Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

Gu Zong was asking Gu An to write a book about his deeds, and naturally, Gu An would not refuse, after all, it wasn't as if he was being asked to cast Gu Zong as the main protagonist of "Investiture of the Gods."

As an exchange, Gu Zong would elevate Gu An's status to that of an Outer Disciple and grant him a Medicine Valley twice the size of Mystic Valley.

Six months later, Gu Yu would go to find Gu An with the items.

Writing a book in exchange for a Medicine Valley, Gu An felt it was a good deal, as he had nothing else to do on normal days.

That night, after returning to his room, Du Ye pressed Gu An for details about what Gu Zong wanted with him.

"Sect secrets, are you sure you want to pry?" Gu An asked meaningfully, instantly frightening Du Ye to the point where he shuddered all over and dared not inquire further.

The next morning, as the guests of Ji Mansion dispersed, a cultivator found Gu An and handed him a storage bag, saying it was from the Third Miss. He swept it with his Divine Sense and found it was filled with materials for formations, a rich assortment indeed.

Gu An hesitated whether or not to remind Ji Xiaoyu, but as soon as he saw the cultivators of the Ji Family in Ji Mansion increasing instead of decreasing, and even many cultivators meditating on the eaves, he knew that the Ji Family had already sensed the crisis.

Since that was the case, there was no need for him to worry.

At noon, Gu An followed Du Ye as they left, using the Teleportation Array to return to the Outer City.

After saying goodbye to Du Ye, Gu An headed towards Mystic Valley.

He had already started planning the planting in the second Medicine Valley in his mind.

With the addition of Li Xuandao's Medicine Valley, he would have three Medicine Valleys, and his future life span income was sure to skyrocket.

Even though he had reached the Void Crossing Realm's first layer, Gu An would not consider his life span to be in excess. Above the Void Crossing Realm, there were surely many more levels, each requiring more of one's life span the higher one climbed.

His goal was eternal life, to reach the pinnacle of the Immortal Cultivation path!

Riding on a flying sword, roaming freely between heaven and earth, Gu An stood against the wind, harboring dreams of everlasting youth through the seasons.

When he arrived back at Mystic Valley, his brows furrowed.

He landed from Sword Control, and his flying sword then buried itself into his storage bag. Ye Yan, who was not far off weeding, saw him and immediately ran over.

"Master, you're finally back. Yesterday, a senior came to stay in our Medicine Valley," reported Ye Yan immediately.

Gu An nodded and said, "I know, you keep busy."

He noticed that there were flags hidden among the weeds around Mystic Valley, clearly part of a formation.

He first felt out for the aura of the other, then pretended not to notice the formation and walked towards the direction of that cultivator's aura, quickly inspecting the medicinal herbs along the way.

Good heavens!

Six fourth-tier medicinal herbs were missing!

Gu An's eyes suddenly turned cold.

The other's cultivation level was no trivial matter, being a Divinity Transformation Realm cultivator, but even if they were Divinity Transformation, if they dared to steal his herbs, they would have to pay a price!

Gu An made his way to Xiaochuan's courtyard and saw someone in the courtyard performing Alchemy. The Pill Furnace appeared ancient, nearly as tall as a person, with wisps of blue smoke coming out of it.

The one performing Alchemy was an old man, hunched over and short, with white hair tied behind his head with a grass rope.

[Qiu Qianli (Divinity Transformation Realm Second Layer):486/930/1050]

Once Gu An was certain the other hadn't hidden a stronger cultivation level, he directly approached and asked, "May I ask for your honored name, senior, and from whence you come?"

His tone was aggressive, a stark departure from his usual manner of addressing people.

Qiu Qianli stood up, turned towards Gu An with a smile, and said cheerfully, "I am Qiu Qianli, passing through this Medicine Valley and thinking to stay a few days."

Gu An asked, "Is senior from the Supreme Sect?"

Given that Ji Xiaoyu was about to reach Core Formation, he couldn't help but suspect the other's identity.

