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

Chapter 108 Holy Land, Death of the Cult Leader

Gu An didn't know what Li Ya had gone through. Every few days, he would use his divine sense to search for the Taicang Dynasty. Li Ya was practicing swordsmanship on the border of the Taicang Dynasty, and there was an extra soul in his body. It seemed that the Jinghongke had not lied to him.

Next, we just need to wait for the Ephemeral Flower Cult to gather, and then wipe them out in one fell swoop.

Since Gu An destroyed the Epiphyllum tree, the Epiphyllum Cult has remained active, seemingly unaffected. Clearly, there is more than one Epiphyllum tree.

The true enemy of the Tai Xuan Sect is not the current Tan Hua Sect, but the upcoming Grand Master of the Tan Hua Sect's main lineage.

Gu An plans to find an opportunity to raise his cultivation to the ninth level of the Mahayana Realm.

The difference between even a minor realm can be significant, especially at higher realms!
After the Lunar New Year, everything returned to normal.

Lu Lingjun stopped coming to see Gu An. She worked every day and cultivated under the Xuanqing Tree at night. When Gu An looked at her, he felt, whether it was his imagination or not, that she did not want to meet his gaze.

Anxin quickly adapted to life in the Third Medicine Valley. The valley was just like its master. The disciples were all kind, and the people here didn't prioritize cultivation, which made her feel very relaxed.

Spring passed and summer came. On this day, Gu An's age jumped to sixty-one.

Today, Tang Yu received the Foundation Establishment Pill from Gu An, and the entire Medicine Valley was bustling with excitement. Tang Yu represented their future, and they seemed to see themselves striving to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.

This made Lu Lingjun take a few more glances at Gu An, and An Xin completely let her guard down. She felt that she had misunderstood Gu An, and that Gu An was indeed a good person.

Gu An was not only kind to his disciples, but he also spoke very gently. He never swore and was almost never seen with a stern face. He was always smiling, which made people feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze.

Sending off disciples means recruiting new ones, and Gu An still lets Xiao Chuan recruit them, which is also a way to increase Xiao Chuan's authority.

At noon.

Ji Xiaoyu came to visit Gu An. The ten geniuses were still cultivating their minds in the Medicine Valley, but they rarely interacted with the servant disciples and kept a great distance from each other.

"I'm about to leave to participate in the Holy Land assessment," Ji Xiaoyu said softly after sitting down inside.

Holy place?

As Gu An poured her tea, he asked curiously, "What kind of power is the Holy Land, and where is it located?"

Ji Xiaoyu replied, "The Holy Land is the oldest power on this continent, with a history of ten thousand years. It is located outside the Nine Dynasties. They do not concern themselves with worldly affairs and do not participate in any struggles. Every hundred years, they recruit disciples. After entering the Holy Land for cultivation, they must leave after a maximum of one hundred years. How long they can stay depends entirely on their own destiny. The Ji family rose to prominence back then by relying on the Holy Land's legacy."

Upon hearing this, Gu An became even more curious and asked, "What's with that sacred map? It didn't even keep anyone."

Ji Xiaoyu shook her head and said, "No one knows. Even the elders of the clan who went to the Holy Land did not mention it much when they returned. They only said that only by entering the Holy Land could one have the possibility of inquiring about the Dao of Immortality."

That's pretty mysterious!
"I've heard that a great calamity of demons will occur a hundred years from now. Why isn't the Holy Land taking action?" Gu An pressed.

Ji Xiaoyu picked up her teacup and said, "Actually, before the Nine Dynasties, there was a great calamity of demons and monsters, which caused this continent to be dominated by demons and monsters, and the human race to barely survive, becoming livestock raised by demons and monsters. At that time, the Holy Land did not take action. Even without the Holy Land's intervention, the human race later rose up and established the Nine Dynasties. My clan elders said that the Holy Land has seen through the mortal world. What they care about is not the safety of people in this world, but the long-term survival of the cultivation lineage."

After hearing this, Gu An looked at the Holy Land with new respect. It seemed that this Holy Land was indeed extraordinary.

