"What's wrong?" Jiang Qiong asked with a frown, her expression cooling as she added, "Did someone trouble you?"
Gu An smiled faintly at her words and replied, "Nothing much, I was just lost in thought about the story of a book."
Jiang Qiong raised her brow skeptically. "Really?"
Gu An chuckled, "Truly. Honestly, I even considered leaving before you exited seclusion. That way, you'd miss me and maybe even feel a little guilty. But you arrived so quickly; it caught me off guard."
Despite the heavy and vast memories of Lu Han's life, Gu An, as a Divine Thought True Immortal, had the ability to swiftly detach himself from such recollections. For him, Lu Han's life was but a past existence, nothing more.
Lu Han was him, but he was Gu An.
Hearing Gu An's teasing, Jiang Qiong's worry dissipated. She rolled her eyes at him playfully and replied, "You think too highly of yourself. I wouldn't feel guilty."
"Is that so? Looks like I've overestimated the bond between us," Gu An retorted with a smirk.
"Hmph. But I am happy you came to find me. It's rare to see you leave Tai Xuan Sect."
"I just happened to think of you. Usually, it's you visiting me, so it's only fair I come to you this time. Besides, Tai Xuan Sect and Gathering Flower Sect have established a strong relationship."
The two chatted casually as Gu An quietly observed Jiang Qiong's fate, peering into her destiny.
To Gu An, all beings below Nirvana were merely mortal spirits, and he could effortlessly glimpse their life spans and outcomes. Jiang Qiong's destiny, however, was extraordinarily complex, filled with countless variables and divergent paths.
What was clear was that Gu An's presence was a key factor in these branching paths. His decisions directly influenced her fate. Yet, despite the numerous trajectories, they all converged on a single, unavoidable conclusion: death.
Some paths saw her dying of old age; others had her falling in battle or succumbing to cultivation deviation. Her fate unfolded like a tree with spreading branches, only for all to eventually wither. The cruelty of destiny lay bare before Gu An's eyes.
Having integrated Lu Han's experiences, Gu An now possessed a profound understanding of the Dao of Fate. Beneath its harsh inevitability lay a mysterious force, a sliver of hope left by the Three Thousand Daos, granting sentient beings the chance to transcend their mortal limits.
If Jiang Qiong could achieve Nirvana, her fate would collapse and rebuild itself anew.
This thought led Gu An to reflect on his own destiny. What kind of fate awaited him? He couldn't observe his own destiny; as the embodiment of his own cause and effect, his path was veiled. Destiny was the convergence of all one's karmic threads, and while he couldn't see his fate, he could deduce outcomes based on the causes surrounding him.
If Gu An could discern Jiang Qiong's destiny, then surely higher beings could observe the fate of a Divine Thought True Immortal. Fate wasn't predetermined; it simply reflected the current flow of the cosmos. Without the strength to resist the tide of fate, most beings were swept along by the grand momentum of the world.
Surely those who transcended the Immortal Dao's ninth stage could perceive even the tides engulfing a Divine Thought True Immortal. What, then, could possibly lead to the transcendence of fate?
Gu An pondered this question even as he conversed casually with Jiang Qiong.
Two hours later, Gu An rose to leave.
"Can't you stay a couple more days?" Jiang Qiong asked, trying to persuade him.
"I've been away for four days already. I need to return; there are several Medicine Valleys waiting for my attention," Gu An replied with a shake of his head.
Jiang Qiong glared at him and huffed, "What's the point of having so many disciples if you still have to do all the work yourself? By your logic, as a sect master, shouldn't I be even busier?"
"We're not the same," Gu An said with a small smile. "Besides, now that I've visited once, it'll be easier to visit again. We're cultivators—there's plenty of time to meet in the future."
Jiang Qiong huffed again, but seeing she couldn't change his mind, she begrudgingly escorted him to the gates of the Gathering Flower Sect. As Gu An flew away, she remained standing there, watching his departing figure.
The disciples guarding the mountain gate couldn't help but speculate about the relationship between their sect master and the departing guest, amazed that she personally saw him off.
On his way back, Gu An noticed someone tailing him. Jiang Qiong, sensing the danger, discreetly intervened and eliminated the threat.
Her presence, however, slowed Gu An's pace. Once she stopped following him, he covered the remaining ten thousand miles to Tai Xuan Sect in a single step.
Back at the sect, Gu An prepared to immerse himself in comprehending the Dao of Fate.
Time flowed swiftly. Two decades passed in the blink of an eye.
For Gu An, those twenty years were tranquil. Aside from tending to medicinal herbs, he spent most of his time secluded in study. Many of the newer disciples never had a chance to interact with him before completing their Foundation Establishment training and leaving the sect.
His most trusted disciple, An Xin, had become the senior disciple of the Third Medicine Valley. She was responsible for distributing Foundation Establishment Pills and managing twenty stewards, keeping the valley in perfect order.
This particular year, at the dawn of summer, Gu An stepped out of his secluded chamber and wandered to the lower floors of his residence. Gazing at the vast blue sky, he felt an inexplicable sense of contentment, a rare smile gracing his face.
He decided to set aside his study of the Dao of Fate temporarily and spend the next few years in relaxation.
Over the past twenty years, he had mastered Lu Han's most formidable divine ability: the Extinguishing Dao Fate Seal.
This technique, born from Lu Han's comprehension of the River of Destiny, was a terrifying art. It severed an enemy's karmic ties, causing them to be rejected by the laws of heaven and earth. Furthermore, it inflicted a scar upon the opponent that would never heal, leaving a permanent vulnerability.
