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

Gu An dealt with the situation for quite a while before sending off Lu Lingjun, of course, there was another reason, which was that Lu Lingjun also needed time to adapt to the Mystic Heart Realm.

He had a bad feeling, knowing that Lu Lingjun, who knew his identity as Pan An, might become even more entangled with him?

He remembered that Lu Lingjun, when not busy, liked to read "Investiture of the Gods."

In the days that followed, the name of Lu Lingjun spread throughout the Supreme Sect, uplifting all the disciples.

The three words "Mystic Heart Realm" were enough to boost the morale of the entire sect!

The news also quickly reached the Taichen Dynasty.

All the cultivators within the Supreme Sect's headquarters were thrilled upon hearing the news.

During this time, they had come to understand the terror of the Mystic Heart Realm; without exaggeration, it was the only factor now determining the outcome of the battlefield!

No matter how numerous the Unification Realm might be, they are no match for the Mystic Heart Realm!

Lu Baitian was very delighted, stating that it was he who had personally recruited Lu Lingjun into the Supreme Sect, which also eased the minds of the higher-ups who felt unfamiliar with Lu Lingjun.

The sudden emergence of an unknown Mystic Heart Realm Great Cultivator, especially at this critical juncture, inevitably caused those in power to be suspicious.

They began to request Lu Baitian to recruit Lu Lingjun to join the battle.

Relying on Xuan Quan alone, the Supreme Sect's role in this war was minimal, and among the nine-dynasty alliance, they could hardly enter the top five in terms of influence, which was a disgrace for the Supreme Sect that had just hosted the Golden List Conference.

Lu Baitian temporarily suppressed these requests, wanting to give Lu Lingjun time to solidify her cultivation level.

Afterwards, under the lead of the Cangtian Sect, the nine-dynasty religious sects launched sporadic attacks on Wanji Forest, with Great Cultivators charging into battle, middle-level cultivators attempting to rescue captives, and the lower-level cultivators handling supply and support tasks.

No matter how fiercely the nine-dynasty religious sects attacked, they could not break into the Ephemera Sect's six Mahayana Arrays.

The news continued to spread outward, letting more and more people in the world know that the great calamity of the nine dynasties had arrived, a crisis concerning the fate of all under heaven.

...

Autumn arrived, and Lu Lingjun had been in closed-door cultivation for a month. During this period, Gu An did not disturb her.

Gu An still traveled between the various Medicine Valleys, and the Nianchu Cave had already gotten on the right track. Tian Yao'er was becoming increasingly pleasing in his eyes, and he had not visited Nianchu Cave for six days.

This particular day.

Gu Zong came to visit Gu An and asked him to relay a message to Lu Lingjun that as soon as she emerged from seclusion, she should rush to support Wanji Forest; Gu An agreed.

The battlefield in Wanji Forest became increasingly severe. Gu An used his Divine Sense to look over, and at that moment, Wanji Forest was still embroiled in fierce combat.

From all directions, hundreds of thousands of cultivators formed their arrays, shaking heaven and earth, causing the spiritual energy of the entire Taichen Dynasty to flow towards Wanji Forest.

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The situation was incredibly dire!

Gu An watched for a while and then retracted his Divine Sense.

The number of offerings kept growing, and nine out of ten were prepared for that Mahayana Cultivator; it seemed that Fairy Bai Xia's death had not affected the plans of the Mahayana Cultivator.

Gu An continued his inspection of the Third Medicine Valley.

Until evening came, Lu Lingjun walked out of her courtyard and visited Gu An in the pavilion.

Gu An relayed Gu Zong's request, and as to whether Lu Lingjun would go or not, that was up to her. As a Mystic Heart Realm cultivator, no one else could really control her.

"Hmm, I heard about it earlier. I'll set off in a bit," Lu Lingjun nodded and said, her expression cool, which perhaps was the real her.

