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Chapter 39: Nascent Soul Blocking the Path, Despicable
🕑 Added 2024-12-08 09:00:48 +0000 UTC"What big event?" Gu An asked with a smile. Upon arriving in the Outer Sect city today, he had indeed sensed something off—a certain tension that was hard to describe.
Ye Lan spoke first, "The Sect Master and a certain Elder are fighting for power. Not long ago, the emperor of the Tai Cang Dynasty came to Tai Xuan Sect and chose the personal disciple of that Elder as the Imperial Advisor, granting him a first-rank immortal status and announcing it to the world. This has significantly boosted the morale of those supporting that Elder, and they've begun spreading unfavorable rumors about the Sect Master."
Lu Jiu Jia, having been beaten to the punch, gave Ye Lan a slightly resentful look. After she finished, he quickly added, "The Sect Master has always been domineering and has offended many Elders over the years. Meanwhile, incidents involving disciples being killed or demonic sects invading have frequently occurred in territories outside the Outer Sect. Many Elders are displeased with this, and now that the emperor supports their rival, they naturally won't remain silent. With such a power struggle, how could there not be chaos?"
Gu An asked curiously, "Doesn't the Sect Master have absolute authority? Isn't he the strongest cultivator in Tai Xuan Sect?"
"Not at all. The Sect Master is chosen by the collective decision of the Elders. And in terms of cultivation, the Sect Master is not the strongest. That title belongs to the Chief Disciple of the Sect. It's said that he is the most talented person in Tai Xuan Sect in a thousand years. He's often away on adventures and rarely returns. But there’s a rumor that if he wanted to become the Sect Master today, by tomorrow he’d already hold that title," Lu Jiu Jia said, his tone filled with excitement when talking about the Chief Disciple.
"Is he really that powerful? What's his name?" Gu An asked.
"Ahem, I haven’t found that out yet." Lu Jiu Jia faked a cough, trying to cover up his embarrassment.
Ye Lan rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Gu An and softly said, "I’ve heard many inside details from the Law Enforcement Hall. The open and secret strife in the Sect's main city has already spread to the Inner and Outer Sects. Senior Brother, you must be cautious in Xuan Valley. Those people will stop at nothing in their power struggle."
Gu An chuckled, "It can't be that bad, can it? Would someone actually dare to slaughter the Xuan Valley and pin the blame on someone else?"
Even as he said it, Gu An felt a chill run down his spine.
There were already people in the Outer Sect raising The Demon of Greed and Rage. Was there really anything they wouldn’t do?
Ye Lan noticed his concern and gently placed her hand on his, offering comfort. "Senior Brother, don't worry. I'll find a way to convince the Law Enforcement Hall to increase patrols around the various Medicine Valleys of the Outer Sect."
Gu An discreetly withdrew his hand. He had only been momentarily distracted, and she had taken advantage of the moment to act.
Alright, truth be told, he had noticed but reacted slowly, fearing that if he responded too quickly, his fellow disciples might become suspicious.
Lu Jiu Jia quietly chuckled to himself, only to be met with a glare from Ye Lan.
"More than me, you two need to be careful. Power struggles like these can be even more dangerous than fighting demons outside," Gu An said earnestly.
Lu Jiu Jia was full of confidence, claiming that he was too lucky to die.
Ye Lan, on the other hand, assured him that her position in the Law Enforcement Hall would make others think twice before targeting her.
The Law Enforcement Hall oversaw all departments, and being a part of it granted authority over ordinary disciples. However, it also meant less time for cultivation, as they had to manage any crises in any department.
Gu An looked at Ye Lan, feeling a sense of pride. In just a few short years, Ye Lan had transformed. She was no longer the little girl who had once followed him around. Now, she was confident and capable, a reliable presence.
The three of them chatted while drinking.
Most of the conversation was between Lu Jiu Jia and Ye Lan. Through their words, Gu An gained a deeper understanding of the current power dynamics in Tai Xuan Sect.
He felt a sense of satisfaction. The disciples he had mentored were now looking out for him. It gave him a unique sense of accomplishment.
If, in the future, Xuan Valley disciples were scattered throughout the various departments of the Outer Sect, or even entered the Inner Sect, wouldn't that make him well-connected?
Just the thought of it excited Gu An.
Two hours later, Lu Jiu Jia left first. Gu An politely declined Ye Lan's invitation to visit her residence for some fine delicacies. He left the Outer Sect city, with Ye Lan reluctantly watching him go.
Riding on his flying sword, soaring with the wind, Gu An was in a great mood.
The sky gradually turned red as dusk approached.
Gu An, with his cultivation level at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm, was not flying too slowly. As he admired the rolling mountain scenery below, half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, Gu An noticed a figure emerging from the forest ahead, flying straight towards him. He instinctively slowed down.
A white-robed old man, standing on a sword, approached, holding a wine gourd in his hand. His nose was bright red, as if he had just finished drinking heavily.
"Young friend, please wait!" the old man called out. Gu An could sense that his cultivation aura was only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, but to be safe, Gu An used his lifespan-checking ability.
[Lin Futian (Nascent Soul, 1st Layer): 603/800/840]
Good heavens!
A Nascent Soul cultivator!
Gu An cursed silently at how sly the man was, concealing his cultivation with a secret technique.
The two of them met in the air. Lin Futian smiled kindly and said, "Young friend, I am Lin Kun from the Outer Sect's Law Enforcement Hall. I have a matter I need to inquire about. Recently, there have been frequent sightings of demonic spies. Let’s discuss this in the forest, shall we?"
