Chapter 460 Agu, Infiltration
Dark clouds covered the sky, and a fierce wind arose on the Taibai River.
A golden light shot through the river, and a submerged dragon that had poked its head out was sent a thousand feet away before it could even see what hit it.
Patron, hidden in the river, replayed the scene with the arrogant young man in his mind, and couldn’t help but let out several loud laughs.
“Hehehehe…”
He’d seen plenty of people who considered themselves “heaven’s chosen” in his life.
But how many of them, after glimpsing a sliver of heavenly secrets, truly understood the mysteries of this world?
—Young Nancheng had a fortuitous encounter with a Yellow Dragon in his youth, and the “Nine Dragon Heavenly Seal” recognized him as its master. He considered himself “heaven’s chosen,” but what was his ultimate fate?
—Yun Tianmi possessed a sword heart body. With only the sword in his hand, he divided the mountains and rivers of the Four Domains. He also considered himself “heaven’s chosen,” but what was his ultimate fate?
…
And just now, the young man named Ye Anping had come before him and, like those others, considered himself “heaven’s chosen.”
To him, it was “nonsense.”
However, Ye Anping told him a joke that made him burst into laughter.
“Dan Yue, that brat, is my cultivation partner.”
Ever since Si Xuanji ascended, she had been taunting him, and even blew up the dragon’s den next to Taibai Sect thousands of years ago, forcing him to relocate the entire sect a hundred li away.
Now, the thought of Dan Yue being controlled by a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator made him incredibly happy, as if he had witnessed a teddy bear getting beaten for its own actions.
“…Hahahahaha—”
His laughter spread with the wind, unrestrained and hearty.
Ye Anping had said earlier that “Spring Aspect spiritual energy couldn’t help him break through and ascend,” and that “Returning to Void is his limit.”
If he was asked if he believed it, he would say yes.
Having cultivated the Dao for twenty thousand years, he knew better than anyone how far he could go on the path of immortality.
Thousands of years ago, he had already foreseen his own end. He had even accepted his fate, preparing to accept the outcome of not being able to ascend.
However, it was only recently, as this end drew near, that he realized he was not as open-minded as he had thought in his youth.
“I’ve cultivated the Dao for twenty thousand years, only to fall at the final step. Wouldn’t these twenty thousand years have been wasted?”
Thus, he used the Immortal Summoning Token, wanting to make one last gamble and find an opportunity to defy fate.
When he heard Sun Juehu’s words through the Immortal Summoning Token, he was indeed moved. After the meeting, he summoned Cao Yan’er and asked her to go to Xuan Xing Sect to invite “Ye Anping.”
Originally, he thought that Dan Yue would definitely protect Ye Anping and not let him fall into his hands easily.
He never expected things to go so smoothly.
After only a few months, Ye Anping arrived before him.
After all, Ye Anping was a disciple of the Hundred Lotus Sect. Upon hearing of Ye Anping’s arrival, he almost thought he was dreaming. He immediately had an elder bring him before him, intending to use the Soul Seizing Art to steal his Spring Aspect spirit.
However, upon seeing Ye Anping’s dual spiritual roots and the Nine Dragon Heavenly Seal and Snow Jade Myriad Spirit Sword in his hand, he suddenly realized he couldn’t commit such a heinous act.
He was an Immortal Family Dao Ancestor.
How could he kill such an excellent junior?
How could he kill a fellow Daoist who could bring him such immense joy with a joke?
As for whether these twenty thousand years were wasted?
The mountains and rivers of the Southern Domain, flowing behind him like a rolling curtain, told him at this moment: they were not!
One plants the trees, and another enjoys the shade.
He was the one who planted the trees.
He had cultivated for twenty thousand years, and for twenty thousand years, he had protected the Southern Domain.
“That’s enough!!”
Patron, enveloped in golden light, sped towards the encroaching dark clouds. He suddenly stopped, raised his hand to stroke his beard, and conjured a palm-sized Yin-Yang Spirit Talisman. He amplified his voice with spiritual energy and shouted,
“You two juniors!! Do not be presumptuous in my Southern Domain!!”
Golden spiritual energy emanated from him, instantly dispersing the surrounding clouds.
The next moment, two figures, one black and one purple, appeared before and behind Patron, trapping him in the center.
“Oh ho~ Why is the old man so angry?”
A charming voice came from behind Patron. Mei Yunlu, the Sect Master of the Hehuan Sect, coiled with a bloody snake, lay sideways in mid-air as if just waking up.
Patron glanced sideways at her, then looked at the person in front of him.
Underneath the messy long hair, six serpent eyes were crammed into the upper half of a small face. A forked tongue flicked slightly from the lips of the lower half:
“Hiss hiss…”
“Patron old man, two against one, and an old one at that. This young lady doesn’t have the heart to make a move. Others will think we’re bullying an old man. Why didn’t that monk from Wunian Sect come? I wanted to break his precepts.”
Patron sneered and raised the Yin-Yang Jade in his hand:
“I alone am more than enough!”
