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

"No need, I didn't say I'd definitely not take him as a disciple."

Gu An looked down at Emperor Tianhong and replied softly.

The reasons he did not take Emperor Tianhong as a disciple were, firstly, he did not favor him, and secondly, Emperor Tianhong was a reincarnation of an Immortal God, with the consequences of Taiyi Immortal Monarch's karma trailing behind.

However, reincarnation creates a new personality. Judging from Emperor Tianhong's inner voice, he genuinely wished to take Gu An as his master.

The reason why Gu An was hesitating was because he wanted to wait until he achieved his own breakthrough before accepting him, using the opportunity to further temper Emperor Tianhong.

An Xin remarked with emotion, "If it were Tian Hao kneeling, managing to kneel for a hundred years would be already quite good."

Setting aside talent, she felt that even she herself wouldn't be able to kneel for ten thousand years.

Gu An's eyes did not show any change as he gazed at Emperor Tianhong, probing into his future.

Standing near Emperor Tianhong, he still did not notice the two of them.

After kneeling for ten thousand years, Emperor Tianhong had entered a state of self-forgetfulness. He was contemplating the natural laws of heaven and earth, thus forgetting the torment of time.

"By the way, Master, how is Tian Hao faring these days?" An Xin turned to Gu An and asked curiously.

She believed her master could see the situation of the Misty Immortal Court.

Gu An smiled and said, "Mixed blessings, but in any case, he won't die."

Hearing this, An Xin was completely relieved, and then she began to talk about the affairs of the world.

Over the years, she occasionally replaced Celestial Cyan and Tian Bai in dealings with the Qiankun Sect, after all, she couldn't let the two always be busy; she also needed time to relax.

The current world could be said to be in the same state every millennium, with heroes coming forth in great numbers.

The ruling power of the Dao Court was weakening, mainly due to the rising number of forces. The Dao Court, upholding the Dao, could only watch as other powers grew stronger.

With more and more powerful forces emerging, the strife in the world would naturally increase.

However, compared to the calamity brought by Outer Heaven, the conflicts within the world seem trivial.

An Xin talked about a prodigy that had risen in the Dao Court in the recent ten thousand years. It was undeniable that the Dao Court had a profound foundation. Just as Emperor Tianhong had left for ten thousand years, another number one prodigy emerged, and now people were using Emperor Tianhong to suppress this prodigy.

"Without initiating a war, it seems that only creating momentum can maintain the Dao Court's absolute ruling position," said An Xin in a teasing tone.

Gu An did not comment on the Dao Court. He had a deeper understanding of it than An Xin did, as he often stayed at the Dao Court to accompany Xiao Lan.

Xiao Lan had good talent, and with the support from Gu An's Dao Intent, she had always been one of the top prodigies of the Dao Court. However, because she disliked public attention, the title of the number one prodigy never fell upon her.

Recently, the Dao Court was preparing to initiate the Celestial Plan, aiming to search for other Great Thousand Worlds.

Having no intention to suppress the sects within the world, they sought to pursue stronger powers and greater resources. Such ambitions filled most of the upper echelons with pride, feeling that they possessed a higher vision than the world's sects, embodying the magnanimity of the world's common lord.

Gu An thought the Dao Court's idea was quite good, and he was ready to ask the Celestial Spirit God to help facilitate it.

Born in the Celestial Spirit Great World, he also wanted to see different developments from the past emerge there.

If every era was headed towards destruction, then Gu An's effort in saving all living beings would lose its purpose.

His decision was not to let the Dao Court grow unbridled, but he felt that cultivators should always climb higher and chase after the Great Dao.

The existence of the World Gate seemed more like a restraint on the development of cultivators.

No matter how one looked at it, the World Gate did not seem like a natural phenomenon.

At this moment, Gu An was considering whether or not to allow the disciples of his dojo to venture out. He had his disciples in seclusion all year round in order to accumulate their strength, not to limit their freedom.

His greatest concern was Chen Chuan.

