After returning to the Third Medicine Valley with Yang Jian, Gu An did not immediately go upstairs but instead found An Xin to inquire after her health with particular concern for her cultivation practice.
An Xin’s maximum lifespan was two hundred and thirty years; she could still wait for several decades before lifting the restrictions on her cultivation level.
Over the years, Gu An had also given her a number of elixirs; she might even surpass Ye Lan.
“Master, have you heard any news of my elder disciple brother An Hao recently?” An Xin suddenly asked.
Although it had been a long time since she had last seen An Hao, their relationship had not become estranged, after all, they had grown up together since childhood and even experienced life and death.
She knew that she and An Hao belonged to two different worlds in the future, but occasionally she could not help but be concerned for him; knowing he was safe was enough.
Gu An picked up a teacup from the table and replied, “He’s doing quite well; he has now become the foremost talent of the Star Sea Congregations and has cultivated the awe-inspiring Flame Primordial Treasure Body…”
This intelligence had been mentioned to him by Lv Baitian before, so now when he spoke of it, he wouldn’t reveal his true cultivation level.
An Xin listened intently, her face brimming with smiles.
She didn’t feel the slightest envy for An Hao’s achievements, even though both had started immortal cultivation on the same day; the gap in their talents was simply too large. Sometimes she even doubted whether she truly knew An Hao, and so she would not mention knowing An Hao in her daily interactions with others.
Now things were going well; she lived carefree within Medicine Valley. Though there was no hope of pursuing the Immortal Path, at least her days were fulfilling and interesting.
After Gu An finished speaking, An Xin propped her cheeks with both hands and laughed, “My elder disciple brother is truly impressive; it’s hard to imagine what kind of great figure he will become in the future.”
Gu An smiled and said, “Then practice hard and strive to see a further future.”
An Xin nodded and then brought up the White Spirit Rat, her face filled with indignation.
As the White Spirit Rat grew stronger in cultivation, it became increasingly difficult for her to control, and now it would only listen to Gu An. Inside Medicine Valley, it was practically a tyrant, often playing tricks on the disciples.
Of course, the White Spirit Rat was just mischievous and wouldn’t harm the disciples, which was also the reason Gu An couldn’t be bothered to discipline it.
There was one time when the White Spirit Rat accidentally injured An Xin and was severely beaten by Gu An; it never dared to hurt people again.
Gu An chatted with An Xin about the trivial matters of Medicine Valley; after spending the first half of the day concerned with the significant affairs of the world, he now talked about the small matters of the valley, a contrast he found quite amusing.
Days passed one by one.
Autumn winds blew into Medicine Valley.
Inside the house.
Gu An leaned on a chair, holding a book in his hands. It was about Talismans. Now and then, he would read some books on Daoist sorcery; with his current state, most of the Daoist sorcery techniques of the Mortal World seemed simple to him.
The reason geniuses enjoy reading is that being able to understand brings enjoyment.
Suddenly, Gu An’s brow furrowed.
Li Ya was tapping into the power of Divine Exotic City!
Wasn’t Li Ya in retreat, cultivating with the Star Sea Congregations?
Immediately, Gu An closed his eyes, discovering that Li Ya was in fact in the Sea Breaking Rift, currently being suppressed by a Divine Exotic Ghost King.
Li Ya was not alone; surrounding him were many cultivators from diverse sects.
Even if Li Ya possessed the power of Divine Exotic City, he could not possibly defeat the Divine Exotic Ghost King. The power of an Immortal Path Supreme Treasure was indeed formidable but correlated with the cultivation level of the user. The stronger the realm, the more prominently the Supreme Treasure’s power would display.
Gu An had no intention of intervening; as long as Li Ya did not die, it was normal for him to suffer a bit. Traversing the Immortal Cultivation World, who could expect smooth sailing?
Yet, he sensed another presence and could not help but lament the terrifying power of fate.
…
In the Divine Exotic Realm, within a realm of Minor Heaven and Earth.
Beneath a crimson sky, dust flew across the land like dragons and phoenixes contorting while innumerable Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts swirled like moths, densely packed, enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
A Divine Exotic Ghost King stood proudly in the sky, his countenance fierce with symmetrical bloodstains on his cheeks and his long white hair fluttering like flames. With six arms brandishing different weapons, he stood atop a thousand-meter-high Ghost Beast, suspended in mid-air.
This beast too floated in the air, its lion-tiger body, leopard-like head, and three tails stirring clouds and mist with every sway.
Looking along the direction of the Divine Exotic Ghost King’s gaze, one could see beneath the swirling dust a massive city—it was Divine Exotic City. The city spanned a hundred miles, standing against the relentless tide of Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts. Inside, thousands of cultivators gazed up at the sky with expressions of anger, fear, and hatred.
Atop the tallest spire in the city, Li Ya in black stood on the summit, with a pitch-black figure atop his shoulder—the Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit.
Li Ya had furrowed brows, his expression stern.
“Divine Exotic City has actually fallen into the hands of a minor Immortal cultivation of the Divinity Transformation Realm. Boy, aren’t you feeling overwhelmed? Strong as Divine Exotic City is, how can your frail body exert its divine power?”
The Divine Exotic Ghost King sneered. His name was Zhen Liudao, and with his cultivation of the Nine Layers of the Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm, he viewed Li Ya as no different from an ant.
Hearing his words, Li Ya remained silent. Arguing was meaningless; how to survive this calamity was his concern.
His hands hidden within his sleeves clenched tightly, and he began to bleed from his nose.
Several cultivators in the city noticed this scene, as did Shen Xinzi, who was meditating on a street. His brows furrowed at the sight.