After that, he didn't ask any more questions, but instead wished Ji Xiaoyu success in passing the Holy Land's assessment and smooth sailing.

Ji Xiaoyu didn't stay long; she had to leave today.

Gu An escorted her downstairs and watched her leave.

Lu Lingjun, who was passing by, walked over and asked curiously, "Valley Master, what is the background of this woman? She seems very extraordinary."

She had long noticed the ten geniuses cultivating their minds in the Medicine Valley. Learning that these people were arranged by the sect leader and personally taught by Gu An made her look at Gu An with new respect.

Of the ten people, Ji Xiaoyu was the one she was most curious about.

She could sense the aura of the innate Dao talisman, and she even had the urge to snatch it, but she restrained herself.

"She is a true disciple of the sect, and also a young lady of the Ji family, named Ji Xiaoyu. She is one of the sect's top geniuses," Gu An introduced.

He is truly one of the best. Among cultivators, only An Hao has a longer lifespan than Ji Xiaoyu.

An Hao has successfully formed his core and is said to have become a legend in the inner sect, with no one able to rival him. Gu Yu even compared him to the senior disciples who were training outside.

There are many paths in this world; not all geniuses have to participate in the Hundred Races Conference or enter the Holy Land.

Lu Lingjun nodded, then asked, "Valley Master, have you read the Secret Manual of the Great Mystery?"

Gu An's smile froze instantly, and he frowned, saying, "Why do you read this kind of book?"

Good guy!
When will the corrupt practices of the Tai Xuan Sect be rectified?
Even the newly arrived ascendants suffered greatly from it!

Gu An couldn't help but curse Shen Zhen a few more times in his heart.

“Someone recommended it to me from the outer sect before. Could it not have been written by the Valley Master? I noticed that the protagonist’s name is Gu An…” Lu Lingjun said truthfully.

Gu An said angrily, "Do you think I'm that kind of person?"

“It doesn’t look like it, that’s why I asked.”

A smile appeared on Lu Lingjun's face, her resentment dissipated, and she suddenly found Gu An more pleasing to the eye.

She had been holding it in for a long time, but today she finally couldn't help asking about it.

“I’ll have to go to the library again next time. The oversight isn’t strong enough. There are still people selling this book. You’d better destroy it,” Gu An said seriously.

Lu Lingjun rarely saw him so serious, and her mood was inexplicably pleasant. She asked with a smile, "Valley Master, do you think the Tai Xuan Mi Zhuan is better written, or the Qing Xia You Ji?"

Upon hearing this, Gu An was stunned.

Lu Lingjun turned and left without waiting for his reply.

Gu An watched her retreating figure, hesitant to speak, but ultimately let out a sigh. Her reputation was ruined!

He shook his head, turned and walked towards the attic, taking out the "Qingxia Travelogue" from his pocket at the same time.

Since my reputation is already ruined, I might as well stop trying to cover it up!

……

The moon and stars are sparse, inside the mysterious valley.

Gu An was looking at a cultivation manual in the attic. It was a basic cultivation manual with the fire attribute. He had bought basic cultivation manuals with other attributes when he went to the inner sect before. Since there seemed to be no cultivation manuals with the five elements in this world, he planned to comprehend them on his own.

Since he doesn't usually cultivate, what if he suddenly comprehends it?

Although he lacks comprehension, he has plenty of time to work on it.

Late into the night, Gu An suddenly sensed an aura entering the area within a hundred miles of Xuan Valley.

A cultivator at the Transcendent Realm!
It's not a good thing for a cultivator like this to approach Xuan Valley while concealing his presence.

Gu An did not act immediately because he suspected someone.

Sure enough, after a while, Yang Ni walked out of her courtyard. She quietly left Xuan Valley and quickly headed towards the direction of that Void Transcending Realm cultivator.

Finally, the two met up in the woods more than 30 miles away.

In the dim forest, Yang Ni stopped and looked at a figure under a tree ahead. By the moonlight, she could see that it was a female cultivator.

