After spending half a day wandering around Outer Gate City, Gu An finally returned to the valley as dusk fell.
Blood Prison Saint and Long Qing were still discussing the sword cultivators from Grand Sword of the Great Hong. Coincidentally, many disciples in the valley were also talking about it, so the two of them eagerly joined in, engaging in the conversation.
Perhaps it was due to Gu An's fondness for chatting that the entire Third Medicine Valley had developed the same habit. Even Jue Luo Sword Master occasionally played chess and conversed with others at the dojo, gradually becoming more attuned to human interactions.
Back at his pavilion, Gu An sat at the table, but his thoughts were entirely focused on Xiao Chuan.
With a single glance, he saw the trajectory of Xiao Chuan's life in this cycle.
This time, Xiao Chuan's birth was much more favorable than in his past life. He had parents, a distinguished family background, and exceptional talent.
However, there was an imperfection—his parents would pass away while he was still young, casting a dark shadow over his childhood.
After their deaths, his grandparents still loved him dearly, giving him everything he needed, yet the sorrow of losing his parents never left him.
As he grew older, he began investigating the truth behind their deaths. Through countless battles and hardships, he eventually discovered that it was his own grandparents who had driven his mother to her death, after which his father had followed in despair. The revelation shattered him.
In the end, he severed all ties with the Chen Family and embarked on a wandering, turbulent life. Even though he later became a world-renowned powerhouse, he remained cold and withdrawn, having long lost the ability to smile.
Gu An had waited hundreds of years for Xiao Chuan. He was not about to let him suffer in this life as well.
Without hesitation, he sent a voice transmission to Yang Jian, instructing this Sacred King to intervene and resolve the situation.
At present, Yang Jian had fully reclaimed his Sacred King status, and his cultivation was rapidly recovering, soon to reach the Dao Void Profound Immortal Realm.
Because of Gu An, Yang Jian was highly regarded by the Sacred Court, commanding a major battlefield and gaining widespread fame.
With Yang Jian's intervention, any difficulties Xiao Chuan's parents faced would be easily resolved.
"Life is like a game of chess. I hope that in this lifetime, you will find your own way out of the board."
Gu An picked up the Pen of Destiny and began writing, inscribing the path of fate.
As summer faded into autumn, one particular day found Gu An lying on a tree branch, reading a book while guiding Zhu Xi in her cultivation.
Below him, Zhu Xi sat cross-legged, her hands shifting through various seals as she circulated her cultivation technique. The light blue fabric of her robes fluttered slightly with the flow of her energy.
In Gu An's hands was Heavenly Dao Discourse.
In recent years, this text had stirred up great turmoil, causing countless cultivators to scramble for it. The other eight authentic volumes had been scattered across the world, helping many achieve great breakthroughs.
Ever since acquiring Heavenly Dao Discourse from Zhu Xi, Gu An had occasionally delved into its mysteries.
For hundreds of years, the book had remained ordinary.
But in the past year, it had started emanating a strange aura of karmic energy—faint yet discernible.
Gu An could tell that it was a sign, as if heralding the arrival of some unknown existence.
Could it be that the mysterious being who created Heavenly Dao Discourse was about to arrive in Heavenly Spirit Great World?
It was highly likely. Heavenly Dao Discourse had appeared out of nowhere; there had to be some grand design behind it.
Following the karmic traces in Heavenly Dao Discourse, Gu An began to peer into the unfolding of fate. The visions he saw shifted constantly, showing glimpses of other realms and distant worlds.
At that moment, Zhu Xi looked up at him with admiration.
"Master, this Heavenly Essence Cosmic Technique is truly formidable. I feel like fully mastering it would take many years—perhaps even longer than Time-Striding Dao Step."
She was already at the Mahayana Realm, but she had only begun receiving Gu An's true teachings after the start of this year. Before that, he had only provided her with occasional guidance whenever she encountered cultivation bottlenecks.
Gu An responded calmly, "Of course. If you can master it, even this world will not be able to restrain you."
Hearing this, Zhu Xi's smile brightened.
She was about to praise Gu An further when she suddenly noticed his expression shift.
He raised his head and gazed into the distance, his face becoming serious.
"Master, what's wrong?" she asked in surprise.
Gu An rarely showed such an expression, not even back when the Xuanhuang Demon God wreaked havoc across the mortal world.
