After the Yang Xian Emperor’s furious proclamation resonated throughout the world, the epoch of great strife was officially unveiled.
The successful breakthrough of the Yang Xian Emperor led to his arrival at Holy Court, followed closely by other powerhouses of the Immortal Dynasty, who launched an unprecedented offensive against the Holy Court.
However, with its robust Qi Fortune, Holy Court managed to form a formation out of Qi Fortune, blocking the offensive of the Free Immortals, which amazed Gu An greatly.
The Way of Qi Fortune was extremely versatile, no less than the Way of Cause and Effect. To be precise, each of the Three Thousand Great Dao had its unique excellence, without an absolute strength or weakness, depending on the practitioner’s achievement in their respective Dao.
Ultimately, Holy Court withstood the Yang Xian Emperor’s assault, forcing him to retreat and return to the Immortal Dynasty to begin a seclusion.
Although Holy Court survived, this battle came with severe losses, causing powers scattered across the world to start contracting.
When sects throughout the world saw that Holy Court was not as invincible as imagined, many began to stir.
Who didn’t want to become the Holy Court?
They were only submitting to the overwhelming might of Holy Court, not genuinely loyal from the heart!
In the coming autumn, the entire Great Heavenly Spirit Land plunged into turbulence.
In the late autumn, Gu An, accompanied by An Xin, arrived at Mortal World Peak, quickly sensing the tense atmosphere enveloping the peak.
The world was in chaos, with sects and dynasties watching, choosing sides was necessary even without ambition. This was an unprecedented major upheaval in millions of years, making all forces quite cautious.
After picking medicinal herbs on Dingtian Peak, Zhu Xinglan found Gu An and informed him that the Main Peak had summoned him to attend a Peak Master meeting. Gu An did not refuse and set off.
All Divine Peak masters were present, and upon Gu An’s arrival, he received goodwill from many Peak Masters. After all, in their eyes, Gu An was a being that even surpassed the Carefree Primordial Immortal, so naturally, they wanted to forge an affiliation.
Once all Divine Peak Lords were assembled, Lord Yongnian began to elaborate on the situation of Mortal World Peak, with Holy Court hoping for their support to jointly attack the territories affiliated with the Immortal Dynasty.
The Immortal Dynasty pressed their victory and rapidly expanded after suppressing Holy Court, showing a ferocious momentum of swallowing the celestial sphere.
Now, Lord Yongnian wanted to discuss whether to support Holy Court, and if so, how?
Gu An did not participate in the discussion, merely listening quietly.
The vast majority of Peak Masters believed they should not rashly support Holy Court, their perception shaken by the formidable power of the Immortal Dynasty, especially the Yang Xian Emperor, who demonstrated the world’s top prowess amidst the mysterious disappearance of Shengtian.
“How dare they support Holy Court when the world’s foremost stands with the Immortal Dynasty?”
Gu An did not look down on them. In fact, their conjecture was correct. Without Shengtian, it was impossible for the two Free Immortals of the Immortal Dynasty to be defeated.
The Peak Master meeting lasted an Ancient Hour, and in the end, they decided to agree to Holy Court’s request, but to discuss later when to take action.
Gu An returned to Dingtian Peak and guided An Xin in her cultivation.
Only when evening fell did the two return to the Supreme Sect.
Walking in the woods outside Mystic Valley, Gu An observed Zhu Xi while moving forward.
“Master, who do you think will have the last laugh between the Immortal Dynasty and Holy Court?” An Xin excitedly asked, following closely by Gu An’s side. She wasn’t afraid of a major conflict between the two great powers; she believed her master could protect her.
“It’s hard to say, but one thing is certain, this calamity will last a long time.”
Gu An responded casually, his tone calm, as if he placed no importance on the matter.
An Xin then asked how powerful the Yang Xian Emperor truly was, having heard many disciples of Mortal World Peak discussing him today, calling him the strongest of this era, the pinnacle of the Immortal Path.
“Very powerful, very powerful. Even with Hao’er’s talent, reaching that level would need hundreds of thousands of years,” Gu An’s response astounded An Xin.
Hundreds of thousands of years…
After the shock, An Xin fell into boundless speculation.
Would she still be alive after hundreds of thousands of years?
Her gaze involuntarily turned towards her master.
For her master to mention hundreds of thousands of years so casually, to him, would hundreds of thousands of years be like ten years, or even one year to ordinary people?
Anyway, she felt that no matter how strong the Yang Xian Emperor was, he couldn’t be as formidable as her master.
Gu An didn’t know what she was thinking, but when he saw Zhu Xi pretending innocence after stealing medicinal herbs and sobbing in front of her master, he almost laughed.
Given time, the Tai Chu Swallowing Yuan Body would surely become a supreme warrior of the world, perhaps even surpassing the Yang Xian Emperor.
Unfortunately, she was born too late and caught in such turbulent times, truly bad luck.
Wait!
Could it be…
Born to meet the calamity?
Gu An showed a look of interest and began to deduce Zhu Xi’s fate.
The Tai Chu Swallowing Yuan Body’s fate was hard to predict, but as a Taoist Hidden Immortal, Gu An could deduce some traces of cause and effect.
…
As the years gently passed, with the Immortal Dynasty and Holy Court entering full-scale war, the whole world burned in warfare, with far more shooting stars visible at night than ever before.
Continuously, Overseas Cultivators fled to the Taicang Continent to seek refuge, also bringing many grievances and conflicts which kept spreading.
Twenty years swiftly passed.
