Gu An wasn't happy about his rapid breakthrough; he was always on edge, afraid that someone would come.
The Supreme Sect was so vast, and it was rare to see anyone in the Medicine Valley within a hundred miles. Surely, no Great Cultivator would be alerted?
As Gu An thought this, he suddenly sensed two strong auras approaching from afar, stronger than Chu Jingfeng had been.
Just what he feared!
He was in the midst of increasing his cultivation level from the fourth to the fifth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, and it was inconvenient to get up. Even if he ran now, it would be hard to escape those two.
Big trouble!
Gu An tensively sensed the two approaching auras. When the distance between them was less than a hundred yards, the two people stopped, separated by a mountain peak.
He was in a dim forest, wearing a dark cyan robe. Combined with the dust flying around, it was hard to see his true face.
Feeling that the two didn't forcibly rush over, Gu An breathed a sigh of relief.
It seemed the other party was also wary of him and didn't dare to disturb him rashly.
Gu An's cultivation level continued to grow. Due to the commotion around and a mountain in between, he couldn't hear the two people's conversation, which made it impossible for him to relax.
By the time he broke through to the fifth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, the two people on the other side of the mountain hadn't made a move.
Gu An's rate of cultivation growth began to slow. He raised his right hand and placed it against the trunk behind him. Using the spiritual power inside his body, he connected with the trunk, causing a cyan light to appear and flow around his palm.
Once the cyan light connected end-to-end, he withdrew his right hand and directly tore off a piece of wooden mask from the trunk.
He covered his face with the mask, then used a finger from his other hand to carve out two eye holes. The carved areas fell off, leaving a complete mask covering his face.
Spiritual energy continued to drill into his body, but now he was able to stand.
Seemingly sensing that nature's spiritual energy was stabilizing, a loud voice came through:
"May I know which Fellow Daoist is breaking through here, and why not in your own Cave Mansion?"
The voice was very serious, clearly suspecting that Gu An wasn't a disciple of the Supreme Sect.
Gu An hesitated whether to reply.
He was just a Servant Disciple, and being discovered to have achieved Foundation Establishment within a few years of joining, even if he could smoothly enter the Outer Sect, there would still be risks!
The noise he had made tonight was too great. If those two people learned his identity, sooner or later a third and a fourth person would know, and what if someone harbored malicious intent towards him?
It wasn't strange for Gu An to be paranoid; having been a house servant since he was young, he was well-acquainted with the treacherous nature of people.
Gu An was binding the mask with vines while pondering, his eyes shining with a cold light in the night.
No!
He couldn't expose himself!
Gu An didn't want to plunge into trouble, even if he could become an Outer Disciple, it wouldn't be beneficial for him.
The Supreme Sect wouldn't foster disciples for nothing; Outer Disciples had to take on Sect tasks, inevitably facing deadly dangers.
Once his cultivation level was completely stable, he stood up, his face hidden by the mask, revealing only his eyes, his body still surrounded by a whirlwind.
At that moment, he sensed two auras quickly descending upon him from the mountain; evidently, they now considered him an intruder.
Gu An dared to remain silent, also because he judged that their cultivation levels weren't very strong, otherwise, he wouldn't have time to ponder so much.
He immediately turned around and rushed into the depths of the forest.
With a whoosh—
A sound of air tearing came from behind Gu An. He looked back and saw a cold glint speeding through the dim forest, breaking branches along its path. Surprisingly, there was a woman behind the cold light.
This woman was dressed in white, her right arm stretched straight out, her palm facing the sword hilt, connected by spiritual power. The sword blade burst out with sharp sword qi, unstoppable, swooping through the trees like a startling swan.
In a split second, her sword was right behind Gu An, less than half a yard away.
Gu An's left foot hit the ground and he twisted his body backward while squatting down with his left leg, the sword blade flying right over him.
The woman in white widened her eyes; the darkness of the night enveloped her face, but the sword light shone right into her bright, stunning eyes, filled with shock.
In an instant!
As Gu An squatted down, his right leg kicked backward, hitting the woman in white in the abdomen. A force she had never experienced before hit her, her consciousness instantly blanking out as she spit out a mouthful of blood.
Bang!
The woman in white flew backward, hitting a large tree, then falling onto the grass, her life or death uncertain.
"How dare you!"
A furious shout came, and Gu An focused his eyes to see a cyan light figure rapidly approaching, leaving a trail of afterimages.
So fast!
Gu An's eyes couldn't keep up with the opponent's movement. In a panic, he immediately performed the Gale Shadowless Leg.
He had no actual combat experience; when he faced the Demon of Greed and Wrath before, it was just a slap, so he didn't dare to face such a formidable opponent too closely.
Spiritual power flowed into his right leg, he stepped back, and his right leg kicked out fiercely.
With that kick, gales suddenly rose, howling toward the cyan light figure.
Within the cyan light was a man with a sword, his pupils suddenly dilating, filled with leg shadows.
Dust flew up, rows of trees were blown down, a series of leg shadows engulfing the sword-carrying man with overwhelming momentum, sweeping tens of meters away with a tremendous force.
Gu An retracted his leg and plunged into the darkness.
The forest gradually returned to calm. When the dust settled, the sword-carrying man was seen lying on the ground, motionless.
…
At dawn.
Ye Lan walked out of her house, her eyes habitually looking towards her Senior Brothers' courtyard. Across a not-so-high courtyard wall, she saw the figures of her Senior Brothers.
"Pretty diligent, aren't they? I can't afford to fall behind."
Ye Lan thought to herself as she hurriedly walked forward.
