Chapter 342: Sheltering the Wind and Rain, Destroying the Demons

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, Long Qing was already five years old.

Gu An stood by the window, watching Long Qing ride the Blood Prison Grand Sage as they chased after a White Spirit Mouse, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

Days like this were pretty great.

Unfortunately, the peace was about to be broken.

Gu An could sense that the deep crimson coffin was beginning to tremble, alarming the surrounding sects into forming their defensive formations.

The Dark War Emperor was about to awaken!

The Dark War Emperor had inherited the War Court’s legacy, yet now sought to kill the descendants of its creator—something that sparked many doubts in Gu An’s mind.

Either way, he didn’t have a good impression of the Dark War Emperor. The guy had slaughtered countless beings the moment he arrived. If he dared to show up in the Taicang Continent, Gu An wouldn’t show any mercy.

With the name of the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path growing louder by the day, even the Holy Court wouldn’t easily make a move against him.

Lately, the Great Ming Saint King had been staying quiet too, as if he had let go of past grudges and didn’t dare to scheme against Gu An anymore.

After watching the distant horizon for a while, Gu An went downstairs.

Just as he descended the stairs, he saw streaks of blood-red light flash across the firmament—chilling and ominous.

The disciples in the valley noticed the strange phenomenon as well and began discussing it among themselves. But none of them were panicked. In their minds, the Taixuan Sect was the safest place in the world.

Ji Xuanyu walked up beside Gu An and whispered, “I’ve seen this scene before… in a dream.”

Gu An wasn’t surprised. After all, the Dao Emperor of Reincarnation had been to the Desolation Domain.

Following her lead, Gu An asked, “What does it mean? What’s going to happen?”

Ji Xuanyu looked up at the firmament. “I’m not sure either, but whenever a phenomenon like this appears, it heralds a massacre.”

Gu An shuddered and asked nervously, “Don’t tell me it’s another cataclysm? I’ve only lived a little over three hundred years, and I’ve already been through several once-in-ten-thousand-year calamities. Is the heavens targeting me?”

Ji Xuanyu glanced at him. “What calamities have you been through? I haven’t even seen you fight. You’ve got the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path and the Taixuan Sect shielding you from the storms. What are you afraid of? All you need to do is watch from the sidelines.”

Heh. Who’s shielding who, really?

If I told you the truth, it’d scare you to death.

That’s what Gu An thought to himself, but out loud, he let out a breath of relief, patted his chest, and said, “You’re right. What am I scared of? If immortals want to fight, what’s it got to do with us mortals?”

Ji Xuanyu was amused by his antics and chuckled. “I could teach you some spells. Interested?”

“Nah, you know I’m not into spell duels.”

“Really? Then why are you always sparring with the disciples?”

“That’s teaching, okay? A high-realm cultivator fighting someone lower won’t be in any danger.”

“You better be careful—one day you might run into a peerless genius and end up embarrassed.”

“A peerless genius coming to Medicine Valley? Please.”

“Didn’t Yang Jian come?”

“Yeah, but his cultivation speed isn’t even that fast.”

As they continued bickering, Ji Xuanyu’s inner worry gradually eased. She had brought up the strange phenomenon because she was unsettled and needed to talk it out.

Every time she talked to Gu An, she felt more at ease.

Just as the two were chatting and laughing, a terrifying wave of demonic energy suddenly erupted from the other side of the world. It came from the base of the deep crimson coffin that had arrived from beyond the heavens.

The coffin stood upright, trembling violently. Around the massive crater it had created, a formation had already been activated, forming a semi-transparent barrier to seal it off.

Even with the barrier in place, the cultivators outside were all overwhelmed with fear.

The weakest among them were Scattered Immortals, yet even they felt as though a disaster was looming. Many desperately wanted to flee the scene.

Crack—

The coffin lid suddenly opened, and a pale, decaying hand reached out, gripping the edge.

Bang! The lid flew off, and a wave of black mist surged out, rapidly spreading into a thick fog.

From within the mist came the sound of heavy breathing—so intense that most of the cultivators felt their scalps go numb.

“Is this the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm?”

A raspy voice rang out, each word pounding like a heavy hammer on everyone’s chest.

A white-robed man from the Holy Court spoke up. “Yes. Please purge the Heavenly Demons of this realm and spare the innocent!”

His voice was loud and clear, echoing across the land.

All the sects were shocked—the Holy King of the Holy Court actually knew the evil entity inside the coffin?

Purge the Heavenly Demons?

Many cultivators started looking uneasy, especially those from Mortal Peak, where Heaven Demons had once caused havoc. They feared the Holy Court would use this as an excuse to suppress them.

The Holy Court always acted in the name of the common people. Anyone or any force labeled an enemy of the people would face their merciless wrath.

“Purge the Heavenly Demons? Heh…”

The raspy voice spoke again, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.

BOOM!

An overwhelming force burst out from the crater, shattering the formation and blasting the surrounding cultivators in all directions.

The white-robed man floated mid-air, unmoving. Cultivators of the Free Soaring Immortal Stage resisted with mana, while those further away, at the Celestial Ascension Stage, held their ground. But the weakest Scattered Immortals were flung right off the continent.

“To help you deal with the Heavenly Demons, this emperor must feast well.”

The voice was laced with killing intent.

The white-robed man remained expressionless. The major sect grandmasters were all shaken and turned to him, eager to see the Holy Court’s stance.

After a long silence, the man uttered just one word:

“Agreed.”

That single word made all the grandmasters’ faces change dramatically. They stared at him in disbelief.

Taixuan Sect, Third Medicine Valley

“So damn terrifying,” Gu An thought, sensing the Dark War Emperor’s presence.

The Dark War Emperor had already reached the aura of a Dao-Void Celestial Immortal. The entire Heavenly Spirit Great Realm could feel his oppressive might.

The Immortal Dynasty and the Holy Court didn’t react, but the other sects across the world were clearly rattled. Many had already activated their grand formations and were preparing for the worst.

Gu An turned his gaze to Seeker’s Island, which was already forming a formation in response.

“This aura…”

Beside him, Ji Xuanyu furrowed her brows, visible worry on her face.

Gu An didn’t speak. He instead walked toward Long Qing.

The sudden oppressive aura had scared Long Qing into tears. No matter how You Yingying tried to comfort him, it didn’t work.

Under a tree, Shen Xinzi closed his book and looked toward the sky. The blood-red light overhead filled his heart with unease.

He had a gut feeling that catastrophe was coming.

“What in the world is that…” Shen Xinzi muttered, frowning.

Just as Gu An reached Long Qing, he felt the Dark War Emperor’s presence shift to another location. In that instant, all the vitality in that region was wiped clean.

The emperor’s aura grew stronger—not by much, but still enough to make Gu An scowl.

What infuriated him the most was that the Holy Court let him run wild.

Gu An was deeply disappointed in the Holy Court!

“Master!”

As soon as Long Qing saw him, he threw himself into Gu An’s arms.

Gu An patted his back and picked him up, gently comforting, “Don’t be scared. Master’s here.”

For some reason, You Yingying’s anxiety also eased the moment Gu An approached. She instinctively moved closer to him.

Gu An glanced at her pale face and asked, “Are you okay?”

You Yingying clutched his sleeve with both hands and shook her head slightly.

At that moment, Gu An sensed a large number of presences entering the Taicang Continent. Their cultivation levels varied, the strongest only at the Profound Mind Realm.

Cultivators like that wouldn’t usually catch his attention—but under these circumstances? The timing couldn’t be worse.