Hearing Shen Zhen's words, Gu An chuckled and asked, "Do you think that counts as a prophecy?"
Shen Zhen shot him a glare. "I don't know! It's just something that randomly came to me. The image was so vivid, it gave me goosebumps. Whether it's a prophecy or not, I can't be sure."
"Then if you think of anything else in the future, keep telling me. I'm curious to see what happens between those two figures you described."
Gu An smiled faintly. His thoughts shifted to An Hao and Yang Jian. However, with their current cultivation levels, it was hard to imagine when they might truly rise to such heights.
Could Shen Zhen have caught a glimpse of the Yangxian Emperor of the Immortal Dynasty and the Divine Sovereign of the Sacred Court?
No, that didn't seem right either. Shen Zhen's cultivation wasn't advanced enough to perceive a confrontation between beings at the eighth or ninth level of the Immortal Dao.
Shen Zhen nodded enthusiastically, her excitement building. "Gu An, do you think I could be a reincarnated immortal? I'm so unique! No one else in the world can comprehend the Dao through writing and painting like I can. And now, I'm having visions that feel like glimpses of heavenly secrets…"
Her words grew more animated, her eyes gleaming with excitement. By the time she finished, she was so worked up that she slammed her hands on the table and stood up.
She leaned forward, staring intently at Gu An as if demanding an answer. "Gu An, do you think I'm the protagonist of one of your novels?"
Gu An's face twitched as he replied, "Are you messing with me?"
Having spent so much time around him, Shen Zhen had picked up on his eccentric phrases. Now she understood their meaning and glared at him again before sitting back down. Soon, her mind drifted into wild fantasies, and a dreamy smile spread across her face.
Gu An couldn't be bothered to pay her any more attention. He picked up a brush and began writing.
Lately, most of his time was spent studying medicinal herbs, but now that he had a rare moment of leisure, he decided to write a new book for fun.
Perhaps it was time to recreate the remaining three of the Four Great Classics in a cultivation-themed version.
"Zhang Fei roared at Changban Bridge, shattering a million heavenly demons."
"Lu Zhishen uprooted the World Tree, and Wu Song slayed the Demon Emperor…"
"Lin Daiyu's tears fell, and the world wept under endless rain…"
The ideas thrilled him.
Gu An chuckled to himself, though his heart stirred with a twinge of melancholy.
He couldn't help but wonder where Earth, his world from his previous life, might be.
In this life, he had no parents, no family. A constant void lingered in his heart, a sense of being unmoored.
Perhaps it was this solitude that made him cherish every person who shared a connection with him.
The room fell into a quiet stillness as each of them became absorbed in their own thoughts.
The Immortal Dynasty's Immortal Spirits spread across the world, but their presence didn't cause widespread panic. None of the major sects seemed to sense anything unusual.
Thus, another decade quietly passed.
It was the summer of this year, and Gu An, now 412 years old, had just returned from Tianya Valley.
Seated in a chair, he stretched leisurely.
He was about to pick up The Adventures of Green Hero when a sudden realization struck him. Setting the book aside, he reached instead for a compendium of formation techniques.
Before long, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside.
The door burst open, and You Yingying stormed in. She marched to his desk, slamming a book onto it with enough force to rattle the furniture.
"How dare you kill off the prime minister!" she demanded, glaring at him with fiery eyes.
Nine years ago, Gu An had released Romance of the Three Kingdoms, reimagined within a cultivation framework. The novel's heroes, scholars, and generals were all cultivators. In just a few months, it had taken the cultivation world by storm.
Gu An, writing under his pen name Pan An, once again became a household name. The novel's influence even spread overseas.
The tale of the Peach Garden Oath became the talk of the world, inspiring a trend of sworn brotherhoods among cultivators.
The legendary duel at the Tiger Gate Pass, where Demon God Lü Bu faced off against the three Immortal Emperors Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, became an enduring story passed from one mouth to another.
Recently, the Tai Xuan Sect had released the latest volume, where the prime minister of Shu Immortal Nation, Zhuge Liang, failed in lighting the Seven Star Lamps and passed away.
