In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 449 Convergence
After leaving the Emei Sect, Gu Shaoan continued his practice of the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill as he traveled.

When the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill reaches the twelfth level, the consumption of condensing golden energy is even greater.

Furthermore, after entering the twelfth level of the "Invincible Vajra Divine Skill", condensing golden essence will consume not only the vital energy but also the power of blood and qi.

Once the vital energy is depleted, I can simply meditate to recover.

However, excessive consumption of qi and blood is harmful to martial artists.

This also means that martial artists have to slow down their training progress until they have enough medicine to replenish their qi and blood.

Fortunately, Gu Shaoan was skilled in medicine and had refined many elixirs over the years.

In particular, the energy contained in cardamom is extremely abundant.

Even a single Heavenly Fragrance Cardamom pod would be enough to sustain Gu Shaoan's cultivation of the Vajra Indestructible Divine Skill for several months.

When Gu Shaoan arrived at Shuoyang Mansion near Wudang Mountain, his personal wealth had increased considerably.

At this rate, Gu Shaoan's "Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill" might advance even further when he enters the border and reunites with Zhu Houzhao and the others.

After deliberately strolling around Shuoyang Prefecture and having a meal at a restaurant, Gu Shaoan set off towards Wudang.

After finding a secluded spot on Wudang Mountain to cultivate for a night, Gu Shaoan returned to Shuoyang Prefecture. Without concealing his presence, he bought some dry rations from street stalls and headed towards the border.

August 19th.

晴。

Beiwang Mansion.

This prefecture city is nestled between the northern border of the Great Wei and the border military town. Its name contains the word "wang" (望, meaning to look out), but what it looks out for is not scenery, but the horizon where trade routes and beacon fires intertwine.

If the prosperity of the mainland was built up by fields and people, then the liveliness of Beiwang Prefecture was created by the exchanges between the two countries, the passes and customs, and the camel bells and horses' hooves.

As a strategically important location near the Great Yuan Dynasty, the city walls of Beiwang Prefecture are far more imposing than those of other towns. The bricks and stones have been worn dark by the wind and sand, but the battlements are neatly constructed, with arrow slits and ramparts layered in a strict order; however, the area under the city gate tower is not desolate, but rather exudes a vibrant energy that thrives even under tighter defenses.

The procession entering the city was very long: carts carrying bolts of cloth lined up along the city gate, salt merchants led mules and horses, and traveling doctors carried medicine baskets, looking around for customers.

A string of camels slowly walked through the city gate, their bells jingling clearly, creating a lively echo inside the gate.

During this time, one can also see merchants from foreign lands and the Western Regions, dressed in colorful robes with silver ornaments jingling at their waists, accompanied by translators and guards, carrying exotic leather bags on their shoulders, their eyes scanning back and forth between the customs, shops, and crowds, as if weighing the value of an entire city.

When Gu Shaoan stepped into Beiwang Mansion, his robes were spotless, and he showed no signs of fatigue from his long journey, yet his expression remained as cool and composed as ever.

He didn't deliberately release his aura, but due to his continuous practice of the "Indestructible Vajra Divine Skill," Gu Shaoan naturally possessed a calm and profound aura.

With his outstanding appearance, passersby couldn't help but frequently look at him.

However, before Gu Shaoan could even leave the main street where the city gate was located and approach a stall selling dry food and ghee cakes, a person on the street quickly came to meet him.

The man was wearing an ordinary gray short jacket and looked to be a young man in his early thirties. He was inconspicuous in the crowd; but when you got close, his steps were very steady and his landing point was precise. He stopped three steps away and the distance was just right.

He bowed deeply, his voice respectful and crisp:

"This humble servant greets Young Master Gu. My master has been waiting for a long time. Please follow me, Young Master Gu."

Gu Shaoan made no attempt to conceal his whereabouts along the way, and with Zhu Houzhao's intelligence network, his movements were easily known.

Having guessed the other party's identity, Gu Shaoan nodded slightly: "Thank you for your trouble."

"Of course, please, Young Master Gu."

Having said that, the man bowed and led the way.

The two walked through the Northview Mansion, gradually turning from the bustling main street into deeper alleys.

