Chapter 70: Righteousness and Demons – My Take on Fengshen
Following Gu An's gaze, a man in simple robes could be seen meditating above the character “Dao.” His figure and appearance were unremarkable, and even his aura was rather plain.
If not for Gu An persistently using his lifespan-detection ability, he wouldn’t have noticed the man’s extraordinary nature.
[Huangquan Demon Emperor (Void Transformation Stage Ninth Layer): 3847/5700/14000]
A demon!
Gu An knew that demons and devils generally had longer lifespans than human cultivators of the same stage. But seeing this individual’s potential lifespan of 14,000 years still shocked him.
What kind of cultivation technique was this? Not a trace of demonic aura leaked, not even one detectable by someone like him, a Nascent Soul Stage Grandmaster.
And what was more curious—did demons like practicing swordsmanship too?
Gu An couldn’t help but think of his pet, Hao Long, who was also obsessed with the way of the sword.
Instead of continuing to stare at the Huangquan Demon Emperor, Gu An let his gaze sweep across the other figures atop the Heavenly Mending Platform.
Those who dared to sit and comprehend the sword there were undoubtedly high-level cultivators. After all, those in the Qi Condensation or Foundation Establishment stages were too busy cultivating Qi to have the luxury of meditating on Dao.
Gu An realized he had underestimated the influence of the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.
Although he had not heard of Chu Xian before, with Chu Xian’s cultivation level, he was undoubtedly famous among the major forces of the cultivation world. Every Grandmaster would have heard of him.
The fall of a Void Transformation Stage expert would undoubtedly shock the empire!
It seemed he needed to keep a lower profile. As his reputation grew, who knew what sort of riffraff might come his way?
After surveying everyone on the Heavenly Mending Platform, Gu An finally left.
By now, he had developed a habit of using lifespan detection on unfamiliar individuals. Without investigating the other party’s background, he would feel uneasy.
For now, it was time to focus on farming for a few years until the cultivation world forgot about the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.
He had already finished writing a book about the Sword Sovereign and the scandals of the outer sect. Ji Hantian had been pushing him, and he’d completed it last month. It wasn’t a novel but a single volume, which sufficed.
Spring covered the earth, and vitality flourished everywhere.
Inside the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An and Gu Yu were drinking in a small house.
“The Righteousness and Demons you wrote has spread throughout the Taicang Empire. No one’s talking about the Taixuan Immortal Venerable anymore—they’re all discussing the Taixuan Sect and the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path,” Gu Yu remarked sourly.
Gu An chuckled. “The Taixuan Sect is the number one righteous sect. Now that something like this has happened, of course people are curious. Don’t worry; in a few years, the cultivation world will lose interest. Then they’ll turn back to chasing your legendary battle with the Foreign Realm Demon Emperor.”
Hearing this, Gu Yu beamed and began praising Gu An’s writing, even pestering him for spoilers about the next story.
Gu An didn’t give anything away, leaving Gu Yu increasingly eager.
“By the way, I recently got my hands on a book. The protagonist is named Gu An. It’s quite interesting,” Gu Yu suddenly said, pulling a book out of his storage pouch. r
Secrets of Taixuan!
Gu An’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the title.
Damn it!
She really went ahead and spread it!
My reputation is doomed!
Gu Yu waved the Secrets of Taixuan in his hand with a sly grin. “Brother Gu, have you read this book?”
Gu An asked curiously, “What’s it about?”
With that, he took two steps forward and vanished into thin air.
Ji Xiaoyu remained seated, her eyes fixed on the book.
Third Month, Early Spring
One day in early spring, the Ji family sent a group to the Third Medicine Valley with a large quantity of herb seeds for Gu An. The lowest grade among them was Fourth-Grade, which delighted Gu An greatly.
Before leaving, one of the Ji family cultivators hinted that the Third Miss had high expectations for him. All the seeds were personally selected by her, and he was welcome to approach her for any future needs.
Gu An naturally expressed his gratitude, vowing never to forget the Third Miss’s kindness. Satisfied with his response, the cultivator left.
Between the Ji family, the Gu Sect, and Jiang Qiong, Gu An had been receiving a steady supply of seeds, significantly reducing his costs. He decided to recruit more servant disciples, aiming to fill at least twenty positions. Each would be paired with a spirit beast and given the best possible treatment.
That day, Gu An brought Elder Tian to the outer sect city. Elder Tian had insisted on coming, eager to witness the two characters of “Righteous Path” atop the Heavenly Mending Platform.
Upon arrival, the two parted ways.
As Gu An reached the entrance of the Servant Hall, a male disciple approached him and whispered, “Fellow Daoist, I’ve got a treasure. Just two low-grade spirit stones.”
"Two spirit stones? Why don’t you just go rob someone?" Gu An retorted irritably, brushing past the disciple.
The disciple blocked him again, this time pulling a book out of his storage pouch. He lowered his voice, acting mysteriously. “Take a closer look. Do you recognize this book? Many inner sect disciples read it as soon as they finish their seclusion. There’s great fortune to be gained from it.”
Gu An glanced at the cover and saw the four characters: Secrets of Taixuan.
Without hesitation, he pushed the disciple aside, leaving with a single remark: “Sorry, I read Fengshen.”
The disciple glared at Gu An’s retreating figure, muttered a few curses under his breath, and turned to find another target for his sales pitch.
Half an hour later, Gu An emerged from the Servant Hall with eleven new recruits in tow. There were both men and women, all young and visibly excited.
Gu An’s ability to recruit so many servant disciples in one go clearly marked him as someone of high status. Following such a figure would undoubtedly broaden their paths in cultivation.
He led the group toward the Heavenly Mending Platform.
The servant disciples were already curious about the platform, but their low cultivation levels had kept them from visiting. They feared offending powerful cultivators.
Gu An quickly spotted Elder Tian standing beneath the word "Righteous" on the platform, gazing intently at it.
Casting a glance elsewhere, Gu An noticed that the Void Transformation Stage Ninth Layer Huangquan Demon Emperor was still present. At that moment, the demon emperor’s right hand was gesturing in the air.
Gu An’s heart skipped a beat.
Was that the Taicang Frightening God Sword technique?
This guy was deducing sword techniques purely through sword intent?
Too monstrous!
No, I need to focus more on the Taicang Frightening God Sword. Next time, I’ll invest another ten or twenty thousand years of lifespan to maintain my standing in swordsmanship.
Retracting his gaze, Gu An approached Elder Tian.
Suddenly, loud laughter erupted from atop the platform, reverberating through the air.
“Hahaha! I’ve comprehended it! I’ve comprehended it!”
The voice was deep and resonant, drawing the attention of tens of thousands of cultivators on the platform.
The speaker was an old man dressed in Daoist robes, though his gray and disheveled hair gave him a slightly unkempt appearance.
Leaping into the air, the old man ascended high above the platform. Extending his right hand, he pointed two fingers toward the words "Righteous Path" inscribed on the platform.