Chapter 87: Gu An’s Rage and Lu Baitian’s Arrival

While Gu An was busy harvesting his herbs, he heard the words of the black-robed man and instinctively looked up. From his vantage point, he could see the man's face clearly, so he immediately cast a Lifespan Investigation to see what this person was capable of.

Let's see what cultivation realm you've reached to have such an arrogant tone!

[Xu Jue (Void Crossing Realm, Ninth Stage): 982/2200/2300]

Void Crossing Realm, Ninth Stage!

This man indeed had some skills.

Gu An, standing far away, had no intention of intervening. He suspected that the Ji family had some powerful cultivators watching over Ji Xiaoya.

Ji Xiaoya faced Xu Jue without a trace of fear in her eyes, despite the overwhelming pressure he exuded. The Heavenly Dragon Demon Subjugation Aspect above her began to descend and stand tall behind her. Golden dragons emerged, coiling around her, making her look like the sovereign of a dragon horde, emanating unmatched majesty.

Xu Jue sneered upon seeing Ji Xiaoya prepare for battle.

He raised the black banner in his hand and was about to speak when a cold voice echoed throughout the heavens.

"Xu Jue, as the vice leader of the Wan Yin Sect, don't you feel ashamed bullying a junior?"

Vice Leader of the Wan Yin Sect?

Gu An recalled that Lin Futian had mentioned before that Xu Runye's father had become the vice leader of the Wan Yin Sect.

So it was him.

Gu An continued forward, mulling this over.

Xu Jue raised an eyebrow and snorted. "Ji Chen, I didn't expect you to come. Let's settle our score once and for all!"

With that, he leaped into the sky, vanishing into the thunderclouds. A deafening roar followed, and the massive clouds above began to churn violently. Every now and then, streaks of light pierced the cloud cover, illuminating the earth below.

A vast horde of demons and monsters howled as they charged toward the Third Medicine Valley like a flood of wild beasts unleashed from their cages.

These demons and ghosts carried an oppressive aura as they rushed forward, their speed astonishing.

Ji Xiaoya lifted her sword, and the golden dragons from the Heavenly Dragon Demon Subjugation Aspect charged into the demon horde. They tore through the enemy ranks with unstoppable might, but the sheer number of demons and ghosts was overwhelming. The dragons wreaked havoc for several miles before dissipating as their spiritual energy ran out.

Meanwhile, Gu An was in the forest, clearing the snow from the herb garden. Several herbs had been crushed under the weight of the snow, and he felt an ache in his heart. At the same time, a deep fury began to stir within him.

Fight all you want, but don't you dare destroy my herbs!

His heart ached for the damage done to the plants.

While Gu An was fretting over his crushed herbs, Ji Xiaoya had been surrounded by the demon horde. Rather than relying on spells, she fought with her two swords, cutting down demons and monsters one by one, her momentum unstoppable.

Other Core Formation disciples soon arrived to assist her, but compared to the vast demon army, their numbers were pitifully small.

Suddenly, the piercing cry of the Swallowing Heaven Netherbird resounded, drowning out all the howls and roars of the demons and ghosts.

Gu An grew irritated. Why hasn't this bird been killed by the Tai Xuan Sect's experts yet?

At that moment, Gu An sensed something. Turning his head, he saw a demon cat, its body severed at the waist, crashing into a garden thirty miles away. It writhed in pain, crushing the precious herbs beneath it as it thrashed about.

His eyes narrowed, and with a flick of his fingers, a sword qi surged from the ground, cutting the cat demon in two.

As he glanced around, he noticed more demons falling from the sky like rain, crashing down into the Third Medicine Valley.

Gu An's face darkened, and he moved his foot slightly to the side.

Meanwhile, the battle above continued.

Gu Yu wielded a long whip, swinging it like a dragon. He shouted to the others, "Does anyone have any powerful allies? Call them now! My father is busy dealing with a demonic leader in the Cold Poison Valley!"

The disciples fighting here were all from influential families, primarily from the Gu and Ji families. Without hesitation, they pulled out treasures, summoning their allies. In an instant, streams of light and bursts of spiritual energy flew across the battlefield.

Amid the chaos, Ji Xiaoya glanced down, her expression changing slightly. Below, the earth and mountains began to glow with spots of green light, rapidly expanding like a sea of greenery rising from the ground.

Far away, under a tree, Elder Tian abruptly opened his eyes, turning to look in the direction of the battlefield, his brow furrowed.

What an immense surge of spiritual energy… Is it from the Gu family, or the Ji family?

Elder Tian was puzzled. He could sense that this vast energy was meant to protect the herb valley, so he wasn't overly concerned and resumed his cultivation.

The green spiritual energy soon covered half of the Third Medicine Valley. Even the outer disciples near the pavilion could see the spectacle from a distance.

"What is that?"

"Is it a spell?"

"It seems to be protecting our valley. It must be from our side."

"What kind of battle is happening over there?"

…

On a mountain peak at the edge of the Third Medicine Valley, Shen Zhen stood at the cliffside, overlooking the vast sea of green energy. She quickly pulled out paper and brush, sketching what she saw.

Suddenly, her pupils contracted as she watched countless green sword qi shoot up from the sea of green energy. The sight was awe-inspiring as the green sword qi filled the sky.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The sound of sword qi tearing through the air echoed across the land. The disciples of the Gu and Ji families were stunned, instinctively dodging. But soon, they realized the sword qi wasn't aimed at them. Instead, it sought out the demons and monsters, cutting them down one after another. The sky lit up with bursts of blood-red fireworks, a beautiful yet tragic sight.

