Inside Submerged Spirit Palace, Gu An was watching Deep Sea Dragon Koi spar with Chen Luo, listening to Xuanmiao Zhenren's words with a relaxed expression.
He had not misjudged him!
As for He Qingsong, Gu An didn't pay him much attention. After all, he had already noticed that there were many like He Qingsong spreading the ideology of Immortals across the land. Their numbers were increasing, and their bodies were surrounded by Heavenly Dao's fortune.
It seemed these people wanted all beings to believe in the existence of Immortals and revere the Heavenly Dao.
Because of this, they sought to topple everything—to dismantle the images of Divine Sovereign, Sword Master of the Dao, and Sun Immortal Emperor as the strongest figures in the hearts of the people.
They wanted everyone to understand that the Heavenly Dao dictates everything.
At this rate, one day, all beings would believe only in the Heavenly Dao and in destiny. No matter how powerful a person was, their status in the hearts of the people would inevitably collapse. This belief would plant a seed deep in their hearts:
Aside from the Heavenly Dao and Immortals, nothing is eternal.
Long-lasting ruling forces, like the Sacred Court, would no longer exist, because even the people of the Sacred Court would believe they could be overthrown—as long as Heaven's Mandate was with their enemies.
Boom!
Chen Luo crashed into the ground, the impact shattering the earth beneath him like a spiderweb.
His spiritual energy was completely exhausted.
His long hair was in disarray, and he let out a deep breath, making no attempt to rise again.
Xu Ling appeared beside him—not to comfort him, but to mock him instead.
"I told you not to cripple your own cultivation. Even if you've regained it now, your strength is far from what it used to be. The century you lost will take even longer to recover."
Chen Luo let out a bitter laugh.
"I was too reckless back then… When you died, all I could think about was chasing after you."
Xu Ling's teasing smile froze.
She squatted down beside him, helping him up.
Dressed in white, Deep Sea Dragon Koi descended from the sky.
Though his features still carried a feminine softness, his demeanor was no longer as delicate as before.
Chen Luo's presence had given him a deeper understanding of the difference between men and women, and he was searching for his true self.
"You're strong," Deep Sea Dragon Koi said sincerely. "If our cultivation levels were equal, I might not have been able to defeat you."
Supported by Xu Ling, Chen Luo chuckled bitterly.
"Don't try to comfort me. I know how wide the gap is between us. Don't worry, I won't let it get to me."
Deep Sea Dragon Koi didn't know what to say.
He had indeed been trying to comfort Chen Luo—but in truth, he had felt no pressure at all during their duel.
Meanwhile, Gu An lay back in his rocking chair, closing his eyes to rest.
In every Medicine Valley and Daoist training ground, cultivators were hard at work refining their techniques.
Gu An wondered what roles these people would play in the future.
As a Vast Heaven Free Immortal, even though he could not directly extend others' lifespans, his mere presence influenced fate.
Under his influence, those around him would always become stronger than they were meant to be.
It wasn't that all geniuses were drawn toward Gu An.
It was that he created geniuses.
And those who could truly approach him were all bearers of great fortune.
He was the strongest being in the entire Heavenly Spirit World.
No matter how much he withdrew from worldly affairs, his mere existence would continue to shape the destiny of the world.
After chatting for a while, Deep Sea Dragon Koi, Chen Luo, and Xu Ling began discussing their goals.
Chen Luo's only desire was to grow stronger—to protect his son, Chen Chuan.
Xu Ling, however, had greater ambitions.
She wanted revenge.
Deep Sea Dragon Koi, on the other hand, sought to unite the entire ocean—to establish order and better protect Submerged Spirit Palace.
Beneath the vast blue sky, the ocean surged endlessly, stretching beyond the horizon.
In the clouds above, Jueluo Sword Master stood arrogantly, gazing down from the sky.
Before him, countless volumes of the Heavenly Dao Discourse floated in the air.
The corner of his mouth curled into a proud smirk, his eyes filled with disdain as he looked down at the ten or so cultivators before him.
"All of your Heavenly Dao Discourses now belong to me."
He sneered, his voice dripping with scorn.
"Get lost."
