After sending Ye Lan into reincarnation, Gu An's life continued as usual. Though there was a faint sense of melancholy in his heart, he did not let it hinder his path of becoming stronger.
Every two days, Gu An would leave the valley to pick herbs from various medicine valleys, offering guidance to the guardians of these places along the way. His days were fulfilling and calm.
Seasons changed as summer gave way to autumn, and the world became shrouded in the desolate hues of withering yellow leaves.
On this particular day, a man dressed in black descended from the heavens, landing on a mountain peak at the edge of the Third Medicine Valley. His long black hair flowed behind him, and his robe fluttered with the wind—his demeanor was confident and imposing.
It was Li Ya.
After centuries away, Li Ya gazed at the Third Medicine Valley, his heart heavy with emotion.
His eyes swept over every corner of the valley, finding many places both familiar and strange. When his gaze finally rested on a certain pavilion, a complicated expression crossed his face.
Even though he had reached the Nirvana Realm, he couldn't help feeling apprehensive about meeting old friends.
The thought of addressing Gu An as his ancestor made his face flush red. Despite having prepared himself mentally for hundreds of years, whenever he recalled the title, his heart churned with turmoil.
Yet, Li Ya reminded himself that without Gu An's guidance, he would never have achieved what he had today.
The Mysterious Divine City within his body alone gave him unparalleled confidence in battle.
Taking a deep breath, Li Ya was about to descend the mountain when he noticed two figures charging up the mountainside. One ran ahead of the other, and in no time, they arrived before him.
The Blood Prison Saint scrutinized Li Ya with a teasing expression in his eyes.
Long Qing, who had been chasing after the Blood Prison Saint, came to a halt, then glanced at Li Ya. After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly seemed to recognize him. "Could you be Martial Uncle Li Ya?" Long Qing asked.
Li Ya gave a slight nod. He had a faint impression of Long Qing, though it wasn't particularly clear. However, judging by the way Long Qing addressed him, this youth must be one of Gu An's disciples.
"Master often mentions you," Long Qing said with a grin. "He says that ever since you became one of the great talents, you've grown arrogant and don't come back to visit."
Hearing this, Li Ya's face immediately darkened. He let out a cold snort. "He really said that?"
Before Long Qing could reply, the Blood Prison Saint interjected, stepping forward. "Brat, have you already forgotten me?"
The Blood Prison Saint had faced Li Ya and Zhang Buku in his very first battle upon arriving in the Heavenly Spirit Great World. That confrontation had led to his suppression for nearly a millennium.
Though he now viewed the event as a blessing in disguise, the sight of Li Ya still irritated him. And every time Li Ya returned to the valley and encountered his transformed bull-demon form, he would mock him relentlessly.
Back then, as a bull demon, the Blood Prison Saint had felt that everyone was mocking him—even the faintest smiles seemed insufferable in his eyes.
Li Ya's gaze fell on the Blood Prison Saint, and after a moment of careful observation, his expression changed dramatically. Without a word, he raised his right hand, summoning the Mysterious Divine City. The massive construct rapidly expanded, rising to hover in the sky above.
Long Qing looked up, his jaw dropping in awe at the sight of the Mysterious Divine City.
Though his strength was immense, Long Qing had rarely seen such treasures during his years at the Tai Xuan Sect.
Fixing his eyes on the Blood Prison Saint, Li Ya's voice grew cold. "What are you doing here?"
The Blood Prison Saint of the past had been utterly ferocious. Although his appearance hadn't changed, his demeanor was now vastly different, which was why Li Ya had failed to recognize him at first.
As memories of their battle resurfaced, Li Ya couldn't help but think of Zhang Buku. A wave of anger and sorrow swept over him.
Zhang Buku had always been a thorn in his heart. He blamed himself for failing to protect Zhang Buku, leaving him now at the mercy of fate, his life and death unknown.
The Blood Prison Saint sneered, "I've been here for over a thousand years, and you're asking me why I'm here? I should be the one asking you! Every time you come back, I'm right here, but you never notice—you're the blind one."
Li Ya frowned deeply, trying to recall past visits.
Meanwhile, Long Qing glanced back and forth between the two, muttering to himself, "Why haven't they started fighting yet?"
He often sparred with the Blood Prison Saint but had never won. Secretly, he was eager to see the Blood Prison Saint take a beating for once.
Although Li Ya's cultivation might not surpass the Blood Prison Saint's, the Mysterious Divine City was famous even in the broader world.
It was said to be a pseudo-Immortal Dao treasure, capable of rivaling Wandering Immortals.
As the appearance of the Mysterious Divine City attracted more and more disciples, Li Ya composed himself and withdrew the treasure into his palm.
If the Blood Prison Saint was present here, it could only mean he was no longer an enemy. At the very least, he must have been taken in by Gu An.
In truth, Li Ya bore no real grudge against the Blood Prison Saint. Their conflict had stemmed from competing for an opportunity in the past—a battle he had lost miserably.
At that moment, An Xin descended gracefully from above, landing at the edge of the cliff. She cast a sharp glance at the Blood Prison Saint and Long Qing before turning her attention to Li Ya. Bowing slightly, she said, "Martial Uncle Li Ya, Master has been waiting for you for a long time. Please, follow me."
