Saint Who Lay Low

Gu An had waited over half a year, already passing his sixtieth birthday, yet still hadn't received the seven-tier spirit tree from the Ji Family.

He trusted that Ji Xiaoya wouldn't deceive him, figuring the process within the Ji Family might just be more complicated, and that he would still have to wait.

In this respect, Tai Xuan Sect was much more efficient. When Tai Xuan Sect promised him the Mysterious Clear Tree, it had been delivered promptly!

On a scorching summer day, Gu An was sowing seeds in the Third Medicine Valley. Gu Yu was beside him, talking non-stop about the story of Tai Xuan Immortal Lord.

This year, the plot of Tai Xuan Immortal Lord had reached its climax. The protagonist, Gu Yu, and the second male lead, Zhou Tongyou, were preparing to join forces in a grand battle against a demon wreaking havoc on the world, a setup that had all the readers eagerly anticipating the outcome.

Gu An was in a good mood because just the night before, he had spent 100,000 years of lifespan to upgrade the Grand Yin-Yang Transformation to the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body.

The Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body retained its previous abilities of shielding from prying eyes and suppressing karma, but now it had the additional ability of creating nine avatars. He could control these avatars in battle or send them out on different tasks.

After returning, he even tried having one of his avatars pick medicinal herbs. Unfortunately, just like before, it didn't allow him to steal any lifespan.

Looks like I still need to work steadily and persistently, Gu An thought as he planted more seeds, already contemplating what combat techniques he should improve next.

Initially, he had planned to improve his abilities once every month, but this past year, he often sensed powerful Body Fusion Realm cultivators fighting in the Northern Sea Mountain, so he had postponed his plans to grow stronger.

Gu Yu, meanwhile, couldn't help but glance at Gu An and asked, "Hey, are you even listening?"

Gu An didn't look up and casually replied, "I won't write the story the way you want. Just wait and see."

"When will Tai Xuan Immortal Lord end?" Gu Yu asked quietly.

There was no one else within ten miles of them, so he wasn't worried about anyone overhearing.

"Not long now, a few years perhaps."

"What's your next project?"

"We'll see. I might stop writing altogether."

"No way! If you stop, that would be a huge loss for the cultivation world."

"Me stopping is for the better. If cultivators don't focus on their practice and sneakily read books all day, it would be a disaster."

"You're talking nonsense. Nobody reads all day. You only write a few chapters a year, and we only read during breaks from cultivation."

The two started to bicker, and only when Gu Yu pulled out the latest volume of Tai Xuan Secrets did Gu An finally believe that Gu Yu wasn't slacking off and reading too much.

Gu An pocketed the book and then asked, "Has anything big happened in the cultivation world recently?"

Gu Yu glanced sideways at him and then said, "Actually, yes. The Demonic Path and the Ephemeral Blossom Sect have been battling in the Northern Sea Mountain for half a year now. The Thousand Autumn Pavilion and Wan Yin Sect have almost been wiped out by the Ephemeral Blossom Sect, and at this rate, in two or three years, the Ephemeral Blossom Sect will unify the demonic path."

Speaking of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect, Gu Yu's tone grew excited.

"The Ephemeral Blossom Sect is bound to clash with Tai Xuan Sect, and that battle will decide who rules the cultivation world in Tai Cang Dynasty. But the sect doesn't seem worried, which means they're confident in their victory."

Hearing this, Gu An thought back to Lu Baitian's lifespan and felt doubtful about his chances of breaking through successfully.

As for lifespan limitations, Gu An could do nothing about them. It wasn't as if he could openly explain the existence of lifespan limits to people.

Lifespan limits were like a predetermined fate. Every cultivator walked the path to defy fate, but who would dare believe in fate itself?

Gu An believed there must be a way to break through fate—it was just hard to find.

The two talked for half an hour more before Gu Yu left. He mentioned that the Gu Family had been in seclusion lately, most likely preparing for the impending war with the Ephemeral Blossom Sect, and that he himself needed to focus on his cultivation in order to contribute to Tai Xuan Sect.

On the seventh day after Gu Yu's departure, the Pill Hall issued an order to harvest the herbs from every valley earlier than usual. Even the Third Medicine Valley saw disciples from the Lu Family and Ji Family come to collect a large number of herbs, all signs pointing to something big about to happen.

