Mastering the Emperor-Level Sword Technique would secure the position of Crown Prince?
Gu An plucked the herbs while secretly listening.
The Emperor-Level Sword Technique, he was quite familiar with it!
If he had the chance, he’d ask Li Ya if he was interested in contending for the throne; Gu An could offer him a few tips.
Wait a minute!
This old fellow harbors ill intentions!
Gu An sensed something amiss; he suddenly suspected Li Xuandao had deliberately spoken loud enough for him to hear since there was no Restriction isolating the loft.
He recalled something: Li Xuandao’s ambition was to be an immortal Emperor.
For Emperors, the greatest threat could be the Crown Prince; even non-immortal Cultivation dynasty’s Emperors would be wary of their Crown Princes as they age, and not many Crown Princes smoothly succeeded to the throne.
Could it be that Li Xuandao wanted to use Li Ya to eliminate the Crown Prince?
It was indeed possible!
Gu An stopped pondering and focused on picking herbs, letting the father and son fight among themselves.
As Li Xuandao was there, Gu An didn’t leave immediately after finishing collecting the herbs, but only left early the next morning.
When he left, Li Xuandao had not yet departed; he said he would stay for a while longer, suspecting Li Xuandao wanted to watch the great battle between the Righteous and Demonic Paths.
…
After returning to Mystic Valley, Gu An briefed Wuxin and others, warning them that the Demon Path was about to attack and to not wander around usually, which made all the disciples, including Wuxin, very anxious.
Gu An planned to stay overnight in Mystic Valley from now on. The Third Medicine Valley had Elder Tian and fifty Elixir Formation Realm cultivators, making it very safe, unlike Mystic Valley, which only had a group of Servant Disciples.
Nowadays, the fraction of lifespan income provided by Mystic Valley was increasingly small, but the Eight Scenic Caves below it were different, and even if Mystic Valley’s lifespan income wasn’t much, he was too reluctant to give it up.
Ten days later.
The Nascent Soul Realm cultivator arranged by Li Xuandao arrived at Mystic Valley.
Gu An stood in front of the wooden railing, looking into the distance. A woman in a cone hat, wielding a sword, walked towards him; the cold wind stirred her attire, enhancing her ethereal aura.
[Yang Ni (Nascent Soul Realm Nine Layers): 214/780/1360]
A two hundred-year-old Nascent Soul Realm, quite talented.
Gu An thought silently as he stepped toward Yang Ni.
“I am Gu An, the Valley Master of this Medicine Valley. May I know who Daoist Friend is…”
Gu An asked as he approached.
Yang Ni suddenly appeared before him, and he purposely pretended to be startled, stepping back.
“Let me see your other Valley Master Token,” transmitted Yang Ni, her voice cold yet charming. Just hearing her voice, one would know she was a beauty.
Gu An immediately took out the Tianya Valley’s Token, which Yang Ni snatched, examined, and then returned to him.
“I am here to protect you by His Majesty’s orders; from now on, I shall be your Outer Disciple,” Yang Ni transmitted again.
Gu An nodded, replying, “It seems Elder Han recommended you; I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
With that, he turned and led Yang Ni towards the loft.
Yang Ni followed his steps, and the other disciples in the Valley cast curious glances at her, her appearance drawing unavoidable attention.
After entering the building, Gu An closed the door and said, “The Valley only has disciples who are at the Energy Cultivation level; no need to worry.”
Yang Ni waved her hand, transforming Spiritual Power into a green Restriction that she stamped on the door.
Very cautious!
After finishing, Yang Ni walked to the table, placed down her precious sword, took off her cone hat, and her waterfall-like white hair cascaded down. She turned to look at Gu An; she appeared very young, as if in her early twenties.
Her features were lovely and exquisite, but there was a coldness in her eyes that gave her an ice-queen demeanor, making it easy to overlook her beauty and difficult to look at her directly.
She sized up Gu An and asked, “I heard you have a good relationship with Li Ya?”
“Yes, Senior Brother Li was also a Servant Disciple here in this Medicine Valley, and we entered on the same day,” replied Gu An.
Upon hearing this, a smile appeared on Yang Ni’s face, that smile bringing forth a stunning charm.
Gu An did not think much of it, as he knew Ji Xiaoyu, who was even more beautiful.
“That boy has always been stubborn, unable to get along with his siblings. I didn’t expect he could establish a friendship with a Servant Disciple like you,” Yang Ni commented with admiration.
The way she said it…
Yang Ni took out a green jade bracelet from her Storage Bag and said, “This is a Top-Grade Dharma Artifact, capable of storing Spiritual Power. Consider it a meeting gift.”
Storing Spiritual Power?
That was rare.
Gu An immediately waved his hand, “That wouldn’t be right. You came here to protect me; how could I accept a gift?”
“Just take it when I give it to you. Li Ya’s mother is my sister; since you have a good relationship with Li Ya, naturally, you are like my junior!” Yang Ni spoke impatiently, tossing the bracelet to him and then walking over to the bookshelves.
“Go on with your business; don’t mind me.”
Gu An caught the bracelet and wanted to say that the loft was his and it wasn’t convenient, but seeing Yang Ni’s intention to stay, he had no choice but to let it be.
Ever since he encountered Shen Zhen, Gu An no longer left items in the loft that couldn’t be seen by others. After hesitating for a moment, he still turned and left, not disturbing Yang Ni.
Yang Ni’s addition did not disrupt the life rhythm of Mystic Valley because she rarely left the room and didn’t interact with other disciples.
When Gu An prepared to go to the Third Medicine Valley, she insisted on following him, and Gu An had no choice but to take her along.
After arriving at the Third Medicine Valley, she was shocked and began to reassess Gu An.
This Servant Disciple wasn’t simple!
