Chapter 340: Projection into the Past, Long Qing is Born

Chapter 340 Projection into the Past, Long Qing is Born

Gu An put away Qingtian Peak, hanging it back on his belt. As for the black-robed elder’s words, he didn’t fully believe them—but he could at least determine that the strange technique the elder passed on had no hidden dangers.

While being carried by the Blood Prison Grand Sage during his patrol of the Medicine Valley, he began weighing the pros and cons.

After careful thought, he figured—it might be worth a try.

That Dark War Emperor had slaughtered a region of mortals the moment he descended; his cruelty and brutality had to be guarded against. Even if he was connected to the Holy Domain, he couldn't be trusted.

He’d first observe what happened after the Demonic Fetus was born. Worst case scenario, he could just destroy it. Offending the Heaven Demon? So be it!

Gu An made up his mind, but he didn’t act immediately. After all, the Dark War Emperor hadn’t yet emerged from his coffin. Gu An could still sense the rising aura inside—it didn’t seem like he’d come out any time soon.

An hour later, Gu An quietly arrived at a cave at the foot of Ding Tian Peak, completely unnoticed.

Standing before a stone pillar, he extended his divine sense into it. The Demonic Fetus was still curled up just as it had been decades ago—there was no change.

Gu An activated his Lifespan Barrier, covering the entire chamber, then performed the secret technique passed down by the black-robed elder on the fetus.

Black mist began rising in increasing amounts from the surface of the pillar, and a strong, rhythmic heartbeat echoed from within.

Time ticked by.

Since the Demonic Fetus didn’t absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth, the consumption of the Lifespan Barrier wasn’t too fast, which eased Gu An’s mind a little.

Half an hour later, Gu An pulled the fetus out. It had shrunk to the size of a normal baby, still shrouded in demonic energy, but no longer fully hidden.

Gu An used Lifespan Perception on it.

[Long Qing (Qi Refining Stage, Ninth Level): 0/1000/9999]

Huh?

Why was the surname Long?

The Dark War Emperor, bearer of the War Court's legacy, had just appeared—and now another Long appeared? Gu An couldn’t help but overthink it.

He stared closely at the yet-to-awaken Long Qing, peering into the karmic threads within.

Long Qing’s karma was complicated. But Gu An had inherited all the memories of Long Zhan, who had also studied the Dao of Karma.

After watching for a long while, Gu An noticed that Long Qing’s soul had a deep connection to the soul of Long Xin, Long Zhan’s son. That meant—Long Qing was likely Long Xin’s descendant.

Long Zhan was born in the Long Family, and although he created the War Court, the family ancestors hadn’t founded it—this confirmed that Long Qing had to be Long Zhan’s descendant. Which also meant—Long Zhan came from the past, not the future.

Reincarnation Evolution really could project into the past!

But was this fated to happen… or had his actions altered the past?

Before he used Reincarnation Evolution, the Demonic Fetus had already been hidden in Ding Tian Peak. But he only discovered it after finishing the evolution—did its identity change?

Gu An found that to be a question worth pondering.

Long Qing was still absorbing Innate Demonic Energy, and his cultivation was quickly rising to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

This little guy wouldn’t be like those Immortal Spirits of the Immortal Dynasty, born with innate Immortal Dao cultivation… right?

Gu An secretly guessed. Over the next while, Long Qing’s cultivation continued to rise rapidly, entirely due to the Innate Demonic Energy surrounding him—he hadn’t absorbed any spiritual energy from the world.

Time passed swiftly.

Three hours later…

Long Qing’s cultivation leapt past the Grand Ascension Stage, reaching Nirvana Stage, First Level, and his Lifespan Limit transformed into 999,999 years.

Gu An could already tell—if this kid were to be revealed to the world, he’d surely trigger a Heavenly Tribulation. That would be a problem.

So once Long Qing’s cultivation finally stabilized, Gu An used his divine ability Primordial Return Divine Path to suppress it. He even altered the baby’s aura to that of a mortal. At his current level, Gu An could even suppress karma—until Long Qing was unsealed, even the Heaven Demon wouldn’t be able to find him.

The demonic energy around Long Qing dissipated completely—in an unexplainable way, it just vanished.

Long Qing slowly opened his eyes. They were big and watery. His tiny fists were clenched, and when he saw Gu An, he immediately smiled and let out a baby’s giggle.

For some reason, seeing Long Qing like this made Gu An think of Long Xin when he was first born. The resemblance was uncanny.

A smile spread across Gu An’s face as he began to play with Long Qing.

During the process, he felt once more what Long Zhan must have felt the first time he saw his son.

But…

The War Court and a descendant of the Long Family showing up in the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm? That was too much of a coincidence.

Gu An grew wary. From now on, he absolutely couldn’t reveal his true cultivation—not even now. He had to keep it up.

A man must always keep a card up his sleeve.

With a step of his Path-Stepping Years Step, Gu An arrived just outside the Taixuan Sect, then deactivated the Lifespan Barrier.

From his storage pouch, he pulled out a robe and wrapped baby Long Qing inside.

The sunlight fell gently, making Long Qing even more excited. He laughed nonstop, waving his little hands around—but they were too short to grab anything.

Good thing the kid wasn’t a normal baby—otherwise Gu An would’ve had to figure out how to feed him.

