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

"Can you really take on that Demon Lord?" Gu An asked with a face full of doubt.

Li Ya laughed proudly, "I have formed my core, don't underestimate me!"

"Elixir Formation Realm is just an Inner Sect Disciple in Supreme Sect, can you really match a Demon Lord?"

"You kid, I came all the way here to protect you, and you're complaining?"

"I'm just afraid it will be like that time, remember? You rushed out to confront the Demon of Greed and ended up injured on the ground."

"Can we not mention that?"

The two began to bicker, with Gu An teasing Li Ya, who didn't get angry, because he could feel that Gu An meant well, fearing he would drag him down.

Little did Gu An know, his worry wasn't about being a burden, but rather being a drag.

Brother, if the Demon Lord comes, I can't make my move with you by my side!

Gu An couldn't bring himself to express his true thoughts, and since Li Ya insisted on staying, he had to let it go.

"By the way, have you seen Junior Brother Lu recently?" Gu An asked.

Li Ya shook his head, "Haven't seen him, I ran into him before, he was taken in by Demon Extermination Hall. I don't get along with the Elder of the Demon Extermination Hall, so we haven't kept in touch."

Speaking of which, his expression turned indifferent, showing no concern for Lu Jiujia.

Despite his warmth to Gu An, he was actually quite cold to others.

"Let's go upstairs and have a good talk. I heard you've acquired another Medicine Valley recently, and it's in the Inner Sect. You must tell me all about it." Li Ya pulled Gu An upstairs.

Their conversation lasted until deep into the night.

Gu An didn't mention his identity as Pan An but said that the harvest from Mystic Valley pleased the higher-ups, so they assigned him an extra Medicine Valley.

With Li Xuandao being criticized because of Investiture of the Gods, how could Gu An dare to reveal Pan An's identity to Li Ya?

What if Li Ya let something slip?

After all, they were father and son, no matter how big the conflict, their relationship was closer than with Gu An before a complete fallout.

...

As summer gave way to autumn, the temperature still felt quite hot.

Ten days had passed since Li Ya's arrival, and in that time, Mystic Valley had not encountered any danger. Gu An even went out to manage the caves of the Outer Disciples, with Li Ya insisting on accompanying him. However, when they reached the caves, he didn't enter, fearing that he might cause trouble for Gu An.

Gu An wanted Li Ya to stay in Mystic Valley to protect the disciples, but Li Ya didn't care about the others at all. In his words, he would only teach them swordsmanship out of respect for Gu An.

That evening, as Gu An was picking mature herbs, Li Ya was meditating on a mountaintop to the west. The setting sun was just above his head, making him look like a peerless master.

Suddenly, Gu An noticed something. His right hand paused momentarily before he continued picking herbs.

"So there is a Demon Lord. I hope he doesn't set his sights on my Medicine Valley."

Gu An thought silently. The presence of the other was far beyond the Foundation Establishment Realm, but it did not pose a threat to his senses.

The faint traces of Demonic Qi began to move away from Mystic Valley, which did bring him some relief.

Compared to the life span of several decades he could gain from slaying the Demon Lord, he was more worried about revealing his strength.

Until nightfall.

Inside the house, Gu An was reading the Ziwei Array Chronicles. He was engrossed in the section about wood attribute formations.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed, and he let out a sigh.

Mystic Valley hadn't attracted trouble, but Li Ya had caught the attention of the Demon Lord.

On the mountaintop, Li Ya, who was meditating and absorbing energy, suddenly opened his eyes. He stood up, walked to the edge of the cliff, and looked down at the forest below the mountain he was on, about a hundred feet away. A mysterious figure, like a ghostly shadow, stood beneath the trees, looking up at him from afar.

Under the moonlight, the figure merged almost perfectly with the darkness, and one had to be close to notice his presence.

Li Ya frowned. He raised his hand toward the distance, then leaped up, soaring towards the end of the night sky.

The figure beneath the trees turned into a wisp of black mist and dissipated, vanishing without a trace.

After 30 minutes had passed.

Li Ya landed beside a river in the valley, originated from the mountains and about two zhang wide, glittering under the moonlight.

No sooner had he landed when a puff of black mist appeared on the grass across from the river, which then congealed into a human figure.

Li Ya asked, "You're not from the Heavenly Extinction Sect, and you seem to know me?"

The mysterious figure's hoarse voice came, "Prince Li Ya, inheritor of the Divinity Transformation Sword Intent from Jizhou's number one Sword Cultivator—an unexpected pleasure to encounter you."

Li Ya drew his sword from his waist, pointing it at the shadowy figure, "Playing ghost tricks!"

As soon as the words fell, rampant Sword Qi burst from his body, causing his black clothes to flutter intensely. Seven silver sword shadows quickly condensed around him, dazzling under the night sky.

"Dare to resist me in the Elixir Formation Realm?" the mysterious person let out a scornful, cold laugh.

He turned into Demonic Qi and dissipated once more, and in almost an instant, he reappeared behind Li Ya.

Li Ya's pupils shrank, and he immediately leaped up, while simultaneously swinging his sword behind him. The seven silver sword shadows slashed toward the mysterious figure at an extremely fast speed.

Boom! Boom! Boom...

The silver sword shadows fell one after another, stirring up clouds of dust, and the surrounding trees shook violently.

In the air, before Li Ya could see whether the mysterious figure was hit, a strong gust of wind swept by his side, giving him no chance to react as he was sent flying.

Li Ya plummeted into the forest like an arrow, toppling many trees along the way, and flew hundreds of feet before coming to a halt.

As the dust cleared, the blood-covered Li Ya leaned against a tree trunk that was full of cracks, with branches still trembling.

