Noon.
Tianya Valley.
Gu An rode upon the Blood Prison Great Saint toward the mouth of the valley, with An Xin following close by.
This was not the first time Gu An had brought An Xin to Tianya Valley, but every time she came, she was very happy, primarily because the three monkey demons of Tianya Valley had a good relationship with her, and she had specially brought along many pastries.
From a distance, Luo Hun caught sight of Gu An and a smile spread across his face as he went to greet him.
“Gu An, His Majesty brought someone back with him, someone who came especially to find you. Guess who it is?” Luo Hun arrived beside the Blood Prison Great Saint and asked with a smile.
Gu An already knew of the person’s arrival, but since the other party practiced a certain Energy Concealing Sorcery, he did not want to point it out directly, so he asked with a puzzled look, “Who? Am I familiar with them?”
Luo Hun smiled mysteriously and said, “Since you can’t guess, let’s go have a look.”
Gu An nodded.
With Luo Hun leading the way, they made their way to a courtyard.
Before even entering the courtyard, Gu An heard the laughter of Li Xuandao.
As soon as the Blood Prison Great Saint stepped into the courtyard, Gu An’s gaze fell on the person beside Li Xuandao.
[Wuxin (Void Crossing Realm, third layer): 469/1800/4200]
After many years apart, Wuxin had reached the Void Crossing Realm. Such progress at his age could indeed be considered incredibly swift.
The current Wuxin still looked like a monk, but he was not wearing a kasaya; instead, he donned a brocaded robe that restrained his body, and there was a certain commanding presence about him that the young monk of the past didn’t possess.
Upon seeing Gu An, Wuxin’s face showed excitement. He stood up, somewhat at a loss for what to do.
Gu An dismounted and approached the table to salute Li Xuandao, followed by An Xin, whose eyes were filled with curiosity.
“Senior Brother, I…” Wuxin looked at Gu An, suddenly at a loss for words.
Gu An looked at him, eyes widening in astonishment as he asked, “You’re Wuxin?”
Wuxin hurriedly nodded, just as he was about to say something, Li Xuandao interrupted with a smile, “Let’s sit down and talk.”
He motioned to An Xin with his hand, indicating for her to sit down as well.
Luo Hun didn’t stay in the courtyard, leading the Blood Prison Great Saint away to not disturb the four of them.
“I really didn’t recognize you just now, you’ve changed so much. How have these years treated you? I heard before that you’ve achieved miracle after miracle under His Majesty’s command…” Gu An asked warmly, easing Wuxin’s awkwardness as the master and disciple caught up with each other.
Wuxin was originally a spy planted by the Thousand-Autumn Pavilion inside the Supreme Sect; the Daoist Expansion Skill, the precursor to the Primordial Reincarnation Skill, was transmitted to Gu An by him.
Centuries had gone by, and with the power of the Daoist Expansion Skill, Wuxin’s maximum life span had reached four thousand two hundred years. It seemed that Wuxin’s own talent was not lacking, but it was only because he practiced the Daoist Expansion Skill that it had not been revealed.
In the past, the Taicang Continent was so backward that even the Mystic Heart Realm was rarely seen. The fact that Wuxin encountered an Immortal Seeking Taoist of the Nirvana Realm at a young age proved his exceptional qi fortune.
An Xin sat obediently to the side, listening attentively to her master and grandmaster catching up, curious about Wuxin.
Li Xuandao did not interrupt, listening to their conversation with a smile.
Gu An silently reflected on Li Xuandao’s talent.
Li Xuandao now had reached the fifth layer of the Mystic Heart Realm, surpassing Lv Baitian, yet his public cultivation level, like Gu An’s, only appeared as that of the Nascent Soul Realm.
After a while, Wuxin turned to look at Li Xuandao, who spoke with a smile, “I’m planning to send him to an Immortal Mansion for cultivation, Gu An, would you like to go?”
Gu An shook his head, “I’d rather not, thank you for the gracious offer, Uncle.”
That so-called Immortal Mansion was, after all, similar to the factions like the Star Sea Congregations. He was not interested in it.
Li Xuandao was not surprised; over the years, he had offered many opportunities to Gu An, all of which were rejected. He understood that this young man had no desire to seek immortality.
“Senior Brother, let’s go together, it’s a rare opportunity. Now that I’ve achieved the cultivation level of the Void Crossing Realm, I can surely protect you,” Wuxin urged.
An Xin wanted to laugh upon hearing this. Was the Void Crossing Realm really that strong?
She did not show it on her face, as Gu An had reminded her many times to control her facial expressions.
Gu An laughed, “I really don’t want to go; I’m quite comfortable now. Going to the Immortal Mansion would surely be stressful, and it’s not certain that I would undergo a transformation. You go ahead, I’ll be here waiting for you to tell me about your experiences in the Immortal Mansion when you return.”
Despite Wuxin’s continued persuasion, it was to no avail; no matter how much he insisted, Gu An remained unmoved.
“If you don’t want to go, then don’t. It’s fine, staying in the Supreme Sect also offers plenty of opportunities,” Li Xuandao said, putting an end to Wuxin’s urging.
Li Xuandao then looked at Gu An and asked, “Gu An, what do you think the Taicang Dynasty should do next for its development?”
Gu An asked in surprise, “Isn’t everything fine now? Why do you ask?”
Li Xuandao shook his head, “It only seems fine on the surface. The internal class structure is solidifying. Life may be better than before, but the opportunities for commoners to knock on the doors of the Immortal Sects have not increased.”
Gu An fell silent.
Each year, the number of cultivators in the Immortal Cultivation World grows, but the vast majority are from families of cultivators; it’s highly likely that a farmer’s offspring will remain a farmer.
Wuxin also fell into deep thought, as he served Li Xuandao, he saw even more issues.
