Chapter 284: Zhang Buku Becomes a Disciple

Chapter 284 Zhang Buku Becomes a Disciple

Seeing that Qie Wuxing was willing to teach the disciples magic arts, Gu An felt satisfied. This guy knew how to conduct himself—he was much more sensible than the Nine-Fingered Divine Lord.

As the number of disciples in Medicine Valley grew, Gu An found himself becoming more distant from them. Though they bore the titles of master and disciple, there was little real master-disciple connection between them. Even so, he still hoped they would thrive and gain greater opportunities in their cultivation journey.

Qie Wuxing got to work immediately, and as he passed by Gu An, he even greeted him.

Once they were out of sight, Gu An made his way to the chess table and looked at the Nine-Fingered Divine Lord with a smile. “How about a game?”

The Nine-Fingered Divine Lord snorted. “Not interested. Go find

him

to play with.”

“Then forget it. He seems strong. I’m not confident I can win, so I won’t start the game lightly.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? You

are

confident against me?”

“Have I

ever

lost to you?”

“You—”

The Nine-Fingered Divine Lord was so furious that he nearly slammed the table. But when he saw Gu An’s smirking face, he realized—this brat was

deliberately

provoking him!

Gu An followed up with another question. “By the way, you’ve been back for a while now. Where’s Chu Jingfeng? Have you just abandoned him?”

The Nine-Fingered Divine Lord replied, “Relax. He’s doing fine. He’s in seclusion right now, and when he returns, you’ll have to look up to him.”

The mere thought of Gu An being surpassed by his own disciple—perhaps even becoming someone from an entirely different world—delighted him.

Gu An sighed, “If that’s true, then that’s wonderful. I have no hope of becoming an immortal myself, but if he can achieve it, at least I’ll have known an immortal. I could die without regrets.”

The Nine-Fingered Divine Lord had the urge to reveal his true identity as an immortal, but looking at Gu An’s sincere expression, he suddenly felt… guilty.

What was wrong with him?

Why was he being so petty?

Noticing the shift in his expression, Gu An smirked inwardly.

Hmph, old man, you thought you could mess with me? Watch me turn the tables on you!

The Nine-Fingered Divine Lord then began talking about the sect where Chu Jingfeng was training. He had sent him to an overseas sect—one that, while not as strong as the Starsea Sect Alliance, was still far superior to Taixuan Sect.

Gu An listened intently, eager to hear more about the affairs of the sea.

As dusk approached, he finally returned to his pavilion.

Lately, he had noticed that more and more

Celestial Ascendants

were returning, most of them from the Severed Sea Rift. It was clear that a great battle was brewing.

Seated in his chair, Gu An focused his mind.

His

Primordial Spirit

left his body.

The

Free Soaring Immortal Realm

allowed one’s existence to become untouchable and undetectable by others, while the

Mystic Celestial Arts

could even conceal one’s presence from Free Soaring Immortals.

Gu An swiftly infiltrated the Severed Sea Rift.

Along the way, he saw even more battles than before—every

Celestial Realm

seemed to be locked in combat.

In a single step, he arrived at the largest celestial battlefield—the place where the Lord of Divine Anomalies resided.

At the moment, the Lord of Divine Anomalies was not fighting, but the remnants of another

Free Soaring Immortal’s

aura lingered in the space, indicating that a confrontation had already taken place.

Gu An landed before a cave entrance.

The cave was dim, with a faint breeze echoing inside.

He stepped in, completely silent. The wind passed through his

Mystic Celestial Soul

without the slightest obstruction.

After traversing the winding tunnels, he entered a stone chamber.

There, sitting cross-legged on the ground, was Zhang Bukui—now transformed into a

Divine Anomaly Wraith

.

A battle-axe rested upon his legs, though it was not a magical weapon but rather a construct of divine anomaly power.

Zhang Bukui’s eyes were shut tight, his brows furrowed, as if he were enduring great suffering.

Though he still retained his soul’s awareness, he was constantly resisting the erosion of divine anomaly power. This power instinctively devoured souls, an irreversible process—even for the Lord of Divine Anomalies himself.

Seeing Zhang Bukui in such agony, Gu An sighed.

If Senior Brother Zhang saw him like this, how heartbroken would he be?

Gu An shook his head and transformed into a sparrow, perching atop a nearby rock.

He let out a soft chirp.

Zhang Bukui instinctively opened his eyes.

The moment he saw the sparrow, he froze in shock.

“It’s…”

His face lit up with joy, but just as he spoke, the sparrow flapped its wings in a distinctly humanlike manner, signaling him to stay silent.

Zhang Bukui immediately understood but couldn’t suppress his excitement.

He didn’t know where this sparrow had come from, but he was deeply grateful to it.

Back when he was on the brink of death,

this

sparrow had guided him to a hidden cave, where he had consumed a demon core and learned an unparalleled battle-axe technique.

He had always harbored a sense of mystery toward this sparrow, but never in his wildest dreams did he expect to see it again

here

.

