Saint Who Lay Low

Half a month had passed since Jin Lingzun's attack.

Since that day, the Tai Xuan Sect remained on high alert, recalling many disciples. Every day, figures could be seen flying over Xuan Valley and the Third Medicine Valley.

In Xuan Valley, within the pavilion.

Gu An was listening to Ye Lan talk about the matters of the cultivation world. She mentioned the Nine Nether Path.

"It's said that there's a path leading directly to the Netherworld, known as the Nine Nether Path. The Ephemeral Blossom Sect has opened the entrance to the path, located in the Wuchen Wasteland of the Great Zhao Dynasty. Now, all the Ephemeral Blossom Sect cultivators are gathering there. It's unclear whether they are planning to retreat or have some other scheme. The Tai Xuan Sect has already sent a group of disciples to investigate."

When talking about the Nine Nether Path, Ye Lan's eyes gleamed with a hint of hope.

Gu An couldn't help but ask, "You seem quite interested in the Nine Nether Path?"

Ye Lan replied, "It's said that the Nine Nether Path can lead across the Boundless Sea, reaching another vast land where hidden immortal fates await. Of course, anyone with ambition would have some thoughts about it. The Ephemeral Blossom Sect has recruited many cultivators through the promise of this path. However, with my talent, I fear venturing there would bring more harm than good."

She quickly shifted the topic to Sword Master of the Dao.

According to information from the Law Enforcement Hall, the Sword Master of the Dao had showcased abilities that were unrivaled within the sect. Some even said that if not for his intervention, the Tai Xuan Sect might have faced a catastrophic defeat.

As she spoke, she also subtly observed Gu An's expression.

Gu An listened intently, as if Sword Master of the Dao had nothing to do with him.

Half an hour later, Ye Lan left, as she had to return to the Law Enforcement Hall to attend to her duties.

After seeing her off, Gu An ventured into the forest, arriving at Yang Ni's garden.

Yang Ni had gone to the outer sect again today, still investigating the identity of Sword Master of the Dao. Gu An didn't have the heart to tell her that Su Shan was already dead, so he let her continue.

When a year passed without Su Shan coming to find her, she would understand that she was free.

Gu An gazed at the Ephemeral Blossoms growing in the garden, carefully observing them.

He could feel that the blossoms were producing a unique type of spiritual energy, but he couldn't yet discern whether this energy was good or bad.

Every cultivator who joined the Ephemeral Blossom Sect would receive a batch of Ephemeral Blossom seeds. Cultivating these blossoms was a way to make contributions to the sect.

Even the Ephemeral Blossom Sect Master, Zhong Liang, didn't know the true purpose of these blossoms.

The branch of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect left in the Nine Dynasties was merely a puppet of the main branch. They knew very little, yet all harbored high expectations.

Gu An picked one of the blossoms and then entered the Eight Views Heavenly Cave, heading to the Ancient Vine Tree.

He placed the blossom beneath the tree, allowing the Ancient Vine Tree to sense it.

"Take it away… please… take it away…" The Ancient Vine Tree's feminine voice sounded, weak and anxious.

Surprised, Gu An asked, "You're a seventh-grade spirit tree, yet you're afraid of a sixth-grade flower?"

"I don't like its aura… it's very unpleasant…" The Ancient Vine Tree's voice was intermittent and shaky.

Hearing this, Gu An quickly stored the Ephemeral Blossom back in his pouch.

He then sat down, summoning a storage bracelet from the distance and began inspecting Jin Lingzun's spoils.

The Eight Views Heavenly Cave had become Gu An's treasure trove, containing numerous storage pouches and rings from those he had defeated. It was the ideal place to store things best kept hidden from prying eyes.

However, after thoroughly inspecting Jin Lingzun's belongings, Gu An found nothing related to the Ephemeral Blossom Sect's plans and could only let the matter go for now.

Still, he did find an Alchemy Manual and carefully began reading through it.

Having mastered the Taiqing Dao of Alchemy, Gu An had reached the grandmaster level in pill refinement. With any alchemy recipe, he could easily craft the corresponding pills.