It was with this technique that Lu Han had managed to wound the Black Xuan Emperor.
As Gu An continued contemplating the Black Xuan Emperor, Ji Xiaoya approached him. Her eyes carefully studied his demeanor before she remarked, "You seem different somehow, but I can't quite pinpoint why."
Gu An glanced at her and smiled faintly. "Perhaps I've grown even more handsome."
Ji Xiaoya looked thoughtful at his comment.
Gu An could sense the aura of destiny surrounding her. It was evident that her cultivation method was rooted in the Dao of Fate, which likely explained her heightened sensitivity to his changes. Fortunately, their disparity in cultivation levels was vast, making it impossible for Ji Xiaoya to discern Gu An's true strength.
After exchanging a few casual words, Gu An sought out An Xin and left Tai Xuan Sect with her.
Once they had safely left the sect and confirmed that no one was tracking them, Gu An took An Xin toward Mortal Peak.
When An Xin closed her eyes and reopened them, they were already at Mortal Peak.
"So fast!" she exclaimed, her amazement mirroring the feelings Yang Jian once had.
The stronger she grew, the more she marveled at her master's power.
"Master, what divine ability is this? It's incredibly fast!" An Xin couldn't help but ask.
Gu An guided her through the clouds, his gaze fixed forward. "Your guess is correct—it's the very same Time-Striding Dao Step you're cultivating."
An Xin's eyes widened in shock.
No wonder the technique was so difficult to master. At its peak, it could traverse the mortal realm in a single step! Her awe and expectations for the technique reached an unprecedented height.
Before long, the master and disciple duo arrived at Dingtian Peak.
Gu An began harvesting herbs, taking the time to greet the disciples along the way. His return to the peak was quickly known to all, and the news spread like wildfire.
Thanks to Gu An's contributions, Mortal Peak enjoyed increasing leniency from Dingtian Peak. The direct disciples could negotiate better benefits for the peak, spreading blessings to everyone. It was widely acknowledged that this was all due to their formidable peak master. Many disciples had already started mythologizing Gu An in their private conversations.
As Gu An wandered leisurely and harvested herbs, he made an effort to interact with the disciples. His casual gestures of picking herbs for others—without taking any himself—left the disciples astonished and deeply moved.
Amid these encounters, Gu An caught wind of an important piece of news.
The Immortal Dynasty was about to re-emerge!
Mortal Peak's unique position allowed it access to information about all the major events in Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven. Among the whispers, Gu An also learned about the long-standing feud between the Immortal Dynasty and the Sacred Court.
The two factions had been locked in conflict for countless years. It wasn't until the current Divine Sovereign ascended to power that a fragile peace was achieved. Divine Sovereign was undoubtedly the strongest being in Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven, but just how powerful he was remained a mystery.
The Immortal Dynasty's re-emergence was certain to provoke the Sacred Court's suppression. If clashes broke out, the mortal world's peace would inevitably come to an end.
Although Gu An had survived numerous calamities, events like the Broken Sea Region's turmoil were insignificant compared to the vast scope of Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven. Overall, the world had enjoyed tens of thousands of years of peace.
An Xin, too, was captivated by these revelations. It was her first time hearing about the Immortal Dynasty, and she hadn't imagined there could be a power capable of rivaling the Sacred Court.
After some time, Gu An and An Xin reached the courtyard at the peak. An Xin began her cultivation while Gu An remained in the courtyard, practicing calligraphy to relax his mind.
Today, his visit to Mortal Peak was primarily to unwind.
However, a sudden sensation disrupted his tranquility. He looked up, his gaze piercing through the skies and into the vast expanse of the cosmos.
A sinister aura was rapidly approaching from the Desolation Domain.
The sensation was deeply unsettling.
Soon, a dark-red coffin emerged from the void. Its surface was a deep crimson, as though stained with fresh blood, and visible tendrils of black mist coiled around it ominously.
There was something inside the coffin.
Could it be after the Heavenly Demon Fetus again?
Gu An frowned at the thought. He had no intention of intervening. The coffin made no effort to conceal its presence or aura, ensuring it would be detected by the Sacred Court.
Sure enough, Gu An soon saw numerous figures departing from the Sacred Domain where the Sacred Court resided. The weakest among them was an Unrestrained Primordial Immortal.
Such formidable foundations!
Once again, Gu An was struck by the Sacred Court's immense strength. This was merely their initial response. It was hard to fathom the terrifying power the Sacred Court could unleash if they fully mobilized.
However, Gu An watched in shock as a Mysterious Immortal tried to intercept the coffin. The immortal unleashed immense power to resist it, but his expression turned to agony as his body dissolved into a bloody mist that quickly absorbed into the coffin.
Only the immortal's soul managed to escape.
Such terrifying power!
Even Gu An couldn't discern the exact method by which the coffin consumed the Mysterious Immortal. It was a force unlike anything he had encountered before.
Judging from this, the entity within the coffin wasn't a Heavenly Demon—or at least not one Gu An had ever encountered.
The coffin sped toward Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven with unstoppable momentum.
Strangely, the Sacred Court cultivators who had emerged to confront it seemed to have received new orders. They halted and even made way for the coffin.
What's going on? Gu An frowned slightly.
Could the crimson coffin be connected to the Sacred Court?
As he pondered, Gu An lowered his gaze and resumed his calligraphy.
If the heavens were falling, there were taller people to hold them up. With the Sacred Court based in Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven, he decided to wait and observe what would unfold next.