Atop a cliff stood two figures, one of whom was the white-robed man who had previously conversed with the Dark Emperor. The other person, disheveled and with torn red garments, had his hands bound with iron chains. His back was plastered with talisman papers that fluttered as the sea breeze blew, unsettling his long and messy hair.
“Wandering Holy King, what thoughts cross your mind upon witnessing my plight?” asked the man in chains, his expression indifferent and his gaze as deep as a secluded well.
The white-robed man acknowledged as the Wandering Holy King replied without a trace of emotion, “I am even more grateful. Dao Void Mysterious Immortal is extremely powerful, and your position is high, Holy King. However, the higher you stand, the more careful you must be in your actions, because you have more enemies.”
Upon hearing this, the Great Nether Holy King closed his eyes and a smile appeared on his face.
The Great Nether Holy King raised his arm slightly, causing the chains to shake with a crisp sound.
“How do you know that your circumspect choices are correct? Watch, the Holy Minister surely harbors even bigger schemes,” laughed the Great Nether Holy King with a carefree demeanor, having come to terms with life and death.
The Wandering Holy King sensed something and instinctively turned his head, his expression suddenly unnatural.
They saw a figure shrouded in dark purple Demonic Qi appear behind them.
Sword Venerable Fudao!
The Wandering Holy King felt an immense pressure rushing towards him, reminiscent of facing the Holy Minister or Holy God.
At that moment, he understood why the Holy Minister held Sword Venerable Fudao in such high esteem.
He immediately clasped his hands in a formal salute and said, “I have seen the Holy Sword!”
Upon hearing these words, the Great Nether Holy King’s figure trembled slightly. He appeared composed, but how could he not be tense when facing life and death?
[Wandering Holy King (Dao Void Mysterious Immortal Realm Level 4): 1740982/6000000/7500000]
[Great Nether Holy King (Dao Void Mysterious Immortal Realm Level 2): 1580442/4000000/5000000]
Gu An looked at the life spans of the two and was inwardly pleased.
The life span of a Dao Void Mysterious Immortal could reach several million years. Observing the difference in life spans between Level 4 and Level 2, Gu An speculated that life spans of Divine Thought True Immortals might very well exceed ten million years.
Your journey continues on empire
Gu An nodded slightly to the Wandering Holy King. His gaze was fixed on the Great Nether Holy King, sensing his tension.
Boom!
A brilliant golden light suddenly burst forth from Gu An’s forehead, engulfing the Great Nether Holy King in an instant, and then dashed towards the sea surface, dissipating before reaching a thousand zhang away.
When the golden light faded, the Great Nether Holy King was nowhere to be seen.
Gu An had no desire to interact with the Great Nether Holy King, nor did he wish to hear any defenses.
Even if there were misunderstandings between them, it was the fault of the Great Nether Holy King. When so many pointed at the Great Nether Holy King, it was unlikely to be false.
The Wandering Holy King watched with alarm.
This was a Dao Void Mysterious Immortal, and even if his cultivation was sealed, he should not have been so easily eradicated.
How high was Sword Venerable Fudao’s cultivation level?
[You have successfully seized 370963 years of life span from the Great Nether Holy King (Dao Void Mysterious Immortal Realm Level 2)]
Upon seeing the prompt before him, Gu An felt slightly pleased. Of course, what brought him the most relief was eliminating a thorn in his side.
Gu An then vanished from the spot, leaving the Wandering Holy King behind.
The Wandering Holy King stood on the cliff, silent for a long time, before finally departing.
A Holy King who had stood above all fell just like that, causing a significant psychological impact on the Wandering Holy King, who was also a Holy King.
The Great Heavenly Spirit Land seemed even more complicated and dangerous in the eyes of the Wandering Holy King.
…
At Mortal World Peak, Dingtian Peak.
Inside the Peak Master’s courtyard, Gu An was savoring tea, An Xin stood behind him, and in front of him stood a line of Wandering Immortals, disciples of Dingtian Peak, including Zhu Xinglan.
