Looking at the visibly anxious An Shengtian, Gu An's smile faded. He said solemnly, "You can only live until the age of twenty-five."
These words landed like a thunderbolt, causing An Shengtian's expression to change drastically.
Over the years, his cultivation had progressed rapidly, giving him a sense of hope. Yet now, being told that his lifespan was limited to just twenty-five years crushed him.
Even Jiang Shi, standing by his side, was stunned. He couldn't detect anything unusual about An Shengtian, but he would never doubt Gu An's judgment.
"Master, is there no solution? Even cultivation can't change fate?" Jiang Shi asked urgently.
"There is a way," Gu An replied. "You must sever your karmic and bloodline ties with An Hao. By doing so, the An family will completely forget your existence. To them, it will be as if you were never born into their world. However, those unrelated to the An family will still remember you."
An Shengtian froze. Even Jiang Shi was shocked. What kind of method was this?
Jiang Shi quickly calmed himself by recalling that Gu An was the Sword Master of the Dao. Meanwhile, An Shengtian's curiosity about Gu An's true identity deepened.
"I'll sever the ties! I'm willing!" An Shengtian gritted his teeth and declared.
Despite years of Jiang Shi's guidance softening his animosity toward An Hao, An Shengtian still harbored deep resentment.
To him, An Hao's bloodline was not a badge of honor but a source of shame.
Gu An calmly said, "Think about it carefully. Your deceased father and grandfather, your mother and sister—they will all forget you."
An Shengtian opened his mouth but could not voice the same determination as before.
Gu An gestured for Jiang Shi to pour some tea, signaling his intent to watch how An Shengtian would decide.
Jiang Shi wanted to interject but understood the unspoken command: Gu An's request for tea was a subtle instruction for him to stay out of it.
An Shengtian clenched his fists, his mind flooded with memories of time spent with his family.
Unwillingness.
Why should it be like this?
A sudden thought crossed An Shengtian's mind: perhaps he should accept his fate, much like the two characters An Hao had left behind—"accept destiny."
But then he remembered the blood debts owed for his father and grandfather. How could he convince himself to surrender?
Without great strength, how could he protect the family that remained alive?
As Gu An was about to lift the tea Jiang Shi had poured, An Shengtian suddenly declared with determination, "Sever it! I must sever it! I must become stronger. Even if they forget me, I will gain enough power to protect them. As long as I remember them, that will be enough!"
A glimmer of approval flashed in Gu An's eyes. At least for now, An Shengtian's thoughts were more focused on protecting his family than seeking revenge.
Gu An had no objection to An Shengtian pursuing vengeance but did not want it to be the sole purpose of his life.
Draining the cup of tea, Gu An stood and turned his gaze to An Shengtian.
A golden glow began to emanate from the lines on Gu An's forehead. It was as if an eye had opened there, radiating an otherworldly light that left both An Shengtian and Jiang Shi wide-eyed in shock.
Boom!
The surroundings shifted dramatically. The pavilion's furnishings vanished, replaced by an ethereal and eerie space.
Instinctively, both turned to look around but found nothing. A foreboding unease crept into their hearts.
Gu An raised the Pen of Destiny and pointed it at An Shengtian.
An Shengtian had seen the Pen of Destiny before but had never given it much thought. Yet, at this moment, the pen exuded an overwhelming sense of dread.
Jiang Shi felt the same. His gaze then shifted to the crown atop Gu An's head, which now seemed extraordinary.
"Is Master's entire being a treasure?" Jiang Shi wondered.
His eyes burned with reverence and fervor, and he felt an almost uncontrollable urge to bow to Gu An.
Training under such a powerful figure made Jiang Shi feel incredibly fortunate.
"Are you ready, An Shengtian?" Gu An's voice carried a calm yet commanding weight.
Gu An's expression was unreadable as he asked, "Are you ready, An Shengtian?" The seriousness in his tone made An Shengtian's throat tighten, and he swallowed hard.
