The next morning, Nine-Finger Divine Lord brought Chu Jingfeng to find Gu An and expressed his intention to take him as a disciple.
Gu An was pleasantly surprised and hastily had Chu Jingfeng express his gratitude to Nine-Finger Divine Lord.
This gesture deeply moved Chu Jingfeng. Upon hearing that Nine-Finger Divine Lord could help him restore his cultivation level, he felt tempted. However, given all that Gu An had done for him over the years, he felt torn and unsure of how to decide.
Nine-Finger Divine Lord also held Gu An in higher regard; he could see that Gu An was genuinely happy for Chu Jingfeng.
This was indeed true. Although Gu An was powerful, in terms of knowledge and experience, he certainly couldn’t match the seventeen thousand-year-old Nine-Finger Divine Lord. If the Divine Lord sincerely cared for Chu Jingfeng, it would be a turning point in Chu Jingfeng’s life.
Subsequently, Gu An directly instructed Chu Jingfeng to acknowledge Nine-Finger Divine Lord as his master, making the atmosphere very harmonious.
An hour later, they used the Teleportation Array to reach the Third Medicine Valley and then flew to the Inner Sect City.
Nine-Finger Divine Lord had long known of the Third Medicine Valley but had not expected it to belong to Gu An as well.
It wasn’t until noon that Gu An returned alone to the Third Medicine Valley, while Nine-Finger Divine Lord and Chu Jingfeng prepared to stay in the Inner Sect City.
Though the true intentions of Nine-Finger Divine Lord remained unclear, the addition of a Wandering Immortal was a good thing for the Supreme Sect.
If Nine-Finger Divine Lord caused trouble, Gu An could always intervene.
“Is the fortune of the Supreme Sect rising?”
Gu An sat in his chair, silently pondering.
First, Xuan Tianyi summoned You Yingying of the Star Sea Congregations, then Qiao Dai of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm came to surrender, and now a mysterious Wandering Immortal had arrived. This fortune made Gu An marvel.
He didn’t overthink it and began to practice alchemy.
…
In the dead of night, Gu An arrived at Heavenly Phoenix Mountain. He first visited his own Grotto Heaven and then made his way along the tunnel to Nianchu Cave.
The two cat demons had grown up. Though they had not yet shape-shifted, they now appeared as large as leopards, lying prone on the ground, seemingly napping but actually absorbing nature’s spiritual energy.
Tian Yao’er heard Gu An’s footsteps and immediately stepped out of the house, appearing before Gu An as if teleporting. She was about to throw herself into his arms when he pressed her forehead with his finger, stopping her from moving forward.
“You are a bit slow, not fast enough.”
Gu An was referring to Tian Yao’er’s Limitless Freedom Step.
Tian Yao’er pouted and asked, “Master, did you go to your Grotto Heaven first?”
“Yes,”
Gu An responded, then walked past her.
The medicinal herbs in the Grotto Heaven were all at least Seventh Rank, taking much longer to mature compared to Low-Rank Medical Herbs, so he couldn’t harvest them yet.
However, once he could harvest them, he would surely gain a large amount of life span at once.
Even without relying on the Grotto Heaven, Gu An could now accrue nearly 300,000 years of life span each year.
Tian Yao’er caught up and curiously asked, “Master, when will we move in there?”
The Grotto Heaven was much more spacious, while Nianchu Cave felt too stifling.
“You can go in anytime you want, just don’t forget about Nianchu Cave,” Gu An replied.
A look of disappointment flashed in Tian Yao’er’s eyes. She had hoped to live with Gu An, thinking he was planning to move in because of the many High-Rank Medical Herbs planted there.
She didn’t press the matter but instead started talking about recent events.
The previous night, a Great Demon had fought in Heavenly Phoenix Mountain, causing a huge commotion that made her very nervous, fearing a demon might break into Nianchu Cave.
Their conversation continued leisurely. Soon, Tianqing and Tian Bai were awakened by their chatter. Seeing Gu An, the two cat demons grew delighted and immediately rushed over.
