Saint Who Lay Low

The autumn wind howled through the forest as Zhen Qin and her fellow disciples followed behind Xuanmiao Zhenren.

Xuanmiao Zhenren led the way, leaving a trail of blood behind him. The sight made those following him deeply worried, but they knew comforting him would be useless. All they could do was avoid disturbing him further.

Boom!

A deafening explosion echoed from the distance, followed by a powerful gust of wind that swept through the forest, knocking down trees. The disciples quickly circulated their spiritual energy to withstand the onslaught.

Xuanmiao Zhenren raised his sword, using his Divine Transformation cultivation to shield them from most of the force.

Still, he couldn't help but cough up blood, causing the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall from Tai Xuan Sect to feel an even deeper sense of dread for him.

Moments later, the wind stopped. Xuanmiao Zhenren collapsed to one knee, using his sword to support his body.

The surrounding forest was left in utter disarray, with trees uprooted and debris scattered everywhere.

Zhen Qin and the others rushed to his side, concerned for his wellbeing.

Ever since Xuanmiao Zhenren had rescued them, he had been fighting numerous battles daily, leaving his injuries no time to heal. Instead, they had worsened.

Lifting his pale face, filled with a mixture of frustration and helplessness, Xuanmiao Zhenren gritted his teeth and said, "The enemy is approaching. Everyone, sit and meditate!"

Upon hearing his words, everyone immediately sat down, trusting him unconditionally after spending these past few days together. Without Xuanmiao Zhenren, they would have been long dead.

Taking a deep breath, Xuanmiao Zhenren whispered, "Now, call upon the Mountain God in your hearts, and beg for his intervention."

He had no other options left. His spiritual power was too depleted to summon the power of the Tongshen Xuanguan again. The only hope he could think of was the Mountain God.

Though the distance from the Mountain God's domain was far, he believed the god would still hear them.

The others were taken aback by his request, and some disciples grew anxious.

"Praying to a Mountain God won't help us escape!"

"Exactly! The world is in chaos, with battles raging everywhere. We might still have a chance to escape in the confusion."

"We'll take turns carrying you, Zhenren! Surely we can make it out alive!"

"We can't just sit here and wait to die!"

"Is there even a Mountain God? If there were, why would he allow the Ephemeral Blossom Sect to run rampant?"

The disciples grew more and more agitated, especially as they sensed a powerful presence approaching rapidly.

Xuanmiao Zhenren replied, "There is no escape. We've already been targeted. If you meditate as I say, there's still a slim chance of survival. But if you hesitate and they catch you, you will neither be able to live nor die."

Reluctantly, the disciples bit their lips and sat down.

Zhen Qin, seated among the group, closed her eyes and began calling out to the Mountain God in her heart.

She had no desire to die here!

Soon, everyone sat down, silently calling upon the Mountain God.

…

Within the inner city of Tai Xuan Sect, Gu An was at the Pill Hall, selecting high-grade herb seeds when he suddenly felt something peculiar. His expression turned strange.

It was as if someone was calling out to him.

The feeling was strange and unprecedented.

Extending his divine sense, Gu An scanned the entire Nine Dynasties region, quickly locating Xuanmiao Zhenren.

The one calling out to him was indeed Xuanmiao Zhenren!

Though others nearby were meditating, Gu An could distinctly feel that it was Xuanmiao Zhenren alone who was calling for him. He couldn't hear the man's thoughts but could sense his deep desire to see him.

Could it be due to the title of Mountain God?

Gu An found this curious, wondering if it was related to his recent breakthrough to the Nirvana Realm. He and Xuanmiao Zhenren had known each other for some time, but before his breakthrough, he had never experienced such a connection.

Noticing Zhen Qin's presence as well, and seeing a group of Ephemeral Blossom Sect cultivators closing in on them, Gu An hesitated for a moment before putting down the seeds and turning toward the door.

