Saint Who Lay Low

After returning to the Xuan Tian Cave Mansion, Gu An no longer had the mood to practice formations. Instead, he began to observe the situation, his divine sense following Xuanmiao Zhenren.

As expected, upon Xuanmiao Zhenren's return to the Taoist temple, a conflict erupted with the Huangquan Fox Demon.

A timely downpour began, adding a roaring intensity to the night.

In the rain, Xuanmiao Zhenren held his sword, interrogating the Huangquan Fox Demon about his origins.

The fox demon, panicked, claimed that he had been injured previously and had forgotten his past. If not for his master's rescue, he would have died at the hands of other demons.

Under the stormy sky, master and disciple engaged in a fierce argument. After some time, Xuanmiao Zhenren, muttering about transcending tribulations and as if possessed, lifted his sword with the intent to kill the fox demon.

Terrified, the fox demon fled in a panic, begging for mercy, but none of Xuanmiao Zhenren's compassion surfaced.

Gu An could sense a trace of demonic energy in Xuanmiao Zhenren. Whether this was inherent in his nature or caused by cultivating the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body, Gu An couldn't be certain.

Eventually, the fox demon, realizing he could no longer keep up his pretense, unleashed a powerful burst of demonic energy, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. A terrifying demonic shadow took form, almost resembling a summoned entity.

The aura of the demonic shadow rivaled that of a ninth-layer Void Crossing cultivator, which led Gu An to suspect that this might be the Huangquan Demon Emperor.

Xuanmiao Zhenren, who was at the Divine Transformation stage, was no match for the demonic shadow. In the critical moment, he once again utilized Tongshen Xuanmen and summoned a Profound Heart Realm cultivator for assistance.

With a single strike, the Profound Heart Realm cultivator dispersed the demonic shadow, giving the fox demon an opportunity to escape.

At the last moment, Xuanmiao Zhenren's heart softened, and he asked the Profound Heart Realm cultivator to spare the fox demon's life.

Once the Tongshen Xuanmen dissipated, Xuanmiao Zhenren collapsed, coughing up blood profusely.

It appeared that using Tongshen Xuanmen came at a steep price.

What a thrilling conflict, Gu An thought to himself, feeling as though he was watching a dramatic novel unfold.

Suddenly, a prompt appeared in Gu An's mind:

[The Huangquan Fox Demon harbors intense hatred toward you. Would you like to investigate its lifespan?]

It was time!

Gu An stood up, stretching his limbs, preparing for what was to come.

...

In the forest, the Huangquan Fox Demon was fleeing swiftly. The heavy rain poured down, drenching him and leaving him in a wretched state.

After fleeing for an indeterminate amount of time, he stopped beneath a large tree, clutching his wounded waist. The rain soaked his long hair, and his face twisted into a grim expression.

"Mountain Spirit... Damn it, I was so close to succeeding..." the fox demon muttered to himself, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

He didn't believe there was a true Mountain Spirit. He suspected the small figure he had encountered was merely a malevolent spirit. Regardless, the fact that this being had interfered with his plans to infiltrate Three Purities Mountain meant that vengeance was necessary.

"Are you talking about me?" A voice whispered in the fox demon's ear, startling him so much that he instinctively turned around. To his shock, the white-clothed figure wearing the opera mask stood perched on his shoulder.

Before the fox demon could react, a powerful surge of divine consciousness pierced through his soul.

Ah, so this is where you are!

As Gu An's divine sense infiltrated the fox demon's body, he discovered another primordial soul hidden deep within—the Huangquan Demon Emperor!

This guy was incredibly skilled to have eluded the notice of a Mahayana Realm cultivator.

But too bad, he shouldn't have harbored ill intent!

Gu An began to perform the Soul Capture Technique, intending to seize the Huangquan Demon Emperor's memories.

The Huangquan Demon Emperor's memories were vast and cumbersome. Finding it too troublesome to sift through everything, Gu An decided to extract only the last hundred years of memories. After a quick soul search, he finally understood the origins of the Huangquan Demon Emperor.

