Supreme Sword Exalt

Gu Han furrowed his brow slightly. “That can’t be right. He doesn’t seem like that kind of person...”

The Transcendent realm elders didn’t think much of it, but the Saint realm elders all wore expressions of “you’re too young.”

Yan Qianjue sighed with emotion. “A hundred years ago, I got into an argument with him over something, and then...”

“He hurt you?”

Yan Qianjue fell silent for a moment. His face darkened a bit, though what he was thinking of was unclear. “He chanted sutras beside me for ten years!”

Gu Han already knew that the old monk was an Ascension realm cultivator. He couldn’t outrun the old monk, let alone win against him in a fight. For Yan Qianjue, listening to Buddhist chants every day was probably worse than death.

Yan Qianjue clenched his teeth. “Ten years! For ten years, I ran from the Western Desert to the Eastern Wasteland, then to the Central Continent, and finally hid inside the Tian Yun Merchant Association. But that old bald donkey just wouldn’t leave me alone, he followed me the whole time, without missing a single day!”

Not just Gu Han, even the group of Transcendent realm elders exchanged glances. They recalled that a hundred years ago, Yan Qianjue suddenly announced he was going into seclusion, which lasted ten years. So that was the reason?

Gu Han asked,“What happened after that?”

Yan Qianjue shuddered at the memory. “After that, if it weren’t for Wu Xin, he might have pestered me for another ten years!”

“Wu Xin?”

A trace of gravity suddenly crossed Yan Qianjue’s face. “Yes. He’s a demon fetus. A hundred years ago, he was born in a mortal village. In just three days after his birth, he devoured his parents, relatives, and several hundred villagers!”

Even as a demonic cultivator himself, whenever he thought of that horrifying scene, he still felt very uncomfortable.

Gu Han frowned deeply because he never imagined someone could do something so deranged. Demon fetus? Devoured alive?

Yan Qianjue added, “That year, Yong Xin—the bald donkey from Tianlong Temple—and I both suggested getting rid of that scourge. But that old bald donkey disagreed, saying that if this demon fetus’ physical body were destroyed, he would become even more frenzied and even harder to deal with.

“So instead, he used a secret treasure to seal the demonic nature within his heart and kept Wu Xin by his side to discipline him with Buddhist teachings. That old bald donkey might be petty, but he does have some skill. In the past hundred years, I haven’t seen Wu Xin cause any more trouble.”

Gu Han was a bit puzzled. “Senior, Wu Xin is only ten-some years old, so why?”

Yan Qianjue sighed. “According to the old bald donkey, every year as this demon fetus ages, the demonic nature in his heart increases—hmm? You’ve met him?”

Gu Han told him truthfully. “I met him ten years ago. He wanted to ferry me to Buddhahood, so I injured him.”

Yan Qianjue was completely speechless. Gu Han killed a Saint realm cultivator and injured a demon fetus. Was there anything Gu Han couldn’t do?

Gu Han asked somewhat nervously, “Senior, have you ever heard of a Profound Yin Heavenly Demon?”

Yan Qianjue was startled. “Profound Yin Heavenly Demon? I understand a bit about Heavenly Demons, but not much. Judging by the name, it’s also a type of Heavenly Demon, right? Why do you ask?”

Gu Han felt somewhat disappointed.

Yan Qianjue glanced up at the sky. “What a pity. That old bald donkey might be strong, but he’s ultimately not a killer. If it weren’t for Fellow Daoist Fu’s lifespan running out, then with the combined strength of us three... hmph, we’d certainly teach that damn Ascension monk a lesson!”

Only then did Gu Han remember. Now that a decade had passed, the Dao Palace’s Life-Extension Fruit should be just about ripe.

“Senior Fu? How much longer until the Life-Extension Fruit ripens?” he asked.

Yan Qianjue sighed. “Two or three months. He’s reached his limit and can’t break through, so he has to rely on that thing to extend his life...”

He felt the same way even though he had the most abundant lifespan among the three. While his talent was a cut above the other two’s, he still wasn’t completely confident about breaking through to the Ascension realm. If he couldn’t break through, today’s Fu Dahai would be tomorrow’s Yan Qianjue.

He put away his lament. “Anyway, since you’ve come to the Western Desert, why not visit the Holy Demon Sect for a few days? After some time, we’ll head to the Central Dao Palace together. Then, with so many geniuses gathered, it’ll be quite a grand event! With your skill, you can easily win a Life-Extension Fruit for Fellow Daoist Fu. Besides, your Senior Sister is there too...”

At this point, his face darkened again. He'd kept his daughter safe from everything but that damn cook! That big black pot had lured away his precious daughter for several years!

Gu Han understood. He hadn’t seen Yu Miao and Zhou Ye. Presumably, they had all gone to the Central Continent. After thinking it over, he still refused, “No, Senior, I want to return to the Eastern Wasteland.”

Fu Dahai had treated him well, and with Fatty’s connection, Gu Han wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing. As much as he wanted to go to the Central Continent, he had to find a way to cure the demoness as soon as possible.

Earlier, he had called out to Qian Ye again, but still received no response. Clearly, his consumption last time had been too great, and Qian Ye had fallen into a deep slumber. In terms of knowledge and experience, the only one who could match Qian Ye was the old blind man. Despite being severely injured, he nearly killed Ling Ya with a casual slash. His origins were definitely extraordinary.

Ah Nan tugged at the corner of his clothes, tears in her eyes. “Brother Gu, are you leaving?”

Gu Han said softly, “Yes. You train well here. Wait for me... for us to come back and see you. While we’re away, you take good care of the villagers, understand?”

He handed a storage ring to Ah Nan. It contained pills, Transcendent Substance, and the half-saint herb he hadn’t had time to take.

Though deeply reluctant to part, Ah Nan still held back her tears and nodded. “Okay!”

Gu Han turned to Yan Qianjue. “Senior, I’ve been here for ten years, and Ah Nan is just like my own little sister. While I’m away, please take extra care of her and guide her cultivation. And I’ll leave Cold Mountain and the Wangxiang Village to you as well.”

“Easy enough!” Yan Qianjue waved his hand grandly. Then he looked Ah Nan over a few more times. “Tsk tsk, you have such deep foundation, little girl. You really are willing to part with her?”

He then felt as if he were seeing Yu Miao as a child. His heart stirred, and he had the thought of taking her as a disciple.

Suddenly, his demonic might flared, and he shouted at Ah Nan, “Call me master!”

Ah Nan had never left Wangxiang Village, so she had never seen such a display. She was so frightened that tears welled up in her eyes, but she just pressed her small lips tightly together and refused to cry.

The group of elders exchanged glances. Doing this was a bit improper for the sect master. Scaring a little girl like that was beneath his dignity. Yan Qianjue felt immensely pleased. This stubborn disposition made her seem even more like his daughter.

“Good. From today onward, you are my first and foremost disciple!”

Ah Nan still pressed her lips together. She thought Yan Qianjue was too fierce and didn’t want to be his disciple at all.

Gu Han felt a warmth in his heart. “Senior, thank you!”

He understood that Yan Qianjue had accepted Ah Nan as a disciple largely because of his influence.

“Don’t be so formal! We’re all family!”

Gu Han patted Ah Nan’s head, then looked off into the distance dazedly. “Be good and listen. I will go back and take one last look.”