At that moment, Zhang Bukui felt truly fortunate.

No matter what this sparrow is… someone in this world still cares about me. How could I not be happy?

The sparrow suddenly darted toward him.

Zhang Bukui didn’t dodge.

A sharp peck landed on his forehead, followed by an immense flood of memories pouring into his mind.

He was momentarily dazed.

After an unknown amount of time, Zhang Bukui regained consciousness, his mind now filled with the knowledge of a powerful divine ability.

“…

Infinite Free Step

…”

He muttered the name, merely recalling its principles, and he could already sense the profound depth of the technique.

Just in time—he needed to cultivate something to distract himself from the pain.

According to the Lord of Divine Anomalies, he had to

adapt

to the erosion of divine anomaly power. Otherwise, he would inevitably succumb and fully transform into a Divine Anomaly Wraith.

Perhaps… that was exactly what the sparrow wanted to help him with.

A warmth filled Zhang Bukui’s heart. Suddenly, the pain in his body no longer felt unbearable.

Countless others had perished in the Divine Anomaly Realm, becoming wraiths instantly.

Yet, he still had a

chance

.

How could he not be grateful?

I have to train diligently and get out of here as soon as possible. If I stay here for hundreds, maybe even thousands of years, won’t I never see Uncle-Master Gu again?

Zhang Bukui had always believed that Uncle-Master Gu was not as simple as he seemed—perhaps he was hiding his true cultivation. But no matter how much he concealed, he was still younger than Li Ya. There was no way his strength could surpass Li Ya by much. And besides, Li Ya had the great fortune of acquiring

Divine Anomaly City

.

Resolving himself, Zhang Bukui stood up and began practicing

Infinite Free Step

.

In the dimly lit cave chamber, he shifted his stance, refining his movements.

As time passed, he gradually lost all sense of pain and even time itself.

Just like that, two years flew by.

Zhang Bukui continued his relentless training, never once stopping. For him, cultivating divine abilities did not feel exhausting—if anything, he was beginning to grasp a method to resist the corruption of divine anomaly power.

Then, one day, the sound of footsteps echoed through the cave.

Zhang Bukui snapped out of his trance and turned his head.

The Lord of Divine Anomalies entered the chamber.

Zhang Bukui had met him before, so he wasn’t afraid—just wary.

The Lord of Divine Anomalies gazed at him and said, “The divine ability you’re practicing is extraordinary. It holds great fortune. Keep training, and your future will be remarkable.”

Zhang Bukui was stunned.

The Lord of Divine Anomalies had clearly seen through his technique—yet he didn’t question it?

Could he know the sparrow?

Before he could ask, the Lord of Divine Anomalies spoke again.

“Your friend may have obtained

Divine Anomaly City

, but he has yet to truly master its power. The city has another rightful owner. If you wish, become my disciple, and one day, Divine Anomaly City will be yours.”

A master?

Zhang Bukui hesitated.

Zhang Bukui’s mind was spinning.

He could clearly sense the overwhelming pressure radiating from the Lord of Divine Anomalies. Right now, he had no power to resist—let alone the ability to lie.

If the Lord of Divine Anomalies

truly

intended to scheme against him, why would he bother with all these formalities?

Seeing through his hesitation, the Lord of Divine Anomalies explained, “It’s not

you

that I value, but the existence backing you. You and I are now bound by fate—if I perish, you’ll die as well. At this point, we are already on the same side. If I can establish good relations with your benefactor, it would be nothing but advantageous for me.”

“My benefactor?” Zhang Bukui was puzzled.

The Lord of Divine Anomalies was unsurprised. He had already examined Zhang Bukui’s memories, but certain parts remained obscured—an unknown force was preventing him from prying further. He dared not probe too deeply because he had already

witnessed

the power of the entity backing Zhang Bukui.

“Since you don’t know, then there’s no need to ask. The more you learn, the more dangerous it becomes. Just remember this—neither your benefactor nor I have any reason to harm you. You are

not

valuable enough for that.”

The Lord of Divine Anomalies spoke slowly.

Zhang Bukui fell silent.

He wasn’t offended by the remark. If anything, it only deepened his gratitude toward the sparrow.

Even if I’m being used… so what? I’ll repay this debt one day.

As for the Lord of Divine Anomalies, he bore no direct enmity toward him. Zhang Bukui’s fate in this place was his own doing—

no one

had forced him into the Severed Sea Rift.

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Bukui made his decision.

“Alright!”

He knelt on one knee, clasping his fists in a formal bow. “Master, please accept this disciple’s respects!”

With that, he lowered his head.

The Lord of Divine Anomalies smiled.

“How many years has it been…?” he murmured. “It’s been so long since someone called me ‘Master.’ My last disciple now stands at the peak of the Holy Court, terrified to even be associated with me.”

His tone carried a hint of self-mockery.

Zhang Bukui lifted his head. “Who was your last disciple?”

The Lord of Divine Anomalies’ smile faded.

“Him?” he sneered. “Nothing but the Holy Court’s lapdog.”