Chapter 335: Master's Wife

Li Ya stood atop the tower, sword in hand, his expression grim.

The Divine Anomaly Spirit stood proudly on his shoulder, waving excitedly. Ever since Li Ya learned the truth, it had stopped pretending.

At first, Li Ya felt a little awkward, but now, all he felt was worry.

The battle had raged on, and Divine Anomaly City was stuck. The monsters were just too strong—and they even knew how to set up formations, completely blocking the city’s advance. More monsters continued joining the battlefield.

At this rate, Divine Anomaly City might really fall.

What Li Ya feared most was drawing out even more terrifying creatures.

He was considering retreat. The mess might grow bigger and eventually force the Primordial Ancestor to intervene again.

Gritting his teeth, Li Ya was about to speak and order the retreat—when the Divine Anomaly Spirit on his shoulder suddenly let out an excited howl.

“I’m about to unleash my divine might!”

It raised its right arm high, its childish voice filled with excitement.

Li Ya blinked, then quickly looked around, eyes scanning the surroundings. In the far distance, thunderclouds stretched endlessly. The more vast it seemed, the faster his gaze moved, like he was searching for something.

Watching Li Ya’s movements, Gu An couldn't help but smile.

The Divine Anomaly Spirit had told him long ago about the burden Li Ya carried, but Gu An never commented. Some things had to be overcome by oneself.

A true powerhouse like Long Zhan never hesitated—always decisive.

Gu An unhooked Qingtian Peak from his waist. It was smaller than a palm, reflecting the lightning as it gave off an ancient aura. Just seeing it made An Xin tense up.

Under her gaze, Gu An casually tossed Qingtian Peak into the air. It flew upward and disappeared into the sea of clouds.

The next second, an overwhelming aura descended, covering the entire sea.

Li Ya and the Divine Anomaly Spirit both sensed it and looked up in unison.

The once-hyped-up Divine Anomaly Spirit now stared, wide-eyed and dumbfounded. Li Ya, too, was completely stunned.

The surging clouds were torn apart, and a massive green mountain appeared abruptly. Before its immensity, everything else seemed insignificant. It floated ten thousand feet above the sea. Even the trees on its slopes looked enormous, like divine weapons radiating pressure.

At this moment, Divine Anomaly City looked like a mere pebble—clearly showing how colossal Qingtian Peak was.

Gu An brought An Xin to the summit. Looking up, An Xin saw a dazzling starry sky, with seven blazing suns. Everything reflected in her eyes like a dream.

The appearance of Qingtian Peak caught the attention of all the monsters. They were stunned too.

“What is that?!”

“That mountain’s enormous... no, it’s an immortal treasure!”

“D*mn, another supreme treasure has descended?!”

“This aura... no, this is bad!”

“Retreat! Hurry!”

The monsters cried out in alarm and scattered like startled monkeys, fleeing at top speed.

Qingtian Peak remained suspended in the air. It didn’t fall.

Gu An looked at An Xin and smiled. “Looks like I can’t show off Qingtian Peak’s full power.”

An Xin wasn’t naive. She shook her head. “It’s because you’re merciful, Master. Otherwise, none of them would’ve gotten away.”

Gu An chuckled and shook his head.

In that brief moment, he had thought of Long Zhan and Xiao Shengtian’s experiences. So he chose to stick to his principle: only kill those who bore hatred against him—so that others couldn’t guess at ulterior motives.

Besides, his annual lifespan income had already reached 1.5 million years. There was no need to commit slaughter and accumulate karma. He could just lay low and keep growing stronger.

The only thing Gu An wasn’t kind to was plants and herbs. But living beings needed to eat—and cultivators used herbs for alchemy, after all.

All he could do was choose the path that best suited him.

So when An Xin called him merciful, he only smiled. He didn’t think of it as mercy—just calculated, beneficial choice.

With the monsters gone, the Divine Anomaly Spirit let out a sigh of relief.

Li Ya looked up at the towering Qingtian Peak, and at that moment, he felt a sense of peace.

“So that’s how it is…”

Li Ya had always felt unworthy of Divine Anomaly City. But now, seeing Qingtian Peak’s majesty, he realized the Primordial Ancestor had even greater treasures.

What was he worried about?

He had no idea how deep the Ancestor’s Dao was.

Rather than carrying a burden, it would be better to focus on growing stronger—and repay the Ancestor later.

No matter how hard he tried right now, he couldn’t help the Ancestor. The Ancestor had bet on his future—not his present.

Qingtian Peak slowly ascended, shrinking as it rose, giving Li Ya the illusion that it was flying beyond the heavens.

He watched until it disappeared, never catching a glimpse of the person he’d hoped to see.

Taking a deep breath, he said, “Let’s go.”

The Divine Anomaly Spirit turned its head and asked, surprised, “Where to?”

“To a place we’re capable of fighting for. It’s clear this place isn’t meant for us—otherwise, the Ancestor wouldn’t have used another supreme treasure to save us,” Li Ya replied calmly.

The Divine Anomaly Spirit scratched its head. That actually made sense. So it nodded in agreement.

Divine Anomaly City turned into a streak of rainbow light and flew back in the direction it came from.

Watching this scene, An Xin blinked in confusion. “Why are they leaving?”

