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

Chapter 158 Different Paths, Fall
Late at night, beneath the Xuan Valley, within the Eight Scenic Spots Cave.

Gu An sat under the vine tree reading a book, his back against the main trunk, with two vines resting on his shoulders, gently massaging them.

He suddenly put down the book in his hand and sat up straight.

"What's wrong, Master? Did you use too much force?" Cang Tengshu asked in a weak, pitiful female voice.

Gu An replied, "No, I have something to do, I have to go."

The old vine tree trembled and hurriedly said, "Master, don't forget to bring some mutton!"

Gu An waved his hand and then disappeared from the spot.

He stepped outside the boundaries of the Tai Xuan Sect and arrived at the top of a mountain. It was late autumn, and the night wind was cold, blowing his robes. He looked into the distance.

He sensed that Haolong was suffering.

Although he and Haolong did not form a contract, they established a subtle connection since Haolong's birth, a connection similar to the feeling he had when Xuanmiao Zhenren called out to him.

He extended his consciousness along with this subtle feeling.

Soon, he locked onto a particular sect, and his divine sense passed through layers of restrictions, entering a small world similar to the Star Cave.

Huh?
The Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother, and the Thirteen Fiends of the Nine Netherworlds!

These guys are fighting against the great cultivators of the Ancient Hao Sect!
Gu An locked his divine sense onto Haolong, and his expression turned strange.

The person fighting Haolong was none other than Su Han!

Su Han's aura was already approaching the Nascent Soul Realm, but his aura was very chaotic, giving people the feeling that he might go into qi deviation at any moment.

Although Haolong is lazy and doesn't cultivate much, Su Han can't defeat it for the time being thanks to its powerful bloodline talent.

The twenty-zhang-long Haolong twisted its body, spewing out scorching flames from its mouth from time to time. Su Han moved like a ghost, nimbly dodging the attacks, and occasionally swung his sword. The sword energy struck the Haolong, causing its dragon blood to splatter continuously.

Su Han held a cloth bag in his other hand, collecting Haolong's blood.

After hesitating for a moment, Gu An decided to take action.

……

In the dim light, Haolong fled through the mountains and fields, with Su Han wielding a bone sword in hot pursuit.

"Damn it... Who are you? I'll never forgive you again!"

Haolong roared, his voice shaking the mountains and forests, still childish, like that of a boy.

Su Han's icy voice came from behind: "Hate Heaven Divine Sword, Su Han."

Haolong's dragon eyes narrowed, clearly having heard of the name of the Heaven-Hating Divine Sword. Fear showed in its eyes, and it fled even faster, its dragon body twisting like a loach.

Su Han leaped into the air, soaring high into the sky. He swung his sword, unleashing a powerful sword aura that condensed into seven sword shadows that hurtled towards Haolong. Each sword shadow had several ghosts at its end, as if evil spirits were pushing the sword, creating a chilling and terrifying scene under the night sky.

A dark purple demonic shadow appeared out of thin air on Haolong's head, and with a flick of its wrist, it dispersed Su Han's sword energy from a distance.

Su Han stared intently, her pupils dilating.

It's him!

Su Han couldn't forget the mysterious demonic figure that killed his master Zhong Liang, so he recognized it at a glance.

boom!
A terrifying divine sense struck his mind instantly, causing him to faint and fall into the forest.

Haolong also suffered a shock to his divine sense and instantly fell into a coma. His massive dragon body then crashed to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

Gu An came to Su Han, who was lying on the grass, her life hanging in the balance.

At this moment, the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother appeared out of thin air in front of Su Han, knelt down on one knee, clasped her hands and said, "Please forgive us, Master, we were unaware that Haolong was related to you!"

The ghostly aura around her dissipated, revealing a pale woman's face. She looked at Gu An with surprise and delight.

Gu An asked indifferently, "Are you the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother?"

Although he had seen the Ephemeral Flower Ghost Mother, the Sword Master Fudao had not, so he had to ask one more question.