Gu An wasn’t afraid she would tell Li Xuandao; perhaps Li Xuandao already knew about the Third Medicine Valley, and keeping it a secret was difficult.
After all, he had a clear conscience.
If Li Xuandao became suspicious of him because of this, he wasn’t afraid.
In his heart, his fear of Li Xuandao was far less than his fear of the Supreme Sect.
Just like that, Yang Ni followed Gu An as he patrolled Medicine Valley, watched him picking herbs, and then sowing.
After a month, Yang Ni developed some good feelings towards Gu An.
Gu An was too honest and treated the Servant Disciples kindly, posing no threat to anyone; this made her understand why Li Ya had taken a liking to Gu An.
Days passed by, one after another.
Winter snow fluttered, covering every part of Medicine Valley where Gu An was.
Li Xuandao had said that the Demon Path would invade the Supreme Sect at the end of the year, which made Gu An worry about it every day, unsure of when the Demon Path would attack.
That day.
Mystic Valley.
Gu An and Wuxin were leading the disciples in shoveling snow, while Yang Ni stood at a distance in front of a wooden railing, her hands clasping a sword.
“Senior Brother, what cultivation level is this Outer Disciple?” Wuxin asked quietly next to Gu An, very curious.
Yang Ni’s stance alone looked very strong.
“None of your business, she’s my disciple, don’t even think about it,” Gu An responded irritably.
Wuxin chuckled, “Senior Brother, you really get me. When will you arrange for me to have a Foundation Establishment Realm disciple as my assistant? It would be quite prestigious wherever I go.”
“If I really arranged it, would you dare to take on the responsibility?”
Hearing this, Wuxin seemed to think of something, smiled awkwardly, and said no more.
Gu An continued shoveling snow.
A while later, he seemed to sense something, furrowing his brows slightly, but he did not stop his work.
In the distance, Yang Ni also sensed something. With a leap, she flew to the southern mountain peak, her movements causing everyone in the valley to look up.
In the blinding snowstorm, the world plunged into a vast expanse of white. From inside the valley, the figure of Yang Ni standing on the mountain peak was very blurry, as if she could be swallowed by the storm at any moment.
“What’s wrong with her?” Wuxin couldn’t help but ask Gu An.
Gu An looked up and said, “I don’t know either, we can ask her when she comes down.”
Goo-goo—
A series of light, ethereal bird calls echoed through the sky, drowning out even the sound of the wind.
The sudden bird calls made everyone frown and look around, trying to locate the source of the sound.
Wuxin seemed to realize something, his face dramatically changed, and he quickly shouted, “Everyone back inside now! Hurry!”
As he spoke, he grabbed Gu An and ran towards the pavilion complex.
Gu An pulled his hand away and said, “You guys go ahead, I need to keep an eye on Medicine Valley.”
Wuxin looked back, urgently said, “That’s the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion’s demonic beast, the Heaven-Swallowing Dark Bird; it’s not something a Foundation Establishment Realm can deal with!”
“Just go back, I won’t fight it! Don’t forget who you are!” Gu An said sternly.
Upon hearing this, Wuxin could only clench his teeth and run back.
Soon, only Gu An remained in the valley; the other disciples peered anxiously from the window sills towards the sky.
Gu An had already sensed the presence of the Heaven-Swallowing Dark Bird.
Very strong!
Comparable to the Void Crossing Realm!
Whoo-whoo—
A strong wind blew from the south, rolling up swirling snowwaves that swept across Medicine Valley. Gu An watched the swaying herbs with much heartache, but with Yang Ni and the other disciples around, he couldn’t reveal his true cultivation level. He could only move to the highest grade medicinal herb zone and guard it with the spiritual power of the Foundation Establishment Realm.
At that moment, Yang Ni appeared beside him out of nowhere, then took out a large flag and planted it firmly into the ground, raising her palm to inject spiritual power into the flagpole.
The flag waved, forming a light screen that enveloped them, completely isolating the wind and snow.
Yang Ni breathed a sigh of relief, turned her head to look at Gu An, and scolded, “Are you crazy? What do these herbs have to do with you? Didn’t you sense that demonic qi?”
Gu An replied, “I did sense it, but if I could sense it, the Great Cultivators of the Supreme Sect could surely…”
Boom—
A terrifying air pressure suddenly descended, causing Gu An to look up, and Wuxin and the other disciples did the same, their eyes wide.
The vast snow fog was shaken apart, and a monstrous bird, enormous enough to cover the sun and plunge the sky into darkness, appeared above. As it passed over Mystic Valley, its massive form cast the valley into darkness, which wouldn’t dissipate for a short while.
Even Gu An was shocked by the size of the Heaven-Swallowing Dark Bird. From his point of view, the bird’s wingspan was over a hundred miles wide, incredibly vast.
On the back of the Heaven-Swallowing Dark Bird, there were also many auras of demon cultivators, no less than tens of thousands of them.
It was headed directly towards the Outer City of the Supreme Sect!
“The Thousand-Autumn Pavilion’s Heaven-Swallowing Dark Bird, a sixth-grade demonic beast with the demonic might to destroy dynasties. This is also my first time seeing it,” Yang Ni murmured as she looked up at the demonic beast in the sky, a hint of fear in her eyes.
Gu An didn’t respond; his gaze was fixed on the Heaven-Swallowing Dark Bird, hoping the creature wouldn’t target his Mystic Valley.
After the Heaven-Swallowing Dark Bird flew over Mystic Valley, sunlight spilled down, illuminating Medicine Valley, followed by falling snow that seemed like a vast white fog descending.
This scene made all the disciples in the valley breathe a sigh of relief.
Gu An had already sensed the presence of Great Cultivators fighting in the distance.
Void Crossing Realm!
And it wasn’t just two!
The battles were coming from other Outer City areas, far from them.