When I Achieved Sainthood, the Immortal Official Actually Called Me to Raise Horses!

Chapter 64: The Heavenly Mending Platform and the Mysterious Grand Formation

The morning sun pierced through the mountains and valleys, casting its light over the Outer Sect City. Disciples flitted back and forth in the skies, busy yet subdued.

In an estate, Chen Xuanjin’s Nascent Soul floated in the grand hall, his head bowed in tension.

Seated on the central throne was a man in a black robe adorned with dragon patterns. His youthful, handsome face contrasted with the oppressive majesty emanating from his brows. His long hair was tied beneath a silver crown carved with qilin motifs. Merely sitting there, he radiated an aura of absolute dominance.

“Your younger brother was killed by Thousand Autumn Pavilion’s demonic cultivators, and now you’ve been grievously wounded by the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal. Tell me, do you think Zuo Yijian’s master might have ties to the Thousand Autumn Pavilion?”

The black-robed man spoke slowly, his tone calm as if discussing something trivial.

Chen Xuanjin quickly raised his head. “It’s possible. The Thousand Autumn Pavilion planting spies in the Taixuan Sect is hardly news. Didn’t you mention before that even the upper echelons likely have such spies? Now they’re revealing themselves!”

To cross Zuo Yijian was to invite endless trouble. If they could bring down Zuo Yijian’s master, Chen Xuanjin wouldn’t need to fear him anymore.

The black-robed man narrowed his eyes, his gaze falling on Chen Xuanjin, who hastily lowered his head.

After a long while, the black-robed man spoke in a faint voice: “Prepare the array. Recently, the demonic cultivators have been causing chaos. Once this is over, we can pin the blame on the Thousand Autumn Pavilion.”

Chen Xuanjin hurriedly replied, “But in my current state, I fear I…”

“This time, I will bear it myself.”

“What? You can’t! The array’s success is still uncertain, and even the Dao Tian Sect is waiting for our results—”

“No endeavor is ever guaranteed. The path of cultivation is one of walking through thorns. This plan has been in motion for a century. The Taixuan Sect must see it through. We cannot allow those in the shadows to derail our efforts. Say no more.”

Hearing this, Chen Xuanjin could only suppress his unease and agree.

In Xuan Valley.

Gu An oversaw his disciples' morning exercises. The disturbances of the previous night had left them restless, leading to whispers among the group.

Tang Yu asked, “Master, how did you come back so quickly?”

The others turned to look at Gu An.

Gu An snorted. “Didn’t you all feel the commotion last night? Your master rushed back because I was worried about you.”

The disciples all looked ashamed at his words, realizing how weak they were and how much their master worried for them.

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Xiao Chuan said anxiously, “Senior Brother, maybe you should move to the Inner Sect’s Medicine Valley. We can disband and find our own paths in the Outer Sect. That way, you’ll be safe.”

It wasn’t that Xiao Chuan feared death. He simply didn’t want Gu An to overextend himself.

Gu An had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage, a level far beyond them. Why should he risk so much for their sake?

Gu An replied calmly, “If any of you wish to go to the Outer Sect City, I won’t stop you. But let me warn you—the Outer Sect isn’t necessarily safer than Xuan Valley. Disciples go missing in the city all the time. I’m not threatening or hinting at anything; whatever you choose, I will respect it. The bond we share in Xuan Valley will remain.”

These were heartfelt words.

Gu An pursued longevity, and he knew his path would be filled with separations. He had long prepared himself for it, focusing only on those he truly couldn’t part with.

The disciples fell silent, exchanging glances.

Wu Xin seemed like he wanted to speak but held back.

Tang Yu finally broke the silence. “What’s the point of leaving? If we go elsewhere, we’ll just be servant disciples. Would anyone else treat us as well as Master does, even refining pills for us? Xuan Valley doesn’t even need so many servants, yet Master still took us in without lowering our treatment. We can’t be ungrateful!”

His words were a reflection of his remorse. The biggest regret of his life was not standing at the front with Su Han during Qiu Qianli’s rebellion.

Back then, Su Han had been chasing Tang Yu’s shadow, but now Su Han had reached the Foundation Establishment stage while Tang Yu wasn’t sure he ever would. That pivotal moment had created an insurmountable gap.

Tang Yu didn’t resent Gu An, only himself, and he was determined to prove himself worthy of Gu An’s favor once more.

His declaration inspired the others, lifting the somber mood. The disciples now spoke with renewed vigor, banishing their earlier apprehension.

Gu An smiled faintly and directed them to continue their exercises.

Just as they finished, Ye Lan arrived. After confirming Gu An was safe, she left just as quickly as she had come.

Standing by the window, Gu An gazed toward the Outer Sect City.

Cultivators still occasionally flew overhead, though not in the numbers of the previous night.

With his divine sense now capable of spanning a thousand li, Gu An easily observed the Outer Sect City and even beyond—this wasn’t even close to his limit.

He saw the massive platform under construction in the city, with disciples busily hauling spirit stones into place.

Silently watching, Gu An couldn’t yet discern what kind of formation it was.

The sinking of spiritual energy caused turmoil throughout the Taixuan Sect, and the tension lingered for nearly ten days before finally easing.

Gu An was affected as well.

Several outer sect disciples decided to relocate their caves, cutting off some of Gu An’s channels for collecting lifespan. It was clear these disciples were fleeing the outer sect city.

