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

Chapter 983: Chapter 975: Merit Divine Horse Heavenly Palace

Gu An and Xuanqing Star Lord conversed for an hour. Afterwards, the two walked out of the pavilion together. After Gu An instructed his disciples a few words, he had Xuanqing Star Lord take out the Heavenly Dao Immortal Book.

As soon as the Heavenly Dao Immortal Book appeared, Merit Light descended from the heavens, illuminating the Mountain of No End. All living beings across the continent looked up in awe.

Those such as the Red Dust Supreme laboring in the medicinal fields likewise turned to look, their expressions varied, each harboring their own thoughts.

Xuanqing Star Lord and Gu An were both shrouded in Merit Light. He turned his head to look at Gu An, his expression one of astonishment.

He had already sent off many Merit Immortals, but none had ever gone as smoothly as Ancestor Master Wushi.

Even when using the Heavenly Dao Immortal Book to request Merit Light, it always took time—some needed days, some even months. But with Ancestor Master Wushi, as soon as he took out the Heavenly Dao Immortal Book, the Merit Light arrived.

He even had a feeling that the Merit Light had been forcefully pulled over by Ancestor Master Wushi.

This feeling was so absurd that he couldn’t voice it. He could only stare dumbfounded at Gu An’s profile.

Under the watchful eyes of the Second Generation Disciples, the two disappeared into the Merit Light. The beam swiftly drew back into the heavens, vanishing without a trace. Only the flowers and grass inside and outside the courtyard swayed, proving that the scene just now had not been an illusion.

“I wonder when Master will return,” Sin murmured, gazing upwards, unable to hide the reluctance in his tone.

Shen Zhen snorted, “At most a few days—he’ll have to come back.”

Blood Prison Great Saint, Celestial Demon Child, Celestial Cyan, Celestial White, and the others all smiled knowingly, which surprised Sin.

…

Within the Merit Light.

Xuanqing Star Lord observed Gu An’s expression. In the process of ascending through Merit, Gu An would witness the scenes of the countless heavens of the Heavenly Dao, glimpse into the past and future of all living beings, and endure the baptisms of the Heavenly Realm layer by layer. Each Merit Immortal would inevitably lose themselves within.

Yet Gu An’s expression was calm, as though completely unaffected.

Xuanqing Star Lord inwardly marveled at Ancestor Master Wushi’s might, curiosity about his past also rising in his heart.

To have cultivated such a level of power, he must have endured endless ages. Such beings surely had some history with the Celestial Court.

Could Ancestor Master Wushi have attained immortality before?

Xuanqing Star Lord thought it possible. After all, several Celestial Emperors had come and gone over the long years, and countless Great Powers had once relinquished their immortal positions.

Gu An paid no heed to Xuanqing Star Lord’s thoughts. At this moment, he was admiring the scenery of the Heavenly Realm.

The Heavenly Realm was the plane where the Celestial Court resided, situated at the pinnacle of the Heavenly Dao. Without Celestial Dao Destiny, it was almost impossible to reach, even to detect.

At this moment, the Celestial Emperor was scrutinizing Gu An, but Gu An pretended not to notice.

He revealed a portion of his realm, making his cultivation level appear to be at the Primordial Profound Venerable Immortal Realm.

This level was already among the uppermost echelons of the Celestial Court, but still not a threat to the Celestial Emperor. He even used some secret means to make the Celestial Emperor believe that he was a Primordial Profound Venerable Immortal hiding his true strength.

Now the Celestial Emperor was intensely interested in him.

“To reach the Primordial Profound Venerable Immortal Realm so quietly within the Heavenly Dao… I wonder—does your great fortune come from the Great Dao, or did the Hongmeng leave behind cause and effect for you?”

Within the Palace of the Polestar, the Celestial Emperor muttered to himself. Gu An’s power and mystery did not arouse his dread, for within the Heavenly Dao were beings even he could not detect, but none had reached the Realm of the Ultimate Merging Emperor.

The corners of his mouth curled upward as if recalling something amusing; within the imperial eyes there was only Gu An’s visage.

