Saint Who Lay Low

The rising sun cast its rays across the North Sea and the mountains, eventually reaching the forest where Gu An was meditating. At this moment, his cultivation had reached the seventh level of the Mahayana Realm, and he was in the process of breaking through to the eighth level.

Gu An glanced at his status panel, noting that he still had 370,000 years of lifespan left, and he thought he could further improve his combat skills.

But today was not the day to continue.

After a night of intense cultivation, the spiritual energy in the area had become thin. He was concerned about disrupting the ecosystem of the North Sea Mountain Range, so he decided to wait for the spiritual energy to recover before returning. His next goal was to accumulate ten million years of lifespan!

The mere thought of this figure was intimidating, but it filled Gu An with determination.

The life of a cultivator was long, and he could take his time. For now, he considered which techniques, divine abilities, or secret arts he should focus on enhancing.

Time passed.

When Gu An reached the eighth level of the Mahayana Realm, the speed at which his body absorbed spiritual energy began to slow down.

He patiently waited for the breakthrough to complete.

After an entire night, the lifespan barrier had consumed more than 20,000 years of his lifespan, which reflected just how much energy Gu An had stirred up.

He extended his divine sense, curious to see how vast his range had grown.

A multitude of mountains and valleys entered his vision. He saw numerous monsters, ghosts, cultivators, and even massive ancient species that resembled mountains.

Gu An marveled at the wonders of the Mahayana Realm's divine sense.

Suddenly, he spotted someone familiar.

Li Xuandao!

That guy was undergoing tribulation in a valley, surrounded by formation arrays, spirit stones, and bottles of pills. Gu An couldn't help but twitch his lips.

No wonder Li Xuandao advanced so quickly—not only did he have exceptional talent, but he was also dumping vast resources into his breakthrough!

Gu An thought back to his own simulated tribulation, relying solely on his physical body, and couldn't help but feel a twinge of pain.

Forget it.

No point comparing. After all, in reality, he hadn't even experienced a real tribulation. He should be content with that.

After observing for a while, Gu An determined that Li Xuandao's tribulation should go smoothly.

Next, he shifted his focus elsewhere, primarily looking for Li Ya.

Before long, his divine sense locked onto Li Ya's presence. The kid was hiding in a cave, and judging by his aura, he seemed injured again.

Sigh, what a reckless guy. Don't die out there.

Gu An decided to visit Li Ya later, in another guise, to guide him. The spirit residing in Li Ya's body wasn't very reliable!

Gu An also spotted Sky Dragon, who was bullying a group of small demons, strutting around, proclaiming himself as their king.

Eventually, Gu An's divine sense expanded to encompass the entire North Sea Mountain Range. Every corner of the range was laid bare before his eyes, and the feeling of surveying all from above captivated him.

Even those at the Body Fusion Realm, both monsters and cultivators, seemed no different from ordinary creatures in his eyes.

It must be said, the North Sea Mountain Range was truly full of hidden talents. Gu An sensed over a hundred Body Fusion Realm presences, though there were fewer at the ninth level—less than five. One of them was Lu Lingjun, who had yet to leave the North Sea Mountain Range.

Gu An reveled in the power now at his disposal.

Once his cultivation stopped advancing, and his body ceased absorbing spiritual energy, he deactivated the lifespan barrier and stood up.

Stretching lazily, he felt the sunlight filtering through the tree leaves, bathing him in warmth, as if he had been reborn.

Truly, no achievement, fame, or affection in the world could compare to the feeling of becoming stronger!

...

Li Ya emerged from the cave, the sunlight making him squint in discomfort. His upper body was wrapped in white bandages, with patches of dried blood staining them.

Raising his right hand, he called out, and a heavy sword flew from inside the cave, landing in his hand. The impact caused his arm to tremble, and a grimace of pain flashed across his face.

"Kid, your wounds just healed, and you're already training again. Are you underestimating the weight of North Sea Nether Iron, or overestimating the strength of your Dragon Elephant Divine Energy?" the voice of the old ancestor echoed in Li Ya's ears, sounding exasperated.

Li Ya grinned. "I have to make the most of my time. I don't have much left before the recruitment period for the sacred grounds begins."

The old ancestor sighed, "Those sacred grounds aren't a necessity, you know. That's the path of noble families."

"But didn't you say before that the Li Family once rivaled the Zhou and Gu families in glory? I may not want to be a prince, but I have a duty to restore the Li Family's prosperity!"

Li Ya hefted the North Sea heavy sword and strode toward the clearing.

Behind him was a small mountain, surrounded by forest, with only a five-zhang radius of open ground.

After last night's events, the ground was littered with stones and leaves, and the clouds overhead had been torn to shreds, allowing sunlight to filter through and create shimmering rainbows in the sky.

Li Ya gritted his teeth and swung the heavy sword.

This sword had been forged under the old ancestor's guidance, made from rare Nether Iron unique to the North Sea. It was difficult to come by, and this particular sword weighed over ten thousand pounds. When infused with spiritual power, its weight would multiply.

Without using spiritual power, wielding it in his injured state was a tremendous effort.

Suddenly!

A gust of wind swept in from the depths of the forest, causing Li Ya to turn instinctively, raising his sword to block.

With a crash!

Li Ya was sent flying, slamming into the mountain wall, rocks scattering everywhere. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his sword sticking in the ground as he half-knelt, his bandages rapidly soaking red as his wounds reopened.

