Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses - Chapter 67

Chapter 67: Chapter 67: The Angry Vice Sect Leader

The voice of the man in the Taoist robe echoed above the sea of clouds, his gaze constantly fixed on the Qinghong Sword.

He couldn’t discern the true form of this sword because his divine sense couldn’t penetrate the sword qi on its surface, which made him quite alarmed.

This person’s Sword Dao accomplishment was absolutely the strongest he had ever encountered!

However, he didn’t get a response.

The entire world seemed to be left with only him and this sword, with no second person present.

But he could sense a trace of divine sense fluctuation on the Qinghong Sword, indicating that it was being controlled by someone, which made him highly alert and on guard.

At this moment, the Qinghong Sword burst out with powerful sword intent. In an instant, rolling thunderclouds poured in from all directions, dimming the entire sky and earth.

The terrifying sword intent locked onto the man in the Taoist robe, causing him to be moved.

Thousands of lightning bolts intertwined in the thunderclouds above. Each bolt was like a group of dragons thrashing in the sea of clouds. The sword qi on the Qinghong Sword surged wildly, burning like raging flames.

The man in the Taoist robe immediately wielded his horsetail whisk, and streams of Gang Qi were released, gathering around him into a gigantic Golden Light Mountain. On the mountain rose numerous statues, as if silently shouting.

Suddenly, torrential rain arrived, and strong winds howled through the clouds.

Under the flashing lightning, the Qinghong Sword, wreathed in sword qi, seemed like an unparalleled demon sword, giving the man in the Taoist robe immense pressure.

The Qinghong Sword flew up, its tip pointing toward the man in the Taoist robe.

The man in the Taoist robe immediately struck out with his palm, and the giant Golden Light Mountain on his body burst into dazzling brilliance. All the statues simultaneously struck with their palms, Spiritual Power transforming into a grand light mass towards the Qinghong Sword, resembling a river of stars crossing the sky.

The Qinghong Sword moved!

Bang!

With a single sword strike, it targeted the man in the Taoist robe!

The sword moved, the wind and thunder roared, and the heavens and earth trembled!

A cold light radiated across the sky, and the Qinghong Sword was like the fastest light, the fiercest thunder, shattering all obstructing objects with unstoppable force!

The river of stars was directly driven away, and the giant Golden Light Mountain on the man in the Taoist robe shattered instantly. He immediately dodged and jumped away, but the next second, the Qinghong Sword had already reached before him, relentlessly pursuing.

He struck out with his palm, and the space in front of him seemed to solidify. An invisible barrier forcibly halted the Qinghong Sword. Ripples spread around, giving the barrier a shape.

Suddenly!

The face of the man in the Taoist robe changed, darkly thinking something was wrong.

Crash—

The sound of shattering glass rang out, and the man in the Taoist robe instinctively retreated. Time seemed to slow down, and in his pupils, the tip of the Qinghong Sword was getting closer and closer to him. The sword qi blossomed like a flower, so brilliant and magnificent.

Bang!

A strong wind came at the man in the Taoist robe, blowing off his hair crown. His black hair floated freely, and his Taoist robe was fiercely pulled backward. The sea of clouds behind him scattered, the thunderclouds above tore apart, and the sunlight poured down as if a giant crack had been cut through the sky, extending to the horizon.

The man in the Taoist robe widened his eyes, looking at the sword suspended in front of him, unable to calm his emotions.

This sword could completely harm him but stopped at a point he couldn’t defend against.

Under his gaze, he saw the Qinghong Sword slowly descending.

He seemed to understand something, neither dodging nor striking back.

The Qinghong Sword gently tapped his chest three times, then turned and left, its speed even faster than when he had chased.

This time, the man in the Taoist robe didn’t pursue because he knew it was pointless; he was simply not the opponent of the other party.

His face gradually darkened. Though the sunlight shone on him, it felt so glaring to him.

…

Inside the house, Gu An wrote with one hand while raising the other to catch the Qinghong Sword that flew in from the window.

He had sent the Qinghong Sword in several circles and only retrieved it when the disciples in the valley were not paying attention.

After the earlier duel, Gu An suddenly felt confident in his own Sword Dao accomplishment.

Killing Chu Xian in the Void Crossing Realm granted him ninety-three years of life span, and the Taoist-robed man he encountered later was also at the Unification Realm. Judging by his aura, he was probably at the initial Unification Realm like Gu An, at most not above the Second Layer, but he was still not a match for Gu An’s Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword.

He had always thought his actual combat ability in the same realm was weak, but now he realized he might have underestimated himself.

Even without much combat experience, his cultivation in spells and ultimate skills was solid and genuine, not mere fantasies.

Not everyone could spend thousands of years cultivating spells, while the vast majority of cultivators dedicated most of their time to Qi absorption cultivation.

Of course, fighting with a higher realm against a lower realm was always more stable!

Gu An sheathed the Qinghong Sword and placed it on the table. He turned his head to look at the Outer Gate City, where many Great Cultivators from the Supreme Sect had already gone.

Tens of thousands of outer disciples survived, and Chu Xian’s crimes could not be concealed. Ye Lan and the others were safe.

He believed that the Supreme Sect wouldn’t practice that Demon Skill again in the short term.

The two big characters Gu An carved at the Heavenly Repair Platform became the focus of attention for cultivators, with Great Cultivators marveling at his sword intent, and outer disciples indignantly cursing Chu Xian, demanding a thorough investigation from the higher-ups.

Because Chu Xian had used a formation to isolate the Outer Gate City in advance, the servant disciples of Mystic Valley didn’t hear the commotion, but some disciples outside saw the turbulent sea of clouds and took notice.

An hour later, more cultivators started flying over Mystic Valley, causing the disciples in the valley to talk incessantly.

