Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses - Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Chapter 82 The Battle Between Good and Evil, Protecting Medicine Valley

[Lv Baitian (Core Formation Realm third layer): 754/1050/3200]

Core Formation Realm third layer?

Seeing Elder Tian’s cultivation level rising so high, Gu An was secretly alarmed.

He had better keep an eye on Elder Tian frequently. What if one day he surpassed him, and he didn’t even know?

Gu An realized that the higher the realm, the more cultivators practiced the Energy Concealing Sorcery. It was very difficult to judge an opponent’s cultivation level based solely on sensory perception.

In other words, the Immortal Cultivation World was all about who could conceal themselves better!

Fortunately, he concealed himself deeply enough. He was confident he could continue to do so.

Elder Tian seemed to sense Gu An’s gaze. He opened his eyes and looked at him. Gu An gave a slight nod, then returned to his room.

The Demon Path was about to attack, but he did not panic at all. He went about his usual business.

The Supreme Sect was not a soft target, especially with Elder Tian, this hidden sect leader, secretly gaining power. What Gu An needed to do was protect his Medicine Valley.

…

At the end of summer, the weather was cool.

Gu An walked within the Outer Gate City and found that the number of disciples from the Law Enforcement Hall in the city had increased significantly. There were also many Divinity Transformation Realm auras on the city walls in all directions.

The whole city exuded a tense and murderous atmosphere.

The Demon Path was really coming!

As usual, he first went to the Heavenly Repair Platform to take a look.

The Underworld Demon Emperor and the Ghost Mother of Ephemera were still there. The two seemed like ascetics, sitting alone in meditation, with no other hidden demons around.

Gu An always felt that the Underworld Demon Emperor might be related to the Demon Path, but he was reluctant to report it for fear of being dragged into the whirlpool.

His goal was longevity. Would the Supreme Sect still exist after ten thousand years?

He was never someone with great noble aspirations. He was just an ordinary person.

After scanning the surroundings, Gu An did not see any powerful unfamiliar faces. It seemed that the Supreme Sect had recently been strict in controlling outsiders, only permitting them to leave while barring them from entering.

Afterward, Gu An visited Jiang Qiong.

Jiang Qiong was not in her residence. Her servant asked him to wait in the hall.

Standing in the main hall, Gu An observed the surroundings. He could feel the presence of very intricate restrictions here, which could not be seen with the naked eye.

The Ziwei Array Chronicles Jiang Qiong gave him, he had often read, and he had built a considerable understanding of formations. So now he could see some of it.

While observing, Gu An suddenly felt something, and his expression turned strange.

There was a large space beneath this residence, just like the Eight Scenic Caves below the Mystic Valley!

A n ancient hour later, Jiang Qiong finally returned.

When she entered the hall, she waved her right hand, and the door closed with a bang.

Gu An stood up and looked at her. She walked to the main seat and sat down, saying, “No need for formalities. Sit down.”

Her face looked somber, clearly having encountered unpleasant matters.

Gu An took a storage bag from his waist and placed it on the table beside her, saying, “This is the first batch of mature medicinal herbs. Please check them.”

The grade and rank of Jiang Qiong’s medicinal herbs were all quite high, so the first batch of medicinal herbs had just matured now.

Jiang Qiong did not take the storage bag but instead asked, “You must have other matters. Otherwise, you could have let Hu Mo do the checking.”

Gu An nodded and said, “I have received news that the Demon Path plans to besiege the Supreme Sect. Is it true?”

This was something best to ask the Demon Path about.

Jiang Qiong nodded and said, “That’s correct. Within half a year at most, the righteous and demonic war of the Taicang Dynasty will break out. The reason is that the Supreme Sect has been continuously growing, making the Demon Path uneasy. Additionally, with the help of the Demon Clan, the two sides joining forces indeed have a chance to defeat the Supreme Sect.”

Gu An hesitated for a moment before speaking, “I heard that a hundred years later, demons outside the nine dynasties will invade the nine dynasties. Shouldn’t we be striving for peace and working hard on cultivation at this time? And how can the Demon Clan be trusted?”

Hearing this, Jiang Qiong glanced at him and snorted softly, “Do you think the Demon Clan is of one mind? The demons outside the nine dynasties are not purely Demon Clan. If they break in, the Demon Clan will also face slaughter. As for the human race, when have they ever truly united? The more dangerous the situation, the more they fight.”

“The resources in the Immortal Cultivation World of the nine dynasties are limited. The stronger the Supreme Sect becomes, the more it squeezes the cultivation resources of other sects. Historically, the so-called righteous and demonic struggles have actually been battles for resources. They just need a justified cause. This time, the Demon Path is launching a war under the banner of the Supreme Sect’s evil deeds. Soon you will hear about it. When the Supreme Sect’s morale wavers, the Demon Path will launch an attack. If they succeed, the righteous and demonic stances will reverse. If they fail, the Supreme Sect will have no strength left to eradicate the Demon Path.”

After hearing this, Gu An remained silent.

He was the one who could feel this the most. Each time he broke through, he absorbed a large amount of spiritual energy, thereby affecting the Supreme Sect.

If all the spiritual energy and spirit stones of the entire dynasty were concentrated in one sect, the chances of breakthroughs for the authority holders in that sect would be much greater. So even if the calamity of the demons was only a hundred years away, they still contended for it.

Or rather, what the Great Cultivators cared about was not the common people but their own cultivation levels. As long as they were strong enough, they could even venture south to the sea to seek immortal destiny.

Gu An thought for a moment and asked, “Martial Master, which side are you on?”

Jiang Qiong smiled and said, “I stand on the side of the victors. Don’t worry. I can ensure that our Outer Gate City remains safe. Moreover, there are too many Great Cultivators in this city. The Demon Path will not attack from this direction.”

