Chapter 286: Chapter 286: The Background of Connecting to Heaven

“Great Cold Demon Sect? Life-Seizing Immortal? Where did they come from?”

Shen Zhen frowned, muttering under his breath, his eyes revealing a hint of unease.

Gu An continued, “Not sure, but judging from the voice, it’s likely a massive creature from the sea. Ah, we had peace for just a few decades, and now another significant event is happening.”

Shen Zhen consoled, “Don’t worry too much. The Broken Sea Rift is so far from us. People of talent arise continuously in this world, and good will always overcome evil. We will get through this.”

Gu An nodded, but his thoughts were quite the opposite.

The power behind the Great Cold Demon Sect had already reached the heavens.

As Bai Ziya would say, since ancient times, the Great Cold Demon Sect and other Demon Sects with significant Qi Fortune have been acting as the blade of the Holy Court. There are always some matters that the Holy Court can’t handle directly.

Of course, the Holy Court isn’t dark. They simply view things from the perspective of the entire universe and often encounter situations where they must sacrifice some beings or have no choice but to annihilate an area filled with living beings.

If the Holy Court has truly abandoned this place, what could be the reason?

It surely couldn’t be because of the Divine Exotic Realm, right?

The Divine Exotic Realm has nothing to do with them, they could separate it out entirely.

Gu An suspected there was a deeper reason he was unaware of.

His Divine Sense probed, and the Life-Seizing Immortal was not the Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal who fought alone against the three Divine Exotic Ghost Kings; instead, it was a Carefree Primordial Immortal. His arrival had interrupted that great battle.

Gu An watched as the Life-Seizing Immortal placed a treasure pagoda at the edge of the Broken Sea Rift. It grew taller and taller, reaching through the clouds, no less than a hundred thousand feet tall, quite majestic.

The Life-Seizing Immortal then flew into the pagoda. The three Divine Exotic Ghost Kings fled into the Broken Sea Rift, followed by the Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal, clearly aligned with the Life-Seizing Immortal.

Gu An was curious to see if any other Carefree Primordial Immortals would take action within the next hundred years.

He continued discussing the affairs of the world with Shen Zhen. They were both Minor Cultivators in the world of Immortal Cultivation. When talking about the happenings in the world, they mostly expressed envy.

Not long into their conversation, Shen Zhen excused himself. Gu An also got up and went downstairs, ready to discuss the Great Cold Demon Sect with the disciples and Cultivators in the valley.

The shout of the Life-Seizing Immortal had caused an uproar across the world. Wherever there were gathered beings, this matter was being discussed.

When Gu An arrived at the chess area, Nine-Finger Divine Lord and Stealing the Five Elements were discussing the Great Cold Demon Sect with Great Cultivators from the Supreme Sect. Other disciples surrounded them, listening intently with tension.

Shen Xinzi sat among the crowd as well. Although he rarely spoke, he listened attentively.

After Shen Xinzi had spoken with Stealing the Five Elements, the two did not come into conflict. It seemed they had reached some agreement. At the time, Gu An hadn’t listened because, in his eyes, these two couldn’t stir up any trouble.

“The Great Cold Demon Sect has existed for a million years. That Life-Seizing Immortal is also a person from the legends. I didn’t expect him to still be alive; now we’re really in trouble,” lamented Nine-Finger Divine Lord. He didn’t mention the Holy Court, clearly very wary of it.

A million years!

The disciples listened with twitching eyelids, unable to fathom how long a million years was.

The younger ones felt a longing; they hadn’t completely resigned themselves to fate yet. They always felt that there was hope. The Third Medicine Valley was only the first stage of their entry into the world of Immortal Cultivation.

The world of Immortal Cultivation is full of stories where those with ordinary talent obtain great opportunities to change their destinies against all odds.

Gu An also listened intently, as if he were listening to a story, occasionally exclaiming with the surrounding disciples or revealing an incredulous expression.

Meanwhile, inside the Main City of Sect.

In a mansion, Lu Lingjun visited the courtyard of the Holy Mother of Western Spirit, where teacher and student sat opposite each other.

“The Great Cold Demon Sect is comparable to the Bitter Sea Buddha Sect. In terms of heritage, they are even stronger. If the Great Cold Demon Sect stands behind the Broken Sea Rift, we are in trouble…” The Holy Mother of Western Spirit sighed, bringing up the existence of the Holy Court.

This was the first time Lu Lingjun had heard the name of the Holy Court, and she was shocked.

How vast is this universe?

The Holy Mother of Western Spirit also suspected that this sea area had been abandoned by the Holy Court; otherwise, the people from the Great Cold Demon Sect wouldn’t be so unrestrained, even giving out a hundred years, clearly wanting large Sects to evacuate promptly.

Upon hearing this, Lu Lingjun couldn’t help asking, “A hundred years, only the Immortal Cultivation Sects can evacuate, right? Will all the myriad living beings who stay behind really die?”