Zhu Xi had never seen him like this before.
"Master, what's wrong?" she asked again, puzzled.
Gu An responded casually, "It's nothing."
At that moment, he was observing the Sacred Domain. Chen Luo and Xu Ling had returned to the Chen Family, only to be met with hostility. The reason was simple—Xu Ling's Xu Family had once been mortal enemies with the Chen Family.
Gu An could see the threads of karma.
The Xu Family had been annihilated due to the Chen Family's scheming. In the past, the Chen Family had secretly framed the Xu Family, accusing them of being Immortal Dynasty spies, which led the Sacred Court to exterminate the entire clan.
Xu Ling had only survived because Chen Luo had protected her.
But Chen Luo was unaware of this truth, so he was furious when he saw how his mother was treating his wife.
Just as they stepped into the Chen Family's estate carrying Xiao Chuan, they were met with oppression.
Fortunately, Yang Jian was reliable. He arrived in time to resolve the crisis.
As a Sacred King, every member of the Chen Family had no choice but to kneel before him.
Yang Jian spoke directly, "The reason I am here is because of the child in Xu Ling's arms. This child's destiny is extraordinary. A being of supreme existence has taken notice of him and hopes that he will have a peaceful early life before he is taken away."
He then added, "Do not let this child be burdened by resentment, lest it affect his Dao Heart."
Hearing this, Chen Luo's mother's expression became unnatural.
But in front of Yang Jian, she had no choice but to smile and accept it.
Gu An had foreseen all of this long ago.
But what made him suddenly look up was the change in Xiao Chuan's fate.
As soon as Yang Jian appeared, Xiao Chuan's destiny shifted.
At the same time, Gu An sensed an eerie karmic force descending upon Xiao Chuan.
This force came from an unknown source, arriving suddenly.
Had Gu An's cultivation not reached such a profound level, he wouldn't have even noticed its presence.
Even with the protective aura of the Sacred Court, the great cultivators within the Sacred Court failed to detect this karmic force infiltrating the Sacred Domain.
Looking at Xiao Chuan's fate again, Gu An saw only chaos.
Within the dim void, Xiao Chuan walked alone, surrounded by dense fog that obscured his figure.
No matter how far he looked into the past or the future, all he saw was the same sight.
A sense of foreboding crept into Gu An's heart.
Although his intervention had seemingly granted Xiao Chuan a better childhood, it had also shrouded his future in complete uncertainty.
Clearly, someone out there was plotting against Gu An—and Xiao Chuan was caught in the middle.
Gu An speculated that the adversary was beyond the Realm Gate, unable to cross into this universe due to the obstruction of the Heavenly Spirit God.
So instead, they used karma to interfere.
Deep in thought, Gu An fell silent.
Seeing that he was unwilling to speak further, Zhu Xi suppressed her curiosity and returned to her meditation.
Meanwhile.
Inside the Chen Family mansion, the great hall was bustling with excitement.
All attention was on Xu Ling, or rather, the baby in her arms.
"This child is truly extraordinary. He has an innate saintly presence in his aura."
"Of course! Why else would a being behind the Sacred King take interest in him? Our Chen Family is destined to rise!"
"Exactly! What's this child's name? I should betroth my daughter to him!"
"You're dreaming! He's fated for the Dao! Don't try your little schemes, or the great figure behind him will look down on us!"
The Chen Family cultivators continuously praised Xiao Chuan, filling Xu Ling's heart with joy.
She felt as though she were dreaming.
This was completely different from what she had imagined before coming here.
She could only smile in dumbfounded happiness.
Even Chen Luo was dazed.
At this moment, he was sitting with his father and the senior members of the family, exchanging pleasantries with Yang Jian.
Meanwhile, Yang Jian sat leisurely in a chair, sipping tea while observing Xiao Chuan.
He, too, was curious as to why his master had taken such an interest in this child.
Then, suddenly—
Xu Ling's face paled in an instant.
Her mouth opened slightly, her pupils shrank, and her body froze in place.
Before anyone could react—
She dissolved into a pool of blood, splashing onto the floor.
The swaddled Xiao Chuan fell toward the ground.
Yang Jian instantly appeared, catching the baby.
But his gaze was filled with horror as he looked at the pool of blood beside him.
The great hall fell into a deathly silence.