“Then let this young lady see if your old staff is still firm… Hehehehe… Hihihihi…”
Mei Yunlu narrowed her eyes and looked at Patron’s crotch. She subtly flicked her index finger, and with an accompanying eerie bell-like laughter, she dispersed into a cloud of pink spiritual mist, enveloping an area of a hundred li…
…
—*Swish*—!
The sound of a blade entering flesh echoed, and streams of blood bloomed like flowers on the other shore.
On the mountain path of Taibai Sect’s side peak, the Gu insects’ ichor flowed upwards, reaching the gate of the courtyard at the top of the side peak. Numerous Taibai Sect disciples, clad in black and white Daoist robes, stood shoulder to shoulder, once again resisting the onslaught of demonic cultivators.
Zu Lingzhi arrived by flying sword from the Central Peak and landed in the courtyard. Seeing the wounded Taibai Sect disciples around her, she gritted her teeth in anger, but quickly regained her composure and rushed into the main hall above.
“Elder Cao!!”
Elder Cao was currently sitting with another Nascent Soul stage Taibai Sect elder before a floating spiritual pearl, using their spiritual energy to maintain the formation core of this side peak’s great formation.
Hearing Zu Lingzhi’s voice, she quickly turned her head and called out,
“Lingzhi, why are you here? Return to the Central Peak. Elder Chen and I are holding the line here. These Foundation Establishment and Nascent Soul stage demonic cultivators can’t break through.”
“…Where is Grandfather?”
“Didn’t you hear what Young Master Ye said? He has gone to face the sect masters of the Gu Poison and Hehuan sects. This time, almost the entire high-level disciples of the Gu Poison Sect and Hehuan Sect have arrived. The Grand Elders and others have also gone to confront those Deity Transformation stage old monsters. Otherwise, if those Deity Transformation cultivators were to enter Taibai Sect and fight, the lower-level disciples within the sect would be implicated.”
Zu Lingzhi bit her lip, indicating she understood, and asked:
“Then what should I do now…”
“You hurry back to the Central Peak. Young Master Ye is about to form his Nascent Soul. The reason the Gu Poison and Hehuan sects dared to attack this time is probably one of their objectives is him. Someone must be going after him, go and protect him!!”
Zu Lingzhi hesitated for a moment, wanting to ask about what Ye Anping had said earlier about “Patron’s lifespan drawing to a close,” but before she could speak, Elder Cao interrupted directly:
“Don’t think about other things now. The demonic cultivators have attacked, and we must find a way to repel them and hold on until Auntie returns. Then all problems will be solved.”
*Boom*—!
The sound of fire elemental spells exploding from outside the hall made Zu Lingzhi pause for a moment, but she quickly stood up, summoned her spirit sword, and rushed out. After helping the Taibai Sect disciples defending the courtyard to deal with a few Gu insects, she flew her sword towards the direction of the thunderclouds on the Central Peak.
…
— —
Mid-slope of the Central Peak—
“Hurry up and move all the pills to Baiyu Jing.”
*Tap tap tap*—
On the street, a Taibai Sect elder in the Nascent Soul stage directed the Foundation Establishment stage Taibai Sect disciples to move boxes of pills used to cure Gu poison from the treasury.
Everyone was anxious and ran quickly through the rooms.
However, one Taibai Sect disciple with disheveled black hair stopped in place, looking up at the Nascent Soul tribulation clouds above Baiyu Jing, her mind wandering.
Noticing her, the Taibai Sect elder standing nearby frowned and rebuked,
“Hey!! Girl over there, what are you spacing out for?! Don’t you want to live anymore? Hurry up and move things!”
Gu Mingxin snapped back to attention, nodded slightly in apology, and then continued to carry the boxes, following the other disciples in the vicinity along the street towards Baiyu Jing above.
Xue E, sitting on her shoulder, was lounging with one leg crossed, scanning her surroundings:
“The demonic cultivators are fierce, and it just so happens that Ye Anping is forming his Nascent Soul. What a coincidence, isn’t it?”
“So cool…”
“Huh?” Xue E was startled, turned her head to look back at Gu Mingxin’s face, and seeing her looking like she was in a daze with a spring breeze brushing her face, she couldn’t help but sigh helplessly. “Ai…”
“Xue E, did you hear Ye Anping command the Taibai Sect just now? He was so handsome…”
“I heard…”
“And he’s already formed his Nascent Soul, he’s faster than me…”
“I saw…”
Xue E responded perfunctorily. Seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she quickly called out:
“Mingxin, turn into the alley ahead!!”
Gu Mingxin came back to her senses, carried the box, and slipped into a small alley ahead amidst the chaos. Leaning against the wall, she held her breath and concentrated, waiting for the Taibai Sect elder and the squad of Foundation Establishment disciples to move further away.
*Tap tap tap*—
The footsteps gradually faded into the distance, and soon, the entire street was deserted.
The Taibai Sect disciples also reacted quickly. After Ye Anping’s earlier shout, they all hurried to gather around their respective elders and then rushed to the sect formation cores of the peak main halls, using the formation cores as walls to defend against the Gu Poison and Hehuan sects’ demonic cultivators who were breaking in.
