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Chapter 86: Elder Tian's Resolve and the Overwhelming Horde of Demons
Chapter 86: Elder Tian's Resolve and the Overwhelming Horde of Demons
Xu Lian, the Demon Lord, was distracted as he spoke, his mind already deep inside the Taixuan Sect. This battle would determine the Wan Yin Sect’s thousand-year fortune, possibly its survival.
His eagerness to join the fray surged—but before he could finish his sentence, an overwhelming sense of danger made him glance instinctively to the side.
It happened too fast.
Even as a fourth-level Void Transformation cultivator, Xu Lian couldn’t react in time.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
Before his eyes, a translucent stream of energy raced toward him with unfathomable speed, distorting the very fabric of the world as it passed through the mountains.
His disciple, still facing him, remained motionless. The other demonic cultivators setting up the formation froze, all of them locked in place as the aura of death loomed ever closer.
Boom!
A torrent of energy tore through the skies and slammed into the flat expanse, eradicating Xu Lian and his group of demonic cultivators in an instant. They were reduced to ash, their remains scattered to the winds. The powerful light engulfed the surrounding mountains, obliterating everything in its path.
Above Xuan Valley.Yang Ni, Li Ya, Bai Wu, and the others who were battling paused abruptly, startled by the distant, radiant explosion. They instinctively distanced themselves and turned to look. A brilliant light illuminated the horizon, accompanied by a terrifying pressure that made their faces pale.
Li Ya immediately descended into the forest below, quickly locating Gu An.
Gu An was crouched behind a tree, pretending to shiver. Seeing that Gu An was unharmed, Li Ya sighed in relief. He was about to speak when a fierce wind blasted through the area, pushing the trees backward and shaking the peaks violently.
Li Ya moved beside Gu An, shielding him with his spiritual energy.
“What’s going on?” Gu An asked through gritted teeth, his tone trembling with apparent fear.
Li Ya’s expression darkened. “I’m not sure. It could be a grandmaster battle.”
At that moment, text prompts appeared before Gu An’s eyes:
- [You have successfully claimed 47 years of lifespan from Xu Lian the Demon Lord (Fourth-Level Void Transformation).]
- [You have successfully claimed 35 years of lifespan from Zhang Zhongchong (Second-Level Core Formation).]
- [You have successfully claimed 42 years of lifespan from Chen Duyan (Sixth-Level Core Formation).]
...and so on, a total of twenty-six cultivators, the weakest of whom was at the Core Formation stage. Among them were two Nascent Soul cultivators.
What a sin!
Gu An silently lamented but quickly justified himself. It wasn’t my fault! They were too close to my Medicine Valley.
The gale raged on for a long time.
When the winds subsided, Li Ya straightened up and muttered, “It seems staying in the Medicine Valley is our safest option. Danger is everywhere else.” Ꞧ
“Told you so,” Gu An replied.
“Come with me into the valley,” Li Ya said, grabbing Gu An and leading him back to Xuan Valley.
As they entered the valley, Yang Ni descended from the sky, holding a severed head in one hand. Blood dripped from it, and her sword dangled Bai Wu’s Nascent Soul like a trophy. Her killing intent was so fierce that none of the disciples dared approach her.
She threw Bai Wu’s head at Wu Xin’s feet, then shook her sword to shatter Bai Wu’s Nascent Soul. Pointing her blade at Wu Xin, she said coldly, “Any last words?”
Wu Xin trembled uncontrollably, his face pale with fear.
“Stop!”
Gu An rushed forward, placing himself between Yang Ni and Wu Xin.
Yang Ni’s icy gaze met his as she said, “He’s from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion.”
“But he’s been with me for decades and has never harmed us. He must have his reasons! Once this matter is over, I’ll make him leave the Taixuan Sect!” Gu An said firmly, his tone resolute, as if determined to protect Wu Xin no matter the cost.
Yang Ni frowned at his words, hesitating.
Wu Xin, overcome with emotion, avoided the gazes of the other disciples, wishing he could crawl into a hole and disappear.
Yang Ni took a step closer, her sword tip almost touching Gu An’s throat.
