Chapter 145: Take It and Save the World! |
Chapter 145: Take It and Save the World!
The Nightshade Mother Tree burst from the earth, its enormous branches unfurling as countless leaves rapidly sprouted, covering the entirety of Silent Desolation Forest and stretching for thousands of miles. Its massive trunk was like a towering mountain.
A grotesque human face emerged from the bark, its features twisted into a greedy, sinister grin. The sheer horror of its expression sent terror surging through the captives below.
In that moment, countless people fainted in fright.
All of them had seal talismans stuck to their bodies, preventing them from speaking, which only amplified their fear to the extreme.
The sight of the Nightshade Mother Tree’s human face drove the Nine Dynasties' Grandmasters into a frenzy.
"Everyone! We have nowhere left to retreat! Think of your descendants, your disciples! If we lose today, humanity will have no place left in this world!"
A thunderous voice echoed across the heavens like rolling thunder, shaking the earth.
As the words fell, a golden radiance streaked across the sky, cutting through the clouds with unstoppable force.
However, just as the two forces were about to collide, the golden radiance suddenly exploded into ten thousand beams of light, continuing its deadly charge forward.
From behind, a mighty river of energy surged forth. At its head stood a black-robed man wielding a monk’s staff, his overwhelming spiritual power sending tidal waves rippling through the battlefield.
From all directions, Grandmasters launched their assaults, unleashing their divine techniques in a spectacular display of power.
On the Nine Dynasties’ side, all Profound Mind Realm cultivators surged forward with full force, determined to reach the Nightshade Mother Tree at all costs.
Lü Baitian raised his great war banner, and below, one hundred thousand inner sect disciples simultaneously summoned their spiritual weapons.
They swiftly moved into formation, interweaving their powers, creating dragons of elemental energy that soared into the sky—one blazing with fire, the other roaring with ice, their cries shaking the heavens.
Riding atop a white python, Lu Lingjun glided through the sky. She released the swords in her hands and pulled out a giant bow, drawing its string to full tension as spiritual energy condensed into an arrow.
The world’s spiritual energy surged toward her arrow, intensifying its aura. Her right hand, gripping the bowstring, began to glow brilliantly.
From another direction, Daoist Tianxu of Three Pure Mountains led dozens of Daoists in a swift charge toward Silent Desolation Forest.
A battle far greater than any before had begun!
BOOM!
From his vantage point on a mountain peak in Xuan Valley, Gu An could hear the deafening roars of battle from afar.
Beside him, Chu Jingfeng trembled at the sheer intensity of the conflict, struggling to maintain his composure.
"This… this sound…" Chu Jingfeng furrowed his brows, recognizing the distant echoes from the Silent Desolation Forest—
The war there had long become the talk of the cultivation world. Even errand disciples returning from the outer sect spoke of it constantly.
But now, after so long, the explosive escalation of the battle was unimaginable.
Dark clouds rolled in from the heavens, vast and ominous, threatening to shroud the sky itself.
Staring into the distance, Gu An murmured, "The Nine Dynasties are facing their moment of life and death… Too bad there’s nothing we can do. We can only pray that Heaven favors the righteous."
Chu Jingfeng took a deep breath and asked, "Tell me… what level must one reach to single-handedly save all living beings?"
Gu An glanced at him, amused. "What, do you have such ambitions?"
"The Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path has single-handedly saved the Taixuan Sect time and time again," Chu Jingfeng said solemnly. "As a sword cultivator, he is someone I wish to become. But the longer I cultivate, the more I feel that my talent and comprehension are painfully mediocre."
Gu An chuckled. "If you've realized that, then you should focus on training in the Dao Yan Technique I passed to you. That technique comes from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion. I never mastered it, but I believe you can. Perhaps you can witness the world a thousand years from now on my behalf."
Chu Jingfeng frowned at him. "You always tell me not to give up hope, yet you’ve given up on yourself. Why?"
Gu An turned away, patting him on the shoulder without answering, and started walking down the mountain.
"Where are you going?" Chu Jingfeng called after him.
"If tomorrow is the end of the world," Gu An replied, "I want to spend my last moments with my most beloved herbs."
With that, he disappeared into the forest.
Chu Jingfeng stood there, stunned for a moment, before shaking his head with a bitter smile.
"Compared to him, I really am just worrying over nothing…" he muttered, before turning his gaze back to the horizon.
Just then, a gust of wind swept through, rustling his robes and making him squint.
Gu An completed his rounds in Xuan Valley before returning to his pavilion. Locking the door, he activated the room’s sealing formation and turned his divine sense toward Silent Desolation Forest.
He could sense space fluctuations within the Nightshade Mother Tree—subtle, yet unmistakable.
More importantly, he detected a new, foreign presence inside the tree.
A Grand Ascension Stage cultivator!
Having remained in the Grand Ascension Stage for many years, Gu An was extremely familiar with its aura.
Finally, he’s about to appear…!
At that moment, someone called out to him.
Gu An concentrated—
It was Xuanmiao Zhenren again!
This guy never learns, huh?
Far away in the Northern Sea Mountain Range, Xuanmiao Zhenren knelt in the same forest where he had once spoken with the Mountain God.
Bowing repeatedly, he had long lost count of how many times his forehead had struck the ground.
Finally, a voice echoed in his ears—
"Oi, brat. Here to bother me again? Do you even have enough treasures to offer me this time?"
Looking up, Xuanmiao Zhenren saw the Mountain God squatting on a tree branch, head tilted in curiosity.
Hurriedly, he pleaded, "The Nine Dynasties are facing utter annihilation! If all their people perish, and demons overrun the land, who will be left to worship you?"
"Who says I need humans to worship me? Who told you that I only protect mortals?"
For a moment, Xuanmiao Zhenren was stunned. He had no answer.
Then, Gu An—the Mountain God—spoke again.
"I could intervene… but only on one condition."
"What is it? What do you want?!" Xuanmiao Zhenren asked, his voice trembling with desperation.
Gu An’s tone turned icy.
"I want you to be my eternal servant—to build my Dao temple, to guard it for life, never to taste freedom again!"
Xuanmiao Zhenren’s face paled.
He hesitated, silent.
Gu An had come to end the Grand Ascension Stage cultivator of the Nightshade Sect—but he wanted to do it as the Mountain God, not the Sword Sovereign, to avoid future entanglements with the Taixuan Sect.
This enemy was unlike any before—his cultivation was nearing the ninth level of the Grand Ascension Stage. The impact of killing him would be far too great!
After a few moments of struggle, Xuanmiao Zhenren gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! I’ll willingly serve you! Just save the world!"
Gu An flicked his sleeve, and a wooden figurine landed in Xuanmiao Zhenren’s hand.
It was carved in the likeness of the Mountain God.
Taking it, Xuanmiao Zhenren looked up—
Gu An was gone.
A whisper echoed through the trees—
"Take it… and save the world."
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