Chapter 157: Chapter 157 Different Paths, Downfall

Late at night, deep underground in the Mystic Valley, inside the Eight Scenic Caves.

Gu An was sitting under a Green Vine Tree reading a book, leaning against the main trunk, with two tree vines gently massaging his shoulders.

He suddenly put down the book and sat up straight.

“What’s wrong? Master, was the pressure too much?” The Green Vine Tree emitted a weak, pitiful female voice.

Gu An replied, “No, I just have something to attend to. I need to leave.”

The Green Vine Tree trembled, quickly saying, “Master, don’t forget to bring some lamb meat next time!”

Gu An waved his hand and then disappeared from the spot.

He took a step out of the Supreme Sect’s boundaries and arrived at the top of a mountain. It was late autumn, the night wind was chilly, fluttering his robe. He gazed into the distance.

He felt that the Sky Dragon was in trouble.

Although he and the Sky Dragon hadn’t formed a contract, ever since the Sky Dragon was born, they established a subtle connection. This connection was similar to the feeling when Sage Xuan Miao summoned him.

He extended his Divine Sense along this subtle connection.

Soon, he locked onto a certain sect. His Divine Sense pierced through layers of restrictions and entered a Minor Heaven and Earth similar to the Star-Master Cave.

Huh?

The Ghost Mother of Ephemera, and the Nine Nether Thirteen Evil!

These guys were fighting with Great Cultivators of the Ancient Sky Sect!

Gu An’s Divine Sense locked onto the Sky Dragon, his expression becoming strange.

The person fighting with the Sky Dragon was surprisingly Su Han!

Su Han’s aura had already approached the Nascent Soul Realm, but his aura was very chaotic, giving the impression that he could deviate at any moment.

The Sky Dragon, although lazy and not much of a cultivator, relied on its powerful bloodline talent. Su Han couldn’t take it down quickly.

The twenty-zhang-long Sky Dragon twisted its body, occasionally spewing scorching flames. Su Han’s figure was ghostly, skillfully dodging, and occasionally swinging his sword, sending Sword Qi slashing at the Sky Dragon, causing its dragon blood to splatter continuously.

In his other hand, Su Han held a cloth bag, collecting the Sky Dragon’s blood.

After a moment of hesitation, Gu An decided to intervene.

…

In the dim heavens and earth, the Sky Dragon was fleeing through the mountains and wilds, with Su Han wielding a bone sword, relentlessly pursuing.

“Damn it… Who are you, really? I will never forgive you in the future!”

The Sky Dragon roared, shaking the mountain forests, its voice still childish, like that of a young boy.

Su Han’s cold voice came from behind, “Hateful Heaven Divine Sword, Su Han.”

The Sky Dragon’s eyes narrowed, clearly having heard of the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword, showing fear in its eyes. It ran even faster, twisting its body like an eel.

Su Han leaped into the air, flying high, and slashed down. The Sword Qi was immense, condensing into seven sword shadows, attacking the Sky Dragon. Each sword shadow’s tail had several ghosts, as if evil spirits were pushing the swords, terrifying under the night sky.

A dark purple demonic shadow appeared out of nowhere on the Sky Dragon’s head, grabbing and dispersing Su Han’s Sword Qi in mid-air.

Su Han’s eyes widened.

It was him!

Su Han couldn’t forget the mysterious demonic shadow that killed his master, Zhong Liang, recognizing it at a glance.

Boom!

A terrifying Divine Sense instantly struck his mind, causing him to faint immediately, falling into the mountain forests.

The Sky Dragon also suffered a Divine Sense attack, instantly falling unconscious, its massive body crashing down, kicking up clouds of dust.

Gu An appeared before Su Han, who lay on the grass, life or death uncertain.

At this moment, the Ghost Mother of Ephemera suddenly appeared before Su Han, half-kneeling, clasping her hands in apology, “Please forgive me, Sect Hierarch. We did not know the Sky Dragon was connected to you!”

