Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

This book title really shouldn't be chosen!

Gu An suddenly dared not open the book, could it be that the Green Hero Travelogue was written by Shen Zhen?

Then his perception of the author would shatter!

That's not right, Shen Zhen comes from the Daotian Sect of the Great Yu Dynasty, how could she possibly publish a book within the Supreme Sect?

After realizing this, Gu An calmed down and began to read through Black Hero's Travelogue.

Shen Zhen looked down at the table, her ears slightly red among her long hair.

After Gu An read the first page, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

She wasn't the author of Green Hero Travelogue. The difference in writing was apparent, but it was also clear that she was indeed imitating the Green Hero Travelogue.

He patiently read on.

Every story in Green Hero Travelogue starts with the local landscape, first describing the scenery, then the interactions between people; the Black Hero's Travelogue did the same.

However, Shen Zhen's experience was obviously inferior to the author of the Green Hero Travelogue, the descriptions of landscapes in her book were somewhat lacking, at least in Gu An's eyes, they weren't as visually compelling as those in the Green Hero Travelogue.

The room fell into silence.

Late on, Shen Zhen stood up and went to look at the bookshelf nearby.

An hour passed by before Gu An finally closed the Black Hero's Travelogue, and Shen Zhen, holding a book, turned her head and asked, "How is it?"

Gu An asked, "Do you like the Green Hero Travelogue?"

Standing in front of the bookshelf, Shen Zhen nodded slightly and said, "Aside from cultivation techniques, the first book I read was the Green Hero Travelogue, but my favourite is still your Supreme Immortal Venerable."

That's quite common, but authentically so.

Gu An laughed and said, "Actually, I also really like the Green Hero Travelogue. It was because I read it that I couldn't resist the urge to start writing."

Shen Zhen immediately came over, noticeably more excited than before, her eyes gleaming as she started to discuss the Green Hero Travelogue with Gu An.

Her Black Hero's Travelogue also involves romance between men and women but it's not as explicit as the Green Hero Travelogue, and falls within the scope of normal books.

Through the Green Hero Travelogue, their relationship quickly grew closer.

They talked from the Green Hero Travelogue to the Investiture of the Gods, and then to the Supreme Immortal Venerable.

After a long while.

Gu An couldn't help but ask, "Have you ever met the author of the Green Hero Travelogue?"

Shen Zhen shook her head slightly and said, "Although I really like his Green Hero Travelogue, I feel that he's not very serious. I don't want to meet him, but you're different. From the Investiture of the Gods to the Supreme Immortal Venerable, your styles are so different, it makes me very curious about you."

Upon hearing this, Gu An felt slightly disappointed.

Who exactly is the Green Hero, that was his biggest curiosity within the Supreme Sect.

"After finishing Supreme Immortal Venerable, will you continue to write about conflicts in the Daoist tradition like in the Investiture of the Gods?" Shen Zhen looked at Gu An and asked.

Gu An responded vaguely, "Maybe. What about you, Ms. Shen, will you stay in the Supreme Sect?"

Shen Zhen laughed and said, "The Supreme Sect pressures you, huh? Actually, we just need a nominal alliance. The Daotian Sect also needs to join hands with the Supreme Sect, to deter other sects within the Great Yu Dynasty, as well as face the great demon calamity together."

Gu An raised an eyebrow and pursued, "What is this great demon calamity?"

"On this continent, there are nine dynasties including Taicang and Great Yu, which have expelled powerful demons. As a result, the regions outside the nine dynasties have become overrun with demons. Now, the external demons have grown to threaten the dynasties.

Even though various immortal cultivation sects often dispatch disciples to exterminate these demons, the territories outside are vast, and some exceptionally talented demons have grown up. In a maximum of a hundred years, the dynasties will face a demon calamity not seen in thousands of years, and dynasties will certainly fall."

When Shen Zhen spoke of this matter, her expression was solemn.

