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

Seeing Lu Lingjun wave her hand, Gu An could only walk up to her. He cupped his fists and saluted the Holy Mother of Western Spirit, as basic courtesies should at least be observed with a Loose Immortal.

The Holy Mother of Western Spirit slightly nodded, without saying anything.

Lu Lingjun then pulled Gu An along, and after descending from the Heavenly Repair Platform, she took a storage bag from her waistbelt and handed it to him.

"I won't be returning to Medicine Valley. This is something I brought for you from overseas," Lu Lingjun said softly.

Gu An nodded and did not question what she planned to do next. He simply told her if she ever needed his help, she could always find him in the Third Medicine Valley.

Lu Lingjun smiled, then left with the Holy Mother of Western Spirit.

Watching Lu Lingjun's departing figure, Gu An thought that it seemed she was gradually distancing herself from the Third Medicine Valley.

After all, she was now the Sect Leader, and how could she possibly reside long-term in Medicine Valley, let alone have her Loose Immortal master live with servant disciples?

The Blood Prison Great Saint walked over, secretly surprised.

His master claimed to be a Loose Immortal, but a Loose Immortal could not possibly lift the Heaven-Cutting Axe.

He asked no more questions, thinking it was better for Gu An to be stronger, as it meant his current situation was a blessing rather than a curse.

Gu An turned and left, planning to wander around the Outer Gate City.

He could feel that the Holy Mother of Western Spirit's arrival was aimed at Sword Venerable Fudao, and earlier she had tried to lift the Heaven-Cutting Axe, intending to connect with Sword Venerable Fudao.

But he had no desire to meet the Holy Mother of Western Spirit.

It was easy to guess that it probably had to do with the Sea Breaking Rift.

Ten years had passed, and the disaster caused by the Sea Breaking Rift had only grown worse. Besides mysterious fierce demons, these years had also seen the appearance of beings called Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts from the Sea Breaking Rift.

Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts were immortal and could only be sealed. There were sects that had been massacred by these beings.

The most fearsome thing was that a Wandering Immortal Great Cultivator from the Star Sea Congregations had ventured into the Sea Breaking Rift, turned into a Divine Exotic Resentful Ghost, returned to the sea, acted recklessly, and slaughtered countless souls, forcing the Star Sea Congregations to use Immortal Path Supreme Treasures to suppress him.

Various rumors about the Sea Breaking Rift began to spread. Li Ya, who owned Divine Exotic City, was also being pressured, with many wanting to take his Divine Exotic City, but fortunately, the Star Sea Congregations were strong enough to protect him. However, he had lost his freedom and was unable to leave the Star Sea Congregations without permission.

While the sea was a scene of bloody turmoil, the mainland remained tranquil, with everything harmonious, at least within the Supreme Sect.

Gu An sought out his friends in the Outer Sect for a drink, discussing upcoming interesting events or the romantic tales of the sect's aristocracy.

The Supreme Sect was now very open, unlike the tense atmosphere of the past, and lower-level disciples discussing the Great Cultivators would not face retribution as a result.

The noble families now cherished their reputations, fearing any scandal that would get them expelled from the Supreme Sect.

With Sword Venerable Fudao present, the Supreme Sect had to abide by the rules of the Righteous Path.

Of course, this was only within the Supreme Sect. If one offended a sect aristocrat, they might not act within the sect, but outside it, anything could happen.

Until the night, Gu An finally rode back to the valley on the Blood Prison Great Saint. He held a wine gourd, reciting poetry, which the Blood Prison Great Saint praised as fine verse.

Gu An thought he had good judgment, daring to praise any lousy poem, which was its own kind of realm.

...

The arrival of the Holy Mother of Western Spirit did not shock the Supreme Sect, whose foundations were also quickly growing. Unless the Holy Mother of Western Spirit was coming to join the Supreme Sect, they would not mobilize for her.

Another summer arrived.

Gu An lay under the Mystic Pure Tree, staring at his attribute panel.

His lifespan had reached twenty-five million years. Although it was still far from one hundred million years, the number already gave him a sense of security.

Nearby, the White Spirit Rat and the Blood Prison Great Saint were playing. Although the White Spirit Rat could not yet speak, its maximum lifespan was continually increasing, and its reflex speed was beyond what the Blood Prison Great Saint of the Foundation Establishment Realm could match.

Boom!

A thunderous sound came from afar, alarming everyone in Medicine Valley.

The Blood Prison Great Saint and the White Spirit Rat stopped and looked toward the horizon, their expressions tense.

The Nine-Finger Divine Lord, who had been playing chess, frowned and turned to look, extending his divine sense. His face quickly grew grim.

Gu An was rather calm; the reason he was checking his attribute panel was that he sensed something significant was happening.

