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

Chapter 984: Chapter 976: The Domineering Heavenly Lord

Golden Body Divine Venerable!

Gu An heard the voice of the Xuanqing Star Lord, but did not turn around; he continued to walk forward, admiring the true dragons and patterns on the divine pillars along the way.

It must be said, the Merit Divine Horse Heavenly Palace was truly sincere. Even looking over all the Supreme Immortal Palaces of the Celestial Court, none could compare to this one. From this, the Celestial Emperor was indeed true to his word and had not deceived him.

Every divine pillar within the hall contained vast destiny. Peering into them, he could see all the cause and effect under his immortal position; he could see what the Divine Horse Celestial Officials were doing, and see the situation of every divine horse.

Yin Yang Divine Horse, Time Divine Horse, Karma Divine Horse, Killing Divine Horse, Sun and Moon Divine Horse, and so forth.

The divine horses of the Celestial Court were spread throughout every corner of the Heavenly Dao. Some divine horses had even become the sun and moon, providing the Rules of Heaven and Earth for a region of the Human World. Some divine horses were even exploring the Chaos.

Divine horses held great significance for the Celestial Court; they played the roles of opening up and stabilizing, so the office of Divine Horse Celestial Official was by no means an insult to the Great Powers of the Lower Realm.

While Gu An was still observing the destiny of the divine horses, the Xuanqing Star Lord, faced with the Golden Body Divine Venerable, could barely endure any longer.

The gap between a Supreme Immortal and a Star Lord was as wide as the chasm of heaven—utterly unbridgeable. And Golden Body Divine Venerable was not hiding his aura in the slightest—how could the Xuanqing Star Lord bear it?

Xuanqing Star Lord hesitated whether to speak. He knew Ancestor Master Wushi could not have failed to sense the aura of the Golden Body Divine Venerable; the contest between the two Great Powers had already begun, only no one had spoken first.

Luckily, Gu An did not let Xuanqing Star Lord continue to suffer. He turned around—a breeze swept from behind the Xuanqing Star Lord, suddenly lifting the pressure off his body.

Xuanqing Star Lord breathed a sigh of relief, turning to look and seeing Gu An standing in the distance, gazing in his direction.

He followed the gaze and turned; outside the hall, Golden Body Divine Venerable was also looking at Gu An.

As their gazes met, the destiny within the Merit Divine Horse Heavenly Palace seemed to freeze all at once.

Gu An did not speak, only gazed calmly at the Golden Body Divine Venerable.

After a while, a majestic voice rang out:

“Merit Suppressing God Heavenly Monarch—upon your first entry into the Celestial Court, you obtain such an immortal position. I am truly curious: who are you?”

The Golden Body Divine Venerable’s voice was accompanied by rolling thunder, causing the mana within Xuanqing Star Lord’s body to tremble.

Gu An glanced toward the Xuanqing Star Lord, and asked, “Within the Heavenly Realm, is it permitted for Immortal Gods to do battle?”

Xuanqing Star Lord was taken aback, then hurriedly replied, “They may not slay each other, but if it is a friendly contest, that is permissible…”

Gu An then looked to the Golden Body Divine Venerable. He did not continue speaking, but the meaning was clear.

The Golden Body Divine Venerable’s golden visage made his features look strong and harsh. Yet now, his expression was clearly unnatural.

He had never expected Gu An to be so forceful.

Having just arrived, shouldn’t he be cautious?

For him to have achieved the Merit Suppressing God Heavenly Monarch, it seemed he truly had a foundation to rely on.

Suddenly, the Golden Body Divine Venerable transformed into golden light. Blazing radiance filled the gates of the palace, probing into the hall within.

Boom—

Xuanqing Star Lord felt his vision blur, white hair flying, robes flapping violently. He instinctively turned and saw that the Golden Body Divine Venerable had already arrived before Gu An.

So fast!

Xuanqing Star Lord was inwardly alarmed. He squinted—Golden Body Divine Venerable’s towering body completely blocked Gu An from view, making him tense up involuntarily.

Terrifying pressure surged from all sides, rendering his divine sense unable to extend; he could only await the battle to come.

However, he saw the Golden Body Divine Venerable’s body begin to tremble, and then his knees bent low.

