The Outer Sect City fell into a deep silence. The cultivators who had rushed over to support Tai Xuan Sect were stunned by the grand scene unfolding atop Heaven Mending Platform. They slowed their flight, their eyes locking onto Long Qing in disbelief.
The Sect Master had knelt?
As their gazes shifted toward Gu An, they found themselves unable to clearly see his face. A strange dizziness overtook them, making it impossible to perceive his true appearance.
Seeing his master speak on his behalf, Ye Cang slowly came to his senses.
Yes—if he could seek Ancestor Qingtian's help, why couldn't his Grandmaster help his own master?
The moment he laid eyes on Cui Xianlin, Ye Cang's heart had already begun to let go of his hatred.
He had clung to his resentment because the dead could not be revived, and so he blamed others for his pain.
But in truth, this was a disaster he himself had brought upon his sister. He had failed to protect her—who else could he blame?
Taking a deep breath, Ye Cang faced Gu An and spoke, "Thank you, Grandmaster, for capturing my enemy. But my vengeance is mine alone to take. Grandmaster, please do not feel disappointed in my master. As the Sect Master, he had responsibilities that bound him. I, as his disciple, failed to ease his burdens and instead brought him trouble. I have wronged him…"
The moment Long Qing knelt for him, Ye Cang's resentment toward him had completely dissolved.
Recalling Long Teng's words, shame filled his heart.
Now, he only wanted to kill Cui Xianlin—and leave.
Gu An looked at him and said, "Running away won't solve anything. You have caused so much trouble for Tai Xuan Sect—do you think you can just walk away?"
Ye Cang opened his mouth, but no words came.
He hadn't deliberately killed anyone, but forcing his way into the sect had undoubtedly caused immeasurable damage.
"After you take your revenge, talk with your master alone. He will decide your fate," Gu An declared.
As he finished speaking, he shoved Cui Xianlin toward Ye Cang.
With his spiritual power completely sealed, Cui Xianlin was nothing more than a mortal. The moment his body was freed, he instinctively tried to flee.
Yet before he could take more than a few steps, Ye Cang appeared before him, grabbed him by the throat, and lifted him high into the air.
Gu An turned away, leaving behind a single command: "Zuo Yijian, come with me."
Hearing this, Zuo Yijian's eyes flashed with excitement. Without hesitation, he hurried after Gu An.
The two had only taken a few steps before they vanished from the platform.
With Gu An gone, Ye Cang could no longer contain his killing intent.
"Cui Xianlin! Return my sister's life!"
Ye Cang's roar shook the heavens.
This was not just a cry of rage but the release of centuries of resentment, pain, and grief.
His voice echoed across the entire sect. Countless Tai Xuan Sect disciples raised their heads to look toward the Heaven Mending Platform, their hearts trembling.
Yet it was not Ye Cang who truly shook them—
It was the man before whom their Sect Master had knelt.
Who was he?
Someone who could make the Sect Master kneel and make Ye Cang release his hatred toward Tai Xuan Sect—such a figure sent endless speculation rippling through the minds of all the disciples.
The dark clouds above the sky gradually dispersed. Sunlight spilled down, illuminating the Third Medicine Valley with its warm glow.
Beneath an ancient tree, Zuo Yijian carefully poured tea for Gu An before sitting respectfully across from him.
Even though he tried to remain composed, Zuo Yijian's heart was uneasy—filled with both expectation and anxiety.
After everything that had happened, Gu An had taken him away personally. This meant that Gu An's return had been for him.
But what did it mean?
Would he be taken as a disciple?
Or would he be ordered to give up his duty of guarding Heaven Mending Platform?
For twenty thousand years, countless people had urged him to leave his post—even his own son. He had once wavered, but in the end, he had chosen to stay.
Yet only he himself understood just how monotonous such a life had become.