The alley is not as noisy as outside, but it has its own kind of bustling activity.

Finally, the two stopped in front of an inconspicuous courtyard gate.

The person leading the way stepped forward and knocked on the door nine times at a specific frequency.

There was a quick response from inside the door, and the latch slid open.

The courtyard wasn't small, but it was kept clean and tidy: the ground was spotless, and two servants stood under the eaves, seemingly busy with their own tasks, but in reality, their gazes briefly scrutinized Gu Shaoan the moment he entered, before they lowered their eyes again as if nothing had happened.

Led by the person in front, Gu Shaoan quickly entered the front hall.

Several people were already waiting quietly in the lobby.

Zhu Houzhao sat upright in the main seat, his face no longer bearing the bronze mask, and his magnificent blue robe accentuated his extraordinary bearing.

To his left sat an elderly man in his sixties.

The old man remained silent and still, yet his back was as straight as a spear. His temples were gray, and his face was deeply lined with wrinkles, as if etched by the sharp edges of a knife and the passage of time.

Although he was just sitting there, when he looked up, his cold, hard gaze, which seemed to be able to cut through the fear hidden in a person's bones, made people's hearts tighten involuntarily.

It was none other than Wang Yizhao, the renowned general of the Wei Kingdom a century ago.

When Gu Shaoan's gaze fell on Wang Yizhao, he could feel a chilling, murderous intent emanating from him.

Judging from this sword intent alone, this old General Wang has already entered the second realm of swordsmanship, and is probably only one step away from the third realm.

Next to General Wang sat two Shaolin monks.

The man appeared to be in his early fifties, with a lean face and calm demeanor. His monk's robes were faded from washing but were extremely clean. He held his prayer beads in his hand, his knuckles were rounded, his breathing was deep and shallow, and his aura was as deep and vast as the sea. Although he was sitting, he gave people the feeling of being as steady as a mountain, "standing in front of a thousand men and remaining unmoved."

The other person was nearly eighty years old, with white eyebrows and beard, loose skin, and half-closed eyelids, as if he might fall asleep at any moment. But the light that occasionally flashed in his half-closed eyes was like frost hanging on an old pine branch—cold, still, and transparent.

What's even stranger is that his aura barely leaks out, as if he blends into the wooden beams, floor tiles, and dust of the front hall, making it difficult to discern whether he is "here" or "omnipresent." Besides him, Cao Zhengchun, Shangguan Jin Hong, and the woman with her face veiled by snow-white gauze also stand beside Zhu Houzhao.

As Gu Shaoan approached, the people in the front hall all sensed something and looked up at him.

The two Shaolin monks, especially those seeing Gu Shaoan for the first time, couldn't help but secretly praise him the moment their eyes met.

As Gu Shaoan approached, Zhu Houzhao, who had been sitting upright in the main seat, stood up with a smile after a glint in his eyes.

"Young Master Gu."

In response to Zhu Houzhao's greeting, Gu Shaoan nodded slightly.

"I hope Mr. Gu isn't too late."

Zhu Houzhao laughed and said, "If it were really too late, Young Master Gu wouldn't be here to see us."

As he spoke, Zhu Houzhao introduced General Wang and the two eminent monks from Shaolin to Gu Shaoan.

"This is General Wang."

"These two are Master Xuanmie and Master Dushan."

Upon Zhu Houzhao's introduction, the elderly Xuanmie and the seemingly fifty-something-year-old Dushan bowed to Gu Shaoan.

"Amitabha, this humble monk greets Young Master Gu."

Gu Shaoan returned the greeting.

"I, Gu, have met the two masters."

As he spoke, Gu Shaoan also roughly knew their seniority in Shaolin from their Buddhist names.

The fact that Master Xuanmie was from the "Xuan" generation indicates that he was over two hundred years old.

Du Shan, who belongs to the "Du" generation, should be nearly a hundred years old this year, and is of the same generation as Zhang Sanfeng.

After Gu Shaoan took his seat, Zhu Houzhao did not stand on ceremony and said directly, "According to the information I have received, Bai Xiaosheng entered the palace of the Great Yuan Kingdom seven days ago. On the second day, people from the palace went to the Vajra Sect, the Tantric Sect, the Hehuan Sect, and the Demon Master Palace, among other forces, to gather manpower."

