Chapter 345: The Holy Appearance

Mortal Peak, atop a mountain summit.

Fu Shenxiu stood at the cliff’s edge with Daoist Yongnian, both gazing at the firmament in prolonged silence.

“Master, what level of the Immortal Dao has the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path reached?” Fu Shenxiu finally couldn’t help asking.

Daoist Yongnian gave a bitter smile. “I’ve only lived a few more years than you. I know of the Mystic Celestial Immortal, but the names of the three realms above it—those are far beyond my reach.”

Fu Shenxiu sighed. “That outer-world demon’s aura felt even more terrifying than Elder Meng’s, and yet he was obliterated in an instant. Truly, there’s always someone stronger—beyond people, there are heavens yet higher.”

Daoist Yongnian frowned slightly and sighed. “I have a feeling something’s going to happen to the Holy Court. To think they’d actually allow a demon like that in... This world is heading toward an upheaval the likes of which hasn’t been seen in a million years.”

Fu Shenxiu nodded—he felt the same unease.

“In any case, it was good that the Sword Sovereign destroyed that demon. The demon hadn't even begun purging the Heavenly Demons before he started slaughtering innocents. The Holy Court is truly blind—how could they cooperate with a being like that?!” Fu Shenxiu said angrily. Just thinking about the conversation between the Holy King and the Dark War Emperor made him feel absurdity to the core.

When had the Holy Court become like this?

Daoist Yongnian didn’t reply. There were some things he couldn’t say aloud.

At the moment, it wasn’t just Mortal Peak discussing the matter—major cultivators from sects aligned with the Fate of the World, various empires, and even figures from the Immortal Dynasty were debating it.

The impact of this incident was growing rapidly.

Summer gave way to autumn.

In the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An sat at a table, with Shen Zhen across from him, animatedly speaking.

Months had passed, and the battle between the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path and the Dark War Emperor had not been buried by time. On the contrary, it had only grown more dramatic.

“I heard that outer-world demon was invited by the Holy Court. Tsk tsk, really, all birds under heaven are black. There’s no such thing as a clean sect. Even Dao Tian Sect, Taixuan Sect, Seven Stars Sacred Realm, and the Holy Court are up to shady business.”

Shen Zhen’s voice was full of sarcasm.

Gu An said helplessly, “Dear lady, could you please not say those things out loud? Those cultivators are as powerful as gods. Aren’t you afraid someone will hear you?”

“What if they do? Right now everyone’s saying it was the Holy Court who brought the outer-world demon in. They say he devoured the living beings of eight continents. That’s an unforgivable sin!” Shen Zhen said indignantly.

Gu An reminded her, “Complain all you want, but don’t write it down or draw it.”

She rolled her eyes. “Do I look that dumb? Besides, I’m not that righteous. I just can’t stand the Holy Court claiming to represent justice, draped in the name of ‘holy,’ yet doing this kind of thing.”

At that very moment, even the chess players in the valley’s Go square were cursing the Holy Court.

Gu An could smell a plot brewing. With the Holy Court’s capabilities, how could public opinion have gotten so out of hand?

And the idea that the Holy Court didn’t care about its reputation? Even more absurd.

Just look at how the Great Ming Saint King operated—it was obvious the Holy Court cared deeply about its honor.

Reputation might seem intangible, but once it reached a certain level, it could influence a person’s or a faction’s karmic fate, and could even be calculated via the laws of heaven and earth to determine if their name brought good or ill fortune.

Of course, whether the Holy Court was good or evil ultimately depended on what kind of being Holy Heaven truly was.

With that thought, Gu An decided—it was time to visit Heaven’s Prison.

Whether the rumors were a ploy or not, some old grudges needed settling.

An hour later, Shen Zhen left in high spirits after venting her frustrations. Gu An saw her off, then turned toward the Teleportation Array.

In a grand hall, flickering firelight danced.

