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

Gu An remembered the Sky Demon Great Emperor because of Ji Xiaoyu.

The Sky Demon Great Emperor had a grudge with Ji Xiaoyu, and Ji Xiaoyu's original self had lost to him several times.

When the Sky Demon Great Emperor descended near the Great Heavenly Spirit Land, Gu An had divined the future and knew what would happen next.

If he did not act, the Sky Demon Great Emperor would bring catastrophic disaster to the Great Heavenly Spirit Land.

If he did act, more calamities would emerge in the future, possibly hastening the demise of the Great Heavenly Spirit Land.

The fate of the Great Heavenly Spirit Land was due to the fortunes of Great Heaven and Earth, which is to say, determined by Heavenly Dao.

Heavenly Dao influences the will of all living beings, incites them towards aggression, and creates an environment for escalating conflict. Unless Gu An could manipulate the will of all living beings, only then could he truly save the people of the Great Heavenly Spirit Land. But to do so would turn the people into puppets, resulting in a fate worse than death.

Moreover, what Heavenly Dao annihilated was the people of this era, not leaving the Great Heavenly Spirit Land devoid of life.

Over the years, Gu An's prophecies had steadily improved, and he could even foresee the outcomes of his actions—of course, he could not predict entities more powerful than himself.

"A Demon God? What Demon God, is it an adversary of yours, Master?" Tian Bai instinctively asked upon hearing Gu An's words.

Outer World Cave was still trembling. Here, isolated by the powers of heaven and earth, it was still so much so; one could imagine the greater commotion in the Mortal World outside.

Gu An replied, "I have the power to protect myself, but not the whole world. Invisible and intangible forces beyond our grasp manipulate everything. Immortal cultivation is about breaking free from such powers."

Upon hearing this, the three demons fell into contemplation.

Tian Yao'er cautiously asked, "Then, can I still go out to break through?"

Gu An smiled. "Of course you can. In a few days, I'll take you there."

Worry vanished from Tian Yao'er's face, replaced by excitement—she was too eager for her breakthrough into the Nirvana Realm.

Tianqing and Tian Bai were equally anticipating the Nirvana Realm, yet with lesser talent than Tian Yao'er, their breakthrough would require hundreds more years of waiting.

...

Boom—

The earth shook, and even the Supreme Sect was seized with panic.

Ji Xiaoyu stepped out of her house and looked up at the sky. Billows of black qi cascaded down from the zenith, sweeping across the sky with overwhelming oppressiveness, as if the Demon World had descended.

She sensed a presence and frowned.

Sun and Moon Netherworld Emperor appeared at her side, his expression solemn, and said, "He has come."

He did not need to name the one he referred to; Ji Xiaoyu already knew.

Inside Medicine Valley, everyone was discussing the strange phenomena in the sky. Disciples who had been meditating indoors came out, and chess players in the dojo lost interest in their game. Taking advantage of the situation, Nine-Finger Divine Lord altered the chessboard, then frowned at the sky.

The surging black qi rolled tumultuously, like a sea pouring down from the sky, stunning all observers.

The sound of a dragon's chant rose sharply and incessantly. Before any could see the dragon's shadow, other roars and piercing cries followed.

In Outer Heaven, massive divine beasts had been battling for the Great Heavenly Spirit Land for seven days, supported by the Holy Court and the Immortal Dynasty in a vast effort.

Above the Great Heavenly Spirit Land, giant black whirlpools appeared one after another, with ceaseless Heavenly Demons flying out.

In the distant beyond, a colossal and terrifying figure approached, wreathed in waves of fire akin to dragons coiling around him, each step capable of shaking the cosmos into void.

He seemed like the most ancient Demon God from the dawn of the universe, exuding an endless and vast aura. The tremors beneath his feet were visible to the naked eye, as if the Dao itself was being shaken.

His appearance immediately brought to mind obliteration, striking extreme dread in all.