Seeing that there was no one else on the street, Xue E quickly said:
“Mingxin, let’s go help Mo Chil Ling get the Taibai Spirit Dew on our way. Then we’ll see if we can find an opportunity to meet Ye Anping at Tian Ge.”
Gu Mingxin had no objections. She leaped onto the roof of a nearby small house and, following Xue E’s guidance, low-key headed towards the spirit garden area of Taibai Sect’s Central Peak.
After crossing about ten streets, she saw a cluster of courtyards planted with spiritual herbs. In the center of each courtyard was about an mu of spirit field, planted with various spiritual herbs.
She scanned the surroundings and looked at Xue E:
“Hmm?”
Xue E paused and pointed to one of the courtyards:
“Over there.”
Gu Mingxin nodded and quickly walked into the courtyard pointed to by Xue E.
Because of the demonic cultivators, the disciples inside the courtyard had left in a hurry and forgotten to activate the restriction. Gu Mingxin tentatively pushed the courtyard gate, and it swung inward.
Gu Mingxin walked into the courtyard alone and looked at the dozen or so white flowers planted in the spirit field, whose names she didn’t know. She thought they were quite pretty and casually plucked one, tucking it behind her ear.
“Xue E, how does it look?”
“Mingxin, can you stop being so leisurely? The demonic cultivators have already broken into Taibai Sect…”
“What does that have to do with me? I’m just here to find Ye Anping, and to help Senior Sister Mo get that Taibai Spirit Dew.”
“Ai…” Xue E sighed lightly. “Mingxin, just use a pill bottle to collect the dew from these flowers. Taibai Spirit Dew is a Celestial-grade healing earthly treasure. Once collected, seal it immediately with spiritual energy, otherwise its medicinal properties will be lost.”
“Okay~~”
Gu Mingxin pouted in response and then took out an empty pill bottle with her left hand to collect the transparent dewdrops hanging from the white flower petals.
However, just as she was collecting the dewdrops from the fifth spiritual plant, Xue E, who was vigilantly scanning the surroundings from above her head, suddenly exclaimed in alarm:
“Mingxin! Someone’s coming!”
“Huh?”
Gu Mingxin raised her eyebrows leisurely and then lifted her ear to look towards the courtyard entrance.
*Thump… thump*~
After a series of drawn-out footsteps, a thin man dressed like a beggar walked in from outside the courtyard gate. His compound eyes, under his messy hair, swiveled a few times before reflecting the image of Gu Mingxin squatting among the flowers, picking them.
Gu Mingxin looked at the man and slightly raised her eyebrows:
“A mid-stage Nascent Soul Gu cultivator, and he looks heavily injured.”
Before she could finish speaking, a mound of earth bulged from beneath the white flowers.
*Bang*—
A slug with countless sharp teeth leaped out of the soil, lunging directly at Gu Mingxin’s face, but it was swatted by Gu Mingxin’s sleeve, hitting the adjacent wall and turning into a pulp of meat.
“…”
Gu Mingxin stood up and smiled with narrowed eyes:
“If I recall correctly, the Grand Tutor of the Gu Poison Sect, Worm Headzi?”
*Kaka kaka*…
Grinding sounds came from the thin man’s mouth. Worm Headzi’s compound eyes widened slightly, and he stared at Gu Mingxin’s face for a moment before slowly speaking,
“You are…”
*Swoosh*—
A blood-colored spirit sword appeared from Gu Mingxin’s left palm.
Gu Mingxin raised her left hand slightly and pointed towards the direction of Tian Ge in Baiyu Jing, saying,
“He’s forming his Nascent Soul, don’t disturb him, it’s almo-”
After this sentence, Gu Mingxin disappeared from Worm Headzi’s eyes.
The next moment, he heard her incomplete final word in his ear:
“…st time?”
Gu Mingxin completed the last word in a whisper, then turned and swung the spirit sword in her hand towards Worm Headzi’s nape, causing cold sweat to bead on his face.
*Swish*—
The blood-colored spirit sword swept across his neck, but Gu Mingxin felt the sensation was wrong. It wasn’t like a Nascent Soul cultivator, but soft and boneless like a fish.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and then saw that the cut surface on Worm Headzi’s head was covered in white mucus, sticking to the upper half of his skull.
The separated head and neck then rejoined.
Gu Mingxin frowned slightly and couldn’t help but click her tongue.
“Tsk, Gu cultivators… truly disgusting.”
Worm Headzi’s head suddenly rotated 180 degrees, facing Gu Mingxin behind him. His compound eyes bulged ferociously.
“Young Master Gu!!! You also have the surname Gu!! So the rumors about Tongxian are true?! Taibai Sect?! Hahaha— Venerable Yu Yan has been waiting for you to return!!!!”
“?”
Gu Mingxin blinked, then remembered she was wearing Taibai Sect disciples’ uniforms, but she didn’t bother to refute.
After all, Worm Headzi was as good as dead.
…