A black-robed man sat on the throne, his brows tightly furrowed, clearly agitated. Atop his head, a dragon bone crown emitted two wisps of dragon soul, twining together restlessly.

It had been months since the Dark War Emperor had fallen. The Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path hadn’t come to Heaven’s Prison, yet instead of feeling relieved, the black-robed man only grew more anxious—as though catastrophe was imminent.

Heaven’s Prison was a Minor World, deeply hidden. But for someone like the Sword Sovereign, no hiding place was deep enough.

Smack!

Suddenly, the black-robed man felt a hand press down on his shoulder. His heart nearly stopped as he instinctively opened his eyes.

Out of the corner of his eye, his pupils widened in horror. He felt as if he had fallen into an abyss, limbs frozen with fear.

Standing beside him was a figure shrouded in dark purple demonic energy—someone his cultivation couldn’t see through.

The Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path!

Gu An looked down at him and cast Lifespan Perception.

【Punisher Soul Lord (Free Soaring Immortal Stage, Eighth Layer): 590,328 / 800,000 / 1,500,000】

Gu An said slowly, “You’ve lived over half a million years—not an easy feat. So, are you going to talk, or do I have to make you?”

His voice was altered—gravelly, cold, and enough to make Punisher Soul Lord tremble with fear.

“It… it was Qingsongzi, Lord of the Severed Sea Domain, who approached me. He said it was on the Great Ming Saint King’s orders, and told me to release a batch of Heaven Demons into the Taicang Continent… I couldn’t refuse! He’s a Saint King! I was only following orders! I have no grudge against you, Senior… please spare me…”

The Punisher Soul Lord gritted his teeth as he spoke, terror clear in his voice.

Gu An looked up toward the hall, his left hand still pressed on the man’s shoulder.

Following Gu An’s gaze, a streak of golden light appeared at the top of the hall, as if space itself had torn open. The light expanded rapidly, and from within stepped a figure.

This person was bathed in golden light—even Gu An couldn’t see through him.

Gu An cast Lifespan Perception once more.

【Holy Prime Minister (Divine Soul Immortal Stage, Ninth Layer): 0 / 0 / 0】

No lifespan?

Not a true body.

The Punisher Soul Lord also saw the figure, panic flooding his eyes. He’d never seen the Holy Prime Minister, but appearing at this moment could only spell disaster for him.

The Holy Prime Minister spoke. “I can depose the Great Ming Saint King.”

His first words alone made the Punisher Soul Lord go pale.

Such arrogance!

There were only two people in the Holy Court capable of deposing a Saint King…

Either one was far beyond anything he could oppose.

Gu An asked calmly, “Who are you?”

The man replied, “I am the Holy Prime Minister of the Holy Court, supervisor of all affairs. The Dark War Emperor’s descent was my idea. I had hoped to use him to cleanse the Heaven Demons from the mortal world. I didn’t expect things to spiral this far.”

Gu An hadn’t expected him to admit it outright. For a moment, he couldn’t quite tell what the man’s true intentions were.

“Sword Sovereign, you have declined the Holy Court’s offer of a karmic destiny seat—I won’t ask why. I simply want to understand your stance toward the Holy Court, so that no misunderstandings arise. Based on your actions, you are clearly not one of the demonic or evil paths.”

His tone was calm and completely devoid of emotion.

Gu An fell silent for a while, then said, “I have no desire to be anyone’s enemy. I only wish to cultivate in peace. I acted only because I live on that continent. Since I enjoy its spiritual energy, I felt I owed it some protection.”

Upon hearing this, the Holy Prime Minister said at once, “So that’s how it is. I understand. Throughout history, there have been many ascetics like you, focused solely on the Dao. The fact that you’ve protected the people of that land—truly their fortune. From now on, the Holy Court will not disturb your cultivation.”

This time, there was a trace of warmth in his voice.

“May I make a request?” Gu An asked suddenly.

“Please do.”

“Bring me the Great Ming Saint King. I want to kill him myself.”