Chapter 645: Gu An’s Reincarnation

Would the Heavenly Court be aware of this eerie force sweeping through the Great Thousand Worlds?

Gu An pondered silently. Although he had no idea where exactly the Heavenly Court was located, after interacting with more immortals and deities over time, he had come to believe that they were omnipresent. The Heavenly Court’s influence was overbearing, disregarding the will of all beings.

As for this mysterious and ominous power, Gu An was not particularly concerned.

Even if it eventually spread to the Heavenly Spirit Great World, it would merely be another trial for the living beings there. As long as it did not pose a threat to him, he had no reason to interfere.

A long silence followed.

By the time Jiang Qiong finally withdrew her attention from the formation scroll, the food on the table had long since gone cold.

She looked at Gu An and sighed in amazement. "Is this really something that could be created by a mortal? It’s far too vast and intricate. Based on its described effects, it seems as terrifying as the fundamental laws of heaven itself."

She felt that if such a formation were to be leaked, it would undoubtedly trigger a bloodbath. If anyone else had given it to her, she might not have dared to accept it.

"If you want to master it, you’ll need many years. Take your time and study it first," Gu An said with a soft chuckle.

He had provided more than just a formation—within the scroll lay profound Daoist principles that Jiang Qiong could study for a million years.

Jiang Qiong nodded and stored the scroll in her spatial ring. As she looked at Gu An, her eyes shimmered with a deep and affectionate light. With a sigh, she murmured, "The things you give me… I feel like I’ll never be able to repay them. Honestly, it’s starting to weigh on me."

"So, do you want to return them?" Gu An asked, slightly annoyed. How could he not see through Jiang Qiong’s intentions?

This woman was just looking for an excuse to flirt with him!

Jiang Qiong giggled and shook her head. "Of course not. Since you’ve already given them to me, they’re mine now."

She smoothly changed the topic, beginning to chat about matters within Gathering Flower Sect. As the most senior figure in the sect, she naturally spoke from the perspective of an elder, making Gu An feel as though they were simply discussing everyday family affairs.

Far from finding it dull, Gu An actually enjoyed it. He listened with keen interest, occasionally asking a question or two.

After about half an hour—

"By the way, do you remember Lu Lingjun? She used to stay in your Third Medicine Valley. She was an ascender. The sect she founded, Ascension Sect, is doing quite well. It has now firmly established itself…"

Jiang Qiong’s tone grew lively as she mentioned Lu Lingjun. At the same time, she closely observed Gu An’s expression.

She recalled that, long ago, An Xin had told her that Lu Lingjun once wanted to take Gu An as her Dao companion.

After Gu An’s true identity was revealed, Lu Lingjun seemed to have cut off contact with him—not because Gu An refused to meet her, but because she no longer dared to face him.

Over the years, Jiang Qiong had interacted with Lu Lingjun a few times. She felt that, deep down, Lu Lingjun possessed a stubborn pride. It was as if she couldn’t accept the fact that Gu An was such an unfathomably powerful existence.

However, Jiang Qiong suspected that Lu Lingjun’s survival until now, as well as the success of Ascension Sect, had likely been influenced by Gu An’s secret assistance.

Even after finishing her explanation, Jiang Qiong could not discern any reaction from Gu An’s face.

It was as if Lu Lingjun held no importance to him at all.

Gu An simply smiled and said, "As expected, talking with you is quite interesting. I wouldn’t hear about any of this while staying in Wushi."

Jiang Qiong, seeing his indifference toward Lu Lingjun, asked, "Do you just cultivate all the time? Don’t you ever get bored?"

She could never understand why Gu An chose to leave Tai Xuan Sect. If he found Tai Xuan Sect unappealing, he could have joined a different sect or settled in another city. Why retreat into the remote mountains where no one else resided? The only answer she could think of was that he was devoting himself entirely to cultivation.

"My life is far more interesting than you think," Gu An said smugly.

Jiang Qiong raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

Gu An laughed and said, "To me, these thirteen thousand years have passed far more slowly than the time you all have experienced. Take the past hundred years, for example—I spent sixty of them as a bodyguard for a mortal emperor, supporting the reign of four different dynasties…"

He was telling the truth. Over the past ten thousand years, Gu An had taken a liking to experiencing different identities in the mortal world. Aside from the times he spent gathering herbs, he always lived those lives as his true self—never using his cultivation, aging naturally, and even suffering injuries like an ordinary human.