Gu An nodded. At this point, refusing would likely be useless, so he decided to see how things would unfold.
The two of them quickly descended into the forest, where Gu An casually plucked two leaves from a tree.
Lin Futian took a step forward, speaking in a low voice, "Young friend, have you ever heard of Xu Ruye from the Wan Yin Sect?"
Xu Ruye?
Of course, he knew him!
He was the one Gu An had killed!
Back then, Xu Ruye and Chan Ji had tried to occupy his Medicine Valley and had even injured Li Ya. How could he forget?
Feigning confusion, Gu An asked, "I’ve heard of the Wan Yin Sect, but who is Xu Ruye?"
"Xu Ruye was a genius of the Wan Yin Sect. His father was even the vice sect master. He died in this region. Recently, many Wan Yin Sect spies have been investigating his death," Lin Futian said, stepping closer.
Gu An immediately took a step back to maintain distance.
Seeing his caution, Lin Futian grinned. "What? Young friend, you’re not suspecting that I’m a demonic spy, are you?"
Gu An shook his head. "I wouldn’t dare. It’s just that I truly know nothing about Xu Ruye. If you’re with the Law Enforcement Hall, why ask me?"
"Hahaha—"
Lin Futian burst into laughter. Suddenly, he waved his sleeve, and a surge of spiritual power spread out like mist, quickly enveloping several miles of the area.
Gu An, pretending to be panicked, raised his sword, looking nervously at Lin Futian.
Lin Futian then opened his wine gourd, and a foul stench wafted out. He sneered, "Don’t worry. Inside this gourd, you have the company of fifteen of your fellow disciples..."
Grinding his teeth, Gu An asked, "Who are you, really? Where are you from? If I’m going to die, can you at least tell me why?"
"You’ve already guessed, haven’t you?" Lin Futian sneered. He reached out with his hand, summoning a powerful spiritual force that wrapped around Gu An, pulling him toward him.
Gu An’s face showed despair as his body was pulled through the air toward Lin Futian.
Lin Futian reached out with his left hand to grab him, while his right hand raised the wine gourd to his lips.
Boom!
Suddenly, Gu An's body erupted with terrifying energy, instantly shattering Lin Futian’s spiritual force.
Lin Futian’s eyes widened in shock, his pupils reflecting the image of a single leaf.
This leaf was surrounded by fierce sword energy, moving as swiftly as lightning. It pierced directly through Lin Futian’s forehead, spraying blood. The leaf continued on its path.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Trees were shattered one after another as dust rose into the air, forming what looked like a massive, ten-mile-long wall of grey.
Lin Futian's body trembled as disbelief and rage filled his expression. "You... you were hiding your cultivation... despicable..." he muttered.
Gu An stepped forward, bringing his index and middle fingers together like a sword, pressing them against Lin Futian's chest.
Boom!
A burst of sword energy erupted, shattering Lin Futian's body in an instant. The shockwave dispersed the dust behind him, toppling trees in both directions and leaving a trench several miles long.
From the swirling dust, a tiny figure shot out—a wrinkled, aged-looking infant. It was Lin Futian's Nascent Soul.
He fled at full speed, but the sound of something slicing through the air caught his attention.
Instinctively, he turned to look, only to see a leaf speeding toward him. It struck, obliterating his Nascent Soul in an explosion of blood mist.
Gu An reached out and summoned his sword back to him. With a single step, he transformed into a streak of sword energy and sped away into the forest, disappearing in an instant.
He didn’t head straight for Xuan Valley but took a long detour before finally returning at top speed.
Climbing through the window into the main hall of his pavilion, Gu An sat down at the table, reached out, and pulled a jar of wine from the cabinet using his spiritual energy. He began drinking heavily.
After a gulp of wine, he set the jar down gently. His right hand trembled slightly, and his heart was pounding.
“Huff... Huff..."
Gu An took a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself.
That was terrifying!
On his way home, he had run into a demonic spy!
Worried that his recent battle had drawn too much attention, Gu An decided not to leave the valley for the next month to avoid any trouble.
“No, it’s too dangerous... Today, it was a Nascent Soul cultivator blocking my way. Who knows, tomorrow, it could be a Divine Transformation Realm expert, or someone even stronger...”
Gu An quickly pulled up his status panel. Seeing that he now had over 91,000 years of lifespan, his anxiety lessened slightly.
The path of cultivation was truly full of dangers. Even someone at the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm could be ambushed by a Nascent Soul cultivator. How could that not be terrifying?
Thinking of the fifteen souls trapped in Lin Futian's wine gourd, Gu An couldn’t help but feel sympathy for them.
He decided to speed up his herb harvesting to push his lifespan to 100,000 years. Once that milestone was reached, he would see if a new feature would unlock and immediately pour everything into cultivation.
Taking a deep breath, Gu An pulled out The Adventures of the Green Hero, hoping to distract himself.
As night fell, the cheers of disciples could be heard outside. Gu An extended his spiritual sense and found that Tang Yu and Su Han were sparring again, with the other disciples watching.
On any other day, Gu An would have joined them to watch the spectacle, but tonight, he wasn’t in the mood.
He focused on reading The Adventures of the Green Hero, gradually calming his mind, though some concerns still lingered.
A while later, the sound of footsteps approached, and the door swung open. Zhen Qin walked in quickly and said, “Master, Senior Brother and Second Senior Brother are fighting again!”
Her gaze fell on the cover of The Adventures of the Green Hero, and she raised an eyebrow.
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