Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

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Gu An had waited for more than half a year, passed his sixtieth birthday, and still hadn't received the seventh rank Spirit Tree from the Ji Family.

He believed that Ji Xiaoyu wouldn't deceive him, guessing that the Ji Family's procedures were a bit complicated, and that he would have to wait a bit longer.

In this respect, the Supreme Sect was better, for the Mystic Pure Tree they promised him had arrived rather quickly!

On a sweltering summer day, Gu An was sowing seeds in the Third Medicine Valley, with Gu Yu chattering ceaselessly by his side, talking about the Supreme Immortal Venerable.

This year, the plot of Supreme Immortal Venerable reached its peak, when the protagonist, Gu Yu, and the male lead, Zhou Tongyou, met, preparing to join forces to battle the evil that plagued the world, leaving countless readers hanging in suspense.

Gu An was in a good mood, because last night he spent a hundred thousand years of his life span to advance the Great Yin-Yang Transformation into the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body.

The Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body retained the previous abilities of guarding against prying and deducing cause and effect, with the added intricacy of creating avatars. He could create nine avatars and control them to fight or act.

Afterwards, he had even given it a try and used an avatar to gather herbs. Unfortunately, just like before, it did not capture any life span.

Nothing to do but carry on as before!

As Gu An sowed the seeds, he thought about what combat techniques to improve next.

Originally, he had wanted to enhance his skills once a month, but over the past year, he frequently felt the presence of Great Cultivators from the Unification Realm fighting in the North Sea Mountains, so he delayed his plans to become stronger.

Gu Yu couldn't help but look at Gu An and asked, "Hey, are you really listening?"

Without looking up, Gu An replied casually, "I'm not going to write a book the way you want, just wait and see."

"How much longer will Supreme Immortal Venerable take to write?" Gu Yu asked in a soft voice.

Within a ten-mile radius, there were only the two of them, so there was no fear of being overheard.

"It will be done soon, in just a few more years."

"What will you write next?"

"Let's talk about that later, I may not write anymore."

"Don't say that, if you stop writing, that would indeed be a great loss to the Immortal Cultivation World."

"Me stopping is actually a good thing, otherwise cultivators wouldn't cultivate properly and would just sneak away to read books all day."

"Nonsense, who reads every day? You only write a few words a year, we only read books in our spare time from cultivation."

The two began to bicker. It was only after Gu Yu pulled out the latest Supreme Secret Records that Gu An believed he wasn't slacking off reading.

Gu An stored the Supreme Secret Records in his Storage Bag, then asked, "Has anything significant happened in the Immortal Cultivation World recently?"

Gu Yu secretly scorned his behavior, then said, "Actually, yes. The Demon Path and Ephemera Sect have been battling in the North Sea Mountains for more than half a year now. Thousand-Autumn Pavilion and Wanyin Sect have been nearly decimated by the Ephemera Sect. If this continues, it won't be more than two or three years before Ephemera Sect unifies the Demon Path."

Speaking of the Ephemera Sect, his tone became excited again.

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"The Ephemera Sect will inevitably have a battle with the Supreme Sect, and this battle will unify the Immortal Cultivation World of the Taicang Dynasty. The Sect doesn't seem in a hurry at all, it seems they are confident of victory."

Hearing this, Gu An couldn't help but think of Lv Baitian's ultimate life span and harbored doubts whether he could make a successful breakthrough.

Regarding ultimate life span, Gu An was at a loss, as it was not something he could reveal to others.

Ultimate life span is like a kind of destiny, everyone who embarks on the path of Immortal Cultivation is struggling against fate, who can believe in destiny?

Gu An felt that there must be ways to break destiny, but they were very hard to find.

After chatting for another Ancient Hour, Gu Yu left, saying that recently Gu Zong had been in seclusion, apparently preparing for the battle against the Ephemera Sect. He also needed to properly cultivate and contribute to the Supreme Sect's effort when the time comes.

On the seventh day after Gu Yu left, the Elixir Hall issued orders to collect herbs from the Medicine Valleys ahead of schedule. Even the Third Medicine Valley had Cultivators from the Lv and Ji Families coming to gather a large amount of herbs—this indicated that something big was about to happen.

