Chapter 702: Heavenly Court’s Edict of Heaven Response

"Rise. I’ve come this time for personal reasons."

The white-robed old man finally spoke. His words made Heavenly Spirit God even more nervous—coming for personal reasons could very well mean coming for revenge.

"Do you know the karma your son carries?" The white-robed old man stopped in front of Heavenly Spirit God, his tone calm but indifferent.

Heavenly Spirit God looked up at him, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "He is a reincarnated Heaven’s Son?"

The fact that the other party could ask such a thing meant he already knew the truth. Pretending not to would only make matters worse.

"Correct. He is Heaven’s Son Xuanqing. He is also my disciple. I had Ziwei Immortal Emperor cover his karma. Being able to keep it hidden this long—I’m already very satisfied."

Hearing this, Heavenly Spirit God let out a breath of relief. So he was Tian Hao’s previous life’s master. That meant he probably wasn’t an enemy.

"I am Longevity Divine Sovereign. I wish to meet the Sword Master of the Dao. Go summon him for me. I’ll wait for him outside the Realm Gate."

The white-robed old man’s tone left no room for negotiation. At the words "Divine Sovereign," Heavenly Spirit God's pupils shrank. His heart churned with shock—he never thought such a legendary being would appear in person.

He didn’t dare to object. He stood up at once and went off to find Gu An.

Longevity Divine Sovereign waved his sleeve, dispersing the mist around him and concealing his figure.

…

On the Nine Spirit Continent, within the Qiankun Sect.

Gu An met Heavenly Spirit God in the city. The two walked along the streets, browsing and chatting about Longevity Divine Sovereign.

"Anyone who holds the title of Divine Sovereign in the Heavenly Court is a legend. A Divine Sovereign stands above even Immortal Lords. This is the first time I’ve seen one in person. He came for Tian Hao and said he wants to meet you." Heavenly Spirit God frowned deeply, clearly worried.

It made sense for Longevity Divine Sovereign to look for him—after all, he had a karmic link with Tian Hao.

But why look for Gu An?

Tian Hao had already left the Heavenly Spirit Great World. If Longevity Divine Sovereign still came for Gu An, could it be to eliminate him?

Heavenly Spirit God had deep ties with Gu An. If Gu An were killed, he knew he wouldn’t escape either.

Immortals and gods may be undying—but that was outside the Heavenly Court. Inside it, high-ranking immortals and gods could die if their Heavenly Court fate was stripped.

Gu An’s expression remained calm. He looked around as he walked. He wasn’t in a hurry to meet Longevity Divine Sovereign.

The moment Longevity Divine Sovereign arrived, he had already sensed him.

This person’s cultivation was at the early stage of the Dao Extreme Grand Luo Immortal Realm—far stronger than Golden Crow Divine Sovereign.

Though both bore the Divine Sovereign title, Golden Crow Divine Sovereign was only at the Wondrous Truth Grand Luo Immortal Realm. Longevity Divine Sovereign had reached the Dao Extreme stage. No wonder he could be the master of a Heaven’s Son.

Gu An wasn’t worried about trouble. Longevity Divine Sovereign hadn’t shown any hostility, nor had he become one of Gu An’s karmic enemies.

Ever since Lifespan Forewarning upgraded, Gu An would receive a warning anytime someone destined to become his mortal enemy appeared. By now, the number of those marked as fated adversaries had exceeded one billion.

And that was without him even roaming the worlds. Imagine how many enemies those who traveled the myriad realms would make in their lives?

"Hmm, I’ll go meet him in a bit. It’s rare for you to come here—might as well look around and see what new things the Qiankun Sect has to offer."

After hearing Heavenly Spirit God’s concerns, Gu An chuckled lightly.

Seeing Gu An so composed, Heavenly Spirit God felt slightly reassured. He admired him in silence—Gu An’s poise alone was worth pursuing for a lifetime.

Still, admiration aside, he couldn’t bring himself to relax and enjoy the walk fully.

Only when dusk settled did Gu An finally follow Heavenly Spirit God toward the Realm Gate.