However, Gu An wasn’t disappointed. With three medicine valleys under his control, his lifespan reserves would only grow in the future. He even planned to expand the third medicine valley.

For now, he was simply waiting for the outer sect’s turmoil to settle. As long as his Xuan Valley and the few people he cared about weren’t threatened, he had no interest in meddling with the Taixuan Sect’s schemes.

As Shen Zhen had once said, even the Dao Tian Sect—the leading sect of the Da Yu Dynasty—engaged in such practices. Why should he force himself to intervene? Gu An wasn’t driven by some lofty sense of justice.

The world was filled with suffering. If he wanted to save everyone, how could he ever succeed?

Moreover, these matters were inherently messy. If Gu An disrupted the Taixuan Sect’s plans and they later struggled against a demonic calamity, he would be branded as the sect’s scapegoat.

Those he “saved” might even blame him, believing they wouldn’t have been sacrificed without his interference.

Should I save one group, then the next, and keep carrying the burden of saving the world? Just thinking about it is exhausting.

Time flowed on.

One day, Gu An visited Tianya Valley, first harvesting the mature herbs before leading three monkey demons to sow new seeds.

As he worked, Luo Hun approached from behind and asked, “A month ago, the earth’s spiritual energy sank, and many grandmasters of the Taixuan Sect patrolled everywhere. Some even passed above Tianya Valley. What exactly happened in the sect?”

Gu An responded casually, “It seemed to be a demonic cultivator invasion. By the way, Li Ya was injured by a demonic cultivator recently and is now recovering in the inner sect.”

Luo Hun frowned deeply upon hearing this, then turned and walked into the forest.

Using his divine sense, Gu An observed Luo Hun casting a spell on a talisman. After imbuing it with spiritual energy, the talisman burned to ash, and a trace of Luo Hun’s energy shot into the sky at incredible speed.

Looks like he’s passing information to Li Xuandao.

Gu An didn’t overthink it and continued sowing seeds.

Once he was done, he gave instructions to the monkey demons and left Tianya Valley.

Compared to intrigue and conspiracy, Gu An was far more interested in the growth of his medicine valleys. That was where his focus truly lay.

In the Outer Sect City.

Under a sky shrouded in dark clouds, the city bustled with activity, crowded with disciples.

Su Han and Zhen Qin stood before a stone stele. Su Han read aloud: “Heavenly Mending Platform.”

Following Zhen Qin’s gaze, Su Han looked ahead. Before them was a massive formation platform spanning more than ten li. It was awe-inspiring. Around its edges stood numerous statues of ancient deities and immortals, each uniquely posed.

At the center of the platform rose a towering stone pillar, a hundred zhang high. Its square surface was etched with intricate grooves resembling human meridians, radiating a mysterious aura.

“Senior Brother, what do you think this Heavenly Mending Platform is for? Why has the sect summoned all the outer sect disciples back and ordered us to gather here tomorrow?” Zhen Qin asked, her brows furrowed in displeasure.

Su Han gazed at the platform and replied softly, “I don’t know. Maybe it’s related to the spiritual energy sinking a month ago.”

Behind them, disciples crowded the streets, many stopping to discuss the Heavenly Mending Platform.

For many, this was their first time seeing it, and they were awestruck.

If such a massive platform were activated, how powerful would the formation be?

Unable to get an answer, Zhen Qin turned her head, glancing around. For a fleeting moment, she thought she saw a familiar figure, but when she looked again, the person was gone.

“How strange…” she murmured to herself.

Not far away, Jiang Qiong walked through the crowd dressed in green. Her gaze lingered briefly on the Heavenly Mending Platform, her face expressionless.

Beside her was a hunched old man with a cane, his head barely reaching her shoulder.

“Young Mistress, this platform is no simple matter. Something big is bound to happen tomorrow. Are you sure we should stay?” the old man asked.

His concern was mirrored by the disciples around them, who were murmuring various speculations.

Jiang Qiong’s expression didn’t waver as she replied, “Indeed, it’s extraordinary. The restrictions within the platform are incredibly intricate. It would take decades to fully analyze. But since we’re already here, we must see what happens tomorrow.”

The old man glanced at her and sighed. “Young Mistress, you’ve changed so much. You don’t have any attachments in the Taixuan Sect, do you?”

Jiang Qiong’s tone was calm as she said, “There are people I care about. That’s why I brought you here.”

The old man chuckled bitterly. “Looks like this old bag of bones will be worked to the bone again.”

Their casual conversation avoided mentioning the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, so no one suspected their identities.

Meanwhile.

On the other side of the Heavenly Mending Platform, atop a nine-story pavilion, two figures stood by the edge. Both appeared young, and one of them was none other than the black-robed man—Chen Xuanjin’s backer.

The black-robed man gazed down at the Heavenly Mending Platform, his eyes deep and inscrutable, as if lost in thought.

The other figure spoke, breaking the silence. “Master, most of the outer sect disciples from this city have returned. Should we summon the servant disciples from nearby medicine valleys, beast fields, and mining grounds as well?”

The voice belonged to none other than Chen Xuanjin, now inhabiting the body of a young disciple he had possessed.

The black-robed man replied softly, “No need. Too many servant disciples will dilute the purity of the gathered cultivation energy.”