HPDBC Chapter 116: Kindred Spirits
Chapter 116: Kindred Spirits
Chapter 116: Kindred Spirits
A Snowy Night in the Deep Mountains.
Gu An squatted down, plucking the last Nightshade Flower from the snow and tossing it into his storage pouch.
Once again, it only granted him one year of lifespan. But he wasn’t dissatisfied—this month alone, he had harvested nearly five hundred thousand years of lifespan, pushing his total beyond a million years.
Too satisfying!
By the end of tonight, there would be no more Nightshade Flowers in the Taicang Empire—at least on the surface.
Over the past month, he had plucked over a million of them, with half of them barely holding a year of lifespan, having just recently sprouted.
If he didn't pick them, other cultivators would—so he simply picked as many as he could and hoped for the best.
After all, he couldn't just forbid the entire world from clearing out the Nightshade Flowers. The Nightshade Sect still posed a real threat.
Lifespan could be accumulated slowly, but if the Nightshade Sect’s plan succeeded and he couldn’t stop them, then everything would be for nothing.
Under the dim moonlight filtering through the forest canopy, Gu An stretched lazily before heading toward a nearby city.
Dawn was approaching, and he planned to spend some time there.
Staying cooped up in Medicine Valley all the time wasn’t healthy. Occasionally stepping out to see new landscapes could broaden his insights.
Ever since he had witnessed Wu Jue comprehending the Dao, he had been pondering enlightenment.
He had a feeling that besides pure luck, one’s life experiences also played a role in achieving it.
As the sun rose, the city a hundred miles away awakened to the noisy bustle of daily life, marking the start of a new day.
At noon, Gu An sat in an inn’s second-floor window seat, sipping wine while watching the streets below.
Down below, wandering martial artists performed stunts to attract crowds.
Where there are people, there is a Jianghu (martial world).
Even in the Taicang Empire, where cultivation was widely known, ninety percent of people couldn't cultivate.
Thus, the martial world emerged—separate from the cultivation world, yet filled with its own drama, glory, and vendettas.
Throughout the entire city, Gu An only detected three other cultivators, all of whom, like him, were pretending to be ordinary people.
The cultivation world was at war with the Nightshade Sect. Countless demons and monsters lurked beyond the Nine Dynasties, waiting for an opportunity to strike.
But to ordinary mortals, life went on unchanged.
Their lifespans were a mere few decades—by the time this generation passed, the demonic catastrophe might still not have arrived.
This was the difference between cultivators and mortals.
They existed in different timelines.
Pondering this contrast, Gu An’s mind swirled with emotions.
Could he achieve enlightenment by thinking about the mortal world from this perspective?
He tried.
But even after an entire day, he failed to enter the Dao Comprehension state.
To truly make someone immortal?
Impossible.
Gu An couldn’t transfer his own lifespan to others, either.
Yet, rather than depressing him, this realization strengthened his resolve.
The more people he lost, the more he wanted to live.
He wanted to witness the world ten thousand years from now, to see civilizations rise and fall, to observe the endless passage of time.
"Elder Liu, this is the final volume of Taixuan Immortal Venerable." Gu An took out a book with a smile.
Liu Chang accepted it curiously. "I thought you’d wait a few more years—why release it now?"
"The story needed an ending. The protagonist joins forces with the world to slay demons and bring peace. Doesn't that fit perfectly with the current state of affairs?" Gu An laughed.
He paused, then said, "I may not have the power to change the world, but if my stories can inspire people to fight, then that’s a contribution in itself."
Liu Chang didn’t open the book. Instead, he smiled in admiration.
"Your books have already influenced many. Before you, cultivators rarely read anything unrelated to cultivation. Now, the name Pan An carries the air of a sage."
Gu An chuckled. "You're exaggerating."
"Haha! So what’s next?"
"I haven’t decided. We’ll see."
"That’s how masterpieces happen—no need to rush."
They chatted for hours.
Eventually, Liu Chang sighed.
"Once I finish arranging this final volume, I’ll be leaving the sect—returning to my homeland."
"I’ve spent two hundred and forty years here. I wonder if my hometown has changed."
He could already sense his life nearing its end.
Before death, everyone longs to return home.
Gu An thought of Cheng Xuandan, who had also left alone before his time ran out.
With a faint smile, Gu An simply said, "I wish you a safe journey, Elder Liu."
That evening.
Gu An stood in front of Pavilion of Techniques, lost in thought.
Suddenly, a voice called out.
"Brother, are you alright?"
It was Wu Jue.
Fate is truly strange.