"I forgot to mention," Gu An continued. "The name of your An family comes from me. Even if the An family forgets you, by following me, you will never truly be severed from them."
These words made An Shengtian's eyes widen in disbelief, his face painted with shock and awe.
The Sword Master of the Dao!
A wave of astonishment and joy crashed over him. Just as he was about to speak, Gu An suddenly moved. With a swift stroke of the Pen of Destiny, An Shengtian felt as if he had been struck by lightning, his body freezing in place.
His face contorted in pain as he tried to speak, but no words would come out.
He could feel something being stripped away from him. No, it wasn't just being taken; it was being abandoned!
An overwhelming sense of loneliness descended upon him, like a flood drowning him in an abyss of solitude. Fear gripped his heart like never before, and tears welled up in his eyes.
At that moment, he felt like a lost child, trembling and wanting to curl up into himself.
"Your talent doesn't surpass An Hao's, but can your will surpass his?"
Gu An's voice echoed in his mind, cutting through the darkness like a ray of light, dispelling the shadow within.
An Shengtian raised his eyes and saw Gu An and Jiang Shi standing before him. Jiang Shi's face was filled with worry, his lips moving as if speaking, but An Shengtian couldn't hear a word.
Instead, his gaze locked onto Gu An, whose calm eyes seemed to pierce through him.
For some reason, he didn't feel distanced or rejected by Gu An's gaze. Instead, he felt an unseen strength emanating from his master.
I cannot disappoint Master's expectations!
Gritting his teeth, An Shengtian fought against the negative emotions consuming him. His body trembled violently, as if he were in an ice-cold abyss.
Just then, Gu An's brow furrowed slightly, and he shifted his right foot. A surge of overwhelming demonic energy erupted around him, enveloping the space in an instant.
Jiang Shi turned his head in alarm, his eyes filled with confusion as he glanced at Gu An.
Gu An remained silent, watching and waiting for the process of severing An Shengtian's karmic ties to complete.
"Changing the fate of one entangled by the karmic threads of the Heavenly Dao—are you not afraid of the Heavenly Dao's backlash?"
A cold, detached voice rang out from beyond the demonic energy, startling Jiang Shi so much that he spun around in panic.
How could someone be here?
Gu An raised his gaze, peering through the shroud of demonic energy and beyond the void. His vision pierced into a distant, dark yet radiant realm. There, a resplendent, multicolored river stretched infinitely in both directions, its source and endpoint hidden from view.
The River of Fate!
Standing above the River of Fate was a luminous figure bathed in silvery light. The figure's shape was discernible, but its true form remained hidden beneath the glow.
Gu An couldn't fully perceive the figure's essence, but he knew it had locked onto his presence.
He had already activated his Extreme Dao Void Incarnation, concealing the surrounding space from prying eyes, so he remained unfazed.
Moreover, the River of Fate was an unfathomable distance away. The figure was merely transmitting its voice and had no intention of descending into the Heavenly Spirit World.
"Are you here to warn me or to stop me?" Gu An asked calmly.
The voice from the silvery figure replied, "This is merely a warning. I roam freely within the River of Fate and cannot descend into the mortal realms. You need not worry. I can see that you have already embarked on the path of karmic causation. One day, we will meet. I will await you in the River of Fate."
Gu An's expression shifted subtly as a peculiar thought crossed his mind. He asked, "May I have your name, fellow Daoist?"
The figure answered, "I have no Daoist title, only a mundane name that few would recognize. My name is Lu Qiuxian."
Hearing the name, Gu An fell silent.
Jiang Shi, on the other hand, was too terrified to even breathe audibly.
The River of Fate? The Dao of Karma? And Lu Qiuxian?
Just hearing these terms sent shivers down his spine. Was this the realm of the Immortal Dao?
While his shock grew, so did an unyielding resolve in Jiang Shi's heart.
One day, I too will step onto the River of Fate!