After Lv Baitian left, Gu An followed down the staircase, continuing to watch the excitement.
Now, the Mystic Heart Realm Combat was underway; its spectacle reflected upon the sky, inciting copious discussions among the disciples in the valley.
“How formidable! Is this what the Mystic Heart Realm is like?”
“What’s this? Just wait until you see the Mahayana Realm Combat. That is truly thrilling, not to mention the Immortal Combat. Even here within the valley, you can feel a sense of oppression.”
“It’s an eye-opener. I wonder if we’ll ever reach this stage?”
“How could we not? Cultivate diligently, enter the Third Medicine Valley, and your starting point will already be higher than ninety percent of the disciples.”
“That’s right. Even if one is a scion of a noble family, without sufficient aptitude, they start as Servant Disciples too. Do you know about Li Ya from Divine Exotic City? He’s my master’s junior brother, and they entered the Medicine Valley on the same day.”
“I know. My master once said that Li Ya often used to cry, feeling hopeless about his future. It was my master who inspired him.”
As the disciples conversed, their topics began to digress. The Third Medicine Valley’s replacement of old and new was rapid, with many new disciples joining each year.
The number of disciples registered in the valley had already surpassed one thousand eight hundred.
Gu An naturally mingled among the groups of disciples without causing a disturbance. They didn’t need to stand to greet each other or harbor suspicions, a mood that arose from Gu An’s amiable manner, which also shaped the disciples’ approach to interaction and life.
Gu An sat beside An Xin and inquired about the previous battles.
Before An Xin could reply, You Yingying came and sat down on Gu An’s other side, eagerly jumping into the conversation and briefing him on the situation.
Her excitement stemmed from the Great Cultivators of the Star Sea Congregations who also came to participate, including a senior she admired.
She believed that this senior could capture first place on the Immortal List.
To this, Gu An merely smiled.
This Immortal List tournament was a gathering of sleeping dragons and crouching tigers, with many who concealed their true Cultivation Level and identities. Aspiring to the first place was very difficult.
The arrival of a Divine Immortal of Wondrous Dharma to participate baffled Gu An—what was their reasoning?
No matter how you looked at it, the Divine Immortal of Wondrous Dharma’s participation in the Immortal List tournament seemed to devalue their status, and they might even provoke the Sword Venerable Fudao, leading to a deadly disaster.
Gu An couldn’t understand.
The Immortal Spirit Dynasty sent people, the Holy Court also sent delegates, and now, the mysterious Divine Immortal of Wondrous Dharma appeared as well.
But what comes is to be accepted.
Currently, the Divine Immortal of Wondrous Dharma still remained a mysterious presence, seen but never met. The Carefree Primordial Immortal stood as the highest entity the Immortal Cultivation Sects could reach. As for the Dao Void Mysterious Immortal, who existed one realm higher, Gu An had not yet encountered any.
An Xin thought that the Nine-Finger Divine Lord could win first place, sparking a debate with You Yingying. Given An Xin’s temperament, she naturally could not outargue You Yingying.
Gu An couldn’t just watch his precious disciple get pushed around, so he joined the debate, quickly causing You Yingying’s face to flush red.
Two days swiftly passed by.
On this day, in the early morning hours.
Although dawn had just broken, many figures were already bustling about in the city.
Within a narrow alley, Zhang Xianwang from the Immortal Spirit Dynasty stopped in his tracks. Tilting his head slightly, he glanced askew at the person behind him.
“Why do you follow me?” Zhang Xianwang asked calmly.
Standing behind him was a white-haired old man, exuding an air of Immortality; his mere presence compelled the passing Cultivators at the alleyway entrance to take another look.
The white-haired elder stared at Zhang Xianwang and inquired, “Why has one from the Immortal Dynasty come to this place?”
Zhang Xianwang turned to face the elder, his expression indifferent, as he countered, “If you do not answer, how shall I?”
The elder replied, “You may call me Heaven Sect.”
Heaven Sect!