Gu An didn't think of an attack from the Ephemera Sect, but rather that Lv Baitian was preparing to challenge his Heavenly Destiny, to break through into the Mystic Heart Realm.

In the blink of an eye,

Autumn replaced summer.

On this day at noon, Gu An arrived at Tianya Valley and found that Li Xuandao was also there, his Cultivation Level having reached the Void Crossing Realm.

Over two hundred years old and in the Void Crossing Realm, Gu An had only seen him at this level.

This fellow was only openly displaying that he was at the first layer of the Elixir Formation Realm, quite low-key.

Both settled down at the stone table in front of the pavilion to chat, and Li Xuandao praised Gu An's outstanding planting ability, thanking the herbs cultivated by Gu An for his smooth breakthrough beyond the Core Formation Realm.

Without those herbs, Li Xuandao planned to have Yi Liuyun help him transplant a Golden Core, which, for sure, wouldn't be as strong as the Golden Core he could form by himself.

To this, Gu An could only smile and say it was all thanks to his uncle's talent.

Seeing Li Xuandao's smile, Gu An could guess that he must be very pleased, thinking that no one knew of his Void Crossing Realm Cultivation Level.

"Gu An, how is Yang Ni doing on your end?" Li Xuandao picked up the tea bowl and smiled as he asked.

"She's doing well. She has now started planting medicinal herbs, becoming a fellow cultivator in my field." Gu An replied.

"Planting medicinal herbs?"

Li Xuandao's expression turned intriguing.

Suddenly, Gu An remembered something Lv Baitian had said about how, two hundred years ago, the Ephemera Sect had controlled the Imperial Family. Could it be that Li Xuandao's cultivation technique came from the Ephemera Sect?

Zong Ying was the best proof of this, capable of concealing his own Cultivation Level so that even those of higher realms would find it hard to detect.

And then there was the Ephemera that Yang Ni planted...

Well, well!

Do I have an Ephemera Sect undercover agent by my side?

The more Gu An thought about it, the more he felt it was possible.

Li Xuandao continued, "Recently, the Immortal Cultivation World has been rather unsettled, you should be careful."

Following his lead, Gu An asked, "Is uncle referring to the Ephemera Sect?"

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"That's right."

"Uncle, as the Emperor, what do you think of the Ephemera Sect?"

Li Xuandao's face remained calm as he said, "Ambitious wolves, they bring disaster upon the common people."

Hearing this, Gu An was stunned; these words didn't sound like something a member of the Ephemera Sect would say.

Li Xuandao began to recount the past. It turned out that his father, the former Emperor, had been controlled by the Ephemera Sect, which turned the imperial court into a tool for their profiteering until their deeds were exposed. Subsequently, his father was murdered by the Ephemera Sect. He had no choice but to request the help of the Supreme Sect.

His own position as Emperor was a result of his provision of intelligence to the Supreme Sect, which then supported his ascent to the throne, as he was not the Crown Prince.

Li Xuandao's tone was filled with hostility toward the Ephemera Sect, making Gu An feel that it was likely genuine.

"I do wish to contend with the Supreme Sect, but that is just an internal imperial struggle. If the Ephemera Sect were to fight with the Supreme Sect, I would most certainly support the Supreme Sect without reservation," Li Xuandao said coldly, his eyes flashing with a murderous intent aimed at the Ephemera Sect.

Gu An asked in surprise, "With the Ephemera Sect committing such detestable acts and their headquarters remaining unknown, how could there be so many willing to join them?"

Li Xuandao replied, "Because of Ephemera, it is said that the plant can change the aptitude of Cultivators, even delay their demise. Moreover, the cultivation resources they provide to their members are indeed substantial. Thus, there are always people joining them."

"From what I currently understand, the Ephemera Sect has an extremely strong foundation, perhaps even stronger than the entire Taicang Dynasty, because we are only dealing with a branch of the Ephemera Sect."

Ephemera?

Change in aptitude?

Gu An raised an eyebrow; no wonder Yang Ni was meditating and cultivating in the Ephemera Garden.