…

In the North Sea Mountains, where the trees lay fallen across the land, Xuanmiao Zhenren and the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall sat in meditation, their eyes tightly shut, as if resigned to their fate.

From the horizon, a group of black-robed cultivators flew toward them, led by an elder holding a wooden staff. His hair was white, and his face was covered in liver spots. A giant python coiled around his shoulders, giving him an aura of evil and terror.

Hovering above them, the elder glanced down at Xuanmiao Zhenren and said, "Xuanmiao Zhenren, are you surrendering willingly?"

He didn't strike immediately, aware of the reports that Xuanmiao Zhenren possessed a divine ability capable of summoning powerful masters. Several experts of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect had already fallen to this technique.

Xuanmiao Zhenren ignored him, continuing to silently recite his prayers.

The staff-wielding elder glanced at the other disciples, hesitation flickering in his eyes.

The disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall were overwhelmed with anxiety, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads. None dared to open their eyes, desperately calling upon the Mountain God, or praying for a miracle.

After a moment, the elder snorted coldly and raised his staff, slamming it into the ground. In an instant, the staff unleashed a torrent of demonic energy that spread across the sky, covering a radius of ten miles in darkness.

The Tai Xuan Sect disciples opened their eyes to find themselves enveloped in blackness. Above them, the Ephemeral Blossom Sect cultivators loomed like grim reapers, watching them from above.

Everyone's faces were filled with terror and despair, including Zhen Qin.

Xuanmiao Zhenren, too, opened his eyes, letting out a sigh. He gazed upward, his expression calm.

"Disappointed?"

A voice rang in Xuanmiao Zhenren's ears, causing him to instinctively turn his head. When he saw the source, his eyes widened in delight.

"Mountain God!"

The others heard him exclaim and quickly turned to look. When their eyes landed on Xuanmiao Zhenren's shoulder, they too were stunned.

Standing on Xuanmiao Zhenren's left shoulder was a tiny figure dressed in white, wearing a traditional opera mask. The figure's head barely reached the height of Xuanmiao Zhenren's ear. The disciples thought they were seeing things, and some couldn't help but rub their eyes.

Even the elder with the staff frowned, noticing the small figure.

The other Ephemeral Blossom Sect cultivators began murmuring in confusion, as this was the first time they had seen such a small person. When they tried to probe the figure with their divine senses, they couldn't discern the little one's true form, nor did they sense any evil aura from him.

Gu An leaped from Xuanmiao Zhenren's shoulder and landed gracefully on a nearby crooked tree.

Xuanmiao Zhenren immediately knelt before him, saying, "Mountain God, please save us. The Ephemeral Blossom Sect has committed countless atrocities, and now they seek to sacrifice the people of the Nine Dynasties. This is a grave sin against the heavens. Please, Mountain God, save the lives of the people!"

The disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall quickly followed suit, kneeling and bowing to Gu An.

Zhen Qin knelt as well, feeling a strange sense of closeness to the small figure in white.

"Mountain God? Pretending to be divine? I advise you to stay out of this!"

The elder holding the staff glared at Gu An, his voice dripping with menace.

Gu An ignored the threat from this Body Fusion Realm master. He turned to Xuanmiao Zhenren and said slowly, "The Mountain God does not save all beings. He only guards the land under his protection. You do not belong to this land, so why should I save you? It goes against the laws of immortality."

Xuanmiao Zhenren quickly replied, "If you help us, we will offer sacrifices to you in gratitude!"

"Hmm, sincerity may move the divine."

Gu An turned to face the elder, not bothering with further words. He simply raised his right hand, palm upward.

As he lifted his hand, the ground beneath them began to tremble violently, stunning everyone present.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Massive tree roots burst from the ground like writhing serpents, surging toward the sky. The elder, caught off guard, was forced to evade, while the other Ephemeral Blossom Sect cultivators weren't so lucky. The roots tore through their bodies, shredding them to pieces, leaving blood spraying into the air.