Gu An listened to Zuo Yijian's thoughts and chuckled. "No need to be nervous. While your duty of guarding Heaven Mending Platform means little to me, your loyalty moved me."
Hearing this, Zuo Yijian smiled awkwardly.
Gu An continued, "I offer you two choices. The first—become my sword attendant and follow me for eternity. The second—I will teach you the ultimate sword technique that will lead you to the pinnacle of the world."
"I will follow you!" Zuo Yijian responded without hesitation.
Gu An studied him and warned, "If you follow me, are you prepared to abandon your family?"
With unwavering determination, Zuo Yijian replied, "I have already let go of them. I have given them everything I could. Choosing to follow you is a decision I make for my cultivation. I believe that by following you, I will attain true immortality."
He spoke without concealment, laying his desires bare.
This honesty only made Gu An appreciate him more.
Gu An smiled and said, "When someone inherits the legacy of Heaven-Sundering Axe, come find me at Wushi."
"Wushi? Where is that?" Zuo Yijian asked, barely suppressing his excitement.
"That is my Dao Field."
With those words, Gu An began asking about the current state of Tai Xuan Sect.
Though he already knew everything, he wanted to hear about it from the sect itself.
Zuo Yijian hesitated briefly before deciding to speak truthfully.
"Tai Xuan Sect is now a Sacred Land, still the foremost leader of the righteous path. However, as the sect has grown, internal conflicts have inevitably arisen. The Sect Master has spent most of his time in seclusion, leaving authority in the hands of Elder Zhu Xing. Fortunately, Elder Zhu Xing has done an admirable job…"
As Zuo Yijian spoke in detail, Gu An listened intently.
Time passed.
At that moment, Long Qing led Ye Cang back to the Third Medicine Valley.
From a distance, they spotted Zuo Yijian sitting beneath an ancient tree, a goofy smile on his face as he stared at a teapot, grinning as if possessed.
Seeing this, Long Qing hesitated for a moment before deciding to approach him.
Ye Cang instinctively looked around, searching for his grandmaster.
After avenging his sister, he thought back to Gu An's immense power, feeling a profound sense of shock. Until now, he had believed that Ancestor Qingtian was the strongest being he had ever encountered, but before Gu An, even Ancestor Qingtian was utterly powerless.
This incident had awakened something in him—if it had not been Gu An who appeared today, he would have already been dead.
A deep admiration and yearning for Gu An arose within him. Such an unfathomably powerful figure did not act tyrannically but upheld fairness and justice. That was the kind of cultivator he aspired to become.
As Long Qing and his disciple approached, Zuo Yijian concealed his grin and resumed his usual composed and enigmatic demeanor.
Long Qing stepped forward and bowed. "Senior, where has my master gone? Did he leave any instructions?"
Zuo Yijian stood up and said, "Where he has gone is not something I can inquire about. He left no instructions."
Long Qing frowned upon hearing this.
Zuo Yijian glanced at him meaningfully and said, "Sect Master, in the future, when you visit Heaven Mending Platform, don't just look at Heaven-Sundering Axe. The most important thing left on that platform is not the inheritance, not the sword intent—but the two words your master left behind: 'Righteous Path'."
"What is the Righteous Path?"
"Different people have different interpretations, but in my opinion—right is right, wrong is wrong. The Righteous Path is about leading the world towards virtue."
Before he had even finished speaking, Zuo Yijian had already disappeared from sight.
Long Qing fell silent.
Ye Cang gazed at his master's back, his eyes full of guilt.
After being scolded awake, he reflected once more on his master's actions and suddenly realized how difficult Long Qing's position had been.
For the first time, Ye Cang began to examine himself.
What kind of person was he, truly?
Was he worthy of the title Righteous Path?
Ancestor Qingtian had taught him that one must strive for survival at all costs, that cultivation was about competition and struggle. But after seeing Gu An today, he suddenly felt that a cultivator should also have faith and principles.
