When I Achieved Sainthood, the Immortal Official Actually Called Me to Raise Horses!

Seeing Lu Lingjun fall silent once again, Gu An could sense that she had grasped the opportunity for a breakthrough.

Lu Lingjun had clearly been stuck at the ninth level of the Integration Stage for a long time. Her spiritual power had reached a bottleneck where it could no longer increase.

Pulling her along, Gu An led her deeper into the valley while casually asking, ”Tell me, what kind of realm is the Profound Mind Realm? It sounds so impressive. ‘Profound Mind, Profound Mind’—does that mean something special about the heart at that level?”

Lu Lingjun’s gaze flickered upon hearing his words.

A subtle transformation was occurring in her heart, where a faint surge of peculiar energy was stirring.

Naturally, this energy came from Gu An’s magic. He had infused it so skillfully that, given the vast difference in their cultivation levels, Lu Lingjun remained completely unaware. Instead, she mistook it for the precursor of her impending breakthrough.

That thread of magic circled once through Lu Lingjun’s heart before withdrawing back into Gu An’s body, leaving her with a fleeting sense of loss.

At that moment, the other disciples in the valley gathered around, asking about the identity of the female demonic cultivator from earlier.

Still covered in blood, Gu An gave a brief explanation before returning to his quarters to clean himself up.

Meanwhile, Lu Lingjun returned to the wooden railing, tilting her head back to gaze at the thunderclouds as she continued to watch the battle.

For the Third Medicine Valley, Bai Xia Fairy was nothing more than a brief episode. Even the errand disciples barely paid any attention to it. Little did they know that the deceased demonic cultivator had a cultivation level surpassing that of all Nine Dynasties. Apart from Gu An, she had been the strongest of them all.

Taichen Empire, Silent Desolation Forest

Enormous banners stood along the forest’s edge, encircling a vast open space spanning a hundred miles. The ground was carved with deep trenches forming an intricate network of runes when viewed from above.

This was the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation of the Nightshade Sect—the Sixfold Grand Ascension Array!

At the heart of the formation, seven figures in black robes sat cross-legged in a circle.

Each of them had reached the Profound Mind Realm—and not just any level, but above the fifth level. They were none other than the top seven elders among the Hundred Venerables of the Nightshade Sect!

An elderly woman among them opened her eyes and said, “There are fluctuations from a battle between Profound Mind cultivators in the direction of Taixuan Sect. It seems the Vice Sect Master and Akegan have made their move. I wonder if the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path will intervene.”

Hearing this, the other six opened their eyes as well.

“Taixuan Sect is on the verge of destruction. The Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path will surely take action.”

“They say his cultivation is at least at the eighth level of the Profound Mind Realm. I wonder if that’s true.”

“No matter what, with the Vice Sect Master involved, Taixuan Sect can only rely on him.”

“I must admit, we underestimated the sects in this land. What seemed like a barren, backward region has managed to gather so many Profound Mind cultivators.” 𝙍Ἀ𝐍Ó𝔟Ёṩ

“Well, they’ve stood for thousands of years. It’s only natural that some have reached the Profound Mind Realm.”

The seven elders of the Nightshade Sect conversed casually, speaking as if the fate of Taixuan Sect was already sealed.

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away…

Amidst the mountain ranges, Taixuan Sect’s forces had set up camp. Every peak within a thousand miles had disciples stationed to monitor their surroundings.

Inside the central war camp, in a grand hall hastily constructed for the occasion, Lü Baitian, Ancestor Xuan Quan, and dozens of Taixuan Sect’s high-ranking members were gathered.

An Hao and Wu Jue were present as well. An Hao stood beside Lü Baitian, while Wu Jue stood behind Zhou Yu of the Venerable Pavilion.

Sitting in an imposing manner, Lü Baitian looked nothing like a righteous sect leader—instead, he resembled a Demon Lord.

His expression darkened as he asked, “So what? Cang Heaven Sect wants to be the leader?”

Ji Chen of the Ji Family sighed and said helplessly, “That’s right. There are now over forty sects in the Nine Dynasties’ coalition. If we act without coordination, we’ll only get in each other’s way. Cang Heaven Sect has proposed electing a leader—and since they’ve sent a million disciples and four Profound Mind Supreme Elders, they believe they should take charge.”

Four Profound Mind cultivators—what a terrifying force!

Before the Nightshade Sect’s catastrophe, Integration Stage was the peak of the Nine Dynasties. No one had expected Cang Heaven Sect to summon four Profound Mind Supreme Elders when calamity struck!

Among the allied sects, not all of them had even a single Profound Mind cultivator.

And these were just the warriors Cang Heaven Sect had dispatched—surely, there were still more powerful figures guarding their home, just as Taixuan Sect had done.

By contrast, Taixuan Sect had only one Profound Mind Supreme Elder to send.

The disparity was undeniable.

Ji Chen’s words plunged the hall into silence. Many elders wished to object but found themselves unable to refute.

The Ji Family, Zhou Family, and Gu Family were the three great families of the Taicang Empire, but within the Nine Dynasties, they might not even rank among the top three.

Taking a deep breath, Lü Baitian locked his gaze onto Ji Chen and asked, “What about your Ji Family’s Ancestor? When will he arrive?”

Ji Chen replied, “Within a few days. But we’ve only managed to find one of our ancestors.”

Just like sects, great family clans rarely had their Profound Mind cultivators staying home—most wandered the world in search of greater opportunities.

Lü Baitian turned to Zhou Yu.

Zhou Yu immediately responded, “Our senior members are tied up, but our family head is working hard to persuade them. We should be able to get one Profound Mind cultivator within a month.”

Lü Baitian scowled. He was particularly frustrated because one of the four Profound Mind cultivators from Cang Heaven Sect bore the surname Zhou.

Turning to Gu Gua from the Venerable Pavilion, Lü Baitian asked for his family’s response.

Gu Gua remained calm as he said, “It’s hard to say. Our ancestors are eccentric. I can’t promise a number, but rest assured, the Gu Family will contribute to the Nine Dynasties’ cause.”

Hearing this, Lü Baitian laughed coldly.

An Hao, observing the entire exchange, was inwardly amazed—this was his first time witnessing the influence of the three great families.

Even a sect master had to be polite to them.

Lü Baitian was known for his tyrannical ways, but his attitude depended on whom he was dealing with. Against the Chu Family, he could wipe them out entirely, but against the three great families, he had no choice but to show respect.

Beneath the Profound Mind Realm, Lü Baitian was invincible.

But now, thanks to the Nightshade Sect, it was Profound Mind cultivators who dictated the rules.

An Hao clenched his fists and vowed, ”When I become sect master, all these families will bow to me!”

To him, Lü Baitian’s struggles were simply because he wasn’t strong enough.

Wu Jue, however, had little interest in these matters—he only felt that the meeting was pointless noise.

If they didn’t crush the Nightshade Sect soon, Taixuan Sect would remain in grave danger.

Just then, an elder rushed into the hall, holding a jade slip.

“The sect is under attack by a Profound Mind cultivator from the Nightshade Sect!”

At those words, the entire hall erupted in shock.

An Hao frowned, thinking of his sister, An Xin.

Wu Jue clenched his fists, thinking of Gu An.

Lü Baitian demanded, ”How many Profound Mind cultivators?”

“Just one.”

Lü Baitian laughed.

“That’s nothing. Even if Elder Kusong isn’t a match, there’s still the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.”