Before the loud noise, a powerful force had erupted from the bottom of the Sea Breaking Rift, causing immense waves on either side. The waves continued to escalate and were now reaching a height of three hundred zhang as they surged toward the mainland, growing larger all the time.

A large number of cultivators were rushing to the scene, trying to prevent the catastrophe.

Gu An sensed a massive amount of eerie energy rising from the depths of the Sea Breaking Rift, predicting the emergence of Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts.

Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts were different from the Divine Soul Demons of Divine Exotic City. They had their own spiritual wisdom and even retained memories of their former selves, but their personalities had drastically changed. They killed any living spirits they encountered, which caused the turmoil in the sea-based immortal cultivation world.

The strength of Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts was not the frightening part. The terror lay in their retained spiritual wisdom and memories, all of which had now turned against living spirits, hence the widespread fear.

Having spiritual wisdom meant they could establish rules and even posed the possibility of overturning the Mortal World!

Gu An rose, realizing he could not appear too indifferent, as the entire valley was in shock and he had to cooperate with the rest.

He wondered whether slaying the Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts could extend his lifespan.

If so, it might be worth intervening early.

Yang Jian ran over, standing next to him, and whispered: "Master, I just had an illusion of being attacked by many demons and ghosts."

Fear flashed in his eyes. It was not simply an illusion; he had felt as though he had experienced a near-death event.

Somewhere in the unseen, it seemed as if something terrifying was approaching him.

Gu An looked at Yang Jian and suddenly noticed that his karma had become blurred. He could no longer glimpse Yang Jian's past through their karmic connection.

"Don't worry; just stay by my side. What could happen? Focus on your cultivation," Gu An reassured him.

Actually, he himself was unsure of the reason behind it.

Although he was a Carefree Primordial Immortal, he had only lived for one hundred sixty-six years and did not know much about the world.

He could see through the Heaven and Earth Rules, but he had not yet reached the point of omniscience.

He guessed that the visions Yang Jian saw might be related to his physique. After all, the Immortal Seeking Taoist had said Yang Jian had some kind of ancient treasure body.

Hearing Gu An's reassurance, Yang Jian immediately felt at ease.

Right, with Master around, nothing could happen to him.

Gu An then walked toward where his disciples were gathered, intending to discuss the matter with everyone and maintain his image as a Core Formation Realm cultivator.

...

At noon.

Immortal Seeking Island.

In a courtyard, the Immortal Seeking Taoist looked at Gu An with a peculiar expression.

He poured a cup of wine for Gu An and asked: "How did Daoist Friend Meng know I was here?"

He had been back at Immortal Seeking Island for many years but had stayed in his residence without going out.

Gu An replied: "I knew when you first returned. Back then, a lot of people were aware. I came to see you today because my disciple encountered a problem."

Upon hearing it concerned Yang Jian, the Immortal Seeking Taoist lost interest in questioning how Gu An knew he was on the island and asked about the issue instead.

Gu An did not hold anything back.

After listening, the Immortal Seeking Taoist's expression became complicated. He sighed and said: "Ancient treasure bodies have a self-protection instinct. His treasure body must have sensed danger, likely related to the Sea Breaking Rift. There may be another treasure body hidden there. I have heard that ancient treasure bodies have a competitive and perceptive nature among themselves, especially innate ancient treasure bodies which can sense each other's existence and will attempt to devour one another."

"If that treasure body does come from the Sea Breaking Rift, it might be a deceased ancient strongman who has turned into a Divine Exotic Resentful Ghost. In that case, it will be a big problem."

He had returned to Immortal Seeking Island to avoid catastrophe.

At this moment, he even considered fleeing Immortal Seeking Island because he feared Gu An might bring Yang Jian along.

Admiration aside, the Immortal Seeking Taoist would not die for Yang Jian.

Not his disciple!

Even if it were his disciple, he would abandon them!

The Immortal Seeking Taoist looked at Gu An, hesitating to speak, wanting to persuade Gu An to give up on Yang Jian, but he felt that saying so would be pointless. Gu An would weigh the situation himself, and saying more would only make him unhappy.

Gu An became thoughtful.

The tsunami that had erupted yesterday continued to rise. Cultivators tried to stop it but had no success. The waves contained some powerful force that neutralized all spiritual power and mana along the way.

One day passed, and the wave's crest had already surpassed a thousand zhang.

A thousand-zhang-high wave was incredibly imposing, swallowing countless sea islands along its path.

Currently, Wandering Immortals of the Star Sea Congregations were still attempting to hold back the waves but without success.

The Immortal Seeking Taoist saw Gu An was deep in thought and did not disturb him, leisurely playing with his wine cup.

After a while, Gu An thanked the Immortal Seeking Taoist and then stood up to leave.

The Immortal Seeking Taoist did not try to keep him, realizing that Gu An's visit had provided more information.

The thought of an ancient treasure body reaching completion and emerging filled him with dread.

No, he had to escape!