Chapter 159: The Rise of the Demon Race and the Dao Lord

Ever since Ancestor Kusong’s fall and the impending Demonic Cataclysm, Gu An had been using his divine sense every night to monitor the Nine Dynasties’ lands, ensuring that no enemies infiltrated unnoticed.

On this particular night, he happened to see Di Xie leaving Taixuan Sect and decided to track him with his divine sense. That was when he witnessed Di Xie meeting with a demonic creature.

When Gu An heard that this monster was responsible for Ancestor Kusong’s death, killing intent surged in his heart.

He had to avenge Kusong!

Though Kusong had been much older, Gu An had always seen him as a friend.

He didn’t act immediately, waiting instead for his target to leave the Taicang Empire’s territory before making his move.

The Black Crow Demon Envoy had stopped by the riverbank to rest while infusing his demonic energy into the water, planning to mark the land through the river’s flow.

However, before he could even channel his energy, a hand landed on his shoulder.

A feeling of pure dread shot through the demon’s heart.

Never before had he experienced such an ambush—not even in the Demonic Domain.

Not a single demon had ever been able to approach him unnoticed.

Instinctively, he tried to dodge, but an unfathomable force held him in place, making it impossible to move.

Terror filled his crow-like face as he glanced sideways, barely able to make out a shadowy figure shrouded in mystery.

Gu An had intended to mock him, but seeing how the demon was already scared out of his wits, he lost interest.

Instead, he unleashed a soul attack.

Soul Search!

A heavy silence filled the night, broken only by the soft sounds of the river’s flow.

As the moon set and the sun rose, golden rays of dawn broke over the mountains, illuminating Gu An and the Black Crow Demon Envoy.

Bathed in sunlight, Gu An—still maintaining his Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body—looked like a ghostly specter.

The Black Crow Demon Envoy, meanwhile, was crouched before him, his eyes rolled back and his body twitching slightly.

Two full hours passed before Gu An finally withdrew his divine sense.

Without hesitation, he took the storage bag and storage ring from the demon’s body before incinerating the corpse with Taichedan Flame.

In mere moments, the Black Crow Demon Envoy was reduced to nothing but ashes, leaving behind only his demon core and Profound Mind Essence, which Gu An stored away.

【You have successfully taken 380 years of lifespan from the Black Crow Demon Envoy (Profound Mind Realm, Eighth Layer).】

With that, Gu An disappeared from the scene.

Gu An stepped out from a teleportation formation, heading toward the medicine gardens.

Along the way, servant disciples greeted him warmly and respectfully.

By now, Third Medicine Valley had over four hundred disciples.

Gu An never hoarded natural treasures for himself; instead, he diligently cultivated his herb gardens. As a result, Third Medicine Valley produced an abundance of high-grade medicinal herbs, rivaling even the Inner Sect’s herb gardens. In fact, its annual contributions placed it among the top three in the sect, further solidifying his growing reputation.

Because of this, the sect continued to assign more servant disciples under him.

While walking, Gu An noticed An Xin sweeping the path and waved her over.

Seeing this, An Xin quickly approached and greeted him respectfully.

After spending years in Third Medicine Valley, An Xin had finally reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, thanks to Gu An’s discreet assistance with alchemical pills.

She was deeply grateful to him.

Back when An Hao and An Xin had both started under Gu An’s guidance, An Hao had already reached the Nascent Soul Stage, Third Layer, while An Xin was only at Foundation Establishment, First Layer.

Even Gu An couldn’t help but lament the unfairness of the heavens.

“Come take a walk with me,” Gu An said.

An Xin nodded without hesitation, following closely behind.

As they walked through the herb gardens, Gu An patiently explained the methods for cultivating high-grade herbs, and An Xin listened intently.

By now, she had genuinely grown interested in the art of herb cultivation.

After about half an hour, Gu An pulled out an ancient manual and handed it to her.

“This technique may help improve your aptitude,” he whispered. “Make sure no one finds out.”

His gaze sharpened as he glanced around cautiously.

An Xin’s face lit up with a brilliant smile as she accepted the book. “Thank you, Master!”

After years of following Gu An, she had come to fully trust him. Like the other servant disciples, she addressed him as Master, but in her heart, Gu An had already become her true teacher—second only to the mysterious master who had once saved her life.

Gu An ruffled her hair lightly, then motioned for her to go about her business.

An Xin bowed and left, while Gu An watched her go with a smile.

Hopefully, the Innate Reincarnation Technique can help her.

Even if it doesn’t transform her entirely, a longer life is still a blessing.

Life in Third Medicine Valley was far from dull.

Gu An had already built a library, a restaurant, and even recreational facilities in the pavilion area.

He had even invented chess, which had become wildly popular among the disciples.

With that, Gu An took flight toward the Inner Sect City.

After avenging Ancestor Kusong, he felt the need to visit Elder Xu Lu at the Inner Sect’s Library Hall.

Of course, he had no intention of mentioning what had happened that morning—he simply wanted to talk.

After delving into the Black Crow Demon Envoy’s memories, Gu An had witnessed the horrific fate of Ancestor Kusong.

His chest felt heavy.

Tian Yao’er watched curiously as Gu An planted a tree.

The tree was already two meters tall, its crimson leaves glowing like burning embers, with long vine-like branches draping from it.

It looked as if it were engulfed in flames.