The Huangquan Demon Emperor came from the Nine Nether Path, a separate realm known as the Nine Nether Realm. Within that realm resided demons, devils, and malevolent spirits who had long been oppressed by the Ephemeral Blossom Sect.

Two hundred years ago, taking advantage of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect's expansion into the Nine Nether Path, the Huangquan Demon Emperor fled to the Nine Dynasties.

During these two centuries, he roamed across the world, visiting numerous sects. He believed the most formidable one was the Three Purities Mountain. The mountain's deep Daoist foundation had stood for over ten thousand years, making it the oldest sect in the Nine Dynasties.

The demon emperor had attempted to infiltrate Three Purities Mountain but had been caught just as he stepped past the threshold and nearly lost his life. Ever since, he had harbored a grudge against the mountain.

The Huangquan Fox Demon was merely a host the demon emperor had possessed—a small fox whose original soul had already been erased. The possession technique he used was highly advanced, making it difficult to detect.

The reason he had conjured the vision of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect's invasion was to force Xuanmiao Zhenren to return to Three Purities Mountain and stop lingering in the Northern Sea Mountains. However, to his dismay, Xuanmiao Zhenren, upon learning of the matter, sought out the Mountain Spirit.

This led to the demon emperor's enmity toward the Mountain Spirit, and after the battle with Xuanmiao Zhenren, that enmity turned into outright murderous intent.

The entire situation seemed like a series of unfortunate coincidences. But now that the Huangquan Demon Emperor harbored the desire to kill Gu An, Gu An couldn't allow him to live.

An hour later…

Gu An retracted his divine sense and used Taiqing True Fire to burn the Huangquan Fox Demon to ashes, obliterating his soul entirely. In the process, Gu An successfully extracted ninety-three years of lifespan.

With his task complete, Gu An returned to the Tai Xuan Sect.

Back in his pavilion in the Xuan Valley, Gu An sat at his desk, penning down a few words.

Nine Nether Realm!

Through the memories of the Huangquan Demon Emperor, Gu An learned that the Nine Nether Path was part of an independent world known as the Nine Nether Realm. It was home to demons, devils, and vengeful spirits who had long been oppressed by the Ephemeral Blossom Sect.

He decided to compile his knowledge into a comprehensive record—a sort of encyclopedia that he would later pass on to Tai Xuan Sect in a way that would assist them in their future explorations.

...

Autumn leaves blanketed the Xuan Valley as over twenty miscellaneous disciples swept the fallen leaves.

Gu An descended from his pavilion and happened to notice several Tai Xuan Sect disciples flying overhead at high speed.

He glanced up briefly before continuing on his way to the Third Medicine Valley.

However, before he reached the teleportation platform, Gu An sensed an approaching presence and stopped, turning to observe the laboring disciples.

Before long, Ye Lan flew into the valley and pulled Gu An upstairs to speak privately.

Once the door was shut, Ye Lan spoke in a grave tone. "The Nine Nether Path is in dire straits. The Ephemeral Blossom Sect has come. There's going to be a major battle soon, and it's not just the Nine Nether Path—Ephemeral Blossom Sect's demonic cultivators have appeared in various locations. This time, it's different from previous incidents. The Law Enforcement Hall has been deployed to protect the common people. I'll be leaving today!"

"Is it that urgent?"

Without delay, Gu An took out a batch of healing pills and handed them to Ye Lan.

She accepted the pills without hesitation and reminded him, "Be careful during this time. According to our investigations, there are still spies from the Ephemeral Blossom Sect within Tai Xuan Sect. This time, we're up against their main branch, and they might be coming in full force. It's a calamity unlike any we've seen in a thousand years!"

"I understand. Take care of yourself, and don't let the White Spirit Sword leave your side," Gu An advised.

Ye Lan raised her White Spirit Sword with a smile and said, "I won't!"

After giving him a few more important pieces of information, Ye Lan hurried off.

Gu An stood in front of the pavilion, watching her leave. He could already sense battles erupting in the distance, and not just in one place.

This time, the Ephemeral Blossom Sect's attack was far more aggressive than before. Previously, they had been defending, but now they were actively invading.