"Based on the timeline, in five days, Si Hanfei and Ba Shiba will lead nearly ten top experts from the Great Yuan Kingdom toward the Great Wei Kingdom."

"Beiwang Prefecture is nearly 500 li away from the border of the Great Yuan Kingdom."

"With our lightness skills, we can cross the border of the Great Yuan Kingdom in one day and arrive at the One Line Sky in the Great Yuan Kingdom on the second day."

"Our original plan was to wait for you for two more days. If you still hadn't arrived by then, we would set off in two days."

"Now that you're here, to avoid any unforeseen complications, let's set off tomorrow and head to Yixiantian first."

After pondering for a few moments, Gu Shaoan asked, "Does the Demon Master's Palace still have any top-tier experts?"

In response to Gu Shaoan's question, Zhu Houzhao nodded and said, "The Demon Master Pang Ban actually had a chief disciple named Leng Yan, nicknamed 'Yin Feng.' However, he disappeared years ago. Last year, after Pang Ban and Meng Chixing perished in the Great Wei Kingdom, he returned to the Demon Master's Palace."

"I don't know what secret method he used, but he managed to advance his internal energy cultivation from Qi Condensation to Qi Condensation in just three months."

"The Demon Master Palace of the Great Yuan Kingdom is now under the control of this person."

At this point, Zhu Houzhao glanced at the group and said in a deep voice, "Although I have entered the Celestial Realm, I have taken shortcuts. In terms of strength, I should be the weakest among us."

"So when we arrived at Yixiantian and met Bashiba and Sihanfei, I and General Wang dealt with a group of top experts in the Great Yuan Kingdom, Master Xuanmie and Master Dushan dealt with Sihanfei, and as for Bashiba in the Three Great Battles, we had to rely on Young Master Gu."

Upon hearing Zhu Houzhao's task assignment, the eyes of everyone in the front hall all fell on Gu Shaoan.

The meaning of the three characters "大三合" was clear to everyone in the front hall at that moment.

Even if the four of them, all three of them, joined forces, they could at most defeat him, but not kill him.

Yet, this formidable and powerful enemy was handed over to Gu Shaoan.

Even though they had already learned about Gu Shaoan's strength from Zhu Houzhao, they still felt a strange mix of emotions when they looked at the youngest of them, Gu Shaoan.

Shangguan Jin Hong, in particular, was overwhelmed with mixed feelings when her gaze fell on Gu Shaoan.

I still remember that two years ago, Shangguan Jin Hong had fought against Gu Shao An.

At that time, Shangguan Jin Hong believed that although his strength was no match for Gu Shao An, he still believed that if his Dragon and Phoenix Rings could reach the state of unity between man and ring, he would still have a chance to compete with Gu Shao An.

However, after two years, Shangguan Jin Hong is still one step away from achieving the state of oneness with the environment.

However, Gu Shaoan's strength was already strong enough to deal with or even kill a Celestial Realm martial artist who had reached the Great Three Harmonies stage.

One can imagine Shangguan Jin Hong's feelings at this moment.

Faced with Zhu Houzhao's task assignment, Gu Shaoan didn't waste any words and nodded slightly, saying, "I have no objections."

Upon hearing Gu Shaoan's response, Zhu Houzhao's smile deepened.

He then stood up and bowed to the group, saying, "If this matter succeeds, it will be enough to ensure that the Great Wei Kingdom will not have to worry about the threat from the Great Yuan Kingdom for the next twenty or thirty years. I will leave everything to you all."

Finally, Zhu Houzhao's gaze fell on Gu Shaoan.

Master Xuanmie and Master Dushan quickly returned the greeting.

After a moment's thought, Gu Shaoan nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

　The previous chapter didn't make it clear. Bai Xiaosheng's power hasn't recovered yet, so he's currently at the Celestial Realm. He'll only be at the Sitting Immortal Realm after his power recovers. Also, there won't be an abundance of experts later on, and Bai Xiaosheng's identity will be different. This will be mentioned later!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)