior, may we begin?"

Gu An nodded, a smile appearing on his face.

Upon seeing Gu An's smile, Zong Ying's expression changed drastically. He instinctively sensed danger, and before he could think further, a powerful divine sense rushed into his mind.

Spirituality!
……

Inside a dark hall, Zong Ying knelt on the ground, his gaze fixed on the mysterious black figure on the steps. The figure was shrouded in black mist, making it impossible to discern its true form.

"Your Qi Concealing Technique is the most powerful. You will be sent to test the depths of the Tai Xuan Sect." The mysterious figure spoke in a cold male voice, devoid of any emotion.

Zong Ying hesitated and said, "Lu Baitian has regained his position as the sect leader of Tai Xuan Sect. His cultivation has reached the ninth level of the Integration Realm. Do we really want to confront him head-on?"

The mysterious figure replied, "This is the order from the main branch. We must annex the Taicang Dynasty before the great calamity of demons arrives. The Taicang Dynasty is located by the sea and plays a vital role in our sect's future plans."

Upon hearing this, Zong Ying asked with delight, "The main branch's order? The main branch can finally spare some resources to help us?"

"Yes, the failure two hundred years ago has made the main branch very dissatisfied with us. Although we have infiltrated the Taicang Dynasty, compared with the actions of other branches, we have disgraced the Tanhua Sect. You take action first to investigate the current strength of the Taixuan Sect. Once the Xuanxin Realm cultivator from the main branch arrives, we will then launch a war against the Taixuan Sect."

Upon hearing the mysterious figure's words, Zong Ying immediately agreed excitedly, believing this to be a great opportunity to make a contribution!

The image shattered, and Gu An's divine sense probed into Zong Ying's other memories.

This guy wasn't a Ghost Thief at all; he was just using the Ghost Thief's name to get the Tai Xuan Sect to prepare in advance so he could find out how many powerful figures the Tai Xuan Sect had hidden away.

The reason he didn't use the name "Ephemeral Flower Sect" was that he was afraid of alerting the enemy. If he failed, he could still survive as the Ghost Thief.

Ghost Thief is doing chivalrous deeds, and Tai Xuan Sect is a major righteous sect, so they might not kill Ghost Thief.

If it weren't for the lifespan-predicting enemy, Gu An might actually have been fooled. A long time passed.

Half an hour has passed in reality, in the woods.

Zong Ying collapsed in front of Gu An with a thud. His eyes rolled back, his body was stiff, and he was completely dead. His primordial spirit had been shattered by Gu An's powerful spiritual energy, and his soul had perished before his body.

With a blank expression, Gu An snatched Zong Ying's storage bag and then used spiritual fire to burn Zong Ying's corpse.

Killing Zong Ying granted him 240 years of lifespan, but this did not improve his mood.

In Zong Ying's memory, there was no such thing as the Heavenly Mirror Curse. Gu An, however, saw his deeds: murder and robbery, slaughtering entire families, humiliating female cultivators, refining souls to create ghost artifacts, and so on. He was truly wicked.

This gave Gu An a very bad impression of the Ephemeral Flower Sect.

He had initially thought the conflict between the Tanhua Sect and the Taixuan Sect was just a regular sect rivalry, but now he felt that if the Tanhua Sect were to unify the Taicang Dynasty, things would only get more difficult for them.

There is darkness within the Tai Xuan Sect, but the Nascent Soul Realm cultivators within it would not stoop to such despicable acts.

"The Profound Heart Realm..."

Gu An thought to himself, then turned and left.

The autumn wind blew into the woods, scattering Zongying's ashes. In the air, the ashes completely dissipated and ceased to exist.

Gu Anxian arrived at the Eight Views Cave Heaven, inspected Zong Ying's storage bag, destroyed all the suspicious items to avoid revealing the location of the Eight Views Cave Heaven, and left only cultivation resources.

The storage bags of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator are truly extraordinary; they contain countless magical artifacts of all kinds, as well as a considerable number of pills, including many low-grade ones.

