Chapter 324: Tianzong, Legend of the Immortal King

Chapter 324 Tianzong, Legend of the Immortal King

After Lü Baitian left, Gu An followed him downstairs to continue watching the excitement.

The current round was a Profound Mind Realm duel, and the entire scene was projected into the sky above. Disciples in the valley were abuzz with discussion.

“Wow, that’s powerful! So that’s the Profound Mind Realm?”

“This is nothing. Just wait until the Grand Ascension Stage duels start—those are intense. And the Immortal-level duels? You can feel the pressure even from the valley.”

“Feels like an eye-opener. You think we’ll ever get there?”

“Why not? Work hard. Joining the Third Medicine Valley already puts us ahead of 90% of disciples.”

“True. Even noble clan disciples have to start as errand disciples if their talent sucks. Know Li Ya from Divine Anomaly City? He’s our Master’s junior—they joined the Medicine Valley on the same day.”

“Yeah, I heard from Master. Li Ya used to cry all the time, thought he had no future. It was Master who motivated him.”

The conversation quickly veered off-topic. With how fast new and old disciples cycled through the Third Medicine Valley, a lot of fresh faces joined every year.

The number of registered disciples had already surpassed 1,800.

Gu An naturally mingled with the group without causing any commotion. The disciples didn’t have to rise to greet him or act nervous around him. This casual atmosphere came from Gu An’s approachable demeanor—it had slowly reshaped how the disciples treated others.

He sat down beside An Xin, asking about the earlier duel.

Before she could answer, You Yingying slid in on Gu An’s other side, eager to jump into the conversation.

She was extra excited because some Grandmaster Cultivators from the Starsea Sect Alliance were also participating—among them was a senior cultivator she deeply admired.

She believed that senior had what it took to become Champion of the Heavenly Rankings.

Gu An simply smiled at that.

This year’s tournament was crawling with hidden monsters—many had concealed their true cultivation or identities. Wanting to be number one? Not that easy.

There was even a Mystic Celestial Immortal in the mix. Gu An couldn’t wrap his head around why someone of that level would participate.

No matter how you looked at it, a Mystic Celestial Immortal joining the Heavenly Rankings Tournament felt beneath them—and potentially deadly. If they provoked the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path, it could easily cost them their life.

He couldn’t figure it out.

The Immortal Spirit Dynasty had sent someone. The Holy Court had too. And now there was a mysterious Mystic Celestial Immortal in the mix.

Well, since they’re here, let’s just see what happens.

For now, the Mystic Celestial Immortal remained a shadowy, elusive figure. Among cultivator sects, Free Soaring Immortals were the highest one could usually interact with. The next level—Dao-Void Celestial Immortal—was still nowhere in sight.

An Xin believed Nine-Fingered Divine Lord would win. The two girls started bickering, and with An Xin’s temperament, she quickly found herself losing ground.

Gu An couldn’t just sit back and watch his precious disciple get bullied, so he jumped in too. Before long, You Yingying’s face turned red from all the teasing.

Two days passed in a flash.

At dawn on this day, despite the early hour, the city was already bustling with activity.

In a narrow alleyway, Zhang Xianwang from the Immortal Spirit Dynasty came to a stop. He tilted his head slightly and glanced at the person behind him out of the corner of his eye.

“Why are you following me?” Zhang Xianwang asked calmly.

Standing behind him was an old man with white hair and white robes. His aura was immortal-like, attracting glances from every cultivator who passed by the alley.

The white-haired elder fixed his gaze on Zhang Xianwang and asked, “Why has someone from the Immortal Dynasty come here?”

Zhang Xianwang turned to face him, expression indifferent. “If you won’t answer, why should I?”

The old man replied, “You may call me Tianzong.”

Tianzong?

Zhang Xianwang’s face changed drastically. Disbelief spread across his expression.

“Tianzong? That’s impossible—you were supposed to be... fifty thousand years ago…”

Tianzong interrupted, “It’s your turn to answer now.”

Zhang Xianwang’s eyes flickered, and he didn’t speak immediately.

“You don’t want a fight here, do you? There are definitely Holy Court cultivators inside the Taixuan Sect,” Tianzong said, his tone devoid of emotion, sending chills down Zhang Xianwang’s spine.

After a deep breath, Zhang Xianwang said, “I’m here to recruit the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path. What about you?”

“I’ve come for an old friend,” Tianzong answered.

“Old friend? Who?”

“Since our goals don’t conflict, let’s stay out of each other’s way,” Tianzong said before turning to leave.

Just then, a voice rang out:

“Daoist Zhang! What brings you here?”

It was Gu An, walking straight toward them. He and Tianzong passed each other as they walked in opposite directions.

【Tianzong (Mystic Celestial Immortal, Seventh Level): 789,023 / 1,700,000 / 1,750,000】

A monster with 780,000 years of life!

Seventh Level Mystic Celestial Immortal... almost caught up to me. Gu An thought to himself as he smiled in surprise at Zhang Xianwang.

Zhang Xianwang saw him and smiled back.

After Tianzong exited the alley, Gu An asked, “Who was that? Was he bothering you? Want me to contact the Law Enforcement Hall?”

Zhang Xianwang’s smile deepened, though it held a hint of helplessness. “No trouble. But do you know what realm he’s in?”

“What realm? Transformation? Void Transformation? Integration?” Gu An asked with mock horror, his voice climbing with each guess.