Whether it was Cultivators of the Holy Court or Immortal Spirits of the Immortal Dynasty, looking at his arrival, they all instinctively felt terror.

He was the Demon God Xuanhuang!

On his shoulder was yet another figure, appearing tiny as dust, indeed the Sky Demon Great Emperor.

The Sky Demon Great Emperor stood with his arms folded across his chest, looking mockingly toward the Great Heavenly Spirit Land.

A beam of golden light burst from within the Great Heavenly Spirit Land and came to a stop, revealing a figure—it was Yang Xian Emperor, with a Golden Wheel floating behind him, emanating rays of brilliant golden light, more dazzling than the sun.

Yang Xian Emperor looked towards the distant Demon God Xuanhuang, his eyes filled with wariness.

He felt immense pressure.

The Holy Minister, another Free Immortal, also made his appearance among the Holy Court's ranks; he was rapidly calculating and the more he inferred, the grimmer his expression became.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a while. Why do I not see Shengtian?"

The voice of Sky Demon Great Emperor echoed through the void, reaching the ears of the Great Cultivators of the Holy Court and Immortal Dynasty, Free Immortals and Divine Thought True Immortals all showing a sudden change in expression, making it clear they all knew of the Sky Demon Great Emperor.

"Sky Demon Great Emperor..." a Holy God ground his teeth and spoke, his expression unsightly to the extreme.

Boom!

Another thunderous roar erupted, deafening, startling the Cultivators of the Holy Court and Immortal Spirits of the Immortal Dynasty to turn their heads.

In the boundless and spectacular Great Heavenly Spirit Land, an explosion devastated a continent, scattering the sea of clouds, and terrible Demonic Qi surged like a fountain towards Outer Heaven.

An Immortal Spirit of the Immortal Dynasty contorted his face hideously and gritted his teeth as he cursed, "Sky Demon Great Sect! I've said it before, we should have joined forces with the Holy Court back then to wipe them out!"

With Demon God Xuanhuang and the Sky Demon Great Emperor pressing in from the outside and the Sky Demon Great Sect ravaging all living beings at the opportune moment, the Holy Court and the Immortal Dynasty both felt immense pressure.

The countenance of Yang Xian Emperor also turned icy as his gaze fell upon the Holy Minister.

The Holy Minister likewise looked at him. Their eyes met, and then both turned their attention to Demon God Xuanhuang.

...

Gu An returned to the Third Medicine Valley, walking towards the mouth of the valley. Looking up, it seemed as though dusk had arrived; dark clouds churned and crimson glows spread, countless meteors trailing fire as they smashed into the distance, a poignant yet spectacular scene.

The Supreme Sect had already activated the protective formation of the sect, and at the edges of the Taicang Continent, a grand formation rose from the ground, a formation purchased from overseas by the Taicang Dynasty. It took two hundred years to succeed in its deployment, but once complete, it could protect the entire Taicang Continent. Thanks to this action, Li Xuandao won the hearts of the people.

No sooner had Gu An entered Medicine Valley than he was surrounded by numerous disciples.

"Master, what's going on?"

"Could it be that the conflicts between the Great Sects have reached our Taicang Continent?"

"Foolishness, this commotion is clearly coming from Outer Heaven; it must be the Heavenly Demons attacking."

"Nothing like this has happened for hundreds of years. This time, the Supreme Sect might be affected."

"Master, your Dao Level is high, tell us!"

Faced with the disciples' barrage of questions, Gu An replied, "Indeed, it's a great tribulation of heaven and earth. What came before were just minor scuffles; this is the real calamity. But the Supreme Sect shouldn't be threatened in the short term. You should continue your cultivation; marveling here is in vain."

Hearing his words, the disciples all felt awkward and dispersed.

Gu An continued onwards, when Jue Luo Sword Monarch approached him and asked, "Senior, do you know the origin of the Demon God from Outer Heaven?"

