As the Primordial Immortal King turned to dust, a profound silence blanketed the entire realm.
The disciples of the Tai Xuan Sect stood in stunned disbelief, their gazes locked onto Gu An, their eyes filled with shock. Even Di Xie, who stood directly in front of Gu An, was left slack-jawed, his body stiff and unresponsive.
The Nine-Finger Divine Lord and Shen Xin Zi were equally dumbfounded, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
Gu An remained expressionless, though a faint sense of regret flickered in his heart.
Even an entity as powerful as the Primordial Immortal King couldn't breach the protective aura of my Protective Dao Divine Essence?
Moments ago, he had refrained from counterattacking entirely. The Primordial Immortal King had been obliterated by the force of his own power, consumed by the unyielding might of Gu An's protective aura. Both body and soul had been annihilated without a trace.
Unfortunately, since the Primordial Immortal King was not a living being, Gu An gained no additional lifespan from his demise.
One after another, figures materialized from thin air—Tai Xuan Sect's senior cultivators, all drawn to the scene. They surveyed the street where Gu An stood, their brows furrowed. The residual aura of the Primordial Immortal King still lingered in the air, mixing with the chaos of the damaged street. It wasn't hard to imagine the events that had just transpired.
Gu An raised his right hand. Wisps of black energy appeared out of nowhere and spiraled into his palm before he casually tucked his hand into his sleeve. No one could see what he had just absorbed.
Lowering his gaze, Gu An looked at Di Xie and asked, "Brother Di, are you all right?"
Di Xie snapped back to reality, trembling as he was helped to his feet by Gu An. His eyes betrayed a deep and growing sense of reverence as he looked at Gu An.
"You…"
Di Xie's lips quivered. He wanted to ask about Gu An's identity but feared offending him.
"Sword Master of the Dao!"
A voice exclaimed from the distance, shattering the heavy silence. The murmurs began to ripple through the crowd, growing into an uproar that engulfed the area.
Di Xie's heart sank. He had already begun to suspect it.
The Primordial Immortal King had declared himself to be at the Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Dao. To defeat such an opponent, there was no one within the Tai Xuan Sect who could possibly achieve this… except the Sword Master of the Dao.
He is the Sword Master of the Dao…
Di Xie stared at Gu An, who wore a gentle smile. Despite this warmth, Di Xie's heart was in turmoil. He recalled their interactions over the years and felt both shame and relief. Thankfully, I never underestimated him or showed him disrespect.
Gu An couldn't hear Di Xie's thoughts, but he could guess them with some accuracy.
This amused him more than anything. He didn't feel the need to assert dominance or embarrass others. As someone who valued interpersonal relationships, he expected no more than basic kindness in return. Anything beyond that was unnecessary.
"Is he really the Sword Master of the Dao?"
"No, that's impossible. Perhaps the Sword Master was protecting him."
"That makes sense. We didn't see him actually make a move, so it must have been the Sword Master intervening."
"That's Gu An, the master of the Third Medicine Valley. He invented Go, chess, and Gomoku. I know him personally, and there's no way he's the Sword Master of the Dao."
"I've known him for centuries as well. He's kind and approachable. Perhaps he once crossed paths with the Sword Master, which is why the Sword Master came to his aid."
"Do you think that entity is truly dead?"
The disciples' discussions grew louder, and opinions diverged. Many began to believe that Gu An was merely under the protection of the Sword Master. Still, a few speculated that Gu An might actually be the Sword Master himself, given his remarkable composure when facing the Primordial Immortal King.
Even if he wasn't the Sword Master, he must have an exceptionally close relationship with him. Otherwise, how could he act so fearlessly?
Senior figures like Lü Baitian, Ji Hantian, and other Tai Xuan Sect elders arrived one after another. Spotting Gu An, Lü Baitian visibly relaxed. After issuing a brief command to Ji Hantian, he approached Gu An.
"Let's talk somewhere else," Lü Baitian said quietly, glancing at Di Xie with an inscrutable expression.
Gu An gave a slight nod and followed Lü Baitian.
Di Xie watched Gu An's retreating figure, hesitating to speak, but before he could utter a word, two figures appeared before him out of thin air.
"Come with us," one of them said coldly, their Immortal Dao aura pressing down on Di Xie, making resistance impossible.
The street was quickly sealed off, the gathered disciples dispersed. The ominous clouds in the sky dissipated, leaving only the gentle fall of snowflakes.
In the distance, streaks of light streaked across the sky—figures emerging from the Reincarnation Whirlpool, descending upon the Heavenly Spirit World in various locations.
"Is it over? What just happened?"
The Ancient Immortal Emperor frowned, staring into the distance. Only he and the Sun Immortal Emperor remained in the grand hall.
The Sun Immortal Emperor also sensed the abrupt end of the Primordial Immortal King's aura. He pondered aloud, "I suspect the Sword Master of the Dao intervened."
The location of the Primordial Immortal King's arrival was not lost on the Sun Immortal Emperor.
That place had been the site of shame for the Immortal Dynasty.
A powerful Immortal Spirit had been slain there by the Sword Master of the Dao, and the dynasty dared not seek revenge. This failure had caused widespread dissatisfaction among the dynasty's higher echelons and the Sun Immortal Emperor himself.
Although wary of the Sword Master, the Sun Immortal Emperor hadn't expected him to neutralize the Primordial Immortal King so swiftly.
Tai Cang Continent…
What exactly happened there?
The Sun Immortal Emperor suddenly had the urge to make a personal trip to the Tai Xuan Sect.
At the same time, the Sacred Minister of the Sacred Court also harbored similar thoughts.