Halfway through, he paused.

"Ephemeral Blossom Demon Pill?"

Winter had finally arrived, with white snow falling upon the world, erasing the colors of the mortal realm.

Tianya Valley.

Gu An had just harvested a batch of spirit herbs, successfully gaining nearly ten thousand years of lifespan, leaving him in a great mood.

Tianya Valley had a special formation that kept the snow from accumulating, sparing them much hassle.

Gu An instructed Sun Da to move the herbs into the storage building, while he made his way to the courtyard where Luo Hun and Yi Liuyun were drinking wine and discussing the Nine Nether Path.

"The Nine Nether Path has caught the attention of all the cultivators across the Nine Dynasties. It's said that various factions have sent people to investigate, but the entrance to the path is heavily guarded by Ephemeral Blossom Sect cultivators, and none have succeeded in breaching it," Luo Hun said with a frown.

Yi Liuyun glanced at Gu An as he approached and added, "That's a good thing, at least it means the Great Tai Cang Dynasty won't have to bear the burden of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect alone."

Luo Hun nodded, "The forces behind the Ephemeral Blossom Sect will surely come through the Nine Nether Path. This will be a calamity for the Nine Dynasties. My sources report that Ephemeral Blossoms have begun appearing everywhere. Once these flowers mature, they will attract demons and ghosts. The purpose of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect remains unclear."

Gu An sat down beside them, listening to the conversation.

Curious, he asked, "Are there any sinister legends about the Ephemeral Blossoms?"

He had initially thought that the Ephemeral Blossom Sect was simply vying for power with the Tai Xuan Sect, but now he realized their ambitions were much greater.

Without knowing the strength of the main branch of the Ephemeral Blossom Sect, Gu An dared not tread the Nine Nether Path.

Yi Liuyun frowned, "I've heard a legend. The Ephemeral Blossom is said to be a flower from the underworld, symbolizing death and reincarnation. When the blossoms appear in the mortal world, it heralds a great calamity, and countless lives will be lost."

Luo Hun added, "The Nine Dynasties have already issued orders to eliminate the Ephemeral Blossoms. Whatever the Ephemeral Blossom Sect's intentions are, the widespread appearance of these flowers must be stopped."

Hearing this, Gu An felt reassured.

A disaster of this magnitude should be faced by the entire world together. He had no desire to carry this burden alone.

With the whole world now intent on eliminating the Ephemeral Blossoms, Gu An decided to join in on the action.

He could clear the blossoms at night, gaining lifespan while also helping the people—an endeavor with no downsides.

Luo Hun and Yi Liuyun continued discussing the Ephemeral Blossom Sect's growing influence. Through their conversation, Gu An learned several new names.

The reappearance of the Nine Nether Path had thrown the cultivation world of the Nine Dynasties into turmoil, prompting many reclusive and powerful cultivators to emerge from seclusion.

The Ephemeral Blossom Sect had become a blight on the Nine Dynasties.

Some ancient monsters, who had lived for over a thousand years, even proclaimed that they would personally wipe out the Ephemeral Blossom Sect.

This was good news. As the Ephemeral Blossom Sect became an enemy of all, those who had been recruited by the sect would likely waver and seek to escape.

By the time evening rolled around, Gu An had returned to Xuan Valley.

A quick sweep of his spiritual sense revealed something curious.

Yang Ni had burned all the Ephemeral Blossoms she had been growing. The garden was still littered with ashes.

Could it be that Yang Ni had come to her senses?

Gu An chose not to confront her about it and instead returned to his quarters.

Late that night, Gu An began using his spiritual sense to scan the Great Tai Cang Dynasty in search of Ephemeral Blossoms.

What he found shocked even him.

How did so many Ephemeral Blossoms suddenly appear?

Last month, there hadn't been this many!

Gu An immediately vanished from his room and set out to destroy the blossoms.

Within two steps, he arrived in a forest thousands of miles away, near a village where the majority of the blossoms were concentrated.

He picked one blossom and only gained a year of lifespan from it.