Zhang Xianwang’s face paled, a look of incredulity spreading across it as he exclaimed, “Heaven Sect? How is that possible? Fifty thousand years ago, had you not already…”
Heaven Sect interrupted, “It’s your turn to answer now.”
Zhang Xianwang’s gaze flickered; he remained silent for a moment.
“You probably don’t want to cause a conflict here; surely there are Holy Court Cultivators within the Supreme Sect.” The emotionless tone of Heaven Sect sent chills down one’s spine.
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xianwang said, “I’m here to recruit Sword Venerable Fudao. And you?”
Heaven Sect replied, “I come for an old acquaintance.”
“An old acquaintance? Who?”
“Since our purposes do not conflict, let’s not disturb each other any further.”
Having said that, Heaven Sect turned to leave.
Just then, a voice called out, “Daoist Friend Zhang, what brings you here?”
The speaker was none other than Gu An, approaching Heaven Sect head-on, the two passing each other.
[Heaven Sect (Divine Immortal of Wondrous Dharma Realm Seventh Layer): 789023/1700000/1750000]
A formidable old monster who has lived for seven hundred eighty-eight thousand years!
On the seventh layer of the Divine Immortal of Wondrous Dharma Realm, that’s frightening, almost catching up to me.
Gu An thought to himself as he looked at Zhang Xianwang, his face breaking into a surprised smile.
Seeing Gu An, Zhang Xianwang couldn’t help but smile.
After Heaven Sect left the alley, Gu An then asked, “Who was that person just now? Were they troubling you? Do you need me to contact the Deacon Hall?”
Hearing this made Zhang Xianwang smile even more. He laughingly said, “No trouble at all. But do you know what his Cultivation Level is?”
“What Cultivation Level? Divinity Transformation Realm? Void Crossing Realm? Or Unification?”
As he continued, Gu An’s voice rose several notches in apprehension.
Zhang Xianwang, bemused, changed the subject, “What brings you here?”
Gu An responded, “I came to purchase seeds for medicinal herbs. And you?”
The two began to chat, and Zhang Xianwang, favorably impressed by Gu An, did not fuss about their disparity in Cultivation Level and conversed as equals.
After a while, Gu An asked, “You seem quite impressive. Did you sign up for the Immortal List tournament?”
“No, I’m here for a different matter.”
“May I help you with it?”
“There’s no need for that.”
“Alright then, I won’t disturb you any further.”
Gu An bowed in farewell, then departed.
Zhang Xianwang watched him go, a hint of hesitation in his heart.
Gu An pondered why Zhang Xianwang sought to recruit him. He had previously thought the Immortal Spirit Dynasty was rather xenophobic and unlikely to be recruiting him into their ranks, meaning it must be some other scheming.
After leaving the alley, Gu An continued wandering about the city, planning to buy some interesting trinkets for Tian Yao’er to lift her spirits.
Managing the Outer World Cave was quite taxing; Gu An had to show favor to keep her from feeling disheartened.
Just after passing two streets, Gu An spotted Heaven Sect.
As they were about to pass by each other, Heaven Sect suddenly raised a hand and held onto Gu An’s shoulder.
Gu An quirked an eyebrow, feeling uneasy about being touched on the shoulder.
He turned his head toward Heaven Sect, asking in surprise, “You… huh? Are you the same person from before?”
Heaven Sect’s eyes were fixed on the Immortal King Crown on Gu An’s forehead, his gaze piercing.
Gu An felt his heart drop. Could it be that this person saw through the disguise of the Immortal King Crown?
“Leave the Supreme Sect tonight, and I will find you, offering you a chance for rebirth anew.”
With these words, Heaven Sect turned and walked away.
Gu An was confused.
From Heaven Sect’s statement, it seemed that he hadn’t guessed that Gu An was Sword Venerable Fudao.
But what was the reason then?
As Gu An watched him leave, continuing on his way, he pondered the matter.
Not far away, within the crowd, Zhang Xianwang frowned and ultimately sighed, heading in the opposite direction from Heaven Sect.
