Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

In the loft, Gu An and Li Ya clinked cups and exchanged drinks, Li Ya drinking swiftly with a look of deep resentment towards Gu An.

Gu An held a stern face, "So disrespectful to the Primordial Ancestor?"

At this, Li Ya's eyes bulged, he slammed the table and jumped up, cursing, "Taking advantage of me again! Come on, let's have a fight!"

Gu An chuckled, "Are you sure?"

Li Ya choked, his anger dissipated in an instant, and he sat down with a sullen face, but somehow, after Gu An's intentional provocation, he felt no pressure at all.

If Gu An had been acting like the Supporting Dao Sword Venerable, given his care towards Li Ya, Li Ya really wouldn't know how to face him. Now that Gu An had pulled him into a brotherly relationship, he naturally felt much more at ease.

"Gu An, who exactly are you? Clearly, we entered the valley together back in the day..."

Li Ya took a deep breath and couldn't help asking, for this was his greatest confusion.

When they first met, they were both youths, and he could never have imagined that his disciple brother he spent his days with could be so formidable.

Looking back now, it seemed that the Supporting Dao Sword Venerable's reputation started with saving him...

Back then, he and his sister Li Xuanyu were attacked by a cultivator of the Demon Sect, and it was the then-not-yet-crowned Supporting Dao Sword Venerable, known as the Flying Leaf Sword Immortal, who saved them.

When everything was pieced together, Li Ya had even less reason to blame Gu An, and he only felt curiosity.

Gu An replied, "Past lives, this life, the cycle of reincarnation never ends. Who can truly understand their origins? Instead of dwelling on the past, why not accept the present, look forward to the future, right?"

"Who I am is not important. What matters is the friendship between you and me, the help I've offered you. You needn't feel burdened by it. I hope even more for you to think about what kind of person you'll become in the future."

He looked intently at Li Ya, his eyes as if piercing through Li Ya's innermost thoughts.

Li Ya was surprised, not expecting Gu An to understand what he was thinking right now, but upon reflecting on the power of the Supporting Dao Sword Venerable, he calmed down.

A being that surpassed the Nine Heavens of the Immortal Path, their divine skills and foresight were beyond his imagination.

Afterward, Li Ya began to dream about the future, and Gu An listened earnestly.

Li Ya was his first true friend in this life, and even though there was now a vast disparity in their cultivation levels, that did not change the place he held in Gu An's heart.

Perhaps Gu An had indeed helped Li Ya a great deal, but all that was simply what came naturally to him, and he had not fallen into tough straits by aiding Li Ya.

To others, Divine Exotic City might seem immensely powerful, but in the hands of Gu An, it hardly even had the chance to be utilized.

Gu An didn't just listen; he described each level of the Nine Heavens of the Immortal Path realm by realm, also elaborating on the opportunities each stage held, causing Li Ya to yearn for it more deeply.

Until nightfall, the two were still chatting, and bursts of laughter were heard from time to time.

The moon shone brightly, the stars sparse.

An Xin came to the base of the loft, looking up towards the window above, and reflected, "Master hasn't been this happy for a long time."

The Blood Prison Great Saint sitting in meditation nearby curled his lips; frankly, he just didn't like Li Ya, but beneath his master's loft, he dared not speak ill of him.

An Xin watched for a while from below before finally turning to leave.

Since Ye Lan's death, she had been very worried about Gu An.

In her eyes, the mood of her master was even more important than the whole world, as should the master turn to extremes, all living beings would suffer.

Fortunately, the master was always cheerful and open-minded, as if nothing could lead him astray.

Experiencing this, An Xin admired Gu An even more.

The moon set and the sun rose. Early the next day, Li Ya left.
Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Before the Mountain of Ten Thousand Swords, Jue Luo Sword Monarch watched Li Ya's retreating figure thoughtfully.

"His destiny pattern has actually changed..."

He turned to look towards Gu An's loft, his heart swelling with curiosity.

Just what realm is the Saint Ancestor at?

He couldn't understand it, but the thought of stepping into a higher realm made his mood flare with excitement.

...

Beneath the dazzling starry sky, a huge stone bridge spanned the heavens, its edges shimmering with multicolored radiance.

Two silhouettes walked on the bridge, the Yang Immortal Emperor and An Hao.

The Yang Immortal Emperor led the way, draped in a long golden robe, his stride exuding dragon qi.

An Hao followed behind, looking around with an astonished expression on his face.

Finally, his gaze settled on something ahead, at the end of the stone bridge was a golden red light sphere, like the bright sun, symbolizing hope, and full of allure.

An Hao's pupils flickered with an unusual light; he felt a force.

"An Hao, feel it carefully. This is the most powerful force in the world, a blessing from the Heavenly Dao, a sliver of the Celestial Sect's legacy passed down in the world."

