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

Accompanied by a mysterious voice echoing between heaven and earth, the cyan light portal burst open, and from it, a giant hand emerged. With a grasp across the void, it captured the fleeing Void Crossing Realm Great Cultivator into its hold.

The Void Crossing Realm Great Cultivator was nearly scared to death. He struggled with all his might but could not break free. He even thought of letting his Primordial Spirit emerge, but was despaired to find his Primordial Spirit could not leave the body.

"You... who exactly are you?"

The Void Crossing Realm Great Cultivator cried out in alarm, his voice filled with terror.

The mysterious giant hand suddenly clenched, turning him into a mist of blood. His Primordial Spirit and Golden Core were both obliterated, ceasing to exist.

The other Divinity Transformation Realm Cultivators, terrified, scurried away in a panic, while the mysterious hand did not strike again, simply retracting slowly back into the cyan light portal.

Under the night sky, the wild wind still raged.

The cyan runes surrounding Sage Xuan Miao began to dissipate, and the cyan light portal above his head vanished with them.

"Puh—" Sage Xuan Miao spat out a mouthful of blood, and his condition rapidly deteriorated. He continued to cultivate energy, regulating his breath.

Far away within the Mystic Heaven Cave Mansion, Gu An toyed with his teacup, his face showing a look of curiosity.

The mysterious giant hand just now was definitely in the Mystic Heart Realm and above the fifth level, no less.

No wonder Sage Xuan Miao dared to come alone to participate in the Golden List convention. He had a method of dealing with trouble at hand.

Gu An was very interested in this divine skill.

Such a divine skill was both imposing and capable of protecting the younger generation. Even he, Sword Venerable Fudao, was tempted.

At the same time, he was also full of curiosity about Three Pure Ones Mountain.

That Three Pure Ones Mountain hid a Great Power above the fifth level of the Mystic Heart Realm, although not in the Mahayana Realm, was enough to surprise Gu An.

The lands of the nine dynasties were indeed full of crouching tigers and hidden dragons!

No wonder the Ephemera Sect previously dared to cause chaos only in the Taicang Dynasty, instead of directly sweeping across all nine dynasties.

Gu An listened to Ye Lan before, that the number of disciples in Three Pure Ones Mountain wasn't large, barely surpassing a thousand. With such a number, yet capable of becoming the Chentang Dynasty's foremost sect, it sufficiently demonstrated the multitude of Great Cultivators in Three Pure Ones Mountain.

The Chentang Dynasty was not simple, either. The reason this dynasty was named Chentang was that the previous Tiantang Dynasty once nearly united the lands of the nine dynasties. Later, the Emperor did something heaven-defying, provoking fury from the heavens, which brought down torrential rains, flooding the entire dynasty and causing the internal power structure to change.

The Chentang Dynasty has the most lakes, with the vast majority of cities and sects located on islands. The torrential rains may have flooded a dynasty's land, but they also caused an eruption in the dynasty's spiritual energy, shrouding it in Spirit Mist all year round.

Within the nine dynasties, the Chentang Dynasty was the most mysterious, with the most legends. Many believed that on those solitary islands hid Immortals.

Gu An withdrew his gaze. Although he was very interested in Sage Xuan Miao's divine skill, he was too lazy to make acquaintances or provoke unnecessary attention.

Being just one major realm higher than himself, it left no room for Gu An to be complacent.

Grow cautiously, don't be rash!

A thousand years later, how many major realms would he exceed over the lands of the nine dynasties?

He was very excited about that prospect!

...

Clouds shrouded the skies, and mountains undulated across the earth. The forests seemed to gather demons, ghosts, and goblins, and a vast palace sat between two mountains, with blood-red columns and eaves, radiating a terrifying presence.

Inside the grand hall, a group of black-robed figures knelt on the ground, comprising humans, demons, and Soul Bodies.

