In an open area of the forest, five children were sitting by a stream, resting. Among them, the tallest boy sat on a rock, holding a vine in his hand, his gaze fixed deep into the mountain woods, his eyebrows tightly knit.
A girl in tattered clothes turned her head to look at the boy on the rock and asked, “Big brother, how much farther do we have to go? Let’s not run into demons later.”
The other three boys chimed in agreement. They were all tired from walking and wanted to go home for a meal.
The boy known as “big brother” was named Yi Xiaoliang. He glared at his companions and said, “What demons? We’re here to seek immortals. If you’re sincere in your heart, you’ll encounter spirits. What’s the rush? We’ve hardly walked any distance at all. Tang Monk had to travel eighty-one thousand li to retrieve the scriptures!”
Upon hearing this, the three boys looked even more pitiable.
“But even if you’re Tang Monk, we’re no Sun Wukong or Zhu Bajie.”
“Yeah, I’m so hungry.”
“Big brother, can you bring more cakes next time we go out?”
Yi Xiaoliang was infuriated. He jumped off the rock, ready to chastise his companions, when the sight ahead caught his attention. He stared with wide eyes, completely petrified.
The girl in rags turned her head to look as well, equally frozen in place.
Seeing the two of them react like this, the other three turned to look, following their gaze. A handsome man in white emerged from under the shade of the trees, a treasure sword at his waist, a delicate crown on his head, together with his peerless handsome face, he appeared like an immortal descending to the mortal realm.
“An immortal… truly an immortal!”
One of the boys murmured to himself, unable to help but rub his eyes.
The newcomer was, in fact, Gu An, who cast Life Span Detection at Yi Xiaoliang.
[Yi Xiaoliang (Unrefined Qi):14/85/4999]
His maximum life span is not bad. Lu Jiujia has been born into a good life this time.
That’s what Gu An thought to himself, then he proceeded to deploy Life Span Detection at the other four children. He discovered that their maximum life spans were also quite impressive, with the shortest being three thousand years.
A cluster of talents?
Gu An stopped across the stream and, with a gentle smile, asked, “Little fellows, what are you doing here? Aren’t you afraid of running into bad people?”
Yi Xiaoliang snapped out of his trance, asking excitedly, “Are you the immortal from the mountains?”
The other four also looked at Gu An nervously and expectantly.
Gu An, instead of answering, countered with a question, “Do you want to cultivate toward immortality?”
At his question, the five kids, boys and girls alike, became even more excited, replying in a flurry.
“Of course we do!”
“Big brother, please teach us.”
“You must be an immortal. I’ve never seen anyone like you…”
“Yeah, big brother, we really want to cultivate toward immortality.”
Seeing this group of lively, excited children, Gu An, who was already in a good mood, grew even more delighted. It was hard to see such vivacious kids in the Third Medicine Valley.
Gu An cleared his throat with a cough and said with a hint of mystery, “I do know a bit about immortal cultivation. But if I teach you, can you promise not to tell anyone else, including your families?”
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At his words, the children, without a second thought, immediately agreed.
“Come here tomorrow, and I will impart to you the art of immortal cultivation,” Gu An said with a smile, his gaze then drifting to the celestial vault.
The Battle Court had begun to stir again!
They were targeting Yang Immortal Emperor, with the provocation of worldly unusual phenomena also playing a part.
The Battle Court feared an unprecedented catastrophic Reincarnation calamity was upon them, one that might overturn all heavens and myriad realms, so they wished to seize the Celestial Dao Golden Core before that and also to slay Long Qing.
They were afraid Long Qing might escape into the Reincarnation, having previously evaded them that way.
Long Qing’s ancestors had even utilized Reincarnation to flee all the way from outside the universe to this cosmos, using the Celestial Spirit God to foil their plans.
This time, how would Yang Immortal Emperor withstand the Battle Court?
The Celestial Dao Golden Core could not grant him greater power.
Hearing Gu An’s words, Yi Xiaoliang and his friends suddenly got anxious, feeling as if Gu An was deceiving them.
Despite Gu An’s persuasion, they could only suppress their anxieties and head back home.
Yi Xiaoliang took a few steps, then couldn’t help but look back, seeing Gu An standing by the stream with a smile, watching him and his friends leave. He felt inexplicably dazed.
For some reason, he felt a kinship with Gu An, an attachment so strong that it filled him with reluctance to leave right now.
He feared that once he left, he might never see Gu An again.
Yi Xiaoliang opened his mouth, wanting to say something.
