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

The Celestial Spirit God contemplated for a long time before saying, "There are only two paths. One, you accumulate merit, benefit all living beings, touch the heavens, thus attracting the attention of the Celestial Court, and be rewarded with a place in the Immortal Class. Two, you abandon this Great Thousand World. Though the Celestial Court is strong, the Great Dao is vast. Ultimately, there are places beyond the Celestial Court's reach. On the Celestial Court's bounty list, there are many powerful beings who have yet to be brought to justice."

His answer left Gu An somewhat dissatisfied.

In short, isn't this just a choice between submission and escape?

The Celestial Spirit God seemed to sense Gu An's displeasure and continued, "Some of the Celestial Court's actions do indeed overlook all living beings, but the Celestial Court is not evil. In fact, the Three Thousand Great Worlds still exist, and Immortal Gods rarely present themselves. This alone suffices to prove the severity of the Celestial Rules. Within any force in the world, there is good and bad, and there is no absolutely fair rule or order."

"The internal struggles within the Celestial Court are also significant, and the Celestial Emperor, who stands lofty, has been in seclusion for years, rarely emerging into the world. Over the endless years, countless purges have occurred in the Celestial Court. But no matter how the changes unfold, Immortal Gods will ultimately be ensnared by their interests. When longevity is no longer a luxury, besides power, all that remains for them is status."

"Actually joining the Celestial Court is not as unbearable as you imagine, nor will you lose so-called freedom. As long as you fulfill your duties, Immortal Gods can have plenty of personal time."

Though he pledged allegiance to Gu An, it was an act of desperation, in his heart he wished for Gu An to join the Celestial Court.

With Gu An's abilities, rising to a Celestial Dao Immortal Position higher than that of an Immortal Monarch in the future would be no difficult task.

Gu An smiled and said, "I do not reject the Celestial Court. I am just cautious about the unknown. After all, even you are unsure where exactly the Celestial Court is, or how deep its waters run."

The Celestial Spirit God couldn't help but sigh upon hearing this.

In the Celestial Spirit Great World, he was a high and mighty Celestial God, yet he had never even been to the Celestial Court and was part of its lower echelons, an unnoticed existence.

Even if he violated the Celestial Rules or neglected his duties, the Celestial Court wouldn't deal with him in a short time, because the Celestial Court simply didn't care about him.

With this in mind, the Celestial Spirit God also felt frustrated.

He thought he took the wrong path back then. If he hadn't been obsessed with that Immortal Palace treasure, how would he have ended up in such a situation?

Gu An asked with a smile, "It's said your talent is outstanding even among Celestial Gods. Don't you have any plans? Do you want to remain a Celestial God forever?"

The Celestial Spirit God shook his head and said, "Those who become Celestial Gods are all of extraordinary talent. Even if I give my best in cultivation, ascending would still require an exceedingly long time."

"I have a junior who is currently participating in the selection for Celestial Gods, cultivating in a Celestial Army. The Celestial God is called Celestial Calming God. Do you know him?" Gu An thought of Zhang Buku and thus asked.

The Celestial Spirit God nodded and said, "I know him. He counts as my senior. He serves the Huang Feng Immortal Monarch, and among Celestial Gods, he holds a relatively high position. The lowest in rank are Celestial Gods like us guarding a Great Thousand World, whereas Celestial Calming God isn't confined to one place. He is akin to a God of Destruction, and his range of activity covers the Three Thousand Great Worlds."

Mentioning Celestial Calming God, the Celestial Spirit God's tone carried envy.

Gu An gained a clearer understanding of Celestial Gods.

Even among Immortal Gods of the same rank, the extent of power varies.

The Celestial Spirit God opened up, starting to recount his experiences serving the Celestial Court. Memories related to the Celestial Court couldn't be confiscated, so Gu An was also curious about his past.

The universe was silent, distant stars dotting the sky. Gu An and the Celestial Spirit God, drinking before the World Gate, seemed unaffected by time as bowl followed bowl, perhaps a metaphor for the passage of time and the changes in the world.

...

In times of peace, time passes more swiftly.

In the blink of an eye, another ten thousand years have passed.

The members of Dao Court who had ventured onto the Path of the Great Dao finally returned, causing a commotion in the entire sect.

Xiao Lan and Yuan Songzi stood on high clouds, looking at the vast sea of people below, smiles on their faces.

They finally returned!

Returning from the Path of the Great Dao was an equally long journey, with endless hardships, and only at this moment could their tense minds relax.

Seeing that Dao Court remained prosperous, the Great Cultivators of the Dao Court were full of relief in their eyes.

"Ting Master, Elders, I'm leaving first. My Brother Gu is still waiting for me!"

Xiao Lan said this and then turned to leave, disappearing into the ends of the heavens and earth in the blink of an eye.

Ji Xiaoyu's expression became unnatural upon hearing her words, but she said nothing.

A Female Elder shook her head and laughed, "This girl is still as infatuated with her lover as ever. Even after traveling the Path of the Great Dao and broadening her horizons, she remains true to her original heart."

The other elders also revealed kind smiles. They all doted on Xiao Lan, feeling she was like a child who never outgrew.

Yuan Songzi's gaze landed on a figure below, who stood out with overwhelming aura, attracting attention even while amidst the crowd.

Zhao Rushen!

"To have grown to such an extent, it seems a lot has happened over these years." Yuan Songzi mused.

Ji Xiaoyu's failure on the Emperor Road, and Xiao Lan's pause, made him realize that the Daoist Emperor was still far from Dao Court.

Looking again at Zhao Rushen, he felt this person wasn't so remarkable, at least far inferior to the Unbeatable Emperor.

Where exactly could the seed of a Daoist Emperor be found?

Yuan Songzi's thoughts drifted, his heart feeling a bit melancholy.

Meanwhile.

Gu An had already returned to Xiao Lan's Grotto Heaven to wait, noticing Ji Xiaoyu's expression. He pondered how to help her.

Failing on the Emperor Road, her cultivation level regressed, and her Dao Heart was damaged. It was his first time hearing Ji Xiaoyu's heart sound so lonely.

He could feel Ji Xiaoyu's pride, and precisely because of it, he felt this matter was difficult to handle.

If only he could like creating a Dao Treasure, carve a path of destiny no less than that of a Daoist Emperor.

With this thought, Gu An's eyes lit up.

This direction seems promising!

Since he has ample time and doesn't need to engage in daily arduous cultivation, he might as well study different paths of destiny.

Gu An began to contemplate in this direction.

He first needed to understand the essence of a Daoist Emperor.

Not long after, Xiao Lan's presence burst into the Grotto Heaven, she appeared out of nowhere before Gu An and hugged him tightly.

"Wonderful, Brother Gu, you're still here!"

Xiao Lan held onto Gu An tightly, speaking with delight. She was so overjoyed she even shed tears.

Don't be fooled by her carefree demeanor usually; in reality, she always worried in her heart. She was away for too long and was truly afraid of changes occurring in Dao Court or Gu An reaching his twilight years.

"What are you saying? My talent may not be as great as yours, but I'm also diligently cultivating. I'm not that easy to die."

Gu An humphed, gently patting her back, feeling a little touched himself.

In retrospect, he had countless separations with his junior sister throughout this life. He could foresee the future, but his junior sister could not. Worrying for the future was normal.

It seems showing off some of his own strength appropriately, revealing a bit of the iceberg to leave her in awe, is necessary!