Saint Who Lay Low

The morning sunlight pierced through the mountains, casting its rays over the outer sect city, where disciples flew in and out, busy and anxious. Inside a particular residence, Chen Xuanjin's Nascent Soul hovered tensely in the main hall.

In front of him sat a man clad in a black dragon-patterned robe. His face was young and handsome, but his brows exuded a kind of oppressive majesty that didn't match his youthful appearance. His long hair was coiled under a silver crown engraved with a qilin pattern. Just by sitting there, he emanated an aura of dominance, as though he alone ruled the world.

"Your brother was killed by demonic cultivators from the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, and now you've been gravely injured by the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal. Do you think Zuo Yijian's master might be connected to Thousand Autumn Pavilion?" the black-robed man asked slowly.

His tone was calm, as though discussing an inconsequential matter.

Chen Xuanjin immediately raised his head and replied, "It's possible. Thousand Autumn Pavilion has long been planting spies within Tai Xuan Sect. You yourself mentioned that the upper echelons likely harbor infiltrators from Thousand Autumn Pavilion. Isn't this exactly what's happening?"

By targeting Zuo Yijian, Chen hoped to undermine his backing. If he could topple Zuo's supporters, he would no longer have to fear Zuo Yijian.

The black-robed man narrowed his eyes, his gaze landing heavily on Chen Xuanjin, who quickly lowered his head again in fear.

A long silence settled over the hall.

After a while, the black-robed man spoke again in a faint voice, "Begin preparations for the array. With the recent chaos caused by demonic cultivators, we can pin the blame on Thousand Autumn Pavilion afterward."

Chen Xuanjin hastily said, "But in my current state, I fear—"

"This time, I will bear the burden myself."

"What? No, you mustn't! We don't even know for sure if this technique will succeed. Dao Tian Sect is also waiting for our results."

"Nothing is ever guaranteed. The path of cultivation is one of endless thorns. This plan has been in the works for a century, and Tai Xuan Sect cannot afford to let anyone undermine it. There's no need to persuade me further."

Hearing these words, Chen Xuanjin could only suppress his worries and agree.

Meanwhile, in Xuan Valley, Gu An gathered his disciples for their morning drills. The events of the previous night had left them all restless, and they murmured quietly among themselves.

Tang Yu couldn't help but ask, "Master, how did you return so quickly?"

The others turned to look at Gu An as well.

Gu An huffed, "Didn't you sense the commotion last night? I hurried back because I was worried something might happen to you all."

Upon hearing this, the disciples were filled with guilt. They felt weak and ashamed, knowing that they always caused their master concern.

Xiao Chuan, anxious, suggested, "Senior brother, maybe you should go to the inner sect's medicine valley. We could disband and find our own paths in the outer sect. That way, you'll be safe too."

It wasn't that Xiao Chuan feared for his own life; he simply didn't want Gu An to work so hard for them. Gu An had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage and had a bright future ahead—why should he constantly worry and put himself at risk for them?

Gu An replied, "If any of you wish to leave for the outer sect cities, I won't stop you. But I must remind you that the outer sect isn't necessarily safer than Xuan Valley. After all, disciples have been disappearing from the city. I'm not trying to threaten or pressure you, and I will respect your choice regardless. But know that whether you leave or stay, Xuan Valley will always be a place you can call home."

These words came from Gu An's heart.

He pursued longevity and knew he would inevitably experience many separations over the years. He had already prepared himself for it and did not want to meddle in others' fates—unless they held a special place in his heart.

The disciples fell into silence, exchanging uncertain glances.

Wu Xin looked like he wanted to say something but ultimately held back.

"Leave? What, go elsewhere to become servant disciples? Who would refine pills for us the way Master does? Xuan Valley doesn't even need so many servant disciples, but Master still took us in, and he hasn't cut our pay. We can't be so ungrateful!" Tang Yu was the first to speak up, his voice filled with conviction. His greatest regret was that, during Qiu Qianli's rebellion, he hadn't charged to the front like Su Han.

Once, Su Han had to strive to catch up to him, but now Su Han had reached Foundation Establishment, while Tang Yu was unsure if he'd ever reach that stage. The gap between them had started from that very calamity.

Tang Yu didn't resent Gu An—only himself. He vowed to perform better and regain Gu An's favor.

Once he spoke, the other disciples chimed in, and the atmosphere became lively, no longer as tense as before.

Gu An smiled and called for the disciples to continue their drills.

Just as they finished, Ye Lan arrived. After confirming that Gu An was safe, she left swiftly without lingering.

Gu An stood at the window, gazing toward the outer sect city.

Every now and then, a high-ranking cultivator still flew overhead, though the number was far fewer than the night before.

Gu An's divine sense could easily span a thousand miles, allowing him to observe the outer sect city from afar, though this was far from his divine sense's true limit.

He watched as the enormous array platform was being constructed at an accelerated pace, with disciples transporting spirit stones. Despite observing it carefully, Gu An still couldn't discern what kind of formation was being built.

The incident of the sinking spiritual energy had thrown Tai Xuan Sect into chaos, and the tension lingered for nearly ten days before things began to settle down.

Gu An had been affected as well.