She was the strongest cultivator from the Lower Realm, no longer concealing her cultivation level or disguising her true nature.

Gu An watched her, wondering why she hadn't left yet.

Lu Lingjun looked at him and said, "I can sense many Mystic Heart Realm auras in Wanji Forest, even one that makes my heart palpitate. This journey seems fraught with more peril than luck."

Her eyes were beautiful and also deep, honed by the years. She fixed her gaze on Gu An, making him feel inexplicably guilty.

Gu An replied, "Do what you can. If you cannot turn the tide, then preserve yourself."

Lu Lingjun's lips curled into a smile as she said, "Of course, I would not shatter myself into pieces for the Supreme Sect. However, I am about to depart for such a dangerous war, don't you have anything you'd like to say to me?"

Gu An cleared his throat with a fake cough and said earnestly, "Ms. Lu, the earlier incident of holding your hand was unintentional. Don't get the wrong idea. As for matters of love, they can't be decided on a whim. Two people must have feelings for each other to commit for life, not just because they touched hands."

"Moreover, I'll tell you the truth, the 'Investiture of the Gods' was not written by me. I just listened to a Daoist named Xu Zhonglin tell it."

Lu Lingjun laughed and said, "If it were really written by someone else, how could you, Pan An, have been riding on its coattails for decades?"

Gu An choked.

He couldn't exactly say that the actual author was not from this world!

"Actually, whether 'Investiture of the Gods' is written by you or not, it doesn't matter. Having been with you for so many years, I know your nature is quite good. Greedy as you may be, it's always with mutual consent, and you are invariably polite, respectful to those above and courteous to those below..." Lu Lingjun began to praise Gu An, causing him to become somewhat elated.

Am I really that good?

Lu Lingjun shifted her tone and said, "You are good in every way, except that your cultivation level is too weak. If you wish to be my Daoist friend, first cultivate to the Void Crossing Realm. Until then, I will keep an eye on you. When you reach the Void Crossing Realm, I have a set of cultivation techniques that I have never tried before that we can practice together."

Practice together?

Suddenly Gu An thought of certain scenes in the Supreme Secret Records, and a surge of heat rose within him.

This isn't right!

Trying to ruin my Daoist Heart?

Gu An looked at Lu Lingjun once more, finding her smile ominously dangerous.

A two-thousand-year-old matron wants to ensnare me, a seventy-year-old youngster?

"Then you should stop dreaming, as I will never reach the Void Crossing Realm in the remainder of my life," Gu An stated solemnly.

Lu Lingjun smiled and then stood up. She placed her right hand on the table, leaving behind a ring set with a red jade, and said, "This is the Double Heart Ring. Refine it, and if you're ever in danger, I can detect it immediately and might just save your little life."

Before Gu An could reply, she vanished into thin air inside the room.

Gu An looked at the Double Heart Ring on the table and remained silent.

He couldn't help but glance at the Qinghong Sword lying on the table next to him, feeling as if this scene was strangely familiar.

Damn the heavens, why do they keep making women fall for him?

Are they afraid I'll somehow survive?

...

A night passed.

The next day at noon, Gu An arrived at Tianya Valley, where he discovered that only Luo Hun remained.

He found Luo Hun and inquired about the whereabouts of Lv Xian and Yi Liuyun.

"They have followed His Majesty on an expedition to the Taichen Dynasty. His Majesty said that in times of trouble, as the Emperor, he must contribute," Luo Hun replied, admiration evident on his face. If it weren't for Li Xuandao ordering him to stay and guard the place, he would have liked to join the battle too.

Gu An hadn't expected Li Xuandao to possess such sentiment. Without further comment, he just nodded and then turned to walk towards the garden area.

And so, Gu An waited another half a month.

Standing at the window ledge of the Mystic Valley pavilion, his Divine Sense looked out toward Wanji Forest. Lu Lingjun was fighting a Mystic Heart Realm cultivator, and nearby several other Mystic Heart Realm cultivators were engaged in battle. The mountains within a thousand miles had turned to ruins, with dust filling the air.