The ghostly energy around her dissipated, revealing a pale female face. Her gaze towards Gu An was filled with joy.

Gu An coldly asked, “Are you the Ghost Mother of Ephemera?”

Although he had seen the Ghost Mother of Ephemera before, Sword Venerable Fudao had not, so he had to ask.

“I am indeed the Ghost Mother of Ephemera!” The Ghost Mother of Ephemera respectfully answered.

Gu An continued, “The Ancient Sky Sect is also under my protection. The Sky Dragon is the Holy Beast of the Ancient Sky Sect. You are not allowed to seize it.”

By saying this, he indicated that he intervened for the sake of the Ancient Sky Sect, not for the Sky Dragon.

Upon hearing this, the Ghost Mother of Ephemera cautiously asked, “Why do you protect both sects?”

Gu An countered, “The Ephemera Sect is already destroyed. Why don’t you return to the Nine Nether Road?”

The Ghost Mother of Ephemera replied helplessly, “We indeed wish to return, but the path back on the Nine Nether Road has been blocked by cultivators of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm. We can only escape back.”

The Seven Stars Spirit Realm?

Hearing this, Gu An became more certain that the demonic catastrophe was being driven by the Seven Stars Spirit Realm.

“Is this young man your disciple?” Gu An asked.

The Ghost Mother of Ephemera looked at Gu An, shrouded in demonic energy, hesitated for a moment, then said, “He is not my disciple, just a pawn. With the impending demonic catastrophe, I wanted to cultivate him to become my strength to break through the Nine Nether Road.”

Using Su Han to fight against the cultivators of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm within the Nine Nether Road?

Gu An couldn’t help but feel pity for Su Han, but he had no intention of saving him.

Su Han’s desire for power had become an obsession. Even without the Ghost Mother of Ephemera, he would still go astray. In Su Han’s eyes, he wasn’t committing evil, but merely striving to become stronger.

Gu An didn’t personally eliminate Su Han because he had not heard of Su Han slaughtering innocent civilians. Those who died at Su Han’s hands were indeed many, but they were all people with grudges against him. Most of them wanted to remove the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword but were instead killed by him.

The Hateful Heaven Divine Sword was Su Han’s ancestral swordsmanship, so he and Gu An were not true master and disciple. Gu An merely provided him with some elixirs.

Past ties of master and disciple had been severed. Su Han’s life or death was no longer related to Gu An.

Gu An mainly wanted to see Su Han’s fate.

Su Han, who had mastered the Defying Fate Divine Skill, could devour the Spiritual Power of other cultivators. To some extent, it was similar to Gu An’s ability to seize life span.

But Su Han’s path was completely different from Gu An’s. Wherever this young man went, he fought, and his fierce reputation spread far and wide.

The Ghost Mother of Ephemera revealed the effects of the Defying Fate Divine Skill, which were exactly the same as those known to Gu An, with no exaggeration.

From the Ghost Mother of Ephemera’s perspective, she naturally didn’t know Sword Venerable Fudao knew the Defying Fate Divine Skill, so she spoke frankly. Perhaps she genuinely wanted to make Gu An the Sect Hierarch of the Ephemera Sect.

“In the land we come from, the Ephemera Sect has stood for tens of thousands of years. The Spiritual Energy there far surpasses that of the Nine Dynasties. Although the Ephemera Sect has been destroyed by the Mountain God, it was the traitors who defected to Butcher Immortal Jing who were wiped out. Our sect’s orthodox disciples still remain. If you return with me, in at most a thousand years, the Ephemera Sect can restore its former glory.” The Ghost Mother of Ephemera said earnestly.

Gu An asked, “Is it just because I know the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword? Aren’t you afraid I’ll sacrifice you all, like the actions of the Ephemera Sect?”