For thousands of years, he had encountered countless powerful figures, but in terms of magnanimity and depth, none could compare to Gu An.
Gu An had only spoken a few words, but now that Ye Cang thought about them, every sentence was filled with deep meaning.
Under the old tree, Long Qing and Ye Cang, each lost in their own thoughts, reflected on their actions and past mistakes.
Gu An returned to Wushi Dao Field and resumed his peaceful life.
As for how Long Qing would deal with Ye Cang, he couldn't be bothered to care.
Even if Tai Xuan Sect were to be wiped out, he wouldn't intervene.
This time, he had acted only because Ye Cang was, in a way, his disciple—and his disciples must not become enemies of Tai Xuan Sect.
No matter what, he still held a fragment of sentiment for Tai Xuan Sect.
Seated in a rocking chair, Gu An leisurely read a book. In the courtyard, a great cauldron continued refining a Dao treasure.
This time, it was not An Xin watching over it, but Shen Zhen.
An Xin needed to cultivate as well, and Gu An did not pressure her. Besides, Shen Zhen had a great interest in treasure refining.
From time to time, Shen Zhen would glance at Gu An, hesitating to speak.
She felt that Gu An had changed after returning, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly how.
After reading for a while, Gu An suddenly found himself thinking of Sin.
Why had that young man been trapped in Heaven's Burial Tomb?
Why did he stir something in his heart?
No!
He had to use Lifespan Reincarnation to investigate!
As soon as the thought arose, Gu An acted immediately.
With a lifespan of over a hundred billion years, using a portion of it for a reincarnation cycle was not excessive.
As his mind stirred, a series of notifications appeared before him:
[You have consumed ten million years of lifespan to initiate a reincarnation evolution.]
[Beginning connection with Grand Dao Laws.]
[Searching for Reincarnation World…]
[You have the following world choices, select one:]
[1. Heavenly Spirit Grand World]
[2. Ethereal Immortal Court]
[3. Tai Shi Grand World]
This time, instead of Heavenly Spirit World, the option was Heavenly Spirit Grand World. That likely meant a reincarnation into the future.
Gu An had no interest in the future—he had already encountered Ji, which was enough proof.
His gaze fell on Ethereal Immortal Court.
When his lifespan broke through previously, this place had appeared as an option—at the very least, it confirmed that the Ethereal Immortal Court had Supreme Purity Golden Immortals.
Being born in such a place would mean a higher cultivation ceiling.
That settled it!
Gu An made his choice.
New notifications instantly appeared before his eyes:
[You have chosen to reincarnate into Ethereal Immortal Court.]
[Due to the overwhelming strength of this world's Grand Dao Laws, you will temporarily be unable to use the ability to steal lifespan or activate certain system functions.]
[Reincarnation Evolution begins…]
Unable to steal lifespan?
Gu An saw the notification but felt relieved rather than disappointed.
This was for the best—it would prevent his reincarnation form from spiraling out of control.
However, last time, Lu Han had also started out without this ability, yet he eventually unlocked it. Hopefully, this lifetime would be more stable.
As he thought this, he focused on the notifications.
[Year 1: You are born into Ethereal Immortal Court's Jinlan Immortal Manor. You are born with the Immortal Emperor's Eyes, shocking the entire Immortal Manor. The Manor Lord personally names you Yongsheng (Eternal Life).]
[Year 2: Jinlan Immortal Manor is attacked by Void Demons. You are blinded, your eyes gouged out, and a curse of misfortune is placed upon you. The great elders of the Manor predict that you will not live past the age of twenty. Unwilling to accept this fate, your parents, under the Manor Lord's guidance, decide to take you to Spirit Mountain.]
Damn!
Such a tragic start?
Not even expected to live past twenty?
Gu An immediately grew nervous.
Could his parents even reach Spirit Mountain in twenty years?
He could only hope that Yongsheng would awaken his lifespan abilities—perhaps then, he could defy fate.