Chapter 353: Earth-shattering, Immortal Dynasty Banquet

“Of course you can. Who do you want to pick? Want to go check them out now?” Xiao Chuan agreed without hesitation, even standing up.

Gu An quickly said, “No rush, not now.”

Xiao Chuan replied, “Let’s at least take a look. What if someone catches your eye right away?”

“No rush. The disciple I want to take hasn’t been born yet.”

Gu An waved his hand. Every time he taught Xiao Chuan the Dao, Xiao Chuan’s destiny shifted—which also affected the fortune of the Chuan Residence.

“I see.”

Xiao Chuan sat back down, lost in thought.

Over the years, he had often entered a mystical state where cultivation problems that usually stumped him would suddenly become clear. It felt like something clicked in his mind.

Looking back now… could it be because of his Senior Brother?

He was so ordinary. The only stroke of fortune in his life was his Senior Brother. Without the Innate Reincarnation Technique, he might’ve been long buried in the earth.

Gu An began discussing major events in the cultivation world, which quickly piqued Xiao Chuan’s interest.

They talked until nightfall before Gu An finally left.

He went to the Eight Views Celestial Realm, planning to spend the night alone.

Lying beneath the Spirit Tree, his Divine Sense stretched through the mountains, peering beyond the heavens.

Ever since the sudden arrival of the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor, the Holy Court had dispatched powerful cultivators to patrol the skies. These cultivators were all at least at the Celestial Ascension Stage, and their presence made even other Celestial Ascension cultivators nervous.

Rumors of the Nether Emperor’s attack on the Holy Court had spread, though no one knew exactly what had happened. The fact that someone could barge into the Holy Court at all was enough to shake all the sects in the world.

Gu An could feel a tense atmosphere filling the land, though he couldn’t quite put a finger on the exact cause.

His Divine Sense swept the continent—everything still appeared peaceful.

One noteworthy point: after the Great Ming Saint King passed, Yang Jian returned to the Holy Court. Gu An wondered how he was doing now.

Without the Saint King’s shadow, Yang Jian should’ve been able to reclaim his Saint King status.

What Gu An really wondered was—how do these Reincarnated Bodies regain their past cultivation? Do they have to re-cultivate from scratch?

As for Ji Xuanyu, she didn’t seem to need to start over. Her Innate Dao Sigil held immense power, enough to return her to her peak at any time.

Thinking about this made Gu An itch to use Lifespan Reincarnation again.

But he held back.

He couldn’t waste any more lifespan. He had to save up to reach one billion years—that was the only way to break through.

Two Divine Soul Immortals had already appeared, and the thought of it unsettled him.

He needed to be the strongest in his environment. Otherwise, he felt no sense of safety.

One billion years… he had to hustle!

Determined to hit that one-billion-year mark, Gu An got busy.

He used Seeker’s Island to gather more high-grade herbs and expanded herb production on Ding Tian Peak.

His Holy Stipend from the Holy Court also arrived, delivered personally by a Celestial Ascension cultivator, handed off to Gu An’s Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path persona at the edge of the continent.

And truly, the benefits of a Third-Rank Celestial Position were staggering—one million Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones, a hundred bottles of high-tier elixirs, and a massive batch of herb seeds. It was a major boost to his lifespan accumulation plan.

Gu An’s days became packed: rushing around collecting herbs, teaching An Xin cultivation, and delivering Dao lectures to Ye Lan, Xiao Chuan, Zhen Qin, and others.

In the blink of an eye, thirty years flew by.

That year, at the start of autumn, a massive harvest arrived from the Hidden Realm, and Gu An gained fifty million years of lifespan.

At present, only Seventh-Grade herbs could be harvested. Eighth- and Ninth-Grade herbs still needed more time to mature.

In a great mood, Gu An strolled into Medicine Valley, humming a tune. With his lifespan approaching 750 million years, he couldn’t stop smiling.

From a distance, he spotted Shen Xinzi and Long Qing.

Their master-disciple relationship was already public. No matter how hard Shen Xinzi tried, Long Qing just couldn’t cultivate a trace of spiritual energy. Now, he’d gone down the path of Body Cultivation. And truth be told, his Innate Immortal Physique was incredible—at sixty, Long Qing’s raw strength could rival the Core Formation Stage Blood Prison Grand Sage.

Gu An had elevated the Grand Sage to the Core Formation Stage and An Xin’s cultivation as well. He himself was now at the Nascent Soul Stage.

In fact, An Xin’s true level had reached the seventh layer of the Nascent Soul Stage. The effects of the Innate Reincarnation Technique had already worn off, and with Gu An’s frequent Dao teachings, her Lifespan Limit had extended to 570 years.

Gu An saw Long Qing beaming—clearly, he’d made progress in body cultivation today.

“Master!”

Long Qing spotted Gu An and immediately waved, calling out.

Shen Xinzi nodded in greeting as well.

Gu An walked over, ready to chat and check in on Long Qing’s training.

Suddenly, the ground shook violently, throwing the entire valley into panic.

Shen Xinzi frowned and stomped the ground. A burst of golden light erupted from his body, rapidly spreading to cover the entire Third Medicine Valley. Peace returned, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

It was Long Qing’s first time witnessing Shen Xinzi’s true power. He turned to look at his master, eyes full of admiration.

Bathed in golden light, Shen Xinzi looked like a Holy Buddha, radiating immense divine might.

