Chapter 294: Death Deadline |
Chapter 294 Death Deadline
Inside the Third Medicine Valley.
Gu An and An Xin stood in a plantation zone. Gu An was giving instructions on what to plant next, while An Xin listened attentively.
Just then, the Lifetaking Immortal’s voice suddenly echoed.
He was actually going to destroy an entire realm each day!
An Xin hadn’t even processed it yet when a terrifying Sword Intent descended from the sky, her face instantly paling.
The once lively Medicine Valley fell silent in an instant.
An Xin felt like a mountain had dropped onto her body—she could barely breathe. Her complexion grew even paler.
Suddenly, a hand pressed down on her shoulder, making her heart tremble. Before she could react, the crushing pressure vanished.
She instinctively turned her head. When she saw it was her master’s hand, she finally let out a breath of relief.
“Master, don’t tell me... the realm they picked is our own?” An Xin asked carefully.
No matter how carefree she usually was, death still scared her.
The Lifetaking Immortal’s declaration, combined with the sudden descent of that Sword Intent—it was obvious. Their realm was the first target.
Gu An took a deep breath and pretended to be calm. “No idea. Let’s head back first. We’re in the Taixuan Sect—something this cataclysmic isn’t for you and me to worry about. Live or die, let Heaven decide.”
An Xin still wanted to say something, but Gu An pulled her away.
A voice rang out in the Medicine Valley:
“Amitabha!”
As Shen Xinzi’s voice fell, a wave of relief swept through the valley. Disciples started running toward the pavilion area.
Rumble—
The ground shook. The Taixuan Sect activated its Sect-Protecting Grand Formation, and golden light surged upward from all directions.
When Gu An and An Xin reached the pavilion front, Ji Xuanyu had already stepped out of her quarters. She looked toward the sky, the red Dao Mark on her brow beginning to emit tiny flames.
Seeing this, Gu An quickly approached and asked, “You didn’t get scared, did you?”
Once her view was blocked by Gu An, Ji Xuanyu’s Dao Mark returned to normal. Her gaze calmed, and she nodded. “No. Looks like the Lifetaking Immortal is indeed targeting our realm—probably because the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path made a move a few years back.”
Gu An reassured her, “Don’t overthink it. If they’re striking this recklessly, that means the Sword Sovereign is still around. Keep an eye on the Medicine Valley for me—I need to head to Xuan Valley.”
With that, Gu An quickly made his way to the teleportation platform.
Ji Xuanyu stared at Gu An’s back. She wanted to say something, but no words came. For some reason, this scene felt oddly familiar to her, like she had seen it before.
Gu An soon arrived in Xuan Valley. He saw Lu Jiu Jia already instructing the disciples to hide. Gu An nodded to himself.
Taking advantage of the chaos, he slipped into the forest, pretending to inspect medicinal herbs.
“Are you out of your mind? You’re worried about plants at a time like this? Seriously—what’s wrong with you?”
Jiang Qiong’s voice rang out from behind. Gu An turned and saw her walking over, looking grim.
She stared at Gu An, speaking bitterly: “Well, great. Now I can’t even run. I guess we’ll just sit here and wait to die together.”
She could feel the Sword Intent approaching fast. Even if she fled now, there wasn’t time to reach the Nine Nether Path.
Still crouched, Gu An slammed his fist into the ground, then grabbed a handful of fallen leaves and stood up, face full of frustration.
Jiang Qiong saw the look on his face and chuckled. “What? Getting scared?”
Gu An tossed the leaves forward as if venting his anger, then turned to her. “Scared? Not exactly. I just think this contempt for life is disgusting.”
Jiang Qiong went quiet, then said, “Come with me to the Eight Views Celestial Realm.”
Gu An nodded and followed her up the mountain.
What Jiang Qiong didn’t notice was that the leaves Gu An had tossed were rising back up on their own—each one trembling.
Only after they entered the cave entrance to the Eight Views Celestial Realm did the leaves finally vanish from the forest.
Before the Soul-Suppressing Pagoda, more than ten thousand cultivators from the Grand Cold Demon Sect floated in the sky, all staring at Qingxin Zhenren, who held his sword.
“What exquisite Sword Intent. Senior Brother Qingxin’s Upper Profound Sword Dao has reached perfection.”
“Yeah, it’s terrifying. Feels like he could sweep through the entire Celestial Ascension Stage.”
“They say even Senior Brother Bai Hong lost to him a thousand years ago.”
“The founder of the Upper Profound Sword Dao has long ascended to the Sacred Domain. In the past hundred thousand years, only Uncle Qingxin has cultivated it to this level.”
“This sword strike—make sure you watch closely. It’s a rare sight.”
The Grand Cold Demon Sect’s grandmasters chatted and laughed, unbothered.
Even knowing Bai Hong Zhenren had perished, they weren’t nervous. They had the numbers, and four Free Soaring Immortals as backup—what was there to fear?
Qingxin Zhenren raised his sword vertically in front of him, the blade perfectly splitting his gaze.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes—both irises were green.
