Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

Ever since Ancestor Kusong fell, the great calamity of demons and monsters drew near, and Gu An would use his Divine Sense every night to survey the land of the nine dynasties to prevent enemies from sneaking in.

That night, he happened to see Di Xie leaving the Supreme Sect, so he followed him with his Divine Sense and then saw Di Xie meeting with a demon.

When Gu An heard the demon say that it was he who had killed Ancestor Kusong, Gu An felt an urge to kill.

He must avenge Ancestor Kusong!

After all, Ancestor Kusong and Gu An were friends despite the age difference.

He didn't take action immediately, waiting instead for the other party to move far away from the Taicang Dynasty before he made his move.

The Black Crow Demon Envoy landed by the river, intending to rest for a while and infuse his demonic power into the waters to mark this territory with the river's flow.

Before his demonic power could probe into the water, a hand landed on his shoulder.

He had never experienced such a thing, not even in the Demon Land could a demon approach him so stealthily and unnoticed.

He instinctively tried to evade, but a crushing force of unimaginable strength pressed down on him, rendering him immobile.

A look of panic appeared on his crow face; glancing sidelong, he could only make out a mysterious and demonic silhouette.

Gu An had meant to taunt him with a remark, but seeing that he was already terrified out of his wits, suddenly found it tasteless and proceeded to assault his soul with his Divine Sense.

Soul Capturing Skill!

The night was silent, with only the faint sound of the river's flow echoing in the air.

The moon set and the sun rose, its proud light emerging from behind the eastern mountains, slicing through the sky and shining upon Gu An and the Black Crow demon.

In the light of the sun, Gu An, who had performed the Nine Extremes Yin Yang Skill, appeared ghostly, while the Black Crow demon squatting before him rolled his eyes back and convulsed slightly.

After a full Ancient Hour had passed, Gu An finally retracted his Divine Sense, then took the Storage Bag and Storage Ring from the Black Crow demon's body, and used the Taiching True Fire to burn his corpse.

In a few breaths, the Black Crow Demon Envoy was dead and his path extinguished, leaving behind only his Demon Core and Mystic Heart, which Gu An collected into the Storage Bag.

[You have successfully seized the life span of 380 years from the Black Crow Demon Envoy (Eighth Layer of the Mystic Heart Realm)]

Gu An then vanished from the spot.

...

At noon, Third Medicine Valley.

Gu An stepped down from the Transmission Array Platform and walked towards the distant garden area, being warmly greeted and saluted by the Servant Disciples he encountered along the way.

The number of Servant Disciples in the Third Medicine Valley had now reached four hundred.

Gu An, who did not hoard treasures or natural resources and took care in planting herbs, ensured that the Third Medicine Valley's yield of medicinal herbs was considerable. Even compared with those of the Inner Sect, the yearly contribution of the Third Medicine Valley to the Sect ranked among the top three.

With this accomplishment, the Sect became increasingly satisfied with him and continued to increase the number of Servant Disciples sent to him.

While on his way, Gu An saw An Xin sweeping the floor; he immediately waved to her, signaling her to come over.

An Xin saw this and quickly approached, greeting him with a bow.

After so many years in the Third Medicine Valley, An Xin had successfully reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, thanks in large part to the elixirs secretly given by Gu An, hence she was very grateful to him.

Back in the day, An Hao and An Xin had both started cultivating under Gu An's tutelage. An Hao had already reached the third layer of the Nascent Soul Realm, whereas An Xin was only at the first layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, making Gu An sigh at the unfairness of fate.

"Walk with me," Gu An said.

An Xin naturally had no objections and then followed him step by step.

During the subsequent harvesting process, Gu An intermittently introduced her to the cultivation of high-rank medicinal herbs, and she listened intently.

She had also become very interested in herb cultivation.

After half an hour, Gu An took out a secret manual and handed it to An Xin.

"This technique might help enhance your aptitude. Don't let anyone discover it," Gu An instructed in a low voice, looking cautiously towards the distance.

