Chapter 708: Realm Below

Faced with Li Xuanmiao’s question, the Heavenly Destruction God didn’t refuse. He began to explain the Heavenly Gods.

Although Heavenly Gods were the lowest rank in the Heavenly Court’s immortal hierarchy, there were over ten thousand types of them. The most numerous were those assigned to guard the worlds. Beyond the Three Thousand Great Worlds, many other cosmic planes had Heavenly Gods stationed to safeguard them.

Where there was guarding, there was also destruction. The Heavenly Destruction God belonged to the destructive faction of Heavenly Gods, wielding the authority over slaughter.

Above Heavenly Gods were the Star Lords, then Proper Gods, followed by Immortal Lords. The peak of his faction was the Destruction God, a rank within the Proper God level.

Now that he had joined Divine Sovereign Guangfa Taiguang’s banner, the Heavenly Destruction God had effectively left the destruction faction behind and embarked on a different path.

Li Xuanmiao had long suspected that Divine Sovereign Guangfa Taiguang wasn’t simple, but he hadn’t expected his status to be so high.

According to the Heavenly Destruction God, ninety percent of Heavenly Gods would never get the chance to meet a Supreme Immortal in their entire lives.

The Heavenly Destruction God was also quite curious about Li Xuanmiao. After explaining his understanding of the Heavenly Court’s immortal hierarchy, he asked about Li Xuanmiao’s ascension experience.

Li Xuanmiao held a good impression of him and didn’t hide anything.

When he heard that Li Xuanmiao had passed the Heavenly Dao Immortal Stone’s trial while still at the Free Immortal Realm, the Heavenly Destruction God was deeply impressed.

With such talent, this man might very well become a Supreme Immortal in the future!

The more they talked, the more they hit it off, and their relationship steadily deepened.

…

In the mortal realm, the friction between the Hundred Teachings and the Dao Court was escalating. Each of the top one hundred sects was a dominant force in its own right. Now, they had joined forces to suppress the Dao Court, making its authority seem increasingly weak in the eyes of the world.

This emboldened even the lesser sects, who began to show open disrespect toward the Dao Court.

Eventually, an unprecedented war broke out in the mortal realm.

Within just ten years, the Hundred Teachings launched an assault on the Dao Court. In the following years, more and more sects joined the battle.

The Dao Court, once like an ancient and towering divine tree, now seemed on the verge of collapse. All forces scrambled to take a bite out of it.

Even the Qiankun Sect got dragged into the conflict. In the end, they forgave Yuan Luo, but imprisoned him for ten thousand years, and then threw themselves into the war against the Dao Court.

The enmity between the Qiankun Sect and the Dao Court ran deep, largely sparked by Yuan Luo and Zhao Rushen. The two sides had clashed for hundreds of thousands of years, and the accumulated hatred had long been waiting for release.

Even so, the Dao Court was a colossal force that had dominated heaven and earth for a million years. Its heritage ran so deep that no one could fully grasp it. Even in the face of attacks from every corner of the world, it showed incredible tenacity.

One hundred thousand years later.

The mortal war still hadn’t ended. New geniuses continued to emerge across the land, each heading to the Archaic Battlefield to prove themselves.

Within the Wushi Dao Field.

Gu An was teaching his disciples the Dao. The third-generation disciples were also present. Over the years, three more had joined their ranks—Mo Xundi, the second disciple of Jiang Shishou; Li Qing, disciple of the Tianhong Emperor; and Chang Jie, disciple of Tianbai.

Among the three, only one came from the Qiankun Sect. The other two were ordinary mortals from the Nine Spirits Continent.

Gu An was explaining his insights into the path of the Hunyuan Dao Emperor. Even the third-generation disciples could understand and gain great benefits from it.

His goal was to make Wushi a mighty force on the path of the Hunyuan Emperor.

Eventually, the Hunyuan Dao Emperor would surpass the Dao Sovereigns of the Grand Dao. When that time came, countless sects would seek to align themselves with this path—and none would realize that the Hunyuan Dao Emperor was tied to Wushi.

After Gu An finished his discourse, he invited his disciples to ask questions.

The most eager were the third-generation disciples, each competing to raise their concerns.

This time, Gu An was especially patient with them. Although he usually wasn’t too invested in his grand-disciples, when it came to cultivation, he showed no favoritism. He carefully answered each question and even offered cultivation paths tailored to each one of them.

“Grandmaster, the Hunyuan Dao Emperor pursues enlightenment through nature, not through war. So what’s your take on the calamities in the mortal realm?”

Mo Xundi suddenly asked, his gaze fixed intently on Gu An.

His features looked to be in his early twenties. His skin wasn’t pale, and his brows were always furrowed, giving him a bitter and somber appearance.

He came from the Qiankun Sect. His parents died in the war with the Dao Court, and ever since, a seed of vengeance had been buried deep in his heart.

When he asked that question, Jiang Shi sighed but didn’t stop him. He too hoped Gu An could guide Mo Xundi.

Gu An looked at Mo Xundi and said, “Since ancient times, there have always been natural disasters and man-made calamities. Regardless of which, they all stem from cause and effect. I might not like conflict, but I don’t resent it either. What you see now is the result of the Grand Dao’s rules. The great catastrophe of the mortal world was born from ambition. Most beings are simply swept along by the current.”

“I know you want revenge. But perhaps, before you even get the chance, your enemy might already die in war, just like your parents did.”

“You’re allowed to harbor hatred. But the question is—who exactly do you hate? And after you hate, then what? These are the things you really need to think about.”

Mo Xundi opened his mouth but couldn’t speak.

Gu An continued, “The Hunyuan Dao Emperor casts his will across all reincarnations of the heavens. When you reach that step, everyone will go through the same pain you’re experiencing now. When that day comes, you can come back and ask me about revenge.”

No one below the Free Immortal Realm was allowed to leave the Nine Spirits Continent. That was a rule Gu An had set for the third-generation disciples. None could disobey.

Every disciple was made aware of this before entering Wushi, but back then, they were all overwhelmed by the vastness of the realms and didn’t realize just how long it would take to reach the Free Immortal Realm.

After hearing this, Mo Xundi immediately bowed in thanks to Gu An.

Though hatred lingered in his heart, it wasn’t directed at any one person. What he resented was the endless strife in the world. He believed that by cultivating under Gu An, he could eventually find the answer he sought.

“Grandmaster, it’s my turn. If the Hunyuan Dao Emperor can cast projections across the heavens, is it possible to inject my consciousness into it? For example, if I wanted to spread my writings?”

Shangguan Xian’er raised her hand and asked, her face full of hope as she looked at Gu An.

The other disciples didn’t think much of it. They all knew Shangguan Xian’er liked to write, but none of them realized just how far her interests extended.

Gu An’s expression didn’t change as he calmly replied, “That’s actually a pretty good idea. If you can pull it off, maybe you’ll carve out your own path. But to inject your own consciousness into it, you’ll need to study the Daos of cause and effect, soul, and reincarnation. Just understanding one Dao isn’t enough.”

Time kept flowing.

It wasn’t until the next morning that the question-and-answer session finally ended. Gu An stood up, preparing to take a walk.

Boom—

A deafening explosion suddenly erupted in the distance, shaking the earth itself. Startled, all the disciples who were still discussing the Dao stood up and turned toward the direction of the sound.

Gu An didn’t seem to mind. He left alone.

The third-generation disciples gathered around their respective masters, asking where that explosion had come from.

“The flames of war are about to reach the Nine Spirits Continent.”

An Xin stared into the sky and murmured softly.

Those words turned the faces of the third-generation disciples pale. Was the Qiankun Sect going to be attacked?

After leaving the courtyard, Gu An took a single step and arrived at the boundary gate.

Heavenly Spirit God was already there waiting. The moment he saw Gu An, he stood and bowed respectfully.

Gu An sat down beside him and asked, “You went to the lower realm beneath the Heavenly Court. What did you find?”

Heavenly Gods didn’t have the qualifications to step onto the Ascension Steps, but below the Heavenly Court was a vast plane—a transit realm where immortal gods descended to the lower world. It was a place where many immortals exchanged intelligence or made deals.