The moment his eyes opened, his Sword Intent exploded, silencing the crowd in an instant.
All eyes locked on Qingxin Zhenren. With a sharp glint in his gaze, he slashed forward.
The sword light burst forth, freezing heaven and sea alike. Even the rolling thunderclouds above lit up.
The moment he swung his sword, his Sword Intent transformed into a lethal wave of energy that shot forward.
His pupils shrank.
Reflected in his eyes were countless green dots of light, rapidly growing larger.
From the onlookers’ view, Qingxin Zhenren had unleashed a sword strike that stretched thousands of miles, a crescent moon sweeping the sky.
Then—blazing green beams shot in from the heavens even faster. No one could react in time.
Boom!
The sword energy shattered. Qingxin Zhenren’s eyes went wide. A green light was suddenly right in front of him.
Time seemed to freeze. Within that green light... was a leaf.
A leaf carrying deadly Sword Qi pierced through, shattering Qingxin Zhenren’s body and soul in an instant.
It wasn’t just one leaf—dozens more shot forth, killing one Grandmaster after another from the Grand Cold Demon Sect. The Soul-Suppressing Pagoda trembled violently.
The Lifetaking Immortal and the four Free Soaring Immortals appeared instantly, casting a massive barrier to shield the surrounding disciples.
Silence.
Heaven and earth fell quiet. All the disciples of the Grand Cold Demon Sect trembled, their faces full of fear—gone was their earlier arrogance.
The Lifetaking Immortal turned to look—on every surface of the Soul-Suppressing Pagoda, leaves were embedded.
His pupils contracted.
Leaves...
The attack had been too fast. Before they even realized what was happening, over ten Celestial Ascension cultivators were dead.
Even the red-robed woman who had been urging the Lifetaking Immortal to move faster was speechless now. As powerful as the Free Soaring Immortals were, they felt genuine fear.
The enemy had killed under their noses.
It was like someone had slapped them all in the face—hard.
Gu An followed Jiang Qiong into the Eight Views Celestial Realm. Lifespan alerts kept flashing before his eyes.
This strike had earned him 430,000 years of lifespan.
He hadn’t even gone all-out. But it was enough to terrify the Lifetaking Immortal and the others. If they had more powerful reinforcements, they better bring them out now—otherwise, even if they gave up their plan to exterminate this region, Gu An wouldn’t let them off.
The hundred-year deadline set by the Lifetaking Immortal had become his countdown to death.
“Hmm?”
Jiang Qiong let out a suspicious sound—she had sensed that terrifying Sword Intent vanish.
Gu An asked, “Could it be... we survived this one?”
Jiang Qiong didn’t even look back. “Hard to say.”
They arrived beneath the Spirit Tree. Jiang Qiong started setting up an array. Gu An asked what she was doing.
“The smaller the range, the stronger the protection. I want to test if we can ride this out. Just a gamble. If it fails, we’re dead anyway—no point worrying when we’re gone.” Jiang Qiong’s casual tone made Gu An laugh helplessly.
Meanwhile, the entire realm was on edge.
Even with the Sword Intent gone, the people couldn’t relax.
Masses began to flee. Gu An could sense many auras leaving the Taixuan Sect—group after group, noble families evacuating.
Back in the Third Medicine Valley.
Ji Hantian landed quickly and found Ji Xuanyu. The two spoke inside her residence.
“I’m not leaving,” Ji Xuanyu said flatly.
Ji Hantian was furious. But oddly, looking at her reminded him of a future descendant with the same name.
Their appearances were different, yet something in her expression felt like déjà vu.
His anger faded. He sighed, “Whether or not the Lifetaking Immortal chose this realm, danger’s only going to increase from here. The Ji Family needs to survive. Why stay?”
Ji Xuanyu looked at him. “Someone has to stay. I’ll give up my spot so others can go. Besides... where exactly would we run to?”
Ji Hantian’s chest tightened with frustration. Years ago, he’d tried to keep another Ji Xuanyu—failed. Now he wanted this one to leave—and still failed.
He couldn’t figure it out. Why did his descendants always oppose him?
He only ever wanted what was best for them.
“We don’t have time. Go talk to the others,” Ji Xuanyu reminded him.
Ji Hantian glared at her and left.
Ji Xuanyu wasn’t his direct bloodline. He couldn’t force her.
After he left, she stepped outside.
She looked up at the sky. Many cultivators were flying over the Medicine Valley—fleeing or preparing for battle, it was unclear.
“Grand Cold Demon Sect...” Ji Xuanyu murmured. The flames of her Dao Mark shimmered again.
Time passed in a haze of fear and tension.
The people suffered under anxiety and dread.
Finally, an hour later, the tension began to ease.
Elder Lu looked at Shen Xinzi and asked, “Senior... does this mean we weren’t chosen?”
The other disciples also turned to him. Though Shen Xinzi’s origins were mysterious, the upper echelons of the Taixuan Sect held him in great respect—he surely saw further than they did.
Shen Xinzi furrowed his brows, gazing into the distance. “Indeed... we weren’t chosen.”
Cheers erupted. Relief spread among the disciples.