Chapter 225: Chapter 225 Outer World Cave
Most of the treasures within Divine Exotic City were plundered; some were seized by former owners from enemies, and others were left behind by adventurers after their deaths. The Blood Domain Soul Suppressing Tower had a longstanding reputation over the ocean and was considered a legendary supreme Immortal Treasure.
Gu An often exclaimed in amazement, which caused Jiang Qiong to involuntarily smile.
Watching Gu An\'s inexperienced expression, she did not feel annoyed; instead, she found it amusing.
In other places, her cultivation level was insignificant, but in front of Gu An, she was a Great Cultivator.
Even though many people looked down on her, as long as Gu An admired her, it was enough.
Jiang Qiong then recounted her experiences from past years, including the founding of the Juhua Sect. Gu An listened attentively, even though he often used his Divine Sense to keep an eye on Jiang Qiong; hearing stories directly from her was more interesting.
Night passed.
By noon the next day, Gu An leaped out of the Medicine Cauldron and quickly put on his robe.
Jiang Qiong approached him, scrutinizing him with amazement and said: "I didn\'t expect your absorption speed to be so quick."
Gu An precisely controlled his Qi-Blood, ensuring Jiang Qiong did not notice any issues.
"Thank you!" Gu An said earnestly.
Jiang Qiong thought to herself that this kid still wouldn\'t call her Martial Master; she would have been angry in the past, but now she felt a hint of delight.
She raised her head and said: "Practice your sword well. Your Sword Dao talent is outstanding. As for your cultivation level, I will find a way to help you improve."
"This... isn\'t appropriate. You should keep it for yourself. Giving it to me is a waste."
Gu An hesitated, genuinely grateful to Jiang Qiong.
Having this intention was enough!
There was no need to take it seriously.
If combat prowess had a numerical value, with Jiang Qiong\'s help last night, Gu An\'s combat power would have successfully increased from one hundred billion to one hundred billion and one!
Indeed, it had enhanced, but this slight increase in value was more valuable to Jiang Qiong.
Jiang Qiong snorted: "Rest assured, I won\'t delay my cultivation."
Gu An had to give up.
Jiang Qiong asked Gu An about his experiences over the years, and Gu An did not hide anything, but as she listened, Jiang Qiong became increasingly unable to withstand it.
"Planting herbs, planting herbs, why are you always planting herbs?" Jiang Qiong exclaimed.
Gu An pouted: "Yeah, just planting herbs. What else do you expect me to have experienced? Don\'t underestimate herb planting; different medicinal herbs bring different feelings..."
He began to enthusiastically recount his planting experiences.
Jiang Qiong suppressed the irritability in her heart and listened carefully. Gradually, her mood calmed down.
To her surprise, listening to Gu An talk about his farming life was quite interesting, bringing her thoughts back to her childhood.
Time flew by.
Until nightfall, Jiang Qiong bid farewell and left.
Gu An did not leave the Eight Scenic Caves, planning to go out early the next morning.
In the following winter, discussions about Divine Exotic City spread throughout the Supreme Sect cities, and Li Ya\'s name reverberated throughout the Immortal Cultivation World, surpassing Sword Venerable Fudao and Pan An.
Many believed that with the control of Divine Exotic City, Li Ya would become an Immortal in the future. Moreover, Li Ya was very young, and some already called him the best of the younger generation, even surpassing An Hao.
Li Ya\'s prominence did not affect Gu An\'s life.
With the capture of Divine Exotic City, many Great Cultivators overseas left, but some cultivators stayed behind, joining various sects, with the Supreme Sect absorbing the most.
Because Li Ya hailed from the Supreme Sect!
With control of Divine Exotic City, Li Ya didn\'t need to wait for the future; he possessed power beyond a Loose Immortal, to the extent that even Wandering Immortals couldn\'t do anything to him.
In this way, a new spring arrived.
That year, the Supreme Sect\'s New Year celebrations were livelier than ever. It was said that the Supreme Sect was preparing to head south in search of an island to establish a city, with the support of the Star Sea Congregations, making the task much easier.
After the New Year, the Supreme Sect began recruiting disciples for the southern sea expedition, with ten thousand openings and excellent benefits, leading to active registrations across all cities.
Gu An remained busy harvesting medicinal herbs, occasionally worrying about the Seven Stars Spirit Realm stirring up trouble.
Among the conflicts sparked by Divine Exotic City, the Seven Stars Spirit Realm suffered the most losses, but they currently appeared very calm, which made Gu An even more suspicious that they were brewing something.
By March, the disciples of the Supreme Sect gradually put the matter of Divine Exotic City aside.
On this day, Gu An went to the Outer Sect Book Collection Hall to hand over the last volume of Journey to the West.
Despite the Great Elder Feng Shang\'s earnest attempts to persuade him to stay, Gu An found an excuse to leave.
Not far from the Book Collection Hall, a figure blocked Gu An; it was You Yingying from the Star Sea Congregations, disguised as a chubby man, looking jovial.
"Brother Gu, how have you been lately?" You Yingying asked with a smile, having used the Sound Transmission Skill to reveal her true identity to Gu An in advance.
Gu An replied with a smile: "Pretty good, how about you?"
He couldn\'t understand why You Yingying always enjoyed shape-shifting. What was the fun in it?
Within the Supreme Sect, her reputation wasn\'t widespread, making her actions pointless.
"I\'m quite well too. Lately, I\'ve been really bored. How about I go to your Medicine Valley to help you out?" You Yingying asked.