The process of merit ascension was neither short nor long. For most, the vast Celestial Fortune would leave the newly ascended immortals feeling as if they had woken from a great dream, but Gu An directly blocked the feedback of Celestial Dao Destiny.

Eventually, they came to a halt, the Merit Light around them dispersing.

What entered Gu An’s eyes was an endless sea of clouds. In the distance stood a palace suffused with ten thousand rays of golden light, erect atop the clouds, red eaves and white walls, with a row of stone statues before its great doors—all in the form of divine steeds rearing up on their hooves, yet each differing in build and coat.

“This palace is called the Merit Divine Horse Heavenly Palace. From now on, it is your dojo. Please bring forth your Merit Divine Horse Order.”

Xuanqing Star Lord spoke, and upon hearing this, Gu An took out the Merit Divine Horse Order.

As soon as the order token appeared, it flew toward the Merit Divine Horse Heavenly Palace, hovering above the red eaves. In an instant, the Merit Divine Horse Order flared with invisible power, warping space itself, and not long after, strands of destiny rushed toward the palace.

Dense and innumerable!

Gu An could see that the vast majority of this destiny belonged to the Celestial Court’s divine steeds. The Court counted over a thousand types of divine steeds, each with peculiar powers; apart from that, there were also various levels of Heavenly Officials—all belonging to the system of stewarding the divine steeds.

Feeling the Celestial Fortune billowing into the Merit Divine Horse Heavenly Palace, Xuanqing Star Lord wore an envious look.

Though he held the Heavenly Dao Immortal Book, his own immortal position was but a Star Lord; it was far beneath Gu An’s. Hereafter, he would have to salute upon meeting Gu An.

He also wondered—after he completed the Merit Immortal mission, to what exalted position might he ascend?

Gu An strode toward the Merit Divine Horse Heavenly Palace, Xuanqing Star Lord following close behind.

Arriving here, and sensing the Celestial Fortune, Gu An no longer needed Xuanqing Star Lord to lead the way.

The Celestial Fortune had already merged within him, becoming one with his being—of course, this was only surface-level. He could break free of the Celestial Fortune at any moment.

Celestial Fortune could raise the cultivation of the Immortal Gods, but to someone at the Primordial Profound Venerable Immortal level, the improvement was negligible; thus, he no longer needed to act out minor details.

Xuanqing Star Lord, walking behind Gu An, could distinctly feel Gu An’s aura emanating from within outwards.

The Gu An of the Mountain of No End had always seemed gentle, imparting no pressure. Yet now, he resembled those Celestial Dao Venerables Xuanqing Star Lord had encountered before, full of oppressive grandeur.

Xuanqing Star Lord smiled, his eyes brimming with anticipation.

Such a Merit Immortal would surely never bow; he eagerly awaited what would happen next.

Every Merit Immortal in the Celestial Court would face suppression and exclusion. That was why most Merit Immortals could not build up their own merit—because they had yet to take root in the Celestial Court.

He wanted to see who dared provoke the Merit Suppressing God Heavenly Monarch, wanted to watch how Gu An would respond.

Gu An arrived before the Merit Divine Horse Heavenly Palace. The doors opened on their own; a surge of spiritual energy swept forth, wild as the wind, whipping his robes and black hair.

Straight in he flew. Within the grand hall stood two rows of stone pillars, each entwined with a True Dragon. He could sense these dragons were condensed from Celestial Fortune, forming a massive formation to shield the palace, as well as elevate the level of Dao Intent and spiritual energy within.

A fine fortune indeed!

Such merit was not crafted by Immortal Gods, but by Cangtian himself.

This so-called Cangtian was the Celestial Emperor, that is, the Supreme Emperor of Ultimate Merging Dao. The foundation here was naturally inscrutable to other Immortal Gods.

Xuanqing Star Lord followed behind Gu An, about to speak, when a fierce gale arose from the rear, startling him into turning back.

All he saw was a massive golden face rising from the cloud sea outside the gate. The frame of the door could not contain even a fraction of that visage.

“Golden Body Divine Venerable!”

Xuanqing Star Lord’s face changed dramatically, uttering the other’s immortal name.