“Senior Brother Li, say something!” Gu An called out, glancing at Li Ya.
Li Ya stepped forward, frowning. He pushed Yang Ni’s sword aside and said, “Let him be. The demonic cultivator clearly had a grudge against Wu Xin.”
“Hmph!” Yang Ni sheathed her sword and turned away.
Gu An turned to Wu Xin and said, “I’m sorry, Senior Brother can’t keep you here anymore. If you return to the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, you’ll only suffer. Find somewhere to live in seclusion. As long as your heart remains kind, your origins won’t matter—you can still be a good person.”
His heartfelt words brought tears to Wu Xin’s eyes. He knelt and bowed deeply to Gu An.
Li Ya sighed softly, his frown easing. Yang Ni, however, glanced at Gu An with a look of intrigue.
So Gu An already knew about Wu Xin’s identity. And Wu Xin… doesn’t seem to want to be a Thousand Autumn Pavilion cultivator…
Gu An helped Wu Xin to his feet and sent him to hide indoors to avoid being recognized by other Thousand Autumn Pavilion cultivators.
Li Ya turned to Yang Ni and transmitted, “Why are you here?”
“Do you even need to ask?”
“Tell him I don’t want the throne.”
“But he said he owes it to your mother. He insists the throne must pass to you.”
“The Crown Prince is capable, virtuous, and a Triple Spiritual Root cultivator. He’s the perfect heir.”
“Then why are you telling me this?”
Their exchange continued silently, while Yang Ni’s gaze remained fixed on Gu An, her thoughts unreadable.
Li Ya finally warned, “Don’t you dare harm my junior brother. If you do, don’t blame me for turning against you!”
Yang Ni ignored him.
After Bai Wu’s attack, Xuan Valley grew quiet. The disciples huddled in the courtyard, whispering nervously, their discussions revolving around Wu Xin’s identity.
The Taixuan Sect’s tribulation continued, with battle pressure radiating from more and more directions.
Gu An kept an eye on his Qinghong Sword. Fortunately, it hadn’t reacted as it would if the White Spirit Sword were in danger.
An hour passed with no further attacks on Xuan Valley. Unable to sit still, Gu An approached Li Ya and informed him that he needed to visit another Medicine Valley. He asked Li Ya and Yang Ni to stay behind and guard Xuan Valley.
Knowing the other valley was in the inner sect and therefore safer, Li Ya agreed.
This time, Yang Ni didn’t insist on following Gu An. In her heart, Li Ya was clearly more important.
Before leaving, Gu An left a Primeval Gold-Eating Beetle in the house. With his soul bond to each beetle, he could monitor Xuan Valley at any time.
Stepping onto the teleportation array, Gu An quickly arrived at the Third Medicine Valley.
The moment he arrived, deafening roars and rumbling filled the air. He looked up to see thunderclouds rolling across the sky. Despite the winter season, the air carried a summer-like heat.
Xiao Chuan immediately approached, barely suppressing his panic. “Senior Brother, what should we do?”
Seeing that Elder Tian was still present, Gu An relaxed. He quickly cast a lifespan probe while replying, “Stay calm and trust our sect!”
[Lü Baitian (Ninth-Level Nascent Soul Stage): 754/1560/3200]
Impressive! He’s advanced so quickly!
We’re safe!
Gu An pondered this as he wondered about the source of Elder Tian's spiritual energy.
He instructed Xiao Chuan to stay close and not wander off, while he himself began patrolling the Medicine Valley.
As he passed by Elder Tian, Gu An sensed a hidden, potent spiritual energy coursing through the elder’s body. It startled him.
Elder Tian wasn’t absorbing the ambient spiritual energy from the heavens and earth. Instead, his spiritual energy seemed to originate spontaneously within his body.
This feeling…
It was as if Elder Tian housed an otherworldly portal, from which an endless stream of spiritual energy poured forth. It was incredibly strange.
What kind of cultivation technique is this old man practicing?
“Valley Master, with the battles raging, don’t wander too far,” Elder Tian’s voice called out.
