After slaying the Evil Emperor, the Jiuyuan World did not dissipate and maintained its heaven and earth form; the beings trapped in the Illusion Realm awakened one after another.
Ye Lan, upon waking, instinctively turned around, and when she saw Gu An was unharmed, she immediately sighed in relief.
An Xin opened her eyes, spotted Gu An’s figure, and drew closer to him, while patting her chest with a frightened expression on her face.
When all the disciples of the Supreme Sect had woken up, everyone gathered to discuss the recent events, all with tensed minds, guarding against the Evil Emperor striking again.
Little did they know, the master of the Jiuyuan World had already turned to ashes and smoke.
Gu An, having searched through the Evil Emperor’s soul, had a subtle look in his eyes as he glanced at Long Qing and heaved a slight sigh in his heart.
Long Qing turned out to be the sole survivor of the Dragon Lineage, and the Evil Emperor had been sent to eradicate the Dragon family bloodline completely.
The man in black at Qingtian Peak was Long Qing’s subordinate; Long Qing’s reincarnation was to avoid the pursuit of the forces behind the Evil Emperor.
Battle Court!
The Battle Court of today was no longer a force led by descendants of the Dragon family; it was exactly for this reason that the master of the Battle Court had wanted to eradicate Long Qing, fearing that a powerful member of the Dragon family could be resurrected through their bloodline.
Years ago, the reincarnated Long Qing hid very well. To avoid the pursuit of the Battle Court, Long Qing’s subordinates sneaked into Qingtian Peak, unnoticed by gods or ghosts, and came to the Great Heavenly Spirit Land.
But the turmoil in the Silent Destruction Domain years ago had caught the attention of the Evil Emperor.
The Dark War Emperor was sent by the Evil Emperor; to be precise, the Dark War Emperor was cultivated by the Evil Emperor, and the inheritance of the Dark War Emperor’s Battle Court originated from the Evil Emperor. It was through the Dark War Emperor’s reckless actions that the Evil Emperor speculated that Shengtian had reincarnated.
To ascend beyond the nine-layered realm of the Free Immortal, one must undergo reincarnation tribulations; only after a hundred lifetimes is there a chance to strike at the Tao Fruit Realm!
This is the Reincarnation Tribulation!
In the memory of the Evil Emperor, he had been defeated by Shengtian and nearly perished.
This was also why the Evil Emperor had previously dared not personally come to the Great Heavenly Spirit Land; the Dark War Emperor was merely one of his pawns, and not even the Holy Court’s Holy Ministers knew there was someone behind the Dark War Emperor.
Just the thought that Long Zhan’s descendants were reduced only to Long Qing made Gu An feel a tinge of melancholy.
Gu An, however, was not afraid of an attack from the Battle Court, for from the Evil Emperor’s memories, it was clear that stronger existences from the Battle Court could not reach this universe, and only the Free Immortal could. Therefore, the Battle Court had dispatched the Evil Emperor, but the specific reasons for that were unclear even to the Evil Emperor himself.
The Evil Emperor had been in this universe for countless years; at that time, Long Qing’s parents were still alive, and they had perished at his hands.
After countless years, the bloodline of the Dragon family in various universes had been exterminated, leaving only Long Qing.
While the disciples were discussing the schemes of the Evil Emperor, Gu An was silent; with a thought, the blood-red sky began to collapse silently.
“Look at the sky quickly!”
Someone exclaimed, causing others to look up.
Seeing the sky twist, everyone panicked, not having time to think further, as the dizziness they felt before entering the Jiuyuan World reemerged, causing them to promptly close their eyes.
Unable to move or peek at their surroundings, this feeling made everyone’s heart race.
Only Gu An kept his eyes open; under his Divine Thought’s impact, the Jiuyuan World began to collapse, and he divided its karmic forces into the power of rules, distributing it to everyone, bestowing them a fortune.
Utilizing karmic causation, Gu An sent everyone back to their respective places in the Great Heavenly Spirit Land.
Meanwhile.
The Great Cultivators in the universe saw a giant black orb begin to tremble and dissolve into black mist, making them even more nervous, fearing that something might have happened to their juniors inside.
As the black mist dispersed, they sensed something and turned their heads, their faces revealing joy.
They felt the presence of their juniors; no matter what the Evil Emperor had planned, at least their juniors were alive.
The Ancient Immortal Emperor and the Saint Ancestors furrowed their brows, exchanging glances, both seeing confusion in each other’s eyes.
What’s happening?
On the other side.
Taicang Continent, Supreme Sect’s Sub-sect.
Ye Lan abruptly opened her eyes, saw Gu An sitting across from her with eyes still firmly closed, breathed a sigh of relief, then looked around with a look of surprise on her face.
Zhen Qin then awoke, followed by Gu An.
“Are we back? Could it be that all the Heavenly Demons have been wiped out?” Zhen Qin asked cautiously.
Gu An took a deep breath and said, “I’m not sure; did you feel anything extra in your minds?”
He had used the karmic power of the Evil Emperor to enhance the beings’ insight into the Way of Cause and Effect, which had nothing to do with him, so he wasn’t concerned that someone could infer anything about himself through this.
Besides, his own method of Divine Thought naturally shielded him from karmic deductions.
Ye Lan and Zhen Qin nodded, then began to share their insights. It wasn’t just them; all the beings who had returned from the Jiuyuan World were curious about the Karma Dao they found in their minds.
After a long discussion, Gu An stood up and said, “I’ve been delayed long enough; I must go back.”
Ye Lan wanted to say something, but Gu An turned and walked away, deeply concealing his abilities and his renown.
“It’s fine, we’re back now; listen to the noises outside,” Zhen Qin comforted her, saying that with their level of cultivation, they could hear the sounds outside the estate, confirming that they were indeed back.
