In the forest, Gu An was leading Yang Ni in sowing seeds. While he buried the seeds, he looked at the herbs nearby and said, “That’s the Shy Songgrass. Its leaves tend to curl up easily. When the wind passes through, it makes a strange sound, like singing. Often at times like this, you need to help open its leaves to avoid affecting its growth…”
Yang Ni Squatted beside him, listening intently, her eyes filled with curiosity.
When Li Ya left, Yang Ni said she wanted to stay and plant flowers and herbs. Gu An thought it was a joke, but unexpectedly, she was serious. She started to participate in the planting and would always ask him questions, displaying great humility.
After changing her attitude, Yang Ni began to integrate into Mystic Valley and communicate with other Servant Disciples.
Gu An wanted to assimilate her and have her truly become one with Mystic Valley, so he taught with great dedication.
“From now on, you will be in charge of the herbs in this garden. Let’s see what you’re capable of, whether you can protect the garden as well as you protect people,” Gu An said with a smile as he got up.
Instead of refusing, a look of anticipation appeared on Yang Ni’s face.
Then, Gu An left, leaving Yang Ni alone to observe the garden.
He returned to Mystic Valley and saw Chu Jingfeng standing in a daze in front of the wooden railing, lost in thought.
In the many years since Chu Jingfeng had arrived in Mystic Valley, he had always been like this; if Gu An gave him tasks, he would do them, but if Gu An didn’t assign any chores, he would just idle away in a daze.
Out of consideration for their past relationship, Gu An decided to lend him a hand.
“Brother Chu, I’ve just acquired a set of swordsmanship. Would you help me take a look?” Gu An asked with a smile, patting Chu Jingfeng on the shoulder.
Chu Jingfeng nodded expressionlessly and then followed him into a secluded part of the forest.
He was also a Sword Cultivator. Although his Cultivation Level had been ruined, his memory remained, so he felt he could be of help to Gu An.
Contrary to his silence, he was actually very grateful to Gu An inside.
When he had first arrived, he wished he could crawl into a hole in front of Gu An, but Gu An did not ridicule him. Instead, he treated him very well, and this treatment had lasted for many years, so it couldn’t be just an act. He couldn’t fathom what use he could still have for Gu An, and could only assume Gu An was truly kind-hearted, as the Sect Disciples all spoke highly of him.
Under Chu Jingfeng’s watchful gaze, Gu An demonstrated the basic sword moves of the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword. Even though his motions were clumsy and not smooth, it still brightened Chu Jingfeng’s eyes.
“Gu… Valley Master, what swordsmanship is this?” Chu Jingfeng asked, holding back his excitement.
As a swordsman, how could he not be delighted by profound swordsmanship?
Gu An scratched his head and said, “I don’t know either. This is what a senior passed on to me when I happened to visit the Heavenly Repair Platform. He said if I could master this set of swordsmanship, I could become a Sword God in the Mortal World.”
Chu Jingfeng hesitated.
Gu An smiled and said, “How about it? Do you want to learn? I’ll teach you. I have only one condition, and that is that you become the old you again. I miss the ambitious Chu Jingfeng, who, despite losing his Cultivation Level, could still train in swordsmanship. Haven’t there been legends recorded where people, without Energy Absorption, achieved enlightenment through Sword Enlightment?
If others can do it, why can’t you?”
Upon hearing this, Chu Jingfeng’s demeanor shifted, and he struggled internally.
In the end, he agreed.
Actually, he never wanted to deteriorate; it was just that he couldn’t find any meaning to continue living.
Now, he suddenly felt that Gu An’s words made sense. If he lost his Cultivation Level, did that mean he couldn’t train in swordsmanship?
A Sword Cultivator should face difficulties head-on, shouldn’t they?
Thus, Chu Jingfeng began to train in the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword. He learned the sword moves at a swift pace, which amazed Gu An and gave Chu Jingfeng increasing confidence.