How could someone as overwhelmingly powerful as the Primordial Immortal King suppress his own aura immediately after descending? It was far more likely that he had been subdued.
"Sword Master of the Dao, just who are you? Why do you hide your identity, and what is your purpose?"
Sitting on his sacred chair, the Sacred Minister mused quietly.
In the grand hall, the Sacred Gods discussed the abrupt disappearance of the Primordial Immortal King's presence. No matter the outcome, the implications left them deeply uneasy.
Half an hour later, Gu An returned leisurely to the Third Medicine Valley. No sooner had he stepped inside than he was surrounded by a crowd of disciples.
The events in the outer sect city had spread like wildfire. Gu An's name, now tied to that of the Sword Master of the Dao, was on everyone's lips. Opinions varied, but one thing was certain: Gu An had some connection to the legendary figure.
The disciples had long heard rumors that their master's cultivation was far from ordinary. Now, with this revelation, how could they not be excited?
Pressed by their endless questions, Gu An sighed helplessly and said, "To tell you the truth, I am indeed the Sword Master of the Dao. For years, I've lived among you as an ordinary Medicine Valley master, but it seems my leniency has led to a lack of respect. This recent incident was merely an accident."
His words caused an uproar among the disciples.
Amidst the commotion, a voice snorted. It was You Yingying.
"Such a show-off," she muttered.
Yet even as she rolled her eyes, doubts crept into her heart. She recalled how Shen Xin Zi once attempted to kill her but inexplicably stopped. Could it have been related to Gu An?
Could Gu An really be the Sword Master of the Dao?
It seemed unlikely. According to what she had heard from Xuan Tianyi, Gu An's cultivation journey only spanned seven hundred years. How could someone of his age possibly be the Sword Master of the Dao?
The playful tone in Gu An's voice only deepened her suspicion.
She wasn't alone in her doubts. Many disciples thought Gu An was joking, his casual demeanor fueling their disbelief.
Gu An didn't bother to explain further. Let them guess. A little mystery in life made it more interesting.
It was worth noting that Lü Baitian had earlier promised Gu An that he would find a way to suppress the rumors.
Lü Baitian assumed Gu An had intervened to protect the Tai Xuan Sect. Of course, he had his reasons for doing so.
He feared the Sword Master's true identity being exposed—a concern shared by the Tai Xuan Sect's core leadership.
If other factions learned the Sword Master's identity, it would spell trouble. Not because they feared harm befalling him, but because they worried someone might recruit him away.
The Sacred Court served as a prime example of such a threat.
Gu An, now free from the disciples' questioning, made his way to his pavilion. However, before he could enter, Ji Xiaoyu blocked his path.
"That commotion earlier—was that your doing?" she asked.
Gu An shook his head and replied, "Some guy fell from the sky and tried to steal my crown. Just as he was about to strike, he suddenly vanished."
He patted his chest as he spoke, feigning a look of lingering fear.
Ji Xiaoyu seemed lost in thought. Something about Gu An's description struck her as oddly familiar.
Seeing her distracted, Gu An said nothing more and stepped inside.
As the door closed, Ji Xiaoyu snapped out of her reverie. She glanced toward the second-floor window, her expression filled with disbelief.
"Could it have been the Heaven and Earth Dao Aura? Even if it was, to obliterate such an existence…"
Her thoughts were a whirlwind of shock. Gu An had become an unfathomable enigma in her mind.
Despite the Tai Xuan Sect's efforts to suppress the rumors, news of the incident in the outer sect city spread rapidly. Across various factions, a single name was on everyone's lips:
Gu An.
Back in his room, Gu An picked up a copy of The Adventures of Green Hero.
He could sense the followers of the Primordial Immortal King descending upon the mortal realm, heralding disaster. Yet he had no intention of intervening.
This calamity would temporarily halt the war between the Immortal Dynasty and the Sacred Court—a silver lining amidst the chaos.
The ongoing war between the two powers caused far greater suffering to living beings.
Moreover, with his deep understanding of karma and destiny, Gu An foresaw even greater tribulations on the horizon. No matter what he did, the Heavenly Spirit World's cycle of calamity could never truly end. Life and death, fortune and misfortune—these were the immutable laws of all existence.
After the Primordial Immortal King's demise, the snowfall intensified.
In the days that followed, more people came to the Third Medicine Valley, eager to play chess or visit Gu An. Yet he refused to meet strangers, continuing his routine of tending to the valley's medicinal herbs.
During a visit to the Nian Chu Cave Residence, he was questioned by Tian Yao'er and her companions about the Primordial Immortal King's roar. He brushed off their concerns with a few reassuring words before guiding them in their cultivation.
Time flew by, and the Spring Festival arrived.
On the morning of the festival, Gu An visited the inner sect city, where he shared drinks with Wu Jue at an inn. Together, they listened to a storyteller recount tales of the seas.
"That Immortal Qin, they say, was a peerless powerhouse from millions of years ago. Revived through reincarnation, he needs to devour the souls of countless cultivators to rebuild his body…"
The storyteller's voice was captivating, even drawing Gu An and Wu Jue into the narrative.
Wu Jue turned to Gu An and asked curiously, "What's your relationship with the Sword Master of the Dao?"
Gu An glanced at him and replied, "I am the Sword Master of the Dao. What relationship do you think I have with myself?"
"That's impossible! I watched you grow from the Foundation Establishment Realm to where you are now. If you're the Sword Master, then I must be the Sun Immortal Emperor," Wu Jue retorted, eyes wide.
Gu An's gaze shifted to the staircase. Someone was coming upstairs.
[Sun Immortal Emperor (Free Immortal Realm, First Layer): 6,908,922/50,000,000/100,000,000]