Longevity: Starting as a menial servant in the Green Wood Sect

into the night.

Inside the tent in the Class C special protection zone, the fluorite lamp hanging from the ceiling emitted a dim and unstable light, stretching Gu An's shadow on the tent wall into a distorted and ferocious shape.

The noise outside has gradually subsided.

Although Steward Ma's death caused a great stir in the camp, in the Soul-Severing Valley where human life was as worthless as grass, the death of a steward was ultimately no match for the survival pressure that was about to arrive the next day.

After several fruitless searches, the enforcement team had no choice but to hastily withdraw, leaving behind a mess and countless terrifying rumors about the "Corpse Puppet Sect's assassination methods."

Gu An sat cross-legged on the old stool, his eyes slightly closed, seemingly resting, but in reality, his divine sense spread out like a spider web, covering every corner within a radius of twenty feet.

"call……"

After confirming that no one was watching, he slowly exhaled a breath of stale air and took out the blood-stained storage bag from his pocket.

This is the "inheritance" that was taken from Steward Ma.

With his divine sense forcefully breaking through the not-so-sturdy barrier, Gu An dumped everything inside onto the animal skin carpet in front of him.

Splash!

A dozen or so mid-grade spirit stones emitted an alluring luster, instantly illuminating the dimly lit tent. Beside them were three bottles of pills, a low-grade magic weapon-level ghost-headed saber, and the most crucial blue-covered ledger.

Gu An didn't look at the account book first, but picked up the three bottles of pills.

As he uncorked the bottle, a rich medicinal aroma wafted out, causing his already pent-up spiritual energy to stir.

"Two bottles of Qi Gathering Pills, and one bottle of Meridian Protection Pills."

A glint of joy flashed in Gu An's eyes. "Although Fatty Ma is greedy, he's willing to spend money on himself. These Qi Gathering Pills are hot commodities in the market; one pill is equivalent to ten days of arduous cultivation for a Qi Refining cultivator. There are actually twenty of them here!"

If it were the old Gu An, he would have treasured this elixir, taking it carefully in batches, and worrying about the accumulation of toxicity.

but now……

He glanced at Shen Wan, who was still "unconscious" on the cold jade bed not far away, and a crazy smile appeared on his lips.

The "living Yi Wood poison" he absorbed these past few days, while greatly improving his cultivation, also left his meridians in an extremely tense state. Like a balloon blown to its limit, enormous yet poised to burst at any moment.

He needs a stronger force to compress and condense this illusory spiritual energy, to completely break through the barrier of the fourth level of Qi Refining, to step into the peak of the fourth level, or even to peek at the threshold of the fifth level of Qi Refining!

Fortune favors the bold.

Without any hesitation, Gu An raised his hand and waved it. Several transparent [Mysterious Yin Silk] strands shot out silently, forming a tight security net at the entrance of the tent and around the camp.

Then, he tilted his head back and poured the entire bottle of ten "Qi Gathering Pills" into his mouth like he was eating candy!

If others were to witness this scene, they would be horrified and call him a madman courting death. Even a cultivator in the late stage of Qi Refining would not dare to consume pills in such a gluttonous manner.

"Gulp."

The pill entered his stomach and instantly transformed into an extremely violent heat current, rushing into Gu An's meridians like a flood bursting its banks.

pain!

A tearing, excruciating pain!

Gu An's face flushed instantly, veins bulged on his forehead, and a strange flush was faintly visible beneath his disguised sallow skin.

"Give it to me... to refine!"

Gu An gritted his teeth and silently shouted to himself.

Within his body, the "Life-Generating Wood Technique" began to circulate rapidly. The turquoise Wood Spirit Liquid, which was originally only the size of a bowl, now seemed to transform into a greedy beast, frantically devouring this foreign, violent medicinal power.

At the same time, the undigested corpse poison and Shen Wan's high-level wood poison, which were lurking deep within Gu An's flesh and blood, were also completely activated under the impact of this medicinal power.

Poisonous gas and spiritual energy, death and life.

Two completely different forces collided and clashed wildly in Gu An's meridians, pushing them to the brink of bursting.

If it were an ordinary cultivator, their pulse would have been severed and their body would have exploded by now.

But Gu An is different.

He had undergone a baptism of strong acid inside the Tai Sui and had also cultivated the "Hundred Refinements Golden Body Technique," making his "copper skin" as tough as iron, and his internal meridians had been tempered to a level far beyond that of ordinary people.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

A subtle sound echoed within Gu An's body.

