Chapter 311: A Million Years Is Far From Enough

Chapter 311 A Million Years Is Far From Enough

After Gu An slapped him in the face, the old man with the demonic mark looked utterly stunned. He hadn’t expected Gu An to be so arrogant.

Even if there was a cultivation gap between them, they were both in the Free Soaring Immortal Stage!

Gritting his teeth, the old man demanded, “Who exactly are you? Which sect are you from?”

Everyone turned to Gu An, waiting for his answer.

A new member of Mortal Peak, yet already a Free Soaring Immortal?

The entire crowd found it absurd, even suspecting Gu An had ulterior motives.

Even Bai Ziya couldn’t help overthinking at that moment. But then he remembered—he had been the one who persuaded Gu An to join Mortal Peak. Back then, it hadn’t seemed like a setup.

Gu An stared at the old man and said, “Does it really matter? If I were just an ordinary Peak Master of Mortal Peak, how would you take your revenge?”

The moment the old man showed hostility toward him, Gu An had already considered him a dead man.

Gu An’s words made Daoist Yongnian narrow his eyes.

The old man’s face turned even uglier. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.

“Could he be targeting Ding Tian Peak too?”

The old man was fuming inside. There was no way this was a coincidence.

How could you just grab some random person and turn out to find a hidden powerhouse?

Now he was riding a tiger and couldn’t get off—if he bowed his head and conceded, the karmic backlash wouldn’t vanish. But if he didn’t, things would only get worse.

Suddenly, the old man forced a smile and cupped his fists. “If that’s the case, then I’d all the more like to join Mortal Peak. As for Ding Tian Peak, forget it—Cheng Tian Peak works too.”

As soon as he said that, most people around visibly relaxed.

Daoist Yongnian spoke up, “Forget it, Daoist friend. Please seek another sect.”

Everyone looked at him in surprise. No one had expected him to change his attitude so quickly. The old man’s expression turned incredibly sour.

Gu An turned to look at Daoist Yongnian and saw him give a slight nod. A smile crept onto Gu An’s face.

Smart guy.

“Hmph!”

The old man snorted and flicked his sleeve as he turned to leave.

No one dared stop him—afraid that if he stayed, the conflict would only escalate.

Gu An raised his right hand, which drew everyone’s attention—they didn’t know what he was planning to do.

Three breaths later, Gu An suddenly clenched his fist and tucked something into his sleeve. His movements were so quick that no one saw what he grabbed.

【You have successfully seized 8,709 years of lifespan from the old man with the demonic mark (Free Soaring Immortal Stage, Fourth Layer)】

Staring at the notification, Gu An remained expressionless, completely unmoved.

All the Free Soaring Immortals present suddenly went pale, staring at Gu An with eyes full of fear—they had sensed the old man’s aura vanish in an instant.

The Celestial Ascenders, on the other hand, were just curious what Gu An had grabbed.

Gu An walked over to Bai Ziya. Daoist Yongnian gave him a deep look, then called out for the banquet to continue.

Bai Ziya looked at Gu An, hesitant to speak.

Gu An smiled and said, “Friend Bai, let’s just keep things the way they used to be, shall we?”

Bai Ziya nodded instinctively, suddenly becoming very stiff.

How could things be the same?

That guy’s f***ing terrifying!

Bai Ziya was still shaken. If he had acted all high and mighty back then, would Gu An have crushed him on the spot?

He couldn’t ask the question, but the answer was already crystal clear.

For the rest of the banquet, Gu An became the center of attention. Everyone was eager to talk to him. The entire vibe had flipped from before—even the Free Soaring Immortals respectfully addressed him as “Senior.”

…

On Dao Discussion Peak, the courtyard was filled with banquet tables. Lu Lingjun, the Western Spirit Mother, and Xu Xi shared one table, while Shen Xinzi was at another, discussing Buddhist principles with others.

The Western Spirit Mother turned to Xu Xi and asked with curiosity, “Miss Xu, I wonder if we could visit your master. I’d like to thank him personally for taking care of Lingjun.”

Lu Lingjun also looked at Xu Xi. Over the past days, Xu Xi had taken her all around, showing her many things and broadening her perspective. She’d even explained many cultivation concepts.

Whenever she wanted something, before she even opened her mouth, Xu Xi had already bought it for her. Although she was still wary of the Ding Tian Peak Master’s intentions, she genuinely liked Xu Xi.

Xu Xi shook her head and said, “Master didn’t say he wants to see you, nor did he say Lu Miss needs to stay. Once the summit’s over, you can head back. Don’t feel pressured.”

That answer made the Western Spirit Mother and Lu Lingjun exchange glances, both seeing the confusion in each other’s eyes.

Just then, a cultivator dropped into the courtyard.

“The old man with the demonic mark offended the Ding Tian Peak Master and was killed right after leaving Mortal Peak!”

The man’s excited voice drew everyone’s attention.

Hearing it involved the Ding Tian Peak Master, the three women all perked up in curiosity.

The man began recounting what had happened during the Cloud Banquet. Similar stories were spreading across the various peaks of Mortal Peak—the news was traveling fast.

The old man had once been an elder of the Grand Cold Demon Sect, which was now basically disbanded. Mortal Peak had no qualms using his death to display their power.

From the moment he tried to pressure the Ding Tian Peak Master into giving up his seat—only to be smacked in public and forced to flee—every part of the story stirred the blood.

Then, the moment he flew off, he dropped dead. That made the Ding Tian Peak Master seem even more terrifying in people’s eyes.

When the news reached Ding Tian Peak, all the disciples were fired up. It completely wiped away the gloom of being ranked low.

After learning everything, Lu Lingjun felt even more nervous inside.