Nightfall descended.

Gu An returned to the Wushi Dao Field. As he walked into his courtyard, he saw Shen Zhen sitting cross-legged before the artifact refining cauldron.

When she saw Gu An return, Shen Zhen turned her head. Noticing the golden token in his hand, she asked curiously, “What’s that you’re holding?”

Gu An walked over and sat down in his reclining chair. He leaned back and lifted the golden token with his right hand, as if admiring it under the moonlight.

“This is the Heavenly Court’s Edict of Heaven. With this token, one can be inducted into the ranks of immortals,” Gu An replied.

Longevity Divine Sovereign had come specifically to give him this opportunity. On the surface, it looked like repayment for Gu An’s care of Tian Hao, but Gu An knew clearly—Longevity Divine Sovereign wanted to bind him completely to Tian Hao’s cause, to pull him into the same faction.

This Edict of Heaven allowed direct entry into the Heavenly Court without any trials, starting at a status higher than a Heavenly God. When Heavenly Spirit God heard the authority granted by this token, he was utterly shocked—his conviction nearly collapsed on the spot.

Gu An couldn’t bear to sever ties with Tian Hao, so he didn’t reject this chance. Now, he was considering who to give it to.

Xuanmiao Zhenren was not a candidate—he needed to plan with caution and couldn’t allow himself to be led by Longevity Divine Sovereign.

He decided to choose one of his disciples to ascend to immortality. It would depend on who had the strongest will.

“Becoming one of the immortal ranks?” Shen Zhen was taken aback. She immediately got up and squatted beside Gu An, curiously studying the Heavenly Court’s Edict of Heaven.

She asked how he got it, and Gu An didn’t hide the details.

Shen Zhen had long since learned of the Heavenly Court and Tian Hao’s background from Gu An. But even so, hearing that Gu An was forging ties with immortals and gods still left her astonished.

Even though she had been by Gu An’s side all this time, she still couldn’t grasp just how high his level truly was.

“Who do you think I should give this to?” Gu An asked casually.

Shen Zhen thought for a moment and said, “Do you still remember your other disciple, Yang Jian? He once wanted to follow An Hao. Now that An Hao has reincarnated and is ascending to immortality, why not let Yang Jian become immortal too, so he can continue that pursuit? I feel like letting one of the disciples from within Wushi Dao Field become immortal could be dangerous.”

She had lived in Wushi Dao Field for many years. How could she not sense how unusual it was?

Plus, she studied the Dao of Karma and knew its terrifying power. That’s why she didn’t want anyone from the Wushi Dao Field to ascend.

Gu An glanced at Shen Zhen, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

“Gu An, what exactly is the Heavenly Court like? How many immortals and gods are there? Where are they?” Shen Zhen asked, full of curiosity.

Gu An shared all the information he knew.

Listening to it all, Shen Zhen was deeply moved.

“So even immortals and gods can’t escape the struggles over power and interest. Then what does true transcendence look like?”

She sighed sincerely. Gu An didn’t respond—he had been pondering the same question himself.

Had the supreme Heavenly Emperor truly transcended?

If so, why was there still a struggle over the position of Heavenly Emperor? Why were there still countless places beyond the reach of heavenly fate across the infinite heavens? Clearly, even the Heavenly Dao wasn’t all-powerful.

That night, Gu An and Shen Zhen sat together under the moonlight, sharing their thoughts on transcendence.

At dawn the next day, Gu An left the Wushi Dao Field with Shen Zhen and An Xin.

On the way, when An Xin heard that Gu An intended for Yang Jian to become immortal, and learned of his dealings with Longevity Divine Sovereign, she grew even more curious about Tian Hao’s identity as the Heaven’s Son.

Right now, Yang Jian still remained in the Tai Cang Dynasty. He had been in seclusion for many years, far from the court.

The greatest general of the Tai Cang Dynasty now was Long Teng. With Long Teng around, Yang Jian could cultivate in peace.

Having reached the Free Immortal Realm, he was now preparing to face the Reincarnation Tribulation.