The mysterious figure appeared in mid-air, gazing down at Li Ya with a snort, "Kid, you dare to make a move against me just after reaching the Core Formation? You've got guts. Do you even know what realm I am?"

Li Ya struggled to lift his head, his vision dyed red with blood.

"Damn it..."

Li Ya clenched his teeth, trying hard to stand up, but he couldn't.

"Sigh, kid, how did you get hurt again? You're not playing with your own life, you're playing with your ancestor's life!"

An elderly voice rang out in Li Ya's mind, its tone filled with helplessness.

The mysterious person lifted his right hand, reaching out towards Li Ya through the air. In the darkness of the night, he was surrounded by Demonic Qi, his true face concealed.

Before he could speak, a hand wrapped in Demonic Qi landed on his shoulder, startling him.

Instantly, his body sprouted wooden branches, mingled with fresh blood, blooming like a blood flower in the air.

The Demonic Qi on his body dissipated, revealing his true form—a middle-aged man in the robes of an Outer Sect Elder, his stern and imposing face filled with incredulity as he was pierced through by the branches.

With great difficulty, he turned his head, catching a glimpse of a purple-black figure standing behind him.

"The Demon Shadow Divine Skill... you..." the middle-aged man said with a trembling voice.

Li Ya's eyes widened in anger and he exclaimed, "Elder Chen, how could it be you?"

The man known as Elder Chen didn't have time to respond as the Storage Bag at his waist was snatched away by the person behind him. Immediately after, the wooden branches on his body ignited with a green flame, rapidly burning him to ashes, his soul utterly eradicated along with his body.

The purple-black figure stood in mid-air, his right arm still in the position of grabbing Elder Chen's shoulder.

Below him, Li Ya felt an immense pressure. He knew Elder Chen was a Nascent Soul Realm Great Cultivator. How could someone of such cultivation be killed so effortlessly?

"Void Crossing Realm! At least the fifth level or higher!"

The voice of the ancestor echoed in Li Ya's mind, heavy with gravity.

The words 'Void Crossing Realm' made Li Ya's heart race.

In the silent night within the mountain forest, Li Ya's heart was in his throat, ready for the figure to strike at any moment.

Inside, he roared, save me, ancestor!

After several breaths,

the purple-black figure vanished into thin air, causing Li Ya's body to jolt, and he quickly looked around.

"He has left, he must have weighed something." The voice of the ancestor resounded in Li Ya's mind, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Stupid boy, stop worrying about Gu An, hurry to the Inner Sect. This Outer Sect is getting more and more sinister; someone must be damaging the heavenly virtue, and if you stay, trouble will eventually find you!"

The ancestor's tone became stern, and Li Ya fell silent.

...

Inside the Mystic Valley Pavilion, Gu An gazed at the Storage Bag in his hand and sighed softly.

Sorry, Senior Brother Li, without you getting hurt, you would never leave this place.

Gu An felt guilty, as Li Ya had come for his sake. Although Elder Chen had clearly intended to capture Li Ya, if Li Ya had gone directly to the Inner Sect, the subsequent disaster would have been avoided.

He decided to give Li Ya more medicinal herbs after his return.

Killing Elder Chen granted him thirty-seven years of life span, no more, no less.

He began to inspect Elder Chen's Storage Bag, his Divine Sense scanning it several times, removing anything potentially dangerous and burning it.

It wasn't until daybreak that Li Ya returned.

The fellow had changed into clean robes, appearing as if he hadn't been through a battle at all.

Downstairs, Gu An ran into him and asked, "Senior Brother Li, why does your complexion seem off?"

Li Ya smiled and said, "I had a little mishap while practicing last night, it's nothing."

Gu An frowned, then pulled him upstairs, taking out all the elixirs he had prepared, dozens of bottles, claiming they were all stocked up for personal use.

Li Ya asked in surprise, "Junior Brother Gu, what is this for?"

"You've returned from outside the valley with a pale face, you must have been in a battle last night, right?" Gu An said gravely.

Li Ya's expression darkened in response.

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Indeed, I encountered a Demon Cultivator last night and got injured. Junior Brother Gu, move to Medicine Valley in the Inner Sect. The Outer Sect is no place to stay!"

No place to stay?

I don't believe it!

Gu An's foundation was here, he couldn't possibly abandon it. Whoever brought trouble would die!

On the surface, Gu An gave a wistful smile, "Senior Brother Li, the medicinal herbs we grow here in Medicine Valley are just Low-Rank Medical Herbs, the Demon Lord wouldn't even glance at them. In fact, we're safer without you here. You should go to the Inner Sect; we'll be fine. I can get help from Lu Jiujia, we're still on good terms."

"But..." Li Ya hesitated.

Gu An interrupted, "Senior Brother Li, I always feel that the chaos in the Outer Sect isn't strongly related to the Demon Cultivators. The Demon Extermination Hall has been established for many years, and we've caught countless spies from the Demon Path. Is it possible that someone is causing trouble under the guise of the Demon Path?

Going to the Inner Sect might save the Outer Sect, but if you stay, how long can you protect me alone?"

Li Ya's expression turned cold as he reflected on Elder Chen.

After struggling for a few moments, he took a deep breath and said, "Junior Brother Gu, you are right! I will head to the Inner Sect now!"

Gu An's face lit up with a smile, then he forcefully stuffed all the elixirs into Li Ya's hands, moving him greatly.

After a brief conversation, Gu An urged him to set off, and Li Ya also felt the urgency.

Because he was injured, Li Ya could only travel by sword flight. After flying out of Mystic Valley, he couldn't help looking back, murmuring, "Do you see? This is why I can't let him go. Whoever dares to harm him, I will make them regret it!"