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

Chapter 145 Prepare to welcome the arrival of the immortals!
Gu An dealt with Lu Lingjun for a while before finally sending her away. Of course, there was another reason: Lu Lingjun also needed time to adapt to the Profound Heart Realm.

He sensed something was wrong. Would Lu Lingjun, now that she knew his true identity as Pan An, become even more persistent in pursuing him?

He remembered that Lu Lingjun loved to read Investiture of the Gods when she had nothing to do.

In the days that followed, Lu Lingjun's name spread throughout the Tai Xuan Sect, inspiring all the disciples.

The mere mention of the Profound Heart Realm was enough to boost the morale of the entire sect!

The news quickly reached the Tai Chen Dynasty.

All the cultivators in the Tai Xuan Sect's main camp were very excited when they learned of this.

During this time, they have come to know the terror of the Profound Heart Realm. It is no exaggeration to say that the only factor that determines the outcome of the battlefield is the Profound Heart Realm!
No matter how many people are at the Integration Realm, they can't defeat those at the Profound Heart Realm!
Lu Baitian was very happy, explaining that he had personally recruited Lu Lingjun into the Tai Xuan Sect, which relieved the higher-ups who were unfamiliar with Lu Lingjun.

The sudden appearance of a strange cultivator at the Profound Heart Realm, especially at this critical juncture, inevitably aroused suspicion among those in power.

They began to request Lü Baitian to summon Lu Lingjun to join the battle.

With only Ancestor Xuanquan, the Tai Xuan Sect's role in this battle was extremely weak. Within the Nine Dynasties Alliance, its influence was barely among the top five, which was a great humiliation for the Tai Xuan Sect, which had just hosted the Golden Ranking Conference.

Lu Baitian temporarily suppressed these requests, wanting to give Lu Lingjun time to consolidate her cultivation.

Afterwards, under the leadership of the Cangtian Sect, the Nine Dynasties Sect launched attacks on Wanji Forest from time to time. High-level cultivators charged into battle, mid-level cultivators tried to rescue the captured prisoners, and low-level cultivators were responsible for supplying and replenishing supplies.

No matter how the Nine Dynasties Sect tried to break through, they could not penetrate the Six Paths Mahayana Formation of the Ephemeral Flower Sect.

As the news spread, more and more people across the land became aware that the Great Calamity of the Nine Dynasties was approaching, a crisis concerning all people.

……

With the arrival of autumn, Lu Lingjun had been in seclusion for a month, during which time Gu An did not disturb her.

Gu An continued to travel between various medicine valleys. Now that Nianchu Cave was on track, Tian Yao'er's work was increasingly satisfying to him. He had not been to Nianchu Cave for six days.

This day.

Gu Zong came to visit Gu An and asked Gu An to tell Lu Lingjun to rush to Wanji Forest to provide support as soon as she came out of seclusion. Gu An agreed.

The battlefield in Wanjilin was becoming increasingly severe. Gu An used his divine sense to see that Wanjilin was still engaged in a fierce battle.

Hundreds of thousands of cultivators lined up in all directions, creating a tremendous spectacle that caused the spiritual energy of the entire Tai Chen Dynasty to surge towards Wanji Forest.

Very tragic!

Gu An watched for a while before withdrawing his divine sense.

The number of offerings is still increasing, most likely prepared for that Mahayana cultivator. It seems that Fairy Baixia's death has not affected that Mahayana cultivator's plans.

Gu An continued his inspection of the Third Medicine Valley.

It wasn't until evening that Lu Lingjun left her courtyard and went to the pavilion to visit Gu An.

Gu An conveyed the ancient sect's request. As for whether Lu Lingjun would go or not, that was up to her. As a Xuanxin Realm cultivator, no one else could interfere with her decision.

"Yes, I heard that earlier. We'll set off soon." Lu Lingjun nodded, her expression aloof; perhaps this was the real her.

