Chapter 200: Do You Know My Cultivation Level?
Gu An suppressed his mixed emotions and asked, âThis thing completely breaks conventional norms. Are you sure you want to do it? The commotion itâll cause might be even bigger than writing a book.â
In truth,
The Secrets of Taixuan
written by Shen Zhen had always been banned by the Taixuan Sect. If she werenât the Dao Tian Sectâs Holy Maiden, Gu An suspected she wouldâve been arrested long ago.
Shen Zhen countered, âItâs not like Iâm killing or committing arson. What, is the Taixuan Sect going to throw me into prison?â
âBut youâre a woman. If this matter gets exposed, what will the world think of you? What will they think of your father? Of the Dao Tian Sect?â Gu An spoke earnestly. Shen Zhen wasnât a bad person, nor was she reckless in relationships. Every time he used his divine sense to scan the world, heâd take a glance at her. When she wasnât looking for him, she was usually cultivating in her cave dwelling or engrossed in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
Shen Zhen fixed her gaze on him and asked, âDo you not like me doing this?â
Gu An replied, âIâm just worried about you.â
Shen Zhen couldnât help but smile and then took out a new jade slip, handing it to Gu An.
Gu An hesitated for a moment before using his divine sense to probe the jade slip.
His brows immediately lifted.
It wasnât just movement illusions but an actual divine ability cultivation process. The person in the jade slip was none other than Shen Zhen, and it documented her process of cultivating divine abilities, even including her inner thoughts and mantra recitations.
After a while, Gu An withdrew his divine sense and looked at Shen Zhen.
Shen Zhen snorted. âThis is my real creation. Isnât it better for passing down knowledge?â
Gu An nodded. âItâs quite good. It gives practitioners a clearer direction during cultivation.â
With that, he placed both jade slips on the table.
Shen Zhen then started recounting her previous training experience with Lu Lingjun. They had ventured into the cave realm of an ancient grand cultivator, where countless traps awaited them. It took immense effort, but they finally obtained a great inheritance and a supreme treasure.
Gu An listened attentively, as if he were hearing a thrilling story, occasionally exclaiming in amazement, which satisfied Shen Zhenâs desire to share.
She enjoyed discussing such things with Gu An. Talking to others might get her targeted, but with Gu An, she could chat freely and even receive his praises.
A long time passed.
Shen Zhen finally stood up and said, âIâll leave this divine ability jade slip with you.â
Before Gu An could refuse, she had already headed for the door and quickly went downstairs.
Gu An looked at the jade slip on the table and had the urge to call Shen Zhen backâwhy didnât she take the other one with her?
Forget it.
Heâd keep it safe to prevent anyone from going astray.
Having memories of his past life, Gu An had long experienced the corruption of such things. His willpower in this aspect was far beyond ordinary cultivators, so he felt obligated to shield them from the spiritual harm it could bring.
Downstairs, Shen Zhen, like everyone else, couldn't resist teasing the Blood Prison Great Saint, which greatly annoyed him.
It wasnât until nightfall that Gu An finally brought the Blood Prison Great Saint back to Xuan Valley. Late at night, he quietly arrived at the Nianchu Cave Dwelling in Phoenix Mountain.
Tian Yaoâer was cultivating while two cat demons were playing around. The moment they saw Gu An appear, they immediately stopped and lay flat on the ground. Though they hadnât taken human form yet, their intelligence was high, and under Tian Yaoâerâs guidance, they held deep respect for Gu An.
Gu An nodded at them before sitting at the stone table, lost in thought about his personal cave realm.
With his current cultivation, opening an independent small world was no issue. The real challenge lay in the process of enhancing its spiritual energy.
He couldnât just create a fully formed, energy-rich realm in an instant.
Next, he planned to collect high-grade natural treasures to prepare for his cave realm. The real question was where to hide it.
Although a small world existed in a separate space, its entrance in the real world was fixed and couldnât be moved.
After much deliberation, Gu An decided to establish his realm on the continent.
