In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 424 Adds Another Player

A short while later, as the poisonous fog completely settled on the ground in the damp air, the ground within a three-zhang radius previously covered by the fog turned grayish-black.

A stench of rotting dead fish lingered in the air.

Gu Shaoan glanced at the layer of venom on the ground, which had a slightly gelatinous texture, and turned his face slightly to the side.

"No wonder it's fearless against powerful energy; it turns out they added fish glue grass to it."

Fish glue grass mostly grows in swamps. Although it is slightly toxic, it can make medicinal powder last a long time without dissolving in water, so it is also a good material for making rouge.

However, the medicinal properties of fish glue grass are very unique, and it is difficult to mix with most drugs on the market and toxic drugs. Therefore, except for some specific poisons, mixing them together will actually affect the toxicity.

Gu Shaoan did not expect that the other party would take a different approach, thinking of mixing the fish glue grass with poison and putting it into the iron egg for use as cover during the retreat.

After casually sprinkling some powder to neutralize the poison on the surface of the soil, Gu Shaoan flashed into the edge of the dense forest.

His gaze swept across the ground, then he lowered his eyes to look at the few drops of viscous blood on the ground.

It was clearly left by the man in black robes just now.

Gu Shaoan had clearly seen that when the black-robed man faced the sword light condensed by his "Sword Nine - One Sword Separates Worlds", his right hand turned jade-colored.

With Gu Shaoan's current strength, if he doesn't hold back, even a martial artist at the Celestial Realm would not dare to underestimate the "Sword Nine - One Sword Separates Worlds" move.

But the man was able to forcefully block his sword strike, which shows that the opponent was using a special and exquisite martial art.

"When practicing martial arts, his hands are as white as jade, and his own realm has reached the Celestial Realm."

"Is he a member of the imperial court, or a member of Bai Xiaosheng's faction?"

As his thoughts raced through his mind, Gu Shaoan became more inclined to believe that the other party was Bai Xiaosheng's person.

Or perhaps, he is a know-it-all.

In Gu Shaoan's view, the strength of that person just now had reached the level of Meng Chixing.

Even with Bai Xiaosheng's special status, at most he could train ordinary martial artists like Tu Baichuan, who could enter the Celestial Realm from the Lesser Three Harmonies stage.

Within the Nine Provinces, all those who can enter the Celestial Realm through the Great Three Harmonies possess their own pride and would never willingly submit to others.

"Judging from the time, the He Shi Bi and the Evil Emperor's Relic are still in the Great Sui Dynasty and have not been harmed. In other words, the current Bai Xiaosheng has not yet recovered his power through the He Shi Bi and the Evil Emperor's Relic."

"Even so, to have such strength is quite remarkable, they've kept it well hidden."

Then, Gu Shaoan looked down at the few drops of blood on the ground again.

With a thought, a small amount of medicinal powder appeared in Gu Shaoan's hand and then scattered through his fingers.

When the originally white powder touched the blood on the ground, the few drops of blood that were originally dark red suddenly turned blue.

Taking in this scene, Gu Shaoan's lips curled into a cold smile.

"From this day forward, there is one more player on the chessboard of the Nine Provinces."

Thinking about it, Gu Shaoan looked up at the sky and sensed the power of heaven and earth around him through the sword pellet. His thoughts were churning.

After a long while, the thought settled in his mind. Gu Shaoan flicked his sleeve lightly, shaking off the blood-stained mud, and then set off again along the riverbank.

A moment later, in the back mountain of Cihang Jingzhai, Song Miyun helped Yan Jing'an sit down. Looking at Yan Jing'an's pale face, Song Miyun asked, "Master, do you really not need the other elders' help to remove the seal in your body?"

In response to Song Miyun's question, Yan Jing'an shook his head and said, "Gu Shaoan's skill is too profound, and the purity of his Qi is astonishing. Moreover, the Qi he just injected into my acupoints seemed casual, but in fact it contained a special technique. Even a martial artist who has condensed Qi into Qi would find it difficult to neutralize the Qi he injected into my body without damaging my meridians."

Song Miyun said urgently, "Even martial artists who have reached the Qi Condensation Realm can't do anything, so what about those at the Heavenly Human Realm? This disciple will arrange for someone to send the Master to Wudang right now?"