After an hour of fussing, Gu An finally left the Eight Views Cave.

After returning to Xuan Valley, Gu An went to find Yang Ni to see how the epiphyllum was growing.

He saw Yang Ni meditating in the garden. Before, she was busy with her cultivation and was not attracted by Gu An and Zong Ying. Usually, people from the Pill Hall, the Law Enforcement Hall, and the Ji family would come to see Gu An from time to time, and she was already used to it.

Of course, the main reason is that Zongying's Qi-gathering technique is too powerful.

"Why are you cultivating here?" Gu An asked. He noticed that Yang Ni was absorbing the spiritual energy of the Epiphyllum, which was not a good thing and would hinder the growth of the Epiphyllum!

Yang Ni opened her eyes and said, "I'm afraid of revealing my cultivation level if I cultivate in the valley."

Gu An pulled her up and walked towards his pavilion, saying, "Come to my room to cultivate. I recently set up a restriction so that the disciples cannot see what's going on inside."

Yang Ni frowned, but she couldn't refuse Gu An directly, so she could only follow Gu An back to the valley.

……

As winter descends, the Third Medicine Valley is covered in a blanket of white snow.

Gu An was reading a book in the room when Ji Xiaoyu suddenly came to visit him. He quickly put away the Tai Xuan Secret Manual and then got up to greet Ji Xiaoyu.

Ji Xiaoyu closed the door, activated the protective barrier, and then asked, "Did you comprehend the Divine Continent Scripture in your dream?"

She has been studying the Divine Scripture for half a year and has gained many insights.

Gu An said solemnly, "This is not a method of cultivation, but a principle of life. It can help you stabilize your mind. Only with a calm mind can you cultivate better."

"Not something I realized in a dream?"

"Of course not. I met an old senior in the outer sect before. He gave me the Divine Scripture and said something about the great way being simple, a bunch of nonsense. But over the years, I have often studied the Divine Scripture. Although my cultivation has not increased, my state of mind has become more and more peaceful and open-minded. Nothing can make me worry, and I will not be obsessed with any one thing."

Gu An shook his head and said this. Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaoyu gave him a deep look.

Ji Xiaoyu said, "This book is indeed useful. My state of mind is much calmer now than before I came here, and I no longer think about things that I can't do for the time being."

"I want to take this book back to the Ji family. Do you agree? If you do, I will try to get you a seventh-order spirit tree. The Ji family's resources are no less than those of the Tai Xuan Sect."

"Of course, if you disagree, I will not force you, and I guarantee that the Divine Scripture will not be leaked."

A seventh-tier spirit tree?

Is the Ji family really that powerful?
Gu An suppressed his joy and said calmly, "Of course I'm willing. Confucius in the classics had the ambition to convey his ideas to the people of the world. How could I keep them to myself?"

The Divine Land Classic is a compilation of sayings from Lao Tzu, Confucius, Zhuangzi, and many other ancient Chinese sages. Gu An also marks their names in the book and portrays them as extraordinary figures.

Upon hearing this, Ji Xiaoyu smiled and began to discuss the Divine Continent Scripture with Gu An.

After chatting for a long time, she finally said goodbye and left.

As they approached the door, Ji Xiaoyu suddenly turned back and looked at Gu An, saying, "Now that you possess such a large Third Medicine Valley, your status and position are different. You should have heard of the Ephemeral Flower Sect. If anyone from the Ephemeral Flower Sect tries to recruit you, do not agree."

"Why?"

"The Ephemeral Flower Sect acts in a wicked and unorthodox manner. It is not the right path. It is difficult to achieve good results by seeking the path with them. Moreover, the Ji family and the Ephemeral Flower Sect are sworn enemies."

The key point is the reason behind it, right?
Gu An mentally complained, but at the same time he could feel the impact of the Ephemeral Flower Sect on the Tai Xuan Sect. Ji Xiaoyu must know that many people had been recruited by the Ephemeral Flower Sect when she said those words.

Update begins!
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(End of this chapter)