…
Late at night.
A dozen miles from Mystic Valley, by the river, Gu An moved some pebbles aside and lifted a stone slab, then slipped underneath. The stone slab closed immediately after, and the scattered pebbles uncontrollably gathered back together, restoring the area to its state before any disturbance.
Gu An followed the underground tunnel and arrived at the Eight Scenic Caves.
A five-zhang-long black dragon burst out from the subterranean river and rapidly flew to face him.
As usual, he took out a Demon Sheep corpse and laid it on the ground, and the Sky Dragon opened its mouth, spewing fierce flames to roast the sheep.
“In another two or three years, I will take you out, how about that?” Gu An asked, patting the Sky Dragon’s head with a smile.
Gu An planned to set the Sky Dragon free on his next breakthrough, allowing it to live in the North Sea Mountain.
Previously, he had wanted it to practice the Transformation Skill, but unfortunately, there was no such skill. He did pass on the Demon Shadow Divine Skill to the Sky Dragon, but despite several years of practice, it failed to master it.
Upon hearing about going out, the Sky Dragon immediately stopped roasting the sheep and excitedly inquired where they would go.
Gu An briefly introduced it to the North Sea Mountain, stirring up even greater longing in the dragon.
He warned it not to reveal anything about him or the Eight Scenic Caves once it’s out, and it promised to keep the secret.
In reality, exposure wouldn’t matter; by the time Gu An returned from the North Sea Mountain, he would undoubtedly have surpassed the Unification Realm, and even if the entire Thousand-Autumn Pavilion came, they wouldn’t be able to take his Green Vine Tree.
Of course, he believed the Sky Dragon would keep its word.
“You’d better cultivate diligently from now on; don’t get eaten by a demon as soon as you go out,” Gu An teased.
The Sky Dragon lifted its head proudly and said, “How could a dragon possibly be eaten by a demon!”
Gu An rubbed its dragon head and then moved towards the Green Vine Tree.
He placed great importance on this seventh-tier Spirit Tree. Every time he came to the Eight Scenic Caves, he would check on it to ensure it didn’t encounter any problems.
Reaching the base of the tree, Gu An looked up at the branches of the Green Vine Tree.
As he gazed, he suddenly frowned.
He noticed a tremor in one of the branches, faint though it was, it had indeed occurred.
Sky Dragon was still roasting sheep not far away; he wasn’t the one playing tricks.
Could this tree be becoming a spirit?
The more Gu An thought about it, the more he felt it was possible.
This was after all the Holy Tree of the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion, bound to be sinister; becoming a spirit wasn’t out of the question.
Gu An continued to watch, but the Green Vine Tree did not show any more strange behavior, as if his previous feeling had been an illusion.
He used his Divine Sense to probe and detected nothing unusual, but by doing so, he could warn the Green Vine Tree not to mess around.
After staying for half an hour, Gu An finally left.
He now had one more thing to be wary of, yet instead of worry, he felt a certain anticipation about the Green Vine Tree becoming a spirit.
…
Spring came and went, and two years passed by.
Gu An’s lifespan had reached nine hundred and fifty thousand years, and he felt that he could reach a million years by the end of the year, which filled him with anticipation, keeping his spirits up all year long.
One day, Ye Lan came to Mystic Valley to visit Gu An.
The two stood in front of the pavilion window, watching the busy disciples while chatting.
Ye Lan spoke of recent major events in the Immortal Cultivation World, and Gu An listened with great interest.
A new sect had emerged in the Immortal Cultivation World, known as the Ephemera Sect. Nobody knew where the Ephemera Sect was located, but its cultivators constantly invaded various sects of the Demon Path, seizing cultivation techniques, spells, treasures, and the like, causing the Demon Path to fall into turmoil. In contrast, the sects of the Righteous Path remained unaffected.