Usually, there were no Divinity Transformation cultivators visiting his Medicine Valley.

The busy disciples also turned their gazes toward the yard, sensing that Qiu Qianli was no ordinary visitor. They all felt relieved to see Gu An returning.

"And you, are you the master of this Medicine Valley?" Qiu Qianli asked with a chuckle.

Gu An replied, "That's correct, senior, but why do you not answer me?"

Qiu Qianli shook his head with an amused expression, muttering to himself, "A Qi Cultivation realm Individual Cultivator dares to speak to me in such a tone."

He suddenly squatted down and slapped the ground with his palm.

In an instant, the earth trembled, the flags hidden in the forest in each direction quivered, unleashing a surge of Demonic Qi. The Demonic Qi rose swiftly, forming a demonic net that enveloped the entire Mystic Valley, and then the net turned transparent as if everything that happened was an illusion.

"What are you trying to do?"

Gu An asked, feigning panic.

The disciples in the distance sensed something was wrong and immediately rushed over.

The first to arrive were Xiaochuan and Ye Yan, then Wuxin, Zhen Qin, and Su Han. The others hurried over too but dared not approach rashly, standing anxiously outside the yard to watch.

Su Han stood at the forefront, with a sword in hand, though his trembling legs revealed his nervousness.

Zhen Qin's face turned pale with fear, but she still stood in front of Gu An, which made him want to laugh.

This silly girl!

Qiu Qianli's right palm was swirling with chilling Demonic Qi. He slowly stood up, wearing a ferocious grin, "Now that the Valley Master has returned, I won't disguise myself any longer. If you wish to live, then just obediently listen to me, otherwise I'll skin you alive, extract your souls, and let you neither live nor die!"

Sensing his terrifying aura, all disciples felt a pang of fear.

Wuxin mustered the courage to ask, "We are all Servant Disciples, and even refining our souls would be of no benefit to you. Let's talk this out; what is it that you want us to do?"

He spoke quickly, worried that Gu An might not understand Qiu Qianli's true cultivation level.

Qiu Qianli sneered, "Wise of you. From now on, just wait in the valley for my orders. I intend to use your Medicine Valley for cultivating Elixirs. Don't even think of escaping; my formation is invisible and colorless, even a Core Formation Realm cultivator who encounters it would turn instantly into a pool of blood."

Having witnessed the formation taking shape earlier, they naturally believed his words.

Qiu Qianli looked at Gu An and said with a mocking smile, "Valley Master, what would you do now if I told you I come from the Wanyin Sect?"

The Wanyin Sect!

Truly a shadow that won't disperse...

In his entire life, Gu An had scarcely killed anyone, besides Fuxiong, everyone else was from the Wanyin Sect.

Feigning terror, Gu An clenched his teeth and said, "Please forgive my earlier insolence, senior. As long as you do not harm my disciples, you may command me as you wish, even if it's to refine souls, please start with mine!"

Upon hearing these words, the disciples immediately panicked, but none dared speak out for fear of enraging Qiu Qianli.

Wuxin clenched his fists inside his sleeves, filled with self-reproach, "If only I had cultivated more diligently on a regular basis, and once my cultivation technique had reached its full potential, my brother wouldn't have to suffer like this..."

Zhen Qin, Xiaochuan, Su Han, and Ye Yan all shared a similar sentiment.

Qiu Qianli laughed, a laugh full of contempt.

Gu An hastily said, "Senior, I have fifth-grade medicinal herbs in my house, particularly suitable for use as medicine primer, do you need them?"

"Not bad, you are quite aware of the times, go on then!" Qiu Qianli said, waving his sleeve.

Immediately, Gu An turned around and ran towards his loft.

The others watched Qiu Qianli warily, afraid that he would make a sudden move.

Qiu Qianli casually dug at his ear and glanced towards Zhen Qin, smiling and saying, "Little girl, come over here and assist me."

Seeing his malicious smile, Zhen Qin felt extremely disgusted, but more than that, she was filled with dread.

What should she do?