All over the ground, corpses lay in heaps, a horrific sight to behold.

That Mahayana Cultivator had still not shown himself!

Gu An didn't believe it; surely, he couldn't wait his whole life!

If the mysterious sacrificial formation were to activate and the opponent still hadn't appeared, then he would have to take action to prevent the cultivators of the nine dynasties from being slain to the last.

After all, the demon calamity was yet to come.

Gu An looked toward Nine Nether Road, which had now become the territory of the Ephemera Sect. Ephemera could be seen everywhere within a thousand miles.

After dealing with the Sect Hierarch of the Ephemera Sect, those Ephemera could be harvested.

This time, the Ephemera Sect must be exterminated to prevent its resurgence in the future.

...

Wanji Forest, within the six Mahayana Arrays.

All seven hierarchs of the Ephemera Sect opened their eyes at the same time, their gaze filled with fierceness. The leader, wearing a mask, spoke first, "My fellows, the auspicious time has come. Prepare to activate the formation and welcome our Hierarch."

He stood up, with the other six following suit.

"We've finally waited until now."

"It's rumored that the Taichen Dynasty has a Divine Beast, the Chen Snake. I wonder if this sacrifice will disturb it."

"Just a vague legend. So many have died, and yet we haven't seen the Chen Snake appear."

"Speaking of which, Sword Venerable Fudao hasn't shown himself. I am actually relieved. It seems he is quite wary of us and only guards the Supreme Sect because it threatens his own existence."

"Even without us, the nine dynasties will face annihilation. A Great Cultivator like him seeks immortality. To be immortal, one must survive, so of course he won't place himself in danger."

Their tone was light, feeling that the goal they were scheming toward was about to be accomplished.

Then, they each took a step back and began to cast their spells.

Boom—

The ground beneath their feet cracked open, and huge tree roots emerged from the soil. They stepped onto the roots, rising into the air and away from the ground.

At the same time, all the Great Cultivators involved in the distant battles felt a heart-pounding presence.

Lv Baitian turned his head to look, his brow deeply furrowed as he uttered three words: "Ephemera Tree!"

This Ephemera Tree was far more terrifying than the one in front of Nine Nether Road!

The aura seemed to come from the Nine Nether World, chilling everyone to the bone!

Above the earth, countless human captives widened their eyes in terror, looking at the giant Ephemera that kept rising. They were even smaller than the leaves of the Ephemera Tree.

Thousands of miles away.

Lu Lingjun held her twin swords, with a golden sash swirling around her body like a dragon. She turned to look toward the horizon, spotting the silhouette of the Origin Tree of Ephemera.

A small snake popped out from her hair bun, hissing, "Such a terrifying presence. This is no joking matter. We've fought enough; we've repaid our debt to them—it's time to slip away!"

This small snake was the White Spirit Demon Emperor who had ascended with her, a cultivator of the eight levels of the Unification Realm!

Hundreds of yards away, a Mystic Heart Realm cultivator of the Ephemera Sect, trapped by Lu Lingjun's formation, was resisting the array while laughing wildly, "Thinking of fleeing? It's too late for that. Prepare to welcome the arrival of an Immortal!"

An Immortal?

Lu Lingjun's brow furrowed, and the White Spirit Demon Emperor was also startled, looking at the Mystic Heart Realm cultivator and asking, "If your sect had an Immortal, why haven't you conquered the lands of the nine dynasties yet?"

The Mystic Heart Realm cultivator just smiled, offering no explanation, as he began to make a desperate effort to break the array.

The other Mystic Heart Realm cultivators who were fighting in different directions also stopped their attacks. The cultivators of the nine dynasties watched the Origin Tree of Ephemera with dread, while the Ephemera Sect side grew excited, as though victory was in their grasp.