The Yang Immortal Emperor continued to walk as he spoke, his tone quite mysterious, as though even he himself looked forward with anticipation.

An Hao couldn't help but ask, "What is the Heavenly Dao? How does it differ from the Great Dao?"

After stepping into the Immortal Realm, he began to comprehend the Great Dao. The higher his cultivation level, the deeper his reverence for the Great Dao grew, meanwhile, he was unable to grasp the existence of the Heavenly Dao.

The Heavenly Dao was everywhere, like the Great Dao, but it was not as clear-cut, as if it was the fusion of thousands of rules.

"Heaven and earth themselves are the Heavenly Dao, all living beings are the Heavenly Dao, whereas the universe is the Great Dao. The Great Dao gives birth to the Heavenly Dao, the Heavenly Dao gives birth to all things. In my view, the Heavenly Dao should be a force born from the Great Dao's response, it is more perfect, stronger."

The Yang Immortal Emperor spoke languidly, not slowing his steps.

An Hao listened and began to understand his words.

After a long time, they finally reached the end of the long bridge and stood in front of the golden red light sphere. They seemed so insignificant in its presence, like grit before a mountain.

The Yang Immortal Emperor looked up, gazing at the golden red light sphere, and said, "Every ruler of the Immortal Dynasty has contemplated the Heavenly Dao, believing that only by penetrating the Heavenly Dao can one be qualified to transcend, establish a dynasty. The Primordial Immortal King who founded the Immortal Dynasty claimed to be an Immortal King, desiring to rival Cangtian, and subsequently, disaster struck, leading to the dynasty's destruction. Many years later, someone re-established the Immortal Dynasty."

"That was the first time the Immortal Dynasty felt the force of the Heavenly Dao, understanding that there was an unseen, untouchable force controlling all living beings."

An Hao listened intently, his vision piercing into the golden red light sphere, through the golden red flames, he saw darkness, darkness that could oppress even a cultivator of the Nirvana Realm.

He couldn't help but ask, "If it truly can't be seen or touched, then what is this?"

The Yang Immortal Emperor answered, "This is a Golden Core left by a supremely powerful being who obtained the force of the Heavenly Dao."

"What? Golden Core? How could that be!"

An Hao widened his eyes, exclaiming in disbelief.

How could this resemble a Golden Core at all!

The Yang Immortal Emperor's gaze grew complex as he said, "This was discovered by the Immortal Dynasty in its pursuit of the force of the Heavenly Dao. Located at the deepest part of the Celestial Spirit Great World, it is known as the Celestial Dao Golden Core. Every Era, the Celestial Dao Golden Core reveals some information to us. This is also why the Immortal Dynasty stands unshakable, even in the face of the Holy Court, it cannot be destroyed."

"Through the Celestial Dao Golden Core, we came to know that the Celestial Spirit Great World had once been shattered. Today's Celestial Spirit Great World is but one piece of it, albeit the most important piece."

An Hao pursued the question, "Why did the supremely powerful one fall? Was it related to the battle that shattered the universe?"

"We are not clear on the details, but the force of the Celestial Dao Golden Core is continuous, and it's this force that causes the beings of the Immortal Dynasty to be born at the Immortal Dao Realm." The Yang Immortal Emperor responded, then turned to face An Hao.

An Hao looked back at him, feeling the pressure under his gaze, furrowing his brows.

The Yang Immortal Emperor said with intense eyes, "An Hao, you are the Child of Destiny, no one's destiny pattern is stronger than yours. With Supporting Dao Sword Venerable as your mentor and the strongest legacy of the Immortal Dynasty, you will become the supreme under the Heavenly Dao. If you were to usher in a new Era, in the next era, the Immortal Dynasty will surely be stronger. You can achieve what we could not."

An Hao was about to respond when he suddenly turned and looked at the Celestial Dao Golden Core.

"What sound?"

An Hao asked in a deep voice, his gaze quickly shifting across the Celestial Dao Golden Core, as if searching for something.

The Yang Immortal Emperor looked at him, surprise flashing across his eyes, his expression turning excited.

"Has the Celestial Dao Golden Core chosen him too? What sort of destiny is this, as if everything in the world was tailor-made for him…"

The Yang Immortal Emperor watched An Hao, touched in his heart, even he felt an involuntary pang of jealousy.

An Hao quickly noticed the subtlety; he turned towards the Yang Immortal Emperor and asked, "Your Majesty, you can't hear it?"

The Yang Immortal Emperor replied, "The rulers of the Immortal Dynasty can gain the legacy of the Celestial Dao Golden Core through destiny, but at the end of every Era, the Celestial Dao Golden Core autonomously selects an inheritor. Perhaps you have been chosen. What did you just hear?"

An Hao hesitated for a moment, then said, "I heard a voice, telling me to run fast…"