“Master!”
“Master, you finally came!”
The two cat demons’ voices sounded sweet, like two young girls coyly addressing Gu An.
Gu An almost got goosebumps; he felt that Tian Yao’er had spoiled these two cat demons.
They sat down at the stone table, and Tian Yao’er brought out some fine wine, saying, “Master, do you have more of ‘Journey to the West’? I just read the part where Sun Wukong fights the White Bone Demon. Monk Tang is really frustrating!”
Gu An took out the latest scroll from his Storage Bag and placed it on the table. He joked, “Why, didn’t you side with the demons?”
“Sun Wukong is also a demon. I support him. Monk Tang may save demons, but he’s so oblivious. Master, do humans have a legend about seeking scriptures?” Tian Yao’er asked indignantly.
“No, it’s just a story I made up.”
“Really? It feels so real.”
“When you become a Great Demon, you can also rule Heavenly Phoenix Mountain.”
“Hehe, that’s what I thought too! When the time comes, I’ll call myself the Beautiful Phoenix King and form the Seven Great Saints.”
Talking about such things excited Tian Yao’er. She chattered on enthusiastically.
Gu An found it amusing. Indeed, boasting needed no teaching; it came naturally with imagination.
As they chatted, Gu An sensed a vast aura from a distance. His Divine Sense instinctively followed, but the aura quickly vanished.
Gu An speculated it might have come from a Minor Heaven and Earth realm. Thinking of such vastness, he first considered the Seven Stars Spirit Realm.
Only the Minor Heaven and Earth realm of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm could be so well-hidden.
Of course, Gu An’s Divine Sense could locate the Minor Heaven and Earth realm of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm, but the restrictions there were highly advanced. Sneaking in unnoticed was beyond his capability. If he forced his way in, it would certainly alert the cultivators of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm.
“Are they up to something again?” Discover new adventures at m-vl-em-pyr
Gu An pondered as he dealt with Tian Yao’er.
…
With the passage of summer into autumn, the weather remained hot.
At noon, Gu An rode the Blood Prison Great Saint to the Outer Gate City. There, he overheard cultivators talking about a recent event.
An Immortal Path Supreme Treasure!
“Did you hear? There are signs of an Immortal Path Supreme Treasure in the Demon Land.”
“What’s an Immortal Path Supreme Treasure?”
“I don’t know either. I heard it’s an immortal’s magic artifact. Possessing it grants the power of an immortal.”
“I heard about it too, but no one knows the exact location yet.”
“Is this Immortal Path Supreme Treasure more powerful than the Heaven-Cutting Axe?”
Gu An listened silently, but the Blood Prison Great Saint, unable to contain his curiosity, asked, “Master, is there really such an Immortal Path Supreme Treasure?”
Gu An did not answer but looked ahead.
You Yingying approached, hands behind her back, her face beaming with a smile. “It’s true. Want to know more?” she asked.
The Blood Prison Great Saint nodded, eagerly looking at her.
However, You Yingying rolled her eyes at him and then looked at Gu An.
Gu An smiled and said, “Of course, I’m also interested.”
“Come to my residence, I have something to discuss with you,” You Yingying said, turning to leave.
Gu An patted the Great Saint, signaling him to follow.
After 30 minutes, they were sitting in a courtyard. You Yingying and Gu An sat across from each other at a stone table. She began to introduce the Immortal Path Supreme Treasures.
“The world has magic artifacts, Dharma Treasures, and Immortal Treasures. Immortal Treasures are magic artifacts crafted at the Immortal Path Realm, only wielded by an immortal’s mana. But an Immortal Path Supreme Treasure is crafted by the mightiest of the Immortal Path, each imbued with an Immortal Spirit.”
“These supreme treasures not only contain immense power but also remain unaffected by the passage of time. The beings who crafted them either left the Mortal World or have passed away, but the treasures endure. The Star Sea Congregations possess one such supreme treasure, the Star Sea Primordial Unity Banner, which is their Church Treasure.”
