Chapter 368: Eliminate the Backers

"I'm at the Void Transformation Stage now—they won't be able to detect me!"

Hao Long said smugly. Though he was over three hundred years old, his voice still carried a youthful tone, sounding more like a teenager.

Gu An didn’t argue. He also didn’t mention someone was currently infiltrating the Eight Views Celestial Realm. Instead, he glanced at Hao Long and asked, “How are things at the Gu Hao Sect? If you want to come back, I can speak to the Taixuan Sect about it.”

With the current power of the Taixuan Sect, it wouldn’t be hard to reclaim the sacred beast of the Gu Hao Sect.

Hao Long replied, “It’s fine. I won’t come back. The Taixuan Sect is way stronger than the Gu Hao Sect now. If I return, I’ll definitely lose the status I had before.”

Gu An smiled and silently thought, What a dumb dragon.

Then stay put at the Gu Hao Sect.

He wasn’t about to reveal his true strength to Hao Long. That was just how he treated his disciples—only those who sincerely and willingly stayed by his side would receive his focused guidance.

Just then, footsteps echoed from the cave entrance in the distance, making Gu An and Hao Long both turn their heads sharply.

A figure stepped into view from the entrance. It was a man in black, with striking features and a folding fan in hand. A palm-sized black spider perched on his shoulder.

He looked toward Gu An and Hao Long from afar with a mocking smile. Then his gaze shifted to the Spirit Tree, and a glint of greed flickered in his eyes.

Although Gu An had already seen through his cultivation, he still cast Lifespan Perception toward him out of habit.

【Zhui Mo (Profound Mind Realm, Second Layer): 2107/4600/7500】

Over two thousand years old—what an old freak!

Gu An was intrigued by what this guy would do next, though he kept a wary expression on his face.

"You... how..." Hao Long’s eyes widened in shock.

Through Karma and Destiny perception, Gu An saw Hao Long’s past interaction with Zhui Mo. Back then, Zhui Mo had concealed his identity, infiltrated the Gu Hao Sect, and even visited Hao Long—posing as someone at the Nascent Soul Stage and treating him with extreme respect.

Zhui Mo sneered, “If I hadn’t helped you, you think you’d have made it here?”

He stepped forward, releasing the pressure of the Profound Mind Realm, which immediately forced Hao Long to reveal his true form and block in front of Gu An.

“You’re no match for me. And if you fight, this place gets exposed.”

Zhui Mo’s voice was icy as his eyes fixed greedily on the Spirit Tree, glowing brighter by the second.

“Who the h**l are you? How can you have this kind of cultivation?” Hao Long gritted his teeth.

There was an entire Integration Stage gap between the Void Transformation and Profound Mind Realm, and the pressure from Zhui Mo was immense.

Gu An began probing deeper into Zhui Mo’s karma.

Zhui Mo had quite the background—his Grandmaster was at the Grand Ascension Stage, though seriously wounded and currently hiding in a mountain cave. His master hailed from a demonic sect on the sea, where the strongest expert had reached the Scattered Immortal Stage—Zhui Mo’s master’s master.

That Scattered Immortal had defected from an ancient clan, but his elder brother still remained there, and the two shared a close bond. Whenever that traitorous master encountered trouble, he’d seek his brother’s help.

That ancient clan’s top cultivator had even reached the Celestial Ascension Stage, and interestingly, their fate was connected to a Great Realm Gu An had glimpsed during his previous breakthrough.

In other words, the clan's origins lay beyond this realm.

Gu An wasn’t particularly concerned—that Great Realm wasn’t any stronger than the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm, and it was far away.

Still, he had to admit: Zhui Mo’s karmic ties were messy.

Becoming enemies with him meant you’d be dragged into a chain of karmic vengeance—beat the disciple, then the master, then the grandmaster…

Before long, Zhui Mo stopped in front of Hao Long and said, “Bow down. Submit to me. That’s your only path to survival.”

His tone was domineering, leaving no room for argument.

Gu An took a few steps to the side, allowing Zhui Mo to see him clearly. Twirling the Fate-Fixing Brush in his hand, he smiled faintly and asked, “What about me? Do I get a path to survival?”

Zhui Mo turned to Gu An, and that grin triggered his irritation. He could feel the provocation.

【Zhui Mo has developed hostility toward you and wants to kill you. Do you want to perform Lifespan Perception?】

Gu An couldn’t help but chuckle at the system message.

The motion made Zhui Mo’s eyes narrow dangerously. He said in a cold, threatening tone, “You? Of course you die. I’ll feed you to the Spirit Tree.”

Gu An asked, “Oh? And how do you know the Spirit Tree eats flesh? What’s your connection to the Qianqiu Pavilion?”

He already knew the answers—just asking out of boredom.

Suddenly, Zhui Mo transformed into a cloud of demonic energy, startling Hao Long, who whipped around just in time to see him reappear beside Gu An.

Zhui Mo’s eyes widened in disbelief as his right palm was stopped by the Fate-Fixing Brush. His arm trembled.

He couldn’t strike Gu An, nor could he retreat. An invisible force pinned him in place.

“You… How is this possible… Who the h**l are you?” Zhui Mo’s voice quivered, fear written all over his face.

Gu An looked down at him and asked, “I can’t offer you a way out. Got any last words?”

Zhui Mo was frozen with dread.

“If you dare kill me, my master won’t let you go!” he growled.

Gu An tilted his head curiously. “Your master’s just a Grand Ascension cultivator, and seriously injured at that. How exactly will he ‘not let me go’?”

Zhui Mo’s pupils quivered violently. A wave of fear and despair crashed over him.

As if recalling something urgent, he blurted, “My master is from an Immortal Dao Sect… Let me go. Just drop this, and it’s over.”

【Zhui Mo’s hostility has intensified. He now hates you to the bone. Do you want to perform Lifespan Perception?】

His hostility’s gone up again!

Gu An didn’t react—he had no intention of sparing Zhui Mo from the beginning.

Well then, might as well erase a few more lives.

Gu An raised his hand, and a terrifying pressure forced Zhui Mo to his knees with a thud.

Hao Long stood there, jaw dropped, blankly staring at Gu An.

An old memory floated up in his mind.

Gu An stood just like this, holding the Fate-Fixing Brush, waving it through the air. As the brush moved, a glowing golden character formed, floating midair.

The golden light reflected on Zhui Mo’s face, draining it of all color.

Calmly, Gu An wrote the character for "Death."

As the final stroke landed, a sharp jolt struck Zhui Mo’s heart. He looked at Gu An in terror and grit his teeth, “What did you do to me?!”

【You have successfully seized 67 years of lifespan from Lingchuan Zhenren (Grand Ascension Stage, Ninth Level)】

【You have successfully seized 380 years of lifespan from Zhang Lu (Scattered Immortal Stage, Fourth Level)】

【You have successfully seized 512 years of lifespan from Xu Tianxing (Scattered Immortal Stage, Seventh Level)】

…

One notification after another popped up before Gu An’s eyes. He glanced at Zhui Mo and said blandly, “I didn’t do anything to you. I just erased every ‘backer’ you might’ve called for help.”

Zhui Mo’s eyes went wide. He nearly howled, “Are you f***ing kidding me—?!”

Before he could finish, an unspeakable dread flooded his heart. He suddenly felt like the entire world had abandoned him. A panic like never before gripped him, indescribable and suffocating.