Chapter 326: Immortal Dynasty and Holy Court

Tianzong gave Gu An a full lecture, instructing him on how he should act in the future, what matters to avoid—a tone that sounded almost like he was giving his final words.

Gu An thought to himself, I'm a dignified Divine Soul Immortal. There's no way I'm taking you as my master.

Still, Tianzong's legacy could be preserved. Since Tianzong was determined to step down, Gu An could help him find a successor.

Before leaving, Tianzong said, “Though there are still many secrets about you that puzzle me, I no longer care to figure them out. That disciple of yours—Yang Jian—when he leaves in the future, don’t try to stop him. He’ll bring you a world of trouble.”

Gu An nodded—better to humor him for now.

Tianzong raised his right hand, gathering a ball of qi in his palm before sending it flying toward Gu An.

There was no time to dodge. Gu An could only watch as the energy entered his body, making him freeze in place.

Tianzong looked at Gu An with a smile and said, “Shame I didn’t get the chance to formally take you as a disciple. But perhaps it’s for the best. This way, my karma won’t drag you down.”

With that, he turned and walked out—passing straight through the door.

Only after Tianzong’s presence vanished did the trace of panic on Gu An’s face fade.

Take me as a disciple? Sorry, I’m more afraid you can’t even shoulder that karma!

Gu An touched his chest and drew out the qi that had just entered him. He could feel the immense power it contained—not inferior to Tianzong himself. But its Fortune was even more mysterious than he could currently perceive. Precisely because of that, he couldn't fuse with it.

Let’s just call it Tianzong’s Fortune.

Gu An took out the Seven Star Mirror and infused Tianzong’s Fortune into it.

Back when he first obtained the Seven Star Mirror, Gu An had erased all its embedded Fortune, karma, and branded restrictions. Not just for Supreme Immortal Treasures—he did this for every artifact he used.

Still, to be safe, he checked it over once more. After confirming everything was clean, he tucked the mirror away and sat down to continue reading.

The Heavenly Rankings Tournament was still ongoing. At this stage, only cultivators of the Immortal Dao were competing—none like Li Ya, who relied on Supreme Treasures to fight far above their cultivation. Every duel now was a direct measure of power.

When Tianzong broke into the top ten, he abruptly withdrew and walked away.

His departure left a lasting suspense over the tournament. No matter who took first place, they’d never truly be the "Number One under Heaven" in everyone’s eyes.

Tianzong had been the strongest figure in this tournament—no exceptions!

Gu An and Yang Jian shared an unspoken agreement not to bring up Tianzong again. They simply continued cultivating as usual.

Gu An didn’t raise Yang Jian to use him for life. The moment he saw Yang Jian’s karmic ties to past lives, he was already prepared to let him go.

He even looked forward to seeing what kind of waves Yang Jian might stir when he emerged into the world.

Until late summer, when the tournament ended, and the Nine-Fingered Divine Lord claimed first place for the Taixuan Sect.

Zhang Xianwang, a Free Soaring Immortal from the Immortal Dynasty, had never entered the competition. Instead, he wandered the Taixuan Sect, clearly searching for the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.

He was wary of the Holy Court and moved cautiously, careful not to expose himself.

Even after the tournament concluded, Zhang Xianwang remained.

Then, one night in early autumn—

Zhang Xianwang was in his inn room reading. The table was piled with books, all about the Sword Sovereign.

A cold wind flickered the oil lamp. Zhang Xianwang’s eyes narrowed. He instinctively looked to the side—then his pupils shrank. He sprang to his feet.

There, cloaked in swirling violet demonic aura, stood a figure. His fear turned quickly to joy.

It was Gu An!

His Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body had evolved into the Supreme Dao Void Body, allowing him to shift forms freely. Even when not transformed, he could use it to dodge karmic detection. Still, the Sword Sovereign’s image was too iconic. He had no choice but to appear in this form.

“Why are you looking for me?” Gu An spoke in a raspy voice—one that painted the image of a weathered, ancient man in Zhang Xianwang’s mind.

Zhang Xianwang quickly bowed and introduced himself.

He had come on behalf of the Immortal Emperor Yangxian of the Immortal Dynasty, hoping to ask the Sword Sovereign for help with a certain matter.

But instead of getting to the point, he first asked Gu An’s thoughts on the Holy Court.

“They have a noble ideal to protect all living beings, but they also look down on mortals. Some good, some bad, I guess. What, the Immortal Dynasty and the Holy Court don’t get along?” Gu An asked lazily.

Zhang Xianwang took a deep breath. “It’s not us who oppose them—it’s the Holy Court that’s been trying to wipe us out, to claim the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm as theirs alone.”

“The Holy Court’s ruler, Saint Heaven, came from beyond the stars and established the Court here. Most of its leaders share that origin. The Immortal Dynasty, on the other hand, was founded by native cultivators over countless generations.”

This was the first Gu An had heard of it.

“If that’s true, then as someone not from the Dynasty, wouldn’t that make me your enemy?” he asked.

After all, perspective was needed to judge right and wrong. Without shared ground, he couldn’t understand why they’d come to him.

Zhang Xianwang quickly explained, “It’s not just the Immortal Dynasty—everyone born in this realm is part of its people. It’s just that nowadays, everyone only acknowledges the Holy Court.”

Gu An countered, “So what? Don’t tell me you want me to fight the Holy Court for you?”