"Your subordinate is none other than the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother!" the Ephemeral Flower Demon Mother replied respectfully.

Gu An continued, "The Ancient Hao Sect is also under my protection. Haolong is the sacred beast of the Ancient Hao Sect, and you are not allowed to plunder it."

This means that he acted because of Gu Haozong, not because of Haolong.

Upon hearing this, the Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower cautiously asked, "Why do you protect both sects?"

Gu An countered, "The Ephemeral Flower Sect has been destroyed, so why haven't you returned to the Path of the Nine Netherworlds?"

The Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower said helplessly, "We do want to go back, but the return path within the Nine Netherworld Path has been blocked by cultivators of the Seven Star Spirit Realm, so we can only escape back."

Seven Star Spirit Realm?

Hearing this, Gu An became even more certain that the Seven Star Spirit Realm was behind the Demon Calamity.

"Is this kid your disciple?" Gu An asked. The Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower looked at Gu An, who was surrounded by demonic energy, hesitated for a moment, and said, "He is not my disciple, but just a pawn of mine. The great calamity of demons is imminent, and all living beings are about to face a catastrophe. I want to take this opportunity to cultivate him and make him the power for me to break through the Nine Netherworlds."

Should we use Su Han to fight the Seven-Star Spirit Realm cultivators within the Nine Nether Path?
Gu An couldn't help but feel sorry for Su Han, but he had no intention of helping her.

Su Han's thirst for power has become an obsession. Even without the Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower, he would still go astray. In Su Han's eyes, he has not done anything evil; he is just trying to become stronger.

Gu An did not kill Su Han himself because he had not heard of Su Han slaughtering ordinary people. Although many people died at Su Han's hands, they were basically all people with grudges against him. Most of them wanted to get rid of the Hate Heaven Divine Sword, but were killed by him instead.

The Heaven-Hating Divine Sword was originally Su Han's family sword technique, so he and Gu An were not actually master and disciple. Gu An only provided him with some pills.

The past master-disciple relationship has been severed, and Su Han's life or death is no longer Gu An's concern.

Gu An is mainly interested in seeing how Su Han ends up.

Su Han, who has mastered the Divine Art of Reversing Fate, can devour the spiritual power of other cultivators, which is similar to Gu An's ability to steal lifespan in some ways.

But Su Han's path was completely different from Gu An's. Wherever this kid went, he fought his way through, and his infamous reputation spread throughout the world.

The Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower revealed the effects of the Reversal of Fate Divine Skill, which were exactly the same as those of the Reversal of Fate Divine Skill that Gu An had mastered, without the slightest exaggeration.

From the perspective of the Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower, she naturally did not know that the Sword Venerable of Supporting the Dao possessed the Divine Skill of Reversing Fate, so she was able to reveal the truth. Perhaps she really wanted to establish Gu An as the leader of the Ephemeral Flower Sect.

"On the land we come from, the Tanhua Sect has stood for tens of thousands of years. The spiritual energy there far surpasses that of the Nine Dynasties. Although the Tanhua Sect has been destroyed by the Mountain God, those who were destroyed were traitors who surrendered to Jing Tu Xian. The orthodox disciples of our sect are still here. As long as you come back with me, the Tanhua Sect will be able to restore its former glory in a thousand years at most," the Tanhua Ghost Mother said earnestly.

Gu An asked, "Just because I know the Tai Cang Jing Divine Sword? Aren't you afraid I'll sacrifice you all? Just like the actions of the Tan Hua Sect."

"The ability to wield the Tai Cang Jing Shen Sword is only one aspect. I have been in the Tai Xuan Sect for many years and have learned about your deeds. The fact that you were able to inscribe the words 'Righteous Path' on the Patching Heaven Platform is enough to demonstrate your character. If you are willing to take charge of the Tan Hua Sect, you will surely be able to lead the Tan Hua Sect onto the right path. Although the Tan Hua Tree is an evil creature, the Tan Hua Sect was initially established by subduing the Tan Hua Tree and saving the people of the region, thus establishing its lineage."

