Chapter 86: Elder Tian's Resolve, An Overwhelming Horde of Demons

Xu Lian Demon Lord's thoughts were drifting toward the inner sanctums of Tai Xuan Sect. This battle was pivotal for the thousand-year fate of the Wan Yin Sect, even determining its survival or destruction.

He was already impatient to join the battle!

But before he could finish speaking, a terrifying sense of danger suddenly overwhelmed him. Instinctively, he turned his head to see what was coming.

Everything happened too fast!

Even as a Void Crossing Realm cultivator at the fourth stage, he couldn't react in time.

Before his eyes, a half-transparent flow of energy moved at an unimaginable speed, tearing through the mountains, distorting the very air and space in its path.

His disciples, still busy constructing the formation, had paused in place, staring blankly. Time itself seemed to freeze, except for the looming specter of death racing toward them.

Boom!

The flow of energy sliced through the sky and hit the flat plain among the mountains, reducing Xu Lian and his fellow demon cultivators to nothing but dust. A blinding flash of light erupted, consuming the mountains and everything in its wake.

Above Xuan Valley.

Yang Ni, Li Ya, and Bai Wu, who had been fighting, all stopped in their tracks, startled by the sudden burst of light from the horizon. They could feel an overwhelming pressure descend upon them, leaving their faces pale with shock.

Li Ya immediately flew toward the forest below, quickly finding Gu An.

Gu An was hiding behind a tree, pretending to tremble in fear. Seeing that Gu An was safe, Li Ya let out a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to speak, a violent gust of wind blew in from the distance, bending the trees and causing the mountains to quake.

Li Ya quickly shielded Gu An with his spiritual energy.

"What happened…?"

Gu An gritted his teeth, his voice trembling with fear.

Li Ya's expression was grim. "I don't know. It could be a battle between powerful cultivators."

At that moment, lines of text appeared before Gu An's eyes:

[You successfully absorbed 47 years of life from Xu Lian Demon Lord (Void Crossing Realm, Fourth Stage).]

[You successfully absorbed 35 years of life from Zhang Zhongchong (Core Formation Realm, Second Stage).]

[You successfully absorbed 42 years of life from Chen Duyuan (Core Formation Realm, Sixth Stage).]

…

In total, Gu An had absorbed the life force of twenty-six individuals, all of them at least at the Core Formation Realm, including two Nascent Soul Realm cultivators.

A grave sin!

Gu An felt a pang of guilt. It wasn't that he wanted to kill so many, but what could he do? They had ventured too close to his herb valley.

The violent windstorm continued for a long while.

When the winds finally calmed, Li Ya straightened up, muttering, "It seems safer to stay here in the herb valley. It's too dangerous everywhere else."

"I told you so," Gu An replied, still acting shaken.

"Come, let's head back to the valley!" Li Ya grabbed Gu An's arm and pulled him back toward Xuan Valley.

As they entered the valley, Yang Ni descended from the sky, holding a severed head dripping with blood. On her sword hung the shattered Nascent Soul of Bai Wu.

She radiated murderous intent, and none of the disciples in the valley dared approach her.

Yang Ni tossed Bai Wu's head at Wu Xin's feet and flicked her sword, shattering Bai Wu's Nascent Soul in a single motion. She then pointed her sword at Wu Xin, her voice cold and commanding. "Do you have any last words?"

Wu Xin's face turned deathly pale, and he trembled uncontrollably.

"Stop!"

Gu An quickly rushed forward, stepping between Yang Ni and Wu Xin.

Yang Ni's eyes were icy as she said, "He's from Thousand Autumn Pavilion."

"But he's lived with us for decades and has never harmed anyone. He must have his reasons! Once this is all over, I'll make sure he leaves Tai Xuan Sect!" Gu An said through gritted teeth, resolute in his defense.

His words caused Yang Ni to frown slightly.

Wu Xin, on the other hand, was deeply moved. He didn't dare look at the other disciples, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into out of shame.

Yang Ni took a step forward, her sword nearly touching Gu An's throat.

