Chapter 231: The World-Destroying Disaster Is Coming

Chapter 231 The World-Destroying Disaster Is Coming

Lü Baitian sat down and began asking Gu An what kind of tournament would be most attractive to hold next.

Ye Lan, Zhen Qin, and Shen Zhen stood nearby, listening with curiosity. They were also eager to see how Gu An would strategize for Lü Baitian.

Gu An pondered for a moment and said, “Taixuan Sect has already held numerous tournaments. Though the types may vary, for most disciples, the sense of participation is lacking. Moreover, other sects have begun to imitate us. No matter what kind of tournament we hold next, it will be difficult to expand our influence.”

Lü Baitian nodded—this was precisely his concern.

Other sects weren’t foolish. Seeing Taixuan Sect’s success, they started hosting similar tournaments. Especially with Cang Heaven Sect joining in, cultivators across the land flocked to participate, greatly diminishing Taixuan Sect’s authority.

To this day, Cang Heaven Sect remained the number one sect in the cultivation world of the Three Dynasties.

Shen Zhen also fell into deep thought.

Although the Da Yu Dynasty had fallen, the Dao Tian Sect still stood strong. In fact, it had now formed a close alliance with Taixuan Sect. The stronger Taixuan Sect became, the greater the benefits for Dao Tian Sect.

Gu An continued, “Actually, Taixuan Sect holds the greatest advantage—we have two Grand Ascension cultivators and the mysterious Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path. On this point, Cang Heaven Sect cannot compare. If we want to surpass them, why not hold a Heavenly Ranking Tournament? No age restrictions, no cultivation level limits—purely a battle of strength, ranking only the top one hundred. Once word gets out, cultivators across the land will be shaken. Any sect that dares not participate will be ridiculed.”

“If Cang Heaven Sect refuses to join, then in the eyes of the world, they are weaker than Taixuan Sect. If they do participate, then we’ll let fair competition decide whether their Dao Lord can defeat Elder Xuan or Elder Qiao.”

Lü Baitian’s eyes lit up at this idea, but he still hesitated. “A battle among Grand Ascension cultivators—what if it gets out of hand? How do we stop it?”

Gu An thought for a moment and suggested, “Why not hold it in the Outer Sect? We can use the Sword Sovereign’s presence as a deterrent.”

Lü Baitian frowned, clearly hesitant.

In truth, even Taixuan Sect’s higher-ups were wary of the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path. They had no idea what his true intentions were or where he had come from.

They used to imagine that he was simply a reclusive ascetic nurtured by Taixuan Sect, hiding his cultivation so deeply that no one recognized his strength. But as more immortals emerged before them, they had to face reality—Taixuan Sect could never have produced such a powerful existence. The Sword Sovereign was simply too strong, forcing them to acknowledge the truth.

“If the Sect Master is worried about offending the Sword Sovereign, we can allocate a portion of the tournament’s proceeds to the Heavenly Mending Platform as an offering to him, showing our sincerity,” Gu An proposed.

Lü Baitian hesitated. “Would that really work?”

Gu An replied, “You can try speaking before the Heaven-Splitting Axe. The Sword Sovereign is an immortal—he will hear you. As long as you explain the stakes clearly, he should silently approve.”

“With the Heavenly Ranking Tournament, as long as Taixuan Sect secures the title of the number one sect, no other sect will be able to hold a similar event. Only the strongest sect has the right to host such a tournament. If Cang Heaven Sect fails to claim the top spot, their morale will take a major hit.”

“Just like the previous Golden Ranking Tournament, the results of the Heavenly Ranking should be recorded and distributed freely to all cultivators. No spirit stones required. This way, we establish influence first. For the second tournament, we can start charging for the rankings.”

The moment Taixuan Sect made such an announcement, the matter would be sealed.

Throughout history, sects had certainly considered this idea before, but none dared to implement it. Gathering the strongest cultivators in one place for direct competition was a dangerous move—if things spiraled out of control, it could bring about total destruction.

But Taixuan Sect was different.

They had the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path—an existence that broke all balance!

Shen Zhen couldn't help but say, “This plan is truly ruthless. No sect can refuse. Even if they know they won’t win, they’ll have no choice but to participate.”

The more Lü Baitian thought about it, the more he saw its potential. As long as Taixuan Sect claimed the number one spot, they could attract even more top-tier cultivators in the future!

“But what if Holy Lands and overseas cultivators also join?” Lü Baitian asked hesitantly.

Gu An smiled. “Wouldn’t that just prove Taixuan Sect’s influence? Even the Holy Lands can't resist participating. As long as our cultivators rank the highest within the Three Dynasties, that’s all that matters.”

Lü Baitian found this reasoning sound and immediately started discussing the details with Gu An.

Mere slogans wouldn’t be enough. Concrete benefits had to be set to entice more cultivators.

Ye Lan watched as Gu An and Lü Baitian discussed matters of such grand scale, feeling deeply moved. Her senior brother was destined for greatness.

Zhen Qin, on the other hand, wasn’t thinking that far. She was already daydreaming about the tournament itself.

Who wouldn’t want to be the number one in the world?

Even though she wasn’t qualified to compete, she still wanted to know who would claim the title.

An hour later, Lü Baitian left in a hurry, not even staying for the New Year celebrations.

Gu An, on the other hand, took the three women downstairs to enjoy the festive atmosphere with the disciples. Medicine Valley was bustling with activity, with even a small marketplace set up.

As evening approached, Lu Lingjun returned. Given the vast gap in cultivation between her and Ye Lan’s group, there was no conflict. Moreover, she seemed preoccupied and didn’t bother with Gu An’s relationship with Ye Lan.

Gu An briefly returned to Xuan Valley, drinking with the disciples before heading back to the Third Medicine Valley, continuing the celebrations.