They were discussing the Holy Court’s declaration of Sword Venerable Fudao as the Holy Sword.
“The Holy Sword, the number one sword under the heavens, seems like the Holy Court highly values Sword Venerable Fudao.”
“The presence of that demon from Outer Heaven was terrifying, yet against Sword Venerable Fudao, it was unable to withstand a single blow. With such power, how could the Holy Court not seek to ally with him?”
“I heard that the reason the Heavenly Demon from Outer Heaven made a move against Sword Venerable Fudao was that a Holy King schemed against him, sending a great number of reincarnated Heavenly Demons to the Taicang Continent. Truly malevolent.”
“I’ve heard that as well, it was the Great Nether Holy King. He underestimated the strength of Sword Venerable Fudao.”
“To be honest, who could have anticipated that? Such a tiny place actually harbors such a terrifying Great Cultivator.”
The Wandering Immortal disciples of Dingtian Peak were excited, only so uninhibited in the presence of Gu An. In front of their disciples, they all maintained a high and dignified posture, as if they were lofty and saintly figures.
Zhu Xinglan looked at Gu An. He had heard that his master also emerged suddenly and wondered if his master knew Sword Venerable Fudao.
As for the possibility that his master was Sword Venerable Fudao himself, that had not crossed his mind.
The world was full of ascetics who suffered in silence, and perhaps Sword Venerable Fudao was simply concealing his identity. Maybe his real identity once shook the heavens, but who could be certain?
An Xin quietly chuckled as she listened to their discussion.
The one they admired was right before them. If they knew, what would their reaction be?
She did not know how high the Dark Emperor’s cultivation realm was, so she could not understand the excitement of the Wandering Immortals.
In her eyes, there was no difference between Wandering Immortals and Heaven and Earth Flying Immortals; they were all terrifyingly powerful beings.
After they had spoken for a while, Gu An spoke up, “Then you must cultivate diligently. I always feel that the world is becoming increasingly unstable.”
His Divine Thought was focused on Yang Jian.
Heaven Sect had received news of the Great Nether Holy King’s fall and was preparing to bring Yang Jian into the world.
Over the years, Yang Jian had grown stronger while Heaven Sect had become increasingly aged. Although his Cultivation Realm had not declined, his aura was not as strong as before.
Heaven Sect’s life span was quickly diminishing without the Qi Fortune of Heaven Sect, and it seemed he did not have many years left to live.
Upon hearing Gu An’s words, the disciples echoed in agreement, all sharing a premonition that such a major event had not occurred in many years. Word of it would make anyone feel the tense world situation.
After a long while.
The disciples bid their farewell and left.
An Xin sat down, unable to resist stretching herself. She did not remove her mask but looked at Gu An and asked, “Master, what kind of entity is the Holy Court, really?”
She knew Sword Venerable Fudao was Gu An, but being in Mortal World Peak, she had to measure her words carefully.
Gu An replied, “It is the governing power of the Mortal World, the strongest of our times. As for good or bad, that depends on the circumstances.”
In this world, there was no absolute good in a person or power. Even the current Supreme Sect hid untoward secrets.
Even though he had joined the Holy Court, Gu An felt no fondness for it.
Once he surpassed the Nine Heavens of Immortal Path, he would no longer need to hold any fear towards the Holy Court.
Right now, he was more curious about the Silent Destruction Domain.
The Annihilation God Emperor could easily annihilate Long Zhan, who surpassed the Nine Heavens of the Immortal Path, but now it seemed Shengtian was capable of countering the Silent Destruction Domain.
Could it be a different Silent Destruction Domain?
Or perhaps, the Annihilation God Emperor had long since departed?
An Xin was curious about the strength of the Holy Court, but unfortunately, Gu An was also unclear, leaving his answer ambiguous.
Today’s conversation with the disciples from Dingtian Peak proved the Holy Minister’s methods. Although Gu An had not assimilated into the Qi Fortune of the Holy Court, within a few short years, every power throughout the world knew he had joined the Holy Court.
