Though Gu An hadn't gone all out, his attack was enough to disperse the power contained within the massive wave, restoring calm to the seas near the Great Rift of the Broken Sea.
As for the calamity on the other side of the ocean, Gu An didn't bother to intervene. He didn't believe that no one over there was capable of stopping the tide.
Even if Gu An hadn't acted, he was certain that some other great figure would step forward eventually. The only uncertainty was the timing—it might not happen until after the Tai Xuan Sect was submerged.
And, as it turned out, his assumption was correct.
Two days later, Gu An observed from afar as the waves on the other side of the Great Rift were dispersed by a mysterious senior cultivator. Though the display of power wasn't enough to make Gu An feel threatened, it confirmed one thing: that individual was a Unrestrained Primordial Immortal.
After scattering the waves, the Unrestrained Primordial Immortal disappeared without a trace.
This world was indeed full of hidden masters. The higher their cultivation, the more enigmatic they seemed. Some, like Gu An, blended into ordinary life, while others secluded themselves in their caves, completely detached from worldly affairs.
Gu An had explored this realm before, and there were many places even he couldn't fully discern.
Three more days passed, and news of the oceanic events reached the Tai Xuan Sect.
The Sword Master of the Dao had acted, slaying a powerful vengeful ghost and resolving the calamity!
The Tai Xuan Sect erupted in excitement, and the news spread like wildfire.
Gu An, still in his study reading a book, overheard disciples enthusiastically discussing the event. He didn't leave his pavilion but continued reading as if nothing had happened.
This intervention hadn't brought him any particular sense of accomplishment. Only once the Great Rift of the Broken Sea vanished for good would he allow himself to feel satisfaction.
However, as evening approached, an exasperating event unfolded.
You Yingying, who had left just a few days earlier, returned.
The first thing she did upon her return was to seek out Gu An and excitedly relay everything she had learned. Her tone was brimming with admiration and reverence for the Sword Master of the Dao.
Her account was more detailed than any rumors Gu An had overheard. According to her, the Great Rift of the Broken Sea had unleashed waves capable of engulfing heaven and earth. Hidden within those waves was a vengeful ghost so formidable that even the Star Sea Sect had been powerless against it.
She even made a point to explain what vengeful ghosts were, as if worried Gu An might not grasp their terrifying nature.
Playing along, Gu An feigned tension whenever she mentioned the calamity or vengeful ghosts. Then, when she brought up the Sword Master of the Dao, he acted exhilarated, perfectly mirroring her enthusiasm and satisfying her need to share her feelings.
The impact of this event had clearly been overwhelming for You Yingying, leaving her desperate to find someone to confide in. Naturally, she preferred talking to someone within the Tai Xuan Sect.
She wanted the Tai Xuan Sect disciples to understand their immense fortune, to recognize the unparalleled strength of the Sword Master of the Dao, and to feel an eternal sense of gratitude.
"To think the Sword Master of the Dao would favor the Tai Xuan Sect! They must be blessed by their ancestors!" she exclaimed. "If only such a powerful figure resided in the Star Sea Sect instead…"
At this point, Gu An began to feel that something was off.
Why was she telling him all this? Could she have guessed his true identity as the Sword Master of the Dao?
A sense of wariness toward You Yingying began to grow in Gu An's heart.
Unbeknownst to him, You Yingying hadn't entertained such thoughts at all. She was simply speaking her mind without restraint, utterly unaware of Gu An's suspicions.
After a long while, You Yingying finally finished venting her excitement and left in high spirits.
Watching her retreating figure, Gu An sighed inwardly. What a shame he hadn't been able to use this opportunity to rid himself of her.
Still, given how much she revered the Sword Master of the Dao, he decided to let her stay a little longer.
In the days that followed, the entire Tai Xuan Sect buzzed with discussions about the Sword Master of the Dao. With so many oceanic cultivators in the sect, news about vengeful ghosts also spread rapidly.
The phrase "immortal and indestructible, devouring living beings" made vengeful ghosts sound horrifying enough. But learning that they were transformed from living beings only added to their terror.
It's worth noting that You Yingying spent her days in the Outer Sect's cities, tirelessly proclaiming the might of the Sword Master of the Dao. She believed that by clarifying certain truths, the Tai Xuan Sect would revere the Sword Master even more.