Wasn’t this, in a way, a cycle of reincarnation?

Jiang Qiong hadn’t expected Gu An to do something like this. The thought of a being capable of overturning the entire Heavenly Spirit Great World competing for power in the mortal realm with common folk felt both absurd and strangely intriguing.

Perhaps… she should give it a try as well?

After all, she no longer needed to personally oversee Gathering Flower Sect.

From then on, the conversation became one-sided, with Gu An doing the talking while Jiang Qiong listened. The more stories she heard, the more she realized that what Gu An was doing wasn’t out of boredom—it was a form of cultivation.

…

The sun shone brightly in the cloudless sky.

Above the rolSpirit Mountains, countless cultivators soared through the air on their swords, moving like a fierce wind. The sheer momentum of their collective flight caused the forests below to sway violently.

Amidst the crowd, two young men flew side by side.

One of them, dressed in black, turned to his companion with an excited expression. “Long Lin, what kind of monster do you think we’ll be facing this time?”

The one called Long Lin wore a fitted blue robe. Compared to the black-robed youth, he was more handsome, his demeanor refined and composed.

Long Lin gazed ahead, a faint smile appearing on his lips. “I heard it’s a great demon that has lived for ten thousand years. Otherwise, the sect wouldn’t have dispatched so many disciples.”

“A ten-thousand-year-old demon? Just how terrifying must that be?” The black-robed youth’s excitement quickly turned into worry.

Long Lin glanced at him and chuckled. “Yang Nian, if you’re afraid, there’s still time to turn back.”

The black-robed youth, Yang Nian, immediately widened his eyes. “Afraid? Me? No way! I’m just worried about the other disciples. If we lose this battle, Changyang Sect will be in deep trouble.”

Long Lin didn’t respond, only smiling as he looked ahead.

Not just them, but many of the surrounding Changyang Sect disciples were also discussing the upcoming battle.

Changyang Sect had stood for several thousand years and was considered a dominant force on the continent. However, they had never faced a demon of this level before.

“By the way, Long Lin, is it true what the senior brothers said? That your family has finally found you?” Yang Nian asked curiously.

The two of them had grown up as orphans, raised by an old man in the mountains. Later, by sheer luck, they were accepted into Changyang Sect. Long Lin was discovered to have an exceptional spiritual root, and if not for his help, Yang Nian wouldn’t have achieved his current position.

He never imagined that Long Lin wasn’t actually an orphan—that his family had been searching for him all along.

A mix of emotions filled Yang Nian’s heart: envy, but also genuine happiness for Long Lin.

Long Lin nodded. “They told me that my parents didn’t abandon me. They were on a mission when they were ambushed and had no choice but to leave me in a certain place. The jade pendant they left me is actually a high-tier artifact, which is how my family eventually tracked me down. They want me to return, but I haven’t decided yet.”

Yang Nian’s eyes widened. “Is your family powerful? How do they compare to Changyang Sect?”

“They must be strong. They’ve already convinced the sect elders, who seem to have received a considerable benefit. Now, even they are urging me to return.”

Hearing this, Yang Nian felt a surge of jealousy.

Why couldn’t he have such a background?

Before they began cultivating, he had always been the one protecting Long Lin. But once they entered the cultivation world, everything flipped. Now, it was Long Lin who took care of him.

He was grateful to Long Lin, but deep inside, an uncontrollable jealousy was growing.

It felt like fate was unfair—no matter what, Long Lin always seemed to encounter good fortune, while he struggled without support.

“If that’s the case, what’s there to think about?” Yang Nian asked, forcing a smile to hide his jealousy.

“Let’s focus on the battle ahead first.”

Long Lin avoided answering the question, steering the conversation elsewhere.

He hesitated about returning to his clan because the Long Clan did not accept outsiders.

Over the years, he had noticed the subtle changes in Yang Nian’s mentality. He didn’t want to bring this up and risk making things worse.

But…

Thinking back to what his clan members had told him, Long Lin couldn’t help but feel a sense of longing.

The Long Clan supposedly had immortals—beings far beyond the Mahayana Realm, standing at the pinnacle of existence.