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

Zhang Buku could not find Gu An within the Supreme Sect's camp, as Gu An was still busy planting seeds.

He had come to the grotto heaven he had cultivated beforehand, scattering ordinary herb seeds to improve the soil.

Once the matter with the Evil Demon was resolved, he planned to go overseas to buy a large number of high-rank medicinal herb seeds.

Decades had passed, and Gu An had accumulated a vast fortune, enough for him to spend lavishly.

The demonic power from the north persisted, affecting all life. Wherever Gu An went, he heard people worrying about it.

Simultaneously, Gu An overheard another discourse: some were constantly advocating for the Holy Land, claiming that this calamity would not spread to the human realm with the Holy Land's intervention.

Using his divine sense to cover the land of three dynasties, Gu An saw many people specifically spreading this news. From the karma around them, he deduced they were entrusted by Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators.

Indeed, the Holy Land's means were far beyond the Supreme Sect's.

After witnessing how difficult it was to control the Sword Venerable Fudao, the Seven Stars Spirit Realm acted swiftly.

Moreover, Gu An noticed batches of cultivators landing from the sea, some among them even Nirvana Realm great cultivators. They infiltrated the three dynasties to gather information—some were investigating the Sword Venerable Fudao, others the Seven Stars Spirit Realm.

Gu An did not pay too much attention, as long as they didn't appear before him.

Time continued to pass.

About half a month later, as autumn drew to a close,

Gu An was riding the Blood Prison Great Saint, wandering around the Third Medicine Valley when his divine sense turned northward.

The Seven Stars Spirit Realm had begun to take action!

Gu An saw among them appearing a Loose Immortal, whose aura was no weaker than Startling Immortal Lin's, even without releasing his pressure.

In the depths of the Demon Land, at the edge of the Demon Land.

"All disciples, prepare for battle!"

A bold voice resounded throughout the Supreme Sect's encampment, prompting all disciples to begin mobilizing. Not only the Supreme Sect but other sects were the same.

The Seven Stars Spirit Realm dispatched disciples to various sects, instructing on battle tactics. Even powerful sects like the Cangtian Sect did not dare refuse, only complying, as the Seven Stars Spirit Realm had great cultivators at the Realm of Immortal Path.

When the Seven Stars Spirit Realm's cultivators flew toward the depths of the Demon Land like arrow showers, dozens of sects spread out, ready to encircle the Demon Land from different directions.

An Hao, Li Ya, and Zhang Buku were among them.

The Supreme Sect's Mystic Heart Realm had only one representative—Ancestor Xuan Quan. Other sects were the same, with even the strongest Cangtian Sect only sending a Daoist Lord, not even bringing any Mystic Heart Realm great cultivators.

They all knew the battle's key lay with the Holy Land!

An Hao gazed at the backs of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators, frowning deeply in thought.

Over ten thousand Supreme Sect cultivators followed Lv Baitian in flight, everyone tense. Even with the Holy Land at the forefront, they still felt anxious, as the Holy Land had stated that the Evil Demon could not be completely eradicated by them.

In the Seven Stars Spirit Realm faction, Ji Xuanling's eyes held complex emotions as he looked at the elder at the very front.

That elder was the Lin Family's Loose Immortal, named Ancestor Lin Lu, holding a high position within the Six Stars Cave. Not only was his cultivation profound, but he himself had lived for nearly ten thousand years.

Ancestor Lin Lu wore a large purple robe, his white hair bound beneath a coronet, and his weathered face exuded vitality with bright eyes, making him appear imposing.

Suddenly, his eyes squinted, and in the direction he gazed upon, the barren earth ahead was riddled with fissures, black demonic qi seeping out, as if something extremely evil was breeding. Thunderclouds churned above, lightning flashing, casting a heavy atmosphere over everything.

Ancestor Lin Lu raised his right hand, a golden umbrella appearing in his palm. He lifted it, and the golden umbrella flew over his head, swiftly shooting forward.

In the blink of an eye, the golden umbrella flew to the most densely concentrated area of demonic qi, hovering ten thousand feet above the ground, near the thunderclouds.

BOOM——

The golden umbrella suddenly opened, spreading golden rays of light, as if an immense power from another dimension shook the very sea of time, dispersing clouds and lightning, transforming the gloomy sky into something majestic and ethereal.

Golden light poured down from the umbrella like a torrential rain, landing on the cracked ground, forming inscriptions that expanded rapidly, covering a thousand-mile radius within two breaths and continuing to spread.

The golden inscriptions suppressed the demonic qi emerging from the ground fissures. When the inscriptions stopped extending, their edges emitted golden light, shooting into the clouds and forming golden pillars, isolating ten thousand miles around, with the Three Dynasties' sects positioned outside the golden barrier.

"What kind of magic artifact is that? It can form a formation by itself?"

"Indeed powerful, this formation feels stronger than our sect-protecting array."

"No wonder it's the Holy Land, truly formidable."

"It seems the Holy Land plans to handle the Evil Demon alone. We just need to assist."

"That's good. Who wants to die?"

Discussions buzzed among the sect disciples, their reverence for the Holy Land rising rapidly.

Ji Xuanling looked up at the golden umbrella in the sky, uttering four words: "Loose Immortal Dharma Treasure."

Ancestor Lin Lu accelerated alone, quickly arriving above a massive black hole. Looking down, he saw it was bottomless, with all the ground fissures extending from this pit.

The demonic qi inside pushed against the golden mana, threatening to break through at any moment.

