Chapter 112: Chapter 112: Unrivaled Battle, Enlightenment in the Painting
"I receiNovelFireed guidance from Sword Venerable Fudao, and naturally I must repay the kindness, and besides, the Supreme Sect has treated me well over the years!"
Han Ming forcefully replied as he took out the sword box from behind, adopting a stance ready for battle.
At that moment, three figures suddenly appeared around the Ghost Mother of Ephemera. These three were Cultivators from the Void Crossing Realm, specifically assigned to guard the Heavenly Repair Platform.
The Ghost Mother of Ephemera, being of the Unification Realm, was not afraid of them. She shook her head slightly, muttering to herself, "Truly annoying, but it's about time."
Suddenly, she transformed into a wisp of ghostly Qi and vanished into thin air.
The three Void Crossing Realm cultivators disappeared on the spot as well, and Gu An felt them teleporting out of the Outer Sect, pursuing something into the distance.
Han Ming, however, did not pursue. Merely exposing the Ghost Mother of Ephemera was an achievement; the chase was a matter for the Supreme Sect.
He turned to look at Gu An, who was still shaking with fear, and reassured him, "Don't worry, that ghost won't come back after fleeing."
Gu An nodded, but couldn't help looking around, as if afraid that there were still ghosts nearby.
Acting needed to be thoroughly executed!
Han Ming walked up to him, clapped him on the shoulder, pulled him close to Zuo Lin, and then began to recount his past experiences of slaying demons.
Gu An inwardly cursed, thinking the act had been overdone, making it difficult to leave, and he had no choice but to listen to Han Ming's boasting.
Zuo Lin, rarely seeing Gu An, was in a good mood. The two whispered among each other, provoking Han Ming to angrily roar.
The incident with the Ghost Mother of Ephemera was just an interlude.
Gu An had been waiting for signs of hostility in his life span prediction system; if it indicated malice, the Ghost Mother of Ephemera would not survive the day.
Luckily, no such notification had appeared, indicating that the Ghost Mother of Ephemera hadn't suspected him.
Of course, it was also possible that the Ghost Mother of Ephemera harbored no ill intentions toward the Supreme Sect. She had been with the Supreme Sect for many years without causing trouble, and she had not participated when the Underworld Demon Emperor caused chaos.
Now that the Mystic Heart Realm cultivators of the Ephemera Sect were closing in, if the Ghost Mother of Ephemera had malevolent intentions, she could easily have wreaked havoc by coordinating with that Mystic Heart Realm cultivator.
Could it be that the Ghost Mother of Ephemera had no connection with the Ephemera Sect?
As Gu An pretended to listen to Han Ming's boasting, he pondered in silence.
...
Under the clear blue sky, the autumn landscape of withered yellow stretched over the mountains and rivers.
Standing on the peaks were figures; among them were Lv Baitian and Ji Hantian. In total, there were thirty-two, all of them great cultivators from the Supreme Sect, each exuding an extraordinary aura.
Ji Hantian stood beside Lv Baitian and asked in a low voice, "Has the opponent surpassed the Unification Realm?"
"Most likely, his cultivation aura is far beyond what I can compare with, immense and boundless, and it doesn't seem like he has just made a breakthrough," Lv Baitian said, his face solemn.
Mystic Heart Realm!
Ji Hantian's expression darkened.
In the distance, the other great cultivators of the Supreme Sect could hear Lv Baitian's words, and their expressions were also grave, yet none showed fear.
"What of the Mystic Heart Realm? With so many of us Unification Realm cultivators united, there might still be a chance to fight!" a small-bodied elder retorted coldly.
"Exactly, what is there to fear!"
"My Ji Family has more great cultivators on the way. Let them come from the Ephemera Sect; they will all perish."
"It's a pity that the elder from my Gu Family is hard to find; otherwise, inviting him would dismiss any risk."
"Hahaha, ancestors are like that, not someone you can summon at will."