This was a Seventh-Grade Spirit Tree—the Solar Nourishing Tree, which Gu An had transplanted from the Star-Seizing Celestial Realm.

What he had brought was only a sapling, as the mature Solar Nourishing Trees in the Star-Seizing Celestial Realm were over a thousand meters tall, bearing Solar Fruits that enhanced blood vitality and fire-attribute energy perception.

After planting it, Gu An nodded in satisfaction before turning to Tian Yao’er and playfully tapping her forehead.

“Come, I’ll teach you a demon technique.”

Hearing this, Tian Yao’er’s eyes lit up with excitement, and she eagerly followed him.

From the Black Crow Demon Envoy’s memories, Gu An had gained knowledge of many techniques and cultivation methods.

Now, he intended to pass on the Black Crow Demon Art, which allowed its user to transform into a swarm of crows, to Tian Yao’er.

Her talent and comprehension were astonishing.

In just one hour, she had already transformed into several crows.

Not black crows, though—flaming crows.

Seeing the fire-cloaked birds, Gu An became even more convinced that she possessed Phoenix bloodline.

Mastering this technique wasn’t just about transformation, but also speed in flight.

To fully perfect it, Tian Yao’er would need much more time.

Watching her train, Gu An’s thoughts drifted.

The Demon Emperor, the Demon Master, the Seventy-Two Great Demon Kings… and the soon-to-be-revived Demon Ancestor…

Even as a Nirvana Stage, Ninth Layer cultivator, Gu An felt the weight of the looming crisis.

The Demonic Domain stretched endlessly, and aside from the Great Demon Kings that ruled on the surface, who knew what other horrors lurked in its depths?

This made Gu An even more determined to reach fifty million years of lifespan.

If possible, he didn’t want to flee—he wanted to stay and fight alongside Taixuan Sect, surviving on this land for as long as he could.

The death of the Black Crow Demon Envoy caused no disturbances.

Meanwhile, Di Xie remained in the Heavenly Mending Platform, meditating on sword intent as if nothing had happened.

But across the world, demonic creatures continued to multiply, and ordinary people suffered greatly.

In response, Taixuan Sect issued even more demon-hunting missions, and even Ye Lan and Zhen Qin had no choice but to participate.

Since their assignments were within Taixuan Sect’s borders, Gu An wasn’t too worried.

Time flew by.

Gu An’s lifespan had now reached 7.4 million years, drawing ever closer to the 10-million-year milestone.

Every day, he used his divine sense to observe the Demonic Domain.

If the Demonic Cataclysm erupted early, he was prepared to break through ahead of schedule.

As for where he would advance—he had already decided.

The southern seas.

He would make his breakthrough above the ocean!

On this particular day, An Hao and Si Yan’er left the Star-Seizing Celestial Realm.

Stepping out of the mountainside, they turned back just in time to see the entrance to the cave slowly disappear behind them.

“Where’s your master?” Si Yan’er asked curiously. “I haven’t seen him in years.”

An Hao replied confidently, “Master always moves like a dragon—seen one moment, gone the next. I don’t even know where he is. But one thing’s for sure: if I’m ever in danger, he won’t stand by and watch!”

His face lit up with pride as he spoke.

Si Yan’er rolled her eyes, suppressing the urge to mock him.

She still vividly remembered the time Gu An had wiped out a Profound Mind Realm cultivator with a mere flick of his sleeve.

With a grandmaster like him, even the Tianwei Empire wouldn’t dare provoke Taixuan Sect lightly.

Just then, a figure leaped out of the forest, landing swiftly in front of them.

An Hao’s expression hardened—he assumed it was an ambush and instinctively prepared for battle.

But the newcomer was a man clad in Tianwei official robes.

He raised a hand in salute and said respectfully, “Your Highness, I bring an imperial decree. His Majesty has arranged for you to marry the Golden Ranking Champion, An Hao.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Si Yan’er’s face twisted in shock and fury.

“Has my father gone insane? How could he arrange my marriage to this… this guy?!” she snapped.

An Hao, who had initially intended to refuse, immediately felt offended.

“Oh? What’s wrong with me? You think I’m not good enough for you? Now I have to marry you just to prove a point!”

The two instantly began bickering.

Meanwhile, the imperial envoy simply stood there, watching them with a polite smile, amused by their childish quarrel.

Far away in Xuan Valley, Gu An was watching all of this unfold.

He had no objections to An Hao and Si Yan’er getting married—after all, he had long since noticed their growing affections for each other.

However, he remained cautious of the Tianwei Empire.

If Tianwei dared to scheme against An Hao, Gu An wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate them—and conveniently allow Taicang Empire to annex their lands.

Once the three of them set off, Gu An closed his eyes, turning his attention elsewhere.

Someone was coming.

Gu An rose from his seat, left his room, and headed downstairs.

Half an hour later, Du Ye flew into Xuan Valley, standing atop his sword.

Upon spotting Gu An in the distance, he waved enthusiastically.

The disciples guarding the valley saw that Du Ye knew Gu An, so they didn’t stop him.

After landing, Du Ye stored his sword in his storage bag and hurriedly pulled Gu An aside to speak in private.

“The family sent word,” Du Ye whispered excitedly, his eyes gleaming.

“They’re preparing to leave Taixuan Sect, and Third Young Miss specifically requested that you and I go with them!”

He was clearly thrilled—the Ji Family hadn’t forgotten him.

To him, this was an honor.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep