Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Sudden Change in the Sea, Strange Fragrance

Gu An did not personally oversee the shape-shifting of Tianqing and Tian Bai. With Tian Yao’er around, he believed the two cat demons would be fine.

Tian Yao’er’s cultivation had reached the Ninth Layer of the Core Formation Realm, capable of handling matters independently.

Gu An first returned to the Mystic Valley, taking a few laps around the valley before heading to the Third Medicine Valley.

The number of Servant Disciples in the Third Medicine Valley had increased to eight hundred. As soon as he stepped out of the Transmission Array Platform, he heard a commotion.

He glanced up and saw some disciples sweeping, some patrolling the area, and others practicing spells. Under the distant trees, some were playing chess and Go.

Gu An was lenient in managing the disciples. As long as they completed their daily tasks, they could arrange their time freely.

In the Third Medicine Valley, not all disciples were idle. Most harbored ambitions of becoming Outer Disciples, so they worked diligently to please Gu An and obtain elixirs.

Gu An walked towards his pavilion.

The Blood Prison Great Saint was dozing on the grass below the pavilion, nature’s spiritual energy slowly flowing into his body.

Suddenly, the pavilion door opened, and You Yingying beckoned to Gu An. Seeing this, Gu An sighed helplessly and walked over.

This pavilion belonged to Lu Lingjun. After Divine Exotic City was taken by Li Ya, Lu Lingjun returned.

She was in seclusion for cultivation until You Yingying entered the valley, causing a change.

The two of them unexpectedly got along well.

Having heard that Lu Lingjun was a Great Cultivator in the Mystic Heart Realm, You Yingying became intrigued and approached her, successfully befriending her through her Star Sea Congregations’ background.

Gu An didn’t need to enter the pavilion to know what they would discuss.

It was definitely about establishing the Ascension Sect!

Gu An was also forcibly pulled into their plan. As long as he provided medicinal herbs, he could secure a high-level seat in the future.

Upon entering, You Yingying closed the door.

Gu An walked into the hall. Lu Lingjun was sitting at the table, which was covered in papers, with a small white snake coiled on them.

He sat down, teasing the White Spirit Demon Emperor, enjoying stroking its snake head.

The White Spirit Demon Emperor, having concealed its cultivation, was usually docile. Besides, Lu Lingjun had privately instructed it, so it had to comply with Gu An’s actions.

You Yingying quickly sat beside Gu An, excitedly saying, “Recently, my people have tracked the whereabouts of Ascenders! And there’s more than one!”

Gu An responded irritably, “You dragged me into this just for that? I have no intention of leaving the Supreme Sect.”

He wondered what Lu Lingjun had said to make this native You Yingying so obsessed with creating the Ascension Sect.

Moreover, You Yingying, though only in the Foundation Establishment Realm, had many spies at sea. Previously, Gu An overheard their conversation and learned that You Yingying’s grandfather was one of the Sea Lords of the Star Sea Congregations, meaning he was at least in the Wandering Immortal Realm.

Gu An felt quite unsettled about this. He had known You Yingying first, but she hadn’t confided in him, instead revealing everything to Lu Lingjun.

Since you two are so close, why not just soar to great heights together?

You Yingying giggled, “Of course, it’s not about asking you to invite them. With your cultivation level, seeing them would be quite difficult. I’m just informing you that the framework of the Ascension Sect is almost formed!”

Lu Lingjun nodded, saying, “I plan to establish the Ascension Sect outside the three dynasties. The Supreme Sect will also support us.”

To this, Gu An was not surprised.

The position of the Taicang Dynasty was too awkward, located at the southernmost part of the continent. The spirit mines discovered by the Supreme Sect in the Demon Clan’s territory were constantly plundered by other sects, preventing the sect from expanding to the North.

If the Ascension Sect could be established, other sects might not target it. In the future, the cooperation between the two sects would certainly hinder the development efforts of other sects.

Regarding the sect competition in the three dynasties’ area, Gu An had no intention of intervening. The Supreme Sect had not been gathering disciples or seeking Sword Venerable Fudao’s help, as both the Venerable Pavilion and the Hall of Elders were harboring pent-up frustrations, determined to elevate the Supreme Sect to the foremost sect among the three dynasties.

Lu Lingjun said, “I plan to personally head south. I’m just letting you know so you won’t wonder where I went.”

Gu An said, “You don’t need to report your whereabouts to me.”

“Huh?”

Lu Lingjun glanced at him, her gaze slightly cold.

Gu An pouted and said no more.

You Yingying began excitedly detailing the information on the Ascenders. There were five in total, three males and two females, residing on an island within the Star Sea Congregations’ domain. The weakest among them had reached the Unification Realm, with two having reached the Mystic Heart Realm.

There were actually many Ascenders overseas. Once they understood the survival rules of this world, they no longer hid their origins. After all, cultivators here couldn’t ascend to the lower realms, and they weren’t interested in the lower realms.

Gu An listened attentively, contemplating the impact if the Ascension Sect truly established itself in the immortal cultivation world on the continent.

Ascenders might not have the highest cultivation, but their survival skills and temperament were formidable.

Whether Lu Lingjun could win them over remained uncertain to Gu An.