In an instant, the dark energy in the sky dissipated, and sunlight poured down. Zhen Qin and the others looked up, eyes wide with shock at the scene before them. Even Xuanmiao Zhenren was deeply moved.

Towering trees shot into the sky, lined up side by side. As far as the eye could see, there seemed to be no end to the verdant forest rising into the clouds. The sight was no less than breathtaking.

The staff-wielding elder dodged left and right, desperately trying to escape the onslaught. He brandished his staff, casting powerful spells that caused demonic energy to surge wildly. Yet within just three breaths of time, he was entangled by the massive roots. To his horror, he found that his spiritual energy was being suppressed, trapped within his body, unable to flow out.

"How... how could this be? Could he truly be the Mountain God?"

Despair filled the elder's eyes as the tree vines coiled around him tighter, eventually smothering his figure completely. In the blink of an eye, his body was absorbed into the mass of intertwining tree roots, vanishing without a trace.

From the sky, the entire scene unfolded as if a massive forest had sprouted from the earth, forming a colossal mountain of trees. The sight was both awe-inspiring and terrifying, leaving all who witnessed it in stunned silence.

Xuanmiao Zhenren gazed upward at the towering tree-mountain, his keen eyes unable to gauge its true height, which seemed to stretch beyond the heavens.

Meanwhile, Gu An's system prompts began appearing in front of him.

A small harvest. I guess it'll do. So many of them, and their combined lifespan doesn't even exceed five thousand years!

He sighed inwardly, a little disappointed by the meager haul. Still, it was better than nothing. With a thought, Gu An dismissed the giant tree-mountain, causing it to disintegrate into countless shimmering green particles that drifted away in the breeze. Within moments, all that remained was the immense ravine gouged into the ground by the earlier chaos, a stark reminder of what had just transpired.

The disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall gazed at Gu An in reverence and disbelief. The small figure who had effortlessly wielded such power was nothing short of a god in their eyes. Even though his body was tiny, his abilities rivaled those of legendary beings. To them, he was more than just a Mountain God—he was far beyond the myths.

Turning back to Xuanmiao Zhenren, Gu An stroked his chin thoughtfully before speaking, "I told you before not to reveal my existence. I suppose I must punish you for that."

Xuanmiao Zhenren immediately retrieved a square wooden box from his storage pouch and presented it with both hands. "This junior is willing to accept any punishment. This treasure is my offering in gratitude for the Mountain God's mercy."

With a casual wave of his hand, Gu An summoned the box to him, tucking it into his own storage pouch. He had many such pouches, and had deliberately switched to a different one to avoid Zhen Qin noticing anything unusual.

Jumping forward, Gu An landed lightly in front of Xuanmiao Zhenren, gently tapping him on the forehead. "As your punishment, your cultivation will regress by one year."

In an instant, Xuanmiao Zhenren's expression shifted. His cultivation plummeted rapidly, falling all the way back to the Foundation Establishment realm.

This was the power of Gu An's divine ability, the Return to Origin Dao! It was one of the mystical abilities he had awakened through his Innate Reincarnation Technique, which allowed him to temporarily seal away another's cultivation.

The Law Enforcement Hall disciples noticed the sudden drop in Xuanmiao Zhenren's cultivation level, their faces paling in shock. They were speechless, fully realizing the extent of Gu An's unfathomable powers.

When Gu An's gaze turned toward them, the disciples quickly presented their own treasures, bowing deeply as they offered them to him. They swore that they would never disclose the existence of the Mountain God to anyone.

With a wave of his sleeve, Gu An accepted all their offerings and then summoned a gust of wind. The powerful breeze lifted all the disciples into the air, carrying them far away toward the horizon. Xuanmiao Zhenren was also among them, whisked away by the wind.

"Mortals and immortals walk different paths. If any of you break your word, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will find you."

Gu An's voice echoed in their minds, leaving an indelible impression on each of them as they vanished into the distance.