Chapter 171: A Holy Land in Name, a Demon Nest in Truth

Chapter 171: A Holy Land in Name, a Demon Nest in Truth

Under the cover of night, Taixuan Sect lay in a state of peaceful serenity. Gu An’s divine sense expanded, covering the entire sect.

Every hidden space within the sect was laid bare before his eyes—every cave residence, every secluded domain that functioned like miniature realms. Some of them resembled Manifestation Caves, though far smaller than the Star-Seizing Celestial Realm.

Four Profound Mind Realm cultivators resided in Taixuan Sect!

Among them were Ancestor Xuan Quan and Lu Lingjun, alongside two Supreme Elders whom Gu An had never seen before. One of them, a woman, had a presence he vaguely remembered sensing in the Inner Sect Library Hall.

Taixuan Sect’s foundation was indeed formidable.

His gaze fell upon Lü Baitian, who was diligently cultivating in his cave.

Clearly, Lü Baitian had not given up hope—he was still striving to break through to the Profound Mind Realm.

Lü Baitian had always been kind to him.

Gu An considered secretly assisting him during his next tribulation.

Satisfied with his observations, Gu An returned to Xuan Valley.

With a single step, he arrived inside his pavilion, sat down in a chair, and stretched lazily.

Home was always the most comfortable place.

Closing his eyes, he began reflecting on the past two days—

The wonders of the Wandering Immortal Stage, the vastness of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Technique, the mystical transformations of the Mysterious Sacred Body—too much knowledge to process at once.

By the time morning arrived, Gu An descended from his pavilion, led his disciples in their morning training, then returned to his quarters.

His disciples hadn’t noticed any changes in him—the gap between their cultivation levels was simply too vast.

The commotion in the ocean had not reached the continent. Over the next three days, Gu An no longer sensed Nirvana Stage or Scattered Immortal divine senses sweeping across the land, which brought him relief. 𝙧𝘈ＮỘβΕʂ

On the third day, Gu An resumed harvesting medicinal herbs.

His remaining lifespan was 1.4 million years, and just maintaining the Lifespan Barrier had already cost him hundreds of thousands of years.

Thinking ahead to the next Lifespan Function unlock, he would need to accumulate one hundred million years—just the thought made his scalp tingle.

One hundred million years of lifespan…

This wouldn’t be achieved in a mere twenty or thirty years.

At his current average yearly lifespan income of 200,000 years, it would take him five hundred years to accumulate that amount.

He needed to work harder—to increase his yearly lifespan income.

His morning was spent at the Third Medicine Valley, his afternoon at Horizon Valley, and by dusk, he arrived in the Demonic Lands to meet Ji Xuanyu.

Deep within an underground cave, Ji Xuanyu, clad in black robes, sat in meditation.

Her spiritual energy had recovered by thirty percent, aided by the Spiritual Energy Pills she had consumed.

Gu An appeared out of thin air, standing ten steps away, unnoticed by Ji Xuanyu.

He observed her quietly for a moment before speaking:

“There’s a powerful force inside you. When your spiritual energy is exhausted, this force helps restore your cultivation instead of weakening you.”

Ji Xuanyu’s eyes snapped open.

Recognizing his voice, she quickly stood and saluted him with cupped fists.

Gu An’s tone was calm. “I have ties to the Ji Family. I want to teach you a divine ability. Would you like to learn?”

His offer was to pass on the Dao Gang Vital Energy, which had evolved from the Heaven and Earth Dao Gang.

This power had originally belonged to Ji Xuanyu, stolen by Jiang Qiong. By returning it to her, Gu An considered this a repayment for the kindness she had shown him long ago.

Ji Xuanyu hesitated for a moment before asking, “May I ask, senior… what divine ability is this?”

“Dao Gang Vital Energy. Have you heard of it?”

Her expression shifted—her eyes filled with shock and doubt.

Gu An’s voice was soft. “It seems you have.”

Behind her mask, Ji Xuanyu’s heart trembled. She forced herself to stay composed and frowned.

“Senior, who exactly are you? Dao Gang Vital Energy is a lost technique of the Ji Family. There is no existing inheritance of it. Before one can even cultivate Dao Gang Vital Energy, they must first master the Heaven and Earth Tyrant Body—and anyone who achieves that is eligible to be recorded in the Ji Family’s main lineage.”

“You don’t need to know who I am,” Gu An replied indifferently. “You only need to answer: do you want to learn?”

“Then I humbly ask for your guidance!” Ji Xuanyu answered without hesitation.

Gu An flicked his sleeve.

A gentle breeze swept toward Ji Xuanyu.

Before she could react, she was frozen in place, her pupils reflecting an illusionary figure demonstrating various techniques.

While Ji Xuanyu was entranced, Gu An studied her closely.

He was also curious about her.

Besides possessing the Innate Dao Rune, Ji Xuanyu seemed to have other secrets as well.

There was a certain steadiness about her—even in his presence, she showed no signs of losing composure.

Gu An recalled the first time he had seen Ji Xuanyu as a child.

Even back then, at just a few years old, she had seemed different from her peers—so much so that he had once wondered if she had been possessed by an ancient soul.

An hour later, Ji Xuanyu’s eyes cleared.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to face Gu An, her voice steady.

“Thank you for your guidance, senior. How can I repay you?”

She was certain—what she had just received was the real Dao Gang Vital Energy!

It shared many commonalities with her Heaven and Earth Dao Gang, and she could already see how it might evolve.

The man before her was beyond extraordinary.

Perhaps the most powerful person she had ever encountered.

Gu An spoke casually. “I ask for nothing in return. Since you bear the surname Ji, tell me—what do you think of the Seven Star Spirit Realm?”

Truthfully, Ji Xuanyu was more important to him than the Ji Family itself.

Although the Ji Family had raised him, they had also tried to cut off his hand in the past.

It was Ji Xuanyu who had spoken up to save him.

It was her idea for him to join Taixuan Sect, not the Ji Family’s.

And over the years, the medicinal herbs he had contributed had already repaid their kindness.

This time, saving Ji Xuanyu was simply repaying his personal debt to her.

Now that the Ji Family was about to withdraw from Taixuan Sect, they would no longer have any ties to him.

From now on, the Ji Family would be strangers.

Ji Xuanyu lifted her gaze, meeting his eyes.

Her voice was calm and cold.

“A holy land in name—a demon nest in truth.”

Gu An was surprised—he hadn’t expected her to see through it so clearly.

She continued, “It seems you, too, have your doubts about the Seven Star Spirit Realm. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked me. Perhaps we stand on the same side.”

“Oh? And why should we stand together?” Gu An asked, his tone laced with intrigue.

Ji Xuanyu replied bluntly, “I want to destroy the Seven Star Spirit Realm.”

“My power is too weak alone, so I hope you will help me.”

From that moment, a new alliance was forged.

One that would one day shake the foundations of the so-called Holy Land.