Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

Time passed swiftly, and another two hundred years went by.

Gu An enlightened a hundred demons, taught personally by the White Spirit Rat. An Xin introduced them to Yi Qingshan and others, enabling the White Spirit Rat to quickly establish a relationship with the Qiankun Sect. Under the guidance of Yi Qingshan and his peers, the Qiankun Sect occasionally presented gifts to the White Spirit Rat and its subordinate demons, making the relationship between the two parties increasingly close.

After two hundred years, the Qiankun Sect had risen to power, becoming a first-class sect in the Nine Spirit Continent with aspirations of sweeping across the world.

With nine Mahayana practitioners, the Qiankun Sect was truly invincible in this land, and unifying the continent was only a matter of time as long as no forces from Overseas intervened.

Conflicts continued between heaven and earth, and the spiritual energy from nature surged towards the heart of the continent, prompting the strong practitioners to follow it. This weakened the Immortal Cultivation atmosphere in the peripheral regions.

That was the case for the Nine Spirit Continent and neighboring continents; almost no creatures from the Immortal Dao Realm visited this area, though many lower realm beings wanted to spend their remaining life here.

On this day,

Inside the Daoist Field of the Beginningless,

By a lake in the mountains, Gu An was fishing.

Blood Prison Great Saint stood by, curiously watching the lake’s surface, and couldn’t help but ask, “Master, are these fish of a special kind?”

In his mind, the master was the strongest; in his view, the master wouldn’t engage in meaningless activities. Even the leisurely ones would, upon reflection, hold significance, just like how the master enjoyed reading and writing, which Shen Zhen emulated and then attained Enlightenment.

There were also the games of Go and chess created by the master, which could enhance one’s comprehension of the Dao.

Even gardening held many subtleties, allowing for deeper contemplation.

Even serving as a bullock, a thousand years of reflection had helped the Blood Prison Great Saint shed his impetuous and arrogant temperament.

This lake was newly created by Gu An. Yesterday, when he went to the Hidden Spirit Palace to gather medicinal herbs, he brought back several small fish, all of which were released into the lake.

Gu An replied, “Nothing special, they are just ordinary fish.”

Ordinary fish?

The Blood Prison Great Saint was even more confused. He carefully observed the lake in front of him, convinced that it must hold some Profound Mystery, though he still couldn’t see through it.

Little did he know, Gu An simply wanted to fish for the sake of fishing.

His fishhook was formed from concentrated mana, and once it stuck to a fish’s mouth, the fish couldn’t escape but wouldn’t be hurt either; he merely wanted to experience the process of fishing.

After leaving the Supreme Sect, although he had a broader dojo, Gu An still had idle moments.

Although he didn’t practice Qi Absorption, he still wouldn’t do nothing when idle. He gained insights into the natural world through seemingly mundane activities.

As long as he observed naturally occurring phenomena, he could sense the Great Dao. Having reached the Innate Golden Immortal Realm, Gu An didn’t feel invincible and continued to pursue the Great Dao.

The evolution of his lifespan eliminated the need for Qi Absorption Cultivation, making him treasure the time for attaining Enlightenment even more.

Gu An was sitting on a stone with the Blood Prison Great Saint standing beside him, both quietly observing the lake. Sunlight fell on them and blended with the landscape, creating a peaceful and beautiful picture.

After a long while,

A figure descended from the sky and landed beside Gu An; it was Chen Chuan.

The thousand-year-old Chen Chuan had also reached the Nirvana Realm. From Nirvana to the Loose Immortal Realm, the time required was incomparable to that of the Mortal Realm, so those at Nirvana Realm around Gu An still hadn’t reached the Loose Immortal Realm.

Not everyone’s talent compared to An Hao’s; An Hao’s opportunities could even be said to be unique, unrivalled in the world.

“Master, I sense a sword,” Chen Chuan spoke, his eyes filled with excitement.

Before Gu An could respond, the Blood Prison Great Saint curiously asked, “What sword?”

Since arriving at the Daoist Field of the Beginningless, the Blood Prison Great Saint hadn’t sensed any dangerous aura. He hadn’t felt the formidable sword, but he knew Chen Chuan’s Destiny Pattern was extraordinary, so he was very curious.

“I can’t explain clearly, but I feel a sword has descended upon this world, continuously emitting sword cries as if waiting for me to seek it,” answered Chen Chuan, pondering and recalling his previous sensations as he spoke.

His words made the Blood Prison Great Saint even more curious.