Ye Lan frowned, worrying about being pulled into the Jiuyuan World again.
Yet upon second thought, if that mysterious existence wanted to do so, what would be the point in releasing them?
…
Having just returned to the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An was stopped by An Xin and Long Qing, who excitedly spoke of their newfound enlightenments, drawing more and more people to gather around.
Hearing about their half-day ordeal, the disciples were astonished.
Long Qing looked toward Shen Xinzi, who was approaching, and asked, “Master, what exactly is the Jiuyuan World?”
Shen Xinzi furrowed his brows, he was not chosen, and he replied, “I do not know either. Tell me in detail about your experiences.”
Long Qing nodded and then began to recount to Shen Xinzi about their journey to the Jiuyuan World. When he reached the part about battling the Heavenly Demons, he became visibly excited.
While Long Qing captured everyone’s attention, Gu An slipped back into the house.
With the fall of the Great Emperor of Evil, this disaster brought by the Heavenly Demons seemed to be drawing to a close. There should be peace for a while, as long as the Immortal Dynasty and the Holy Court do not fight among themselves.
Gu An saw a large number of Great Cultivators returning to the Outer Heaven, and all the sects were inquiring about their disciples’ experiences.
It was unknown what changes this cycle of karma and fortune would bring to the Great Heavenly Spirit Land.
The beings chosen for the Jiuyuan World were all geniuses, those with extraordinary Qi Fortune. In tens of thousands of years, they would be the ones dictating the fate of the Great Heavenly Spirit Land.
Tens of thousands of years, it still seemed so distant.
Gu An, now four hundred and twenty-five years old, felt such sentiments in his heart.
Above the sea of clouds, a woman in yellow robes flew along, it was Zhu Xi with the Tai Chu Swallowing Yuan Body.
She gazed at the majestic mountains towering into the clouds in the distance, a look of anticipation in her eyes.
“Mortal World Peak, I have finally arrived,” Zhu Xi murmured to herself.
Fifty years had passed since their journey to the Jiuyuan World. In those fifty years, she traveled the world. Some years ago, when she heard that Mortal World Peak was recruiting Mortal Spirits, she decided to try her luck.
Mortal World Peak was one of the top Immortal Sects in the world. If she could take root here, she would not need to wander anymore.
At the same time.
Atop Dingtian Peak, Gu An, who was reading in the mountaintop courtyard, sensed Zhu Xi’s presence and felt a touch of surprise. Was this a coincidence?
He had no intention of looking after Zhu Xi; he wanted to see how she would fare after joining Mortal World Peak.
Beside him, An Xin, who was practicing Daoist Gang Primal Energy, turned her head to Gu An and said, “Master, the Gang Qi inside my body is going haywire, I can’t control it!”
Her tone was anxious, clearly in panic.
Gu An, lying in his chair, did not get up but just lifted his left hand and flicked his index finger towards her.
A jet of Strength Energy shot out, entered An Xin’s body, and instantly calmed the rampaging Gang Qi, restoring its normal flow.
An Xin breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Gu An with admiration she asked, “Master, how are you so powerful? When will I be able to cultivate to your level?”
“Cultivate for one hundred million years,” Gu An replied offhandedly, flipping the page with his left hand.
“One hundred million years? How long is that? Who can live that long?” An Xin complained, feeling like her master was teasing her.
Gu An ignored her and continued reading.
This book was not the Green Hero Travelogue, but a rare book he found at Mortal World Peak, which recounted an extraordinary tale from Mortal World Peak—a story of a disciple who fell in love with a female demon. This book was a banned one, quite hard to come by.
Based on Gu An’s experience, the writing in this book was not as delicate as that by Xuan Tianyi, but it had its charms in the bizarre. The demoness reincarnated several times to find the protagonist, which was quite touching.
As dusk approached, Gu An finally got up, stretched, and then left with An Xin.
After returning to the Supreme Sect, the pair landed in a grove and made their way toward Mystic Valley.
An Xin was talking animatedly about her cultivation progress for the day, very lively.
Gu An was not bothered by her enthusiasm and listened attentively, offering occasional guidance.
Arriving at Mystic Valley, Gu An spotted a familiar face.
Jiang Qiong!
Jiang Qiong was standing in front of a garden railing, admiring the flowers in full bloom.
Gu An asked An Xin to head back to the Third Medicine Valley on her own, and he approached Jiang Qiong.
Looking at Jiang Qiong’s back skeptically, An Xin didn’t stop but headed towards the Transmission Array Platform.
“How long have you been here?”
Gu An’s voice reached Jiang Qiong’s ears. Without turning around, she focused on a flower and responded, “About two Ancient Hours, I’d say.”
Only when Gu An came to her side did she turn to face him and size him up.
“So many years have passed, how come you are still at the Nascent Soul Realm? When I was in the Jiuyuan World, I felt your presence. You must have gained some opportunities,” Jiang Qiong asked with a frown.
Gu An raised an eyebrow, “What realm are you in that you look down on the Nascent Soul Realm?”
Jiang Qiong huffed, “I am preparing to challenge the Unification Realm, I came to see you before attempting Tribulation Crossing.”
“Unification Realm?”
Gu An’s eyes widened, showing a look of surprise.
Jiang Qiong’s lips curved up in a smile, “Unification Realm, that’s all. I actually find it rather slow. In today’s world, what is the Unification Realm even worth?”
Gu An fell silent.
Thinking she had demoralized him, Jiang Qiong changed the subject, “You should talk some sense into your disciple. That girl Zhen Qin wants to take revenge on the Ghost Mother of Ephemera. If I hadn’t intervened, she would have already died at the hands of the Ghost Mother.”