Saint Who Lay Low

Gu An glanced at Li Ya, who had just climbed through the window, and said helplessly, "What treasure could possibly be more important than my windowsill?"

Li Ya, dressed in a blue robe, walked to the table and took out a pouch from his waist, placing it on the table with a proud smile. "This treasure, you'll definitely like it."

Gu An used his divine sense to check the pouch and frowned. "Why are there insects in here?"

"This is the Ancient Gold-Swallowing Insect. Its teeth can bite through any metal or mineral in the world. If you feed it metal-based spiritual energy, it can become even stronger. There are sixteen of them in this pouch, including one queen. They're great for guarding your home or even digging tunnels," Li Ya explained with a grin.

Upon hearing this, Gu An's interest was piqued, and he curiously asked, "How do you make them recognize a master?"

"There's a special method. You need to drip your blood onto the queen and establish a soul bond with her," Li Ya said as he pulled out a thin manual from his storage bag and handed it to Gu An.

Gu An took it, but didn't open it right away. Instead, he asked, "How did the Hundred Tribes Assembly go? Was it smooth?"

Li Ya pulled a chair over and sat across from Gu An, sighing. "Not entirely smooth, but it was an eye-opening experience. The world is truly full of experts, and there are so many geniuses. My talent is nothing special at the Hundred Tribes Assembly. I barely made it into the top hundred, and Zhou Tongyou only made it into the top ten."

Seeing Li Ya's optimistic attitude, Gu An felt relieved.

Li Ya began recounting everything he had seen and experienced at the Hundred Tribes Assembly, and Gu An listened attentively.

Midway through, Gu An even got up to pour some wine, sipping while listening.

By the time Li Ya finished talking, it was already dusk, but he still had more to say.

Gu An chuckled. "So, it seems like only our Third Miss can pose a threat to Lü Xian, right?"

"Her Kirin Step is indeed formidable. She was the only one to injure Lü Xian. Unfortunately, after taking nine steps, she triggered a heavenly tribulation and had to stop the duel. We haven't seen her since," Li Ya nodded.

"Heavenly tribulation? What do you mean? Is the Kirin Step that powerful?" Gu An was shocked. He had been practicing for two years and taken countless steps, but had never triggered a heavenly tribulation.

Li Ya shook his head. "I wouldn't know. Maybe she's harboring some secret within her body."

Innate Dao Talisman!

Gu An sighed inwardly. Was she using some sort of cheat?

"More than Ji Xiaoya, it's Lü Xian's strength that impressed me the most. He's now my target. I'm going to challenge him again and win," Li Ya said with determination.

Gu An asked, "You mentioned earlier that Lü Xian broke your arms and legs. Don't you resent him?"

Li Ya shook his head. "It was a fair fight, so what's there to resent? Besides, I refused to surrender. I later learned from an elder that Lü Xian is actually a pitiful person. He's got remnant souls inside him, trying to take over his body. That's why he sometimes seems abnormal, alternating between being friendly and violent."

Remnant souls?

Gu An breathed a sigh of relief. If that were the case, then there was nothing to worry about.

He had previously feared that Lü Xian might be a reincarnated immortal, but this explanation eased his concerns.

"What do you mean, remnant souls? Why does he have them?" Gu An asked, confused.

"I don't know. It could be related to some treasure or maybe he was possessed at some point. Either way, until he cleanses his body of the remnant souls, he'll continue to suffer. No wonder we never heard about him in Tai Xuan Sect before. He was probably hidden by the Lü Family. Oh, and his father was the previous sect master, Lü Baitian."

"Lü Baitian went mad practicing, and now his son is tormented by remnant souls. What a coincidence," Li Ya said, furrowing his brows before sighing again. "If it weren't for the remnant souls, Lü Xian might already have formed a Nascent Soul. His true strength is unimaginable."

Gu An couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't expected Li Ya to actually feel sympathy for Lü Xian.

"By the way, who was the elder you mentioned? He seems quite knowledgeable," Gu An asked, pretending to be curious.

"That's a secret. I'm afraid I can't tell you," Li Ya replied apologetically.

Heh, it's that 'old man' inside you, right?

Gu An could sense that the soul within Li Ya was growing stronger.

Suddenly, a thought crossed Gu An's mind. If he, at the Body Fusion Realm, could sense the soul in Li Ya, then those in the Void Crossing Realm should also be able to detect it.

But from Li Ya's tone, it seemed like no one had noticed.

Was it because Gu An's cultivation technique was too powerful, or was there some other reason?

Even though it was getting dark, Li Ya showed no sign of leaving. He continued chatting with Gu An, eventually talking about the scenery he had seen during his travels.

It wasn't until the next morning that Li Ya finally left.

After he was gone, Gu An picked up the manual Li Ya had left behind and began studying how to make the Ancient Gold-Swallowing Insects recognize him as their master.

Under a clear blue sky, at the Third Medicine Valley.

Gu An stood in front of Elder Tian, raising his right hand. On the back of his hand lay a golden insect that looked like a large beetle, but with a much bigger mouth.

"The Ancient Gold-Swallowing Insect—these are extremely rare. You'd be hard-pressed to find them anywhere in the Tai Cang Dynasty," Elder Tian said in awe.

"This was a gift from my senior brother Li Ya. He placed in the top hundred at the Hundred Tribes Assembly and brought back these insects for me. They'll help patrol the medicine valley," Gu An explained with a smile. He had mentioned Li Ya to Elder Tian several times before. If Elder Tian ever regained his position as sect master, perhaps he would remember Li Ya and give him some extra support.

