Li Ya stood atop the tower, longsword in hand, his expression grave.
Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit stood on Li Ya’s shoulder, full of vigor, continuously waving its arms. Ever since Li Ya had learned the truth, it had ceased its act.
At first, Li Ya felt somewhat awkward, but now, his feelings were overtaken by worry.
The battle had progressed to a point where Divine Exotic City could barely advance; the demons were too strong and even understood Formation techniques, effectively halting the advance of Divine Exotic City, with more demons continually joining the battlefield.
If things continued this way, Divine Exotic City might well be breached.
What Li Ya worried about most was attracting even more terrifying demon creatures.
He felt a desire to retreat, fearing that the troubles would only grow and force the Primordial Ancestor to intervene.
Li Ya gritted his teeth, ready to call for a retreat, when suddenly, the Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit on his shoulder started yowling loudly.
“I am going to unleash my divine might!”
The Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit raised its right arm, its youthful voice filled with excitement.
Li Ya was stunned. He immediately looked up, scanning the surroundings. The distant thunderclouds were heavily interconnected, with no end in sight. The more he saw, the faster his gaze moved, as if searching for something.
Gu An noticed Li Ya’s actions and a smile appeared on his face.
He was already aware of Li Ya’s burden because the Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit had told him, but he hadn’t said anything. Some things had to be overcome by oneself.
Like Long Zhan, a powerful figure, who never hesitated and was always decisive.
Gu An immediately took Qingtian Peak from his waist. The peak, smaller than a palm, refracted the thunderlight, emitting an ancient aura, unsettling An Xin profoundly.
Under An Xin’s watch, Gu An raised his hand and tossed Qingtian Peak upward into the sea of clouds.
The next second, a vast momentum descended, enveloping the entire ocean.
Li Ya and Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit both felt something and looked up simultaneously.
The previously excited Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit widened its eyes, a stunned expression on its face. Li Ya was similarly dumbstruck.
The rolling sea of clouds dispersed, and a tremendously large mountain suddenly emerged. In comparison, everything else seemed minuscule. It was tens of thousands of feet from the sea surface; even the trees on the mountain appeared gigantic, resembling divine soldiers exerting a daunting presence.
In this moment, Divine Exotic City seemed like a mere pebble, demonstrating the grandeur of Qingtian Peak.
Gu An led An Xin to the summit; An Xin looked up to see a brilliant starry sky and also witnessed seven dazzling suns, all reflecting in her eyes.
As soon as Qingtian Peak appeared, it grabbed the attention of all the demons. The demons, upon seeing Qingtian Peak, were equally scared.
“What is that?”
“It’s a huge mountain—no, an Immortal Treasure!”
“Damn it, why is there another supreme treasure appearing?”
“This aura… no good, it’s dangerous!”
“Retreat! Hurry, retreat!”
Panicked cries came from the demons as they scattered like monkeys when a tree falls, fleeing at tremendous speed.
Qingtian Peak remained suspended in the air without touching down.
Gu An turned to An Xin and chuckled, “It seems we can’t show the full might of Qingtian Peak.”
An Xin wasn’t foolish and shook her head, “That’s because Master, you are merciful; otherwise, they wouldn’t think of escaping.”
Gu An just laughed and shook his head.
In that moment, he thought of Long Zhan and Xiao Shengtian, and thus decided to adhere to his principles. His target for elimination should at least be beings with whom he had grievances. This would prevent others from speculating other reasons.
Moreover, his annual gain in life span had already reached 1.5 million years, and he had no reason to needlessly kill innocents and accumulate karma. After all, he could play it safe and slowly become stronger.
Gu An’s greatest cruelty was against plants and trees, as all beings must eat; which cultivator doesn’t use medicinal herbs for Alchemy?
What he could do was choose the path that best suited his own growth. Find your next adventure on empire
That’s why, to An Xin’s comment about mercy, Gu An only smiled. He didn’t consider himself merciful; his choices were also governed by a mindset of seeking benefits and avoiding harm.
As the demons dispersed, the Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit heaved a sigh of relief.
Li Ya, meanwhile, looked up at the majestic Qingtian Peak, feeling a sense of relief at that moment.
“So that’s how it is…”
Li Ya had always felt unworthy of owning Divine Exotic City, but now, seeing the grandeur of Qingtian Peak, he realized the Primordial Ancestor possessed even stronger treasures.
What was there to worry about?
He didn’t even know how high the Primordial Ancestor’s Dao Level was.
Rather than being burdened, he would rather strive to become stronger and repay the Primordial Ancestor later!
No matter how much he tried to think for the Primordial Ancestor’s sake now, he couldn’t possibly help the Primordial Ancestor, who was gambling on his future, not the present.
As Qingtian Peak rose higher and rapidly shrank, it gave Li Ya a sensation of flying beyond the heavens.
After Qingtian Peak disappeared, Li Ya didn’t see the figure he hoped to see.
He took a deep breath and said, “Let’s go.”
The Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit turned its head and asked with surprise, “Where to?”
“To a place where we can compete. Clearly, this is not suitable for us, otherwise the Primordial Ancestor wouldn’t have used another supreme treasure to save us,” Li Ya said calmly.
The Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit scratched its head, found the reasoning sound, and nodded in agreement.
Divine Exotic City transformed into a rainbow of light and streaked back the way they had come.
This scene caught An Xin’s eye, and she asked with surprise, “Why are they leaving?”
Gu An didn’t expect his intervention to actually persuade Li Ya to leave, which left him with mixed feelings.
“Let them go. We’ll make another round for an ancient hour before heading back,” Gu An said.
