Chapter 90: Times Change, Ascending to the Venerable Pavilion

Under normal circumstances, Gu An wasn’t interested in dealing with demonic cultivators and would avoid them when possible. But one person was an exception.

That person was Xu Jue!

Previously, Xu Jue had led an army of demons and monsters to besiege Ji Xuanyu, allowing Gu An to harvest over fifty thousand years of lifespan. Gu An’s impression of him was unforgettable.

After leaving Xuan Valley, Gu An flew toward the Outer Sect City. Once he had traveled far enough, he activated the Grand Yin-Yang Transformation, turning into a shadowy form. Using the Infinite Trace Celestial Step, he vanished into the forests.

In a dense forest two hundred miles away from Xuan Valley, Xu Jue was meditating beneath a tree. His hair was disheveled, his black robe was in tatters, and he looked utterly wretched.

Small flags encircled him, forming a faint protective barrier.

Suddenly, the Vice Leader of the Wan Yin Sect’s face turned pale, and he spat a mouthful of black blood onto the grass, which withered instantly, giving off wisps of black smoke.

“D*** that Ji family…”

Xu Jue gritted his teeth, his voice filled with hatred.

During his escape from Ji Chen, he had encountered more grandmasters of the Ji family, narrowly escaping death. The memory still filled him with dread.

The demonic path had united the strength of its five major sects—the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, Gu Hao Sect, Wan Yin Sect, Tianjue Sect, and Cold Poison Valley—only to be repelled in a single day. The overwhelming power of the Taixuan Sect had shaken Xu Jue to his core.

As he thought of the Ji family members within his sect, Xu Jue suddenly felt the urge to annihilate all Ji family cultivators.

But recalling their strength, he sighed.

Forget it. Just endure for now!

One day, he would destroy the entire Ji family!

While Xu Jue was lost in thought, a gust of fierce wind swept through the forest, drawing his attention.

Boom!

The protective formation around him suddenly shattered. A purple-black figure appeared out of thin air and pressed a finger against Xu Jue’s temple, an overwhelming aura immobilizing him.

“The Demonic Shadow Divine Art… Who are you in the Thousand Autumn Pavilion?”

Xu Jue’s expression changed drastically as he cautiously asked.

Was there someone so powerful in the Thousand Autumn Pavilion?

Even in his severely injured state, his ninth-level Void Transformation cultivation wasn’t something a typical cultivator of the same stage could suppress.

“I have a question,” Gu An said in a hoarse voice.

Xu Jue let out a sigh of relief and replied deferentially, “Please, senior, ask!”

D*** the Thousand Autumn Pavilion!

I’ll lead the Wan Yin Sect to raze you all to the ground someday!

Gu An suddenly remembered that Xu Jue was the father of Xu Ruye, who had died by his hands.

“Forget it.”

Before Gu An’s voice faded, a surge of sword energy pierced through Xu Jue’s temple from Gu An’s fingertip, severely damaging his primordial spirit.

Xu Jue’s pupils dilated. Before he could collapse, Gu An used the Soul Search technique to sift through his memories.

The spells of the Jiang Qiong Sect were remarkably practical, and Gu An had long mastered them.

Xu Jue’s ninth-level Void Transformation memories were vast, but Gu An only sought information about the demon army’s techniques from the previous day. It didn’t take long to locate them.

An incense stick’s worth of time later.

Gu An withdrew his hand, and Xu Jue collapsed.

【You have successfully harvested 153 years of Xu Jue’s (ninth-level Void Transformation) lifespan.】

Not bad, the lifespan gained was significant!

Looking at Xu Jue now, Gu An found him more tolerable. He took Xu Jue’s storage bag and incinerated his corpse to ashes.

After completing this, Gu An left.

He didn’t return to Xuan Valley but truly went to the Outer Sect City.

Outside the city, a towering mountain had suddenly appeared. On closer inspection, it turned out to be the corpse of a colossal bird.

The Netherbird!

Its body alone spanned thousands of meters, dwarfing the surrounding mountains.