The man kneeling at the forefront wore a mask, concealing his true appearance. He spoke, "Sect Hierarch, the nine dynasties have collectively entered the Nine Nether Road and have impacted our grand scheme. Should we retreat or continue to lie in wait?"

His voice was hoarse, and as he spoke, a chilling ghostly air seeped from beneath his mask.

Standing above him on the stairs was a towering figure in a large black robe. A blood dragon coiled on the robe, its fangs and claws as if ready to leap out at any moment.

His white hair gently fluttered, and he wore a bone crown embellished with two slender horns, sharp to the extreme and glittering coldly.

He was the Sect Hierarch of the Ephemera Sect Main Lineage, known as Butcher Immortal Jing!

Butcher Immortal Jing slowly turned around, revealing a pale and indifferent face. His eyes were blood-red, and on his forehead were marks of two evil ghosts. These ghosts were fused together, their bodies pitch-black and having sharp claws—utterly terrifying.

"The nine dynasties, ridiculous. They even dare to step into the Nine Nether Road. Truly seeking death."

Butcher Immortal Jing spoke coldly, and a gust of chilling wind blew into the grand hall, billowing the cloaks of all the followers.

A black-robed follower with a white tiger head spoke, "The nine dynasties all have Mystic Heart Realm Great Cultivators. Sword Venerable Fudao of the Supreme Sect is particularly inscrutable. To swallow up the nine dynasties before the demon calamity seems unlikely."

Another black-robed Soul Body added, "Our Golden Spirit Venerable and Night Cultivator Fairy were both killed by Sword Venerable Fudao. This person is the biggest obstacle to our swallowing the nine dynasties. His Cultivation Level is at least above the fifth level of the Mystic Heart Realm, and he might have already reached the eighth level."

Boom—

Low thunder rumbled outside the hall, as if some fierce beast was roaring.

"Hmph, Mystic Heart Realm eighth level? Then tell me, can Sword Venerable Fudao withstand the Mahayana Power?"

Butcher Immortal Jing said with disdain, his white hair dancing. His eyes sparkled with malice.

Mahayana Power!

The masked man at the front replied, "It has been nearly ten thousand years since a Mahayana Realm tribulation appeared in the lands of the nine dynasties. Naturally, he is no match for you. But if you act, might it affect your healing?"

"Fools, all of you. Prepare to gather the followers. Once they are assembled, follow this Hierarch to sweep through the lands of the nine dynasties. Remember to bring the Origin Tree of Ephemera!" Butcher Immortal Jing said expressionlessly.

His words caused an uproar in the grand hall.

"Sect Hierarch, you're not thinking of directly..." The hoarse voice of the masked man betrayed his nervousness.

"My mind is made up, all of you may leave."

Butcher Immortal Jing flicked his sleeve, turning to walk into the darkness.

The followers of the Ephemera Sect in the hall exchanged looks.

...

Another night fell, and Gu An once again came to the Mystic Heaven Cave Mansion. It had been half a month since his last visit.

He began by picking herbs and then sowing seeds. After completing all these tasks, he did not rush to leave, as usual. He planned to spend the night alone here, enjoying the tranquility.

He walked over to the old tree beside the wooden lodge and jumped onto the rope hammock he had woven half a month earlier. Twisting his body, he found a comfortable position to lie in.

"Comfy…"

Gu An revealed a content smile as he took out a travelogue and began to flip through it.

Recently, he had made a trip to the Inner Sect and purchased many travelogues—one to pass the time, and two to see if there was a better place for breakthroughs than the North Sea Mountains.

The cave mansion was tranquil, with occasional fish leaping from the underground lake, their movements echoing inside the cave mansion, creating a unique atmosphere.

It wasn't until late at night that Gu An finally set aside the travelogue. He spread out his Divine Sense, wanting to see if there was any activity in the North Sea Mountains tonight.

Every time he came here, he made a habit of observing the North Sea Mountains.

Soon, Gu An's attention was drawn to Sage Xuan Miao.

This fellow is still here!