Some said that the Ephemera Sect was supported by the Supreme Sect because one of the Ephemera Sect’s Great Demon Cultivators, who used leaves to slay his enemies, resembled the Supreme Sect’s Sword Venerable Fudao.
Hearing this, Gu An was annoyed; why was someone else riding on his fame?
“You’ve spoken about so many events, yet none targeted the Supreme Sect. It seems we have indeed established a powerful reputation,” Gu An said with a smile.
He was genuinely pleased; the more peaceful the Supreme Sect was, the better, since he could strengthen himself by planting flowers and herbs.
After planting for another fifty years, there probably wouldn’t be anyone in the Taicang Dynasty stronger than him, right?
Ye Lan thought for a moment, then said, “Actually, there is one. A cultivator in the Immortal Cultivation World who calls himself Ghost Thief has appeared, straddling both righteousness and evil.
He used to rob the rich to aid the poor, but as his fame grew, just half a year ago, he declared his intention to come to the Supreme Sect to steal the Mystic Pure Tree, claiming that the Supreme Sect has gathered nine-tenths of the resources of the Taicang Dynasty, going against the will of Heaven. He plans to steal the Mystic Pure Tree and then plant it by the edge of Heavenly Pond.”
Mystic Pure Tree?
Upon hearing this, Gu An frowned immediately.
This was the seventh-order Spirit Tree the Supreme Sect had bestowed upon him, which had grown by now. How could he let someone steal it?
This Ghost Thief was indeed courting death!
Never mind, in consideration of his chivalrous deeds, I’ll spare his life. But he must be scared off to prevent future attempts.
Curious, Gu An asked, “Is this Ghost Thief formidable?”
“Definitely. Otherwise, how could he still be alive after offending so many people and stealing so many treasures?” Ye Lan gave Gu An a pointed look.
True. Why ask her? She doesn’t even know what is beyond the Divinity Transformation Realm.
Gu An laughed, then inquired about her recent cultivation progress and whether she had been diligent.
Although all lives must part eventually, he hoped that the day of life-and-death separation with Ye Lan would come later rather than sooner.
His question prompted a lecture from Ye Lan.
Ye Lan held the same wish, hoping that he would cultivate earnestly to extend his lifespan.
The two began to bicker.
After a while, Ye Lan suddenly asked, “Brother, are you acquainted with the current Emperor?”
Gu An raised an eyebrow and asked, “Sister, why do you ask?”
“The Emperor has introduced the Spring Festival, which, since the beginning of this year, has spread across all states. The customs and rules are exactly the same as your Spring Festival,” Ye Lan said gravely.
Gu An casually replied, “I too heard about it from an unnamed elder. Besides, having celebrated Spring Festival for so many years, it’s normal for others to know about it, especially since it conveys a good message.”
Ye Lan found this reasonable but still reminded him, “Recently, we’ve been ordered from above to collect more information about Emperor Li Xuandao and have increased the number of disciples sent to Cangzhou. It seems there might be aspirations toward the throne.”
“What do you mean, does the Sect want to seize the Imperial Throne?”
“Not exactly; the Crown Prince is a disciple of our Sect, and having been the Crown Prince for a hundred years, the Sect naturally wants to support him.”
Gu An involuntarily turned to look at the woods a hundred feet to the west, where he saw Yang Ni watering the plants, and wondered if she was eavesdropping.
After chatting a bit more, Ye Lan closed the window, wanting to share other matters and even got a bit handsy, which earned her a stern rebuke from Gu An.
Ye Lan glared at him in embarrassment and anger before leaving.
Gu An watched her departing figure, his thoughts drifting to the North Sea Mountain.
He would have to find a map in the Book Collection Hall to prepare for his breakthrough.
He also wondered what realm lay beyond Unification?
Gu An went downstairs, intending to walk toward the Transmission Array Platform when Yang Ni suddenly stopped him, conveying through a voice transmission, “Be careful of the Crown Prince. If he learns about your relationship with Li Ya, he will surely come for you, plotting against you.”