After a bit of tossing and turning, Gu An looked at the Deep Sea Dragon Carp, robed in white, and still felt awkward about it.
The Deep Sea Dragon Carp had tied up its hair, giving off the impression of a woman disguised as a man, because since it had shape-shifted, it could not change its appearance again; it could only be like this.
The more Gu An looked at him, the more familiar he seemed.
Wait, wasn’t this the same woman that Gu An had encountered in the “Supreme Secret Records”?
Gu An spoke up, “From now on, don’t dress as a woman anymore. There’s no need to please me that way; I don’t like it.”
The Deep Sea Dragon Carp quickly nodded, although internally, he was puzzled—if Gu An did not like it, why did he read such books?
Seeing how wronged the creature looked, Gu An began to instruct him on the practice of spells.
Hearing that there were spells to practice, the Deep Sea Dragon Carp immediately perked up, sweeping away his feelings of aggrievement and simultaneously gaining some insight.
Although the shape-shifting of the Deep Sea Dragon Carp was absurd, it didn’t affect Gu An’s life; he already had three female demons, and no matter what form the Deep Sea Dragon Carp took, it couldn’t pique his interest.
After spending half a day in the Hidden Spirit Palace, Gu An then went to the Heavenly Phoenix Mountain, where he could harvest a batch of high-rank medicinal herbs from the Outer World Cave, which should grant him tens of millions of years to his lifespan.
There was no distinction between day and night in the Outer World Cave.
After harvesting the herbs, Gu An began to instruct the three female Tian Yao’er on their cultivation.
Years had passed, and Tian Yao’er’s cultivation level had reached the ninth layer of the Mystic Heart Realm, and she was soon to assault the Mahayana Realm. Your next read is at empire
Her talent was exceptional, and with the abundance of high-rank medicinal herbs shared by Gu An, her progress in cultivation naturally soared.
Tianqing and Tian Bai were less gifted than her and had just broken through to the Unification Realm.
Their pace of cultivation was already fast, at least faster than that of demons, whose cultivation was not as quick as that of Cultivators of Human Race. The demon’s advantage lay in their long lifespans, but under Gu An’s care, the three demons’ cultivation speed was comparable to that of top human prodigies.
After sparring for an ancient hour, the three demons were depleted of their demonic power.
Their demonic power was considered abundant within their respective realms, but facing Gu An, they had to go all out.
Watching them exhausted, lying on the ground, drenched in sweat, Gu An hovered midair, pointing out their weaknesses.
After a while, the three demons gathered around him, inquiring about the outside world.
They still vividly remembered the recent attack by the Immortal Lord during the Mid-Autumn festival—his booming voice and imposing pressure. They were curious about the types of changes unfolding in the outside world.
“The Immortal Dynasty and Holy Court are fighting fiercely. Not long ago, I heard that an Immortal Spirit effortlessly moved an entire sea area with one hand, with billions of creatures at his mercy. He fought against the Great Cultivator of the Holy Court with the ocean in his grasp; it was earth-shattering,” Gu An casually picked an event to recount, listening intently as the three demons did.
What he spoke of were actual events. As time passed, casualties of the Immortal Dynasty and Holy Court escalated, deepening the hate between them.
If this continued, a battle that would sweep across the Great Heaven and Earth was inevitable.
Gu An had calculated somewhat, fearing that the fight might cause heaven and earth to split apart, but with so many variables, he couldn’t clearly discern all the choices of the Free Immortal or predict what was within the Reincarnation Tribulation of Shengtian.
For the time being, it was impossible to see who would win or lose.
Gu An wasn’t too worried, though, as Taicang Continent, where he resided, hadn’t suffered much from the disturbances. For him, that was enough.
As they listened to the tales of the world’s vicissitudes, Tian Yao’er’s heart yearned, but she did not propose to venture out. Her strength was still insufficient; it was mere curiosity.
Seeing their interest, Gu An spoke of a few more events.
If it could strengthen their will to pursue Immortal Cultivation, Gu An was naturally pleased.
…
Snowflakes fell, marking the end of the year.
The end of Lu Jiujia’s destined life had come.
Gu An and Lu Jiujia sat at the edge of a cliff, overlooking Mystic Valley.
“Big brother, six hundred years ago, did you ever think that Mystic Valley could ever achieve such prosperity?” Lu Jiujia asked with a chuckle while stroking his beard, eyes filled with many distant images that transitioned from hazy to clear.
From here, one could see disciples in the forests outside Mystic Valley, cultivated demon beasts, various brightly colored groves, all within a dozen miles of Mystic Valley’s domain, thriving and booming.
Gu An replied, “Actually, I feel there isn’t much difference between now and the past because some people are still here—precisely, you’re still here.”
The original acquaintances of Mystic Valley had dwindled to Lu Jiujia alone; once he passed on, Mystic Valley would become a closed chapter to Gu An—or at least not as significant in his heart.
Lu Jiujia turned to look at Gu An, feeling that his big brother’s profile was still so youthful, as if time had left no trace on him.
“Big brother, do you remember Su Han?” Lu Jiujia suddenly asked.
Gu An glanced at him, replying, “How could I forget? Until now, no other disciple has taken a more crooked path than him.”
Mentioning Su Han stirred even more emotions in Gu An.
As the brothers talked about Su Han, Gu An began to recognize the Su Han described by Lu Jiujia.
The snow grew heavier, and fog rose around Mystic Valley, gradually swallowing the sight of mortals.
Lu Jiujia’s head sank lower, and his voice weakened.
Jiang Shi stood in front of the wooden railing in the precinct, his gaze fixed on Lu Jiujia atop the cliff, eyes brimming with reluctance.
Last night, Lu Jiujia had already talked with him; he knew that today Lu Jiujia was going to depart.