An Xin took the manual and immediately beamed a smile, saying, "Thank you, Master!"

Over the many years of living together, she had come to trust Gu An completely. Like the other Servant Disciples, she called Gu An "Master," but unlike the others, in her heart, Gu An had become her true master, second only to the mysterious master who had saved her years before.

Gu An ruffled her hair, indicating that she should get back to her tasks.

An Xin promptly bowed and then turned to leave.

Watching her retreating figure, a smile appeared on Gu An's face.

He hoped the Primordial Reincarnation Skill would be of help to An Xin. Even if she didn't undergo a complete transformation, if it could extend her life for a few more years, that would be a blessing.

The life at Third Medicine Valley was not dull—Gu An had already built a library and a tavern, and he had also purchased some equipment for the lofts, for the disciples to enjoy.

He had even invented chess, which became popular throughout Third Medicine Valley.

Afterward, Gu An flew towards the Inner Sect City. He had just avenged Ancestor Kusong and wanted to chat with Elder Xu Lu from the Book Collection Hall of the Inner Sect. Of course, he wouldn't tell Xu Lu about the events of that morning; he just simply wanted to talk.

He felt suffocated in his heart after seeing the tragic end of Ancestor Kusong in the Black Crow Demon Envoy's memories.

...

Inside the Nianchu Cave at Heavenly Phoenix Mountain.

Tian Yao'er watched curiously as Gu An planted a tree. This tree was already two zhang high, with leaves as red as fire and vines hanging all around. At first glance, it seemed like a tree ablaze with flames.

This was the seventh rank Spirit Tree, the Sun Nurturing Tree. Gu An had moved it from the Star-Master Cave, still a sapling because the Sun Nurturing Trees there were a thousand zhang tall, bearing Sun Nurturing Fruits that could enhance Qi-Blood and even perception of the fire attribute spiritual energy.

After planting, Gu An looked at the Sun Nurturing Tree with satisfaction.

He turned around and patted Tian Yao'er's forehead to snap her out of her daze.

"Come, I'll teach you a Demon Clan spell."

Hearing Gu An's words, Tian Yao'er instantly became excited and hurriedly followed.

Gu An had acquired many spells and cultivation techniques from the memories of the Black Crow Demon Envoy, and he planned to teach Tian Yao'er the spell that could turn the Black Crow Demon Envoy into a flock of black crows.

It must be said that Tian Yao'er's aptitude and comprehension were both very high.

An hour later, she was already able to transform into several fire crows.

That's right, fire crows, not black crows.

The crows ablaze with flames made Gu An even more suspicious of her having a Phoenix Blood Lineage.

The most important aspect of this spell was not the transformation but the speed of flight. For Tian Yao'er to master it fully, it would still take a considerable amount of time.

Watching her practice the spell, Gu An's thoughts drifted away.

The Demon Emperor, Demon Masters, and the seventy-two Great Demon Kings, as well as the Demon Ancestor who was about to be resurrected...

Even Gu An, who was at the ninth layer of the Nirvana Realm, could feel the pressure.

The lowest cultivation level of the seventy-two Great Demon Kings was the Mystic Heart Realm, with the top three even stepping into the Mahayana Realm, which was why the Ephemera Sect dared not set foot in the Demon Land.

The reason the Demon Clan had not moved southward was not out of fear of the Nine Dynasties' lands but because they were waiting for the resurrection of the Demon Ancestor. After the Demon Ancestor's resurrection, he would need a large amount of flesh and blood to restore his body, and the humans of the Nine Dynasties' lands were the food designated by the Demon Emperor.

Of course, the lands of the Nine Dynasties also had the protection of mysterious Great Cultivators. Two thousand years ago, when the Demon Emperor moved south, he was severely wounded by a mysterious Mahayana Cultivator and almost perished.

However, that Great Cultivator had already traveled southwards across the sea. The subordinates of the Black Crow Demon Envoy had discovered this matter and reported it to the Demon Emperor.