"Seven Stars Spirit Realm, heh heh."

A chilling voice echoed through the world, heard clearly by all cultivators outside the formation.

On the Supreme Sect's side, numerous great cultivators' faces changed dramatically, including Lv Baitian, Ji Hantian, and Ancestor Xuan Quan.

An Hao's eyes widened, his expression incredulous.

"Senior Xuan... Impossible..."

The voice was precisely that of Xuan Tianyi!

An Hao subconsciously looked toward Lv Baitian. Ever since Lv Baitian discovered the restriction on his back, he had strictly forbidden him from revealing it.

Lv Baitian had also promised to handle the matter and never wrong Xuan Tianyi.

At this moment, Lv Baitian's face was dark. Ignoring An Hao's gaze, he stared intently at the depths of the Demon Land.

"Evil Demon, after ten thousand years, you still haven't repented?"

Ancestor Lin Lu's voice rang out, calm yet pressing.

Evil Demon!

All cultivators tensed, with those from various sects who had met Xuan Tianyi furrowing their brows, frequently looking toward the Supreme Sect.

Just then, the earth trembled violently.

Ancestor Lin Lu remained unfazed. He raised his right hand, strengthening the formation.

The demonic qi in the ground fissures grew more potent and frenzied, trying to shatter the golden inscriptions on the surface, as if countless vengeful demons were about to burst from the abyss.

Mournful wails echoed throughout the world, sounding like both dragon and phoenix songs, and evil ghosts' howls, making everyone's hair stand on end.

BOOM——

A terrifying force suddenly broke through the surface, shattering the golden inscriptions. Rolling demonic qi surged to the sky, merging with the thunderclouds and sending the golden umbrella flying.

Ancestor Lin Lu was caught off guard, forced back by the overwhelming pressure.

Stabilizing himself, he frowned, raised his hand, and cast a spell to steady the golden umbrella in the sky, then pulled out a long redwood sword.

Hundreds of Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators spread out, surrounding the terrifying pillar of demonic qi, each taking out their magic artifacts.

Ji Xuanling wielded a large fan, with golden flames leaping from its seven apertures.

His gaze noticed a figure rising within the demonic qi pillar, causing his pupils to dilate suddenly.

"It's him... So it's all true..."

...

In the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An dismounted from the Blood Prison Great Saint's back. Instead of returning to his quarters, he turned and looked north.

His brows furrowed, his eyes filled with coldness.

His expression quickly changed. He retracted his gaze and prepared to go upstairs.

At that moment, a figure flew in from afar. He stopped, turned, and saw Ji Xiaoyu swiftly approaching like a fairy descending from the sky before him.

Gu An saluted her, smilingly asking, "Third Miss, what brings you here?"

Ji Xiaoyu raised her hand, revealing a jade pendant, "Leave this with you. Don't mention it to anyone. I will come back for it later."

She tossed it to Gu An and then turned to leave, as quickly as she came.

Gu An's divine sense scanned it as he nonchalantly put the jade pendant into his storage bag before turning to go upstairs.

The jade pendant contained intelligence about the Seven Stars Spirit Realm.

Why did Ji Xiaoyu give it to him?

Could she have guessed something?

Meanwhile,

in the Demon Land, a figure stepped out from the roiling demonic qi. His appearance made Ji Xuanling's face turn extremely grim, causing a stir among the Supreme Sect and disbelief in other sects.

The figure emerging from the demonic qi was none other than Xuan Tianyi!

Xuan Tianyi wore a black robe, his white hair fluttering wildly. His handsome face was pale, with deep red eye sockets, and his pupils seemed to swirl with demonic qi, appearing particularly sinister.

He twisted his neck, raised his arms, and stretched his body.

"Senior Xuan!"

An Hao's voice echoed from afar as he tried to rush into the formation but was stopped.

On the Cangtian Sect's side, Daoist Lord frowned, calculating with his fingers. Sect Master Liang Canghai also frowned deeply, filled with confusion. How could this be?

The Taoist of Immortality from Three Pure Ones Mountain couldn't help but look at Ancestor Lin Lu, his eyes full of meaning.

Discussions buzzed among the sects, and soon, Xuan Tianyi's identity spread.

A Supreme Sect Mahayana Realm cultivator had turned into an Evil Demon?

This revelation shocked everyone. Once, during the demonic invasion, Xuan Tianyi had achieved great feats, earning the respect of cultivators worldwide.

Ancestor Lin Lu stared at the Evil Demon, speaking coldly, "Evil Demon, you dare possess a human Mahayana Realm cultivator? You seek death!"

His voice rumbled like thunder, echoing through the heavens, heard by all.

Xuan Tianyi turned to him, eyes icy, and sneered, "Noisy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his sleeve at Ancestor Lin Lu, releasing the terrifying power of a ninth-layer Loose Immortal, obliterating the golden inscriptions on the ground. Ancestor Lin Lu's spellcasting tried to block it, but he was still forced back. Thousands of miles away, the golden light from the formation was shattered, sending tens of thousands of sect disciples flying, with countless casualties.

"You..." Ancestor Lin Lu glared at Xuan Tianyi, his tone filled with shock and anger.

What was happening?

Their cultivation?

Before he could think further, Xuan Tianyi raised his hand, palm facing the sky, with a wild smile on his face.

He grabbed with his right hand and yanked downward. The thunderclouds in the sky collapsed instantly, the terrifying pressure causing all cultivators outside the formation to plummet to the ground, and the earth trembled.