Saint Who Lay Low

Gu An asked, "What else did you see?"

Seeing that Gu An did not question her, Ji Xiaoyu continued her account.

She described being hunted by numerous individuals, delving into the ocean depths to discover a palace, and even soaring to the skies to pluck the stars themselves.

After listening, Gu An said, "Feel free to visit here more often in the future."

Unexpectedly, Ji Xiaoyu shook her head and replied, "No, my instincts tell me I shouldn't delve into those memories."

With that, Ji Xiaoyu turned and walked away.

Watching her retreating figure, Gu An suddenly felt that her reincarnation was not just for the sake of enhancing her innate talent.

Reflecting further, it made sense. The innate Dao rune within Ji Xiaoyu held incredible power, making it unnecessary to improve her pre-nirvana qualifications.

Could there be a deeper truth? Was her soul instinctively guarding against the awakening of her past life memories?

Gu An shook his head, dismissing the thought. In any case, Ji Xiaoyu wouldn't stay in the Third Medicine Valley forever.

…

By late summer, Gu An visited Xunxian Island.

Sweeping his divine sense across the area, he found no trace of Xunxian Daoist. Had the scoundrel truly fled?

Shaking his head, Gu An strolled through the streets, wandering aimlessly. This time, he did not summon Hu Xiaojian.

Aside from buying seeds, he intended to gather intelligence on Tian Wuchang.

The seas were increasingly chaotic. Battles erupted everywhere, even involving Heaven-Flying Immortals. More and more Spectral Wraiths escaped from the Great Rift of the Broken Sea, some moving in swarms, others operating solo.

Those solitary Spectral Wraiths were especially formidable. Though Gu An had not fixated on the Great Rift, he was curious to hear the latest developments.

As expected, the streets were abuzz with discussions about the Great Rift and the Spectral Wraiths.

Rumor had it that the rift contained nine Spectral Wraith Kings, each wielding power to rival a grand sect. Some were said to possess immortal treasures.

The Star Sea Sect had encountered one such Spectral Wraith King, suffering heavy losses, yet they failed to capture it.

Among the known Spectral Wraith Kings were Tian Wuchang, Ni Jiuyou, and Yin Yang Luan.

Each bore a three-character name, and all three wielded world-shaking abilities.

Tian Wuchang had infiltrated a power comparable to the Star Sea Sect, devouring a prodigy alive before retreating unscathed. This feat cemented his reputation.

Ni Jiuyou unleashed the Nine Nether Sea Fog, a miasma spreading across the ocean that reduced all living beings, above and below the water, to bare bones.

Yin Yang Luan was even more terrifying, capable of seizing the souls of the living to forge his own ghost army.

Though these three Spectral Wraith Kings did not cooperate, each individually wrought havoc across the seas.

Amid this grim news, there was also some hope. It was rumored that an immortal treasure had appeared within the Great Rift, claimed by a monk from the Bitter Sea Buddhist Sect.

The Bitter Sea Buddhist Sect was a distant and obscure power unfamiliar to the cultivators of Xunxian Island, though its strength was evidently formidable.

After wandering for an hour, Gu An began purchasing herbs.

Before he could finish his errands, rolling black clouds swept across the sky, shrouding Xunxian Island in darkness.

Although Gu An sensed the looming crisis, he remained calm, continuing his herb purchases with a steady demeanor.

When he finally stepped out of the store, the entire island was as dark as night.

Looking toward an alley corner, Gu An spotted a claw emerging from the pitch-black wall. Soon, a grotesque wraith crawled forth.

Its body was jet black, covered in blood-red cracks, resembling the thousand-foot figure he had seen in the terrifying waves before.

As it landed, it scanned its surroundings with six eyes on its hideous face. The moment it spotted Gu An, its gaze locked onto him.

With a thunderous roar, the entire city was engulfed in a hair-raising cacophony of wails, as if tens of thousands of creatures were shrieking in unison.

The six-eyed wraith roared as well, leaping like a bolt of lightning and appearing before Gu An in the blink of an eye.

Boom!

The six-eyed wraith instantly burst into ghostly mist, dissipating into the air.

As Gu An ascended the steps, the city erupted into chaos. Cultivators and monsters took to the skies, battling countless Spectral Wraiths that rose like a swarm of arrows to hunt them.

Gu An waited for a lifespan prompt but received none. He abandoned the idea of extracting lifespans from Spectral Wraiths.

With no profit to be made, there was no point in staying.

Executing the Infinite Free Step, Gu An left Xunxian Island.

Upon returning to the Tai Xuan Sect, he leisurely strolled into Xuan Valley.

The summer heat kept disciples indoors, diligently cultivating. Gu An, however, climbed to the upper floor of his residence to rest. It wasn't until dusk that he made his way back to the Third Medicine Valley.

Lately, Gu An had taken to wandering around. Though he seemed busy, he wasn't accomplishing much—just indulging in his preferred lifestyle.

When he arrived, he saw the Nine-Finger Divine Lord playing chess. His opponent was no ordinary individual—it was none other than Xi Ling Sacred Mother, Lu Lingjun's master.

Lu Lingjun stood by, spectating. Intrigued, Gu An joined the crowd.

As Gu An reached Lu Lingjun's side, he heard the Nine-Finger Divine Lord laugh and say, "I concede."

The surrounding disciples erupted in praise for his skill.

Xi Ling Sacred Mother remained composed. She looked at the Nine-Finger Divine Lord and asked, "May I know your esteemed name, and which sect you hail from?"

The Nine-Finger Divine Lord waved his hand dismissively and said, "We're just playing chess; no need to pry so much. Hasn't the Bitter Sea Buddhist Sect taught you basic courtesy?"