Gu An glanced at Li Ya and shouted, "Senior Brother, say something!"

Li Ya, frowning, walked over and gently pushed Yang Ni's sword aside. "Let's do as he says. That demon cultivator clearly had a personal grudge against Wu Xin."

"Hmph!"

Yang Ni sheathed her sword and turned away.

Gu An turned to Wu Xin and said, "I'm sorry, Junior Brother, but I can't keep you here any longer. Returning to Thousand Autumn Pavilion would be dangerous for you. Find a place to hide, live under a new name. As long as you choose the path of righteousness, it doesn't matter where you're from; you can still be a good person."

Gu An's sincere words made Wu Xin's eyes well up with tears. He dropped to his knees and kowtowed deeply to Gu An.

Li Ya's tense expression softened as he let out a quiet sigh.

Yang Ni shot Gu An a puzzled glance, her brow furrowed.

He already knew about Wu Xin's true identity? And yet it seems Wu Xin didn't willingly choose this path...

Gu An helped Wu Xin to his feet, instructing him to hide indoors to avoid being recognized by any more demonic cultivators.

Li Ya turned to Yang Ni and transmitted his voice directly to her: "Why are you here?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"Tell him I don't want the throne."

"He's already said that he owes it to your mother. The throne must go to you."

"The Crown Prince is wise and capable, with a Three-Spiritual Root constitution. He's the perfect heir."

"Not my decision to make."

The two continued their silent exchange, Yang Ni's gaze remaining fixed on Gu An, lost in thought.

Li Ya warned her telepathically, "Don't you dare harm my junior brother. If you do, don't blame me for turning on you."

Yang Ni ignored him.

Following the incident with Bai Wu's attack, a heavy silence fell over Xuan Valley. The disciples gathered in the courtyard, whispering amongst themselves. Most of them were discussing Wu Xin's true identity. Meanwhile, Tai Xuan Sect was still in turmoil, with more and more battles erupting across different regions.

Gu An kept a close eye on his Azure Swan Sword, relieved to see that it hadn't reacted, indicating that White Spirit Sword was not in any immediate danger.

After an hour without any further demonic activity in the valley, Gu An grew restless.

He approached Li Ya, informing him of his plan to leave for another herb valley, asking Li Ya and Yang Ni to remain behind to guard Xuan Valley.

Li Ya, knowing that the other valley was within the inner sect and therefore safer, agreed.

This time, Yang Ni didn't insist on following Gu An, as she prioritized Li Ya's safety above all else.

Before leaving, Gu An left behind one of his Ancient Gold Devouring Insects inside the house.

He had a soul bond with each of the insects, enabling him to monitor Xuan Valley's situation at any time.

After stepping onto the Transmission Array Platform, Gu An soon arrived at the Third Medicine Valley.

As soon as he arrived, the sound of explosions echoed from all directions, deafeningly loud. He opened his eyes to see dark clouds rolling in overhead. Though it was winter, the air felt oppressively hot, like the height of summer.

Seeing Gu An arrive, Xiao Chuan hurried over, trying to suppress his panic as he asked, "Senior Brother, what should we do?"

Gu An noticed that Elder Tian was still here, and instantly felt reassured. At the same time, he sent out a Lifespan Investigation and responded, "Stay calm. Trust in our sect!"

[Lu Baitian (Nascent Soul Realm, Ninth Stage): 754/1560/3200]

Incredible! His cultivation is advancing quickly!

Gu An smiled inwardly, reassured by Elder Tian's presence, though he couldn't help but wonder where Elder Tian was drawing all this spiritual energy from.

He instructed Xiao Chuan to stay close and not wander off while he set off on a patrol around the herb valley.

As he passed by Elder Tian, he could feel a hidden, overwhelming force building within him, sending a chill down Gu An's spine.

Elder Tian wasn't drawing in external spiritual energy. It was as if the energy was materializing out of thin air inside his body.

What kind of technique is this?

"Valley Master, the war is in full swing. Don't stray too far," Elder Tian's voice echoed.

Gu An turned back to see Elder Tian meditating beneath a tree, his once frail body now straight and proud. His aura had transformed into that of a powerful cultivator.