Zhang Xianwang chuckled and changed the subject. “What about you—why are you here?”

“Buying herb seeds. You?”

The two started chatting. Zhang Xianwang enjoyed Gu An’s company and didn’t care about their difference in cultivation—he spoke as equals.

After a while, Gu An asked, “You seem powerful—did you sign up for the Heavenly Rankings?”

“No, I’m here for something else.”

“Oh? Need help?”

“No, but thank you.”

“Alright then, I won’t bother you.”

Gu An cupped his hands in farewell and walked off.

Zhang Xianwang watched him go, his heart full of hesitation.

Gu An, meanwhile, was wondering why Zhang Xianwang was trying to recruit him. He’d assumed the Immortal Spirit Dynasty was exclusive and proud, so they probably didn’t want him to join. More likely, they were plotting something else.

Leaving the alley, Gu An continued strolling through the city. He wanted to pick up a few fun trinkets for Tian Yao’er—she worked hard managing the Hidden Realm and deserved a little joy.

Two streets over, he spotted Tianzong.

As the two were about to pass each other, Tianzong suddenly reached out and placed a hand on Gu An’s shoulder.

Gu An raised an eyebrow. Being touched like that felt weirdly off.

He turned and asked, surprised, “You… huh? Weren’t you the guy from earlier?”

Tianzong stared at the Immortal King’s Crown on Gu An’s forehead, eyes sharp.

Gu An’s heart skipped a beat. Could he see through the disguise?

“Leave the Taixuan Sect tonight. I’ll find you... and give you a chance to be reborn,” Tianzong said, then turned and walked away.

Gu An was left utterly confused.

Based on what he’d said, it didn’t seem like Tianzong had figured out he was the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.

Why, then?

Gu An watched him go, pondering the mystery.

A hundred feet away, in the crowd, Zhang Xianwang frowned. He let out a sigh and walked off in the opposite direction from Tianzong.

That afternoon, the tournament hit its peak.

Two Nirvana Stage Grandmasters were dueling—one from the Taixuan Sect, both originally ocean cultivators.

They unleashed spells, divine abilities, spirit beasts, formation techniques, and even exotic arts—showing the crowd what real cultivation looked like.

At such a high level, it was incredibly difficult to defeat someone of equal strength, and duels often dragged out into grueling wars of attrition.

Gu An watched with great interest. These cultivators weren’t that powerful, but their creative battle tactics were fun to watch.

He couldn’t enjoy that sort of drawn-out fight himself—he always ended things instantly—so all he could do was be envious.

By nightfall, Gu An quietly left Xuan Valley and flew off into the distance.

Along the way, he wore a solemn expression, frowning deeply.

To sell the illusion, he even picked up speed.

Half an hour later…

A surge of mana swept over him, and Gu An immediately pretended to struggle, allowing himself to be “captured.”

In an instant, he plummeted into a forest.

Landing hard, he scrambled to his feet, feigning panic. But when he saw Tianzong, he relaxed.

Tianzong stepped from the shadows and said, approvingly, “You’ve got guts. No wonder you dared accept the Immortal King’s Crown. I don’t know why it didn’t devour you, but one thing’s clear—you’ve earned the approval of a Supreme Immortal Treasure. Do you have a Master?”

Gu An shook his head. “No. The Immortal King’s Crown—is it this circlet on my head? I just stumbled upon it one day and thought it looked cool.”

He had already altered the karmic thread. Even Tianzong would be misled.

Tianzong’s karmic deduction showed Gu An buying the crown at a low price in Treasure Pavilion, where it looked old and newly unearthed.

No Mystic Celestial Immortal could see through a Divine Soul Immortal’s manipulations.

“Do you want to know where the Immortal King’s Crown came from? Once you learn, your peaceful life will be over,” Tianzong said in a low voice.

Gu An forced a smile. “Then can I go back now?”

“No. Once you’re here, there’s no turning back.”

“Then why ask me in the first place?”

“The way of Tianzong is the Heavenly Dao... and the Heavenly Dao follows the heart.”

“That counts?”

“You came, didn’t you?”

Gu An felt like he was being played, but he didn’t sense any hostility from Tianzong, so he figured he’d hear him out.

He usually just tended herbs and flowers—something thrilling now and then wasn’t so bad.

And really, Tianzong couldn’t threaten him.

“The Immortal King’s Crown was forged by the first Immortal King of the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm. He existed back in the earliest days of the world—when there was no Holy Court, and no laws of the Heavenly Dao beyond the skies…”

Tianzong’s voice carried a mystical rhythm, and Gu An found himself seeing visions of ancient times.

A vast, untamed land. Massive beasts roamed freely. No empires. No sects. No systems.

Then he saw the Immortal King’s silhouette. It was blurry, but radiated such terrifying presence it reminded him of Long Zhan.

That meant the Immortal King was on the same level as Long Zhan—

The Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Path.

When the Immortal King declared, “I am Immortal King,” thunder roared across the skies, and disasters erupted across the land.

“He thought himself above all others. Tried to defy the Heavenly Dao. Wanted to unify the world and walk beyond the sky. But he offended the will of Heaven and was cursed. Before he died, he sealed his Dao inside the Immortal King’s Crown. It became the first Supreme Immortal Treasure—at least in our realm,” Tianzong said, his tone still flat.