The next morning, as the guests departed, disciples resumed their daily routines, and Lu Lingjun left for the sect’s main city.

A few nights later, Gu An saw Lü Baitian leading dozens of elders from the Elder Hall to the Heaven-Splitting Axe. They set up formations to prevent other disciples and cultivators from overhearing their discussion.

After they laid out the plans for the Heavenly Ranking Tournament, there was no response from the Heaven-Splitting Axe—so they took it as silent approval from the Sword Sovereign.

Gu An was already looking forward to the tournament’s rewards. He could buy a vast amount of high-grade spiritual herbs again.

The next morning, Gu Zong arrived with a massive group of cultivators to find Lu Lingjun. Their weakest member was at the Void Transformation Stage, and they numbered over a hundred.

Lu Lingjun immediately set out with them toward the south, while Gu Zong exchanged a few words with Gu An before departing.

Gu An didn’t ask what Lu Lingjun was doing. He already knew—it was about the overseas ascended cultivators.

A month later.

Taixuan Sect officially announced the Heavenly Ranking Tournament.

Notices were quickly posted in every city of the cultivation world. At the same time, Lü Baitian dispatched envoys to various sects with invitations—a fait accompli.

The world was shaken!

Sect leaders cursed Taixuan Sect for their shamelessness, but mid- and lower-level cultivators were thrilled.

Everyone was eager to see—putting aside the Sword Sovereign, who was truly the strongest in the world?

Gu An rode the Blood Prison Great Saint into the Outer Sect City, listening to the disciples’ excited chatter.

Even Yang Zhi, walking beside him, felt his blood boil.

Would he ever get the chance to stand on the Heavenly Ranking one day?

As they traveled, Yang Zhi noticed that Gu An frequently greeted others along the way. He seemed to know an astonishing number of people, including many cultivators who even had their own followers. This only deepened Yang Zhi’s admiration for him.

That morning, Gu An had sent Xiao Chuan to deliver a message to Yang Zhi, saying he would take him to the Outer Sect City. Yang Zhi was overjoyed—this meant Gu An was truly accepting him!

And he wasn’t the only one who thought so. Many of the errand disciples shared the same belief, leading to a wave of imitators. Soon, the White Spirit Mouse found itself surrounded by dozens of disciples, leaving An Xin feeling utterly helpless.

As they continued forward, Gu An suddenly turned to Yang Zhi and asked, “Yang Zhi, are you willing to officially become my disciple?”

Yang Zhi, lost in thought, was momentarily stunned. “What?” he blurted out in disbelief.

Gu An shot him a sharp look, making him break into a cold sweat.

“Idiot! The master is asking if you’re willing to formally acknowledge him as your teacher!” the Blood Prison Great Saint scoffed. His tone was mocking, but in truth, he cared about Yang Zhi.

After serving as his mount for five years, he had grown somewhat fond of the boy and wanted to give him a chance.

Others might not know Gu An’s true cultivation, but the Blood Prison Great Saint did.

The strongest person in Taixuan Sect was Gu An.

In fact, he even suspected that the mysterious Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path might actually be Gu An himself.

“Ah? I—I’m willing! I’m willing! Master, please accept your disciple’s bow!”

Yang Zhi was overjoyed, immediately kneeling down on the street.

The passing disciples all shot him strange looks.

Gu An, unfazed, accepted his bow. Only after Yang Zhi had completed three resounding kowtows did he allow him to stand up.

The Blood Prison Great Saint continued forward, while Yang Zhi followed closely behind, trembling with excitement.

Having spent five years in the Third Medicine Valley, his reverence for Gu An had only grown. Outwardly, Gu An appeared to be at the Core Formation Stage, yet the valley secretly housed Profound Mind Realm Grandmasters. This realization had set off endless speculation in his mind.

The Blood Prison Great Saint glanced at the trembling Yang Zhi and suddenly felt a pang of jealousy.

Why?!

This brat had no special qualities—he was utterly ordinary!

And yet, he got to become Gu An’s disciple, while he, an invincible ascended cultivator, was merely a mount.

The Blood Prison Great Saint felt a mix of emotions.

If he hadn’t been so arrogant upon ascending, if he hadn’t gone after Li Ya and Zhang Bukui, he wouldn’t have ended up in this situation.

But then he reconsidered—if none of that had happened, even after another ten thousand years of cultivation, he might never have met someone like Gu An.

Even if he had, he probably would have been crushed on sight.

In a way, this was a blessing in disguise.

“He can have many disciples, but I am his one and only mount. That makes me special.”

With this thought, the Blood Prison Great Saint grew excited again.

After all, even a dog’s worth depended on its master…

Wait.

Damn it!

A disciple might eventually graduate and move on, but a mount—that was a lifelong relationship!

A thousand years from now, even if Gu An released him, he would swear eternal loyalty, proclaiming himself Gu An’s mount forever.

He had to make Gu An his protector in the Heavenly Great Realm!

The more he thought about it, the more thrilled he became. His massive ox-like body even started trembling with excitement.

Gu An glanced at him, then at Yang Zhi beside him, and suddenly felt a little concerned.

Would Yang Zhi pick up some bad habits from the Blood Prison Great Saint?

Both of them seemed to be… a little off.

At that moment, an elderly man in ragged robes suddenly stepped in front of them, blocking the Blood Prison Great Saint’s path.

He stared at Gu An with wide eyes, muttering in a strange, eerie tone:

“A calamity is coming. The ocean will swallow all. The world-ending catastrophe draws near…”

The Blood Prison Great Saint halted, eyeing the old man suspiciously.

Yang Zhi was also drawn in by his words.

But after delivering his cryptic message, the old man simply turned and walked away—only to stop another passing cultivator and repeat the same ominous warning.