"Hmph, human brat, hand over the Dragon Elephant Divine Energy!"

A raspy voice called out, and from the woods stepped a figure cloaked in darkness. It was a man with the body of a human but the head of a fox, his entire form surrounded by demonic energy. His hands bore long claws like five sharp knives.

Li Ya glared at him, gritting his teeth as he spat out the intruder's name, "The Resentful Poison Fox King!"

The Fox King sneered, "You've been poisoned by me, yet you're still standing? Could it be that you've already consumed the Dragon Elephant Divine Energy?"

His voice grew shrill, making the trees around them tremble.

Li Ya clutched his sword, gasping for breath, while inwardly calling, "Old ancestor, I need your help again!"

The old ancestor groaned, "You think my soul energy is limitless? Just saving you these past nights has nearly drained me dry!"

"I don't believe you! You always say that!"

"You little brat! How did the Li Family produce such an ungrateful descendant?"

"Hey, you're the one living in my body, siphoning off my spiritual power, and altering my spiritual root, which made me test as having mixed spiritual roots!"

"You…"

Li Ya and the old ancestor argued fiercely in their minds, the tension making Li Ya cough uncontrollably.

The Resentful Poison Fox King began to approach him, killing intent locking onto him, making Li Ya feel as though he had fallen into an icy pit.

Just then...

The light around Li Ya suddenly dimmed, and he looked up instinctively, seeing a dark purple figure standing in front of him.

It was him...

Li Ya remembered that when he had been gravely injured by Elder Chen outside the Xuan Valley, it was this mysterious demonic cultivator who had saved him.

The old ancestor had told him that this demonic cultivator was using the Demon Shadow Divine Art, a technique from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion!

Li Ya had racked his brain, trying to figure out what connection he had to the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, but could only chalk it up to coincidence.

But now, he was stunned.

This mysterious demonic cultivator had appeared again!

Gu An, using the Grand Yin-Yang Transformation, turned to face the Fox King, sensing that the demon was merely at the fourth level of the Divine Transformation Realm.

Just to be sure, he cast a lifespan investigation, as it didn't cost any lifespan.

[Resentful Poison Fox King (Divine Transformation Realm, Fourth Level): 1409/2900/3400]

Hm, just a typical demon.

The Fox King couldn't discern Gu An's cultivation level and grew tense, asking, "Who are you?"

Gu An raised his hand and pointed off into the distance, signaling for him to leave.

Gu An didn't enjoy killing those without grudges against him. Now that he could drain the lifespan of herbs, he wanted to preserve some of his humanity, avoiding becoming bloodthirsty, which might lead to arrogance and eventual disaster.

The Fox King's expression shifted, but ultimately he cupped his hands in acknowledgment and turned to leave.

[The Resentful Poison Fox King harbors deep hatred toward you. Would you like to perform a lifespan investigation?]

Gu An raised an eyebrow.

Already filled with hatred?

You've chosen the path to death!

Gu An lifted his hand, and with a simple gesture, the immense spiritual power of the Mahayana Realm erupted, causing the Fox King's body to explode, his soul obliterated.

No spells or techniques.

Just raw spiritual force.

If the demon had carried any storage items, Gu An might have been more lenient.

He received the notification that 190 years of lifespan had been absorbed—consistent with his earlier estimations that lifeforce extraction yielded between five to twenty percent of the target's remaining lifespan.

Li Ya, still half-kneeling, was stunned.

The Divine Transformation Realm demon king was dead just like that?

He hadn't even seen how the demonic cultivator attacked—he just crushed him from a distance?

"How is this possible? What realm is he at?"

The old ancestor in Li Ya's mind gasped, his voice trembling.

This time, Gu An heard the old ancestor's voice through Li Ya's thoughts.

Although Mahayana Realm cultivators couldn't read the minds of living beings, the old ancestor was using soul energy to communicate, and each word left a slight fluctuation that couldn't escape Gu An's divine sense.

Gu An turned to look at Li Ya, who immediately recoiled, pressing himself against the mountain wall.

"This person's realm is likely even higher than mine was in life!" the old ancestor said in a somber tone, his voice tinged with sorrow.

He believed that both he and Li Ya were as good as dead.

Li Ya's fear deepened upon hearing this.

All his life, he had believed the old ancestor to be invincible, the source of his recklessness, as he always had the old ancestor to rely on.

Now that the old ancestor couldn't protect him, how could he not be terrified?

Seeing Li Ya on the verge of collapse, Gu An suppressed a chuckle. He didn't want to frighten him too much, so he concentrated spiritual energy into his throat and altered his voice before speaking, "I've saved you twice now. Do you really think I intend to kill you?"

Li Ya felt an immense sense of relief upon hearing this, but Gu An's next words immediately set him on edge again.

"If I truly wanted to kill you, the soul residing in your body wouldn't be able to save you."

He can see the soul inside me?

Li Ya was utterly shocked—this revelation terrified him more than the thought of being killed.

Gu An raised his hand, and with a mere gesture, he summoned Li Ya's North Sea heavy sword. The sword, weighing ten thousand pounds, felt as light as a feather in his hand, though the wind it stirred showed its immense weight.

Seeing the man holding his sword, Li Ya's heart raced in fear, unsure of his intentions.

"Kid, your swordsmanship is far too slow. Your progress disappoints me. How about I teach you a sword technique?" Gu An's ancient voice echoed, leaving Li Ya stunned.