You Yingying, having read the new installment in the library, was heartbroken. The earlier deaths of Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei had already been hard to bear. Now, with Zhuge Liang gone, she lost all interest in the story and came storming in to vent her frustration on Gu An.
"Tragedy is inevitable," Gu An said helplessly. "Early or late, everyone meets their end."
"It's not the same! This is Zhuge Liang we're talking about! He could divine destiny, summon the forces of heaven and earth, and command the Eight Trigrams Formation with a mere wave of his feather fan. He even conjured winds that could sweep across entire worlds!" You Yingying's voice grew louder, and in her agitation, she moved to grab at Gu An.
Gu An quickly rose and evaded her grasp.
Their playful scuffle carried on until Gu An, thoroughly intimidated, fled downstairs.
But he hadn't gone far before Gu Yu and Zuo Lin appeared, their expressions equally indignant. Realizing he was in trouble, Gu An darted into Ji Xiaoya's room for refuge.
Ji Xiaoya, already renowned for her genius, had the backing of her illustrious family. Faced with her imposing presence, You Yingying, Gu Yu, and Zuo Lin dared not intrude recklessly.
Inside the room, Ji Xiaoya sat cross-legged on her bed in meditation. She opened her eyes curiously as Gu An entered.
"What's this about Zhuge Liang? Have you been writing again?" she asked.
Ji Xiaoya seldom had time to read due to her prolonged cultivation retreats.
Gu An ignored the fact that she had clearly been eavesdropping. "Yeah, I wrote something. But why am I being harassed over a fictional character's fate? It's absurd!"
"Can I read it?" Ji Xiaoya's interest was piqued, and she immediately got off the bed.
Gu An nodded and, with a wave of his hand, summoned several books, stacking them neatly on the table.
Ji Xiaoya settled down to read.
Meanwhile, Gu An wandered around the room, inhaling the faint fragrance that lingered in the air.
Gu An followed the source of the fragrance and his gaze landed on Ji Xiaoya's bed. There, he spotted a red handkerchief from which the scent emanated.
"Huh?"
This turned out to be a supreme treasure of the Immortal Dao!
If Gu An hadn't probed it with his divine sense, he wouldn't have discovered this at all.
Where did this Immortal Dao treasure come from?
Gu An sensed that the restrictive aura within the red handkerchief matched Ji Xiaoya's, and it didn't seem like it had been claimed postnatally.
Could this be an Immortal Dao treasure that Ji Xiaoya had forged in her previous life?
If so, then her previous self was at least at the Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Dao.
It made sense. Without such cultivation, how could she command the unwavering obedience of the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor, who was at the eighth level of the Divine Thought True Immortal Realm?
Currently, the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor remained in the Third Medicine Valley, rarely stepping out.
After You Yingying and the others left, Gu An prepared to take his leave as well.
Ji Xiaoya, now engrossed in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, didn't try to stop him.
Leaving the room, Gu An didn't return upstairs but instead rode the Blood Prison Saint to patrol the Medicine Valley.
Under the Mysterious Clear Tree, An Xin was meditating and cultivating her qi. In the forest, Long Qing and Shen Xin Zi were refining their physiques. Other disciples were also busy with their own endeavors. At a glance, the entire Medicine Valley exuded a sense of vitality, which left Gu An quite satisfied.
The Blood Prison Saint hadn't walked far when an immense aura swept across the entire Heavenly Spirit World.
Gu An looked up to see a figure high above the Heavenly Spirit World. The person stood beneath the outer layer of radiance, still within the bounds of the Heavenly Spirit World's firmament.
A Divine Thought True Immortal!
"I am Yuanxu Immortal Ancestor, hailing from the Immortal Dynasty. My lifespan is nearing its end, and I wish to use my thirty million years of Dao attainment to grant all beings a great boon. My Dao will transform into Immortal Rain to aid the comprehension of the Dao, and my body will open the cycle of reincarnation, granting a destination for mortal souls!"
A solemn voice resounded throughout the Heavenly Spirit World. Everyone in the Third Medicine Valley raised their heads, all shocked by the proclamation.