Upon hearing this, Gu An secretly breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, “As long as it doesn’t endanger my Medicine Valley, that’s enough.”

“Scared now? I told you to cultivate more often, but you didn’t listen.”

“Cultivation is not something that can be rushed.”

“Humph, you are just lucky to have a Martial Master like me. Before you go, find Hu Mo. I have already prepared a batch of Immortal Cultivation Elixirs for you in advance to help boost your cultivation level. You are already fifty years old, still not in Core Formation Realm, what a waste. Don’t ever say that you are my disciple’s grandson.”

“Thank you, Martial Master!”

Gu An said with a smile, but inside, he was grumbling.

A fifty-year-old at Unification Realm ninth layer, have you ever heard of it?

It would scare you to death if you knew!

Next, Gu An inquired about the cultivation level of the strongest member of the Demon Path, but Jiang Qiong didn’t know. She candidly said that if Lv Baitian were still present, the Demon Path would certainly not dare to invade. But now that the sect leader was Chu Tianqi, the battle between the strongest of the righteous and the demonic factions would be difficult to determine.

These words made Gu An feel sympathy for the Demon Path.

Lv Baitian was not dead yet!

“By the way, Martial Master, have you ever heard of the Underworld Demon Emperor?” Gu An suddenly asked.

Jiang Qiong thought for a moment and shook her head, “I’ve never heard of him. Why?”

“It’s nothing. I just read about him in a book. He’s supposed to be very powerful. Since you don’t know, then never mind. I should take my leave.”

Gu An answered, then stood up, saluted, and turned to leave.

Jiang Qiong watched his back, lost in thought.

…

After talking with Jiang Qiong, Gu An’s worries about the righteous and demonic war eased significantly. His days returned to being as peaceful as before.

Three months later.

At the end of autumn, the Third Medicine Valley was still covered with many withered yellow leaves.

In the early morning, Gu An was leading his disciples in exercises, with Elder Tian also participating. Only Gu An noticed that his body was sturdier than before.

This guy’s cultivation level had already reached Core Formation Realm ninth layer.

Gu An had no idea how he managed to cultivate. Whenever Gu An was around, he never caused a spiritual energy disturbance.

After the exercises, Gu An dismissed the disciples and headed towards the pavilion. Sixteen Ancient Gold-Swallowing Insects circled him, making him appear surrounded by golden stars.

Just as he reached the bottom of the building, he stopped.

He saw two figures swiftly approaching from the horizon, it was Vice Sect Leader Ji Hantian and Elder Gu Zong.

Checking the medicinal herbs in the garden, Elder Tian glanced back and then turned away.

After Gu Zong and Ji Hantian landed, they called Gu An upstairs to talk.

Upon entering the room, Gu Zong, as usual, laid down a restriction.

Bang!

Ji Hantian suddenly slammed the table, causing Gu An’s heart to race.

Damn it!

Every time they came, they had to slam the table?

Gu An really wanted to use the Great Yin-Yang Transformation, transform into a demon cultivator, and beat Ji Hantian violently.

The furniture in this room was made of the finest wood. If it got damaged, he would feel a pang of heartache.

“Chu Tianqi has gone too far. I didn’t expect the entire Chu Family to be rotten to the core. Pan An, you must write a book about this and show it to the world. The Supreme Sect is the orthodox sect of the world and must be supervised by the world!” Ji Hantian said furiously.

Again?

Gu An remained silent; he shouldn’t have shown mercy back then.

Gu Zong sat down and said impatiently, “What’s the rush? It seems you are completely unaware of his actions. I think you just want to be the sect leader. This time, don’t use Pan An as a tool. Pan An is the banner of the Supreme Sect’s disciples. This banner cannot become a weapon in the sect’s power struggle.”

Gu An looked at Gu Zong; at least he made sense.

Ji Hantian sighed and said, “It’s true, I want to be sect leader. I believe that if I become the sect leader, I can lead the Supreme Sect to greater heights. Look at the mess Chu Tianqi has made. His men are manufacturing Demons of Greed, and someone even plans to sacrifice an entire outer sect. I once thought he was the Sword Venerable Fudao and trusted him, but he is not. Now the Demon Path is aggressive. Anti-Chu Tianqi sentiments have spread within the sect, morale is shaken, and the Supreme Sect is in grave danger!”

Manufacturing Demons of Greed?

Gu An was astonished. He had thought it was the Chu Family’s enemies creating the Demons of Greed per Chu Jingfeng’s words.

It seemed there were deeper secrets.

Was it a clan feud, or a self-directed act?

“Chu Tianqi is indeed disappointing. When he punished Chu Xian’s descendants back then, I thought he was sacrificing kin for the greater good. Now it seems it was just self-preservation. However, taking down Chu Tianqi is not easy. Many in the Hall of Elders were promoted by him, and he has good relations with the Daotian Sect.” Gu Zong shook his head as he spoke.

Hearing this, Gu An was confused.

What were these two playing at?

What was the point of discussing such matters with an outer disciple?

They were probably putting on an act to stir his feelings, trying to make him outraged and willing to expose the dark side of the Supreme Sect.

The two continued to criticize Chu Tianqi, listing his various wrongdoing deeds. As Gu An listened, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.

If Chu Tianqi had truly done all this, he was indeed unforgivable.

However, Gu An remained rational and unmoved.

Gu Zong looked at Gu An and said, “The Supreme Sect may face calamity soon. Your Third Medicine Valley has too many medicinal herbs. It needs protection. We plan to send fifty Core Formation Realm cultivators to guard the Third Medicine Valley. What do you think?”

Ji Hantian added, “The Gu and Ji Families will each send twenty-five people. By the way, Xiaoyu is among them. This way, not only will she help you guard the Medicine Valley, but she will also stay away from the war.”