He held the baby and sat under a nearby tree, continuing to play with him.

Suddenly showing up with a baby would definitely raise eyebrows. So Gu An decided to wait until nightfall before returning—he could come up with a story by then.

Birdsong filled the woods. Flowers bloomed. Gu An listened to Long Qing’s laughter, and his thoughts drifted.

Images from the Reincarnation Evolution resurfaced in his mind.

It was the main hall of the War Court. Long Zhan stood with his back to Long Xin, who was questioning him:

“Father, I preferred the you who used to take me hunting in the mountains. Back then, you weren’t unbeatable, but at least you felt like a father.”

Long Xin left those words behind and walked away. Father and son never saw each other again—until Long Zhan fell.

Gu An was deeply moved.

He’d take this as a warning—he couldn’t become obsessed with power. The state he was in now was ideal: steadily growing stronger, while maintaining healthy bonds with those around him.

He looked up toward the firmament beyond the woods.

From here, the sky really did look high.

Morning.

The disciples of the Third Medicine Valley had just finished their morning exercises. An Xin turned her head and saw Gu An stepping down from the Teleportation Platform, holding something in his arms.

She immediately ran over. A few disciples close to Gu An followed. When they saw he was holding a baby, they all gasped in surprise.

“Master, where’d this baby come from?”

“Wow, so cute! Can I hold him?”

“Is it a boy or a girl?”

“What’s his name, Master?”

“He’s smiling at me!”

Faced with their questions, Gu An said he had found the boy in the forest and couldn’t find his parents—so he brought him back to raise.

No one doubted him—after all, their master really was that kind.

An Xin even thought of herself. Her eyes turned slightly red, and she looked at Long Qing with even more affection.

But Gu An didn’t let them hold the baby. He brought Long Qing back to his pavilion.

At the entrance, Ji Xuanyu walked out of her room and curiously stared at the child.

“He kind of looks like you,” Ji Xuanyu blurted out instinctively, her eyes full of meaning.

“Don’t tell me you think someone secretly had this baby for me?” Gu An replied sourly.

Ji Xuanyu chuckled and said nothing more.

Gu An ignored her and went upstairs with the baby.

In the distance, Shen Xinzi calculated Long Qing’s karma and found it matched what Gu An had said. He didn’t give it more thought.

While disciples were curious, no one paid too much attention. But they began noticing that wherever Gu An went, he was always carrying Long Qing—and that made them suspicious.

Months passed.

Autumn arrived.

The crimson coffin hiding the Dark War Emperor still remained shut. But cultivators had gathered on the desolate land around it, even setting up grand formations near the coffin.

One day, Ye Lan brought Zhen Qin to visit Gu An.

When they saw him holding a baby, both women were stunned. After learning it wasn’t his child, Ye Lan breathed a sigh of relief.

“He just seemed like fate,” Gu An said cheerfully. “So I brought him back—planning to take him as a disciple.”

Zhen Qin held Long Qing, finding him adorable. She asked, “Master, have you named him yet?”

“Yeah. I named him Long Qing. There was a clear little stream beside him when I found him, and his eyes are just as clear. That’s where Qing comes from.”

“Then why the surname Long?” Zhen Qin pressed.

“Take a look at his back,” Gu An said with a smile.

Zhen Qin instinctively opened the baby’s robe. On his back were mysterious black patterns—at first glance, they looked like a black dragon.

“Seems this kid’s got quite the mysterious background,” Zhen Qin exclaimed.

Ye Lan saw it too and relaxed completely. She smiled and took Long Qing into her arms.

“Keep this quiet,” Gu An reminded them. “Since he’s been abandoned, let him stay away from the chaos and live peacefully in the Medicine Valley. Just say that mark on his back—I made it.”

Both women nodded and praised him for being thoughtful.

They stayed in the Third Medicine Valley for three days before leaving—the Branch Sect had important tasks lately, and it would be years before their next visit.

By six months old, Long Qing could walk. By one, he was already babbling words. Dressed in fine little robes, he became the Valley’s little bundle of joy.

A full year had passed since the crimson coffin descended upon the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm, and still—it hadn’t moved. But word had spread, and many sects now called it a foreign evil object. Even within Mortal Peak, there was talk of it.

That year, summer came.

Inside his pavilion, Gu An sat, holding Qingtian Peak, his divine sense entering once more.

Inside the ruined temple, the black-robed elder popped out instantly, anxious.

“What took you so long? Where’s the Emperor?”

Gu An let out a long breath.

“Failed. Just as I was about to use the technique you taught me, he vanished. I couldn’t keep up. Now I have no idea where he went.”

The black-robed elder’s face changed drastically. He trembled.

“The good news is—he’s still in the coffin. It’s been a year. Why hasn’t there been any movement?” Gu An frowned.

The elder’s face eased slightly. He thought for a moment.

“He might be preparing something… Senior, please, can you let me go? I must search for the Emperor!”

Gu An shook his head.

“Sorry. I can’t fully trust you. I’ll let you out in ten thousand years. Let’s get through this calamity first.”

Ten thousand years?!

The black-robed elder almost cursed out loud. But thinking of Gu An’s unfathomable cultivation, he swallowed it back.

No matter how important the Emperor’s whereabouts were—nothing was more important than his own life.