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Gu An grew more curious about Cheng Xuandan’s master. What kind of extraordinary person could have created such an immense underground passage?

The tunnel twisted downward, and even after walking for several miles, Gu An had yet to reach the end.

He was now certain that the place beneath the stone slab he had discovered was connected to this underground tunnel.

A gust of spiritual wind blew from the front, brushing Gu An’s face and making him feel refreshed.

The tunnel ahead began to brighten. Gu An noticed that the walls were embedded with stones of various colors. Upon closer inspection, however, he realized they weren’t spirit stones, which left him a little disappointed.

If they had all been spirit stones, he would have struck it rich!

As these thoughts crossed his mind, he continued onward.

His senses remained on high alert. Although Cheng Xuandan had been very kind to him at the end, Gu An couldn’t forget how Cheng Xuandan had dealt with Meng Lang, so he remained cautious.

What if Cheng Xuandan had been acting all along?

After walking another few miles, the tunnel became brightly lit, and he could hear the sound of flowing water.

The cave entrance was close!

Gu An approached carefully, arriving at the entrance of a vast underground space. His eyes widened as he looked ahead.

“I’ve really struck gold…”

Gu An muttered to himself, his eyes brimming with excitement.

Before him stretched an enormous underground area, even larger than Xuan Valley. The ceiling towered over a hundred meters above, and in the center stood a colossal tree, over a hundred meters tall, its trunk requiring at least a dozen people to encircle. The tree didn’t have many branches or leaves, but it bore numerous fruits that glowed like lanterns, each one translucent and radiating a soft blue light.

Beneath the tree was a thick carpet of grass, and nearby, a two-meter-wide underground river flowed along the edge of the cavern, close to the cliff walls.

[Ancient Vine Tree (Seventh Rank): 245/9999/87600]

A lifespan of eighty-seven thousand years!

Nearly ten thousand years of current lifespan!

Seeing this information, Gu An was tempted to uproot the tree on the spot, but he restrained himself.

According to what Cheng Xuandan had told him, this seventh-rank spiritual tree was the key to the underground formation. It controlled the entire system, allowing the other spiritual plants and treasures to thrive. These treasures, in turn, nourished the formation, which then fed back into the Ancient Vine Tree.

If he were to uproot the tree, he’d lose an immensely valuable plantation field.

This place could also serve as his cultivation cave. The formation set up by Cheng Xuandan’s master was complex and would ensure that no disturbances from his cultivation or breakthroughs would be detected outside.

Gu An scanned his surroundings, noticing that the cave walls were adorned with statues, each intricately carved. There were dozens of statues, connected by mysterious runes between them, radiating a profound aura.

He stepped out of the entrance and immediately spotted a stone tablet nearby. On it were inscribed four large characters:

Eight Views Heavenly Cave.

Glancing at the tablet, Gu An continued to explore the underground realm.

As he walked, he used his lifespan-stealing ability to scan everything.

All around him were third- and fourth-rank spiritual herbs and flowers. The closer he got to the Ancient Vine Tree, the higher the grade of the plants, dazzling his senses.

With such a massive treasure trove hidden here, how had Cheng Xuandan failed to reach Foundation Establishment?

Gu An couldn’t decide whether to pity Cheng Xuandan for his poor aptitude or for his lacking alchemical skills.

Even if Cheng Xuandan wasn’t good at refining pills, he could have sold some of these herbs in exchange for spirit stones or hired an alchemist from the Tai Xuan Sect to help him.

In Gu An’s opinion, a sect like Tai Xuan Sect could easily nurture a Foundation Establishment cultivator with enough resources.

Of course, another possibility was that Cheng Xuandan had been afraid of exposing his identity.

Gu An walked under the Ancient Vine Tree, where the immense vitality of the tree felt even more overwhelming.

He circled the tree and found that the Eight Views Heavenly Cave had eight different exits.

He suspected that one of the exits was connected to the stone slab he had discovered earlier.

For now, he had no intention of exploring the other exits. Instead, he retrieved the Hundred Herbs Manual from his storage pouch and began comparing the plants he found.

If a plant was mature, he would harvest it right away.

Some of the harvested herbs could be brought to the Outer Sect to exchange for more high-level seeds, allowing for continued growth!

Just the thought of it filled Gu An with excitement.

Half an hour flew by. Gu An had already harvested over 130 third-rank herbs, gaining nearly 900 years of lifespan, bringing his total lifespan to over five thousand years.

This demonic spy role was really paying off!

Gu An’s excitement grew. The Eight Views Heavenly Cave contained countless spiritual herbs. So far, he had only harvested a tenth of the total, and those were the lowest-grade herbs.

This place would be his cave, his secret base!

Just as Gu An bent down to pick another herb, he suddenly heard a noise. He turned around sharply, his gaze locking onto one of the dark entrances.

The entrance was pitch black, exuding a sinister and foreboding aura.

Gu An carefully stepped aside.

Not all the grass in the area was spiritual herbs; some of it was just regular grass. He suspected a fight was about to break out, so he moved to ensure his precious herbs wouldn’t be damaged.

Those herbs were his lifeline!

He moved toward the underground river, keeping his eyes fixed on the dark entrance.

Soon, footsteps and heavy breathing echoed from within the cave, like a beast was about to charge out.

A foot emerged from the darkness, and when Gu An finally saw the figure in full, he frowned.

It was Meng Lang!

