Chapter 256: The Former Lord of the Divine City

Imperial Study

Hearing Li Xuandao’s words, Ye Yan replied, “I’m not sure either. When I left back then, my master hadn’t befriended any grand cultivators.”

Even as he spoke, his mind was filled with doubts.

He always felt that Xuan Valley’s fate was extraordinary. Decades ago, Su Han, who had caused chaos in Taicang’s cultivation world, was his senior brother. Even now, whenever he thought of Su Han, he couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

Back then, he, Zhen Qin, and Su Han had followed Gu An to the Third Medicine Valley for cultivation. At the time, who could have imagined that each of them would achieve what they had today?

Although Su Han’s fate was unknown, the waves he had made already proved his strength. None of them were nameless junior cultivators anymore.

Li Xuandao fell silent at Ye Yan’s words, lost in thought.

For a moment, the Imperial Study was enveloped in silence. Both men harbored their own thoughts, contemplating whether Gu An had a powerful figure backing him.

A long time passed.

Li Xuandao finally spoke, “You may go now. The negotiations with the Great Jiang Empire are nearing completion. You need to start preparing to set sail. This concerns Taicang’s millennia-long grand plan—there’s no room for carelessness.”

“Yes!”

Ye Yan accepted the order, saluted, and left.

Li Xuandao, meanwhile, turned his gaze outside the window, his expression drifting.

“I need to break through to the Profound Mind Realm as soon as possible. Otherwise, many things cannot proceed,” he thought to himself.

Compared to Li Lingtian’s achievements, he cared more about his own advancement.

So far, only Lü Xian knew that he had been concealing his cultivation. And now, even Lü Xian no longer knew how high his true realm had reached.

Li Xuandao’s ambitions were grand—he wanted to be an eternal emperor, ruling forever. To achieve that, he needed the strength to protect himself.

Li Lingtian’s setback was actually a good thing. It would push him to cultivate even harder in the future, preventing him from becoming an obstacle to his imperial authority.

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on Li Xuandao’s face.

“Yang Jian… Not bad. I look forward to seeing what you’ll accomplish.”

Beneath the Blue Sky and White Clouds

Amidst the mountain ranges, Li Ya sat cross-legged on the lake’s surface, meditating.

His upper body was bare, mist swirling around him, his long hair flowing endlessly. A powerful aura radiated from his entire being, making the lake’s surface ripple with shimmering reflections, resembling flashes of sword light.

A figure leaped over towering peaks, descending from the sky.

As he landed, he stirred up ripples across the water—but his feet never touched the surface.

It was Zhang Bukui!

Dressed in a robe made of beast hide, with waist-length hair, his entire presence exuded a wild and untamed aura.

Hands on his hips, he laughed. “Li, my brother! An Hao has caused yet another major commotion—want to hear about it?”

Li Ya didn’t even open his eyes. “Go on. What did he do this time?”

The two of them, along with An Hao, had joined the Starsea Sect together.

Although Li Ya, as the master of Divine Anomaly City, was a renowned figure within the sect, his growth rate simply couldn’t compare to An Hao’s.

An Hao had been the greatest genius in Taixuan Sect’s history. Even in the Starsea Sect, he remained unmatched, making all other prodigies pale in comparison.

“He has successfully cultivated the Fiery Sun Treasure Body,” Zhang Bukui said with emotion. “They say this was a physique that once dominated the mortal world in ancient times. Although the Starsea Sect possesses the cultivation method, he’s the first to succeed in tens of thousands of years.”

Ever since consuming a spirit beast core, Zhang Bukui’s own talents had transformed—he was now considered a genius. But compared to An Hao, he still fell far short.

To be honest, he always felt uncomfortable around An Hao. Since they both hailed from Taixuan Sect, he had to be polite, but he really didn’t like him.

There was no real reason for it—he simply found An Hao’s face annoying. For some inexplicable reason, he felt like he had seen him somewhere before.

Li Ya finally opened his eyes, his brows furrowed.

He had always taken An Hao as his goal, but the harder he tried to catch up, the more powerless he felt.

An Hao seemed to be the very protagonist of this world, making everyone around him dim in comparison.

The Fiery Sun Treasure Body—Li Ya had heard of it before. Once fully cultivated, the body would radiate like the blazing sun, becoming invincible under the heavens.

Zhang Bukui continued, “The sect is planning to explore the Abyssal Sea Rift today. I’ve already signed up—are you coming?”

Li Ya shook his head. “I still need to improve my cultivation. I won’t go… Unless, of course, you really want me to accompany you.”

Zhang Bukui snorted. “Hah! I don’t need you tagging along. You’re bad luck! I mainly came to let you know so you won’t come looking for me.”

Li Ya shot him a glare. “Get lost. You’re the unlucky one!”

The two started bickering again. But when Zhang Bukui mentioned Gu An, Li Ya immediately lost the argument.

Satisfied, Zhang Bukui left.

Watching his departing figure, Li Ya cursed inwardly.

When Zhang Bukui got back, he was definitely going to give him a good beating.

The Arrival of Another Spring Festival

At the Third Medicine Valley, disciples were busy decorating with lanterns and streamers for the New Year.

Even Li Lingtian was among them, mostly because he was sticking close to Yang Jian. Seeing Yang Jian at work, he felt obliged to follow along.

Inside a pavilion…

Gu An and Shen Zhen were engrossed in a debate over a peculiar book. Each held their own views, neither willing to yield.

Suddenly—

Gu An’s expression shifted.

Shen Zhen noticed and waved a hand in front of his face. “What? You mad?”

Gu An shook his head. “No. I just thought of something and got distracted.”

“Thinking about something? You’re disrespecting me!” Shen Zhen glared at him angrily.

She stood up, stuffed the book into her storage pouch, and stormed off.