His skin began to ooze a fine layer of black oil, a sign that impurities from the elixir and toxins accumulated in his body were being forcibly expelled.

As time went by, the violent medicinal power was gradually tamed, transforming into pure Yi Wood True Qi, which flowed into the Dantian.

The originally azure-green spiritual liquid began to compress and condense at a visible speed, gradually changing its color to a deeper, darker green that seemed to contain endless vitality.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu An felt a booming sound in his mind, as if an invisible barrier had been violently pierced.

The dantian and qi sea suddenly expanded by 30%!

The surging spiritual energy instantly calmed down, becoming as deep and heavy as a great river. An unprecedented sense of power filled his body, giving him an irresistible urge to roar to the sky.

[Realm Breakthrough: Qi Refining Level 4]

Total Spiritual Power: Increased by 30%

[Characteristics of Yi Wood True Qi: Increased corrosiveness and enhanced life force plundering]

Gu An suddenly opened his eyes.

Inside the pitch-black tent, two streaks of cold, bluish lightning seemed to flash.

His current state was extremely frightening. His skin was like the finest jade, emitting a faint glow. His body, which had been hunched over due to his disguise, was now as upright as a pine tree. There was no trace of the cowardly "Guan Lu" he once was.

However, just as Gu An was immersed in the joy of his breakthrough and was preparing to conceal his aura and disguise himself again,

A sudden change occurred.

Because he had just broken through, he had a momentary lapse in control over his own aura.

The damaged [Concealing Breath Pendant] at his waist, though still diligently working, was ultimately a defective product. Faced with this sudden surge of highly refined Yi Wood True Qi, it let out a mournful cry of unbearable strain, and the disguised fluctuations that had been covering Gu An's body momentarily became disordered.

That is, in that very instant.

An overwhelming pressure, far exceeding the fourth level of Qi Refining and carrying a strong mixture of vitality and death energy, swept across the small tent without reservation!

"Um?"

A soft groan, tinged with surprise and doubt, suddenly broke the silence.

Gu An felt a chill run down his spine, and his heart clenched.

He turned his head stiffly and saw the cold jade bed that had been silent and lifeless.

The girl, whose body was wrapped in bandages and who should have been in a deep coma, had somehow sat up.

She didn't look at Gu An, but instead looked down at her right wrist, which Gu An was using to "practice his skills." There was still a silver needle stuck there that Gu An hadn't had time to remove.

Then, she slowly raised her head.

Two eerie flames now burned in those eyes that were once as lifeless as black holes. It was the anger of being deceived and mocked, and the icy killing intent of someone who had seen through everything.

"Qi Refining Level 4..."

Shen Wan's voice was still hoarse, but her tone had become incredibly cold. It was no longer a weak and powerless groan, but rather carried the authority and scrutiny of a superior.

"Such pure Wood elemental power, such skillful disguise."

She stared at Gu An, her gaze like a knife scraping across him. "How could a rogue cultivator like Lu Guan, who would risk his life for five spirit stones, possess such cultivation? How could he know how to use poison-drawing techniques for cultivation?"

"Who exactly are you?"

As the last word fell.

boom!

A faint but extremely powerful divine pressure erupted from Shen Wan's broken body, locking onto Gu An.

That's a spiritual foundation that's close to the Foundation Establishment stage!

Even though she was seriously injured and her spiritual power was sealed, the suppression from the soul level still made Gu An feel suffocated.

"We've been exposed!" The thought flashed through Gu An's mind instantly. There was no explanation, no excuse.

Before Shen Wan could finish speaking, Gu An moved.

"rub!"

The ground beneath his feet instantly cracked, and he moved like a cheetah leaping out of its shell, creating a gust of wind as he instantly covered the distance of less than ten feet.

His left hand formed a claw and fiercely gripped Shen Wan's shoulder.

With a flick of his right wrist, the broken sword "Piercing Clouds," which had been hidden in his sleeve and was now only half intact, gleamed with a chilling light and pierced straight for Shen Wan's throat!

Fast! Ruthless! Decisive!

This was an instinct Gu An had honed through countless brushes with death. Now that he'd been discovered, there was only one choice—take control of the situation, or silence him!

Shen Wan clearly hadn't expected this "servant" to be so decisive and ruthless.