No matter his personal feelings, from now on, he was openly aligned with the Holy Court.
The enemies of the Holy Court might also target him!
Did the Holy Court have enemies?
Of course, there were. The Immortal Dynasty covetously eyed the realm from within, and infinite Heavenly Demons from beyond watched intently.
He only hoped none would disturb his tranquil life.
After chatting for a while, Gu An stood up and said, “It’s time to test the results of your cultivation. Don’t let yourself be surpassed by Long Qing later on.”
Upon hearing this, An Xin quickly rose to her feet.
Long Qing had been taken care of by her until he was four, but after that, the boy constantly followed You Yingying, leaving her with a sour taste.
She couldn’t let that child surpass her!
Today, after hearing of many significant events in the world, An Xin’s fighting spirit was kindled. With such a master guiding her, why couldn’t she carve her own place in the world?
She did not realize her mindset was beginning to shift towards An Hao’s.
…
Seasons changed, and eight years passed.
The thirteen-year-old Long Qing was running through Medicine Valley, swift as a cheetah, chasing a corpulent white-furred rat that resembled a pig.
His gaze was sharp, his features handsome, and his long hair tied like a girl’s, eliciting laughter and teasing from the disciples along the way.
After running for a long time, he stopped in a secluded spot, propping his hands on his knees, panting heavily.
“Stupid rat, why are you so fast? Did I never push you to your limit before?” Long Qing muttered, frustration evident on his sweat-drenched face.
Just then, footsteps approached, and Long Qing turned to look, quickly standing up in respect.
He brought his hands together and bowed deeply to the newcomer.
Seeing his gesture, Shen Xinzi couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You want to catch up with it? How about taking me as your master?” Shen Xinzi approached and asked with a smile.
Long Qing scratched his head, “Senior, I have a master already.”
Shen Xinzi continued with a smile, “Of course I know you have a master. Who said you could only have one master? Have you read Journey to the West?”
Long Qing nodded, but he didn’t enjoy reading text as much as he liked listening to others.
“You’re like Sun Wukong, and I’m Master Puti. How about I secretly teach you cultivation?” Shen Xinzi asked, smiling knowingly.
Like You Yingying, he had an inexplicable fondness for Long Qing. He had observed the boy and confirmed that Long Qing was not a reincarnated Heavenly Demon.
To elicit a sense of closeness from an Immortal Venerable like himself, Long Qing must have extraordinary Innate Qi Fortune and a Life Grid beyond ordinary people.
“Can you really be Master Puti?” Long Qing asked doubtfully.
Shen Xinzi laughed, “I’m well aware you have a master, but who says you can’t have multiple masters? Do you know what Realm I am in?”
“Unification?”
“Haha, you even know about Unification. Do you know what lies beyond the Unification Realm?”
“What? You’re higher than the Unification Realm?” Long Qing was shocked. Having been raised in the Third Medicine Valley, he had some understanding of Immortal Cultivation realms. The Unification Realm was, in his perception, a god-like realm.
Observing the disciples’ attitudes toward Shen Xinzi in the valley, he had guessed Shen Xinzi was extraordinarily capable, but he had not expected him to be so powerful.
Proudly lifting his chin, Shen Xinzi declared, “Above Unification lies the Mystic Heart Realm. Above that, there are Mahayana, Nirvana, Loose Immortal, Wandering Immortal, and Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal. I am but one step away from Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal.”
With each Realm name Shen Xinzi uttered, Long Qing’s mouth opened wider, and by the end of the list, he was agape with amazement.
The expression on Long Qing’s face greatly satisfied Shen Xinzi.
In that moment, he suddenly understood Supreme Immortal Venerable.
Because he liked Journey to the West, he had read all the books written by Pan An. He didn’t understand why Pan An’s works were so popular; the characters lacked common sense, often mocking the protagonist, and the protagonist would purposely reveal his holiness, all of which seemed unrealistic to him.
Today, he had played the part, and at last, he understood the appeal.