Chapter 27: Wanyin Sect, Xu Ruye

"An Outer Sect Assembly of the entire world?"

"Geniuses from major Sects gathering at the Supreme Sect?"

"Does it include disciples from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion?"

Gu An listened with rapt attention; such a grand assembly was bound to be thrilling, but he was somewhat worried. Could there be cultivators from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion who might take this opportunity to confront him and force him to provide information about the Supreme Sect?

Chen Li and the two others switched topics, gradually steering the conversation toward the Inner Sect. Chen Li was very interested in the Inner Sect and was curious about what it looked like.

Xiao Chenjun briefly described it – the bustling inner sect city, the rich heritage of each peak, abundant mission rewards, and so on; Gu An felt as if he were immersed in a tale.

Still, Gu An had no aspirations for it.

Inner Sect disciples also had to defend the Tai Cang Imperial Dynasty. They needed to slay demons within the lands and assist the dynasty in resisting invasions by other dynasties. Just hearing about it gave him a headache.

After Gu An finished up his duties and harvested several hundred years of lifespan, he approached Chen Li, preparing to take his leave.

"You handle tasks meticulously; can you also look after my cave mansion?" Li Xuanyu suddenly spoke up.

Upon hearing this, Chen Li immediately laughed, "This young man indeed satisfies us with his work and follows the rules strictly. He's also recommended by Li Ya; he is trustworthy."

Li Xuanyu stared at Gu An, waiting for his reply.

Under everyone's gaze, Gu An couldn't exactly refuse and nodded in agreement.

"You two seniors continue your discussion; I will show him around," Li Xuanyu said as she stood up and left.

Gu An hastily bowed to Chen Li and Xiao Chenjun and then followed Li Xuanyu's steps.

After the cave mansion's gates closed, Xiao Chenjun finally broke into a smile and asked, "The Li family's grudges are truly complex. What do you think—is there any enmity between Sister Li and Li Ya?"

Chen Li shook his head, "How could there be any enmity? If there were, she wouldn't have spoken for Li Ya at first. Li Ya would've been killed by Shi Yang long ago. Shi Yang has been missing for years now; I suspect Li Ya might have killed him."

Xiao Chenjun lifted his teacup, his expression becoming nuanced.

...

Upon departing from the cave mansion, Gu An followed Li Xuanyu. Both rode on a flying sword but maintained a proper distance.

Standing behind Li Xuanyu, Gu An could smell a unique fragrance that was much more pleasant than Jiang Qiong's scent.

Though Jiang Qiong had cleaned up, the stench of death had not entirely disappeared.

The journey was silent; Li Xuanyu's cold demeanor led Gu An to refrain from speaking.

Her cave mansion wasn't far from Chen Li's, and soon they landed.

Gu An clearly felt stronger restrictions at her cave mansion. Walking inside intensified this sensation.

Such rich spiritual energy!

Li Xuanyu began to explain the origins and cultivation process of the medicinal herbs in the cave mansion, and Gu An listened attentively.

After one stick of incense time, Li Xuanyu handed him a token. With this token, he could directly open the cave mansion; her treatment toward him was the same as Chen Li's.

For Gu An, harvesting the lifespan of the medicinal herbs was enough, but he wouldn't refuse spirit stones either.

Gu An bowed and bid farewell.

"One moment, how is your relationship with Li Ya?" Li Xuanyu suddenly asked.

Gu An stopped, turned back, and said, "Li Ya is my senior brother; naturally, our relationship is good."

He could tell that Li Xuanyu and Li Ya must have a decent relationship. If they were enemies, she certainly couldn't use him, a servant disciple, to plot against Li Ya, right?

Li Xuanyu didn't say much, just nodded slightly.

Gu An bid farewell again.

Helping manage the cave mansion for Outer Disciples wasn't exhausting since it generally required only a visit every half-month or month; Gu An felt he could still take on more tasks.

His career blossomed even more—the Eight Scenic Cave Heaven and Profound Valley were the main branches, and from them, he could further expand and increase his lifespan.

He strove to reach a lifespan of a hundred thousand years!

...

As winter snow melted and spring arrived, lanterns and decorations began to adorn Profound Valley by dusk.

In front of the pavilion, the youngest, Zhen Qin, squatted on the ground, cutting paper, and quietly asked, "Master, what is the meaning of the Spring Festival?"

She was nine years younger than Gu An, with a sweet face, large eyes, a petite stature, and a gentle nature, even Lu Jiujia and Xiaochuan adored her greatly.

"When I was young, I once heard an elder say that the Spring Festival signifies the start of a brand new year, bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. Every year at this time, people would exchange blessings. Since Medicine Valley doesn't have many festive days, let's set the Spring Festival," Gu An said, sitting nearby and weaving a lantern.

Not far away, Wuxin, Xiaochuan, and Tang Yu were hanging lanterns and attaching red paper; Ye Lan was preparing dishes, and Su Han was inspecting the gardens.

Zhen Qin's face lit up with anticipation after hearing this.

The idea of celebrating the Spring Festival was something Gu An had suddenly recalled a few days ago when he heard the people of Medicine Valley talking about their hometowns. He remembered his household back on Earth during the Spring Festival and decided to make it the first festive event in Profound Valley.

They could perhaps plan more festive days in the future to make the life in Medicine Valley less monotonous.

But he wondered if there were any other Earth-crossers in the Human World.

Gu An pondered quietly; the reason he fabricated the Spring Festival after hearing the elder was a cautious move.

At that moment, Gu An frowned slightly; he sensed two discomforting presences approaching Profound Valley, already less than ten miles away.