"Even if you trained for another ten million years, you would never be worthy of touching the Heavenly Dao Discourse!"
His words were merciless, filled with sheer mockery.
Despite his seemingly obedient nature in the Third Medicine Valley, Jue Luo Sword Master had once dared to challenge Sword Master of the Dao upon his arrival.
The black-robed man and his subordinates looked grim. All of them bore injuries—some were even reduced to mere souls, barely clinging to existence. Their gazes toward Jue Luo Sword Master were filled with resentment and fear.
His overwhelming strength left them utterly hopeless.
At this moment, none of them dared to speak. They simply turned their eyes to the black-robed man, waiting for him to make the decision.
The black-robed man gripped his sword, his gaze fixed on the blade, which was enveloped in a faint, nearly imperceptible layer of sword qi.
This sword qi felt heavier than the heavens.
So heavy that he realized he would never be able to surpass Jue Luo Sword Master on the path of the sword.
He took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice:
"Retreat!"
Without hesitation, he turned and left. The other cultivators quickly followed suit.
Far away, on a distant island, a gathering of cultivators and powerful demons were deep in discussion about the battle that had just taken place.
Yang Jian was among them.
From afar, he gazed at Jue Luo Sword Master, his heart filled with awe.
What an unparalleled mastery of the sword!
At that moment, he even thought Jue Luo Sword Master was invincible under the heavens.
But then he remembered—Jue Luo Sword Master had spent centuries inside the Third Medicine Valley.
If even someone like him needed centuries of training in that place, then just how profound was Master's Dao?
Rumor had it that Divine Sovereign's reincarnation had also appeared in the Third Medicine Valley and had even taken Master as his teacher...
For the first time, Yang Jian hesitated.
Had he made a mistake by leaving the Third Medicine Valley?
If he had stayed, would he have encountered an even greater opportunity?
He wasn't sure.
But one thing was certain: the cultivation techniques and divine abilities Master had imparted to him had already allowed him to surpass his past life.
"Jue Luo Sword Master has already collected six volumes of the Heavenly Dao Discourse. He's not far from obtaining the True Immortal's inheritance."
"He doesn't even seem to be searching for the texts himself. He's just waiting for challengers to come to him."
"I heard he has already reached the Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Dao."
"But I've also heard that he comes from another Grand World and was suppressed by Sword Master of the Dao upon arrival."
"Sword Master of the Dao is powerful, but he was never the prophesied Savior. Perhaps Jue Luo Sword Master is the one?"
As he listened to the murmurs around him, Yang Jian frowned.
He could sense that people's reverence for his Master was weakening.
They were starting to place their hopes on another 'Savior'.
If Master knew about this, he would probably be relieved—he had never cared for such titles.
And yet, Yang Jian couldn't shake the feeling that something was orchestrating this shift.
A force lurking in the shadows, manipulating the flow of fate.
Something about it felt deeply unsettling.
Seasons came and went.
Time flowed like a river.
In the blink of an eye, two hundred years had passed.
At the edge of the Third Medicine Valley, atop a mountaintop pavilion, Gu An and Lü Baitian sat across from each other, drinking wine.
As Lü Baitian grumbled about something, Gu An silently pulled up his attribute panel.
[Name: Gu An]
[Lifespan: 1,913/7,450,227,042]
[Physique: Hunyuan Boundless Physique]
[Cultivation: Vast Heaven Free Immortal Realm—Perfection Stage]
Seven billion four hundred fifty million years of lifespan.
The ten-billion mark was getting closer.
It had been a long time since he had activated any lifespan-related functions.
What would unlock next?
At the same time, Gu An pondered his next breakthrough.
Where should he go?
He had a strong feeling that his next breakthrough would alarm the Heavenly Spirit God—or perhaps even those enigmatic Immortals lurking in the unknown.
Even though his Lifespan Barrier could conceal his presence, if he were the Heavenly Spirit God, he would not sit idly by while a potential threat continued to grow.
And at this point, Gu An's name was already far too well-known.
He needed to tread carefully.
Lü Baitian lifted his eyes, looking at Gu An.
"Gu An, what do you think?" he asked. "Tell me, don't you think they're getting too greedy?"