Chapter 133: Becoming the Taixuan Sect Master!

The sky was clear and refreshing, the early autumn breeze light and pleasant.

—

Gu An was in the midst of harvesting medicinal herbs, while Lu Lingjun followed closely behind, carrying a bamboo basket filled with neatly bundled plants.

She sighed in frustration.

“I don’t see you doing anything important most of the time… so why do you even need my protection?” she complained.

A dignified Inner Sect Elder acting as a bodyguard for an Outer Sect disciple?

If word got out, it would be a disgrace to the Taixuan Sect’s Inner Elders!

—

“Most of the time, I don’t even ask you for help,” Gu An replied casually, smirking.

“You’re enjoying the benefits of an Inner Elder, basking in enlightenment beneath the Sevenfold Purity Tree—there are plenty of elders jealous of you right now.”

His lips curled into a grin.

Right now, he was harvesting Sixth-Grade medicinal herbs—each plant extending his lifespan by sixty to a hundred years!

Tending flowers and herbs was far more efficient than killing cultivators.

Slaying a Integration Stage cultivator would only yield roughly the same amount of lifespan, and it would inevitably create unnecessary grudges.

—

Hearing Gu An’s reasoning, Lu Lingjun had to admit he had a point.

But deep down, she still felt her position had been diminished—this whole arrangement was Lü Baitian’s way of disrespecting her.

Lu Lingjun had already set a new goal in her heart.

She would become the Taixuan Sect Master!

Since Lü Baitian had tied her fate to Gu An, she might as well strengthen their relationship further.

Gu An’s potential was enormous—just the high-grade medicinal herbs in this valley gave him substantial influence.

She could protect Gu An, leverage his herbs to form alliances, and slowly establish a power faction centered around the two of them.

—

As she entertained these thoughts, a brilliant smile bloomed on her face.

Unfortunately for her, Gu An caught sight of it—and immediately got goosebumps.

“What’s with that creepy smile? You’re not plotting against me, are you?” he asked warily.

Lu Lingjun grinned.

“How could I? You’re my Valley Master! Without your connections, how could I have gained such privileges?”

—

Gu An cleared his throat.

“Right now, I don’t even limit your cultivation time under the tree. In terms of benefits, you’re better off now than before. After all, Seventh-Grade treasures in Taixuan Sect are incredibly rare.”

He then went back to harvesting herbs.

—

“Fine, fine. You’re right,” Lu Lingjun replied.

“Either way, I owe you a favor—I’ll repay it someday.”

“That’s more like it.”

She didn’t interrupt his work after that.

—

As they made their way back, Lu Lingjun suddenly asked,

“Valley Master, have you ever considered increasing your cultivation? You made it onto the Golden Ranking Tournament, which means your talent isn’t bad—but you just don’t seem interested in training.”

If Gu An’s cultivation improved, it would greatly benefit her own ambitions!

—

Gu An scoffed.

“Not bad? I’m no genius, that’s for sure.”

“I made it onto the rankings because of my artifacts—you don’t need to convince me otherwise.”

He shook his head and continued,

“Besides, hard training only leads to a miserable life. Even if I live for seven or eight hundred years, what’s the point if I spend most of it in seclusion?”

“Why should I suffer endless training, when I can just enjoy life instead?”

“If anything, not cultivating too hard is the real shortcut in life.”

“My talent isn’t anywhere near as high as yours, so I might as well focus on making the most out of my years.”

—

His words startled Lu Lingjun.

For the first time, she felt a strange sense of sadness.

As a cultivator who had ascended from the mortal world, she had seen too many people devote their entire lives to cultivation, only to die before reaching immortality.

How many had spent centuries training, only to perish in tribulations, vengeance battles, or their own inner demons?

Even she herself—looking back on her long life—could she say she had as much joy as the man standing beside her?

—

In this moment, Gu An’s image shifted in her mind.

His cultivation may be low, but his perspective on life was something that few could attain.

—

Lu Lingjun matched his pace, asking,

“Valley Master, do you think I should live like you?”

—

Gu An laughed.

“Live like me? Ridiculous.”

“Your cultivation level already proves that you have talent.”

“Life is about struggle—for some, it’s about depth; for others, it’s about length.”

“I lack the talent to chase length, so I make sure to experience the depth.”

“But you? You were born for longevity. You should pursue the heights of cultivation.”

—

Lu Lingjun fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

Her respect for Gu An had deepened.

—

That evening, Gu An returned to Xuantian Cave Dwelling.

It had been half a month since his exchange with Xuanmiao Zhenren.

—

He planted all seven Seventh-Grade Natural Treasure seeds in the cave dwelling.

Even if the location was exposed, he wasn’t worried—he could move the entire cave using the Great Size Manipulation Divine Art.

Because of the high quality of the seeds, he visited every two days to ensure they grew properly and didn’t interfere with each other.

Satisfied that everything was progressing smoothly, he smiled.

—

With his constant lifespan gains, he never felt tired—only more eager.

For his next breakthrough, he planned to establish another cave dwelling and recruit assistants to help him manage it.

Of course, he’d need people who could tolerate solitude.

—

For now, though, that was a plan for the future.

He retrieved the Purple Star Array Manual and began setting up new formations.

The next cave dwelling would need multiple defensive arrays, and he needed to be prepared.

—

In a hidden Daoist temple, deep within the mountains.