At this moment, Meng Lang’s hair was disheveled, his clothes tattered, and he was barefoot. His neck was covered in blood-red markings, his face flushed as if scalded, and his eyes were bloodshot. White mist escaped from his mouth as he breathed heavily.

“Roar—”

Meng Lang let out a beast-like roar and charged straight at Gu An.

He was incredibly fast, quickly closing the distance between them.

Gu An didn’t retreat; instead, he advanced, stepping forward to meet Meng Lang head-on.

The distance between them vanished in an instant, blades of grass flying up in their wake.

Meng Lang leaped toward Gu An, attempting to pounce on him. But Gu An sidestepped, and with a knee strike to Meng Lang’s abdomen, he sent him flying back.

Gu An’s frown deepened. His right leg felt slightly numb.

What was going on?

Meng Lang had become so… tough?

Even though Gu An hadn’t used his full strength or infused his blow with spiritual power, he could still make a rough judgment of his opponent’s toughness.

The reason he held back was to see if Meng Lang still had a chance of surviving.

Shaking out his right leg, Gu An advanced on Meng Lang again.

Meng Lang, who had fallen to the ground, seemed unfazed by the pain. He immediately got back up and lunged at Gu An once more.

Gu An planted his right foot firmly, stopping his momentum. His left leg rose, and he infused it with spiritual power, unleashing his Gale Phantom Kick.

A gust of wind whipped through the air, and a barrage of kicks landed on Meng Lang, sending him flying once again. He tumbled across the ground, rolling over a dozen times before finally coming to a stop.

His limbs were visibly twisted, and though he struggled to get up, he collapsed again, his forehead thudding against the ground.

Gu An retracted his leg, curiosity flashing in his eyes.

Cheng Xuandan’s “Gu Puppet” was this strong?

Even at just the first stage, its physical body was already this tough. It didn’t seem any weaker than the The Demon of Greed and Rage from before!

Cheng Xuandan couldn’t possibly match the experts behind the The Demon of Greed and Rage.

Gu An became more certain that Cheng Xuandan had kept some things hidden, likely related to his master.

He walked over to Meng Lang, looking down at his now monstrous body, unsure of how to proceed.

“He’s already dead anyway, so why should I care about what he was when alive?”

Gu An’s eyes flickered with indecision, the grass and dirt around his feet slowly beginning to stir as he gathered power.

Suddenly, Gu An noticed the corner of a book poking out from Meng Lang’s clothes. Reaching out with his spiritual power, he pulled the book into his hand.

“Ten Thousand Gu Mysterious Technique…”

Gu An muttered the title. He skimmed through the book and found that it was a cultivation manual, though incomplete. The last page was abruptly cut off, indicating missing content.

Aside from the cultivation techniques, the book also detailed five different Gu techniques, complete with illustrations. After comparing them, Gu An identified the Gu that Meng Lang had been afflicted with.

Flame Corpse Gu!

“Those who harbor this Gu will nurture flame energy in their bodies, their flesh hardening like stone and gaining immense strength… There is no cure, no technique to resolve it, and it will continue until the host is reduced to ashes…”

After reading this, Gu An looked at Meng Lang with a trace of pity in his eyes.

How tragic.

The Ten Thousand Gu Mysterious Technique also included a method to suppress the Flame Corpse Gu. By sealing the host’s seven orifices and preventing the Gu from absorbing spiritual energy, the Gu would fall into a dormant state, rendering the host unable to move.

Gu An immediately used soil to block Meng Lang’s seven orifices. Once finished, he stood up and glanced at the cave from which Meng Lang had emerged.

He decided not to explore it for now. Instead, he stored the Ten Thousand Gu Mysterious Technique in his storage pouch and resumed harvesting the spiritual herbs.

If Cheng Xuandan’s master were still alive, but had made no move against a mere Qi Refining disciple, it either meant the master had no ill intent or couldn’t act. In that case, why disturb the situation?

The more time passed, the more advantageous it would be for Gu An.

Half an hour later.

Gu An left the Eight Views Heavenly Cave, thoroughly satisfied. His lifespan had now reached an astonishing seven thousand years!

He had harvested all the third-rank spiritual herbs that could be picked. Next, it would be time to plant new seeds and wait for them to mature, which would take many years.

Once the third-rank herbs were dealt with, it would be time to harvest the fourth-rank ones!

To avoid disrupting the ecological balance of the formation, Gu An hadn’t harvested everything at once. He followed a balanced strategy, harvesting some and planting new ones—this was the key to sustainable growth!

Even when the herbs matured, he could leave some in place, as the older they got, the more lifespan they could provide. Of course, there had to be a limit, but Gu An was still observing to find that threshold.

...

The next morning, the newly appointed Valley Master, Gu An, left his room early and began urging his junior brothers to get up.

After hearing Xiao Chuan respond, he went to Ye Lan’s courtyard.

“Junior Sister, time to get up,” Gu An called.

“Yes, Senior Brother,” Ye Lan replied quickly, even more eager than the others.

Before long, everyone was assembled before Gu An.

He glanced around at them and smiled. “Congratulations! From now on, you will all become uncles. When I recruit new servants, they will be my disciples, and your nephews.”

Upon hearing this, everyone became excited and immediately started discussing the future. No one mentioned Cheng Xuandan. It wasn’t because they were ungrateful, but because they had privately agreed not to bring up his name for the next month.

After some encouraging words from Gu An, he led his junior siblings in their morning exercises, loosening their muscles. Afterward, he planned to return to the Eight Views Heavenly Cave to plant the spiritual herbs.

Life was about to get busy!