This Peak Master of Ding Tian Peak is way too aggressive!

Getting help from someone like him… could be a blessing or a curse.

The conflict between him and the old man had made this Ten-Thousand-Year Summit all the more buzzworthy. As more was dug up about the old man’s background, everyone present could feel Mortal Peak’s dominance.

After the Cloud Banquet ended, Gu An returned to Taixuan Sect.

He’d also caught wind of the commotion at Mortal Peak. There’s no way news could’ve spread that fast—it was clearly being deliberately circulated. Thankfully, they hadn’t mentioned the name Meng Lang, which showed they were being respectful.

When Gu An returned to the Third Medicine Valley, he happened to run into An Xin and chatted with her for a bit.

Their conversation was all about the day-to-day happenings in the Medicine Valley. Gu An found chatting about mundane stuff way more enjoyable than grand topics like the fate of the world.

Those Free Soaring Immortals, all they talked about was the Dao and the mortal realm—it was so over the top.

…

In the Divine Anomaly Realm, beneath a blood-red sky, Zhang Bukui stood by the sea, practicing divine techniques.

Behind him, the Lord of Divine Anomalies sat in front of the Divine Fate Stele, gazing up at the sky, lost in thought, his eyes distant.

Zhang Bukui finished his movements, turned around, and asked, “Master, the great calamity is over, and you’ve even struck a deal with the overseas sects—why do you still look so worried?”

The story of the Sword Sovereign wiping out the Grand Cold Demon Sect still got his blood pumping.

Ever since he stepped onto the path of cultivation, he’d heard about the Sword Sovereign’s legendary feats. No matter where he went, the man was revered by all.

The Lord of Divine Anomalies slowly withdrew his gaze and said, “The Grand Cold Demon Sect, like me, was just a pawn. This matter won’t end so easily. The commotion was too big—Saint Heaven will definitely investigate. Once things settle down, more trouble will come.”

Zhang Bukui didn’t think much of it. “If the force behind the Grand Cold Demon Sect was strong enough to rival the Sword Sovereign, wouldn’t they have made a move already?”

“Maybe they’re still investigating his identity and cultivation level.”

“Master, you’re overthinking it. You’d be better off cultivating hard and freeing yourself from fate with your own strength.”

Zhang Bukui tried to comfort him. Since his father died, he’d been through countless hardships and forged an iron will. He knew worrying about the future was pointless—what mattered was making the most of his time and training hard.

The Lord of Divine Anomalies shook his head with a smile. “I’m not like you. I can’t grow stronger through cultivation. The more Divine Anomaly Wraiths there are, the stronger I become.”

Zhang Bukui frowned. “But now that the world’s at peace, doesn’t that mean you can’t expand your numbers?”

The Lord of Divine Anomalies nodded, then looked up again. “It just means I can’t grow stronger

here

. Disciple, want to go explore another Great Realm?”

“Where?”

“A very dark realm.”

That answer left Zhang Bukui confused. What does he mean by

very

dark?

Is there really a place darker than the Divine Anomaly Realm?

…

Time flew by, and seven years passed in a flash.

One day, Lu Lingjun returned.

She saw Gu An playing Go with someone again and couldn’t help shaking her head and smiling. What’s so fun about this game?

Her eyes landed on Shen Xinzi. Why had this big shot from the Bitter Sea Buddhist Sect stayed here for so long?

She couldn’t figure out what was so special about the Third Medicine Valley that even such a powerful cultivator was drawn to it.

She sent Gu An a voice transmission. When Gu An heard it, he immediately asked Yang Jian, who was standing nearby, to take over his game.

Seeing Yang Jian about to make a move, Lü Xianyi from Saint Heaven came over too. Over the past few years, he’d been constantly sucking up to Yang Jian. That attitude had made Gu An suspicious, but he kept it to himself and acted like he didn’t notice.

Gu An squeezed through the crowd and walked over to greet Lu Lingjun.

“Let’s talk in your room,” she said with a nod.

Gu An had no objection. The two chatted casually as they headed for the pavilion.

Once inside, Lu Lingjun sat down without ceremony and glanced around. When her eyes landed on some of the books on the shelf, she couldn’t help but smirk.

Some habits never change.

Gu An brewed her a pot of tea while she began recounting her experiences over the past few years.

“I attended the Ten-Thousand-Year Summit at Mortal Peak. It was eye-opening. Have you heard of Mortal Peak?” Lu Lingjun asked.

Gu An nodded. “Heard of it. Shen Xinzi went too, but I don’t know much about it. Those big cultivators said I don’t have the qualifications to understand.”

Lu Lingjun laughed. “You really don’t. But I got lucky and managed to go. I can tell you about it—want to hear?”

Gu An walked over with a steaming cup and placed it in front of her. “Of course I do. Go on.”

Let’s see how much you’re gonna brag.

Lu Lingjun began with how she learned about the Ten-Thousand-Year Summit, and Gu An listened carefully.

She didn’t hide how the Ding Tian Peak Master had looked after her. In fact, her wording seemed designed to provoke a reaction, as if she was testing Gu An.

Gu An’s expression stayed the same, though inwardly he couldn’t help grumbling.

Are all women like this?

Back then Jiang Qiong used the Sword Sovereign to mess with me too.

After a long while, Lu Lingjun sighed. “The Ding Tian Peak Master is unimaginably powerful. An elder from the Grand Cold Demon Sect—he just killed him outright. I wonder when I’ll ever reach that level.”

Gu An smiled and said, “Train for, what, 1.8 million years?”

Lu Lingjun shot him a look. “Easy for you to say! A million years probably wouldn’t even be enough. You don’t understand how vast the Immortal Dao truly is!”