Gu An didn’t stop her. He wasn’t about to spoil her.

Settling back into the treasured seat Shen Zhen had been occupying, he turned his attention inward, conversing with the Divine Anomaly Spirit.

“You’re sure?” he asked in his mind.

The Divine Anomaly Spirit’s voice echoed in response. “Certain. It’s his aura. I’ve never seen him, but traces of his presence remain in the city. I couldn’t possibly be mistaken. The former master of Divine Anomaly City is inside that abyss.”

The “abyss” it referred to was the great oceanic rift that had sparked widespread rumors of a world-ending tide.

The Divine Anomaly Spirit had just sensed its former master’s aura from within the rift.

Gu An wanted to ask about the former master’s cultivation level, but unfortunately, the spirit didn’t know.

As it explained, Divine Anomaly City had only gained sentience after it had left its previous master’s hands.

The spirits of supreme immortal treasures could serve only one master. If their master perished, they would be extinguished as well.

At this moment, Li Ya was still in the Starsea Sect, far from the oceanic rift. But the Divine Anomaly Spirit had already detected a presence there.

Gu An turned his gaze toward the rift, noticing many cultivators fleeing from it—chased by some terrifying entity.

When his divine sense approached, he felt a powerful presence that made him wary of probing deeper.

To make even him cautious… Could there be a Free Soaring Immortal inside?

Gu An withdrew his divine sense.

This world had far too many great forces and grand cultivators. As long as they didn’t threaten him, he couldn’t be bothered to care. Besides, the abyss was ridiculously far from the mainland, separated by two continents and countless islands.

After confirming that the former master couldn’t reclaim Divine Anomaly City, Gu An relaxed.

Smiling, he stepped out into the bustling Third Medicine Valley.

Gu An descended the stairs, stepping into the lively courtyard. He watched as the disciples bustled about, hanging decorations and preparing for the Spring Festival. A faint smile appeared on his lips.

"This world is in constant turmoil, but if calamity can be delayed by even a few decades, at least one generation can live in peace."

With that thought in mind, he strode toward the largest gathering of disciples.

Under an ancient tree, dozens of disciples had formed a circle, engaged in an animated discussion. At the center, two figures sat across from each other, playing a game of Go.

One of them was Nine-Fingered Divine Lord.

The other was an elder disciple of the valley, known as Old Lu. Having spent a hundred years in the Third Medicine Valley, Old Lu had stayed from youth into old age. Due to his mediocre cultivation aptitude, he had never left the valley, but his skills in Go were unmatched among the disciples.

Right now, Old Lu’s brows were furrowed, his right hand trembling as he hesitated to place his next move. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

Across from him, Nine-Fingered Divine Lord appeared composed, but inwardly, he was secretly relieved.

“This old man is too strong at Go! I almost lost!”

Ever since playing his first game of Go at the Third Medicine Valley, Nine-Fingered Divine Lord had become obsessed with it. He believed the game contained boundless mysteries, akin to the principles of the Dao. The more he played, the more he felt it resonated with the profound truths of cultivation.

So, every so often, he would come to the valley just to play.

Go was a game invented by Gu An. Though it had yet to spread beyond the valley, it had gained popularity among its disciples.

Gu An had created the game out of sheer boredom. In his past life, he had only been an amateur Go enthusiast and had never intended to promote it widely.

Just then, Gu An pushed through the crowd and saw Old Lu sweating profusely over the board.

He couldn’t help but chuckle. "Little Lu, how about I take over for you?"

Shameless wandering immortal, bullying our valley’s ordinary disciples? Outrageous!

Old Lu looked up and, upon seeing Gu An, immediately stood up and stepped aside.

The surrounding disciples erupted in excitement.

To them, Gu An was the ultimate Go player—after all, he was the one who invented it!

Watching Gu An take a seat, Nine-Fingered Divine Lord smiled. "My young friend, do you think there’s still a way to turn this game around?"

Gu An grinned. "Had I arrived three moves later, there truly would have been no way."

Nine-Fingered Divine Lord’s smile froze.

The reason wandering immortals excelled at Go was their ability to instantaneously calculate countless possible moves, allowing them to always choose the most optimal one. From the moment Old Lu placed his first stone, Nine-Fingered Divine Lord had already foreseen the game’s outcome.

Once he understood the rules of the game, winning against mortals became effortless.

However, precisely because of this, he had come to appreciate the profound nature of Go—not as a competition, but as a means of contemplating the Dao through play.

He hadn’t expected Gu An to see through his strategy at a glance.

Under Nine-Fingered Divine Lord’s gaze, Gu An placed his first stone.

In an instant, the game turned around, breathing new life into Old Lu’s hopeless position.

Nine-Fingered Divine Lord’s brows furrowed slightly.

He immediately made his move.

Gu An followed.

Unlike ordinary players who hesitated before each placement, the two of them moved with lightning speed.

This was no longer just a game of Go—it was a contest of their predictive abilities.

The surrounding disciples held their breath, their eyes glued to the board.

Even Li Lingtian squeezed his way into the crowd, witnessing their intense match. For the first time, he found himself intrigued by the game.

One stone after another landed on the board, the sounds of their placements forming a rhythmic melody, carrying an underlying air of sharpness.

Suddenly, Nine-Fingered Divine Lord’s hand, hovering over the board, paused.

A moment later, he withdrew his hand and placed the stone back into its container. With a deep sigh, he said, "I’ve lost."

The surrounding disciples burst into cheers.

Old Lu wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a hearty laugh.

Nine-Fingered Divine Lord fixed his gaze on Gu An, scrutinizing him carefully.

At first glance, the young man’s temperament was indeed somewhat ethereal, but his cultivation and physique were nothing extraordinary.

How did he manage to defeat me?