Gu An watched as Yuanxu Immortal Ancestor stretched out his arms, radiating a brilliant light that instantly overshadowed the seven suns beyond the heavens.
From the direction of the Sacred Court, countless figures flew toward Yuanxu Immortal Ancestor, hoping to approach him, but it was already too late.
Gu An raised his head as the radiant light from above drowned out all sight, reducing him and the Blood Prison Saint to silhouettes amidst the brilliance.
"Thirty million years of cultivation? Is that even possible?" the Blood Prison Saint asked in disbelief.
The thought of living for thirty million years, let alone achieving such a cultivation level, was unimaginable.
And what was this "Immortal Dynasty"? Just hearing the name made it sound extraordinary. Could there really be a power stronger than the Sacred Court in this world?
Before the light fully dissipated, rain began to fall. As everyone's vision cleared, they saw golden clouds covering the sky, raining down golden droplets.
As the golden rain fell upon them, every living being felt a sense of clarity and noticed a subtle increase in their cultivation levels.
The world erupted in astonishment. The Tai Xuan Sect was abuzz with uproar.
"Is this rain real?"
"The Immortal Dynasty… Yuanxu Immortal Ancestor… am I dreaming?"
"Quick, sit down and cultivate! This rain really enhances cultivation!"
"The Immortal Dynasty? Could it be like the Heavenly Court from Journey to the West?"
"Pan An wasn't just making things up! There really are forces where immortals and gods gather."
The disciples in the Third Medicine Valley were equally abuzz. Some immediately sat down to meditate, while others hesitated, wary that it might be a trap.
Gu An's gaze pierced through the golden clouds, focusing on Yuanxu Immortal Ancestor. Amid the radiant light, the ancestor's body disintegrated, transforming into streams of energy that spiraled into a vortex, gradually solidifying.
Somehow, Gu An could feel a mysterious rule of heaven and earth converging toward the vortex.
This rule was intimately tied to souls, and he immediately thought of one word:
Reincarnation!
A Divine Thought True Immortal had willingly sacrificed himself to establish reincarnation!
Even within his own experiences of observing the evolution of reincarnation, Gu An had never witnessed such a feat.
With this act, the Immortal Dynasty had secured its reputation across the world, ensuring its name would be remembered with gratitude.
If the Sacred Court chose to attack the Immortal Dynasty now, it could undermine their standing in the eyes of all beings.
Gu An raised his right hand, catching the golden rain.
Suddenly, he noticed Zhang Xianwang soaring into the air, ascending above the Tai Cang Continent. Zhang Xianwang hovered cross-legged in the sky and began to deliver a sermon.
As his celestial voice echoed, all beings across the continent, regardless of what they were doing, paused and entered a mystical state of comprehension.
It wasn't just the Tai Cang Continent. Gu An saw Immortal Spirits scattered across the world emerge to preach, causing alarm in the Sacred Court's major cities. Sacred Court cultivators quickly surrounded the preaching Immortal Spirits, but no one dared to act rashly.
With the thoughts of all beings connected through the Immortal Spirits' sermons, the spirits could imprint their words and visions directly into everyone's minds with a single thought.
Even the Blood Prison Saint beneath Gu An entered a state of enlightenment, lying down without awareness.
"To think they could do this…" Gu An mused. Though he remained on the saint's back, his gaze grew distant as he feigned being lost in comprehension.
The Sun and Moon Nether Emperor emerged from his dwelling, his expression stern as he looked toward Zhang Xianwang.
"The Immortal Dynasty… they're willing to sacrifice a Divine Thought True Immortal…" The Sun and Moon Nether Emperor was equally astounded by Yuanxu Immortal Ancestor's actions.
Having lived for over fifteen million years, even he had never witnessed such a thing.
Whether or not Yuanxu Immortal Ancestor had ulterior motives, this act undeniably benefitted the world.
The golden rain poured down relentlessly, penetrating roofs and mountains alike. Regardless of location, every living being received the rain's baptism and heard the sermons of the Immortal Spirits.