Hearing Song Miyun's words, Yan Jing'an sighed.

"During Mengyao's time at Wudang, she infatuated Zhang Wuji and Song Qingshu, even causing them to fight. This has already displeased Zhang Sanfeng. Moreover, the Emei Sect and Wudang have a very good relationship, so Zhang Sanfeng may not necessarily help me solve the problem in my body."

"Then what should we do? Seek help from the imperial court?"

Yan Jing'an said in a deep voice, "I will write a letter later to ask a friend for help. With his help, my problem should be solved."

Then, Yan Jing'an looked at Song Miyun and changed the subject, saying, "Miyun, among the many elders of Cihang Jingzhai, you are the one I trust the most, which is why I told you all this."

Faced with Yan Jing'an's unadorned face, Song Miyun had no doubts and sincerely replied, "As a disciple of Cihang Jingzhai, it is my duty to share the burdens of the abbot, uphold justice, and maintain the righteous path."

Yan Jing'an nodded and said, "Next, I have something I need you to do by going to the Great Sui Kingdom."

Perhaps due to her injuries, Yan Jing'an spoke very slowly.

After recounting his actions in detail, Song Miyun solemnly declared, "This disciple will certainly complete the task assigned by the Master."

Yan Jing'an said with a helpless expression, "It's a pity that there are too few disciples in the sect who have such awareness and a heart for the world. Otherwise, perhaps the Jianghu of the Great Wei Kingdom would no longer be a Jianghu that the court can persecute at will, nor would it be a Jianghu that those Jianghu sects can bully the weak at will."

Upon hearing this, Song Miyun shook her head and replied, "After all, not everyone is aware of the filth behind the various sects and forces, and no one knows exactly what you, Master, have done over the years. I only say that people in the martial arts world are ignorant and blinded by their own limited perspectives. They only know how to idolize sects like Wudang and Shaolin, but they don't know that it is you and Cihang Jingzhai who are truly maintaining the stability of the martial arts world in secret."

Yan Jing'an sighed and said, "Perhaps this is fate! This is also the responsibility that every successive abbot of Cihang Jingzhai must bear."

At this point, Yan Jing'an looked at Song Miyun and said, "Of all the things I've been through, you are the one who knows them best in Cihang Jingzhai. In the future, I hope you can also shoulder this responsibility. Even if you are misunderstood by the world, you must stick to your own heart."

Faced with Yan Jing'an's double entendre, Song Miyun was both excited and felt an even greater sense of mission.

"This disciple understands and will certainly not fail the teachings of the Abbot." With that, at Yan Jing'an's prompting, Song Miyun turned and left.

After Song Miyun left, another round of applause rang out from the side.

"As expected of you, even when you're injured, you don't forget to brainwash your disciples, and the key is that this silly girl believes it without a doubt."

Upon hearing the sound, Yan Jing'an turned her head to look in the southeast direction.

When her gaze fell upon the black-robed man wearing a spiral mask, Yan Jing'an frowned and asked, "Why are you here?"

The man in black robes replied, "I received the message. I feel that the kid is after Cihang Jingzhai, so I came to test him."

Upon hearing the words, Yan Jing'an was about to respond when she suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The next instant, the man in black robes appeared beside Yan Jing'an as if by teleportation, placing his hand on Yan Jing'an's back.

Then, his body surged with internal energy.

If Gu Shaoan were here at this moment, he would definitely recognize at a glance that this man in black robes was the one who fought with him by the river just now.

Half an hour later, Yan Jing'an's body trembled, and several bursts of energy suddenly erupted from his body.

Immediately afterwards, streams of vital energy began to emanate from Yan Jing'an's body.

Only then did the man in black withdraw his hand, and instead removed the spiral mask from his face, revealing his aged face.

After a while, under the influence of the Qi, Yan Jing'an's previously pale face suddenly regained some color.

After letting out a long breath, Yan Jing'an slowly turned around and looked at Bai Xiaosheng.

"I didn't expect that with your skill, it would take you half an hour to remove the internal energy that Gu Shaoan had injected into my body."

