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

"What tree?"

Gu An asked while looking at the Green Vine Tree, which was nearly three hundred years old. The tree's ability to speak did not surprise him.

The voice of the Green Vine Tree sounded somewhat similar to Jiang Qiong's, probably because it often heard Jiang Qiong speak while it was nurturing its spiritual consciousness.

"I'm not sure... but I can feel it, it's going to eat me..."

The Green Vine Tree's voice rang out again, causing Gu An to frown.

The first thing that came to Gu An's mind was the Human-Faced Tree. That thing also came from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion and was particularly sinister, but its grade and rank were lower than the Green Vine Tree's, so why would it strike such fear into the Green Vine Tree?

"Where is it?" Gu An pressed on.

"I don't know..."

"Is it close to you?"

"Very far, very far..."

Hearing this response, Gu An could rule out the Human-Faced Tree.

Could it be related to the Ephemera Sect?

Could the vanished townspeople have been consumed by some evil tree of the Ephemera Sect?

The more Gu An thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

And when he thought of Zhong Liang having set his sights on him, he felt extremely uneasy.

He wasn't afraid of Zhong Liang, he was afraid that someone would discover he was hiding his cultivation level.

No!

He couldn't just wait for doom!

Gu An's eyes hardened, and he unleashed a terrifying divine sense of the Mahayana Realm, directly enveloping the Taicang Dynasty.

The Taicang Dynasty was vast, but not too vast for a Mahayana cultivator's divine sense!

He began a carpet-search for Zhong Liang, determined to root him out, even if he had to dig three feet into the ground!

One would never know without searching, but the search was startling. There were so many cultivators in the Taicang Dynasty that Gu An felt like he was sifting sand in a big wave.

Gu An did not retreat in face of difficulties. Disbelieving in curses, he vowed to find the enemy lurking in the shadows.

...

In a dim underground chamber, Su Han, shirtless, was seated in meditation inside a Cold Pool. The water exuded a cold qi, and beside him stood a white jade long sword that looked like it was made of bones, with blood swirling around the blade, ghastly and ominous.

A look of pain crossed Su Han's face as he clenched his teeth and endured.

A little while later.

Suddenly, he heard wailing from afar, which prompted him to open his eyes. Turning to the figure seated in meditation in front of the cavern wall, he asked, "Master, what was that sound just now?"

Zhong Liang, with his eyes closed, said indifferently, "Don't bother with them. They are just a bunch of pitiful creatures begging for mercy from the heavens. Whether they live or die has nothing to do with you."

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His white hair hung loosely, he wore a broad Daoist robe, his face was square and stern, and his brows conveyed a sense of oppression. Perpetual frowning seemed to have embedded a third eye at the center of his forehead.

Listening to those wails, Su Han couldn't calm his heart.

"Don't forget the purpose of joining the sect, and why you picked up my sword," Zhong Liang's voice rose again, tinged with impatience.

Su Han took a deep breath and closed his eyes again.

As soon as he closed his eyes, Zhong Liang opened his, his gaze fixed on him, a cold light flickering in his eyes.

"This boy's hatred is not yet deep enough. I'll have to think of a way to capture his master and use him to provoke the boy," Zhong Liang thought.

Suddenly.

Zhong Liang's heart trembled, and for a moment, he experienced a terrifying sensation that made him frown.

"What's going on? Is it an illusion?"

Filled with unease, Zhong Liang spread his divine sense but did not detect any enemies.

Elsewhere.

Within the Eight Scenic Caves.

Gu An's eyes suddenly shifted.

Found it!

Gu An had combed through the Taicang Dynasty without finding the Ephemera Sect's base. Then it occurred to him to check underground, so he searched again for areas with unusual spiritual energy, and then he found Su Han.

Next to Su Han sat a Unification Realm cultivator, and a few miles away, in a vast underground space, there was a huge Spirit Tree. Upon first laying eyes on that tree, Gu An was certain it was the being the Green Vine Tree feared.