She was the strongest cultivator in the lower realm, and she no longer concealed her cultivation level or pretended to be true to herself.

Gu An looked at her, wondering why she hadn't left yet.

Lu Lingjun stared at him and said, "I can sense that there are many Xuanxin Realm auras in Wanji Forest, and there is even an aura that makes my heart tremble. I'm afraid this trip will be more dangerous than safe."

Her eyes were beautiful, yet also possessed a depth honed by the passage of time. They stared intently at Gu An, making him inexplicably feel guilty.

Gu An replied, "Do what you can. If you are powerless to change the situation, then protect yourself."

Lu Lingjun smiled and said, "Of course, I won't die for the Tai Xuan Sect. But I'm about to go to participate in such a dangerous war. Don't you have anything to say to me?"

Gu An coughed lightly and said seriously, "Miss Lu, it was really unintentional for me to hold your hand before. Don't overthink it. As for matters of marriage, we can't just decide on things casually. Two people have to be in love to commit to each other for life, not just have to be together after holding hands."

"Moreover, to tell you the truth, I didn't write Investiture of the Gods. I just heard it from a Taoist named Xu Zhonglin."

Lu Lingjun laughed and said, "If it really was written by someone else, how could you, Pan An, have been able to continue to seek fame and fortune for decades?"

Gu An choked.

You can't just say the original author doesn't exist in this world!

"Actually, whether you wrote Investiture of the Gods or not doesn't matter. After all these years, your nature is indeed good. Although you are greedy, it is always within the bounds of mutual consent. You are always polite to people, neither humble to superiors nor arrogant to inferiors..." Lu Lingjun began to praise Gu An, making him feel a little smug.

Was I really that good?

Lu Lingjun changed the subject, saying, "You're good in every way, except your cultivation level is too low. If you want to be my Daoist partner, you'll have to cultivate to the Void Transcending Realm first. Until then, I'll keep an eye on you. Once you reach the Void Transcending Realm, I have a cultivation technique that I've never tried before that I can use to cultivate with you."

Cultivate together?
Gu An suddenly recalled certain scenes from the Tai Xuan Secret Manual, and a surge of anger rose in his heart.

Something is wrong!
You want to destroy my Dao heart?
Gu An looked at Lu Lingjun again and felt that her smile was so sinister.

Is this two-thousand-year-old woman trying to seduce me, a seventy-year-old young man?
"Then you'd better not even think about it. I'll never reach the Transcendent Realm for the rest of my life," Gu An said solemnly.

Lu Lingjun smiled, then stood up. She placed her right hand on the table, leaving behind a ring inlaid with red jade, and said, "This is a double-heart ring. Refine it, and if you are in danger in the future, I will be the first to notice, and it might even save your life." Before Gu An could answer, she disappeared into thin air.

Gu An stared at the double-heart ring on the table, remaining silent.

He couldn't help but glance at the Qinghong Sword placed on the table beside him, feeling as if he had seen this scene before.

Damn the way of Heaven, why does it keep arranging for women to fall in love with him?
Are they afraid I'll hide and survive?
……

The night passed.

The next day at noon, Gu An arrived at Tianya Valley and found that only Luo Hun remained in the valley.

He found Luo Hun and asked him where Lü Xian and Yi Liuyun had gone.

"They followed His Majesty on the expedition to the Tai Chen Dynasty. His Majesty said that the world is in trouble, and as the emperor, he should also do his part," Luo Hun replied, his face full of admiration. If Li Xuandao hadn't asked him to stay behind and guard the border, he would have wanted to join the battle as well.

Gu An hadn't expected Li Xuandao to have such a thoughtful intention. He didn't comment much, just nodded, and then turned and walked towards the park.

And so, Gu An waited for another half month.

He stood at the window of the Xuan Gu Pavilion, his divine sense looking towards Wan Ji Forest. Lu Lingjun was fighting with a Xuan Xin Realm cultivator, and there were several other Xuan Xin Realm cultivators fighting nearby. The mountains within a thousand miles had been reduced to ruins, with dust flying everywhere.