Li Ya recognized An Xin, though he was taken aback by her transformation.
The An Xin he remembered was no longer the same. Now, every movement she made radiated the grace of one who had attained enlightenment.
Comparing An Xin to the prideful daughters of great sects, Li Ya realized she was in no way inferior. In fact, she carried a unique charm of her own.
Gu An truly knew how to teach his disciples.
Li Ya sighed inwardly, his thoughts drifting to An Hao, another one of Gu An's disciples.
It made his heart ache.
Throughout his life, Li Ya's greatest rival had been one of Gu An's disciples, while the person he admired and owed the most was Gu An himself.
No matter how he looked at it, his entire life seemed to revolve around Gu An's care and intervention.
Though he had often suffered, he had always managed to survive against all odds.
Li Ya continued to follow An Xin in silence, his thoughts running wild as they walked away.
Meanwhile, Long Qing turned toward the Blood Prison Saint and asked, "Did you two have a grudge in the past?"
The Blood Prison Saint smirked disdainfully. "His strength was never enough to threaten me."
He began recounting the events of the past, and as Long Qing listened, his expression grew more astonished.
A once-mighty powerhouse of an entire realm, after ascending, had offended the wrong person due to his lack of foresight—someone with an unimaginably strong backer. The result? He ended up becoming a mount for that backer.
"That's terrifying!" Long Qing gasped in awe.
His reverence for the world deepened even further. In his heart, he believed that if the Blood Prison Saint hadn't encountered someone as kind and magnanimous as Master Gu An, he might have perished long ago.
There weren't many powerful figures in the world as benevolent and forgiving as his master.
Boom, rumble—
The sound of muffled thunder rolled across the skies, like the roaring chorus of prehistoric beasts, spreading an oppressive atmosphere over the entire world.
On the desolate earth below, corpses lay scattered across the barren terrain. Crisscrossing ravines and cracks scarred the land, blood splattering the ground like crimson blossoms. Countless injured cultivators and monsters stood amidst the wreckage, their faces filled with despair as they gazed at the darkened sky above.
Beyond the roiling black clouds, a figure bathed in blinding golden light hovered. He wore a golden suit of armor, a crimson sash draped around his waist. A mighty qilin head adorned the chestplate, and from its nostrils and jaws spewed streaks of flame. Above that was a cold and handsome face, framed by a golden helmet. His imposing aura exuded dominance and power.
Behind him floated a massive golden cauldron, its opening releasing bursts of dragon roars, and within the cauldron, a dragon's tail swayed slowly.
Before this figure, all living beings seemed no more significant than ants or insects.
He scanned the beings below, as if searching for something.
Suddenly, another figure appeared beside him, as if out of thin air. It was a woman dressed in black, her long black hair flowing freely, a dark silver mask covering her eyes. Her presence was ghostly, almost spectral.
"Emperor, the fortune of this realm is completely severed. Its collapse is imminent. Shall we proceed to the next world?" The black-clad woman spoke. Her voice was melodious, yet icy and devoid of emotion.
The man in golden armor remained expressionless, his tone equally indifferent. "What do you think? Could the descendants of the Dragon Clan be hiding here? And is there any chance that this so-called Sword Master of the Dao is connected to the Dragon Clan?"
The black-clad woman replied, "At present, there seems to be no direct connection. The Sword Master of the Dao is protecting all beings within that specific realm. That said, it's very possible that the descendants of the Dragon Clan are hidden in Heavenly Spirit Great World. However, even the split soul of the Annihilation God Emperor was no match for the Sword Master of the Dao. It would be unwise for us to act recklessly."
The golden-armored man narrowed his eyes and scoffed. "The split soul of the Annihilation God Emperor was nothing more than a Dao Repository Free Immortal, and his physical form hadn't even reached the peak of that realm."
The black-clad woman chose not to respond.
The golden-armored man raised his hand, and the massive cauldron behind him trembled violently. A dragon's roar echoed from within, causing the entire sky to distort and ripple.
Below, the earth began to crumble. Rocks and skeletons flew into the air as countless living beings cried out in terror. Chaos and despair engulfed the entire land.
"If I devour the energy of one hundred worlds, I will achieve the War Dao," the golden-armored man murmured, as though speaking only to himself. "By then, it won't matter where the descendants of the Dragon Clan are hiding or whether the Sword Master of the Dao is involved. The Battle Court will destroy anyone and anything that stands in our way, leaving them in eternal damnation."
His voice carried a bone-chilling certainty.
The dark clouds above spiraled into the cauldron's opening, pulling with them the shattered rocks, lifeless bodies, and even living creatures. Screams and cries for mercy filled the air as chaos and carnage spread.
The golden cauldron was devouring the essence of the entire realm!
The man in golden armor and the woman in black stood motionless, indifferent to the cries of agony and the countless deaths unfolding before them. They merely waited patiently for the realm to collapse and dissolve into nothingness.
Suddenly, the golden-armored man's expression shifted, his sharp gaze turning as he sensed something unusual. Tilting his head slightly, he saw a streak of sword qi tearing through space, narrowly brushing past him.
His hand shot out, gripping the sword qi firmly. His brows furrowed as he glanced around, his expression filled with suspicion.