This must be the Ephemera Sect's base. It didn't look like anything good was happening here. Kill them all, then chase down Zhong Liang!

He wouldn't be able to rest easy until Zhong Liang was dead!

Gu An turned back to look at the Green Vine Tree and said, "In the future, if you're afraid of something, or if you sense anything unusual nearby, let me know immediately. I won't let you be at a disadvantage."

The body of the Green Vine Tree twisted, and it spoke in a timid voice, "Yes, Master."

Gu An then stepped away.

Even in the presence of the Green Vine Tree, he did not reveal his true strength. It was always good to keep an ace up his sleeve.

After leaving the Eight Scenic Caves, Gu An entered the woods and, with his feet performing the Limitless Freedom Step, he vanished into thin air.

...

In the underground chamber, Zhong Liang's brows were tightly furrowed. His divine sense had swept around several times without detecting any anomalies, but he didn't believe it was his imagination.

At that moment, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

His complexion drastically changed, and instinctively, he tried to leap away, but to his horror, he found he couldn't break free.

In that instant, he felt the same as Zong Ying had before.

Incredulous!

Terrified!

Despair!

He was a cultivator of the third layer of the Unification Realm, yet he was pinned down by a single hand, unable to move.

Zhong Liang cast a sidelong glance and saw a figure shrouded in Demonic Qi standing beside him.

The one approaching was none other than Gu An, who had employed the extreme Yin Yang body. His figure was enveloped in a purple-black Demonic Qi, preventing Zhong Liang from seeing his true face.

There were over a hundred various formations and restrictions in this stronghold, but Gu An, relying on the extreme Yin Yang body and the Limitless Freedom Step, entered as if into a realm without people, stepping in without causing any disturbance. The surveillance formations also failed to detect any invasion.

Gu An pressed one hand against Zhong Liang, his gaze turning towards Su Han.

Su Han's cultivation level had already reached the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, but his maximum life span had not increased and remained at one hundred and ninety-nine years.

The life span of a normal cultivator at the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm was definitely over two hundred years. It seemed that the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword indeed had the potential to exceed limits, but it still could not break the restrictions of one's Heavenly Destiny.

No wonder those who cultivated the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword, even if they advanced rapidly in cultivation, were more prone to deviation as they progressed.

Su Han had not sensed Gu An's arrival, as he was engrossed in his cultivation.

Gu An's gaze returned to Zhong Liang, preparing to use the Soul Searching Skill and began to search within Zhong Liang, unconsciously initiating Life Span Detection.

What?

It was you all along, kid!

Then go to die!

Gu An's right hand clenched, and the terrifying Spiritual Power of the Mahayana Realm surged directly into Zhong Liang's body, annihilating him completely, along with his soul, turning to ash!

A gust of wind hit him squarely, causing Su Han to open his eyes instinctively. His pupils dilated suddenly as he hurriedly stood up, drawing the white jade sword beside him.

"Who are you?" Su Han pointed his sword at Gu An and asked in a deep voice.

Where is Master?

Why did he suddenly disappear?

Su Han was filled with fear, especially since Gu An's figure was frightening and the cave was dimly lit.

A terrifying pressure burst from within Gu An's body, instantly overwhelming Su Han, who collapsed into the pool.

Gu An turned and walked towards the nearby cave entrance, his figure vanishing into the darkness.

Miles away, in a vast underground space dimly lit, there stood a hundred-zhang tall tree with blood-red leaves. Vines dropped down from the tree branches, each vine tying a person at its end.

Their necks were entwined by the vines, unable to break free, their bodies visibly shriveling at a speed visible to the naked eye. Many people had already been sucked dry, turning into mummified corpses.

The entire scene was horrific and extremely sinister.

Beneath the giant tree stood many members of the Ephemera Sect, each escorting a group of cultivators, male and female, their bodies covered with talisman paper, their Spiritual Power sealed, looking like pitiful prisoners.