Gu An had no intention of intervening yet. He would let the Nine Dynasties deal with the initial onslaught, avoiding any unnecessary exposure.

His true target was the Mahayana Realm cultivator.

But before that, Gu An decided it was time for a breakthrough.

Facing off against a Mahayana Realm cultivator without sufficient strength was reckless!

Gu An had limited battle experience, whereas his opponent had likely lived for thousands of years.

He wasn't skilled in life-or-death combat, only in crushing his enemies.

He needed to find the right place to make his breakthrough.

It couldn't be the Northern Sea Mountains again—his Xuan Tian Cave Mansion was there, and he didn't want to disrupt the spiritual energy ecosystem.

With this thought in mind, Gu An headed to the Third Medicine Valley, then made his way to the inner sect.

As the valley's master, Gu An had the freedom to enter the inner sect whenever he pleased.

Half an hour later…

Gu An stepped into the inner sect city. After being absent for several months, he noticed a tense atmosphere in the city. Disciples were rushing around, urgency in their steps.

He overheard conversations about the Ephemeral Blossom Sect's invasion—news had already spread throughout the four inner sect cities.

According to the disciples' discussions, it wasn't just the Tai Cang Dynasty under attack—other dynasties were also being invaded.

It was said that more than half of the second batch of disciples sent to the Nine Nether Path had perished, and even one of the sect's elders had fallen.

The situation sounded dire, and even Gu An couldn't help but feel affected.

He made his way to the Library Pavilion, heading to the third floor, where maps and records of various regions were stored.

Because of the ongoing invasion, the Library Pavilion was almost deserted, with only Gu An and a managing elder on the third floor.

After some time had passed, a hoarse voice broke the silence. "Young friend, what are you searching for?"

Gu An turned and saw the elder slowly approaching.

He turned and bowed in greeting. "I wish to see how vast the world truly is, elder."

The elder, named Xu Lu, appeared frail, but his cultivation was at the Nascent Soul stage. The minimum requirement to be an inner sect elder was the Nascent Soul stage.

"Looking for the largest map, are you? There's none here. Follow me," Xu Lu gestured for Gu An to follow.

Gu An was perplexed by the elder's behavior, but he complied, ready to respond to any situation.

"Last time, you bought The Adventures of the Green Hero, correct?" Xu Lu asked casually as they walked.

Gu An replied, "Yes, elder, is there something about it?"

It turned out to be about The Adventures of the Green Hero.

Xu Lu continued, "Ever since a book called Secrets of Tai Xuan began circulating, few have come to buy The Adventures of the Green Hero. My friend, who penned the book, was quite saddened by this. Seeing that you still appreciate The Adventures of the Green Hero, I'll gift you a treasure—a map of the continent, hand-drawn by a former Grand Elder during his travels."

Gu An's interest was piqued, and he asked, "Elder, is Green Hero male or female?"

"Naturally male. What kind of woman would write such a book?"

"Is Green Hero still within the sect?"

"Not anymore, though he occasionally sends new books."

As they chatted, they arrived at a door. Xu Lu motioned for Gu An to wait outside while he went in.

Before long, Xu Lu returned with a large scroll and a book in hand. He handed both to Gu An and said, "Take these back, make a copy, and return them next time you visit."

Gu An placed the scroll and book in his storage pouch and thanked the elder.

Xu Lu reminded him, "With your current cultivation level, you can travel the Nine Dynasties, but don't venture beyond that without reaching Nascent Soul. Avoid places inhabited by demons and devils, and never sail south into the ocean."

"I understand, elder."

Xu Lu waved him off, signaling that he could leave.

As Gu An made his way down the stairs, he suddenly felt a powerful divine sense sweep over him.

There was a Profound Heart Realm cultivator in the building!

Could it be one of the Grand Elders studying in the Library Pavilion?

Including Grand Elder Xuanquan, Tai Xuan Sect now had two Profound Heart Realm cultivators!

This only heightened Gu An's desire to break through.

Damn that Ephemeral Blossom Sect, stirring up so many ancient monsters!