“The Holy Land, the Seven Stars Spirit Realm, also has an Immortal Path Supreme Treasure, the Seven Stars Mirror, which is likewise their Church Treasure. Recently, it is said that the Seven Stars Spirit Realm discovered another Fake Immortal Treasure, and the entire ocean is competing for it. I hadn’t expected the news to spread so widely that even the low-level cultivators of the Supreme Sect would hear of it.”
Gu An, curious, asked, “What is a Fake Immortal Treasure?”
You Yingying explained, “It is a damaged Immortal Path Supreme Treasure where the Immortal Spirit is dormant. Though still possessing great power, it pales in comparison to a complete supreme treasure.”
Gu An suddenly suspected that Nine-Finger Divine Lord had come to the Supreme Sect for this Fake Immortal Treasure.
Normally not engaged in combat, Gu An wasn’t particularly interested in Immortal Path Supreme Treasures. He placed more trust in his own mana.
You Yingying continued to describe other Immortal Path Supreme Treasures, each a legendary artifact, claiming that those who obtained them could achieve the Immortal Path, boasting extravagantly.
The Blood Prison Great Saint lay nearby, listening intently with a look of longing in his eyes.
As Gu An listened, he spread his Divine Sense over the continent, noticing that from all directions, cultivators and demons were arriving from overseas, including several beings at the Immortal Path Realm. He identified three wandering immortals and over a dozen Nirvana Realm beings making their way here.
Within the continent, he detected the presence of more than twenty wandering immortals, spread out in different areas, all seeking Immortal Path Supreme Treasures. Some were even near the Minor Heaven and Earth realm of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm, plotting how to infiltrate.
Notably, Gu An saw that An Hao, Li Ya, and Zhang Buku were also roaming the Demon Clan’s territory. An Hao was fighting a Great Demon of the Divinity Transformation Realm alone.
“After talking about Immortal Path Supreme Treasures, let’s discuss ‘Journey to the West,’ shall we?” You Yingying suddenly said, her eyes glowing as she looked at Gu An.
She usually loved reading all kinds of miscellaneous books, especially stories, which was why she got along well with Xuan Tianyi.
Ever since Xuan Tianyi gave her ‘Investiture of the Gods,’ she had been fascinated by Pan An.
“What do you want to discuss?” Gu An asked.
You Yingying immediately asked a series of questions, such as whether ‘Investiture of the Gods’ and ‘Journey to the West’ were connected, how many years apart they were, and on which continent the stories took place.
She was even curious about how Gu An came up with these two remarkable books.
Gu An answered her questions one by one. As for the source of his inspiration, he mentioned meeting two Daoists before, one named Xu Zhonglin, who told him the story of ‘Investiture of the Gods,’ and another named Wu Cheng’en, who told him the story of ‘Journey to the West.’
You Yingying did not doubt him and became even more curious about these two Daoists.
She believed that with Gu An’s cultivation level, he did not seem to possess such extensive knowledge but simply had literary talent.
The Blood Prison Great Saint listened curiously. He knew Gu An wrote books but did not know the details. Only when You Yingying mentioned the Bull Demon King did he become interested.
Gu An had given him the name of the Bull Demon King!
Had his master written a book for him?
Who was Sun Wukong? Could it be the monkey in Tianya Valley?
Thinking of those three monkeys, the Blood Prison Great Saint felt angry. Those three always stealthily pulled his fur, and he couldn’t catch them.
Two hours passed like this.
You Yingying brought tea and snacks, indicating she had no intention of letting Gu An leave.
In the few years since arriving at the Supreme Sect, she hadn’t sought out Gu An because she was busy reading. She had read through all the books in the Book Collection Hall, a determination that impressed even Gu An.
At that moment, a high-pitched dragon’s roar echoed from the sky.
You Yingying’s face changed, and she murmured, “Dragon-Slaying Spear Chi Jiuxiao.”