“Knowing the Taicang Divine-Shocking Sword is one reason. I have stayed in the Supreme Sect for many years and learned about your deeds. Your ability to inscribe the words ‘Righteous Path’ on the Heavenly Repair Platform speaks to your character. If you are willing to lead the Ephemera Sect, you can certainly guide it towards the right path. The Ephemera Tree may be an evil entity, but the Ephemera Sect was originally founded by subduing this tree to save lives and thus established its Daoist Tradition.”

As she spoke, she raised her right hand, and a token appeared in her hand.

“This is the Token of the Sect Hierarch of the Ephemera Sect. The deceased Hierarch had always been searching for this token, not knowing it was in my possession. This token can find all members of the Ephemera Sect and locate the hidden inheritance of true disciples.”

Gu An extended his hand, his Divine Sense entering the token.

He sensed a powerful restriction, which could not be broken by anyone below the Mahayana Realm. Of course, this restriction was formidable to others, but it was as if non-existent before him.

As his Divine Sense entered the token, he felt as if he was overlooking the land. He saw a chaotic, dim world with only landforms, no flowers or living beings.

Through the scenes within the token, he could see the positions of other Ephemera Sect cultivators.

Apart from this, the token had many other functions, with numerous restrictions that intrigued Gu An.

He retracted his Divine Sense and said, “I’ll temporarily hold onto this token. In the future, treat the token as though it’s me.”

Upon hearing this, the Ghost Mother of Ephemera was overjoyed and quickly bowed to thank Gu An.

Gu An then disappeared from the spot.

The Ghost Mother of Ephemera immediately stood up and left with Su Han. As for the distant Sky Dragon, she dared not touch it again.

…

Late autumn in the Mystic Valley.

Gu An watched his disciples sweep away the fallen leaves in various gardens while his Divine Sense was focused on the distance, observing the decisive battle between the Taicang Dynasty and the Hanlu Dynasty.

Lv Xian and Wu Jue were also participating, showcasing their prowess. They were already close to reaching the Hanlu Dynasty’s Imperial City.

Gu An’s focus was mainly on Ye Yan. Ye Yan was also from the Mystic Valley and had been guided in spear techniques and body tempering methods by Luo Hun and Zhou Tongyou. After building his foundation, he joined the army.

Decades had passed. Ye Yan was now a general of the Taicang Dynasty with illustrious military achievements. Although not yet in the Core Formation Realm, his strength on the battlefield was formidable.

After all, most soldiers were below the Core Formation Realm. Those who reached it typically transcended the dynasty’s constraints, seeking their own immortal path.

Watching the battlefield, Gu An felt like he was witnessing the Investiture of the Gods.

Both sides had sects’ cultivators charging into battle, casting spells. The losing side would be overwhelmed by the army, retreating step by step.

Just as he was engrossed, Zhen Qin flew over on her sword and landed beside Gu An. She whispered, “Master, Senior Brother Su Han has been wanted by the Ancient Sky Sect.”

Gu An nonchalantly said, “I’ve told you, he’s not your senior brother.”

Zhen Qin pouted, “He might not be my senior brother to outsiders, but we grew up together. How can I completely sever ties with him?”

“Telling me won’t help. What can I do?”

“Master! I’m just feeling anxious and wanted to talk to you!” Zhen Qin glared at him.

Gu An glanced at her, smiling, “Don’t worry about him. He’s survived many years of being hunted. Instead of worrying about him, you should worry about yourself. You seem to encounter more danger than him.”

He referred to the time Zhen Qin was saved by Sage Xuan Miao from the Law Enforcement Hall disciples. Although she didn’t mention the existence of the Mountain God, Ye Lan knew about her perilous experience and had informed Gu An.

Just as Zhen Qin was about to retort, she suddenly sensed something and took out her Disciple Token from her storage bag.

Gu An did the same, taking out his Valley Master Token, and inserted his Divine Sense. Immediately, he heard the voice of Gu Zong:

“Supreme Elder Kusong investigated the Demon Land and unfortunately perished. In three days, all disciples must gather in the affiliated city to pay respect to the ancestor!”