Chapter 62: Preparing for a Breakthrough, The Immortal Execution Sword Array
âWhatâs there to be afraid of? There are plenty of people named Gu An in the world. Unlike you, I canât just make up characters. I need to see someone worthy before I can write a story. In my eyes, youâre the perfect male protagonist. Based on what I know, your only flaw is your weak cultivation.â
Shen Zhen spoke seriously, causing Gu Anâs face to twitch.
Is this a compliment?
Why does it feel like a personal attack?
If I revealed my cultivation, even your dad might not measure up!
Gu An continued to try convincing her, but Shen Zhen refused to change the name no matter what.
In the end, Shen Zhen offered to trade a cultivation manual for the rights to his name. Reluctantly, he agreed.
After Shen Zhen left, Gu An remained in his loft, flipping through the manual she had given him.
Xuan Yin Art!
It was a musical cultivation technique capable of injuring internal organs or confusing the enemyâs sensesâversatile and powerful.
This was exactly the kind of technique Gu An lacked, and he decided to delve deeper into it later.
After reading through the Xuan Yin Art once, he stashed it in his storage bag and left.
A month later, Gu An arrived at the outer sect city. His first stop was the Alchemy Hall to submit this yearâs harvest.
Elder Zhu Qinglu received him. Noticing Zhu Qingluâs tired complexion and the faint demonic aura within himâsimilar to that of Lu Jiu JiaâGu An asked, âElder Zhu, you donât look well. What happened?â
He didnât fully understand how the demonic cultivation in the outer sect worked, but he knew people had gone missing. This time in the city, he noticed that many disciples carried subtle traces of demonic energy. Most of them were hall disciples, not ordinary ones.
Are they colluding willingly, or are they being manipulated?
He couldnât say, and Shen Zhen hadnât shared much information.
Zhu Qinglu chuckled. âJust a side effect of my cultivation, nothing to worry about. You have a medicine valley in the inner sect, donât you? Move there soon. Donât stay in the outer sect anymore. Lately, demonic cultivators have been running rampant, and itâs too dangerous outside.â È
Gu An probed further. âMany people have told me the outer sect is dangerous these days. If thatâs the case, why hasnât the higher-ups sent more people to eliminate the demons?â
âAnd whatâs with the area under construction in the city? Itâs taking up nearly a quarter of the town.â
As soon as he arrived, he noticed numerous disciples laying stones in the city center. These werenât ordinary stonesâthey were imbued with spiritual energy.
It looks like theyâre building a massive altar.
Zhu Qinglu replied nonchalantly, âThe higher-ups have their reasons, ones we canât speculate on. All we can do is protect ourselves. As for the construction, itâs a formation platform. Once completed, it will protect the outer sect.â
Seeing Zhu Qingluâs indifferent attitude, Gu An felt he wasnât trustworthyâperhaps someone benefiting from the situation.
Deciding not to press further, Gu An exchanged a few polite words and left.
Standing in the street outside the Alchemy Hall, he gazed at the platform under construction.
The sky was overcast, casting a gloomy shadow over the once lively and sunlit outer sect city, making it resemble a demonic stronghold.
Gu An stood there for a long moment before finally turning away.
An autumn breeze swept through the street, rustling his robes. The Qinghong Sword at his waist swayed slightly, its sheath gleaming coldly.
After leaving the city, Gu An went to manage the caves under his care.
When he reached Li Xuanyuâs cave, he found her inside.
âFrom now on, you donât need to come anymore. Iâll be heading to the inner sect. Hereâs your payment,â Li Xuanyu said from her seat at the table. With a wave of her hand, a pile of spirit stones appeared on the table.
Gu An bowed in thanks and went to collect the stones into his storage bag. Without saying much, he turned to leave.
As he walked away, Li Xuanyu suddenly asked, âI heard your leg techniques are impressive?â
Gu An paused, turning back to her. âDid Senior Brother Li Ya tell you that? My leg techniques are nothing compared to his.â
Recently, when Li Ya stayed in Xuan Valley, he saw Tang Yu practicing the Residual Wind Kick and mentioned how Gu An had subdued Meng Lang with it.
He really went and told her so soonâŠ
âHmm, just something I heard,â Li Xuanyu said calmly. After a pause, she added, âI look forward to seeing you in the inner sect someday. Letâs see how we measure up then.â
Gu An, puzzled, replied helplessly, âHow could I possibly compare to you, Senior Sister? Iâll never catch up to you.â
âGo now,â she said, cutting him off and effectively dismissing him.
Gu An had no choice but to leave.
After leaving her cave, Gu An felt no particular burden on his mind.
As long as I never admit to it, what can Li Xuanyu do to me?
Late at night, Gu An moved through the dense forest. That afternoon, he had informed Wu Xin he would be leaving and wouldnât return until the following day.
The reason for notifying in advance was his preparation for a breakthrough.
Breaking through to the next realm would inevitably cause a commotion. If disciples came looking for him and found him absent from his quarters, it might arouse suspicion.
Since his trip to the outer sect city, Gu An had felt an intense atmosphere of danger.
The ruling elders practicing demonic arts, noble disciples fleeing the outer sect... all these signs are unsettling.
Though the Void Transformation Stage Ninth Layer was powerful, the Taixuan Sect was not without Void Transformation experts. After days of deliberation, Gu An decided to advance by one major realm before dealing with these issues.
At worst, Iâll delay unlocking the Million-Year Lifespan function by a year!
This time, he traveled far, covering 300 li under the cover of night. He stopped in a dense forest, sensing two Nascent Soul presences nearby.
One of them was familiar: Zuo Yijian!