As she spoke, the Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower raised her right hand, and a token appeared in her palm.

"This is the token of the leader of the Ephemeral Flower Sect. The deceased leader has been searching for this token. He didn't know that this token was in my hands. This token can find all the members of the Ephemeral Flower Sect, and it can also find the place of inheritance where the true disciples are hidden."

Gu An reached out and sent his divine sense into the token.

He sensed a powerful restriction that could not be broken by anyone below the Mahayana realm. Of course, this restriction was only strong for others; it was useless to him.

As his divine sense entered the command, he felt as if his divine sense was looking down upon the earth. He saw a chaotic, dark world with only landforms and no flowers, plants, or living beings.

Through the imagery within the token, he could see the locations of the other Epiphyllum Cult members.

Besides its other functions, this token also had many other restrictions that intrigued Gu An.

He withdrew his divine sense and said, "I will accept this token for now. From now on, seeing this token will be as if you were seeing me."

Upon hearing this, the Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower was overjoyed and quickly thanked Gu An.

Gu An then disappeared from the spot.

The Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower immediately stood up and left with Su Han. As for Hao Long in the distance, she dared not lay a finger on him again.

……

In late autumn, at Xuan Valley.

Gu An watched his disciples sweeping away the fallen leaves in each area, while his divine sense focused on the distant battlefield where he was observing the decisive battle between the Taicang Dynasty and the Hanlu Dynasty.

Lu Xian and Wu Jue are also participating in the battle, each displaying their prowess. They are almost at the capital of the Han Lu Dynasty.

Gu An's gaze was mainly fixed on Ye Yan, who also came from Xuan Valley. He received guidance on spear techniques and body tempering methods from Luo Hun and Zhou Tongyou, and joined the army after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.

Decades have passed, and Ye Yan has become a general of the Taicang Dynasty with outstanding military achievements. Although he has not yet formed his core, his strength on the battlefield should not be underestimated.

After all, most of those who join the army are below the Core Formation stage. Those who can form the Core have mostly transcended the constraints of the dynasty and pursued their own path to immortality.

Looking at the battlefield, Gu An felt it had a strong resemblance to the novel *Investiture of the Gods*.

Both sides had cultivators from different sects charging into battle, fighting each other. The losing side would be attacked by the army and forced to retreat step by step.

Just as he was engrossed in watching, Zhen Qin flew over on her sword and landed beside Gu An. She whispered, "Master, Senior Brother Su Han has been wanted by the Gu Hao Sect."

Gu An said casually, "I already told you, he's not your senior brother."

Zhen Qin pouted and said, "Of course he's not my senior brother to outsiders, but we grew up together after all, how could I completely sever ties with him?"

"Then there's no point in telling me. What can I do?"

“Master! I’m just feeling really stifled and want to talk to you!” Zhen Qin said, glaring at him.

Gu An glanced at her and smiled, "Don't worry about him. He's been hunted for so many years and he's still alive and well. Instead of worrying about him, you should worry about yourself. I feel like you're in greater danger than he is."

He was referring to the time when the disciples of the Enforcement Hall were saved by the Mysterious Immortal. Although Zhen Qin did not mention the existence of the Mountain God, Ye Lan knew about her ordeal and told Gu An about it.

Just as Zhen Qin was about to retort, she suddenly sensed something and took out her disciple token from her storage bag.

Gu An did the same. He took out his Valley Master's token and probed it with his divine sense. Immediately afterward, he heard the voice of the Ancient Sect Master:

"Elder Kusong was exploring the land of demons when he unfortunately perished. Three days later, all disciples of the sect entered the subordinate city to pay homage to the ancestor!"

Thank you to Star Spirit Blood for the 5000 Qidian Coins!
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(End of this chapter)