His eyes widened in astonishment. Under his gaze, Golden Body Divine Venerable actually knelt down, and as he did so, Gu An’s face emerged within his sight.

Gu An’s expression was cold and indifferent, making the Xuanqing Star Lord momentarily dazed—he seemed to see the Celestial Emperor himself.

Golden Body Divine Venerable knelt before Gu An, his whole body shaking violently. That proud head of his also began to lower.

Gu An looked down at the Golden Body Divine Venerable, and asked, “Golden Body Divine Venerable, if your eyes cannot see through my origins, how dare you come and provoke me?”

Throughout the entire Celestial Court, only the Celestial Emperor was worthy of his attention—and not as a rival, but as someone to be appreciated.

Gu An was always low-key, but whoever dared flaunt arrogance before his face, he would not show mercy.

Golden Body Divine Venerable could no longer speak; fear filled his heart.

He was a Supreme Immortal, with cultivation at the Dao Extreme Daluo Immortal Realm—late stage at that— yet in front of Gu An, he was utterly powerless.

Gu An immediately flicked his sleeve. A powerful gust swept the Golden Body Divine Venerable away, tossing him out into the sea of clouds beyond the hall.

The Golden Body Divine Venerable felt the world spinning, scenes before his eyes rapidly changing. An unprecedented sense of weightlessness left him in agony, as if his very soul was about to be ripped from his body.

With a thunderous crash!

He slammed into the mountains below, sending clouds of dust billowing skyward.

Standing inside the Merit Divine Horse Heavenly Palace, Xuanqing Star Lord inhaled sharply, for he could sense that the Golden Body Divine Venerable had been struck out of the Heavenly Realm, plummeting into a Great Thousand World below.

The key thing was—the Golden Body Divine Venerable’s aura was still intact!

What kind of technique was this?

Xuanqing Star Lord quickly turned to look and saw Gu An already turning to walk toward his throne.

That back, in Xuanqing Star Lord’s eyes, was incomparably towering.

Xuanqing Star Lord understood: at this moment, surely countless Great Powers of the Celestial Court were watching the Merit Divine Horse Heavenly Palace. Gu An’s action would undoubtedly intimidate those hidden in the shadows.

In previous dealings, Gu An’s manner had always been markedly calm, even gentle—so Xuanqing Star Lord had never imagined that Gu An, upon entering the Celestial Court, could be so overbearing.

After astonishment came excitement. With such a figure leading the Merit Immortals, only then could the Merit Immortals truly establish themselves.

Gu An paid Xuanqing Star Lord no mind. He ascended the steps, step by step approaching the throne that belonged to the Merit Suppressing God Heavenly Monarch.

When he sat down, he looked toward the grand hall, and what he saw was the destiny and cause and effect of all the divine horses and subordinate Immortal Gods, all woven into the floor of the hall. This was an exceedingly marvelous feeling, easily giving birth to a sense of mastering everything—a kind of satisfied contentment.

If being the Merit Suppressing God Heavenly Monarch felt like this, how would it feel to sit in the throne of the Celestial Dao Venerable?

A smile tugged at the corners of Gu An’s lips. He thought the Celestial Emperor’s design in this matter had its own deep intentions.

He was deliberately causing the Immortal Gods to swell with pride, deliberately making them arrogant. This was the main reason that so many Immortal Gods sought to challenge his position.

If the Celestial Emperor revealed absolute power, it would be impossible for the Primordial Profound Venerable Immortals to ever rebel.

“Heavenly Monarch, should I summon all current Divine Horse Celestial Officials at once?” The Xuanqing Star Lord spoke, and his form of address for Gu An had already changed.

The Merit Divine Horse Heavenly Palace was among the few Merit Immortal factions holding real authority, even surpassing Supreme Immortals in power. The Xuanqing Star Lord hoped Gu An would seize this moment of overbearing dominance to solidify authority immediately.

If they delayed, those Immortal Gods would surely seek to win over the Divine Horse Celestial Officials, or implant pawns—breeding hidden dangers.

Gu An looked at him, and with a soft laugh said, “Since you wish it, then go ahead.”

His voice was light, yet echoed within the hall, lingering long and endlessly.