"I'm just checking on the herbs. I won't wander far."

With that, Gu An hurried off, leaving Elder Tian behind.

Elder Tian opened his eyes, watching Gu An's retreating figure with a satisfied smile.

"With a disciple like him, how can I bear to see Tai Xuan Sect fall?"

Elder Tian murmured, his voice carried by the wind. Gu An, who had already run a hundred feet away, pretended not to hear it.

He really does care about the herbs!

The fifty Core Formation disciples tasked with guarding the Third Medicine Valley were deep in battle, including Ji Xiaoya and Gu Yu. Each one fought multiple enemies at once, and the situation was growing increasingly dire.

As Gu An moved swiftly through the valley, he meticulously inspected the herb fields. If he found any herbs that were nearly mature, he harvested them immediately to avoid them being destroyed by the ongoing battles.

Further ahead, Gu An heard a piercing war cry. Looking up, he saw a group of fiery-red Qilin charging across the sky, and within the lead Qilin was a figure he recognized—Ji Xiaoya.

Qilin Step!

Ji Xiaoya took a single step, her form flickering like a phantom as the fiery Qilin crashed into a demonic cultivator, pulverizing him instantly, burning his Golden Core into nothing.

Gu An could sense that Ji Xiaoya's speed and strength were already comparable to that of a low-level Nascent Soul cultivator.

As if sensing Gu An's gaze, Ji Xiaoya glanced briefly in his direction during her battle.

She wielded her sword gracefully, using it to cast spells, effortlessly cutting down her enemies.

More and more demonic cultivators converged on her position, launching attacks from all directions, their combined might creating a terrifying display.

Ji Xiaoya's eyes narrowed as she unleashed a surge of spiritual energy, blowing her attackers several miles away. Any Foundation Establishment-level enemies within her vicinity were instantly obliterated.

She raised her sword to the sky, and a torrent of spiritual energy erupted from the blade, forming a massive golden disc in the air, over ten miles in diameter, inscribed with intricate, profound runes.

With Gu An's sharp eyes, he instantly recognized that the shockwave Ji Xiaoya had just unleashed was a Divine Ability—Heavenly Dao Qi!

It was the same technique Jiang Qiong had stolen from Ji Family's vault during their banquet. Gu An had spent time studying it in the past.

As for the divine technique that followed, Gu An had never seen it before, but he could sense its power surpassing anything at the Core Formation stage.

Her talent is truly terrifying!

To have mastered two divine abilities while still in the Core Formation stage was unheard of!

From within the golden disc, dozens of golden dragon shadows surged forth, like a horde of celestial dragons descending from the heavens. They attacked the demonic cultivators from all directions, sending them scattering in terror.

Some tried to defend themselves with spells, but their spiritual energy was shredded by the dragons, and they were devoured alive.

Since the dragons were merely projections, Gu An could see the unfortunate demonic cultivators as they were swallowed, their bodies incinerated by golden flames, leaving not even ashes behind.

After walking another ten miles, Gu An saw that within a five-mile radius around Ji Xiaoya, not a single demonic cultivator remained alive.

In one battle, she had killed over a hundred Core Formation cultivators and over three hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators!

And this was only what Gu An had witnessed. She had likely been fighting for some time before he arrived.

Ji Xiaoya hovered in mid-air, gripping her sword tightly, her forehead glistening with sweat as she caught her breath.

Suddenly, her expression tightened.

Following her gaze, Gu An looked up to see an endless horde of demons and monsters flooding in from the horizon, like a black tidal wave, blotting out the sky. It was impossible to count their numbers.

At the front of this demonic army stood a man in black robes, riding a sword made of bones, holding a massive black banner.

"The Kirin Step, the Heavenly Dao Qi, and the Heavenly Dragon Demon Subjugation Aspect—at such a young age, you've mastered so many powerful techniques. If you're allowed to grow, you'll one day cover the skies with your hand!"

The man's cold voice echoed across the battlefield as a terrifying pressure descended, enveloping the world.