Shen Xinzi looked off into the distance at Zhen Liudao, struggle flickering in his eyes.
After taunting for a while and receiving no response from Li Ya, Zhen Liudao became annoyed. Lifting an arm, in his hand he held a black mirror which swirled with dark mist.
A figure leapt from the mirror, quickly growing to nearly Zhen Liudao’s size.
It was a white-haired man!
Li Ya’s pupils dilated at the sight, his face shifting with various emotions, ultimately contorting in rage, eyes filled with fury.
“You dare to turn him into…”
Li Ya said through gritted teeth. His aura erupted suddenly, with wisps of blood seeping from his pores.
“Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit, mobilize the mightiest power of Divine Exotic City; I will kill him!”
Li Ya roared inwardly, unable to contain his rage.
The white-haired man was none other than Zhang Buku!
At this moment, Zhang Buku had transformed into a Divine Exotic Resentful Ghost. His clothes tattered, his expression cold; he looked down upon Li Ya, without the slightest emotional fluctuation in his eyes.
As Zhen Liudao watched Li Ya rage, he burst into laughter, saying, “I merely caught a snippet of karma from you all. I hadn’t realized he meant so much to you. How about it, care to keep him company? This is the chance of immortality!”
Li Ya didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to look at the Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit on his shoulder and shouted, “Didn’t you hear me? I want you to kill him!”
The Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit shuddered with fright and hastily invoked even stronger power.
A thunderous rumbling—
Divine Exotic City trembled; the protective light that enveloped the entire city burst forth with countless rainbows of light, all aimed at Zhen Liudao.
The Three-tailed Ghost Beast let out a ferocious roar, the very firmament shook, and it forcibly blocked the power from Divine Exotic City.
Li Ya spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes bleeding. He clenched his teeth and said, “Continue!”
The Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit hesitated for a moment and then gestured, the power of those light rainbows surged, overbearing the howls of the Three-tailed Ghost Beast, drawing ever closer to it.
Zhen Liudao was taken aback and became interested.
Li Ya bled from his seven orifices, his spine began to bend, but his gaze remained fixated above, wishing he could tear Zhen Liudao to pieces.
“Omitofo! Layman Li, there’s no need for further effort, striving in vain is useless!”
The voice of Shen Xinzi suddenly rang through the heavens, serious in tone.
A golden light rose from within the city, piercing through the protective light and going straight through the neck of the Three-tailed Ghost Beast, which, despite struggling instinctively, could not dissipate the golden light.
Shen Xinzi looked at Zhen Liudao, his eyes flickering with interest.
The golden light unveiled a long golden staircase with Shen Xinzi ascending from the bottom. His body radiated with Buddhist light, and the prayer beads in his hand were aflame.
Li Ya couldn’t help but look at him, surprised.
“Layman Li, you are still young; let this humble monk be the one to sacrifice. As the saying goes in the Journey to the West by the Womb of the Earth Bodhisattva, ‘If I don’t enter hell, who will?’ Do not lose your sanity over the passing of an old friend; keep this rage in your heart and let it fuel your fighting spirit.”
Shen Xinzi spoke firmly.
As his words fell, he stepped out from the light of Divine Exotic City.
His Buddhist light surged wildly, engulfing Zhen Liudao and the Three-tailed Ghost Beast like a tidal wave.
In the eyes of Li Ya and the cultivators in the city, a giant golden prayer bead phantom appeared in the sky, trapping Zhen Liudao and his mount within with an inconceivable method.
The giant prayer bead phantom suddenly vanished, and with it the figures of Zhen Liudao and the Three-tailed Ghost Beast.
Around the world, the Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts came to a halt, and after a moment of silence, they quickly dispersed, like fish scattering invisibly into the void.
Li Ya then knelt on the summit, slowly bowing his head, murmuring: “Zhang… no…”
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Before he could finish, he collapsed.
…
The world grew dim; by the seashore.
Zhen Liudao dragged Shen Xinzi’s head, pulling his body across the sand. He journeyed to the Divine Exotic Life Tablet and tossed Shen Xinzi to the ground.
He complained, “Realm Master, why won’t you let me eat him? Just because he’s from the Bitter Sea Buddha Sect? Do you really need to be so cautious?”
The voice of the Master of Divine Exotic Realm came out from the Divine Exotic Life Tablet: “He has significant karma; you must not kill him. Also, you may not kill anyone with close karma to Zhang Buku.”
Zhen Liudao’s demeanor changed, a sudden flare of anger emerging as he glared, “Why?”
“The being called Destroyer of Heavens has personally requested that I protect Zhang Buku.”
Hearing this, Zhen Liudao paused, then sank into silence.
Taking a deep breath, he said no more and turned to leave.
Once he disappeared, the Master of Divine Exotic Realm emerged from the Life Tablet, approached Shen Xinzi, and looked down, murmuring, “A reincarnation of a Heavenly Demon? What exactly is the Bitter Sea Buddha Sect scheming?”
He lifted his right hand and began healing Shen Xinzi with his own divine power.
Meanwhile.
Back in Medicine Valley, Gu An withdrew his attention. The Master of Divine Exotic Realm was sensible; if he dared to cause trouble, risk or not, Gu An would have had to intervene.
But the thought of Zhang Buku becoming a Divine Exotic Resentful Ghost made Gu An sigh.
He couldn’t constantly watch over Zhang Buku; the last time he detected Zhang Buku in the Divine Exotic Realm, Zhang Buku had already transformed into a Resentful Ghost, fortunately retaining a sliver of will.
If the Master of Divine Exotic Realm were to be obliterated, then all the Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts would vanish as well. That meant Zhang Buku was now tied to the fate of the Realm Master.