"True, among the Supreme Elders of the sect, there are likely others in the Mystic Heart, but those who have reached that realm wouldn't stay here but rather seek immortal opportunities and cherish their remaining years."
The other Unification Realm great cultivators discussed among themselves loudly; most of them spent years in seclusion or training outside and rarely made public appearances at the Supreme Sect. For them, today was also a rare reunion.
Lv Baitian took out an elixir from his storage ring and poured it into his mouth. Immediately, his complexion began to recover, and a faint burning aura emanated from his body.
The other great cultivators also took out elixirs and magic artifacts, and some began to set up formations. The environment returned to calm, nervously anticipating the outbreak of a great battle.
"So many Unification Realm cultivators, worthy of an ancient great sect standing for thousands of years."
A light laughter echoed through the heavens and earth, causing everyone's expression to change.
That voice belonged to the purple-robed man from the Ephemera Sect Main Lineage!
Before the man arrived, his laughter was already oppressing the Unification Realm great cultivators.
...
Inside the Outer City, Gu An descended from the Heavenly Repair Platform, exhaling deeply.
Han Ming could really boast!
If it weren't for Gu An claiming urgency, Han Ming would have continued narrating his legendary exploits.
Even Gu An, who usually enjoyed conversation, was struggling mainly because interacting with Han Ming meant listening to his endless, uninteresting monologues.
After leaving the Heavenly Repair Platform, Gu An decided to head to the inn within the city to enjoy some drinks and watch the battle unfold.
Barely taking a few steps, a deafening rumble came from the sky. Five breaths later, a wild wind swept through, revealing the sect's protective formations.
Gu An quickened his pace, not wanting to miss the fight.
He sprinted to his usual inn, requesting the waiter to serve wine and meat.
As the Supreme Sect was preparing for battle, there were only a couple of patrons in the inn, all seated separately.
Gu An sat by the window, looking toward the horizon, his Divine Sense spanning vast distances, locking onto the battlefield.
Thirty-two Unification Realm cultivators besieging one Mystic Heart Realm cultivator—the scene was stunning, earth-shattering, with thousands of miles of forest devastated, swiftly reduced to rubble.
Gu An began to enjoy this visual feast, a grand battle rarely seen in centuries.
Even if he decided to intervene, he rarely saw such a scene, as he would not act unless he could easily overpower his opponent.
The Mystic Heart Realm was indeed formidable, far surpassing those in the Unification Realm. The purple-robed man suppressed the thirty-two Unification Realm cultivators of the Supreme Sect with his absolute dominance.
Gu An noticed a familiar face on a mountaintop thousands of miles from the battlefield.
Find joy in m-vlemp _yr.
Su Han.
It was indeed Su Han who led the man in the purple robe.
Gu An had noticed before, but now he only felt dissatisfied with Su Han's attitude of not fleeing.
This kid isn't afraid of being shaken to death!
Gu An had already saved Su Han once, and he wouldn't save him again in the future.
As a master, he had done his best. Even if today Su Han were to be executed, he would not intervene.
Afterward, Gu An paid no more attention to Su Han and concentrated on the battle.
Soon, the waiter began to serve the wine and dishes.
Gu An had just taken a few sips when a voice came, "You are actually here drinking wine."
Shen Zhen!
Gu An ignored her, considering her recent absurd writings in the Supreme Secret Records which made him often unable to resist pulling it out to read.
A stain on the name of Gu An.
There must be other people in the Supreme Sect named Gu An, who all probably detest Shen Zhen thoroughly.
Shen Zhen directly took a seat opposite him. She wore a veil which, ironically, made her even more conspicuous, causing the inn's patrons to involuntarily glance at her.
"The great battle is about to begin, and this one might even be fiercer than the previous righteous-evil grand battle. I plan to render the process of the battle, why don't you join me? I was recently meditating on my past paintings and gained many insights, perhaps I could attain enlightenment through my art." Shen Zhen spoke, her tone proud when she mentioned enlightenment.
She had specifically come in search of Gu An, having followed him all the way from the Third Medicine Valley.