Gu An turned to see Elder Tian meditating under a tree, his posture unusually upright. A powerful aura of a seasoned cultivator radiated from him, entirely different from his usual demeanor.
“I’m just checking on the herbs. I won’t go far,” Gu An replied hastily before rushing off.
Elder Tian opened his eyes, watching Gu An’s retreating figure with a glint of satisfaction.
“With a disciple like him, how could I bear to let the Taixuan Sect fall?”
Elder Tian murmured to himself.
Gu An, running a hundred feet away, overheard the words. His expression remained impassive, as if he hadn’t heard anything.
I really am just worried about the herbs!
The fifty Core Formation cultivators protecting the valley, including Ji Xuanyu and Gu Yu, were all engaged in battles. Each was outnumbered, and the situation looked dire.
Gu An moved swiftly along his route, inspecting the herbs. Any that were nearing maturity he harvested immediately to prevent them from being destroyed by the fighting. Losing them would be a devastating blow.
Further along, Gu An heard a piercing war cry. Looking up, he saw fiery red qilins streaking across the sky. At the head of the group was a qilin with a figure atop it—Ji Xuanyu.
The Qilin Step!
With a ghostly grace, she stepped forward, her movements blurring like illusions. The fiery qilin beneath her charged a Core Formation demonic cultivator, reducing him to ash along with his golden core—utterly tyrannical.
Gu An noted that her aura and speed now rivaled that of a low-level Nascent Soul cultivator.
As if sensing his gaze, Ji Xuanyu glanced briefly in his direction, even in the midst of combat.
With the Qilin Step and sword in hand, her combination of physical and magical attacks left no room for resistance.
More demonic cultivators began targeting her, launching various spells from all directions. The combined offensive was overwhelming.
Ji Xuanyu’s eyes sharpened, and a surge of energy exploded from her body, blasting the surrounding demonic cultivators back by several miles. Those at the Foundation Establishment stage were instantly torn apart.
She raised the sword in her right hand and thrust it skyward. A torrent of spiritual energy surged along the blade, shooting upward and forming a golden disc over ten miles wide. Mysterious runes appeared within the disc, exuding an aura of profound power.
From his vantage, Gu An recognized the earlier shockwave as a Heaven and Earth Dao Gang—a divine ability.
Previously, Jiang Qiong had stolen the Secrets of Heaven and Earth Dao Gang from the Ji Family’s banquet, and Gu An had been studying it during his free time.
As for the divine technique following the Heaven and Earth Dao Gang, Gu An hadn’t seen it before but could feel it contained power surpassing the Core Formation stage.
Her talent and comprehension are terrifying. A Core Formation cultivator mastering two divine abilities? Incredible.
From the golden disc emanated countless golden dragon phantoms. They seemed to descend from another realm, surging toward the demonic cultivators in all directions.
The demonic cultivators, startled and desperate, tried to flee or defend themselves with spells, but their spiritual energy was shredded by the dragons. Once struck, they were devoured alive, their bodies incinerated by golden flames within the dragons’ translucent forms, leaving not even ashes behind.
After traveling another ten miles, Gu An saw no demonic cultivators remaining within five miles of Ji Xuanyu.
Centered around her, over a hundred Core Formation cultivators and more than three hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators had been annihilated. And this was only what Gu An had witnessed—she had been fighting long before he arrived.
Hovering mid-air, Ji Xuanyu clutched her sword, her chest heaving as sweat glistened on her pale forehead.
She suddenly turned her gaze toward the horizon, frowning.
Gu An followed her line of sight to see an endless horde of monsters and malevolent spirits advancing like a black ocean, so densely packed that their numbers were impossible to estimate.
At the forefront of the demonic horde stood a black-robed man, riding a bone sword and wielding a black flag.
“The Ji Family’s Qilin Step, Heaven and Earth Dao Gang, and Heavenly Dragon Suppressing Demons Aspect—such powerful techniques in the hands of someone so young. If you’re allowed to grow, you’ll overshadow the heavens with a single hand someday.”
The man’s icy voice echoed, and an oppressive pressure surged forth, enveloping the heavens and the earth.