Gu An didn't think it was the Ephemeral Blossom Sect coming to attack, but rather that Lu Baitian was preparing to challenge his fate and break through to the Profound Heart Realm.

Time passed quickly.

As summer turned to fall, one afternoon at noon, Gu An visited Tianya Valley and found Li Xuandao there. His cultivation had already reached the Void Crossing Realm.

A cultivator in their two hundreds reaching Void Crossing was a rare sight indeed.

Outwardly, Li Xuandao's cultivation appeared to be at the Core Formation first level, still playing things cautiously.

The two of them sat at the stone table in front of the pavilion and chatted. Li Xuandao praised Gu An's excellent herb-growing skills, thanking him for the herbs that had allowed him to smoothly break through to the Core Formation realm.

Without those herbs, Li Xuandao had planned to ask Yi Liuyun for help in transferring a pre-condensed core, but he knew such a method would be weaker than forming his own core.

Gu An merely smiled and complimented him on his outstanding talent.

Judging from Li Xuandao's expression, Gu An could tell he was secretly pleased, thinking that his real cultivation level in the Void Crossing realm remained unnoticed.

"Gu An, how is Yang Ni doing under your care?" Li Xuandao asked as he sipped his tea.

"She's doing well. She's even started growing herbs like me, becoming a fellow cultivator of the soil," Gu An replied.

"Growing herbs?"

Li Xuandao's expression became quite intriguing.

Gu An suddenly recalled something Lu Baitian had said about how the Ephemeral Blossom Sect had controlled the imperial family two hundred years ago. Could it be that Li Xuandao's cultivation technique also came from the Ephemeral Blossom Sect?

Zhong Ying, who had used similar concealment methods, was proof enough. He had managed to hide his true cultivation even from those stronger than him.

And now, thinking about the Ephemeral Blossoms Yang Ni had been planting…

Could it be that I've been harboring an agent of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect all this time? Gu An thought to himself, becoming more suspicious by the minute.

Li Xuandao continued, "The cultivation world is getting more dangerous lately. You should be careful."

Gu An nodded and followed his lead. "Are you talking about the Ephemeral Blossom Sect?"

"Exactly," Li Xuandao confirmed.

"Uncle, as someone with imperial ties, what's your view on the Ephemeral Blossom Sect?" Gu An asked.

Li Xuandao's expression remained calm as he answered, "They are wolves with wild ambitions, bringing chaos to the mortal world."

Hearing this, Gu An was momentarily stunned. His words didn't seem to reflect someone from the Ephemeral Blossom Sect.

Li Xuandao began recounting past events, revealing that his father, the former emperor, had once fallen under the control of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect, turning the royal court into a tool for the sect's plundering. Once the truth came to light, the emperor was assassinated by the Ephemeral Blossom Sect, forcing Li Xuandao to seek the help of Tai Xuan Sect to secure the throne. In fact, it was only because of the intelligence he had provided that Tai Xuan Sect had supported him as the emperor, even though he hadn't been the crown prince.

Li Xuandao's tone was filled with animosity toward the Ephemeral Blossom Sect, making it seem unlikely that he had any ties to the group.

"I do want to challenge Tai Xuan Sect's influence," Li Xuandao admitted, "but that's an internal struggle within the empire. Should the Ephemeral Blossom Sect and Tai Xuan Sect go to war, I will side with Tai Xuan Sect without hesitation, and I won't hold back."

His cold voice radiated killing intent, aimed entirely at the Ephemeral Blossom Sect.

Gu An, still curious, asked, "If the Ephemeral Blossom Sect is so wicked, with no one knowing the location of their headquarters, why do so many people join them?"

"Because of the Ephemeral Blossoms," Li Xuandao replied. "It's said that these flowers can alter a cultivator's natural talent, even extend their lifespan. Moreover, the sect provides generous cultivation resources to its members, making it an attractive option."

"From what I know, the Ephemeral Blossom Sect's resources are immense—possibly greater than that of the entire Tai Cang Dynasty. What we see here is only one of their branches."

Ephemeral Blossoms?

The ability to alter natural talent?

Gu An raised his eyebrows. That would explain why Yang Ni had been meditating in the Ephemeral Blossom garden.