However, he remained skeptical about the effectiveness of Ephemera. A sixth-tier medicinal plant that could defy the heavens and alter fate?

Li Xuandao continued to tell Gu An about the deeds of the Ephemera Sect from two hundred years ago. Back then, it was common for the population of an entire city to vanish, leaving behind empty cities. To this day, Li Xuandao still hadn't discovered where those people had gone, but it was certain that their fates were more grim than not.

Listening to all this, Gu An felt as though he was hearing various ghost stories, completely engrossed.

This Ephemera Sect was indeed sinister!

It was said that the members of the Ephemera Sect were not only Cultivators but also included demons and ghosts. This reminded Gu An of the Ghost Mother of Ephemera still remaining at the Heavenly Repair Platform.

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After talking for an entire Ancient Hour, Li Xuandao still had not finished, and Gu An was not yet tired of listening.

Suddenly.

A notification appeared before Gu An's eyes.

[Zhong Liang harbors hostility towards you, holding murderous intentions. Would you like to conduct a Life Span Detection on him?]

Zhong Liang?

Who is this person?

He didn't recognize him at all.

Gu An was momentarily stunned. He was typically benevolent in his interactions and rarely made enemies.

The name sounded challenging, and silently, Gu An chose 'Yes.'

[It will cost 100 years of lifespan, do you wish to proceed?]

That expensive?

Gu An couldn't help asking aloud, "Uncle, have you ever heard of Zhong Liang?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xuandao frowned deeply and said, "Has the Ephemera Sect already started to make contact with you?"

"Is this person from the Ephemera Sect?" Upon hearing that, Gu An became tense immediately and made his selection internally.

[Zhong Liang (Unification Realm Third Layer):1462/2900/3000]

Third Layer of the Unification Realm!

Gu An frowned and began to ponder how the other party could have known about him.

Was it because of Zong Ying?

No, that couldn't be, he had checked many times to make sure Zong Ying didn't carry any items allowing other Great Cultivators to send messages, and it had been half a year since Zong Ying's death.

Who could it be then?

As soon as Gu An thought that he had already attracted the attention of the Ephemera Sect, he felt an impulse to barge into their lair to silence them.

Unfortunately, the Ephemera Sect had no lair—at least not in Zong Ying's memory, as the place Zong Ying met with that mysterious shadow was always different.

"Two hundred years ago, Zhong Liang was the Sect Hierarch of the Ephemera Sect. He was gravely injured by Lv Baitian and fled. Where have you encountered him?" Li Xuandao asked with a grave voice.

Gu An shook his head and said, "Previously, outside the Outer Sect of the Supreme Sect, I met him by chance; he wanted to invite me out in search of an opportunity, which I declined. Now, having talked with uncle for so long, I suddenly remembered him, and I never imagined he really was a demon head of the Ephemera Sect."

Li Xuandao did not doubt Gu An's words but started to consider various possibilities.

Could it be that Zhong Liang had his sights set on Li Ya, or was it on him?

Li Xuandao's complexion turned somber.

The name Zhong Liang dampened the mood for both men, and no longer in the mood to chat, Gu An conducted a brief check on Tianya Valley before hurrying away.

After returning to Mystic Valley, Gu An went into the tunnel of the Eight Scenic Caves.

He wanted to look through Zong Ying's Storage Bag again, just to be safe.

As soon as he arrived, he used his Divine Sense to see a vine from the Green Vine Tree fiddling with Zong Ying's Storage Bag. He maintained his Energy Concealing state, making no noise with his footsteps, and approached quietly.

When he emerged from the tunnel, the Green Vine Tree was visibly startled, its vine withdrawing swiftly.

Gu An made his way over to it and said coldly, "Since you have developed consciousness, why hide and sneak around? Are you afraid of me? Be careful, or I'll burn you with a single fire!"

As he spoke, his right hand ignited with the Spirit Power Fire.

Due to Zhong Liang's hostility, he was in a foul mood.

Upon hearing this, the Green Vine Tree shuddered violently, with leaves falling all around. A frail female voice then said, "I... I'm not afraid of you; it's that tree I fear..."