Ji Xiaoya paused, gazing at the green sword qi surrounding her. She was shocked.

What kind of technique is this?

The spiritual energy contained within the sword qi was beyond her reach. She suspected that even her grandfather couldn't match this.

These green sword qi didn't simply ascend into the sky—they actively hunted down demons.

In less than ten breaths, the battlefield fell into silence.

Countless green sword qi hovered in the air, blood mist swirling around them, unable to obscure their presence.

As the sword qi dissipated, there was no trace of the demons and monsters.

Every disciple engaged in the battle was left in stunned silence, looking around in disbelief.

In the forest, Gu An exhaled slowly.

That attack had taken a significant toll. Not only had he summoned the sword qi, but he had also controlled it to avoid harming the Tai Xuan Sect disciples.

As the notifications flashed before him, his expression darkened.

[You have successfully absorbed 2 years of life from Resentful Cat Demon (Third Stage).]

[You have successfully absorbed 1 year of life from Winged Snake (Second Stage).]

[You have successfully absorbed 1 year of life from Greed Hound (Second Stage).]

…

They were all worth only one or two years of lifespan, with the two-year lifespans being especially rare.

There was no sign of any life force from the evil ghosts!

What's going on?

Gu An frowned. He thought of the black banner Xu Jue had been holding. Could it be that these demons weren't actual living beings?

It made sense. After all, this was the inner sect. How could the demonic cultivators have led such a large horde of demons and ghosts into the sect? They must have used some powerful spell to summon them.

Even so, Gu An's lifespan had still increased rapidly. After all, the sheer number of demons was staggering.

For a brief moment, Gu An was tempted to go on a killing spree.

This is a fast way to gain lifespan!

But he quickly restrained himself. Excessive slaughter could bring unforeseen calamities. He needed to stick to his previous method of becoming stronger—no enemies, low profile.

Until he reached invincibility, it was best to proceed with caution.

It was like being an ant. If he saw an ant growing rapidly by devouring other insects, he would crush it without hesitation. Just as he couldn't see beings at higher realms, those beings might be watching him.

As long as his Mysterious Yellow Dragon Qi Technique could continue to evolve, it meant there were beings in the world who could see through its hidden nature.

Stay calm, don't get reckless!

Gu An knew that his slow and steady path—growing stronger by cultivating herbs—might not be the fastest, but it was the safest. As long as he kept growing his lifespan without making enemies, he could become the strongest without anyone noticing.

With this in mind, Gu An resumed inspecting the herb gardens, clearing away the snow.

By the time the notifications finished scrolling, he had gained over 50,000 years of lifespan.

He had seen at least 200,000 demons in that army, which meant that most of them weren't truly alive.

The demonic sects are truly sinister!

With the demon army destroyed, the immediate threat to the Third Medicine Valley had been neutralized. However, the battle between Xu Jue and Ji Chen still raged on above the clouds, neither side gaining the upper hand.

High in the clouds, Xu Jue wielded his black banner, surrounded by dense demonic energy. The radiant golden light illuminated his face.

In the distance, the Heavenly Dragon Demon Subjugation Aspect hovered in the sky, far larger and more majestic than Ji Xiaoya's. The golden dragons within it looked so lifelike that they seemed like real dragons.

Standing before the Heavenly Dragon Demon Subjugation Aspect was a man in a long robe, his back to the golden light, making it impossible to see his face clearly. He stood like a god, looking down on the world.

"Your Demon Rebirth Formation is nothing but an empty display," Ji Chen said coldly, raising his hand. The golden light from the Heavenly Dragon Demon Subjugation Aspect surged into his palm, condensing into a long halberd that radiated a blazing golden flame.

Xu Jue snorted, then suddenly turned and transformed into a mass of demonic energy, fleeing toward the horizon.

Ji Chen immediately gave chase. His golden dragons led the way, like a radiant horde pulling the sun itself across the sky. Their divine power radiated across the land.

…

After Ji Chen and Xu Jue's departure, peace returned to the Third Medicine Valley, and Gu An continued his work.

An hour later.

Gu An arrived by a small river and began shoveling snow into the water to melt it.

Suddenly, a figure appeared beside him. Gu An feigned shock, stumbling back a few steps.

"It's you? You…"

When Gu An recognized the person's face, he stammered in surprise.

[Lu Baitian (Void Crossing Realm, Second Stage): 754/1950/3200]

How did he progress so fast?

Elder Tian was still dressed in his simple robes, but his body had grown more muscular. His hair, once gray and lifeless, now floated in the wind with vitality. Even his skin had regained its youthful glow.

Under Gu An's watchful eyes, Lu Baitian's appearance rapidly regressed by decades. His face now looked as though he was barely thirty, with silver hair flowing like silk.

Did he… transform?

Lu Baitian raised his chin slightly, hovering above the ground, looking down at Gu An. "Do you hate these demonic cultivators?"

Gu An's thoughts raced as he nervously and hesitantly replied, "I do…"

"In that case, I'll take you with me to wipe out the demonic sects. How about it?"

"Who… who are you, really?"

"The name Elder Tian was merely a temporary alias. My true name is Lu Baitian. Have you ever heard of me?"