Based on the spectacle of the formation from just before, it was certain that no one in the valley was a match for this demon cultivator.

Just as Zhen Qin was engulfed in anxiety, a figure clad in purple-black suddenly appeared beside Qiu Qianli.

Qiu Qianli's pupils abruptly contracted, instinctively turning to look.

So fast!

Impossible!

Just as Qiu Qianli was about to retaliate, the other party's right hand, swift as a sword, pierced directly through his chest, lifting him into the air.

His eyes widened, disbelieving as he looked down at the individual below him.

This was a figure enveloped in dark purple flames, its true face indiscernible, as if it had come straight from the Nine Nether World.

Wuxin, Zhen Qin, and the rest were equally startled by the mysterious figure that appeared so suddenly, retreating in unison.

"Thousand-Autumn Pavilion... Demon Shadow Divine Skill..." Qiu Qianli said with a trembling voice, his tone laden with terror.

He desperately realized he could not summon any Spiritual Power within him; the strike from before had completely shattered his Golden Core, and the overpowering Spiritual Power of the attacker pressed down on his Primordial Spirit within his body, rendering it unable to escape.

The adversary must be higher than the Divinity Transformation Realm!

Gu An, who had been performing the Great Yin-Yang Transformation, glanced back at Wuxin.

Wuxin seemed to realize something and his expression changed drastically.

Immediately after, the hand that Gu An used to pierce through Qiu Qianli suddenly clenched into a fist, releasing a terrifying burst of Sword Qi, instantly disintegrating Qiu Qianli's physical body, leaving only his Primordial Spirit dangling from his arm, while Qiu Qianli's Storage Bag fell into his other hand.

Blood splattered everywhere!

Wuxin and the rest were splashed by it but were so shocked they couldn't react, frozen in place.

"Pre-..."

The Primordial Spirit of Qiu Qianli began to speak tremblingly, but before he could finish, it was crushed to dust by Gu An's overwhelming Spiritual Power.

Gu An's figure vanished into thin air.

The next second, the sound of a door being smashed open echoed from afar, and Gu An, holding a fifth-grade Tiger Blood Flower, was seen climbing down from the balcony of his loft.

He rushed towards the courtyard where Wuxin and others were, shouting loudly, "Senior! Stop this madness!"

He leaped over the courtyard wall and arrived beside Zhen Qin, looking at the blood-stained courtyard, he hurriedly turned his head towards his disciples and saw that none were missing, then he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In a tense voice, he asked, "The demon... where did he go?"

His voice was low, as if fearful of being overheard by Qiu Qianli.

As if woken from a trance by his voice, Zhen Qin screamed and, gripping Gu An's robe, said with a trembling voice, "Master, he's dead... he was..."

The other disciples also snapped out of their shock, turning their heads in all directions, dreading the mysterious shadow might reappear.

It took Gu An a while to understand from them what had just happened.

It has to be said, acting can be very exhausting.

Gu An instructed his disciples to hold their ground and stay alert.

At the same time, he silently exerted force with his right foot, allowing his Spiritual Power to spread underground, destroying the invisible formation beneath.

Suddenly, a screen of Demonic Qi appeared above Mystic Valley, and shortly after, the mysterious Demon Path Formation began to collapse, the Demonic Qi dissipating like smoke, as if it had never been there, with the autumn leaves atop the mountain following suit and fluttering down.

"The formation is lifted?" Ye Yan tentatively asked.

Wuxin took a deep breath and said to Gu An, "Brother, let us speak elsewhere!"

Eliminating Qiu Qianli had granted him sixty-six years of life span, not a bad outcome.

Feeling pleased, Gu An feigned a puzzled look; he hesitated for a moment and finally nodded.

The two headed towards Gu An's loft, while the other disciples gathered together to discuss the recent ordeal.

Inside the loft, Wuxin closed the door, turned to face Gu An, and said through clenched teeth, "The one who just attacked must be a Great Cultivator from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion, perhaps someone my father sent to protect me..."