When Gu An moved from the Supreme Sect to this place, he didn’t bring Long Qing or other close disciples but brought Chen Chuan. The Blood Prison Great Saint always felt that Chen Chun’s talent might match that of An Hao or Yang Jian.

In fact, Chen Chuan had indeed shown dazzling comprehension in the Sword Dao, although the Blood Prison Great Saint felt it still wasn’t enough.

“There is indeed such a sword, coming from Outer Heaven. It is the strongest sword in the world. Possessing it qualifies one to contend for the world. Not just you, but anyone who diligently practices the Sword Dao will sense it,” Gu An responded, his gaze fixed on the lake surface, never wavering.

Hearing this, Chen Chuan frowned.

Blood Prison Great Saint widened his eyes and asked, “This is clearly a conspiracy. Is another power from Outer Heaven about to attack?”

Throughout the previous cataclysms of heaven and earth, it was always the forces from Outer Heaven that initiated them; the conflicts between the Immortal Dynasty and the Holy Court were never a threat to all living beings.

“It’s the work of the Great Hong Sword Heaven behind Jue Luo Sword Monarch,” Gu An answered.

Hearing about Jue Luo Sword Monarch, both Blood Prison Great Saint and Chen Chuan exchanged glances.

“Tsk tsk, could it be that guy lost to Yang Immortal Emperor and couldn’t accept it?” Blood Prison Great Saint guessed with schadenfreude.

He disliked the way Jue Luo Sword Monarch carried himself—a demeanor that screamed invincibility—which he found repulsive.

Chen Chuan, on the other hand, remained silent as he began to feel the sword again.

For some reason, he always felt that the sword was of special significance to him, but his master’s words left him confused.

If others felt the same way he did, then indeed, they shouldn’t go. Find exclusive stories on My Virtual Library Empire

But…

Was it really the same?

Gu An’s fishing rod began to move. He waited a few moments before suddenly yanking it, pulling a large yellow fish into his hands. He unhooked the fish and released it back into the lake.

This action made Chen Chuan pause; he took a deep breath, then walked to a patch of grass and sat down.

He took out his own sword, placed it on his lap, and quietly contemplated.

Blood Prison Great Saint looked at him with a curious expression.

Gu An remained silent, just the corners of his mouth lifted.

In his eyes, that number one divine sword was nothing exceptional. Chen Chuan didn’t need to compete; by cultivating by his side, he would eventually surpass that sword.

However…

“Senior Brother Li, you’re not going to ask me to take action, are you?” Gu An looked up towards the horizon with a teasing gaze.

Meanwhile.

On the other side of the world.

Above an endless ocean, dressed in black, Li Ya stood on a black eagle, soaring across the sea of clouds, with Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit perched on his shoulder, gripping his hair, shivering.

“Do we really have to steal it? The aura of this sword is very powerful; it will definitely attract terrifyingly strong individuals. Don’t forget, my master has already left the Celestial Spirit Great World.” Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit couldn’t help but ask.

It had deliberately conveyed the news of Gu An’s departure to Li Ya, hoping that Li Ya would be less reckless in the future.

Its method indeed worked: Li Ya had been peaceful for a thousand years, but today, he was embarking on an adventure again.

Li Ya’s eyes were cold as he said, “How can I become stronger without striving for it? By meditating in seclusion? Don’t worry, if it really comes to dying, I’ll let you go. I won’t drag you down.”

His heart, though, was aflame.

Because he felt that the sword was calling to him—he was the true master recognized by the sword!

Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit couldn’t help but say, “Do you really think I could escape if it comes to that?”

Li Ya glanced at it and said, “Then why don’t you leave now? I must go regardless. Perhaps this is my only chance to catch up to An Hao.”

Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit rolled its eyes, retorted irritably, “You’re always talking about An Hao. It’s been years without any news of him; he might already be dead. Don’t always fantasize about how strong your opponents are, and then force yourself.”

“That’s impossible. He can’t be dead. His cultivation level must be outrageous. With my current abilities, I doubt I could withstand even one of his moves,” Li Ya shook his head.

No matter how far the places he had visited or how strong the people he had met, he always believed that An Hao was the foremost talent in heaven and earth.

He felt that fate had made him encounter An Hao, and that was a blessing to him.

With An Hao there, he would never be complacent about his achievements. He would always feel not strong enough and thus continue to strive.

Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit scratched its head, feeling that Li Ya was delusional and beyond persuasion, but it was not panicking.

After all these years, it suddenly wanted to see its master, and Li Ya should be able to help it.