Her pupils contracted slightly as she tried to mobilize the meager spiritual power within her to fight back, but her broken body ultimately couldn't keep up with the speed of her thoughts.

"puff!"

A soft sound.

The cold blade was pressed firmly against Shen Wan's pale neck.

The sharp sword energy pierced her delicate skin, and a bead of bright red blood slowly slid down the blade, dripping onto the white bandage, appearing particularly glaring.

Gu An knelt on one knee on the cold jade bed, his left hand pressing firmly on Shen Wan's shoulder, pinning her to the bed. His face was less than three inches from Shen Wan's, and his eyes, which had been disguised as cloudy and dull, were now filled with coldness and ferocity.

Who I am is not important.

Gu An's voice was deep and hoarse, with an undeniable ruthlessness. "The important thing is that if you dare to move again, or utter even half a word, this sword will slit your throat."

"Don't doubt me. This is coated with bone-corroding poison extracted from your body. You should know better than me what the consequences would be if this poison were to enter the bloodstream and kill you instantly."

Shen Wan did not scream or struggle.

Even with a sword pressed against her throat, even with life hanging by a thread, her eyes remained fixed on Gu An, showing no fear, but rather a hint of mockery.

"You wouldn't dare kill me."

She said calmly, "This tent is equipped with a sub-array of life-giving lamps. If I die, the lamps will go out, and the law enforcement elders outside will know instantly. You won't be able to escape either."

Gu An sneered, "You said it yourself, it was just a moment. Before I die, I have plenty of time to chop you into pieces, and then I'll steal your storage bag and run away. At worst, we'll both die. Your life is definitely worth more than mine, a rogue cultivator, right?"

The two locked eyes, and the air seemed to freeze.

One is a ruthless person who pretends to be weak to take advantage of others, and the other is a wicked star who has fallen from grace.

At this moment, neither side backed down.

A full three breaths passed.

The killing intent in Gu An's eyes subsided slightly, but the broken sword in his hand did not move an inch.

"You see, we didn't really need to make things so tense."

Gu An slowly reached his free hand into his robes, the movement so slow it was almost agonizing.

Shen Wan's eyes flickered slightly, wondering what he was going to do.

The next moment, Gu An took something out of his pocket and gently patted it on Shen Wan's chest.

It was a blue-covered, thread-bound account book. On the cover, the obscure, skull-like mark stood out starkly in the dim light.

"This was found on Steward Ma."

Gu An's voice became playful, with a hint of seduction, "I think you should recognize this mark, right? Corpse Puppet Sect."

Shen Wan's gaze fell on the mark, and her originally calm eyes suddenly trembled. For the first time, an extremely ugly expression appeared on her pale face.

"This ledger records the flow of supplies from the logistics department over the past two weeks, as well as... several lists of personnel from the special protection zone."

Gu An continued, his tone languid, "What's interesting is that your name is circled in red. Next to it are four words: 'Living Alchemy Furnace.'"

"What?!"

Shen Wan gasped in shock, her aloof demeanor crumbling instantly.

"It seems you're not completely clueless after all."

Gu An's lips curled into a cold smile. "This Manager Ma is not only embezzling, he's also a double agent. He's planning to sell you, along with all the high-value targets in this special protected area, as a big gift to the Corpse Puppet Sect."

"You think you're recuperating at the sect? Actually, you're waiting for buyers to come and collect your goods."

Shen Wan stared intently at the ledger, her breathing becoming rapid. Although her spiritual power was sealed, her perception remained. The format and markings of this ledger were indeed impossible to fake.

She originally thought she was just a victim of the sect's power struggle, thrown here to fend for herself. Little did she know, there were people secretly plotting to devour her whole.

"What are you trying to do by showing me this?"

Shen Wan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her shock and anger, and looked at Gu An again. This time, her eyes held less hostility and more scrutiny and... a forced compromise.

Gu An knew the time was right. He slowly withdrew the broken sword from her throat, but his left hand remained gripping her shoulder, maintaining absolute control.

"It's very simple."

Gu An leaned close to her ear and whispered, as if a devil were speaking:

"We're in the same boat. You want to live, and I want to live."

"Your spiritual power is sealed, making you unable to move freely. You have a high cultivation level but no combat strength. As for me, although I have some skills, my cultivation level is low and I have no background."

"Therefore, we need to cooperate."