Each time the Sword Master of the Dao intervened, the number of cultivators gathering at the Heaven Mending Platform surged dramatically.
This had made Zuo Yijian, the guardian of the Heaven-Sundering Axe, busier than ever. Yet he didn't seem fatigued—if anything, he was energized and carried himself with more pride than usual.
After all, the Sword Master of the Dao had patted him on the shoulder once!
Who could boast of such an honor?
Gu An observed countless sects gathering above the Great Rift of the Broken Sea. Scanning the scene, he estimated over five million cultivators had assembled, and the number was still climbing. Clearly, the Great Rift had thrown the entire oceanic realm into panic.
He looked upward, noting the increasing number of Heaven and Earth Flying Immortals descending into this realm. It seemed the major forces of the ocean were summoning their reinforcements.
This was undoubtedly a good thing.
Yet Gu An couldn't help but wonder: as more cultivators rushed to assist, would this inadvertently lead to an increase in the number of vengeful ghosts?
He could only hope that the gathered sects would resolve the catastrophe deep within the Great Rift on their own.
After all, he wasn't the chosen protagonist of this realm's destiny. Surely it wasn't all up to him to fix everything, right?
He found it unlikely. This realm housed dynasties brimming with celestial spirits and a mysterious continent so steeped in fortune that even his divine sense couldn't penetrate it.
Additionally, Gu An had previously noticed many transcendent forces far beyond the likes of the Star Sea Sect or the Seven Star Spirit Realm.
While the Star Sea Sect reigned as a maritime hegemon, it wasn't the only one.
With his level of cultivation, Gu An could sense the fortune of sects and factions. By comparison, the Tai Xuan Sect's fortune wasn't even a fraction of the Star Sea Sect's. Similarly, the Star Sea Sect's fortune was but a speck compared to that of the Immortal Dynasty.
Gu An speculated that those truly first-class factions likely had branches in realms beyond this one, granting them access to far more resources than the Star Sea Sect could ever hope for.
Despite the commotion caused by the Sword Master of the Dao, Gu An's life remained largely undisturbed.
However, he did begin devoting more time to training Yang Jian.
Ever since Gu An dispersed the massive wave, Yang Jian had started experiencing more frequent visions. These disturbances severely affected his cultivation progress.
Once, while Gu An was teaching Yang Jian, the young man suddenly froze mid-session. When Gu An shook him awake, Yang Jian was drenched in cold sweat. He described a vivid hallucination of being devoured alive, completely unable to resist. The pain had felt so real that it even resonated in his physical body.
Unfortunately, even Gu An couldn't use karmic calculations to trace the source of these visions.
Time passed day by day.
As the year's end approached, winter snow blanketed the mountains and valleys.
In a forest about a hundred miles outside the Medicine Valley, Gu An was instructing Yang Jian in the Infinite Free Step technique.
Yang Jian's innate talent and comprehension were exceptional, but the Infinite Free Step was equally profound and challenging. Mastering it was no easy feat.
After a particularly tricky maneuver, Yang Jian nearly collided with a tree trunk but managed to stabilize himself just in time.
Turning back toward Gu An, he opened his mouth to speak but suddenly froze, frowning deeply.
Clutching his head with both hands, he collapsed onto the snow-covered ground.
Sensing something amiss, Gu An immediately used his power to isolate the area, ensuring that any unusual occurrences wouldn't alarm the Tai Xuan Sect.
He approached Yang Jian and placed a hand on his shoulder, channeling his energy to assist him.
In an instant, Gu An felt an unfamiliar karmic force surging toward him. Though he could have resisted it, he hesitated for a moment and chose to feign weakness, allowing himself to be drawn in.
Both his and Yang Jian's consciousnesses were pulled into a mysterious illusion.
Yang Jian, upon seeing his master's figure materialize beside him, let out a sigh of relief.
He was about to speak when he sensed something unusual. Turning his head, he spotted a pitch-black shadow approaching through the endless expanse of white snow. The figure seemed to be clad in some form of armor.
"An Abyssal Tyrant Body, a rare sight in a million years."
A chilling voice echoed from the shadow, dripping with greed. The speaker even seemed to audibly swallow, sending shivers down their spines.