Gu An looked at him and smiled, “Hurry back home. Tomorrow I’m still waiting for you guys to tell me the story of ‘Journey to the West’.”
At these words, Yi Xiaoliang’s heart settled down. He chuckled and quickly turned to catch up with his companions’ retreating figures.
As Gu An watched them leave, he thought to himself, “The name Pan An sure has spread widely.”
Not just ‘Journey to the West,’ but ‘The Investiture of the Gods’ and ‘Romance of the Three Kingdoms’ have also made their way to this land; Gu An saw the driving force behind this.
Someone wanted to open up the aspiration for Immortal Cultivation among the Mortal Spirits of this land.
Gu An didn’t care too much. A Cultivator of the Profound Heart Realm couldn’t influence his decision to open the Life Span Dojo.
He didn’t return to the Supreme Sect, but instead, he walked in another direction.
He was going to choose a suitable place to open the Life Span Dojo.
When the time came, he would move the World-Excluding Cave Heaven and the Eight Scenic Cave Heaven there, hiding them underground, as for the Third Medicine Valley, Profound Valley, End of the World Valley, Mountain God Temple, he wouldn’t touch them. He would just occasionally go to harvest Medicinal Herbs.
He wanted the people of the Supreme Sect to gradually get used to life without him, so that when he truly left, the Supreme Sect wouldn’t collapse.
Once the dojo was established, he could let the Celestial Demon Child and the other two girls move around in the woods, no longer confined to the World-Excluding Cave Heaven.
…
In the depths of the void, countless figures were flying, surrounding a colossal palace with nine suns floating above, radiating dazzling Heavenly Might. Ye Tianji, the master of the Battle Court, sat on his throne, with the image of the Celestial Spirit Great World reflected in his eyes.
A man with wings stood on the palace, also looking towards the distance. He turned his head to speak to Ye Tianji, “That Yang Immortal Emperor is merely at the Daoist Zang Zizai Immortal’s cultivation level. There’s no need for you to take action. Just send another person to join forces with me.”
The Daoist Zang Zizai Immortal who had invaded the Immortal Dynasty before was him, defeated by the Yang Immortal Emperor, which left him feeling humiliated and eager for revenge.
Ye Tianji, expressionless, said, “No need. Make this operation quick. Kill those who should be killed, take what should be taken, then return.”
The Reincarnation Phenomenon of the past two days had unsettled him, and recalling the legends of the Celestial Spirit Great World from before, he felt he could delay no longer.
The winged man held his tongue upon hearing this.
His gaze was suddenly drawn to the nine suns above Ye Tianji’s head. He saw mysterious figures within the suns, flickering in and out of visibility as if they were in another dimension.
“That is…”
The winged man’s pupils suddenly constricted, his heart churning with shock. He hadn’t expected Ye Tianji to summon them.
Could there be some terrifying existence hidden within the Celestial Spirit Great World that he didn’t know about?
Was it the Supporting Dao Sword Venerable?
The winged man looked away, his gaze returning to the direction of the Celestial Spirit Great World.
The mighty army of the Battle Court moved forward through the void, as if nothing could stop them.
Meanwhile, in the Celestial Spirit Great World above, numerous figures suddenly appeared on the Celestial Dao Light Layer. Great Cultivators from every corner noticed the arrival of the Battle Court.
An indescribable sense of oppression was enveloping the Celestial Spirit Great World; the higher one’s realm, the faster they felt it.
This reminded many of the time when the Profound Desolate Demon God had attacked.
Elsewhere.
Gu An was in the Third Medicine Valley, sitting in his chair, listening to An Xin recount the recent events within the Medicine Valley.
After An Xin finished, she asked with a hint of grievance, “Master, when exactly are we leaving? If we’re not leaving now, it’s difficult for me to face them.”
Gu An smiled, “Why are you in more of a hurry than I am?”
“You don’t have to face those people from the sect.”
“Have you chosen someone?”
“Let’s go with Long Qing. I can see that he doesn’t want to retreat from the world with us.”
An Xin casually replied, unlike the others, she truly wished to put aside mundane affairs and enter prolonged cultivation.
Gu An smiled, “Alright, then it shall be him.”
His prompt agreement surprised An Xin.
“Master, didn’t you say he carries a Great Cause and Effect? Are you sure you can trust him to handle things on his own?” An Xin curiously asked.
Exactly what Great Cause and Effect Long Qing carried, not to mention himself, An Xin was also very curious.
Gu An answered, “It doesn’t matter. The Great Cause and Effect he’s carrying will dissipate soon.”