There were over a thousand prisoners, and the Ephemera Sect members there numbered over a hundred.

All the prisoners looked in despair at the giant tree that was feeding.

"This is a demonic being... a demonic being..."

"You won't die a good death, deceiving me into joining the sect, only to feed me to this evil tree!"

"What is this, a monster or a demon?"

"Damn it all!"

Some cursed, some wailed, some begged; their voices made this dark underground space even more terrifying.

A demonically charming woman with a voluptuous figure and a beautiful face snorted coldly: "Victors make history, losers are forgotten, what's there to scream about? You are no saints yourselves; who knows, maybe the heavens think we're exterminating villains and eliminating evil!"

As she spoke, she lifted a man next to her and pressed her mouth to his forehead, beginning to devour his life force. The man's complexion quickly became weak, and his eyes lost their luster.

Whoosh—

A cold wind blew by, and the female demon cultivator subconsciously glanced at the weeds at her feet. She saw the grass trembling, and before she could react, a leaf shot out abruptly, piercing straight through her brow, and her blood splattered in her mind.

It was not only her, but virtually all the Ephemera Sect demon cultivators were assassinated by the grass leaves at the same moment, regardless of their cultivation levels, they all died violently.

The prisoners froze, as if sensing something, and they turned their heads in unison to see a figure walking out of the darkness.

"Demon Shadow Divine Skill! People from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion!" someone exclaimed with delight.

No sooner had the voice faded than Gu An suddenly accelerated, transforming into a series of afterimages as he swept past all the prisoners to arrive under the giant tree.

The prisoners stood as if rooted to the spot, frozen in place, and within a breath's time, all of them turned to ash simultaneously.

Gu An looked up and a line of prompts appeared in front of him:

[Ephemera Tree (Grade Eight): 340/42000/230000]

Grade Eight!

No wonder the Green Vine Tree was afraid!

On the main trunk of the Ephemera Tree, a piece of bark began to split, and soon after, a huge human face emerged, showing only the features without a distinguishable gender. However, its expression was one of greed and malice.

Vines loosened and then all at once, struck towards Gu An.

Clang—

The sound of a sword being drawn echoed through the cavern, harsh to the ears.

The Ephemera Tree was cleaved in two, its countless vines falling like heavy rain. The greedy face on it was also split in half, its expression seeming to freeze. The halves of the tree trunk suddenly began to shatter, with sword energies bursting out, creating a spectacular sight.

Gu An sheathed the Heavenly Residence Sword back into its scabbard, then tossed it into his storage bag, and finally used his own Spiritual Fire to burn the Ephemera Tree.

Rows of life span extraction prompts crazily popped up in front of him.

A Grade Eight Spirit Tree is very strong, its presence nearly on par with a cultivator of the Unification Realm. Alas, it faced a Mahayana Cultivator.

...

At noon.

Inside the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An walked down from the Transmission Array Platform, his mood was very good. Last night, he had reaped more than forty thousand years of life span, with the Ephemera Tree alone contributing five thousand years.

Only Su Han from that Ephemera Sect outpost remained alive.

Once he knew those prisoners were also demon cultivators, Gu An showed no mercy and took the opportunity to completely silence them, leaving no future trouble.

No sooner had he stepped off the Array Platform than he felt the presence of Lv Baitian, Gu Zong, and Ji Hantian. The three were waiting in his pavilion.

Gu An immediately went up, and as he ascended the stairs, the door of the room opened.

As he stepped over the threshold and was about to pay his respects, Gu Zong waved his sleeve, closing the room door and reapplying the restriction.

Gu An noticed their strange expressions and thought that the Ephemera Sect might be about to attack.

He wasn't panicked; once the Ephemera Sect realized their Ephemera Tree had been destroyed, they probably wouldn't have the capacity to deal with the Supreme Sect.

Lv Baitian's face looked extremely bad, the whole person was very weak, pale, and as he looked at Gu An, he said through gritted teeth, "There's a cruel piece of bad news I have to tell you."