Still, Gu An was skeptical about the flowers' true efficacy. Could a mere sixth-tier herb really defy the natural order to such an extent?

Li Xuandao continued detailing the past atrocities of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect from two hundred years ago. Entire cities of civilians had vanished without a trace, leaving behind empty towns. To this day, Li Xuandao had not discovered where those people had gone, but the chances they had survived were slim.

Gu An felt as though he were listening to ghost stories, utterly engrossed by the wickedness of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect.

This sect was downright sinister!

According to Li Xuandao, the Ephemeral Blossom Sect wasn't just composed of human cultivators but also included monsters and ghosts. That mention immediately brought to Gu An's mind Ghost Mother of the Ephemeral Flower, who still remained at Heaven Mending Platform.

They spoke for an entire hour, yet Li Xuandao had barely scratched the surface of the sect's history, and Gu An still hadn't grown tired of listening.

Suddenly.

A prompt appeared in Gu An's vision.

[Zhong Liang harbors enmity toward you, and he intends to kill you. Would you like to investigate his lifespan?]

Zhong Liang?

Who's that?

Gu An was taken aback. He rarely made enemies, as he always treated others with kindness.

The name alone gave off an air of danger. Gu An silently chose to investigate.

[This investigation will cost 100 years of lifespan. Would you like to continue?]

A price this high?

Gu An turned to Li Xuandao and asked, "Uncle, have you heard of someone named Zhong Liang?"

Li Xuandao's expression darkened instantly. "Has the Ephemeral Blossom Sect already approached you?"

"This Zhong Liang is from the Ephemeral Blossom Sect?" Gu An asked, now more nervous than before. Without hesitation, he confirmed the investigation.

[Zhong Liang (Body Fusion Realm, third level): 1462/2900/3000]

Body Fusion Realm, third level!

Gu An's brows furrowed. He tried to figure out how Zhong Liang could have discovered him.

Was it because of Zhong Ying?

No, that couldn't be right. Gu An had thoroughly inspected everything multiple times to ensure that no other powerful cultivators had left any tracking tools on Zhong Ying's body. Besides, it had been half a year since Zhong Ying's death.

What could have triggered this?

Realizing that the Ephemeral Blossom Sect had already set its sights on him filled Gu An with a deep urge to storm their headquarters and eliminate the threat once and for all.

But the problem was, the Ephemeral Blossom Sect didn't have a known headquarters. At least, not in the memories of Zhong Ying. Each time Zhong Ying had met with the mysterious figures of the sect, the locations had always changed.

"Two hundred years ago, Zhong Liang was the leader of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect," Li Xuandao said gravely. "He was heavily injured by Lu Baitian, but managed to escape. Where did you run into him?"

"I ran into him once outside of Tai Xuan Sect," Gu An lied smoothly. "He tried to lure me with promises of a great opportunity, but I refused. It was only today, after chatting with you, that his name came back to mind. I never imagined he was an infamous figure of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect."

Li Xuandao didn't seem to doubt Gu An's words. He pondered briefly before his face darkened again.

Could it be that Zhong Liang was targeting Li Ya, or perhaps even him?

Li Xuandao's expression turned more sinister by the second.

The mere mention of Zhong Liang had drained the mood from their conversation. After conducting a thorough check of Tianya Valley, Gu An left in haste.

Back at Xuan Valley, Gu An immediately made his way to Eight Views Heavenly Cave.

He needed to search Zhong Ying's storage bag one more time, just to be sure.

Upon his arrival, he noticed something unusual—Ancient Vine Tree had one of its vines coiled around Zhong Ying's storage bag, seemingly rummaging through it. Gu An had masked his aura, walking quietly as he approached the scene.

As soon as he exited the passageway, Ancient Vine Tree recoiled in shock, its vine quickly retreating.

Gu An walked up to it and coldly said, "Since you've gained sentience, why are you sneaking around? Are you afraid of me? Be careful, or I might just burn you to ashes!"

As he finished speaking, a flame of spiritual energy ignited in his right hand.

Zhong Liang's enmity had put him in a foul mood, and the Ancient Vine Tree could sense his displeasure. The tree began to tremble, its leaves rustling as it shook.

Suddenly, a soft female voice emerged from the tree: "I...I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of that other tree..."