Chapter 319: Fighting the Heavens

After a fierce and satisfying battle, Nine-Fingered Divine Lord looked absolutely terrible.

He glared at Gu An and asked through gritted teeth, “Where the hell did I go wrong?”

Gu An shrugged. “I don’t know either.”

“Why can you always predict my next move?”

“My gut just tells me where you’ll go next. And once I guess right, you start getting frustrated, changing your strategy again and again—until you mess up.”

Gu An’s response nearly made Nine-Fingered Divine Lord cough up blood.

Putting away his smile, Gu An said seriously, “Still, this game helped me realize something. Unpredictability can indeed bring disaster. Thank you for the lesson, senior.”

With that, he stood up, bowed, and took his leave.

Nine-Fingered Divine Lord stared at his back, opened his mouth to speak, but in the end, just stared at the board in silence.

On his way back to his loft, Gu An wore a faint smile. There was still one thing he hadn’t said out loud.

Change can bring disaster, sure—but whether it’s good or bad depends on the player.

Life is like chess, and Gu An intended to be the one who always wins.

Even if his opponent was so-called Heaven’s Will itself.

There’s a certain thrill in fighting the heavens, isn’t there?

With that clarity, Gu An felt no more guilt. He wasn’t out to change everyone’s fate—only the lives of those he cared about.

Xiao Chuan might seem carefree, but that line of his—“Hope I get reborn into a better family next time”—clearly showed he yearned for cultivation, only held back by his lack of talent.

Gu An had figured it out. As long as he kept getting stronger, he could keep pushing the limits of those around him too.

Just because he couldn’t do it now didn’t mean he never would.

Reincarnation may exist, but Gu An only wanted to fight for this life.

The Ji Xuanyu of this lifetime wasn’t the same person from the past, and Gu An wasn’t Long Zhan, Xiao Shengtian, or Chu Lu either.

Divine Anomaly Realm, beneath the Blood-Red Sky, above the Sea of Clouds, Zhang Bukui stood beside the Lord of Divine Anomalies, overlooking the battle below.

Waves upon waves of endless Divine Anomaly Wraiths were swarming Li Ya, crashing like the tide. There was no end in sight.

Now that he had lost control of Divine Anomaly City, Li Ya was locked in a brutal fight, barely holding on.

“Divine Anomaly Wraiths can’t be killed or destroyed. At best, he’ll last another hour,” said the Lord of Divine Anomalies, his face blank.

Zhang Bukui turned to him. “Why won’t you let me talk to him? I could explain everything.”

“Explain what? That someone’s backing you so I can’t suppress you? That you’ve even become someone’s disciple?” The Lord shot him a cold look.

Zhang Bukui frowned, confused by his words.

The Lord of Divine Anomalies snorted. “Do you think the city in the sky was built to suppress us? If so, why haven’t they stormed in yet?”

“If it’s not aimed at you… then who’s it for?” Zhang Bukui asked in confusion. His eyes widened as realization hit him.

“Wait... is it for the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path? Was he the one who saved me?”

Zhang Bukui was in shock.

So that sparrow... was working for the Sword Sovereign?

The Lord looked down at Li Ya. “All these years, he’s the only one who’s ever broken into this place. Does he have ties to the Sword Sovereign?”

Zhang Bukui hesitated, then nodded. “He inherited the Sword Sovereign’s legacy. Learned his swordsmanship.”

There was one more thing he didn’t mention—Li Ya claimed that the Sword Sovereign was his forefather.

It all made sense now. Their meeting had to be arranged by the Sword Sovereign.

He just didn’t know yet why the Sword Sovereign had chosen him.

“I see... seems like their influence runs deeper than I thought,” the Lord of Divine Anomalies said softly.

Zhang Bukui couldn’t help asking, “Master, isn’t the Holy Court a good thing? You said before that the Saint King doesn’t represent the Holy Court.”

The Lord took a deep breath. “That was true before—but not anymore. The Holy Court wants the Sword Sovereign, but he refused the title of Fate-Bearer. That alone is enough to make them wary.”

“There’s a power in this world that even the Holy Court fears. We are part of that power’s evolution. That’s why the Saint King kept me alive—he wants to use me to identify that power.”

Zhang Bukui quickly asked what that power was.

The Lord uttered two chilling words: “Heavenly Demons.”

Zhang Bukui frowned. It was the first time he’d ever heard that term.

“Then... can’t you let him go?” he asked through clenched teeth.

He didn’t care about heavenly demons—he just wanted his brother to survive.

The Lord replied quietly, “I’ve already been stalling. But if the Sword Sovereign doesn’t show up, and I let him go, it’ll be you and me who die instead.”

That made Zhang Bukui glance around nervously.

He felt like something—or someone—was watching them.

Then he noticed the Lord’s hand behind his back, casting a spell.

Zhang Bukui looked back down at the battlefield. His eyes turned cold. He crouched, ready to leap down—but just as he moved, a hand pressed down on his shoulder.

He turned—and it was the Lord of Divine Anomalies.

The Lord’s expression was indifferent. In that moment, Zhang Bukui felt like he didn’t even recognize this man. A chill ran down his spine.

What he couldn’t accept most of all was Li Ya possibly dying.

He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

In the vast Ghost Sea, Li Ya wielded his heavy sword, cutting down wraiths left and right. He was fierce—but no matter how many he killed, more came flooding in.

“D*mn it! Do you even acknowledge me as your master or not? Why won’t you listen to me?!”

He was furious. He couldn’t activate Divine Anomaly City’s power, and it was killing him.

“I can’t! It’ll devour me!” came the terrified voice of the Divine Anomaly Spirit.

That only made Li Ya even angrier. Why had this guy suddenly turned into such a coward?

D*mn it.

Was he going to die here before he even saw Zhang Bukui?

Would Gu Shidi be sad if he found out?

No—by the time Gu Shidi realized he was gone, it’d probably be the end of his life, and he’d still think Li Ya was out wandering the world.

...Maybe that wasn’t so bad.

His sword strikes started to slow. Memories of his youth flashed before his eyes.

Back when he, Meng Lang, and Gu An joined Xuan Valley together... then Meng Lang mysteriously disappeared, and now he himself was about to die here. Who would've thought the one with the worst talent—Gu An—would be the last one standing?

What a cruel twist of fate.

Suddenly, a Divine Anomaly Wraith lunged at him, slashing with a Soul Blade. The glint of the blade cut through all those memories and reflected in his pupils.

Am I... really going to die?

His eyes widened.

At that moment, golden light burst from his body, sweeping away all the surrounding wraiths like an unstoppable tide.

The world around him suddenly shifted. A golden city emerged from within him, expanding rapidly to envelop him.

Divine Anomaly City!

Li Ya was stunned with joy. He was just about to ask the Divine Anomaly Spirit why it had suddenly decided to fight back when a terrifying pressure descended, blanketing the heavens and earth.

“So... you finally show yourself, Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path. And you entrusted such a supreme Immortal treasure to a mere mortal boy? What an audacious move!”

An ancient, commanding voice echoed across the land, freezing Li Ya in place.

Forefather?

Divine Anomaly City... belonged to the Sword Sovereign’s lineage?