Upon arriving in the courtyard, she quickly walked over to Gu An and greeted him politely, "Senior Brother."
Gu An smiled and nodded back at her.
"Senior Brother, will you be working today?" Ye Lan asked curiously, noting that Gu An was wearing an old set of clothes, which he only wore when picking herbs.
Gu An replied, "Hmm, I plan to find some time to go up the mountain this afternoon."
Ye Lan didn't think much of it and continued, "Last night, the wind was so strong that I didn't dare to cultivate. I was afraid that the spiritual energy would become chaotic during the Qi absorption process, affecting my luck. Senior Brother, I heard from Senior Brother Meng before that you've encountered a demon attack. What was the situation like then?"
Gu An, while watching Xiaochuan and Lu Jiujia practice the Residual Wind Leg, described the situation at that time.
He was always patient, regardless of whom he spoke to.
An hour later, the junior brothers and sisters each departed, and Gu An welcomed his own relaxation time. He lay under a tree, one hand holding the 'Green Hero's Travel,' and the other playing with the White Spirit Rat, utterly content.
At that moment, his mind was occupied with the two people he had encountered the night before.
He had already withdrawn his power, so he likely hadn't killed those two, right?
Gu An felt somewhat uneasy, as he had no grudges with those two individuals.
In a situation with no animosity, Gu An did not wish to kill.
With such worries, Gu An endured a rather difficult day.
As the sun set and the moon rose, around noon the following day.
Standing in front of a wooden railing reading, Gu An suddenly caught sight of figures at the mouth of the valley; he fixed his gaze, finding that it was not just one person.
A man and a woman!
Gu An secretly breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that they weren't dead.
He used the Dragon Strength Divine Primordial Skill to suppress his cultivation level to the Third Layer of the Qi Cultivation Realm, unafraid of being recognized.
Soon, Cheng Xuan Pill walked out from the attic and quickly approached the two individuals, bowing with clasped hands. Standing in front of him were a woman in white and a man in blue.
The woman in white had a beautifully cold demeanor, her skin pale and smooth like curd, with almond-shaped eyes and willow-leaf eyebrows. She held a scabbard in her right hand, her entire presence exuding an unapproachable cold arrogance.
The man in blue was equally handsome, with a tall and straight figure, wearing a splendid brocade robe, although his complexion was somewhat pale.
They were both Outer Disciples of the Supreme Sect, the man named Shi Yang, and the woman named Li Xuanyu.
Facing Cheng Xuan Pill, Shi Yang revealed his purpose with a smile.
After hearing his words, Cheng Xuan Pill replied, "No one else has arrived at our Medicine Valley these past two days."
Cheng Xuan Pill had lived a hundred years, having experienced all sorts of things, so he remained very calm.
Shi Yang looked towards Medicine Valley and said, "Could you summon your disciples over?"
Cheng Xuan Pill had no objections, turned around, gathered his qi in his dantian, and called out loudly, causing Gu An and the others to run over after hearing him.
"Xiaochuan, go fetch your Senior Brother Meng as well," instructed Cheng Xuan Pill.
Upon hearing this, Xiaochuan immediately turned and ran to find Meng Lang.
Shi Yang and Li Xuanyu started sizing up Gu An and the other two, their brows furrowed, remaining silent.
Cheng Xuan Pill kept silent, waiting for Meng Lang to arrive.
Gu An took this opportunity to inspect the life spans of the two Outer Disciples; the urgency the previous night had made it impossible to check their life spans.
[Li Xuanyu (Foundation Establishment Realm Fourth Layer): 24/245/1670]
[Shi Yang (Foundation Establishment Realm Fifth Layer): 25/298/1304]
Goodness!
Both were geniuses with over twenty years of age in the Foundation Establishment Realm and their maximum life spans reaching over a thousand, among which Li Xuanyu's was even higher than Li Ya's.
Both surnamed Li, could this woman also be from the Royal Family?
Gu An was secretly alarmed, thankful that he hadn't revealed his identity the previous night.
Before long, Xiaochuan, looking irritated, brought Meng Lang over.
Seeing Meng Lang, Shi Yang narrowed his eyes. He transmitted his voice to Li Xuanyu beside him, "Junior Sister Li, this kid's aura is chaotic, showing signs of demonic possession. Although his cultivation level is very low, he might have something to do with the person we're looking for."
Li Xuanyu stared at Meng Lang, her cold eyes seeming to see through him.
Meng Lang, feeling their gaze and seeing their extraordinary attire, immediately restrained his expression. He lowered his head and stood next to Gu An, with Xiaochuan following closely behind.
Cheng Xuan Pill spoke, "The night before last, there was a mysterious cultivator breaking through about ten miles from Medicine Valley, suspected to be a spy from the Demon Dao. Have you seen anyone else these past few days?"
Goodness!
A spy from the Demon Dao!
Gu An inwardly exclaimed, frowning nervously on his face.
Meng Lang's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "There isn't another demon invasion, is there?"
"What do you mean 'another'?" Shi Yang stared at Meng Lang and asked.
Unable to control his tongue, Meng Lang immediately blurted out the previous incident involving the Demon of Greed and Wrath, which also involved an Inner Sect Disciple, causing Shi Yang's expression to change slightly.
It's this dangerous nearby?
Shi Yang suddenly didn't want to investigate further.
Gu An took the opportunity to ask, "Senior fellows, have you ever encountered that spy from the Demon Dao? Could you provide us with some clues?"
The others nodded, tense upon hearing the word 'demon.'
Shi Yang pondered and said, "It was too dark that night, I only remember his leg technique being very fast."