The Sword Maniac of Cang LakeâGu An had encountered him near Xuan Valley before, where he had injured Zuo Yijian while disguised as the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal. Since then, he had only seen him once at the Ji Family estate.
Gu An suppressed his aura to the minimum, confident he wouldnât be noticed by the Nascent Soul cultivators.
A few li away, above the forest canopy, Zuo Yijian floated in mid-air. Dressed in blue robes, he was surrounded by five treasured swords that orbited him, exuding the grace of a true sword cultivator.
Facing him was a burly man in a billowing black robe. The man wielded a long staff, his thick eyebrows framing his sharp, leopard-like eyes. His square face radiated authority, and the violent aura surrounding him bent the trees below.
âZuo Yijian, why arenât you in the inner sect studying your books? Why must you stand in my way?â the black-robed man asked coldly.
Zuo Yijian remained expressionless. âChen Xuanjin, as the Outer Sect Grand Elder, you cultivate demonic arts and harm your fellow disciples. I am not blocking youâyouâve brought this upon yourself. I am here on Heavenâs behalf to put an end to you.â
Chen Xuanjin laughed dismissively, his voice dripping with contempt. âDo you not know who I serve?â
With a snort, he struck his staff against the ground. Purple light burst forth, forming a complex, mystical array over a hundred zhang wide.
As the arrayâs edge neared Zuo Yijian, it was blocked by invisible sword intent. From above, the array looked as though a section was missing.
âI know perfectly well. I canât deal with him, but I can deal with you. Killing you might not stop the next Outer Sect Grand Elder from committing evil, but at least I can protect the disciples here for now.â
Zuo Yijianâs tone remained calm, but the five swords around him unsheathed simultaneously, their radiance illuminating the night sky.
âYou want to kill me?â
Chen Xuanjin sneered, his expression twisting with rage. His aura exploded, and a fierce wind shook the forest for ten li in every direction.
Zuo Yijianâs expression shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing.
âYou, a mere Nascent Soul First Layer, think you can kill me, a Nascent Soul Ninth Layer cultivator? Zuo Yijian, do you think just because you have your masterâs backing, I wonât dare kill you?â
âYouâve chosen the path of power, yet refuse to blend in with the masses. That in itself is your greatest mistake. Saving a few mediocre outer sect disciplesâhow does that compare to saving the entire Taicang Empire? If you donât understand the weight of this choice, your life has been for naught!â
Chen Xuanjin stood tall, his oppressive aura pressing down on the sword shadows around Zuo Yijian, causing his five swords to tremble.
âIâll give you one last chance,â Chen Xuanjin said. âTurn back now, and itâs not too late. Either return to reading your
Romance of the Gods
, or die.â
As he spoke, the black staff in his hand released waves of demonic energy, coalescing into a massive black dragon that coiled around him.
Zuo Yijian took a deep breath. âSince you mentioned
Romance of the Gods
, are you familiar with the Immortal Execution Sword Array?â
Immortal Execution Sword Array!
Chen Xuanjinâs face changed drastically, his eyes wide with shock.
Even Gu An, watching from a distance, was astonished.
"One breath transforms into three pure forms; the mysteries of the gourd encompass Mount SumeruâŠ"
As Zuo Yijian recited these words, the swords around him trembled violently before scattering to form an array. A murderous aura surged skyward.
Gu An, standing beneath a tree, was stunned.
He can deduce Daoist techniques from a book?
Is he some kind of genius?
Even Chen Xuanjin was startled and immediately launched an attack.
The battle erupted instantly! The heavens quaked, the earth trembled, and the forest collapsed.
Gu An stood beneath the tree, unmoving, his eyes reflecting the glow of swords as he fixed his gaze on Zuo Yijian.
Ten breaths later, the fight was over.
Gu An exhaled in relief.
D
**n, that scared me half to death!
He had almost believed that Zuo Yijian had actually deduced the Immortal Execution Sword Array from
Romance of the Gods
. If that were true, wouldnât it mean the tales in the book were real? That would be unimaginable!
Zuo Yijian had instead used a self-created sword technique. It was indeed formidable, allowing him to hold his ground against a Nascent Soul Ninth Layer Grandmaster, but he couldnât last long.
The remaining clouds in the night sky dispersed. The once lush mountains and forests were now barren, with dust rising into the air.
Chen Xuanjin hovered mid-air, panting heavily, his face a mix of fear and relief as he looked down at the swirling dust below.
He could sense that Zuo Yijian was still alive, and his brows furrowed deeply. He hesitated.
Though he wanted nothing more than to kill Zuo Yijian, reason prevailedâslaying him would undoubtedly bring trouble.
Even as a Nascent Soul cultivator, Chen Xuanjin knew he was just a pawn in the grand schemes of the Taixuan Sect.
At that moment, the sound of something cutting through the air startled him. His eyes darted towards the source, and his pupils constricted sharply.
A cold gleam streaked across the night sky, scattering the dust and sending countless leaves whirling in its wake. It was as if an icy sword had sliced through the fabric of time itself.
Lying amidst the rubble, Zuo Yijian instinctively opened his eyes, sensing something amiss. The dust above him was swept away in an instant, revealing the night sky. In the darkness, a radiant light pierced through, brilliant and dazzling.
âIt
Zuo Yijianâs eyes widened as he witnessed the leaf surrounded by sword energy pierce through Chen Xuanjinâs chest. Blood splattered across the night sky.
In that moment, Zuo Yijian finally understood.
The Flying Leaf Sword Immortal had not struck him maliciously back then but had been guiding him. Otherwise, how could he have survived?
Now, the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal had appeared again to save him, leaving him both elated and ashamed.
Who is this senior?
...