Standing atop his flying sword, Gu An observed from afar, filled with curiosity. Where would such a beast have lived under normal circumstances?

He felt certain that the Taicang Empire didn’t have a habitat for this bird. It was likely captured by the demonic path from somewhere beyond the Nine Dynasties.

After the great battle, the city gates of the Outer Sect City had grown heavily fortified, thoroughly inspecting every disciple entering and exiting.

Once inside, Gu An set out to find Ye Lan.

On a street, he ran into Ye Lan while she was patrolling.

“Senior Brother, what brings you here?” Ye Lan’s cold face lit up with a smile upon seeing Gu An. Her subordinates tactfully stepped aside, well aware of their relationship.

“Just checking in on you. Are you hurt?” Gu An asked with concern.

Ye Lan shook her head and then pulled him aside to recount the events of the previous day.

During the battle, the city had suffered heavy casualties, mainly because the terrifying Huangquan Demon Emperor had launched an attack inside the city, breaking through its formations and plunging it into chaos.

In the end, the Huangquan Demon Emperor left unscathed, leaving a shadow over everyone in the Outer Sect City.

Hearing this, Gu An was reminded of the cruelty of the cultivation world.

Thankfully, those he cared about were unharmed.

After chatting with Ye Lan for a while, Gu An bade her farewell.

He then headed to the area around the Heavenly Mending Platform, where most of the injured had gathered.

The Nightshade Ghost Mother was still there, bloodstained and appearing every bit like a disciple who had fought for the Taixuan Sect.

It seemed she wasn’t aligned with the demonic path or the Huangquan Demon Emperor.

After circling around the Heavenly Mending Platform, Gu An went to look for Jiang Qiong.

Jiang Qiong was at her residence. After Gu An shut the door, he looked at her and asked, “Didn’t you say this city wouldn’t be affected?”

Sitting on a chair, Jiang Qiong looked pale, her qi and blood unstable—clearly injured.

“The situation changed. The intelligence I received was false. It seems the Thousand Autumn Pavilion is already suspicious of me,” Jiang Qiong took a deep breath and said softly.

Hearing this, Gu An was secretly delighted and said, “In that case, why not simply abandon the dark for the light and sever ties with the Thousand Autumn Pavilion!”

He had too many informant identities to juggle and felt it was time to let go of some.

Jiang Qiong shook her head and replied, “It’s not that easy.”

Gu An didn’t console her but instead asked, “By the way, has the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path appeared?”

He was deeply concerned about who was impersonating him!

“It’s fake. That person isn’t the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path but a demonic spy who had been lurking in the Taixuan Sect for hundreds of years, falsely claiming to be the Sword Sovereign. Once the demonic sects uncovered his true identity, they lost their fear of him and launched the great battle.”

Jiang Qiong rubbed her temples as she spoke, unable to hide her frustration.

Gu An asked in surprise, “The demonic path turned on one of their own? Or did that person become a pawn for the Taixuan Sect?”

Jiang Qiong shook her head and said, “I’m not sure. My thoughts are in turmoil right now. I’ve heard that Chu Tianqi has fled, and Lü Baitian, who was presumed dead, has reclaimed the sect leader position and is preparing a full investigation of the Taixuan Sect. You’d best avoid coming here for a while. I need to focus on handling this scrutiny. This morning, word came from above that the Taixuan Sect is establishing the Venerable Pavilion, which will supersede the Elder Hall. The Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path will be one of its members, and the sect leader will select three individuals from the Elder Hall to join the Venerable Pavilion.”

“The Venerable Pavilion will reorganize the Taixuan Sect and eliminate malpractice.”

It seemed Lü Baitian had taken Gu An’s suggestion to heart.

Good! At least he listens.

Gu An’s proposal was not only to placate Lü Baitian but also a genuine effort to improve the Taixuan Sect. If Lü Baitian was too occupied to manage it, someone else should take charge.

The Elder Hall had too many members, and by the time they reached a consensus, problems below had already worsened. The establishment of the Venerable Pavilion might alleviate some of the sect’s suffering.