Several outer sect disciples had moved out of their residences, costing him a few sources of lifespan. These disciples were clearly fleeing from the outer sect city.

However, Gu An wasn't particularly disappointed. With his three medicine valleys, his supply of lifespan would only continue to increase. He even planned to expand the third valley.

Now, he just had to wait for the turmoil in the outer sect to pass. As long as nothing threatened his Xuan Valley or the few people he cared about, he had no interest in getting involved in Tai Xuan Sect's schemes.

As Shen Zhen had said, even the Dao Tian Sect, the foremost sect of the Dayu Dynasty, was engaging in such practices. Why should Gu An bother interfering? He wasn't some paragon of righteousness seeking to save the world. The suffering in the world was endless—could he possibly save everyone?

Moreover, this was a matter best left untouched. If Gu An were to disrupt Tai Xuan Sect's plans and the sect struggled to withstand the upcoming demonic catastrophe, he would be branded a traitor. The entire sect would blame him. After all, aside from the sacrificial victims, most others stood to benefit. Those he saved might even resent him, thinking they wouldn't have been sacrificed if he hadn't interfered.

He couldn't very well keep saving one group after another, bearing the burden of saving the world. Just thinking about it was exhausting.

Time passed.

One day, Gu An arrived at Tianya Valley. After harvesting the mature herbs, he led his three monkey demons to sow new seeds.

Luo Hun approached from behind and asked, "A month ago, the earth's spiritual energy sank, and many of Tai Xuan Sect's high-ranking cultivators patrolled the skies. What exactly is happening?"

Gu An casually replied, "It seems like demonic cultivators have invaded. Li Ya was injured by them not long ago and is now recovering in the inner sect."

Upon hearing this, Luo Hun frowned deeply and then turned to leave, walking into the forest.

Using his divine sense, Gu An saw Luo Hun performing a spell on a piece of talisman paper. After infusing it with his spiritual energy, the talisman burned and turned to ash.

With his newfound power in the Body Fusion Realm, Gu An keenly sensed a trace of Luo Hun's spiritual energy speeding toward the horizon.

It seemed Luo Hun was sending word to Li Xuandao.

Gu An didn't think too much of it and continued sowing seeds.

After finishing, he gave a few instructions to the monkey demons and then left Tianya Valley.

Compared to the shadowy plots swirling around him, Gu An was more concerned with the development of his medicine valley. Focusing on that was what truly mattered.

...

Dark clouds loomed overhead, and the outer sect city was packed with people.

Su Han and Zhen Qin stood before a stone monument. Su Han read aloud, "Heaven Mending Platform."

Following Zhen Qin's gaze, they saw an enormous array platform stretching over ten miles wide. It was a magnificent sight, with statues of ancient gods and immortals standing at the platform's edges, each in a different posture.

At the center of Heaven Mending Platform stood a stone pillar, a hundred feet tall. Its square surface was etched with numerous intricate patterns resembling human meridians, exuding a sense of profound mystery.

"Senior Brother, what do you think this Heaven Mending Platform is for? Why has the sect summoned all the outer sect disciples to gather here tomorrow?" Zhen Qin asked, her delicate brows furrowed with dissatisfaction.

Su Han stared at the platform and said softly, "I don't know, but it might be related to the spiritual energy sinking a month ago."

Behind them, the streets were bustling with people, many of whom were also gazing at Heaven Mending Platform, discussing its purpose.

Many of the disciples had just returned and were seeing the platform for the first time, struck with awe at its grandeur.

If such a massive array were activated, how powerful would it be?

Unable to find an answer, Zhen Qin turned her gaze in another direction. For a moment, she thought she saw a familiar figure, but when she looked again, the person was gone. She must have been mistaken.

"Strange..." Zhen Qin muttered.

Not far away, Jiang Qiong walked through the crowd, her green robes flowing. Her gaze slid sideways toward Heaven Mending Platform, her expression unreadable.

Beside her walked a hunched old man, leaning on a cane, his head barely reaching her shoulder.

"Miss, this platform is no simple matter. Something major is bound to happen tomorrow. Should we really stay?" the old man asked.

Many around them were worried as well, speculating on what might happen.

Jiang Qiong's face remained unchanged as she replied, "It's certainly not simple. The restrictions within the platform are incredibly complex. It would take decades to fully decipher. But since we're here, we must see what happens tomorrow."

The old man glanced at her and sighed. "You've changed so much, Miss. You don't have any ties to Tai Xuan Sect, do you?"

"I do, which is why I invited you here."

"Haha, looks like these old bones of mine will be put to the test again."

The two chatted casually, never once mentioning Thousand Autumn Pavilion, so no one suspected their identities.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Heaven Mending Platform, two figures stood on the top floor of a nine-story pagoda. One of them was the black-robed man, Chen Xuanjin's backer.

The black-robed man gazed deeply at the platform below, his thoughts unreadable.

Beside him, a younger man asked, "Master, most of the outer sect disciples should have returned by now. Should we also summon the servant disciples from the nearby medicine valleys, beast pens, and mines?"

The voice belonged to none other than Chen Xuanjin, who had taken over a young disciple's body.

The black-robed man replied softly, "No need. The more servant disciples we have, the less pure their cultivation will be."