While playing his role, Gu An swept his Divine Sense into the distance. The entire Taicang Continent was quaking, even the surrounding seas roared with tsunamis.

The epicenter was a far-off continent—lightning flashed, and violent winds howled.

Gu An’s Divine Sense locked onto a figure.

The man floated in mid-air, while ten thousand miles of land beneath him had turned to rubble. Dust filled the air like rolling mist.

A Celestial Ascension cultivator!

His blood and qi surged wildly!

He seemed to have cultivated a terrifying physique—one that, in Gu An’s opinion, wasn’t inferior to Yang Jian’s Xuan Gang Tyrant Body.

Many powerful cultivators were rushing toward him.

Gu An didn’t look for long. He quickly retracted his sense and hurried over to Shen Xinzi.

“What happened?” he asked urgently.

Shen Xinzi looked into the distance, face grave.

Long Qing piped up, “Master, don’t worry! With my Second Master here, even if the sky falls, we’re good!”

He was bursting with blind hero-worship and excitement. His words even had a hint of boastfulness, making Gu An want to laugh.

Gu An smiled, pretending to be relieved, then asked Long Qing how his training was going.

Long Qing instantly lit up, claiming he’d just mastered a powerful fist technique that could smash a thirty-zhang-tall hill with one punch.

Shen Xinzi ignored their chatter and vanished from sight.

Elsewhere—

Ji Xuanyu stepped out of her room, gazing at the sky.

“A Reverse Blood Treasure Body… rare indeed. The Heavenly Spirit Great Realm still has hidden depths. If the Holy Court falls someday, this realm might rise instead.”

The Sun and Moon Nether Emperor appeared beside her, smiling playfully.

Ji Xuanyu turned to him. “The Holy Court is that strong—how could it fall?”

The Nether Emperor crossed his arms, eyes closed, still smiling. “You never know. Even the mightiest forces have an end. The Holy Court has lasted too long—it’s close to its calamity. That’s what the Saint Heaven Reincarnation is about.”

Ji Xuanyu glanced at Gu An in the distance, then asked, “Can you predict when that calamity will arrive?”

“Nope. Heaven’s secrets can’t be revealed. My cultivation may be high, but in front of the Heavenly Dao, I’m no different from a mortal,” the Nether Emperor shook his head.

“Just watch. The show’s about to start.”

With that, he vanished.

Ji Xuanyu frowned deeply. She didn’t believe in “good shows.” If the Nether Emperor was excited, it could only mean a disaster—and if it involved the Holy Court, the Tribulation would be massive.

Half an hour later, the tremors across Taicang Continent finally ceased. But countless mortals had already lost their homes. Even wild beasts and spiritual creatures had been affected.

Major sects all sent disciples down the mountains to offer aid.

But this had nothing to do with Gu An. If a true threat to the continent emerged, he might act. But for natural disasters, he would not intervene.

Too much intervention would build expectations. And if he ever refused in the future, it would be seen as a sin.

In mortal life, disasters were inevitable—large or small.

That evening, Gu An watched as the Celestial Ascension cultivator fought against powerful sect cultivators. The battle even alarmed the Severed Sea Region’s main city, forcing a Free Soaring Immortal to step in.

The man’s body was indeed monstrous. Even surrounded by multiple Celestial Ascension experts, he held his ground—until the Mystic Celestial Immortal joined the fight and subdued him.

Now in the Holy Court’s hands, his fate was uncertain.

Gu An wasn’t too concerned. Shocking talents popped up from time to time—it was just that none had previously reached the Severed Sea Region.

Years passed.

Another five years went by.

Mortal Peak, Ding Tian Peak.

In a courtyard, Gu An listened as Zhu Xinglan reported. An Xin cultivated silently at the side.

“It’s rare for the Immortal Dynasty to invite all sects. The Main Peak hopes you’ll attend as a precaution,” Zhu Xinglan said, frowning.

Gu An held a book lazily and asked, “What kind of meeting?”

“A banquet. The Emperor Yangxian wants to discuss the Dao with the world’s sects. He’s even offering Immortal Fruit—said to ripen once every million years. Eating one supposedly enhances comprehension and refines physique. Whether it’s true, I don’t know.”

“Oh? Then I’m not going.”

“Alright, I’ll inform the Main Peak.”

Zhu Xinglan didn’t push. He feared Gu An getting involved in trouble. Ding Tian Peak’s rise was all thanks to Gu An, and they couldn’t afford any mishaps.

Gu An was tempted by the Immortal Fruit—but figured that with so many sects gathered, trouble was likely.

Maybe even the Holy Court would act.

Better to skip it. Worst case, he missed out. But going might spell disaster.

Gu An instructed Zhu Xinglan to expand herb cultivation on Ding Tian Peak, saying it was to support disciples’ cultivation. Zhu Xinglan was deeply moved.

With a master like this, they were truly blessed.

After Zhu Xinglan left, Gu An put down his book.

Suddenly, he sensed a familiar aura.

Lu Lingjun!

She had returned to Mortal Peak with the Western Spirit Mother, escorted by a Free Soaring Immortal. Even the Bitter Sea Buddhist Sect had sent people—clearly, something major was being discussed.

Gu An paid it no mind. He stood and said, “Xin’er, time to go.”

Hearing this, An Xin immediately stood and walked toward him.