Chapter 321: Evil Tree

Chapter 321 Evil Tree

The events within the Severed Sea Rift didn’t spread. Just like that, a Mystic Celestial Immortal vanished without a trace.

Since then, Gu An clearly noticed a sharp decline in people trying to inquire about the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path. It seemed the main city of the Severed Sea Region had already made its choice.

If the Holy Court really wasn’t scheming against him anymore, Gu An naturally had no interest in picking a fight either.

Peaceful coexistence was exactly what he wanted!

The Severed Sea Region entered a time of peace. Across the land, prodigies and powerhouses kept emerging, while Gu An stayed hidden within the Taixuan Sect, quietly watching the world shift and stir.

Time flew by.

Fifty years passed in a blink.

Gu An returned to the Third Medicine Valley. As he looked over his attribute panel, a smile bloomed across his face.

【Name: Gu An】

【Lifespan: 293 / 470,569,402】

...

The harvest from today’s trip to the Hidden Realm had granted him nearly forty million years of lifespan in one go!

It felt f***ing amazing!

This was the first large-scale harvest of herbs from the Hidden Realm. Every year, he’d plant high-grade herbs there—his future lifespan gains would only grow.

In the past fifty years, the Taixuan Sect had thrived. On paper, it was now one of the top sects across the continent, second only to the Seven Stars Sacred Realm.

Most of the errand disciples in the Third Medicine Valley had already been replaced. Some left, others came. The scenery of the valley, however, remained exactly as it was fifty years ago.

As he walked along, Gu An kept greeting the disciples.

Watching him, Ji Xuanyu—standing in front of the pavilion—felt a bit dazed.

She’d been away for decades, yet the Medicine Valley still looked the same. How could she not feel sentimental?

Gu An made his way to the pavilion and looked her up and down, smiling. “Long time no see. Your presence is even more commanding now.”

Ji Xuanyu was dressed in flowing green robes. Her elegance remained unchanged, and the dress-like robes fluttered in the wind, resembling drifting clouds.

She stared at Gu An and said, “So many years have passed, and you’re still in the Core Formation Stage, while I’ve already reached the Transformation Stage. Don’t you regret it?”

Regret?

Not a chance!

Going out with you always meant getting into trouble!

Gu An grumbled silently. Over the years, he had often used divine sense to check in on Ji Xuanyu. He’d even intervened a few times, helping her narrowly avoid danger. He knew exactly what she’d been through.

“Not at all. I’ve been doing pretty well these years. As for cultivation, I’ll get there eventually. I’ll form a Nascent Soul sooner or later,” Gu An said with casual ease.

Ji Xuanyu stared at him closely. After confirming he wasn’t lying, a smile appeared on her face.

What she admired most about Gu An was his temperament—never angry, never jealous. He always seemed to be smiling.

“Wanna go upstairs and chat?” Gu An asked with a grin. He knew she had a lot to say.

To Gu An, the places Ji Xuanyu had journeyed through these years were no more than a few steps away. But to her, those decades had been long and arduous. He’d even overheard her whispering to herself by the campfire once or twice.

As for the mysterious figure stalking Ji Xuanyu—Qie Wuxing—they’d never shown themselves. They had simply protected her from the shadows for a while.

Upstairs, Ji Xuanyu began to recount her experiences. The stories were rich and varied—slaying demons, heart-pounding adventures, even encounters with past grudges.

Gu An listened intently, occasionally chiming in, which only made Ji Xuanyu even more eager to talk.

Over an hour later, she finally finished.

Gu An remarked, “That was thrilling. Just like something out of a storybook.”

Ji Xuanyu smiled. “I received a legacy from a past life. It wasn’t a wasted journey. But I still don’t know how far I can go.”

Probably the Second Realm of the Immortal Path.

Gu An had seen the secret realm himself. It had been crafted by a Scattered Immortal, which meant Ji Xuanyu’s past life had reached that level at most.

For her current self, Scattered Immortal was incredibly powerful—out of reach, even.

“What’s your plan now?” Gu An asked with a smile.

“I’ll spend a few decades consolidating before heading out again,” she replied.

“The Heavenly Rankings Tournament is about to start. Might as well enjoy the show. The Taixuan Sect isn’t what it used to be. This tournament’s gonna be lively. Word is, a few Scattered Immortals joined the sect a couple years ago. Ever heard of them?” Gu An’s eyes lit up as he spoke.

Ji Xuanyu watched him, lips curling slightly.

This guy still loved a good spectacle.

As Gu An continued chatting about the tournament highlights, the sounds of insects and voices floated through the window. Ji Xuanyu’s heart gradually settled into a calm state.

After all the storms she’d weathered out there, this peaceful atmosphere—without stress or worry—was comforting.

After spending the afternoon with Ji Xuanyu, Gu An finally left the Third Medicine Valley and headed for the Eight Views Celestial Realm beneath Xuan Valley.

There, he approached the Spirit Tree. A massive cauldron stood nearby, surrounded by various tools.

For the past thirty years, he had been studying artifact forging. He didn’t aim to craft world-shaking treasures—he just hoped to find enlightenment through the process.

The magical artifacts he could forge now were more than enough to spark competition within the Taixuan Sect, but he didn’t hand them over. Instead, he sent them to Seeker’s Island to be sold. The spirit stones he earned went into buying seeds and forging materials.

With his Divine Soul Immortal cultivation, forging Immortal Treasures wasn’t hard. But crafting a Supreme Immortal Treasure was still out of reach.

Such treasures were the crystallized path of powerhouses standing atop the Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Path.

