HPDBC Chapter 90: Times Change, Ascending to the Venerable Pavilion
Chapter 90: Times Change, Ascending to the Venerable Pavilion
Chapter 90: Times Change, Ascending to the Venerable Pavilion
Under normal circumstances, Gu An wasn’t interested in dealing with demonic cultivators and would avoid them when possible. But one person was an exception.
That person was Xu Jue!
Previously, Xu Jue had led an army of demons and monsters to besiege Ji Xuanyu, allowing Gu An to harvest over fifty thousand years of lifespan. Gu An’s impression of him was unforgettable.
After leaving Xuan Valley, Gu An flew toward the Outer Sect City. Once he had traveled far enough, he activated the Grand Yin-Yang Transformation, turning into a shadowy form. Using the Infinite Trace Celestial Step, he vanished into the forests.
In a dense forest two hundred miles away from Xuan Valley, Xu Jue was meditating beneath a tree. His hair was disheveled, his black robe was in tatters, and he looked utterly wretched.
Small flags encircled him, forming a faint protective barrier.
Suddenly, the Vice Leader of the Wan Yin Sect's face turned pale, and he spat a mouthful of black blood onto the grass, which withered instantly, giving off wisps of black smoke.
“D*** that Ji family...”
Xu Jue gritted his teeth, his voice filled with hatred.
During his escape from Ji Chen, he had encountered more grandmasters of the Ji family, narrowly escaping death. The memory still filled him with dread.
The demonic path had united the strength of its five major sects—the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, Gu Hao Sect, Wan Yin Sect, Tianjue Sect, and Cold Poison Valley—only to be repelled in a single day. The overwhelming power of the Taixuan Sect had shaken Xu Jue to his core.
As he thought of the Ji family members within his sect, Xu Jue suddenly felt the urge to annihilate all Ji family cultivators.
But recalling their strength, he sighed.
Forget it. Just endure for now!
One day, he would destroy the entire Ji family!
While Xu Jue was lost in thought, a gust of fierce wind swept through the forest, drawing his attention.
Boom!
The protective formation around him suddenly shattered. A purple-black figure appeared out of thin air and pressed a finger against Xu Jue’s temple, an overwhelming aura immobilizing him.
“The Demonic Shadow Divine Art... Who are you in the Thousand Autumn Pavilion?”
Xu Jue’s expression changed drastically as he cautiously asked.
Was there someone so powerful in the Thousand Autumn Pavilion?
Even in his severely injured state, his ninth-level Void Transformation cultivation wasn’t something a typical cultivator of the same stage could suppress.
“I have a question,” Gu An said in a hoarse voice.
Xu Jue let out a sigh of relief and replied deferentially, “Please, senior, ask!”
D*** the Thousand Autumn Pavilion!
I’ll lead the Wan Yin Sect to raze you all to the ground someday!
Gu An suddenly remembered that Xu Jue was the father of Xu Ruye, who had died by his hands.
“Forget it.”
Before Gu An’s voice faded, a surge of sword energy pierced through Xu Jue’s temple from Gu An’s fingertip, severely damaging his primordial spirit.
Xu Jue’s pupils dilated. Before he could collapse, Gu An used the Soul Search technique to sift through his memories.
The spells of the Jiang Qiong Sect were remarkably practical, and Gu An had long mastered them.
Xu Jue’s ninth-level Void Transformation memories were vast, but Gu An only sought information about the demon army’s techniques from the previous day. It didn’t take long to locate them.
An incense stick’s worth of time later.
Gu An withdrew his hand, and Xu Jue collapsed.
【You have successfully harvested 153 years of Xu Jue’s (ninth-level Void Transformation) lifespan.】
Not bad, the lifespan gained was significant!
Looking at Xu Jue now, Gu An found him more tolerable. He took Xu Jue’s storage bag and incinerated his corpse to ashes.
After completing this, Gu An left.