Elder Tian nodded. "It seems Li Ya is indeed a genius, and he's also loyal to you. A single Ancient Gold-Swallowing Insect is worth a fortune, let alone sixteen of them."

Gu An opened the insect pouch on his waist, and one by one, the Ancient Gold-Swallowing Insects flew out. One of them, twice the size of the others, landed on his shoulder, while the rest buzzed around him.

Xiao Chun, passing by, couldn't help but come over, and Gu An began showing off the insects.

By nightfall, all the servant disciples in the Third Medicine Valley had seen the Ancient Gold-Swallowing Insects. Gu An wasn't just flaunting them; he wanted to make sure the disciples wouldn't attack the insects while they were patrolling.

Seasons passed, and three years quickly flew by.

Gu An reached the age of fifty, and over these peaceful and fulfilling years, his lifespan exceeded three hundred thousand years. His annual lifespan harvest was still increasing.

One day, Xiao Chun and Ye Lan stepped off the teleportation platform.

Gu An was playing with a white spirit mouse, now as big as a large dog. Seeing Ye Lan arrive, he immediately stood up to greet her.

Ye Lan's expression was grim. Facing Gu An, she said, "Senior Brother, let's talk inside."

Gu An nodded and led her upstairs.

Xiao Chun, meanwhile, headed toward the white spirit mouse, but the mouse turned and ran away, leaving Xiao Chun to angrily throw stones at it, missing every time.

Inside the room, Gu An closed the door behind him.

The moment he turned around, Ye Lan said, "Senior Brother, Wu Xin is a spy from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion!"

Gu An's expression shifted. Frowning, he asked, "What nonsense are you spouting? Do you have proof?"

Ye Lan handed over several sheets of paper and said, "These are all the records left by the Demon-Suppressing Hall. While the person who brought Wu Xin into the sect isn't a demon path spy, everyone he's associated with is. Moreover, the Thousand Autumn Pavilion has been searching for a pavilion master's son for years, and that person just so happens to look like a monk, with permanent burn scars on his head."

Gu An took the papers and examined them carefully.

The records included details about who Wu Xin had been in contact with, and among those names were several demon path spies.

Wu Xin had even visited some of them during his trips to outer sect cities.

Foolish! How could he be so careless?

Gu An cursed inwardly but didn't panic, as it was Ye Lan who had discovered this.

After reading everything, Gu An looked up and asked, "How many people know about this?"

"So far, just me. The Law Enforcement Hall doesn't usually investigate servant disciples. We did find evidence that one of the valley lords in the outer sect is a spy for the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, but we haven't identified who it is. We want to continue investigating, but someone from above has forbidden it," Ye Lan said, her brows furrowed in frustration.

"Who stopped you?" Gu An asked.

"The outer sect's Grand Elder, Jiang Qiong, but her people claim the order came from the inner sect," Ye Lan replied.

Gu An suddenly felt that having Jiang Qiong as the outer sect's Grand Elder was quite convenient—she could shield him from many dangers.

Although Gu An had never done anything for the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, with the Ancient Vine Tree in his possession, he couldn't clear his name. He had no desire to let his peaceful life of farming be disrupted.

Stepping forward, Gu An placed his hands on Ye Lan's shoulders and took a deep breath. "Junior Sister, we have to keep this quiet. Even if Wu Xin came from the demon path, I believe he's not a bad person after all these years."

Ye Lan blushed slightly under his touch and lowered her eyes. "Senior Brother, are you also from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion? If you are, I'm willing to go with you."

"How could I be? I was born in the Tai Xuan Sect, and I'll die here."

"I don't care. No matter which sect you go to, you have to take me with you."

"Can you suppress this matter, then?"

"Yes, the other evidence has already been destroyed. All that's left is what you're holding."

Gu An released her and placed the papers into his storage bag.

He decided not to destroy them immediately but to keep them as insurance, just in case.

Ye Lan continued, "This is a minor issue. I know you'll protect him, but I came here for a bigger matter. The demon path is planning to launch a siege on Tai Xuan Sect. This time, it's real. There are traitors in the elders' council of the sect's main city. This information came from a spy we planted in the Wan Yin Sect, and we've already reported it to the higher-ups. The four inner sect cities are preparing for war."

"There are many powerful cultivators from other sects and dynasties in the outer sect cities. They've been here for years, and the Tai Xuan Sect has been reluctant to expel them. If the demon path really attacks, the outer sect cities will be in grave danger. There may be spies waiting to act from within."

Demon path siege?

Gu An frowned and asked, "The number of disciples in Tai Xuan Sect has surged in recent years. How dare they attack?"

"Rumor has it that they've allied with the demon race. Together, they plan to destroy Tai Xuan Sect and then divide up the Tai Cang Dynasty," Ye Lan replied gravely.

Allied with the demon race?

Gu An was puzzled. Didn't these demon sects know about the Great Demon Catastrophe coming in a hundred years?

After providing more intelligence, Ye Lan quickly left. Gu An personally escorted her to the teleportation platform to send her back to the outer sect city, ensuring everything was done according to the rules.

As Gu An prepared to return to his pavilion, he noticed Elder Tian sitting silently under an old tree.

Come to think of it, it had been a while since Gu An last checked on Elder Tian.

This old man had advanced two levels after visiting the Heaven Mending Platform, yet had made no progress since then, which was quite strange.

As these thoughts crossed his mind, Gu An cast a lifespan investigation spell toward him.