An hour later, Lu Lingjun left with the White Spirit Demon Emperor.

Gu An and You Yingying saw them off. As Lu Lingjun’s figure disappeared into the sky, You Yingying looked at Gu An, patted his shoulder, and laughed, “When the Ascension Sect is established, you can be counted as an elder. Your destiny will change, remember to thank me!”

Gu An looked at her, curiously asking, “You’re not even an Ascender; why are you so enthusiastic?”

Once the Ascension Sect was established, those without ascension experience would surely be marginalized or scorned, as the sect’s teachings would focus on gathering Ascenders.

“It’s interesting. In this lifetime, if you could do a few notable things, it wouldn’t be a waste of time in this mortal world. If you could leave a mark, that would be even better,” You Yingying said matter-of-factly.

Gu An was surprised, “With your background, why do you sound like…”

He noticed that in her true form, You Yingying had a peculiar causal force within her, limiting her spiritual power’s growth.

Once her cultivation couldn’t progress, even with a maximum life span of five thousand years, You Yingying would surely die at the age of four hundred.

You Yingying looked at him and sniffed, “Right, I already know my fate. In this lifetime, I can’t pursue the immortal path.”

With that, she turned and left, not wanting to continue the conversation with Gu An.

Gu An didn’t press further.

Having come this far, he asked a single question, as he wouldn’t involve himself in You Yingying’s fate.

He couldn’t ensure his junior sister’s immortality, so he wasn’t qualified to help others.

He turned and went back inside to practice alchemy, planning to bring the elixirs to the Outer Gate City in a few days.

…

The time came to the end of summer.

In the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An was studying the Ziwei Array Chronicles when he suddenly felt something, casting his gaze outside the window, frowning slightly.

“Why has this guy been so restless recently?”

Gu An pondered in confusion.

In the past month, Li Ya repeatedly used the power of Divine Exotic City, starting anew today.

Li Ya was far from him, and he couldn’t capture him with divine sense due to the prohibitions of the Star Sea Congregations along the way. He didn’t want to alarm their Great Cultivators.

Even without using divine sense, he could learn about Li Ya’s situation through the mental connection with the Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit.

After a moment of hesitation, Gu An inquired the Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit with his mind.

Soon, the spirit informed him of the reason.

Li Ya was exploring a secret realm, one of the legacy secret realms of the Star Sea Congregations. If he succeeded, he’d gain the ancient legacy of the Congregations. With the power of Divine Exotic City, Li Ya had already reached the final challenge, facing the remnants of the inheritor’s soul, with the army of Divine Soul Demons unable to capture it for a while.

Knowing the reason, Gu An stopped worrying.

Li Ya had been with the Star Sea Congregations for over five years. If they had intended to harm him, they would have done so long ago. It seemed the Congregations genuinely wanted to nurture him.

Gu An withdrew his gaze and continued studying the Ziwei Array Chronicles in his hand.

Time continued to pass.

An hour later.

Boom——

A deafening roar from afar interrupted Gu An’s thoughts once again.

“What’s special about today? Why is there so much commotion?” Gu An muttered quietly, sending his divine sense towards the source of the sound.

Before long, his expression changed dramatically.

Reflected in his pupils was an endless ocean. At this moment, a gigantic fissure appeared in the ocean, continuously expanding. The seawater furiously rushed into the fissure, forming a spectacular waterfall. The deep fissure stretched for miles.

Gu An sensed other divine senses being drawn to the ocean fissure and many cultivators heading towards it.

The ocean was to the west of the continent. Gu An’s divine sense traveled a long way, discovering the fissure extended for tens of thousands of miles and was still growing, seemingly dividing the ocean in two.

Strangely, despite the seawater pouring into the fissure, the sea level didn’t drop but maintained its majestic sight.

Fortunately, the ocean fissure was far from the continent, with a landmass in between.

Gu An retracted his divine sense and continued reading, planning to visit Immortal Seeking Island later for information.

On Immortal Seeking Island, Gu An could always hear various significant oceanic events.

Late at night.

Gu An arrived at Nianchu Cave, walking towards the stone table. As soon as his footsteps sounded, two fragrances greeted him. Next, his arms were embraced, sinking into softness.

“Master!”

“Greetings, Master!”

Two enchanting women clung to Gu An’s arms, one in a blue dress, the other in a white dress. They had graceful figures and delicate features, gazing at Gu An with eyes like rippling water.

They were Tianqing and Tian Bai after shape-shifting.

Gu An, wearing a mask, asked, “What’s that smell on you?”

Tianqing tilted her head and said, “It’s a special water Miss made. It gives off a distinctive fragrance, masking our demon scent, so Master won’t dislike us.”

Gu An remained silent, inwardly satisfied.

The newly shape-shifted Tianqing and Tian Bai indeed had a foul demon scent, which made him reluctant to be close to them before.

Allowing them to hold him, Gu An walked towards the small building.

The two cat demons chattered non-stop, just like Tian Yao’er.

Soon, Tian Yao’er emerged from the house, beaming as she approached Gu An, expecting praise. Unfortunately, Gu An didn’t mention the fragrance but asked about her cultivation progress.