Jiang Qiong then took out a storage bag, saying it contained high-grade seeds she had exchanged for eighty percent of her savings. All the seeds were above the fifth grade, and she instructed Gu An to return after they had matured.
This meant they wouldn’t meet again for several years.
It seemed Jiang Qiong was in grave danger, caught between the distrust of the Thousand Autumn Pavilion and the scrutiny of the Taixuan Sect. She was truly walking on thin ice.
Gu An could only wish her luck in his heart as he took the storage bag and left in good spirits.
The demonic path’s siege of the Taixuan Sect swept through the cultivation world like a storm, shocking the entire Taicang Empire.
The strength displayed by the Taixuan Sect instilled fear throughout the demonic path. In the aftermath, the cultivation world entered an eerie calm.
After resuming leadership as sect master, Lü Baitian initiated bold reforms, establishing the Venerable Pavilion, reducing the Elder Hall’s authority, and ordering a thorough investigation of demonic spies. Over a thousand spies were executed.
Following Chu Tianqi’s escape, the Chu family faced Lü Baitian’s relentless retaliation. All Chu family disciples in the sect were either killed or imprisoned. The younger disciples with decent conduct were stripped of their cultivation, marked with a curse, and relegated to serve as errand disciples in the Outer Sect.
One such errand disciple, bearing the Chu surname, arrived at Xuan Valley.
It was someone Gu An knew—Chu Jingfeng!
When Gu An first joined the Taixuan Sect, he had encountered the Greedy Wrath Demon Ghost attacking the Medicine Valley. At that time, Cheng Xuandan had enlisted the help of an Inner Sect disciple—Chu Jingfeng. Chu Jingfeng had lost an arm during that encounter but later assisted Gu An in dealing with the evil cultivators around Xuan Valley.
Now, looking at Chu Jingfeng sitting across from him, weathered and forlorn, Gu An couldn’t help but sigh.
The last time they spoke, Chu Jingfeng had promised Gu An he could seek help from the Chu family whenever he faced trouble.
How times had changed. The Chu family had now completely fallen.
Chu Jingfeng still bore his one-armed figure, wearing tattered clothing. His messy hair and stubbled face gave him a disheveled and despondent appearance.
“Brother Chu, as long as you’re alive, there’s still hope. Work diligently. If you perform well, the punishment above may be lifted,” Gu An consoled him.
Wu Xin had quietly departed, leaving Gu An in charge of Xuan Valley. He needed to cultivate new talent, and Chu Jingfeng seemed like a promising candidate.
If Chu Jingfeng demonstrated potential, Gu An was even willing to pass on Wu Xin’s Dao Yan Technique to him.
The Dao Yan Technique relied on accumulating spiritual energy to break through limitations and might restore Chu Jingfeng, whose cultivation had been abolished.
Chu Jingfeng nodded numbly, remaining silent.
Gu An didn’t press him further, giving some instructions before letting him leave.
When Chu Jingfeng exited, he closed the door with a submissive demeanor. However, Gu An detected no reverence in his actions—only despair.
Sigh!
What a pity.
Gu An shook his head and picked up a pen to begin writing.
Six months had passed since the righteous-demonic war. Winter and spring had gone, and it was now summer. At fifty-one years old, Gu An had gained many insights into life, which he intended to express in his writing.
By dusk, Gu An left the pavilion and used a teleportation array to head to the Third Medicine Valley.
He sensed Shen Zhen was in his quarters.
Since Gu An had threatened to write her into his book six months ago, they had lost contact.
Her presence now probably meant trouble.
After all, she was a saintess; she had her pride.
Gu An thought about this as he climbed the stairs to meet Shen Zhen.
Upon entering, he saw her seated at the table, wearing a veil. She sat there calmly, doing nothing, simply looking at him.
Something felt off.
This wasn’t her usual demeanor.
Could she be about to lose her temper?
Gu An quickly shut the door, turned to face her, and was about to ask when she spoke first:
“Have you started writing the Adventures of the Medicine Hero yet?”