At the end of summer, Gu An stood shoulder to shoulder with Lu Jiujia on a cliff, gazing into the distance.
Lu Jiujia had a full head of white hair, and the twilight air around him grew heavier with each passing year, the effects of the Youth-Preserving Pill had already faded.
“These years, the atmosphere within the Supreme Sect has truly become more tense, and even the sky above doesn’t look as blue as before, always appearing gloomy,” Lu Jiujia remarked with a sigh.
Clouds scattered across the sky, not covering the entire sky, nor showing signs of wind or rain.
Gu An replied, “Yes, it really is a season full of incidents. What do you think, are we lucky or unlucky in this life? We always encounter various calamities, although we have passed through them safely under the protection of the Supreme Sect…”
Lu Jiujia chuckled, “Naturally, we are lucky. Those seniors also thought their lives were filled with hardships, everyone feels they weren’t born in the best of times.”
“I’m surprised you understand it so well,” Gu An said to Lu Jiujia, relieved.
Watching as Lu Jiujia’s days were numbered, he couldn’t help but think of Xiaochuan.
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Why hasn’t Xiaochuan reincarnated yet?
Could it be that he reincarnated in another world?
Gu An thought of the Immortal Dynasty summoning back so many powerful Immortal Spirits from the Reincarnation Vortex, and felt that the Reincarnation Vortex was not so simple.
“That’s thanks to the good teachings of my senior brother. Besides, I won’t live too many more years, and the calamities in my life are all made by myself, no one else to blame. Anyway, I am quite satisfied with this life,” Lu Jiujia said, shaking his head with a wry smile.
Gu An snorted, “How come you all have no regrets when it’s time to die? Are you afraid of burdening me?”
He had already seen many pass away, each one departing with a smile, leaving him not too sentimental, only occasionally feeling nostalgic.
“Hahaha, senior brother, don’t think too much, is it possible that under your care, we really had a good life? We have all ventured out and experienced the dangers of the world, which is why we cherish our current lives and are content with the lives we have led. You really don’t need to think too much, no one should be responsible for another’s life,” Lu Jiujia laughed heartily then spoke earnestly.
He could tell that senior brother cared about the cultivation of those around him; he knew senior brother did not seek wealth or honor for his close ones, but rather hoped that they would live long.
Gu An smiled, “Where am I overthinking? Actually, I am also selfish, I just don’t want to end up lonely.”
Lu Jiujia laughed, “Everyone must die eventually, it’s inevitable.”
“True, let’s talk about the Great Sun Divine Sect instead, who knows when they might attack.”
“Really? The Broken Sea Domain is under the protection of the Holy Court; could the Great Sun Divine Sect really be stronger than the Great Cold Demon Sect of yore?”
Lu Jiujia frowned, speaking of the Great Sun Divine Sect which had been a hot topic recently, even the realm of Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal had strongly entered into the consciousness of Supreme Sect’s disciples.
Various rumors all pointed to one thing, the Broken Sea Domain was about to face an unprecedented threat, and the Taicang Dynasty situated there would find it hard to escape unscathed!
Gu An smiled, “How about we make a bet, guess whether the Great Sun Divine Sect can defeat Sword Venerable Fudao?”
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiujia instantly raised his eyebrows, “I bet they are no match for Sword Venerable Fudao!”
Gu An’s smile stiffened, “No, let’s draw lots, decide the order of choice.”
“I won’t.”
“You itching for a spanking? Don’t think just because you’re old, senior brother won’t dare to thrash you!”
“Oh come on, the disciples are watching, what kind of example would that set? The prestige of the first disciple must be maintained, don’t make it difficult for the next generation’s first disciple.”
The two began to bicker, laughter echoing endlessly.
…
Mountains ranged in succession, and in one forested mountain, numerous pavilions nestled.
A young man knelt in the courtyard, his face stubborn, his gaze fixed on the main gate.
“No matter how long you kneel, I will not hand over your ancestor’s brocade bag to you,” a woman’s voice came from the gate.
“Why not?” The young man gritted his teeth. “My father and my grandfather’s deep-seated vendetta, are you really going to ignore it? They are also your descendants!”
“Exactly for that reason, I cannot let you continue to risk your life. What’s wrong with being a mortal? Once you step into the world of Immortal Cultivation, no one ends well.”
“Being a mortal, when facing power, when encountering cultivators, we are just meat on the chopping block, at the mercy of others!”
The young man’s voice nearly broke at the end.
The mysterious woman inside the gate fell silent.
After a long while.
The mysterious woman spoke softly, “The bloodline of the An family is deeply cursed. None of your ancestors had a good ending, not even my son, who did not live past thirty. The deeper you cultivate, the worse the outcome, yet still, you persist?”
“Perhaps the brocade bag left by our ancestor is meant to resolve this issue.”
“It’s useless.”
“I don’t believe it! Just give it to me, let me decide for myself, someone has to try!”
The young man said sternly, his body trembling because he had been kneeling for too long. Emotions stirred, his qi-blood was somewhat deficient.
Clang—
The gate suddenly opened, a brocade bag flew out, landing in front of the young man.
Overjoyed, the young man immediately picked up the brocade bag, tore it open, and took out a piece of paper, tremblingly examining it. The paper bore two large characters.
Resign!
The young man felt as if struck by lightning, his eyes widened, and he was dumbstruck.
“Why… why…”
The young man murmured to himself, his hands involuntarily clenched into fists, and the paper was crumpled with them. His fingernails dug into his own flesh, blood seeping out, staining the paper in his hands.