Chapter 152: Master, Save Me!

After chatting with Xuanmiao Zhenren for a while, Gu An asked him to take him to see the herb garden.

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At the foot of the mountain, Xuanmiao Zhenren had cultivated a rather large herb garden, tended by a few small demon creatures. Gu An began picking the mature herbs while imparting various profound insights to Xuanmiao Zhenren.

To him, every word spoken by the Mountain God carried the essence of the Dao, and he listened with utmost seriousness.

Once the harvesting was done, Gu An only took half of the herbs, leaving the rest for Xuanmiao Zhenren to use for alchemy and cultivation.

Although this was not the first time, it still moved Xuanmiao Zhenren deeply.

He had pledged to serve the Mountain God for life, but in reality, he was being nurtured under his guidance—this was an unimaginable blessing!

Xuanmiao Zhenren felt that the Mountain God had an important mission in store for him, especially after hearing him say:

"When Heaven bestows a great burden upon a man, it first tests his will, strains his muscles and bones, starves his flesh, exhausts his body, and disrupts his plans."

Perhaps tending to the herb garden was not for the Mountain God's needs, but rather a way to temper his patience.

As for the mission the Mountain God wanted to entrust to him, Xuanmiao Zhenren had a bold guess. Every time the thought crossed his mind, his heart raced uncontrollably, and he forced himself to suppress it.

For now, the herb garden of the Mountain God Temple had not become Gu An’s primary source of lifespan. He currently relied on Xuan Valley, the Eight Views Celestial Realm, the Third Medicine Valley, Horizon Valley, and Nianchu Cave Dwelling, accumulating nearly 200,000 years of lifespan per year, though with occasional fluctuations.

His current lifespan had surpassed 5.6 million years. If nothing unexpected happened, in twenty years, he would reach ten million years of lifespan.

The Great Demon Cataclysm was unlikely to erupt within those twenty years. According to Taixuan Sect’s internal assessments, it would take at least fifty years before it fully broke out.

After returning to Xuan Valley, Gu An continued playing the role of an ordinary disciple.

It was worth mentioning that Gu Zong had already promoted him to an inner sect disciple, but Gu An still preferred wandering around the outer sect city, as he had many friends there.

He was someone who valued old bonds.

And just like that, another year passed.

Gu An was practicing calligraphy in his pavilion at Xuan Valley, simultaneously contemplating the advanced formations recorded in the Purple Star Array Manual.

Suddenly, Lu Jiu Jia came to visit. Hearing the knock on the door, Gu An allowed him inside.

After closing the door, Lu Jiu Jia walked over to the desk and said, “Senior Brother, I’ve found news about Wu Xin.”

Wu Xin, Gu An’s junior disciple, had been a Thousand Autumn Pavilion informant. Though he had disappeared, he had left behind the Dao Yan Technique.

Without looking up, Gu An continued focusing on his writing. “Let’s hear it.”

Lu Jiu Jia immediately replied, “After the Nightshade Sect Rebellion, the Thousand Autumn Pavilion disbanded. I originally thought he had perished, but recently, I heard that a young monk appeared under the Emperor’s command, calling himself Wu Xin.

“This monk is ruthless. He single-handedly slaughtered 9,000 soldiers of the Hanlu Dynasty and refined their heads into a magical artifact. His actions have caused an uproar in the cultivation world.

“The Emperor is determined to unify the world, using people regardless of morality. Now, many demonic cultivators and ghost cultivators have gathered under his banner.” ŘâŊ𝘖ΒĘ𝐒

Hearing this, Gu An sighed inwardly—Wu Xin had grown much stronger.

As for his actions, Gu An refrained from passing judgment.

One thing worth noting was that the Nine Dynasties’ cultivation world had tacitly agreed to Li Xuandao’s conquests. While emperors were allowed to wage war, sects were forbidden from direct involvement—at least, dynastic disputes could not escalate into conflicts between sects.

Of course, rules were rules, but in practice, Taixuan Sect secretly supported Li Xuandao, while the sects of Hanlu Dynasty also sent reinforcements.

Every dynasty’s cultivators wanted their own empire to be the one that unified the world.

Lu Jiu Jia sighed. “Wu Xin’s strength is probably on par with a Core Formation cultivator now. With his talent, he couldn’t have grown so powerful on his own—he must have cultivated some kind of demonic art. Senior Brother, if you run into him in the future, you must be careful.”

Having once strayed down the demonic path, Lu Jiu Jia understood its allure all too well. In that state, one would do anything for power, prioritizing nothing but oneself.

Gu An nodded. “Don’t worry, I rarely leave the Taixuan Sect. He wouldn’t dare come here.”

Taixuan Sect was rising rapidly. The influence of the Golden Ranking Tournament and Pan An’s literary works had led to a surge in disciples, with even powerful rogue cultivators joining.

With each passing year, Taixuan Sect’s strength grew significantly.

One clear sign of this was that demonic cultivators rarely infiltrated Taixuan Sect anymore.

After delivering his report, Lu Jiu Jia left.

Gu An continued practicing his calligraphy, deciding that in his next book, he should showcase his exquisite handwriting.

"Such elegant strokes—how could I keep them to myself?"

"I may not be a cultivation genius, but I’m definitely a calligraphy prodigy!"

Feeling smug, Gu An became even more pleased with himself.

Just then—

He suddenly sensed someone calling out to him.

At first, he assumed it was Xuanmiao Zhenren, but scanning with his divine sense, he saw that the man was deep in meditation.

Focusing his senses, he realized—

The call wasn’t for the Mountain God.

It was for him.

And the words being spoken were—

"Master, save me!"

Beneath the blue sky and white clouds, hundreds of cultivators hovered among the mountains, all casting spells at a single rock wall.

No matter how much spiritual energy they unleashed, the wall remained unmoved. Each time it was struck, a layer of green light emerged, blocking all attacks.

An elderly cultivator flew beside a purple-robed young man, the only one who had yet to make a move.

In a solemn tone, the elder said, “Your Highness, this barrier is too strong—even as a Void Transformation cultivator, I cannot break it!”

The purple-robed man was Si Zong, a prince of the Tianwei Empire and a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Expressionless, he said, “Keep attacking. Even if we can’t break through, we must at least rattle him. My master will arrive soon.

“Also, spread out—don’t let him escape. He’s the Golden Ranking Champion of Taixuan Sect. If we let him slip away, capturing him in the future will be much harder.

“If he’s allowed to grow stronger, he’ll become a disaster for the Tianwei Empire.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

The elder bowed and left to relay the orders.

Meanwhile, inside the mountain—

Within a cavern, An Hao sat cross-legged, meditating to heal his injuries. Beside him stood a yellow-robed woman, dressed in finery, her features delicate yet proud.

"Hey, my second brother’s master is a Profound Mind Realm cultivator—the Supreme Elder of Candle Sky Peak, the strongest sect in Tianwei.

“If he wants something, he always gets it. You should just open the mountain gate, let him in, and apologize.

“I can even plead for mercy on your behalf.”

The yellow-robed woman, Si Yan’er, was a Tianwei princess.

Yet, she remained frozen in place—a seal talisman was plastered onto her shoulder.

An Hao ignored her, his face pale.

He knew he had no way out.

His thoughts drifted to his master.

Even knowing that his master was the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path, he still didn’t truly understand his identity.

"Damn it..."

"Master, save me..."

At that moment—

A hand pressed down on his shoulder.

An Hao’s entire body shuddered.

Then, he heard a familiar voice—one that made his eyes turn red.

"Foolish disciple. It’s only been a few years, and you’re already crying for your master to save you?"