That Great Cultivator came from the Cangtian Sect of the Great Jiang Dynasty and was known as the Daoist Lord. Two thousand years had passed, and whether the Daoist Lord was still alive was still an unknown.

The Great Jiang Dynasty was the strongest of the nine dynasties, and while chaos reigned in the world, the Great Jiang Dynasty still held a stable position, and the Cangtian Sect had established itself as the leading sect in the whole world by opposing the Ephemera Sect.

The land of the Demon was vast and boundless; apart from the prominent Great Demon Kings, who knows what else was hidden.

This made Gu An even more eager to achieve the life span of ten million years.

If possible, he didn't want to flee but to continue surviving on this land with the Supreme Sect.

...

The death of the Black Crow Demon Envoy caused no impact whatsoever, and Di Xie still spent all day engrossed in comprehending sword intent at the Heavenly Repair Platform.

But as time passed, the number of demons in various places kept increasing, causing the common people to suffer greatly, and the Supreme Sect assigned more tasks for eliminating demons, with even Ye Lan and Zhen Qin having no choice but to participate.

Since the tasks they took were within the Supreme Sect, Gu An was not too worried.

Two years flashed by in an instant.

Gu An's lifespan had reached over seven hundred and forty million years, getting ever closer to the grand milestone of ten million years.

Every day, he would use his Divine Sense to inspect the Demon Land, ready to advance his breakthrough sooner if the great calamity of the demons arrived ahead of schedule.

He had already considered a location for the breakthrough.

He would break through above the southern seas!

One day, An Hao and Si Yan'er left the Star-Master Cave.

The two walked out of the mountain wall and looked back to see the cave entrance gradually disappearing.

"Where is your master? Why haven't I seen him for all these years?" Si Yan'er asked curiously.

An Hao replied, "His Excellency is as elusive as a dragon that shows its head but not its tail. I'm not sure where he is, but one thing is certain, if I encounter danger, he definitely won't just stand by and watch!"

As he said this, a look of pride appeared on his face.

Si Yan'er pursed her lips, wanting to mock, but she restrained herself.

She couldn't forget the scene of Gu An sweeping away a Mystic Heart cultivator with a flick of his sleeve. Such a Great Cultivator was not someone Tianwei could afford to offend!

Just then, a figure leaped out from the woods and landed swiftly in front of them. An Hao frowned, thinking there was an ambush, and prepared for combat.

The new arrival was a man dressed in Tianwei official clothes. He saluted with his hand and said, "Your Highness, I have come to welcome you by the emperor's sacred decree. His Majesty has decided to betroth Your Highness to the head of the Golden List, An Hao."

As these words were spoken, Si Yan'er's complexion changed drastically, and she asked angrily, "Has Father gone mad? How could he betroth me to such a person?"

An Hao was going to refuse, but upon hearing this, he immediately felt displeased and said, "What do you mean, 'such a person'? You think I'm not good enough for you? Well, I insist on marrying you!"

The two started arguing.

Meanwhile, the official dressed man kept smiling, watching them argue.

Far away in the Mystic Valley of the Supreme Sect, Gu An was watching them, and he was not opposed to An Hao and Si Yan'er getting married because he had long seen that the two of them had already developed feelings for each other.

However, he remained wary of Tianwei.

If Tianwei dared to plot against An Hao, he would not show any mercy; it was a good opportunity for the Taicang Dynasty to swallow up the Tianwei lands.

After the three set off, Gu An contacted Daoist Xunchun.

Someone was coming towards the Mystic Valley.

He stood up, left the house, and descended the stairs.

Half an hour later, Du Ye flew into the Mystic Valley on his sword. From afar, he saw Gu An and waved to greet him.

Seeing that he knew Gu An, the disciples in the valley did not stop him.

After landing, Du Ye stored his flying sword in his storage bag and then dragged Gu An to a secluded place.

"The family sent news that they are preparing to move out of the Supreme Sect. The third young miss specifically mentioned taking you and me with her," Du Ye spoke softly, his expression one of excitement. He felt honored that the Ji Family had not forgotten about him.