After listening, Gu An felt pressure surging towards him.

He already imagined a scenario where the landscapes were shattered, the Supreme Sect's frontlines were failing, forcing servant disciples to join the battlefield.

No way!

Within a hundred years, he must extend his life span to a million years, unlock the next function, and dramatically increase his cultivation level!

Gu An thought to himself, then followed up with a question, "Given the situation, why don't you focus on cultivating rather than thinking about writing books?"

Although Shen Zhen wasn't as good as Ji Xiaoyu, Zhou Tongyou, or Li Ya, her talents weren't poor, and with the backing of the Daotian Sect, she could certainly climb higher if she focused on cultivating.

Hearing this, Shen Zhen lightly laughed and said, "Everyone has their own destiny, cultivation is not mine. I prefer reading and writing books. Who knows, maybe one day I will achieve enlightenment through them? Who said that absorbing nature's spiritual energy is the only way to enlightenment?

I have reviewed various books from ancient times to the present, and it seems there are no Qi Cultivators who have survived to this day."

Gu An saw her in a new light—she really dared to dream.

They talked a bit more, and when Shen Zhen prepared to leave, Gu An got up to see her off.

Downstairs, she summoned a flying sword, stepped on it, and with a parting word, flew towards the horizon: "Young Master Gu, I will set up my cave nearby. Let's exchange more in the future."

Gu An watched her departing figure with a smile on his face.

He was happy not because Shen Zhen was going to live nearby, but because he was glad about acquiring a seventh-tier Spirit Tree.

...

The Supreme Sect acted swiftly; not three days after Shen Zhen left, a sapling of the seventh-tier Spirit Tree arrived, personally delivered by Gu Zong.

After Gu Zong left, Gu An, carrying the sapling of the seventh-tier Spirit Tree, went to the central area of the garden.

Though it was called a sapling, this tree was already ten feet tall. Gu An planted it on a grassy area connected to four sections of the garden, with Elder Tian and Ye Yan watching from behind.

After planting it, Gu An looked at the tree, his face full of a brilliant smile.

[Mystic Pure Tree (seventh-tier): 48/8999/65000]

Sixty-five thousand years of maximum life span, incomparable to mere mortals!

Elder Tian chuckled and said, "The Mystic Pure Tree is extraordinary. Although it cannot bear fruit, cultivating under it can calm the mind and enhance the spirit."

Upon hearing this, Gu An's smile grew even brighter, and he said, "Elder Tian, you must take good care of the Mystic Pure Tree in the future and ensure it remains undamaged."

"Rest assured, it has been planted in the soil, and its vitality is even stronger than my old bones."

Hearing Elder Tian's words, Gu An shook his head in amusement. The old man did have a sense of humor.

Afterward, Gu An turned and left.

Elder Tian and Ye Yan stayed chatting in front of the tree, not following his pace.

Gu An walked to the edge of Medicine Valley near the cliffside. In this patch of grass, a tree was planted, but it showed no signs of growth yet.

It was the sixth-rank Spirit Tree, the Human-Faced Tree's root, which Ye Lan had previously given.

This root had been buried for a few years and remained in a state of revival, aged zero.

Gu An had tried to aid it with his Wood Attribute Spirit Power, but like a bottomless pit, it would absorb his spiritual power without showing any effects.

He squatted in front of the Human-Faced Tree's root, the point of the root barely poking out of the soil.

After watching for a while, Gu An suddenly felt a faint flow of spiritual energy from the ground towards the Human-Faced Tree, tracing it back to its source, he was surprised to find it came from the Mystic Pure Tree.

Could the Mystic Pure Tree be helping the Human-Faced Tree revive?

Gu An was excited but also worried. He feared that the Human-Faced Tree might drain the Mystic Pure Tree completely, especially since this thing came from the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion and its name was somewhat ominous.

If the Human-Faced Tree were to grow into something evil, Gu An would uproot it, as he could not allow it to destroy the Third Medicine Valley.