Gu An hadn’t expected his own intervention would cause Li Ya to retreat either. It made him chuckle helplessly.

“Well, let them go. We’ll circle around for another hour and then head back,” Gu An said.

An Xin had no objections. She started bombarding him with questions about Divine Anomaly City and Li Ya. Gu An told her everything he knew.

After the trip to the Thunder Sea Demon Domain, An Xin trained even harder. She also became more reserved—just like before.

Having seen the wider, stronger world, a fire had been lit in her heart. She didn’t need Gu An to push her anymore. Whenever she had time, she practiced Time-Stepping Path on her own.

Even Nine-Fingered Divine Lord and Shen Xinzi had secretly observed her steps. But they couldn’t understand it—and they didn’t want to keep peeking. After two or three tries, they gave up on watching An Xin altogether.

But in their hearts, both Gu An and An Xin were no longer ordinary.

The years went by.

Five years passed in a flash.

That year, Ji Xuanyu returned.

“You’ve got the scent of another woman on you again,” Ji Xuanyu frowned as she stood by the table.

Gu An put down his book and replied, “I visited my Junior Sister a couple of days ago.”

Ji Xuanyu pressed, “Her scent’s changed.”

Gu An looked at her in surprise. She remembered Ye Lan’s scent?

“She recently had a breakthrough, so her aura changed,” he replied casually.

It was true. In Gu An’s heart, An Xin’s position could never surpass Ye Lan’s. Every time he visited Ye Lan, he’d lecture her about the Dao—and spent more elixirs on her than on An Xin.

Watching her lifespan limit slowly rise gave Gu An a deep sense of accomplishment.

It made him feel like he was battling fate itself.

“Really?” Ji Xuanyu asked, still skeptical.

Gu An rolled his eyes. “I’ve always been open about what I do. Why would I lie to you? Haven’t I met plenty of other women in front of you? Besides, why do you care so much? Don’t tell me you have feelings for me. You carry too much karma—I’m afraid the enemies of the Emperor of Reincarnation might grab me to threaten you.”

Ji Xuanyu glared at him.

Gu An folded his arms. “To be honest, besides Ye Lan, Shen Zhen, and Lu Lingjun, there’s another woman who likes me. I’m still thinking about it. Plus, I’ve got three adorable female demon pets, so I’m not exactly desperate.”

Ji Xuanyu laughed. “Don’t tell me it’s those three monkey demons?”

These days, the Taixuan Sect had more and more high-level cultivators, and Tianya Valley couldn’t stay hidden. But Lü Baitian and Li Xuandao had reached a deal, so Tianya Valley remained safe. Ji Xuanyu had learned about it through her family.

“Of course not!” Gu An shot her a glare.

Ji Xuanyu pulled out a chair and sat down, beginning to share her experiences from the past few years.

Gu An listened attentively.

They talked for two full hours before Ji Xuanyu finally left.

When she came downstairs, she saw An Xin talking with five female disciples. So she waited in place.

When the five disciples left, she approached An Xin.

The sun was starting to set.

An Xin turned and, seeing Ji Xuanyu walking toward her, quickly stepped up and bowed.

In her mind, Ji Xuanyu was one of the top contenders for future Master’s wife. Just the fact that she lived under Gu An’s residence gave her massive influence—so she had to show respect.

“You’ve got talent. If you ever need help, you can tell me. The Ji Family has some resources that might be useful,” Ji Xuanyu said, eyes fixed on An Xin.

An Xin quickly bowed in gratitude. “Thank you for the kind offer, but I have my Master…”

Ji Xuanyu cut her off. “Don’t mind his attitude. I’m helping you for him. The stronger you are, the more you can protect him.”

With that, she turned and left.

An Xin watched her go, impressed. So domineering—definitely Master-wife material!

She quietly compared herself. Though her strength had improved quickly, she still wasn’t on Ji Xuanyu’s level.

So she decided—she’d set Ji Xuanyu as her new benchmark. Only by surpassing her could she hope to catch up to An Hao and Yang Jian.

She didn’t believe Ji Xuanyu’s talent was better than theirs!

Inside the house, Gu An’s lips curved into a smile. The golden light of dusk poured through the window, casting a rosy glow over him, as if he were draped in clouds.

Sunset and moonrise.

The next morning, Gu An left Taixuan Sect alone. He rode his sword, soaring across the skies.

Once he was sure no one was tracking him with divine sense, he vanished.

Half an hour later—

Gu An arrived at the Gathering Flower Sect’s mountain gate. The mountains rolled on endlessly, and every peak was covered in seas of blossoms. It was a breathtaking sight.

When he presented his Taixuan Sect disciple token, the disciples stopped blocking him—and even welcomed him warmly.

Upon hearing he wanted to see the Sect Master, they dared not delay, especially since he had a Main Sect token.

Half an hour later, Gu An was placed in a side courtyard. He could sense that Jiang Qiong was in closed-door cultivation, with disciples standing guard at the door.

Sure enough, not long after, the disciple who brought him returned, saying he would have to wait a few days—Jiang Qiong was still in seclusion.

Gu An wasn’t in a rush. Since she was cultivating, he’d sneak in to help her comprehend the Dao, then leave. When she came out and found he’d come but didn’t stay, she’d definitely feel embarrassed.

Just imagining it made Gu An look forward to it.