When Xiaochuan was first reincarnated as Chen Chuan, he encountered a mysterious karmic force that cursed him, nearly causing the death of his parents. When the Innate Human Race caused trouble, Chen Chuan went out for experiences and did not suffer from the curse again, which is why Gu An considered letting him go out as well.

After much deliberation, Gu An decided to leave the choice to Chen Chuan.

"Let's go for a walk outside."

Having said this, Gu An jumped down, followed closely by An Xin.

They passed by Emperor Tianhong, with Gu An even giving his shoulder a light pat.

Emperor Tianhong seemed to sense something, opened his eyes, but saw nothing. He thought it was just a breeze.

Perhaps it was because he had knelt for such a long time that he didn't rush to enter Wushi. He felt that his current state was conducive to enlightenment.

"The Path of Power, strange, how did I come to comprehend such a forceful Great Dao?"

Emperor Tianhong muttered to himself, not thinking it was because his talent was too strong. He had never felt like this in the Dao Court before.

He had a realization in his heart.

Even though the Supporting Dao Sword Venerable had not shown himself, with An Xin probing him, it was impossible for the Sword Venerable to not be aware of him.

Perhaps his current insights were a gift from the Supporting Dao Sword Venerable.

Emperor Tianhong was not surprised, for even without such a gift, he would persist.

The greatest benefit of kneeling for ten thousand years was that he had shed the pressure brought on by being called the foremost of the proud celestials.

Vain titles are but passing clouds. He is Emperor Tianhong; he wanted to find the true meaning of his existence.

...

Above the boundless sea of clouds, an enormous Golden Furnace floated. On its surface were engraved various Divine Beast patterns and majestic mountains and rivers, and crowning it were some towering peaks, exuding a grand presence.

The Yellow-robed Daoist, who had played Go with Taiyi Immortal Monarch earlier, stood at the edge of a cliff, looking down at the world inside the furnace.

The furnace interior was a world unto itself with mountains and rivers, and even Fierce Beasts fighting. The robust Dao Spiritual Qi would rush up like the wind from time to time.

The Yellow-robed Daoist furrowed his brows, deep in thought.

Right at that moment, a golden ring of light appeared beside him, quickly expanding, and a figure stepped out from within.

The newcomer was the Celestial Calming God.

The leader of the Celestial Army, whom Zhang Buku and Xu You had pledged allegiance to, was the Celestial Calming God.

The Celestial Calming God raised his hand in salute and said, "Immortal Monarch, anomalies from Chaos are emerging in the Three Thousand Great Worlds, rapidly dispersing to each of the Great Thousand Worlds. One of these anomalies has even come to trial under my command—this is not good."

The one known as Huang Feng Immortal Monarch, the Yellow-robed Daoist, tilted his head to look at him and asked, "Anomalies from Chaos? Which anomaly?"

The Celestial Calming God responded, "It should be Chaos Grudge Luo. I have captured immense resentment from the soul's depths of that infiltrator. If left unchecked and allowed to spread rapidly, it will become a great calamity."

"Grudge Luo?"

The eyes of Huang Feng Immortal Monarch flickered, sinking into contemplation.

The Celestial Calming God stopped speaking, waiting for Huang Feng Immortal Monarch's command.

After a long while.

Huang Feng Immortal Monarch spoke, "Do not act rashly for now. Perhaps Grudge Luo's existence is linked to bigger karma and causality."

The Celestial Calming God frowned, hesitated for a moment, and said, "If left unchecked, many living beings will die."

"If we don't eradicate the roots of this disaster along with it, even more living beings will die."

The words of Huang Feng Immortal Monarch caused the Celestial Calming God's frown to deepen. He gave Huang Feng Immortal Monarch a long look, no longer objecting.

Huang Feng Immortal Monarch still stared into the world within the Golden Furnace and said, "Since you're here, take this trip for me. Go to Profound Star Immortal Monarch and deliver this item to him."

With that, he lifted his right hand, and a piece of Jin Yu enveloped by billowing purple Qi appeared in his palm, swiftly flying towards the Celestial Calming God.