This continent was vast, with relatively few immortal realms, making it the perfect place to develop at his own pace.
At that moment, Tian Yaoâer approached him and asked what he was thinking about.
Gu An didnât hide anything from herâafter all, she would be managing the realm in the future.
To harvest lifespan, he needed to personally extract it using his own mana. Puppets and clones were unreliable.
Although the clones of his
Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body
were considered avatars, they were, in reality, extensions of his mana with no independent consciousness.
Gu An had no interest in clones; he preferred experiencing life and growth firsthand.
Tian Yaoâer was secretly shocked.
Her master was already creating a personal realm?
She wondered if the Phoenix Demon Mother could even do the same.
After cultivating for so long, she wasnât naive. She was becoming more convinced that her master was stronger than the Demon Mother. He probably only claimed to be weaker to motivate her to cultivate harder.
She had no complaints about thisâher revenge was her own to take.
âHow about Phoenix Mountain?â Tian Yaoâer suggested it seriously. âItâs said that this was once a place where phoenixes lived. Every few thousand years, the earth surges with abundant spiritual energy, giving birth to countless rare treasures.â
Gu An found her reasoning logical.
He then extended his divine sense underground to establish his realm.
The entrance to the small world couldnât be too close to the Nianchu Cave Dwelling to avoid disrupting the growth of medicinal herbs. Ideally, it should be near a major spiritual vein so it could absorb underground spiritual energy.
Half an hour later, Gu An had successfully created his small world. Unlike other grand cultivators, who needed to fill the space with soil and water, he, possessing all five elemental attributes, could directly manifest them with mana. However, plants still needed to be relocated manually.
There was no rushâhe would let the realm absorb spiritual energy first.
As the Taixuan Sect welcomed the new year, festivities erupted across the cities.
Gu An rode the Blood Prison Great Saint into the Outer Sect City. Although he attracted many curious gazes along the way, no one was too surprised. These days, many disciples in the Outer Sect City rode mounts, and majestic demonic birds frequently soared overhead.
The Blood Prison Great Saint was also intrigued by the city, looking around excitedly.
âBrother Gu, long time no see.â
A light chuckle came from behind. Gu An turned his head and saw Di Xie approaching.
When Di Xie first arrived, he befriended Zuo Lin and Gu An while keeping his true identity hidden. Now, only the upper ranks of the Taixuan Sect knew that he was the son of the Demon Emperor.
Gu An dismounted, smiling as he cupped his fists in greeting.
Di Xie glanced at the Blood Prison Great Saint and remarked, âBrother Gu, your mount has an extraordinary bloodline.â
Although the beastâs cultivation was low, Di Xie could sense something unusual about itâthough he couldnât pinpoint exactly what.
Gu An chuckled. âNot bad, I like him, so I take him everywhere. Heâs just a bit slow.â
Di Xie nodded with a smile and then invited Gu An for a drink. Gu An accepted, leading the Blood Prison Great Saint alongside him.
As they walked, they chatted and laughed, their friendship deepening.
After experiencing the Demonic Cataclysm, Di Xie had come to treasure his friendships with Zuo Lin and Gu An even more.
Humans and demons didnât have to be enemies forever. Peaceful coexistence was possibleâjust like the bond between him and Gu An.
They found an inn. Gu An left the Blood Prison Great Saint at the entrance and asked the innkeeper to watch over him.
Upstairs, by the window, they took their seats.
âThe Worldâs Number One Sword Dao Tournament is about to begin. I plan to participate. You have to come watch,â Di Xie said with a grin.
Gu An immediately agreed and wished him victory.
âI also heard the sect plans to recruit demon disciples. Brother Gu, what do you think of that?â Di Xie asked curiously.
Their conversation was soon interrupted when a wealthy young master demanded to buy the Blood Prison Great Saint.
Gu An declined, but the young master scoffed, âDo you know my cultivation level?â
Di Xie stepped forward coldly. âSo what? You think being at the fifth level of the Transformation Stage makes you untouchable?â
The entire street exploded in an uproar.