The afternoon’s Combat had reached its pinnacle with two Nirvana Realm Great Cultivators clashing, one of whom was from the Supreme Sect. Naturally, both hailed from the Ocean Cultivators.
The two Nirvana Realm Great Cultivators employed Spells, Divine Skills, Demon Pets, Formations, and various other arts, comprehensively displaying to the spectators what it meant to be an Immortal Cultivator.
Within the same realm, the higher one’s level, the harder it was to slay the opponent, easily leading to a prolonged fierce battle.
Gu An found it highly entertaining; these individuals’ Cultivation Levels were average, but their variety in battle was impressive.
Gu An, who could only defeat enemies instantly, couldn’t experience this kind of thrill and could only feel envious.
Until the night descended.
Gu An left Mystic Valley alone, flying towards the distance.
His furrowed brow and tense demeanor were acted out deliberately.
To demonstrate resolve, he sped up his flight.
An hour later.
Gu An felt a surge of Mana approaching and immediately prepared himself, yielding to the other’s intention.
At first glance, he seemed to plummet suddenly, landing in a forest.
Once on the ground, he quickly stood up, pretending to be panicked. When he saw Heaven Sect’s figure, he finally calmed down.
Heaven Sect emerged from the darkness, speaking admiringly, “You are courageous indeed. It’s no wonder you dared to accept the Immortal King Crown. Though I do not know why it has not devoured you, regardless, you have received the recognition of an Immortal Path Supreme Treasure. Do you have a master?”
Gu An shook his head, “I don’t. Is the Immortal King Crown the diadem on my head? I just stumbled upon it somewhere.”
He had already altered his own causality, so even Heaven Sect would be misled.
Certainly, Heaven Sect had deduced through causality that Gu An bought the Immortal King Crown at a bargain price from a treasure pavilion. At that time, the crown seemed freshly unearthed and antiquated.
How could a Divine Immortal of Wondrous Dharma see through the trickeries of a Dao Void Mysterious Immortal?
“Do you wish to learn about the origins of the Immortal King Crown? Once you know, you will not be able to maintain a life of tranquility,” Heaven Sect said to Gu An, his voice soft.
Gu An replied with a wry smile, “Can I go back now?”
“No, once you have come, there is no turning back.”
“Then why do you ask?”
“The way of Heaven Sect is the Heavenly Dao, and the Heavenly Dao must comply with the will of the people.”
“Does this count?”
“You came, so it counts.”
Gu An felt that this person was being unreasonable, but since he sensed no hostility from Heaven Sect, he decided to listen to what was to be said.
Tending to plants and occasionally craving some excitement wasn’t too bad.
He dared to face thrills also because Heaven Sect posed no threat to him.
“The Immortal King Crown was forged by the first Immortal King of the Great Heavenly Spirit Land, who existed during the distant primordial times, when the heavens and earth first parted. Back then, there was no Holy Court, no Heavenly Dao Rules in the Outer Heaven…”
Heaven Sect’s voice filled with a mysterious aura, causing Gu An to glimpse ancient scenes.
The vast earth stretched out, and colossal beasts roamed freely; there were no systems, no sects, no dynasties.
He saw the silhouette of the Immortal King, blurred yet emanating a terrifying presence that reminded him of Long Zhan.
This indicated that the Immortal King stood on the same level as Long Zhan.
The Ninth Level of Immortal Path!
When the Immortal King declared “I am the Immortal King,” thunder roared, and the land was stricken by various natural disasters.
“Thinking too highly of himself, the Immortal King sought to challenge the Heavenly Dao, striving to unify all creation, to venture into the Outer Heaven, and in doing so, offended the will of the heavens. He was ultimately afflicted by the curse of the Heavenly Dao and, upon his impending death, sealed his own Dao within the Immortal King Crown. The Immortal King Crown is also the first-ever Immortal Path Supreme Treasure in recorded history; at the very least, it is the first within the Great Heavenly Spirit Land,” Heaven Sect’s tone remained emotionless.