An Xin had no objections and began to inquire about Divine Exotic City and Li Ya. Gu An told her everything he knew.
…
After the voyage through the Thunder Sea Demon Domain, An Xin pursued her cultivation more diligently, becoming more reserved, just like before.
Having seen a stronger world, a fighting spirit was ignited within her, and thereafter, she needed no urging from Gu An; whenever she had time, she would actively practice the Stepping Path of Ages Step.
The Nine-Finger Divine Lord and Shen Xinzi had also covertly observed her Step Technique. Unfamiliar and slightly embarrassed to keep spying, after watching two or three times, they completely lost interest in paying attention to An Xin.
But in their hearts, both Gu An and An Xin had become different.
Years passed by.
Five years went by in the blink of an eye.
This year, Ji Xiaoyu returned.
“How come you have another woman’s aura on you?” Ji Xiaoyu stood at the table, frowning as she asked.
Gu An put down the book in his hands and replied, “I went to see my junior sister two days ago.”
Ji Xiaoyu pressed on, “Why has her aura changed?”
Gu An looked at her, surprised. She actually remembered Ye Lan’s aura?
“She has made a breakthrough in her cultivation recently, so her aura has changed,” Gu An casually responded.
In fact, that was indeed the case. In his heart, An Xin’s status could not surpass Ye Lan’s, so whenever he visited Ye Lan, he would preach to her, and the Elixirs he invested in her were more than those for An Xin.
Watching the junior sister’s maximum life span increase little by little gave Gu An a sense of achievement.
He relished the feeling of contending with the heavens.
“Is that so?” Ji Xiaoyu asked skeptically.
Gu An rolled his eyes at her, saying, “I am upstanding and straightforward. Why would I deceive you? Don’t I often meet other women in front of you? Besides, why do you care about these matters? Don’t harbor any improper thoughts about me. The karma associated with you is too great; I’m afraid Reincarnation Path Emperor’s enemies might capture me to threaten you.”
Ji Xiaoyu couldn’t help but glare at Gu An.
Gu An crossed his arms and said, “Honestly, other than Ye Lan, Shen Zhen, and Lu Lingjun, whom you have seen, there is another woman who likes me. I’m still considering it, mainly because I’m raising three adorable female demons, so I don’t have much need for romance.”
Ji Xiaoyu laughed, saying, “It wouldn’t be those three monkey demons, would it?”
More and more Great Cultivators from the Supreme Sect were appearing, and Tianya Valley could no longer be hidden, but Lv Baitian and Li Xuandao had reached an agreement, so Tianya Valley remained unscathed. Ji Xiaoyu had learned about the situation inside Tianya Valley through the Ji Family.
“How could it be!” Gu An retorted with a glare.
Ji Xiaoyu pulled out a chair to sit down and began to recount her experiences over the years.
Gu An listened intently.
After talking for two ancient hours, Ji Xiaoyu finally left.
After Ji Xiaoyu went downstairs, she saw An Xin speaking with five female disciples. Thus, she waited on the spot.
Once the five female disciples had left, she approached An Xin.
At this moment, the sun began to set.
An Xin turned around, saw Ji Xiaoyu approaching, and quickly stepped forward to greet her.
In her heart, Ji Xiaoyu was one of the potential Sect Mothers, a very strong contender, capable of living under the Sect Leader’s floor; she had to be treated with respect.
“Your talent is commendable. If you need help, just let me know. My Ji Family has some resources, and we can assist you,” Ji Xiaoyu said, staring at An Xin.
Upon hearing this, An Xin hurriedly thanked her, then added, “Thank you for the kind offer from the Ji Family, but it’s not necessary, after all, I have my master…”
Ji Xiaoyu interrupted her, “Don’t mind his attitude. I’m helping you for his sake. The stronger you are, the better you can protect him.”
With that, she turned and walked away.
Watching her retreating figure, An Xin felt moved; Ji Xiaoyu truly had a domineering aura!
An Xin silently compared herself; despite her rapid progress, she was not yet a match for Ji Xiaoyu.
She decided to set Ji Xiaoyu as her target; surpassing Ji Xiaoyu would enable her to chase after An Hao and Yang Jian.
She refused to believe that Ji Xiaoyu’s talent could surpass An Hao and Yang Jian!
Inside the house, Gu An was reading a book, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile. The evening sunlight burst through the window, bathing him in a layer of rosy light, as if he were clad in a robe of twilight.
The sun set, and the moon rose.
The following morning, Gu An left the Supreme Sect alone, controlling his sword as he flew into the distance.
Once he was no longer locked onto by Divine Sense, his figure vanished instantly.
An hour later.
Gu An arrived in front of the gate of Juhua Sect, surrounded by undulating mountains. From the cliff, each mountain boasted a sea of flowers, a magnificent sight.
When he took out the Sect Leader-level token from the Supreme Sect, the disciples of Juhua Sect halted their hostility and even warmly escorted him inside.
Hearing that Gu An was seeking the Sect Leader, the disciples dared not delay and immediately guided him, as the token Gu An showed was of Sect Leader-level from the Supreme Sect.
An hour later, Gu An was situated in a separate courtyard; he sensed that Jiang Qiong was in closed-door cultivation, with disciples guarding outside.
Sure enough, not much later, the guiding disciple hurried back, asking him to wait a few days since the Sect Leader was in seclusion.
Gu An wasn’t in a hurry; with Jiang Qiong in seclusion, he’d discreetly help her with her Path Enlightenment and leave. Once she found out Gu An had been looking for her but hadn’t waited, she’d definitely feel embarrassed.
Just thinking about it, Gu An was a little excited.