Bai Xiaosheng said, "Besides the Gang Yuan, he also injected several sword energies into your body. These sword energies are extremely condensed and have even fused with the power of heaven and earth. Looking across the entire land of Kyushu, apart from Zhang Sanfeng of Wudang, perhaps only I can remove the Gang Yuan and sword energies from your body without causing any harm."

Upon hearing this, Yan Jing'an seemed to notice something out of the corner of her eye and suddenly lowered her head.

When Yan Jing'an saw the inch-long wound on Bai Xiaosheng's right hand, Yan Jing'an narrowed her eyes slightly.

Immediately afterwards, Yan Jing'an asked, "How was he able to hurt you?"

Seeing that Yan Jing'an guessed that he had just fought with Gu Shao'an, Bai Xiaosheng did not hide anything and said frankly: "I have never seen him in person before. I only realized today that I have always underestimated him. His internal strength is only at the level of Condensing Yuan and Forming Gang, but his swordsmanship can draw on the power of heaven and earth."

"The talent of this young man to create such a martial art is unprecedented and astonishing."

However, Yan Jing'an paid no attention to Bai Xiaosheng's sigh, and instead asked, "Is his strength sufficient?"

Knowing Yan Jing'an's meaning, Bai Xiaosheng pondered for a moment before speaking: "His strength is comparable to that of a martial artist who has entered the Celestial Realm through the Great Three Harmonies, and may even be no less than that of Song Que, the Heavenly Blade of the Great Sui Dynasty."

Having received the answer he wanted, Yan Jing'an's face showed joy for the first time.

His tone became more urgent as he asked, "Since he meets the requirements, when should we arrange for him to go to the Great Sui Kingdom?"

Looking at Yan Jing'an, who was less composed than before, Bai Xiaosheng said, "It will take another year. We must wait until the Great Sui Kingdom has made the arrangements before we can set a trap for him to go to the Great Sui Kingdom to retrieve the Evil Emperor's Relic."

Upon learning that it would take another year, Yan Jing'an frowned deeply.

"So long? This kid's talent is too high. He can even make you suffer a hidden loss. I'm afraid that his essence, qi and spirit have already been condensed. If he successfully enters the Celestial Realm in a year, our plan will be in vain. Next time, we will have to wait for a genius who has not entered the Celestial Realm but whose strength is comparable to a Grand Three Harmony Celestial Realm martial artist. I don't know how long that will take."

Bai Xiaosheng reassured him, "Don't worry! I've already made arrangements for these things. Zhu Houzhao is already preparing for the Azure Dragon Society. With our current preparations, we should be able to move on to the next step in three months at most."

"Once those three Celestial Realm warriors in the Great Wei court have all perished in the Great Yuan Kingdom, we can begin arranging for this boy to go to the Great Sui Kingdom."

At this point, Bai Xiaosheng paused before continuing, "However, you'd better behave yourself during this time. There are too many things to deal with right now, and even I might not have time to focus on them."

Upon hearing this, Yan Jing'an snorted coldly, "I know what I'm doing, you don't need to worry about it."

Bai Xiaosheng shook his head: "Heh~ I just helped you heal your injuries and restore your strength, and now you're turning your back on me? How heartless!"

As he spoke, looking at Yan Jing'an who was so close to him, Bai Xiaosheng's gaze softened slightly, and he slowly raised his right hand toward Yan Jing'an's face.

Noticing Bai Xiaosheng's actions, Yan Jing'an frowned, took a step back, and said in a cold voice, "After that night thirty years ago, I said that there was no possibility between us."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaosheng suddenly froze.

After a brief silence, Bai Xiaosheng shook his head, said "I'm leaving," turned around, and entered the forest until he disappeared from sight.

However, after Bai Xiaosheng left, Yan Jing'an, who was in the woods, suddenly started laughing, for some unknown reason.

The laughter started out faint, but grew louder and louder in the end.

Until a hint of madness and excitement crept into that laughter.

However, Yan Jing'an was unaware that in that forest, a figure stood quietly, its gaze fixed on her, who was on the verge of madness.

"Tsk tsk, you've been acting for so long that I almost believed it too. You actually had designs on a furnace. Looks like you've been alone for too long."

Then, Bai Xiaosheng's figure gradually faded away until it disappeared completely.

　Take a break today, and I'll continue to catch up on what I owe tomorrow and the day after!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)