Gu An replied, "Forget it, I won't join. It's too dangerous. With my cultivation level, getting close to the battlefield could easily end with me annihilated."
"It's fine, I'll protect you."
"With your cultivation level, you can protect me?"
"At least I'm in the Core Formation Realm!"
"Core Formation Realm on such a battlefield is still cannon fodder. If caught in the aftershocks of the fight, you would probably just twitch a bit more than me."
"You... well, you have a point."
Shen Zhen glared, then poured herself a bowl of wine, her gaze drifting off into the distance.
She felt the oppressive presence of the distant battle growing increasingly intense, making her heart pound with trepidation.
What kind of battle could cause such an uproar?
Gu An watched with great interest using his divine sense. Lv Baitian was indeed very powerful, clearly on a different level from other Unification Realm Great Cultivators. Ji Hantian was not bad either; his Qilin Step had reached the Transformation Realm, making him one of the few cultivators who could get close to the man in the purple robe.
But the fight had only begun for a moment, and almost everyone on the Supreme Sect side had been injured to varying degrees, some even had their physical bodies destroyed, leaving only their Primordial Spirits arrayed in the distance.
The man in the purple robe was surrounded by several magic artifacts, and he also held a long spear infused with powerful force, fighting with ease.
Gu An felt that this man had not yet used his full strength.
If the fight continued like this, the entire Supreme Sect side would be annihilated.
Alas!
No use, I'll have to make a move myself!
In order to better farm the land, Gu An definitely could not allow the Supreme Sect to lose so many Great Cultivators, unless an enemy appeared that even he could not handle; in that case, he would have no choice but to flee.
Gu An stood up and said, "Ms. Shen, I'm going out for a bit, I will come back to find you later. You wait here for me, don't go."
Without waiting for Shen Zhen's response, Gu An quickly left the inn.
Shen Zhen was unperturbed; she was more curious about the distant battle than about Gu An.
Gu An rapidly departed, traversing several streets, making sure no divine sense had locked onto him. Then, he stepped out of the Outer Sect using the Limitless Freedom Step.
After five steps, he entered the Mystic Heaven Cave Mansion!
He walked into a wooden hut, picked up the Heaven-Cutting Axe, and immediately, a dark purple Demonic Qi flowed from his body.
Nine Extremes Yin Yang Transformation!
He lifted his right foot and vanished within the cave mansion.
A second later, he appeared on a mountaintop thousands of miles away from the Mystic Heaven Cave Mansion.
Gu An swung the Heaven-Cutting Axe in his hand, recalling the techniques of the Heaven-Cutting Divine Axe.
Forget it!
Did he need techniques to kill?
Gu An immediately rushed towards the battlefield, carrying the Heaven-Cutting Axe.
He planned to use the guise of Ancestor Xuan Tian to kill the enemy. This way, news of the old ancestor's return to the Supreme Sect would surely spread throughout the Immortal Cultivation World. By then, any power wishing to oppose the Supreme Sect would have to weigh their odds carefully.
Elsewhere.
Within the Taicang Dynasty.
Boom!
The mountains shattered, and dust billowed.
Another Unification Realm Great Cultivator fell, his fate unknown.
In the sky, Ji Hantian and two other Ji Family Great Cultivators employed the Heavenly Dragon Demon-Suppressing Form to restrain the man in the purple robe. All three were gasping for breath, their Spiritual Power nearly depleted.
Golden dragon shadows attacked from all directions, but the man in the purple robe stood proudly in the air, with a golden ring floating behind his head emitting dazzling light. These dragon shadows were shattered by an invisible force as soon as they approached within ten yards of him.
"Heavenly Dragon Demon-Suppressing Form, truly an effective Divine Skill. Considering you are from the Ji Family, I could spare your lives. However, if you continue in your obstinacy, do not blame me for disregarding the reputation of the Ji Family!" the man in the purple robe said coldly, his words carrying a chilling intent to kill, losing the earlier scornful and mocking demeanor.