Gu An stopped in his tracks and looked at him, asking, "Do you know? Then tell me."

Jue Luo Sword Monarch took a deep breath and said, "That is the Demon God Xuanhuang. It is said that long ago, all the Great Heaven and Earth in the universe belonged to the same Great Heaven and Earth. Countless powerful beings existed back then, Treasure Bodies emerged one after another. There was a race known as the Divine Race, and merely reaching adulthood granted them the power to destroy heaven and earth. The Demon God Xuanhuang was a notable figure among the Divine Race. He is also one of the few whose corpse remained intact. From what I know, he fell under the control of the prohibited existence within the Silent Destruction Domain, which means there is even a stronger being behind the Sky Demon Great Emperor."

After finishing, he looked at Gu An but did not see any change in his expression.

As expected!

This senior knows everything!

Jue Luo Sword Monarch's worries dissipated. He was not afraid of the Sky Demon Great Emperor, but after realizing the identity of the Demon God Xuanhuang, he became afraid.

No matter how confident he was, he did not consider himself an invincible being.

Gu An sighed and said, "Heaven and earth have welcomed a calamity. Some seek to fulfill their mission, others seek to profit from the chaos. Tell me, when will such cycles of reincarnation ever end?"

After hearing this, Jue Luo Sword Monarch was stunned. He pondered deeply over Gu An's words.

Gu An was lamenting over the Heavenly Dao.

Humans have a limit to their lifespan, and it seemed, so did heaven and earth.

He had seen millions of scenarios of destruction for the Great Heavenly Spirit Land, with the outcome still rapidly increasing.

Jue Luo Sword Monarch had not considered the Heavenly Dao; he thought that Gu An was expressing dissatisfaction with the beings behind the Demon God Xuanhuang.

"Beyond the game of chess, each chess player is also a chess piece. If your Sword Dao wishes to ascend to a higher level, you must forge your own path, independent of any Dao."

Gu An left those words behind and continued towards his loft.

Jue Luo Sword Monarch furrowed his brows, considering how difficult it was to forge one's own path. Not everyone was the Sword Saint Ancestor; his Holy Heart Sword Dao did indeed count as his own path. He had once visited the Sword Dao River, where the Holy Heart Sword Dao existed eternally, coexisting with the great Dao.

Despite his constant claims of wanting to surpass the Holy Heart Sword Dao, he knew in his heart how far he was from it. He merely wanted to use the Holy Heart Sword Dao to break the shackles on his path of cultivation.

He looked towards the retreating figure of Gu An, his eyes brimming with curiosity.

The Great Heavenly Spirit Land was about to turn to dust. What would this being, who had surpassed the Free Immortal, do?

Would he intervene to protect, or would he distance himself from the strife?

Turning his head to look at the disciples in the valley, a premonition told him that Gu An would not forsake everything here.

This was his observation from staying in the Third Medicine Valley for so many years.

Gu An arrived at the base of the building, noticing Ji Xiaoyu and Sun and Moon Netherworld Emperor still engaged in observation. He raised his hand to greet them.

Ji Xiaoyu looked at Gu An and said, "It seems this life of mine is coming to an end."

Gu An stopped and asked with surprise, "Why? You're not from the Great Heavenly Spirit Land, so you shouldn't feel such a great sense of responsibility, right?"

Ji Xiaoyu replied, "The Sky Demon Great Emperor is a sworn enemy of my original self. When he appears, the power of the Primordial Daoist Talisman also stirs, eager for a confrontation."

The Sun and Moon Netherworld Emperor stood by, silent. He had long hoped for Ji Xiaoyu to end this life, but the differences in seniority kept him from acting rashly. Discover stories at My Virtual Library Empire

Gu An narrowed his eyes, asking, "Do you have any regrets or wishes then?"

There was no sadness in Ji Xiaoyu's eyes, only calm. She looked at Gu An and asked, "In this life and the previous one, am I different to you?"