Saint Who Lay Low

"You think you can handle that Demon Lord?" Gu An asked skeptically.

Li Ya boasted proudly, "I've already reached Core Formation, don't underestimate me!"

"Core Formation in Tai Xuan Sect only makes you an inner disciple. Can you really match a Demon Lord?"

"You brat! I came all this way just to protect you, and this is the thanks I get?"

"I'm just worried you'll end up like last time. Remember when you charged out to fight the Demon of Greed and Rage and ended up injured?"

"Can you stop bringing that up?"

The two of them bantered back and forth, with Li Ya showing no signs of being upset. He could tell Gu An was concerned for him, afraid that he would get hurt.

But little did Li Ya know, Gu An wasn't worried about getting him involved—he was worried about being held back.

Brother, if a Demon Lord really shows up, you staying near me would make it hard for me to fight!

Gu An couldn't voice his true thoughts, and since Li Ya was insistent on staying, he had no choice but to drop the issue.

"By the way, have you seen Junior Brother Lu recently?" Gu An asked.

Li Ya shook his head. "No, I haven't. I used to run into him occasionally, but since he joined the Demon-Suppressing Hall, we've had no contact. The elders of that hall and I don't see eye to eye."

He spoke with a distant expression, clearly not holding Lu Jiujia in high regard.

Although Li Ya was warm toward Gu An, he was actually quite cold toward most others.

"Come on, let's head upstairs and chat. I heard you got another medicine valley in the inner sect—tell me all about it!" Li Ya said, pulling Gu An along.

Their conversation lasted well into the night.

Gu An didn't mention his identity as Pan An but explained that the harvest from Xuan Valley had satisfied the higher-ups, which earned him the new medicine valley.

With Li Xuandao under fire because of Investiture of the Gods, Gu An wouldn't dare reveal his Pan An identity to Li Ya. What if Li Ya accidentally let it slip? After all, no matter how strained their relationship might be, they were still father and son, and blood ties would always run deeper than friendship with Gu An.

...

As summer gave way to autumn, the weather remained warm.

Ten days had passed since Li Ya's arrival, and during that time, Xuan Valley remained peaceful. Gu An even took time to tend to the outer sect disciples' cave dwellings, with Li Ya insisting on accompanying him. However, Li Ya stayed outside the dwellings to avoid causing Gu An any trouble.

Gu An had hoped Li Ya would stay in Xuan Valley to protect the disciples, but Li Ya wasn't interested. As he said, the fact that he was teaching swordsmanship to the disciples at all was solely out of respect for Gu An.

One evening, as Gu An was busy harvesting herbs, Li Ya was meditating atop a nearby mountain, bathed in the glow of the setting sun. The sight made him look like a peerless master.

Suddenly, Gu An sensed something. His hand paused briefly before he resumed harvesting.

"There really is a Demon Lord. Hopefully, he doesn't target my valley," Gu An thought, continuing his work. The presence he sensed was far beyond the Foundation Establishment level, but it didn't feel like a direct threat to him.

The faint demonic aura began to drift away from Xuan Valley, much to Gu An's relief.

He was more concerned about keeping his strength hidden than the potential lifespan gain from killing a Demon Lord.

Night fell.

Gu An sat in his room, reading the Ziwei Formation Manual, deeply engrossed in the wood-element formations described within.

His brow furrowed, and he sighed.

Xuan Valley remained free of trouble, but it seemed Li Ya had caught the Demon Lord's attention.

On the mountaintop, Li Ya abruptly opened his eyes from his meditation. Standing up, he walked to the cliff's edge and gazed down at the forest below. About a hundred meters away, a shadowy figure stood under a tree, staring up at him.

In the moonlight, the mysterious figure was nearly indistinguishable from the surrounding darkness. One would have to get very close to notice his presence.

Li Ya frowned, raising his hand to point toward the figure, and then leaped into the night sky.

The shadowy figure dissolved into a cloud of black mist, disappearing without a trace.

After a brief moment, Li Ya landed by a river that cut through the mountains, its waters shimmering under the moonlight. The river spanned about two meters across.

As soon as he touched the ground, a cloud of black mist appeared on the opposite bank, quickly forming into the figure of a man.

Li Ya narrowed his eyes and asked, "You're not the Demon Lord of Tianjue Sect, but it seems you know me?"

The figure's voice was hoarse as he replied, "Prince Li Ya, the one who inherited the Sword Intent of the greatest swordsman in Ji Prefecture. Meeting you is quite a surprise."

Li Ya drew his sword, pointing it at the figure. "Stop with your tricks!"

As he spoke, his body erupted with violent sword energy, causing his black robes to billow like flames. Seven beams of silver sword light condensed around him, shining brilliantly in the dark night.

"A mere Core Formation cultivator dares to oppose me?" the figure sneered with disdain.

In an instant, he dissolved into black mist and reappeared behind Li Ya.

Li Ya's pupils constricted. He leaped into the air, twisting to strike with his sword, sending the seven beams of silver light slashing toward the figure at blinding speed.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The sword lights hit the ground in rapid succession, kicking up dust and shaking the surrounding trees.

Before Li Ya could even see whether his attack had landed, a fierce gust of wind swept him aside, sending him crashing through the forest like a speeding arrow. He smashed into tree after tree, tumbling for hundreds of meters before finally coming to a stop.

When the dust settled, Li Ya lay bloodied against a tree trunk, the bark around him cracked and trembling.