These blossoms were growing abnormally fast, clearly drained of their potential by some mysterious force, which explained their limited lifespan yield.

A year is still a year. Little by little, it adds up!

Gu An continued his sweep, destroying more Ephemeral Blossoms.

By dawn.

Gu An descended the stairs, feeling refreshed and invigorated.

Last night alone, he had harvested over forty thousand years of lifespan, proof of the sheer number of Ephemeral Blossoms present in the world.

After joining the disciples in their morning exercises, Gu An noticed that Yang Ni seemed distracted, clearly preoccupied with something.

When the training ended, Yang Ni approached Gu An, announcing that she planned to leave.

"Where are you going?" Gu An asked with a frown.

"I have some matters to attend to," Yang Ni replied.

Gu An warned her, "The Ephemeral Blossom Sect has been causing trouble lately, and the Nine Dynasties are preparing to eradicate them. You should stay far away from this matter."

Yang Ni nodded, "Don't worry, I have no ties to the Ephemeral Blossom Sect."

As she said this, she looked directly at Gu An.

Though the words left unspoken, both understood the deeper meaning behind her statement.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, Yang Ni had packed her belongings and left.

Gu An stood by the window, watching her figure disappear into the distance, feeling that it would be many years before they crossed paths again.

Meanwhile.

Far away in the Wuchen Wasteland, ghostly energy surged, forming dark clouds that covered the sky. Flocks of crows flew overhead.

Li Ya, carrying the heavy North Sea Sword, stood on a cliff, gazing at the dense crowd below. The sea of people stretched endlessly, and his brow furrowed.

He hadn't expected the Ephemeral Blossom Sect to have recruited so many followers in secret.

"The Nine Nether Path is very ominous. It's filled with immense ghostly and demonic energy," the voice of an elder ancestor echoed in Li Ya's ears.

Li Ya glanced at Jing Hongke, who was sitting on a boulder in the distance, pondering over a painting.

"No matter. When the Primordial Ancestor descends, they will all be eradicated!" Li Ya thought to himself.

He was now filled with confidence in the mysterious demonic shadow, believing that this figure was invincible in the world.

"It's not that simple," the elder ancestor sighed. "No matter how powerful he is, he will eventually run out of spiritual energy. To single-handedly eliminate the calamity of the Nine Dynasties is nearly impossible. If he were truly that powerful, he wouldn't need to cultivate the Thousand Autumn Pavilion's Demonic Shadow Technique to conceal his identity."

Li Ya felt a pang of frustration. Ever since encountering the Ephemeral Blossom Sect, his once-respected elder had become overly cautious, no longer exuding the same air of calm confidence. This left Li Ya feeling disillusioned.

But recalling the warnings from the Li family's Primordial Ancestor, Li Ya didn't dare retort.

Suddenly.

The ground began to tremble, startling Li Ya, who immediately took to the air. Jing Hongke, however, remained seated on the boulder, unmoved.

Li Ya's gaze turned to the entrance of the Nine Nether Path, where he saw the altar below begin to crack. A massive wooden branch burst forth from the ground, followed by an enormous tree trunk.

The surrounding Ephemeral Blossom Sect cultivators quickly retreated. Under the fearful eyes of the crowd, a towering tree emerged, over five hundred zhang tall, its top disappearing into the dark clouds.

It was an Ephemeral Blossom Tree.

This tree was even larger than the one Gu An had destroyed, its size over five hundred zhang, its upper branches disappearing into the black clouds.

The monstrous Ephemeral Blossom Tree stood behind the dark rift, exuding an aura of dread and terror.

"Hmph, so they've planted an Ephemeral Blossom Tree!"

A cold snort reverberated through the sky, sending a chill down everyone's spine.

Jiang Qiong turned to see a brilliant sword light streaking from the horizon, cutting through the sea of clouds, its momentum unstoppable as it surged toward the Ephemeral Blossom Tree.

A black-robed woman wearing a mask appeared before the tree, holding a golden staff. With a mighty push, she unleashed a torrent of spiritual energy, forcefully blocking the sword light several miles away, causing the surrounding space to warp from the immense pressure.