Gu An hesitated for a moment and agreed, then directed her to the Third Medicine Valley.
Upon hearing this, You Yingying was immediately delighted and pulled Gu An towards her own residence to pack her things.
"Your Supreme Sect has produced a Li Ya; with the support of the Star Sea Congregations, you\'ll definitely rise to prominence. In the future, we\'ll at least assist you," You Yingying remarked as she walked, her tone slightly emotional.
She had not expected that amidst the scramble of so many Great Cultivators, an obscure minor cultivator would gain Divine Exotic City\'s approval.
As a member of the Star Sea Congregations, she deeply understood the might of the Fake Immortal Treasure, believing that Li Ya would undoubtedly become a significant Great Cultivator over the ocean.
"That\'s great news," Gu An responded, trying to act surprised.
Following this, You Yingying began describing those powerful Immortal Path Supreme Treasures to Gu An.
The Star Sea Primordial Unity Banner of the Star Sea Congregations was said to invert the stars and ocean within the formation, causing those who entered to become forever lost, and it could harness the power of stars and the ocean to change the course of events.
The Seven Stars Mirror of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm contained ancient power, under whose light nothing could hide.
Gu An found this very intriguing.
He wondered what cultivation level was needed to craft an Immortal Path Supreme Treasure. When he reached that level, he also planned to create one.
Making early plans to avoid panic when the time came.
...
Spring went and autumn came, five years passed quickly.
After Li Ya took Divine Exotic City, the mainland enjoyed peace. The Supreme Sect successfully established a city overseas, with even the Outer Sect having a Transmission Array Platform leading to Southern Sea City. More and more disciples began training at sea, and news from the ocean continually arrived at the Supreme Sect.
Since the completion of the teleportation array in Southern Sea City, Gu An saw new things in the Outer Gate City whenever he went, making him feel like he was at a fair.
In early summer, Gu An arrived at Immortal Seeking Island.
Led by the servant Hu Xiaojian of the Sea Protection Mansion, Gu An strolled around Immortal Seeking Island, listening to the various disturbances on the sea.
"The friction between the Star Sea Congregations and the Seven Stars Spirit Realm is increasing. The Seven Stars Spirit Realm has gone mad, constantly invading the Star Sea Congregations\' territories. It\'s said to be related to an Immortal Path Supreme Treasure from five years ago. On a distant continent, the Seven Stars Spirit Realm released an Immortal Path Supreme Treasure for others to contest, which was eventually obtained by a minor cultivator. The Star Sea Congregations then recruited that minor cultivator, thoroughly offending the Seven Stars Spirit Realm," Hu Xiaojian said with a sigh.
Gu An asked: "Why would the Seven Stars Spirit Realm release the Immortal Path Supreme Treasure?"
He had wondered about this before, finding it very puzzling. The Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit also didn\'t know the reason, thinking it was because it was being too powerful, making it impossible for the Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators to find. So, they released Divine Exotic City.
But considering it from the Seven Stars Spirit Realm\'s perspective, even if they couldn\'t conquer Divine Exotic City themselves, they shouldn\'t give other powers the chance.
Hu Xiaojian pondered: "It does seem unreasonable. Perhaps the Seven Stars Spirit Realm needed an excuse to declare war on the Star Sea Congregations? But using an Immortal Path Supreme Treasure as bait seems too exaggerated."
The two continued chatting as they walked.
Gu An wasn\'t worried about causing trouble with the topic since the surrounding cultivators were all discussing the conflicts between the two great maritime powers.
Half a day later, Gu An left Immortal Seeking Island and arrived at Heavenly Phoenix Mountain\'s Nianchu Cave, bringing Tian Yao\'er, Tianqing, and Tian Bai into the Grotto Heaven.
He took out the seeds he bought today and had the three demons plant them. Though Tianqing and Tian Bai had not yet shape-shifted, their nimble claws made them capable of handling the planting duties.
While they were planting, Gu An went to the entrance of the Grotto Heaven, using his mana to create a stele, and then inscribed characters with his sword Qi.
Outer World Cave!
The meaning was to be forever isolated from the world.
In the future, Gu An wouldn\'t bring others here to live. This would always be his secluded Medicine Valley, specifically providing him with a longer life span.
Because the seeds planted in the Outer World Cave were all high-rank seeds of level seven or above, no medicinal herbs had matured yet. He wasn\'t in a hurry, patiently waiting.
When the first batch of herbs matured, it would bring him a significant increase in life span, something he eagerly anticipated.
Two ancient hours later, Gu An took them out of the Outer World Cave, walking along the underground passage towards Nianchu Cave.
"I\'ve prepared Shape-Shifting Elixirs for you; you can shape-shift in the next few days," Gu An said as he walked ahead.
Upon hearing this, Tianqing and Tian Bai were overjoyed and hurriedly came forward to thank their master for his gift.
Demons could achieve shape-shifting through their own cultivation, but the Shape-Shifting Elixir could speed up the process and increase the success rate. If they relied on themselves for shape-shifting, failure would mean death or severe injury, similar to crossing a tribulation.
"Master, what about me?" Tian Yao\'er asked as she held Tian Bai, squeezing in beside Gu An with a pitiful expression.
Gu An replied: "I\'ve prepared a batch of Qi-Blood enhancing elixirs for you."
The elixirs he prepared for Tian Yao\'er weren\'t ones he refined but were purchased on Immortal Seeking Island, worth a fortune, and made by the top alchemy sect on the sea, the Purple Pill Palace.