Looking around, the ground was littered with corpses, a truly horrifying sight.

That Mahayana cultivator has yet to show himself!
Gu An refused to believe that he could really keep it to himself forever!

If the mysterious sacrificial array is activated and the other party has not yet shown up, then he will have no choice but to take action to prevent the cultivators of the Nine Dynasties from being killed.

After all, there is still the calamity of demons to come.

Gu An looked towards the Path of the Nine Netherworlds, which had become the territory of the Ephemeral Flower Sect, where ephemeral flowers could be seen everywhere for miles around.

Once the leader of the Ephemeral Flower Cult is dealt with, these ephemeral flowers can be harvested.

This time, the Ephemeral Flower Cult must be eradicated to prevent it from making a comeback in the future.

……

Wanji Forest, within the Six Paths Mahayana Array.

The seven masters of the Ephemeral Flower Sect opened their eyes simultaneously, their eyes revealing a fierce look. The masked elder at the head spoke first: "Everyone, the auspicious time has arrived. Prepare to activate the formation and welcome the sect leader."

He stood up, and the other six followed suit.

"The wait is finally here."

"It is said that there is a divine beast called Chen Snake in Taichen. I wonder if this sacrifice will disturb it."

"It's just a vague legend. No matter how many people have died, Chen She has never shown up."

"Speaking of which, I was relieved that the Sword Master Fudao did not show up. It seems that he is very wary of us and is only guarding the Taixuan Sect because it poses a threat to him."

“Even without us, the Nine Dynasties would face annihilation. A great cultivator like him pursues immortality. To achieve immortality, one must survive, so naturally he would not be in danger.”

Their tone was relaxed, as if their plans were about to succeed.

Then they each retreated and began casting spells.

Rumbling--

The ground beneath their feet cracked open, and huge tree roots burst forth from the soil. They stepped on the roots, rose up, and lifted away from the ground.

At the same time, all the great cultivators fighting in the distance felt a chilling aura.

Lu Baitian turned his head and looked over, his brows furrowed. He uttered three words: "Epiphyllum tree!"

This time, the Epiphyllum tree is far more terrifying than the one before the Path to the Nine Netherworlds!
That aura, seemingly emanating from the deepest hell, chilled everyone to the bone!

On the earth, countless human prisoners stared wide-eyed in terror at the ever-rising, towering tree; they were not even as big as the leaves of the night-blooming cereus tree.

Thousands of miles away.

Lu Lingjun held two swords, and a long golden scarf surrounded her, like a dragon encircling her. She turned her head to look at the horizon, where she could see the silhouette of the Epiphyllum mother tree.

A small snake emerged from her hair, flicking its tongue, and said, "What a terrifying aura! This is no joke. We've fought this far, and the favors have been repaid. It's time to slip away!"

This little snake is none other than the White Spirit Demon Emperor, who ascended with her, and has the cultivation level of the eighth level of the Integration Realm!

Hundreds of feet away, the Xuanxin Realm cultivator of the Tanhua Sect, trapped by Lu Lingjun's formation, laughed wildly while resisting the formation: "Trying to escape? It's too late. Prepare to welcome the arrival of an immortal!"

Immortal?
Lu Lingjun frowned, and the White Spirit Demon Emperor was also frightened. Looking at the Xuanxin Realm cultivator, he asked, "If you have immortals, how come you haven't conquered the Nine Dynasties yet?"

The Grandmaster of the Profound Heart Realm smiled and offered no explanation; he began to struggle to break the formation.

The Xuanxin Realm cultivators fighting in other directions also stopped fighting. The Nine Dynasties cultivators looked at the Epiphyllum Mother Tree in fear, while the Epiphyllum Sect became excited, as if victory was in their grasp.

(End of this chapter)