Hovering above, the shadowy figure sneered down at him. "You've just reached Core Formation, and you dare challenge me? Do you even know what realm I'm in?"

Li Ya struggled to raise his head, his vision blurred by the blood staining his eyes.

"Damn it…" he cursed through gritted teeth, desperately trying to stand but failing.

"Ah, kid, how do you always end up in situations like this? You're not just gambling with your own life—you're gambling with your ancestor's life too!" a weary, elderly voice echoed in Li Ya's mind.

The shadowy figure lifted his right hand, aiming it at Li Ya from a distance. His body was cloaked in swirling demonic energy, his face obscured.

Just as he was about to speak, a hand wreathed in demonic energy suddenly clamped down on his shoulder, freezing him in place.

In the blink of an eye, wooden tendrils erupted from his body, tearing through his flesh like a bloody flower blooming in midair.

His demonic aura dissipated, revealing the face of a middle-aged man, his robes marking him as an elder of the outer sect. His face, once fierce and imposing, was now twisted with shock and disbelief.

Struggling to turn his head, the elder caught a glimpse of a purple-black figure standing behind him.

"Demon Shadow Divine Art… you…" the elder stammered.

Li Ya's eyes widened in fury. "Elder Chen, how could it be you?!"

The elder, known as Elder Chen, didn't get the chance to respond. His storage pouch was snatched away by the figure behind him, and moments later, the wooden tendrils piercing his body ignited with green flames, quickly reducing him to ashes—body and soul alike, erased from existence.

The purple-black figure stood in the air, arm still outstretched as though holding Elder Chen's shoulder.

Li Ya, feeling the immense pressure from below, knew that Elder Chen had been a Nascent Soul cultivator. For someone of his level to be killed without resistance meant the attacker had to be far beyond him.

"Void Crossing Stage! At least fifth level!" the voice of Li Ya's ancestor echoed in his mind, filled with grave concern.

The mere mention of the Void Crossing Stage made Li Ya's heart race in terror.

The forest fell silent beneath the moonlight, Li Ya's heart pounding in his chest as he braced himself for the worst.

Inwardly, he screamed, Ancestor, save me!

After a few agonizing moments, the purple-black figure vanished into thin air, leaving Li Ya trembling as he scanned the area.

"He's gone. It seems he had other considerations," the ancestor's voice said, bringing Li Ya some relief.

"You fool! Forget about Gu An and head to the inner sect immediately! The outer sect is becoming more dangerous by the day. There's a sinister force at work, and if you stay, you'll be in serious trouble!" the ancestor's tone grew stern, but Li Ya remained silent.

...

In the Xuan Valley pavilion, Gu An gazed at the storage pouch in his hand and sighed softly.

Sorry, Brother Li. If I hadn't let you get hurt, you'd still be sticking around.

Gu An couldn't help but feel guilty. Li Ya had come here to protect him, but it was clear that if Li Ya had gone straight to the inner sect, none of this would have happened.

I'll have to make it up to him with more spirit herbs when he returns.

Killing Elder Chen had earned Gu An thirty-seven years of lifespan—not too much, but not too little either.

He began sorting through Elder Chen's storage pouch, carefully sifting out anything that might be dangerous and destroying it.

By the time dawn arrived, Li Ya finally returned.

He was wearing a fresh set of clothes, looking as if he hadn't just gone through a life-and-death battle.

When Gu An saw him downstairs, he asked, "Brother Li, you don't look so well. What happened?"

Li Ya forced a smile. "Just a little mishap during practice last night. Nothing serious."

Gu An frowned and pulled Li Ya upstairs, where he took out dozens of bottles of pills that he claimed he had stockpiled.

Li Ya stared at him in shock. "Gu An, what's all this for?"

"You don't look well, and you must have been in a fight last night, right?" Gu An said gravely.

Li Ya's expression darkened.

After a deep breath, he admitted, "Yes, I did encounter a demonic cultivator last night and got injured. Gu An, you need to move to the inner sect. It's not safe here in the outer sect anymore!"

Not safe?

I don't believe that for a second!

Gu An's roots were here, and he wasn't about to abandon them. Whoever dared cause trouble would face the consequences!

But outwardly, Gu An smiled bitterly. "Brother Li, our valley only grows low-level spirit herbs. What would a Demon Lord want with them? We'll be safer if you're not here. Besides, I still have connections with Lu Jiujia. I can rely on him for help."

"But…" Li Ya hesitated.

Gu An interrupted, "Brother Li, I think the troubles in the outer sect might not be entirely caused by demonic cultivators. The Demon-Suppressing Hall has been rounding up supposed demonic spies for years—could it be that someone is using the demon threat as a cover for something else? If you go to the inner sect, you might be able to uncover the truth. But if you stay here, how long can you protect me?"

Li Ya's face darkened further as he thought of Elder Chen.

After a few moments of internal struggle, he took a deep breath and said, "You're right, Gu An. I'll head to the inner sect immediately!"

Gu An smiled, shoving all the pills into Li Ya's hands, which left him feeling deeply moved.

After a few more words, Gu An urged him to set off without delay.

Due to his injuries, Li Ya had to fly on his sword. As he soared out of Xuan Valley, he couldn't help but glance back, muttering to himself, "You see, this is why I can't leave him behind. No matter who it is, if they dare hurt him, I'll make them regret it."