Those two people were in the Foundation Establishment Realm, but their aura was thick with the scent of blood.

They had killed many people!

The Outer Sect Grand Tournament of the all under heaven was about to begin. Could it be that Demon Cultivators had come to visit?

Gu An silently prayed, hoping that the other party would not enter their Medicine Valley.

However, what he feared came to pass. The two flew directly towards Profound Valley, and soon, their figures appeared on the mountain top, overlooking Medicine Valley.

This was a man and a woman, both clad in dark purple robes, exuding a sinister aura even under the daylight, looking like fierce ghosts.

The woman had a bewitching figure and dark makeup on her face, her nails long like claws. She covered her mouth and laughed, "Xu Lang, since we are not far from the Outer Sect of the Supreme Sect, why not rest here for a while? We could also inquire some information from the Servant Disciples here."

The man standing beside her was robust, with a stern face and a purple crown on his head, embedded with a red gem that looked like a crimson vertical eye.

"A bunch of Qi Cultivation worms, what can we learn from them?" the man in purple said coldly.

He was from the Wanyin Sect, named Xu Ruye, and this time he came with his Dao Companion, Chen Ji, to participate in the Grand Tournament.

Chen Ji chuckled, "You know those guys of the Supreme Sect, not very strong, yet they like to bully the less. We got here first, and surely we will be troubled by them, so it's good to wait here."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ruye thought it made sense, then soared down, followed closely by Chen Ji.

Gu An looked up and immediately used Life Span Detection.

[Xu Ruye (Foundation Establishment 9th Floor): 67/389/920]

[Chen Ji (Foundation Establishment 7th Floor): 74/370/605]

They both seemed like geniuses.

Gu An stood up, and Zhen Qin unconsciously followed his gaze. When she saw Xu Ruye and Chen Ji, she was so scared that she quickly hid behind her master.

Xiaochuan, Wuxin, and Tang Yu also noticed the arrival of the two Demon Cultivators and immediately dropped what they were doing and ran towards Gu An.

Xu Ruye and the other landed in the garden area; their gaze sweeping over the medicinal herbs made Gu An's heart tighten.

The security of the Supreme Sect was too poor!

As the grand event approached, they didn't deploy disciples for patrol?

Gu An cursed silently, but of course, he also knew that to the Supreme Sect, the value of Profound Valley was just so-so since they only grew low-tier cultivation herbs here for the Outer Sect.

Chen Ji turned her head and looked towards Gu An and the others, asking, "Who is the Valley Master here?"

Gu An stepped forward and said with a clasped fist, "I am the Valley Master. May I know why the two seniors have come?"

Chen Ji threw a flirtatious glance at Gu An and asked with a smile, "Young man, my husband and I have come to attend the grand meeting of the Supreme Sect. We were hoping to rest here in your valley for a few days, what do you think?"

Xu Ruye's gaze shifted toward Ye Lan and Zhen Qin behind Gu An. His chilling look made the two women uneasy, Ye Lan frowned, stepping in front of Zhen Qin.

Gu An was displeased, but he sensed a familiar aura nearing.

He asked, "May I know which sect or faction the two of you are from?"

Chen Ji's expression turned cold, just about to speak.

"Why bother talking to him? We want to stay, and with his Qi Cultivation 5th Floor, can he even drive us away?" Xu Ruye said impatiently.

A terrifying murderous aura burst forth from him, coloring everyone present fearful, as if in a cold cellar.

"Do the two from the Wanyin Sect wish to make enemies with the Supreme Sect?"

A cold voice came from the sky, and everyone looked up, only to see Li Xuanyu standing on a flying sword, poised against the wind, looking like an exiled immortal.

"Li Xuanyu!" Chen Ji said, gritting her teeth.

Li Xuanyu spoke, "Come with me."

With that, she turned and left, quickly disappearing behind the mountain peak.

Xu Ruye leaped up, his waist gourd flew out, quickly enlarged, and landed beneath his feet, with Chen Ji following, leaping after him. The two rode the gourd and left.

The people of Medicine Valley sighed in relief.

"Are those two Demon Cultivators?" Su Han couldn't help but ask, his face pale from the fear caused by Xu Ruye's killing intent.

Wuxin responded, "Yes, the Wanyin Sect is a major sect of the Demon Dao, very powerful."

Xiaochuan grumbled, "Aren't we the Supreme Sect, a renowned Sect? Why would we invite a Demon Dao sect?"

The disciples began to discuss this matter, all still shaken from the fear, worrying that if Li Xuanyu hadn't appeared, they might have faced a huge disaster tonight.

Gu An turned to look towards the horizon, frowning slightly.

Then, he told everyone to continue preparing for the New Year, while he went back to his room to rest for a while.

Dusk fell, and the sky turned red.

Gu An stood at the side window of the attic, already sensing the faint disturbances of a battle far off, probably thirty miles away from Profound Valley.

Suddenly feeling something, he immediately flipped over the windowsill and disappeared into the mountain forest.

In the distant forest, trees were knocked down and the ground was covered with shocking cracks. Xu Ruye and Chen Ji stood side by side, mocking smiles on their faces.

Not only was Li Xuanyu standing opposite them, but also another person, shockingly Li Ya.

"Li Family's Nine Devastating Swords are indeed formidable, but your cultivation levels are too weak," Xu Ruye said with a cold laugh, his right fingers twitching, and strands of purple aura wrapped around his fingertips.

Blood was visible on the corners of Li Ya's mouth, his right hand holding the sword trembling. Next to him, Li Xuanyu was also injured, though not as severely as Li Ya.