In the vast Heavenly Spirit Great Realm, factions possessing Supreme Immortal Treasures were all regional overlords. And those who could fully wield them? Rare. Gu An had never met one.

Long Zhan had one. When he reached the Ninth Heaven, that one treasure alone could suppress an entire universe—overwhelmingly powerful.

Just as Gu An approached the cauldron, flames erupted from beneath and from the nearby tools.

Two vines extended from behind, gently massaging his shoulders.

“Master, are you really going to ignore that guy?” asked the Spirit Tree, still using Jiang Qiong’s voice, but sounding softer.

Gu An replied, “It’s fine. He’s not getting in here.”

Because of the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path, the Taixuan Sect’s reputation far outstripped its actual strength. This year’s Heavenly Rankings Tournament had attracted a flood of overseas cultivators and demons.

One of them had an aura that scared the Spirit Tree. Gu An had already located it.

It was a transformed tree demon at the Roving Immortal stage. He was concealing his cultivation and posing as a Grand Ascension cultivator to join the tournament.

A single Roving Immortal posed no threat to Gu An, so he wasn’t worried.

What did concern him was another person—someone from the Immortal Spirit Dynasty, also here at the Taixuan Sect. This person was a Free Soaring Immortal, also hiding his cultivation and pretending to be an ordinary Scattered Immortal.

Even just at the Scattered Immortal level, he’d be treated as an honored guest.

Gu An was curious what the Immortal Spirit Dynasty was really after.

This year’s tournament was shaping up to be a wild one.

“Master, can you subdue him?” the Spirit Tree asked nervously.

Gu An figured it was just worried, so he nodded.

The vines on his shoulders suddenly trembled. Then the Spirit Tree spoke again:

“Then can you catch him for me… so I can eat him?”

Gu An froze and turned to stare at the Spirit Tree in shock. Weren’t you just scared to death a moment ago, and now you wanna eat him?

He almost forgot—the Spirit Tree came from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion. That was a demonic sect. So naturally, it might just be an evil tree.

“Don’t get any funny ideas. Or I’ll eat you first!” Gu An scolded.

The Spirit Tree had always liked lamb. If he didn’t keep its bloodthirst in check, Gu An feared it might harm his disciples.

He only kept it around for the Spirit Tree Fruits. At this point, the tree wasn’t something he couldn’t live without.

Sensing Gu An’s displeasure, the Spirit Tree fell silent. The vines on his shoulders started moving much more cautiously.

The next day at noon, Gu An rode the Blood Prison Grand Sage into the Outer Sect City.

The city was packed—so crowded even the sky was full of cultivators and demons flying back and forth.

Fifty years had passed, and Gu An now had far more familiar faces in the city. Everywhere he went, people greeted him warmly.

He even bumped into Zuo Lin, the son of Zuo Yijian, who also happened to be Li Ya’s childhood friend. Unlike his father, Zuo Lin didn’t follow the path of sword cultivation—he was a true genius in his own right.

Zuo Lin had now completely given up the sword and gained fame for his talents.

The two saw each other every year and were close friends. As usual, Zuo Lin started complaining about his father.

It was nothing new—once again, it had to do with the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path. Zuo Yijian had offended a Grandmaster Cultivator in his zeal.

Day and night, he stood guard in front of the Heaven-Splitting Axe, and as a result, the Zuo family had been targeted often—investigated, infiltrated. Fortunately, with the Sword Sovereign’s protection, no one dared act recklessly. But the Zuo family still lived in fear, dreading sudden disaster.

Gu An began wondering if he should give Zuo Yijian a word of advice. Truth be told, he had always noticed Zuo Yijian’s unwavering faith—it was genuine, almost fanatical.

Yeah, he thought, I should find time to point him in the right direction. Can’t let all his devotion go to waste.

After chatting for a bit, the two parted ways. Gu An sent a divine thought to the Blood Prison Grand Sage, and the mount changed direction.

The crowd was thick, and both sides of the road were lined with noisy street vendors. Sitting atop the Blood Prison Grand Sage, Gu An scanned his surroundings with curious eyes, soaking in every detail.

It felt like being at a bustling market.

Unlike other events, the Heavenly Rankings Tournament only took place once every hundred years. It was the most prestigious event on the Taixuan Sect calendar—and even across the entire Taicang Continent. The liveliness here was unmatched. With countless sects gathering, new trends and items were everywhere.

After about the time it took an incense stick to burn, the Blood Prison Grand Sage stopped in front of a pavilion. Gu An dismounted and stepped into the building—Treasure Pavilion.

The main hall was filled with dazzling treasure racks, but Gu An’s gaze was fixed on one person.

【Zhang Xianwang (Free Soaring Immortal, Seventh Level): 359,098 / 700,000 / 2,500,000】

Two and a half million years—that was his lifespan cap!

Gu An estimated that Zhang Xianwang had the potential to reach the Dao-Void Celestial Immortal Realm.

This man was the Free Soaring Immortal from the Immortal Spirit Dynasty. He was standing in front of a display rack, toying with a broken flute in his hand.

Gu An walked forward, passing behind him.

Zhang Xianwang didn’t react. The two now stood side-by-side, browsing the same row of treasure racks.

After a while, Zhang Xianwang glanced at Gu An, and with just that one look, his brows rose slightly.

“Young man, that golden mark on your forehead—where did you get it?” he asked with a gentle tone, not at all carrying the pressure of a high-level cultivator.

Gu An touched his forehead and grinned. “One night, I woke up and it was just there. Why? Fellow Daoist—do you recognize it?”