Though they called each other martial brothers in Medicine Valley, in Jiang Shi’s heart, Lu Jiujia was like his second father.
The pain in Jiang Shi’s heart was overwhelming as his hands clenched the wooden railing tightly.
An Shengtian emerged from the forest and was about to greet Jiang Shi when he caught the expression on Jiang’s face, so An Shengtian followed his gaze.
Seeing the figures of Lu Jiujia and Gu An, An Shengtian fell silent.
He was quite fond of Lu Jiujia as well, who had taken good care of him over the years. The thought of Lu Jiujia’s impending death weighed heavily on him.
He even thought of his own father and grandfather.
A somber and oppressive atmosphere permeated Mystic Valley. All the disciples guessed what was happening—they dared not speak of it, choosing instead to bury themselves in their own tasks.
As dusk approached.
Gu An carried Lu Jiujia down the mountain on his back, with the disciples gathering around in silence, watching Gu An.
Then, Gu An began to bury Lu Jiujia as all the disciples in the valley stood vigil. After the tombstone was erected, the disciples together bowed in homage to Lu Jiujia.
Under the veil of night, the accumulated snow on Gu An’s attic suddenly slid off, crushing a wild herb by the staircase.
…
Forty years later, the beginning of summer.
In the Outer Gate City, the seven-hundred-year-old Gu An was at an inn, drinking with Wu Jue, who was seven hundred and two.
Wu Jue had just entered the Mystic Heart Realm and was in high spirits, endlessly recounting his breakthrough experience. With the assistance of the Supreme Sect, he breezed through his advancement.
“You have no idea how terrifying that Heavenly Tribulation was. If not for the Sect’s aid, I would have been reduced to ashes. The Sect exhausted countless Spirit Stones for me, and my own Spirit Energy Elixirs were completely used up…” Wu Jue was animated, eliciting occasional gasps of amazement from Gu An.
Mystic Heart Realm, a bit slow!
That was even after Wu Jue was cultivated with care following his exoneration from a miscarriage of justice.
Gu An felt that Wu Jue was still far behind Li Xuandao, Lv Xian, and Li Ya, and none of these three had a life span as long as his.
After a while.
Wu Jue set down his bowl of wine and asked with a smile, “What about you? How have you been these years? Any troubles?”
Gu An did not conceal the truth, sharing about the death of Lu Jiujia. Since that event, he spent less and less time in Mystic Valley.
Ye Lan and Zhen Qin were out making their own way in the world. For him, Mystic Valley was filled with juniors. Interacting with them, the disciples were inevitably reserved, making him feel it was pointless to stay there.
Hearing this, Wu Jue fell silent, thinking how similarly devastated he would be if Gu An died.
He looked at Gu An and said, “Brother Gu, you need to cultivate well. Given your age and cultivation level, Nirvana is not beyond hope for you.”
Gu An gave him a look and said irritably, “You talk as if you’ve already achieved Nirvana yourself.”
“Hehe, with my talent, is reaching the Nirvana Realm difficult?”
“What if you get into trouble again? Inside the Supreme Sect, I might be able to figure something out, but outside, who could help you?”
Gu An shook his head, making Wu Jue feel awkward. He couldn’t outtalk Gu An, so he simply poured more wine.
This brat dares to mock me; today I must get you drunk!
Wu Jue thought so to himself.
He then ordered the inn to serve their most expensive Spiritual Wine!
Two hours later.
Gu An settled the drunken Wu Jue into a guest room and then descended the stairs himself, mounting the Blood Prison Great Saint and continuing his stroll.
“Master, what does that wine taste like? Even someone in the Mystic Heart Realm can be knocked out by it?” The Blood Prison Great Saint asked curiously. Ever since he started on the path of immortal cultivation in the Lower Realm, he had never been drunk again, and so he found it quite intriguing.
“From overseas, it’s Spiritual Wine. We can order some from the tavern later.”
Gu An replied offhandedly, his gaze turning to the street ahead.
Each year, the Outer Gate City would see the emergence of many new things. This also meant that the influence of the Supreme Sect was constantly expanding.
Since the Sheng Family was dealt with, the pace of growth for the Supreme Sect accelerated further, and more powers engaged in trade with them—especially after the Sword Venerable Fudao vanquished the Immortal Lord Qiuxi, driving this trend to its peak.
Along the way, Gu An greeted people with a smile that never left his face.
Suddenly, Gu An spotted someone and quickly called out, “Jiang Qiong, what brings you here?”
He naturally knew the reason for her visit, but had to pretend otherwise.
Jiang Qiong, dressed in a red gown with a light veil covering her face, had just stepped out from a building.
Looking at Gu An, her eyes curved into two smiling crescents. She approached the Blood Prison Great Saint and joked, “If I say I came looking for you, would you believe me?”
“I don’t,” Gu An shook his head. “I don’t live here.”
Seeing that Jiang Qiong’s cultivation level had reached the eighth floor of the Unification Realm, Gu An was pleased. With a life span of over five thousand years, she was sure to achieve Nirvana.
That meant she could accompany him for tens of thousands of years.
Although many old acquaintances had passed away, there were still many who were alive, keeping Gu An from feeling too lonely.
He got down from his mount and walked shoulder to shoulder with Jiang Qiong.
Jiang Qiong did not hide the purpose of her visit. Some disciples from the Juhua Sect had a conflict with those from the Supreme Sect and ended up being captured. She was here to demand their release.
But the situation was complicated: the Supreme Sect claimed that it was the Ji Family who captured the Juhua Sect disciples, due to a death feud, and they were reluctant to interfere.
Gu An was unconcerned, “It’s a trivial matter. When it comes to connections, I still have some clout. The guy who just got drunk was saved by me once.”