—

Xuanmiao Zhenren sat before a pill furnace, cultivating the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body.

Dark green demonic energy coiled around him as he performed complex hand seals.

Knock, knock—

The door creaked open.

Xuanmiao Zhenren didn’t even open his eyes.

“Come in.”

—

His fox demon disciple stepped inside, knelt before him, and murmured,

“Master, I had a nightmare just now.”

Xuanmiao Zhenren finally opened his eyes.

“What kind of nightmare?”

—

“I dreamed of the sky tearing open, countless demons and cultivators descending, slaughtering all life.”

“I saw a massive, terrifying tree—with a face growing on it…”

—

The boy shivered, whether from fear or the cold wind outside.

Xuanmiao Zhenren frowned.

He retrieved his compass and began divining the truth.

—

As the compass glowed, he extended a finger toward the boy’s forehead.

Light strands emerged from the child’s body, feeding into the compass.

Suddenly—

BOOM!

The light erupted, forming a projection of the nightmare.

—

The sky cracked apart, black fissures stretching across the land.

A horde of demons and black-robed cultivators surged forth, engulfing entire forests in black mist.

Everything they touched withered into lifeless husks.

Among the chaos—

A colossal, twisted tree loomed… a horrifying face carved into its bark.

—

Xuanmiao Zhenren’s expression darkened.

Because within the vision—

He recognized the North Sea.

Xuanmiao Zhenren carefully put away his compass and stepped out of the Daoist temple, entering the courtyard.

Under the moonlight, he retrieved a yellow talisman paper and quickly wrote a series of messages.

Once finished, he folded the paper and ignited it with his own spiritual fire.

The burning talisman turned into glowing ashes that soon vanished into the night.

—

Behind him, the fox demon boy curiously asked,

“Master, what are you doing?”

“I’m sending a message to my sect.”

“You mean the Three Pure Mountains you always talk about?”

“That’s right.”

“Master… when will you take me to Three Pure Mountains?”

—

Xuanmiao Zhenren answered casually,

“Train hard. Foreign disciples must pass numerous trials before being allowed entry. Your cultivation and temperament are not strong enough yet.”

He gave a quick reminder before leaving the temple.

—

As moonlight filtered through the trees, it illuminated the fox demon boy’s small, seemingly harmless face.

But as he watched his master disappear into the distance, his innocent expression gradually turned cold, his eyes flashing with icy intent.

“Mountain God, huh…?”

—

Inside Xuantian Cave Dwelling, Gu An set down his brush and talisman paper, his expression suddenly serious.

A notification appeared before his eyes—

【Huangquan Fox Demon has developed hostility toward you. He fears your strength. Would you like to perform a lifespan scan?】

—

Fear?

What level of hostility did this imply?

Should he kill him now?

—

Just thinking about the fox demon’s 14,000-year lifespan made Gu An uneasy.

Although monsters generally lived longer than humans at the same level, any demon surpassing 10,000 years was considered a supreme existence.

—

Gu An glanced up, his divine sense picking up Xuanmiao Zhenren approaching from a distance.

I’ll deal with him later. First, let’s see what Xuanmiao Zhenren wants.

—

By the time an incense stick burned down, Xuanmiao Zhenren had arrived in the forest.

He knelt on the ground and called out,

“Your humble servant seeks an audience with the Mountain God!”

—

The moment his voice fell, Gu An appeared on a nearby tree branch—silent, without warning.

Xuanmiao Zhenren secretly admired his abilities.

Such a profound technique…

—

Before Gu An could speak, Xuanmiao Zhenren took out his compass and activated a spell, narrating the details of his disciple’s dream premonition.

Once the compass fully projected the vision, he concluded,

“The North Sea appeared in the vision. This could be an omen of disaster.”

—

Gu An silently cursed.

More trouble.

The Nightshade Sect again!

—

The giant tree in the dream was undoubtedly a Nightshade Tree.

This meant the Nightshade Sect’s main branch was preparing to launch a full-scale invasion of the Nine Dynasties.

Just how many of these damn trees do they have?!

For the first time, Gu An seriously considered wiping out the entire Nightshade Sect—not only to eliminate a future threat, but to protect his medicinal herb cultivation.

—

However, before dealing with them, he planned to teach the fox demon a lesson first.

“You should be careful of your disciple,” Gu An said leisurely.

“Whether he brings you fortune or disaster… remains uncertain.”

—

Hearing this, Xuanmiao Zhenren’s face turned pale.

A flicker of realization crossed his mind, and cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

—

Gu An was puzzled by his extreme reaction.

Did I really shake him that much with just one sentence?

—

Xuanmiao Zhenren suddenly recalled his master’s words from long ago—

“Xuanmiao, you will face nine great tribulations in your lifetime.”

“Each will be a matter of life and death, arising from your connections to the mortal world.”

“You cannot escape them. You cannot avoid them.”

“The only path forward is to overcome them—or perish.”

—

Now, as he looked at the Mountain God, his respect deepened.

A being that could see through fate and discern karma—this was undoubtedly a true immortal!

—

Taking a deep breath, Xuanmiao Zhenren stood up and bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Mountain God, for your wisdom! I will tread cautiously!”

With that, he turned and left immediately.

—

Gu An tilted his head, baffled beneath his masked face.

“What the hell just happened?”

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