"You're moving a bit slowly, Yang Ni. Why have you been staying in the outer sect? Didn't Li Xuandao arrange for you to go to the inner sect?" the female cultivator asked, her voice icy.

The female cultivator wore a long purple dress, her long hair was styled into a bun and adorned with several jade hairpins. She was dignified and beautiful, and even though her eyes were cold, they possessed a captivating charm that could bewitch all living beings.

Yang Ni replied, "No, Li Xuandao asked me to protect an outer disciple who has a close relationship with his son, Li Ya."

"Has Li Xuandao noticed your true identity?"

"No, otherwise he wouldn't have asked me to protect Li Ya."

"The Epiphyllum tree was destroyed by a mysterious cultivator, and even the sect leader is dead. It could only be the work of a great cultivator from the Tai Xuan Sect. You must find a way to investigate whether there are any other cultivators at or above the fifth level of the Integration Realm in the Tai Xuan Sect besides the sect leader."

Level 5 or above in the Integration Realm!
Yang Ni was moved and quickly said, "With my cultivation level, how could I possibly have come into contact with the Integration Realm?"

"According to the message from our people in the Elder Hall, Lü Baitian has failed his tribulation. He could not possibly be the one who killed the sect leader. Such a mysterious person is very likely the Sword Venerable Fudao. Ever since the Sword Venerable Fudao became famous, our sect has been investigating him. After eliminating all possibilities, we can only speculate that the Sword Venerable Fudao is a cultivator who has hidden his cultivation level, and may even be hiding in the outer sect where the Heaven-Mending Platform is located."

The woman in the purple dress's words made Yang Ni frown.

"Of course, the Sword Master Fudao is just a guess. Anyway, you'll have to find a way to investigate the outer sect next."

Upon hearing this, Yang Ni couldn't help but say, "I've been busy cultivating epiphyllum lately, so I can't leave."

"Can't leave?"

The woman in the purple dress hesitated, then she used her divine sense to explore the distant Xuan Valley.

After a few breaths, she sneered, "That kid does have a handsome face."

Yang Ni's expression changed, and she quickly said, "Don't you dare attack him!"

"What is your relationship?"

"He is not only someone Li Xuandao wants to protect, but also my newly accepted disciple!"

"Your disciple? How about offering him to me?"

"shut up!"

Yang Ni was furious and drew her own sword.

The woman in the purple dress glanced at her disdainfully and said, "I will come again next year. If you do not provide me with information that satisfies me, that boy will be mine. After I drain his yang energy, I will make his bones into a pendant and give it to you. You can take it out and look at it whenever you think of him in the future."

After that, she turned and left.

Yang Ni stared at the woman in the purple dress's retreating figure, her eyes filled with anger, but her hand gripping the hilt of the sword was unable to draw it.

She took a deep breath and could only turn back to the valley. She moved quickly, as if she was afraid that something might happen to Gu An.

As she hurried toward Xuan Valley, the woman in the purple dress was walking in the woods, a mocking smile on her face as she thought about Yang Ni's reaction earlier.

Snapped!
A hand suddenly pressed down on the woman in the purple dress's shoulder, causing her to stop abruptly, her pupils dilating.

She instinctively tried to turn around, but caught a glimpse of a deep purple demonic figure out of the corner of her eye.

"thousand……"

boom!
A terrifying divine consciousness forcefully rushed into her mind, leaving her eyes vacant.

the other side.

Yang Ni returned to Xuan Valley and came to the foot of Gu An's pavilion. She saw that the oil lamp was still lit inside and that Gu An was still alive. She immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Inside the room, Gu An sat at the table, with a woman in a purple dress kneeling in front of him. His right hand was pressing down on her head, casting a soul-capturing spell.

His spiritual power enveloped the woman in the purple dress, shrouding her with the power of the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body. Unless someone walked in, even with divine sense, they could not see her or sense her presence.

Thank you to readers 2022043016523967325005 and 20240626204714269 for their 100 Qidian Coins donations!
The fourth update!
Another day of updating with 12,000 words!


(End of this chapter)