Hearing this, Xi Ling Sacred Mother's expression shifted slightly, but she said nothing further. Standing, she bowed to the Nine-Finger Divine Lord, then turned and left.

Lu Lingjun, however, remained. Looking curiously at Gu An, she asked, "How did you manage to beat this senior in chess?"

The Nine-Finger Divine Lord's face instantly darkened. Ignoring the question, he called for others to sit down and begin a new game.

Gu An smirked smugly. "I wanted to live among mortals unnoticed, but since you've asked, I'll reveal my true identity. I am a Chess Immortal in the mortal world, using black and white to seek the Dao while enduring my destined tribulations."

Lu Lingjun rolled her eyes.

Nearby, an older disciple, Lu Lao, widened his eyes and couldn't help asking, "Valley Master, are you really a Chess Immortal?"

The other disciples looked at Gu An with excitement. Whether it was true or not, their enthusiasm made Gu An feel satisfied.

"These students can be taught," Gu An chuckled, enjoying their reactions. "I'm just teasing you. If I were truly a Chess Immortal, would I be stuck here running errands?"

The disciples laughed along with him, showering him with flattery.

Watching Gu An bask in the adulation, Lu Lingjun shook her head, amused.

The Nine-Finger Divine Lord found Gu An's character contradictory—sometimes worldly, sometimes detached, as if he could see through the mortal plane. Perhaps it was this very contradiction that made his chess strategies so unpredictable and difficult to counter.

After a while, Lu Lingjun pulled Gu An aside, leading him to a secluded spot.

"Can I take the girl staying below you as my disciple?" Lu Lingjun asked hopefully.

Gu An shook his head. "She's a favored daughter of the Ji Family and only temporarily staying with me. If you want to take her as a disciple, you'll have to ask the Vice Sect Master."

Lu Lingjun pursed her lips. "Ji Hantian? He'll never agree. He already opposed me establishing the Ascension Sect, worried I'd undermine the Tai Xuan Sect's foundation."

Gu An chuckled. "Then what are you doing now?"

"I'm simply unwilling to let good talents go to waste."

"So, if you couldn't stand seeing Tai Xuan Sect's promising talents wasted, does that mean you'd poach all of them for yourself?"

"You little brat, is that what you think of me?"

As the conversation heated up, Lu Lingjun playfully reached out, and Gu An instinctively braced himself, worried her slap might actually harm him.

Sigh. He suddenly missed the days when Lu Lingjun had tried to bribe him. Back then, her attitude couldn't have been better.

Women truly are fickle.

Gu An abruptly asked, "Your master is from the Bitter Sea Buddhist Sect? What kind of sect is it, and where is it located?"

His curiosity stemmed from overhearing the sect's name earlier on Xunxian Island.

Lu Lingjun replied, "Yes, the Bitter Sea Buddhist Sect is incredibly far from the Tai Xuan Sect. Not just you—even Ji Hantian couldn't find it in his lifetime."

"That far? You're not planning to join them as a nun, are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous. Let's drop this subject."

Lu Lingjun shot Gu An a glare before quickly changing the topic, seemingly cautious not to offend Xi Ling Sacred Mother.

After chatting for a while, Lu Lingjun finally took her leave.

Gu An, meanwhile, headed back to his pavilion.

As he approached, Ji Xiaoyu suddenly ran out from inside, saying she needed to talk.

The two went upstairs.

After they sat down, Gu An looked at Ji Xiaoyu across from him and asked, "What's the matter?"

Ji Xiaoyu hesitated and said, "Just a moment, Valley Master Brother. Can you read a book for now?"

Seeing her nervous demeanor, Gu An found it amusing and refrained from pressing. Instead, he picked up Investiture of the Gods and began to read.

"Valley Master Brother, why are you reading Investiture of the Gods? I heard you like reading The Adventures of Green Hero," Ji Xiaoyu asked curiously.

Gu An's expression immediately changed. He frowned and asked, "Who said that?"

"Tang Yu, Peng Chang, and Chen Jie."

"Don't listen to their nonsense. Tomorrow, I'll teach them a lesson. How dare they slander their teacher?"

"Slander? Isn't The Adventures of Green Hero a good book?"

"Stop asking. You read something, too."

Gu An handed Journey to the West to Ji Xiaoyu, then focused on his own book.

Half an hour later, Ji Xiaoyu put down Journey to the West and sighed in relief. "They're finally gone. Two people visited the valley today, and they made me feel very uncomfortable. One of them even wanted to take me as a disciple, but I refused."

Gu An sensed that Xi Ling Sacred Mother and Lu Lingjun had already flown away and was inwardly surprised.

Was Ji Xiaoyu, at merely the ninth level of the Qi Refining Realm, able to sense Xi Ling Sacred Mother's presence?

She even detected when Xi Ling Sacred Mother left. Remarkable.

Gu An asked, "Why did they make you feel uncomfortable? Have you met them before?"

Ji Xiaoyu shook her head. "No, but when I was dazing under the Mysterious Clear Tree, I saw images of people with similar auras trying to capture me."

Hmm? Could it be that Ji Xiaoyu's past life had been at odds with the Bitter Sea Buddhist Sect?

It seemed necessary to keep an eye on Xi Ling Sacred Mother. If she recognized Ji Xiaoyu, Gu An would need to be cautious to avoid involving the disciples of the valley in any trouble.

"Valley Master Brother, you should keep your distance from them. I feel like nothing good will come from associating with them," Ji Xiaoyu said earnestly.

Gu An nodded and replied, "Don't mention this to anyone else. It could cause unnecessary trouble."

Ji Xiaoyu agreed. "Don't worry. I'm only telling you. Of everyone in this world, I feel you're the only one who wouldn't harm me. It's a strange feeling, but it's what I truly believe."