He saw that Sage Xuan Miao had built a simple Taoist temple in the midst of the mountains. Aside from Sage Xuan Miao, there was also a young boy inside the temple.

What are they up to?

Gu An took a closer look and saw Sage Xuan Miao meditating in front of a large cauldron, with wisps of blue smoke rising from his head.

And that boy, in the wooden hut nearby, was practicing martial arts—a demon boy with a fox's tail.

Fascinating.

Gu An watched for a while before retracting his gaze.

Not until dawn was approaching did Gu An return to Mystic Valley.

In the blink of an eye, half a year flew by.

At the end of summer, after a heavy rain, Mystic Valley was extremely muggy.

One morning, Li Ya came to visit Gu An, as usual, entering by climbing through the window. Gu An had to play along, pretending to be startled by his entrance.

"Look at you, getting scared like that, even though you're among the top five hundred on the Golden List." Li Ya landed softly and hummed.

Gu An got up to greet him, saying, "My place in the top five hundred is due to good luck. You could have been in the top ten, if only you hadn't run into An Hao too soon."

At these words, Li Ya's mouth twitched.

He suspected that Gu An was deliberately provoking him, but seeing Gu An's look of genuine sympathy, he couldn't find it in him to retort.

Little did he know, Gu An was indeed doing it on purpose.

Stepping on my windowsill again!

Li Ya walked over to the desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down before saying, "I'm leaving."

"Where to? For how long?"

Gu An asked casually before walking to the teapot stand to brew some tea.

Li Ya answered, "My father, the Emperor, has ordered me to go to Three Pure Ones Mountain in the Chentang Dynasty to cultivate. Without decades, it's unlikely that I can return."

Three Pure Ones Mountain again!

What's the relationship between Li Xuandao and Three Pure Ones Mountain? So close that he's even sending two people there.

Gu An couldn't help but say, "That's definitely a trip worth taking, after all, a disciple from Three Pure Ones Mountain has secured the second rank on the Golden List."

"Sage Xuan Miao is indeed formidable. Even if I were to fight him, I probably wouldn't be his match," Li Ya agreed.

During the Golden List conference, Sage Xuan Miao was the only one who could fight An Hao for an entire 30 minutes.

Gu An, with the freshly brewed tea, approached the desk and said, "Once you're at Three Pure Ones Mountain, you should focus on solid cultivation and not get involved in unnecessary troubles, avoiding injuries."

"Cough cough, aside from getting hurt by An Hao, I haven't really been injured in these years."

"Is that so?"

"Would I lie to you?"

The two started chatting idly, talking about Mystic Valley at times and the Golden List at others.

It was not until noon that Li Ya finally stood up and said, "I should go now, Junior Brother Gu. I hope that when I return, your Cultivation Level will have increased. Entering the top five hundred of the Golden List is not something that can be achieved by mere luck. I believe you've found your own fortune, so do not waste the years. Strive to catch up with your elder brother soon."

With that, Li Ya walked swiftly to the window and leapt out, leaving another footprint on the windowsill.

Definitely on purpose!

Gu An was helpless. Li Ya usually seemed quite serious, so why did he always have to play childish tricks on him?

He stared out the window, his eyes turning profound.

Why is Li Xuandao sending Li Ya away at this time? Could there be other reasons?

And the Soul inside Li Ya, why has it become so weak?

It feels like it could dissipate at any moment.

Gu An shook his head; if he couldn't figure something out, he simply decided not to think about it.

Until night fell.

Once again, Gu An arrived at Mystic Heaven Cave Mansion. He was just about to pick some herbs when he frowned.

Why is Sage Xuan Miao nearby?

The distance from Sage Xuan Miao's Taoist temple to here was a good eight thousand miles. He couldn't have come all this way by coincidence.

At the same time.

In the forest a dozen miles away, Sage Xuan Miao held a compass in hand, muttering to himself as he moved forward, "It should be around this area. Who knows what kind of blessing..."