Jiang Qiong then took out a storage bag, saying it contained high-grade seeds she had exchanged for eighty percent of her savings. All the seeds were above the fifth grade, and she instructed Gu An to return after they had matured.

This meant they wouldn’t meet again for several years.

It seemed Jiang Qiong was in grave danger, caught between the distrust of the Thousand Autumn Pavilion and the scrutiny of the Taixuan Sect. She was truly walking on thin ice.

Gu An could only wish her luck in his heart as he took the storage bag and left in good spirits.

The demonic path’s siege of the Taixuan Sect swept through the cultivation world like a storm, shocking the entire Taicang Empire.

The strength displayed by the Taixuan Sect instilled fear throughout the demonic path. In the aftermath, the cultivation world entered an eerie calm.

After resuming leadership as sect master, Lü Baitian initiated bold reforms, establishing the Venerable Pavilion, reducing the Elder Hall’s authority, and ordering a thorough investigation of demonic spies. Over a thousand spies were executed.

Following Chu Tianqi’s escape, the Chu family faced Lü Baitian’s relentless retaliation. All Chu family disciples in the sect were either killed or imprisoned. The younger disciples with decent conduct were stripped of their cultivation, marked with a curse, and relegated to serve as errand disciples in the Outer Sect.

One such errand disciple, bearing the Chu surname, arrived at Xuan Valley.

It was someone Gu An knew—Chu Jingfeng!

When Gu An first joined the Taixuan Sect, he had encountered the Greedy Wrath Demon Ghost attacking the Medicine Valley. At that time, Cheng Xuandan had enlisted the help of an Inner Sect disciple—Chu Jingfeng. Chu Jingfeng had lost an arm during that encounter but later assisted Gu An in dealing with the evil cultivators around Xuan Valley.

Now, looking at Chu Jingfeng sitting across from him, weathered and forlorn, Gu An couldn’t help but sigh.

The last time they spoke, Chu Jingfeng had promised Gu An he could seek help from the Chu family whenever he faced trouble.

How times had changed. The Chu family had now completely fallen.

Chu Jingfeng still bore his one-armed figure, wearing tattered clothing. His messy hair and stubbled face gave him a disheveled and despondent appearance.

“Brother Chu, as long as you’re alive, there’s still hope. Work diligently. If you perform well, the punishment above may be lifted,” Gu An consoled him.

Wu Xin had quietly departed, leaving Gu An in charge of Xuan Valley. He needed to cultivate new talent, and Chu Jingfeng seemed like a promising candidate.

If Chu Jingfeng demonstrated potential, Gu An was even willing to pass on Wu Xin’s Dao Yan Technique to him.

The Dao Yan Technique relied on accumulating spiritual energy to break through limitations and might restore Chu Jingfeng, whose cultivation had been abolished.

Chu Jingfeng nodded numbly, remaining silent.

Gu An didn’t press him further, giving some instructions before letting him leave.

When Chu Jingfeng exited, he closed the door with a submissive demeanor. However, Gu An detected no reverence in his actions—only despair.

Sigh!

What a pity.

Gu An shook his head and picked up a pen to begin writing.

Six months had passed since the righteous-demonic war. Winter and spring had gone, and it was now summer. At fifty-one years old, Gu An had gained many insights into life, which he intended to express in his writing.

By dusk, Gu An left the pavilion and used a teleportation array to head to the Third Medicine Valley.

He sensed Shen Zhen was in his quarters.

Since Gu An had threatened to write her into his book six months ago, they had lost contact.

Her presence now probably meant trouble.

After all, she was a saintess; she had her pride.

Gu An thought about this as he climbed the stairs to meet Shen Zhen.

Upon entering, he saw her seated at the table, wearing a veil. She sat there calmly, doing nothing, simply looking at him.

Something felt off.

This wasn’t her usual demeanor.

Could she be about to lose her temper?

Gu An quickly shut the door, turned to face her, and was about to ask when she spoke first:

“Have you started writing the Adventures of the Medicine Hero yet?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep