Chapter 729: Walking Ahead of Everyone

Tai Yi Immortal Lord’s words drifted away with the breeze, leaving no trace in this world.

Gu An followed his gaze, smiled softly, and said, “Maybe when you fully control your divinity, you’ll reach an even higher level.”

These words made a change in Tai Yi Immortal Lord’s expression.

After that, neither of them spoke again. They just quietly looked into the distance.

A full incense stick’s time passed before Tai Yi Immortal Lord bid farewell to Gu An and left. Gu An didn’t try to stop him.

Only after Tai Yi Immortal Lord left the Nine Spirits Continent did Gu An turn and walk back toward his courtyard.

With this turn, a new chapter in the mortal world was about to unfold.

A million years passed, like the surging sea, gone forever.

This year, Gu An’s lifespan once again broke through to one hundred trillion years. He used his lifespan to teleport to other places for breakthroughs, but after using it until only about three trillion years remained, he had only reached the late stage of the Profound Qi Hunyuan Immortal Realm, still far from perfection.

The late stage of the Profound Qi Hunyuan Immortal Realm was completely different from the early stage. Gu An felt like he had been reborn. Reaching his current level and still feeling such a gap was enough to show how vast the difference between early and late stages of the Profound Qi Hunyuan Immortal Realm truly was.

Gu An returned to his Dao Field but didn’t go straight to his residence. Instead, he strolled through the Nine Spirits Continent.

The Gate of Myriad Worlds towered into the clouds. Even from tens of thousands of miles away, walking along the mountain path, Gu An could still see it clearly. It looked like the grandest peak in the mortal world, reaching into the sky, showing its strength.

The Nine Spirits Continent was isolated from the world, but inside, the cultivation atmosphere was intense. Even the strongest sects in the mortal world might not compare. With the spiritual energy and Dao intent in the Dao Field, many Free Immortals had been born over the past million years. They all ventured into other worlds through the Gate of Myriad Worlds.

Of course, it wasn’t just Free Immortals who could enter the Gate of Myriad Worlds. As long as someone wished, anyone could enter freely, which meant the continent wasn’t overcrowded.

Over the long years, from time to time, outsiders would try to break into the Nine Spirits Continent. But the Nine Spirits Dynasty had set up defenses at the edges of the continent—ordinary people couldn’t sneak in.

Just recently, a powerful Free Immortal had managed to sneak in.

Gu An was walking toward this Free Immortal now. The other’s figure already reflected in his eyes.

“He’s really grown up, already able to stand on his own.”

Gu An thought to himself. The breeze stirred his white robe and black clothes. Having just broken through, he was in a good mood and decided to give this person a hand.

He walked forward leisurely. With every step, flowers bloomed beneath his feet, spreading life along his path.

After half a cup of tea’s time, Gu An passed through a forest and arrived at a lake nestled among the mountains. His gaze fell on a small pavilion in the middle of the lake. Inside the pavilion stood a black-clad man, hands behind his back, staring silently at the lotus flowers on the lake.

That person was none other than Li Ya’s disciple, Li Xianyou.

Now grown, Li Xianyou already had the aura of a reclusive master. Paired with the beauty of the mountains and waters, he seemed like an immortal among mortals.

“Why are you enjoying the scenery here alone?”

A voice entered Li Xianyou’s ears, making his pupils shrink in shock. He quickly turned around, and when he saw Gu An standing in the courtyard, his Dao heart trembled.

Shock turned into joy!

“Shi… Master Uncle…”

Li Xianyou’s whole body trembled, not knowing where to place his hands.

Gu An smiled and asked softly, “Where’s your master? Has he been well lately?”

Upon hearing this, Li Xianyou dropped to his knees with a thud, gritting his teeth and saying, “Master Uncle, my master has gone mad. Please, you must save him!”

“How did he go mad?”

Gu An wasn’t surprised at all. He calmly asked without going to help Li Xianyou up.

Li Xianyou took a deep breath and said, “Ever since he lost to Chen Chuan, it was like he went crazy. He’s been obsessed with sword cultivation, constantly challenging other sword cultivators, winning and losing. Because he was so stubborn, he offended many people. A thousand years ago, he lost to a famous sword cultivator, and his Dao heart shattered. After that, he shut himself away. A few years ago, I finally found him, but he was rambling nonsense, and he even attacked me…”

“Master Uncle, my master said before, you’re the one he was closest to. Please, you have to save him…”

After hearing that, Gu An’s face didn’t change at all. In fact, everything Li Ya had gone through was already within his sight.

That battle a thousand years ago—if not for Gu An’s protection, Li Ya would’ve been dead.

He had helped from the shadows but didn’t punish the other side because Li Ya had been the one to initiate the challenge and kept pressing on.

Their cultivation levels were similar, but their sword Dao skills differed. One wrong move meant certain death.

Gu An pulled out a small wooden sword from his robe and handed it to Li Xianyou. “Take this sword back to your master.”

“What is this?”

Li Xianyou took the wooden sword, hesitating as he asked. His heart was pounding.

He had been here for a while and still didn’t know how to find Gu An. There were just too many powerful beings on this continent, and it was hard to take a single step.

He didn’t know that his entry was actually permitted by one of Wu Shi’s disciples. As soon as he sneaked in, An Zizai told An Xin, and An Xin calculated that he had a karmic tie with Li Ya, then passed the message to Gu An.

“You just need to take this sword to him.”

Gu An finished speaking and turned to look at the lake.

Li Xianyou stood up, carefully put the wooden sword away, then looked at Gu An and cautiously asked, “Master Uncle, what do you really think about my master? Why won’t he come find you?”

Gu An didn’t turn back. He kept his eyes on the lake and said, “My attitude has never changed. It’s just that his thoughts have gotten too messy.”

Hearing this, Li Xianyou felt completely at ease. He’d always thought Gu An cared about his master, but his master just overthought it and was too concerned about face.

If only his master could let go of his pride and follow Master Uncle to cultivate, he would definitely become the greatest sword cultivator in the world.

“Xianyou, we’ve met twice now. Since you call me Master Uncle, I’ll accept it. I can feel the bond between you and your master. Though you call him master, your relationship is like father and son. I know you won’t abandon him, but still, I want to ask you—please, take good care of him.”

After speaking, Gu An turned to look at Li Xianyou, a warm smile on his face.

Li Xianyou nodded firmly and said, “I will. Without my master, I’d be long dead. I’ll never abandon him for the rest of my life.”

“Your master, even though he loves to fight and cares too much about his pride, his chivalrous spirit is rare in this world. Honestly, I envy his life—carefree and free-spirited. Haven’t you noticed? He’s always stayed true to his heart.”

Gu An’s words made Li Xianyou fall into deep thought.

He realized that aside from the changes in recent years, before becoming obsessed, Li Ya had always been carefree, always unrestrained, just like the master he knew as a child.

“Maybe one day, your master will be ahead of everyone else. Don’t tell him I said this—this is a secret of heaven I’m sharing with you.”

Gu An’s smile was so mysterious, it filled Li Xianyou’s mind with endless thoughts.

He could hear the deeper meaning—his master would become his greatest chance and support.

But...

Li Xianyou couldn’t help but ask, “Then, can he surpass you?”

He knew his master had always wanted to surpass Master Uncle. That was why he wouldn’t ask for Gu An’s help.

Facing his question, Gu An just smiled and didn’t answer.