Gu An felt it necessary to keep someone watching over it, to prevent it from growing unnoticed.

Ye Yan had reached the eighth level of the Energy Cultivation Realm. His progress in cultivation was mostly dependent on elixirs; although he absorbed nature's spiritual energy while practicing with his spear, it did not greatly increase his cultivation level.

Once he left, it would be time to hire some help.

...

After the height of summer had passed, forty-three-year-old Gu An arrived at the Outer City. First, he submitted his writings, then strolled the streets.

He noticed that the Outer City was not as bustling as before. Although there were still many disciples coming and going on the streets, most of them looked serious and spoke in hushed voices.

Looking up, Gu An saw four disciples from the Demon Extermination Hall descend from the sky and land in front of a distant pavilion. They surrounded a disciple who had just exited the building and began interrogating him.

The disciple was visibly irritated. A verbal altercation ensued, and then a fight broke out. When one of the Demon Extermination Hall disciples revealed a token, the disciple surrendered and was meekly escorted away.

Catching demon spies for so many years and they still haven't caught them all?

Gu An frowned, confused but not intending to intervene. As long as they did not bother him, it was fine.

He headed towards the Beast Hall, planning to keep a few demon beasts in the Third Medicine Valley so Elder Tian would not feel lonely.

Elder Tian was diligent and had earned Gu An's favor. Gu An now considered him as his own servant disciple.

An hour later, Gu An walked out of the main entrance of the Beast Hall with three bags at his waist, each a Beast Control Bag containing a live creature, but each bag could only hold one demon beast.

As he stepped out, he coincidentally ran into Lu Jiujia.

This time, Lu Jiujia was alone. He approached the Beast Hall with a gloomy expression, but his face immediately brightened with a smile when he saw Gu An and he hurried over.

"Senior brother, are you here to buy demon beasts?" Lu Jiujia asked warmly, his complexion paler than before and his brow marked with a sinister aura, giving off an eerie vibe overall.

Gu An nodded and asked with concern, "You look pale, are you alright?"

"What could be wrong with me? I'm just tired from recent training," Lu Jiujia shook his head.

Gu An noticed a hidden trace of demonic Qi within him. It was so subtle that it would have been difficult to detect without close observation.

Has this guy turned into a demon cultivator?

Lu Jiujia was not forthcoming, so naturally, Gu An did not pry further.

After exchanging a few polite words, Lu Jiujia reminded before parting, "Senior brother, try not to go out of the valley at night. Lately, a powerful demon cultivator has infiltrated the Outer Sect."

With that, he turned and left.

Gu An watched his retreating figure but did not dwell on it much and headed towards the Third Medicine Valley.

Upon arriving, he released the three Spirit Dogs he had just bought, all of second-rank demon beast lineage, not cheap.

"I plan to stay in Mystic Valley recently; you take care of them," Gu An instructed Elder Tian.

Elder Tian nodded, and Gu An turned and walked towards the Transmission Array Platform.

It might have been an illusion, but as Gu An stood on the Transmission Array Platform, he noticed Elder Tian looking at him with a hint of worry.

Before he could think more about it, the formation activated, and he arrived in Mystic Valley.

As soon as he got to Mystic Valley, Gu An sensed a familiar presence.

Li Ya!

He descended from the Array Platform and looked towards the distance, seeing Li Ya instructing disciples in sword practice, and even Xiaochuan was participating.

After a quick instruction, Li Ya turned and walked towards Gu An.

When they met, Gu An asked curiously, "How come you are here?"

Core Formation Realm Level One!

Reaching the Core Formation Realm at forty-five, just five years behind Jiang Qiong!

Li Ya chuckled and said, "I came to protect you. Hearing that a Demon Lord from the Heavenly Extinction Sect had infiltrated the Outer Sect, I was worried about you. I thought I would wait until this matter is resolved before heading to the Inner Sect."