“Senior, you’ve refused positions of fate and hidden your identity. The only thing you could be wary of is the Holy Court. But if you join forces with the Immortal Dynasty, we’ll give you whatever you need. All we ask is that you infiltrate the Holy Court and help us rescue someone. This person isn’t from the Dynasty, but once saved it in the past,” Zhang Xianwang said earnestly.

He was about to explain further when Gu An cut him off.

“No need. If that’s the case, I refuse. I don’t care who rules the world, and I don’t want to be involved in your grudges. If that’s why you’re here—leave.”

He’d have to be out of his mind to work for the Immortal Dynasty.

Even assuming Zhang Xianwang was telling the truth, Gu An still wouldn’t agree.

His only grudge with the Holy Court was with the Saint King of Da Ming. There was no need to make the whole court his enemy.

Besides, the Dynasty was clearly weak and afraid. He had no intention of being used as their weapon.

“Senior...” Zhang Xianwang tried to speak again, but a terrifying force crushed down on him, making him tremble and fall silent.

The mighty Free Soaring Immortal now looked utterly miserable.

“Leave Taixuan Sect. Don’t disturb my cultivation again. I have no wish to oppose any power, but if I’m forced—I won’t mind paying a visit to their Daoist legacy.”

Before his words finished echoing, Gu An vanished without a trace, leaving Zhang Xianwang alone in the room, his face dark and conflicted.

He had assumed the Sword Sovereign hid his identity out of fear of the Holy Court—but now he realized, the man feared the entire world.

Is there really such a cultivator in this world?

Meanwhile, Gu An returned to the Eight Views Celestial Realm.

If he hadn’t had a good impression of Zhang Xianwang, he wouldn’t have met with him at all. Had Zhang pressed further, Gu An would’ve crushed him on the spot.

He resumed refining magical tools. The Heavenly Rankings Tournament had delayed him for several months—it was time to pick things back up.

His goal was to forge a Supreme Immortal Treasure worthy of his cultivation when he reached the Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Dao.

But what kind of treasure would suit him?

He had pondered that for a long time.

At dawn, he felt Zhang Xianwang’s presence leaving. A smile crossed his face.

Hopefully, Zhang Xianwang would pass on the message to the Dynasty.

Gu An had no intention of clashing with them, too.

He stood, tidied up, and left the Eight Views Celestial Realm.

After the Heavenly Rankings Tournament ended, the number of new disciples in the Taixuan Sect began to surge. Even cultivators with high cultivation levels were joining the sect.

The sect once again began expanding its territory, recruiting a large number of Errand Disciples to help with construction—offering generous compensation. However, Gu An’s Third Medicine Valley and Xuan Valley remained unaffected, as he always provided his errand disciples with even better benefits.

Ten years passed, and the number of disciples in the Third Medicine Valley surpassed two thousand.

That year, the Taixuan Sect officially approved the expansion of the Third Medicine Valley.

Gu An stood atop a mountain, watching his disciples work busily below, a wide smile on his face.

The expansion of the valley meant an increase in lifespan income, and naturally, he was in a good mood.

A figure approached from behind—it was Yang Jian.

He had grown far more composed, though a hint of pride still lingered in his brow.

“Master,” Yang Jian said respectfully as he came up behind Gu An and bowed.

Gu An didn’t turn around. He continued gazing into the distance and asked, “So, have you decided?”

Yang Jian took a deep breath and replied, “Yes. I carry too much karma. First Tian Wuchang, now Tianzong. As my cultivation increases, I’m sure more trouble will follow. I don’t want to drag you or the Medicine Valley into it. Besides... I want to venture out alone—to temper my heart and seek the Dao.”

Gu An finally turned to look at him, his expression softening into a faint smile. “You’ve truly grown up. Then go. It’s time you stood on your own.”

Hearing his master’s approval, Yang Jian exhaled deeply, a smile spreading across his face. He nodded solemnly.

“Leave today. No need to say goodbye to the others,” Gu An waved his hand casually.

Yang Jian was momentarily stunned but nodded nonetheless.

As he turned to go, he couldn’t resist asking, “Master, who is my Senior Brother?”

“You’ve chosen your own path. No need to ask further. After you leave the Third Medicine Valley, don’t speak of my name to anyone. Don’t even hint at my existence. Otherwise...”

Gu An spoke in a calm voice, still with his back turned.

He didn’t finish the sentence, but Yang Jian understood.

He took a deep breath, dropped to his knees, and bowed three times before Gu An.

Then, he left.

Gu An looked up at the sky, his gaze deep and unreadable.

He wasn’t afraid of Yang Jian exposing him. At most, the public believed the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path possessed the cultivation of a Mystic Celestial Immortal—who could possibly guess that he was actually a Divine Soul Immortal?

Besides, Yang Jian had a great background. Keeping him here might actually be dangerous. Letting him go was exactly what Gu An wanted.

“The child’s grown up... in the end, they all want to fly away,” Gu An sighed, then shook his head with a wry smile and headed down the mountain.

At the base of the mountain, he spotted An Xin chasing a White Spirit Mouse around.

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

At least this disciple was still here.

Now that Yang Jian had left, he’d focus his efforts on nurturing An Xin!

Even though An Xin’s talent was average, with hard work and cultivation, it wasn’t impossible for her to surpass even An Hao or Yang Jian—especially since Gu An himself was growing at a faster pace.