Gu An didn’t go downstairs, pretending to be unaware of the matter.

Today, the Supreme Sect was destined not to be peaceful.

…

After a night, in the early morning, Ye Lan, Su Han, and Zhen Qin returned.

Gu An welcomed them in the attic, and Wuxin and Xiaochuan insisted on joining the fun, so Gu An let them in as well.

Zhen Qin began recounting the events of the previous day, her voice full of surprises, making Wuxin and Xiaochuan experience emotional ups and downs.

Ye Lan was uncharacteristically silent, no longer staring at Gu An all the time. Gu An roughly guessed the reason and pretended not to notice her unusual behavior.

After Zhen Qin and Su Han finished speaking, Wuxin sneered, “I knew long ago that the Supreme Sect wasn’t as righteous as it’s rumored to be outside. I didn’t expect it could be so shameless, sacrificing tens of thousands of fellow disciples. Even the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion hasn’t done something so heinous!”

Feeling vexed, Xiaochuan gritted his teeth and said, “Brother, why don’t we switch to another sect? Planting herbs elsewhere is still planting!”

Gu An glared at him and said, “Nonsense, don’t say such things in the future. In any case, this matter has been interrupted. There are still righteous people in the Supreme Sect.”

He was reluctant to give up his foundation, especially the Eight Scenic Caves.

“Cultivators from the main city of the sect have already come to seek justice. They said they would give an explanation to the outer disciples. Let’s see how the sect handles this. The commotion yesterday was too big to be hidden, and word will surely spread to the Immortal Cultivation World,” Ye Lan said, still not looking at Gu An while speaking.

Su Han, thinking of something, hurriedly said, “Master, Martial Uncle Lu is severely injured. Even if he survives, I’m afraid…”

Gu An had noticed Lu Jiujia’s tragic condition the day before but was powerless to help. Lu Jiujia’s cultivation had been completely drained, and even if he survived, he would be a cripple, unlikely to cultivate immortality again.

He wondered if Wuxin’s Daoist Expansion Skill could help him.

“Tell him that if he doesn’t mind, he can come to Mystic Valley to find me, and we can plant flowers and herbs together, living a peaceful life,” Gu An sighed.

Mentioning Lu Jiujia’s fate cast a heavy atmosphere over the room.

“Alright, everyone, go now. I need to talk to Junior Sister Ye,” Gu An waved his sleeve.

The others quickly saluted and then turned to leave.

Zhen Qin, being thoughtful, closed the door. As the door was about to shut, she gave Gu An a playful glance, leaving him somewhat amused and exasperated.

The room fell into silence.

Gu An could sense Ye Lan’s unsettled aura. He smiled and said, “Junior Sister, you must be frightened. How about staying in Mystic Valley for a few days to rest?”

Ye Lan took a deep breath and turned to look at him, saying, “Indeed I was frightened, but not scared. Senior Brother, I suddenly understand your previous words. I truly was foolish. The path of immortal cultivation should primarily be about cultivating. If you and I were to hide in the mountains and encounter such evil people like yesterday, with no ability to fight back, it would be the most tragic thing for us.”

Hearing her speak this way, Gu An instead worried she was under too much pressure.

“Junior Sister, don’t overthink. It’s good to work hard on cultivation, but dangers like yesterday’s are rare to encounter,” Gu An spoke earnestly.

Ye Lan nodded and said, “Although I don’t know who the Great Cultivator who acted yesterday was, I will learn from him. When I become as strong as him, I will stand by your side, Senior Brother.”

She smiled and raised an eyebrow at Gu An.

Seeing her return to her usual self, Gu An also smiled.

Then Ye Lan talked about the situation in the Demon Extermination Hall. Almost all disciples there were crippled, but the main city of the sect intended to thoroughly investigate the hall. According to her information, this incident might affect the Hall of Elders in the main city.

In the Supreme Sect, it was never a one-person’s rule. Everyone had opponents, and Chu Xian’s opponents were no exception. They would certainly seize this opportunity to act.

Gu An also looked forward to changes in the Supreme Sect. If the situation remained this vile, he might one day grow tired and, once strong enough, let the Supreme Sect hear a different voice.

…

Two days later.

In the Third Medicine Valley.

Gu An was inspecting medicinal herbs when he suddenly sensed two auras. His brow furrowed slightly, but he didn’t turn around.

Soon, Gu Zong landed with someone. This person was none other than the man in the Taoist robe who had earlier battled the Qinghong Sword.

“Gu An, come over,” Gu Zong called out from afar.

Gu An immediately turned and walked over, casting a life span detection on the man in the Taoist robe.

Divine sense could detect a person, but life span detection had to be done through the naked eye.

[Ji Hantian (Unification Realm First Layer): 780/3300/3500]

Indeed, it was the Unification Realm First Layer!

And his surname was Ji?

Previously, he had seen a Great Cultivator in the Void Crossing Realm surnamed Ji, but he hadn’t expected there to be a Ji named cultivator in the Unification Realm hidden in the Supreme Sect.

The foundation of the Ji Family was truly terrifying.

Gu An walked up to Gu Zong and saluted.

Gu Zong smiled and said, “Gu An, this is the Vice Sect Leader, and he’s also from the Ji Family.”

Upon hearing this, Gu An immediately saluted Ji Hantian.

Ji Hantian nodded, smiled, and said, “No need for formalities. After all, you also come from the Ji Family. Come, let’s talk upstairs.”

Gu An immediately led the way.

After entering the room upstairs, Gu An closed the door, and Gu Zong set up a restriction.

Ji Hantian suddenly slapped the table and angrily said, “Outrageous! Simply lawless! Pan An, you must write this down and expose the Supreme Sect’s sins to the whole world!”