The current families were able to establish contacts overseas, and through various means such as intermarriage, sworn brotherhood, and exchange of interests, they were quickly growing stronger with unfathomable depths, making it difficult for Li Xuandao to suppress them. Who knows how powerful the entities backing those families could be.
“I do admire the Immortal Dynasty; if only all of the Taicang Dynasty’s citizens could become immortals, that would be wonderful. I wonder if I’ll live to see that day,” Li Xuandao said cheerfully.
He was just being precautious; for now, his imperial power was quite stable.
Gu An continued the conversation, “If that day really comes, who knows how long it will take.”
His tone was filled with emotion.
He began to talk with Li Xuandao about the future visions, while Wuxin occasionally interjected, and An Xin listened throughout.
Gradually, the topic shifted to Li Ya. After discussing Li Ya for a while, Li Xuandao asked, “What about Yang Jian? It’s been a while since we’ve seen him. Lingtian often talks to me about him.”
“I’m not sure where he’s gone, but with his talent, he probably won’t encounter any trouble,” Gu An said, shaking his head.
Wuxin asked curiously, “Brother, I heard from His Majesty that Yang Jian’s talent is no less than An Hao’s?”
Gu An smiled and said, “I’m not sure about that. They are both stronger than me anyway. You can ask An Xin; she grew up with An Hao.”
As he spoke, he gestured towards An Xin beside him, which made Wuxin take a new look at her. Could it be that this woman had such a connection?
An Xin hurriedly said, “I’m not in a position to judge, but my brother once said he looks forward to a battle with Yang Jian.”
Wuxin sighed, “My cultivation speed is considered fast, but compared to those favored by heaven, it’s still far behind. I wonder what their cultivation levels are now.”
Li Xuandao looked at An Xin, then glanced at Gu An, contemplative.
The four of them chatted for an ancient hour before Gu An, accompanied by An Xin, stood up to pick herbs. Once they finished, they said their farewells and left.
Wuxin watched Gu An’s retreating back, his eyes brimming with melancholy.
Li Xuandao smiled and asked, “What’s the matter? Do you feel the relationship has become distant?”
Wuxin replied, “A little, but it’s more about regret. With brother’s temperament, I’m afraid he won’t rise to become an immortal, alas.”
In years past, Gu An had seemed so formidable in his eyes. Now, he himself had a cultivation level of the Void Crossing Realm, while Gu An had only reached the Nascent Soul Realm, which left a bitter taste in his mouth.
He wished for his brother’s cultivation level to always be higher than his so that they could travel the path of immortal cultivation together.
How many years could one live in the Nascent Soul Realm?
“Don’t underestimate him; perhaps he’s hiding something,” Li Xuandao said with a meaningful tone.
Wuxin, surprised, asked, “Hiding? What do you mean?”
Li Xuandao said slowly, “The last time I saw An Xin was twenty years ago. In these twenty years, her cultivation has increased very slowly, but my intuition tells me that her progress has been significant. Perhaps they are also practicing your Daoist Expansion Skill.”
“But the Daoist Expansion Skill can only lift restrictions once in a lifetime. If brother has reached the Nascent Soul Realm, it must mean he has already lifted his restriction,” Wuxin frowned.
Li Xuandao did not continue the conversation. He was reminiscing about the golden Dao Patterns on Gu An’s forehead.
He had once seen another person with similar Dao Patterns whose Dao Level was unfathomably deep.
Elsewhere.
Gu An had overheard Li Xuandao and the other’s conversation, but he did not mind since his apparent cultivation level was only at the Nascent Soul Realm, and others could speculate as they wished.
…
Time flies swiftly by.
Twenty years blinked past.
The Xiaochuan family was in mourning, and Gu An stood on the roof eaves, invisible to anyone.
He watched Xiaochuan’s soul rise from the memorial hall, drifting toward the sky. Today was just the seventh day since Xiaochuan’s death.
Xiaochuan kept ascending, looking down at the people inside the Xiaochuan residence. His face held no sorrow, instead, it bore a smile.
“Is this what it feels like to be reincarnated?”
Xiaochuan pondered silently. Over the past seven days, his soul had been unable to stray too far from his body, causing him to wander within the Xiaochuan residence the entire time.
Now losing control over his Soul Body, he could feel an invisible force pulling at him from the ether.
He wasn’t afraid, but rather looked forward to his next life.
He gazed far into the distance but did not see Gu An, a flash of regret passing through his eyes.
Gradually, he drifted higher and higher from the ground. Once he could see the entire Taicang Continent, he saw countless other souls rising alongside him—a spectacular scene that broadened his horizons.
“So the Taicang Continent is this tiny, I wonder where the Supreme Sect is located.”
Xiaochuan muttered to himself. From his current vantage point, the Taicang Continent was just a small piece of land in the boundless ocean, insignificant.
“What, you still wish to visit the Supreme Sect once?” a voice entered Xiaochuan’s ear.
Xiaochuan’s eyes widened as he instinctively turned to look, his expression turning to astonishment.
There was Gu An, appearing beside him and ascending alongside.
“Brother… you…” Xiaochuan started in shock, unable to complete his sentence.
Gu An turned to him and asked, “Now, do you have any regrets about not striving harder in cultivation before?”
After hearing this, Xiaochuan calmed down and smiled, “Regrets? Seeing this scene sooner has only shown me how minute I really am.”
He looked at Gu An, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, “Brother, what is your relationship with Sword Venerable Fudao? Could it be that you are Sword Venerable Fudao?”
In Xiaochuan’s eyes, Gu An seemed so mystical at that moment, with golden Dao Patterns on his forehead flickering like flames and the Immortal King Crown shining peculiarly, making Gu An look akin to an Immortal Lord descending.