“The Great Cold Demon Sect has slaughtered so many living beings. The continents and sea areas affected by the Broken Sea Rift added together only make up a small area of the Great Heaven and Earth. To the Great Cold Demon Sect, it’s nothing; the Holy Court won’t care either. The fall of the beings in this area won’t make waves in the entire world,” the Holy Mother of Western Spirit said somberly.

Lu Lingjun furrowed her brows.

The Holy Mother of Western Spirit then said, “I need to make a trip back to find out the real reason behind the actions of the Great Cold Demon Sect.”

Lu Lingjun nodded, beginning to consider the worst-case scenario.

She was an Ascender, so escaping wasn’t a problem for her. But, having been in the Supreme Sect for so long, she cared about too many people. Her concern was how to help those she had relationships with.

The Holy Mother of Western Spirit began to muse about the complexity of the affairs of the world.

Initially, she truly thought the Divine Exotic Realm was harming one side. But now it seemed the emergence of the Divine Exotic Realm wasn’t simple; undoubtedly, there was an unimaginably powerful existence struggling behind it.

…

Dark clouds covered the sky, and a continuous drizzle fell onto Immortal Seeking Island.

In a courtyard, Gu An, Yang Jian, and Hu Xiaojian sat together, with Gu An listening to Hu Xiaojian detail the Great Cold Demon Sect.

Three days had passed since the Life-Seizing Immortal’s shout. In those three days, various Sects on the sea had publicly disclosed information about the Great Cold Demon Sect, with various pieces of news reaching the listeners on Immortal Seeking Island.

Yang Jian listened intently, his expression constantly changing as Hu Xiaojian spoke of the Great Cold Demon Sect, which appeared to be the most formidable on the Demon Path, with countless Demon Immortals within, making it seem invincible.

The true calamity had descended.

After a long time.

When Hu Xiaojian paused to sip his tea and moisten his throat, Gu An asked, “Have you managed to find out anything about the Reincarnation Path Emperor?”

The Reincarnation Path Emperor, one of Ji Xiaoyu’s past lives, was always remembered by Gu An.

Hu Xiaojian shook his head, saying, “I couldn’t find anything; I even feel like this exalted figure doesn’t exist. But since you mentioned him, he must indeed exist; it’s just that my level is too low, at least within the Immortal Seeking Island, there’s not a single clue.”

Gu An didn’t get angry. He gently moved on from the topic.

Hu Xiaojian put down his tea cup, his gaze shifted towards Gu An, hesitating to speak.

After hesitating for a moment, he stood up, walked to the side, then knelt down and began to kowtow to Gu An.

“What are you doing?” Gu An asked with a frown.

Hu Xiaojian looked up, pleading, “I beg you, senior, to take me away. The Great Cold Demon Sect’s power is vast, the upper echelons of Immortal Seeking Island are preparing to evacuate. I am only a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator; within a hundred years, I absolutely cannot escape the range that the Great Cold Demon Sect wants to obliterate. Even if by chance I escape, who knows if I can survive elsewhere. Senior, you are a Loose Immortal; you come and go as you please, can you take me with you? I will serve you like an ox or a horse!”

Yang Jian sat on the side, his feelings complex.

This was a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.

In the Supreme Sect, this was an existence looked up to by Servant Disciples, yet he didn’t even have the confidence to survive at sea.

Gu An pondered and then said, “Don’t be anxious. For now, stay peacefully at Immortal Seeking Island. If the sea powers truly cannot withstand the Great Cold Demon Sect, I will take you with me. Before that happens, help me keep an eye on the Sea Protection Mansion. If they truly intend to abandon Immortal Seeking Island, then I will come and take over.”

Hu Xiaojian was stunned, not expecting Gu An to still be concerned about Immortal Seeking Island at this critical moment.

Yang Jian glanced at his master.

It seemed like his master had no fear of the Great Cold Demon Sect.

His master referred to himself as a Loose Immortal; could it be that Loose Immortal was not his realm, but just his identity?

Hu Xiaojian wanted to persuade Gu An, but feared offending him, so he could only agree.

Gu An noticed his concerns and reassured him, “Don’t underestimate this world. Otherwise, the Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts in the Sea Breaking Rift would have already swept across the oceans, right?”

Hu Xiaojian felt persuaded by these words and promptly thanked Gu An.

Gu An waved his hand, helping him up, and invited him to sit and speak.

Hu Xiaojian continued to talk about the Great Cold Demon Sect; he knew a lot about it, but nothing about the Life-Seizing Immortal.

Gu An then began to think about how to control Immortal Seeking Island.

Firstly, he must arrange someone to act as a puppet while he stayed hidden.

Using the various channels of Immortal Seeking Island, he could collect more medicinal herbs, and besides, it sounded like a fun endeavor.

It felt like preparing to play a management game, which he was quite looking forward to.

To suppress Immortal Seeking Island, he would need at least a Wandering Immortal.

He had to think carefully about this candidate.

Just like that, time swiftly passed, and the rain intensified.

Two ancient hours later, Gu An left with Yang Jian, returning to the forested mountains of the Supreme Sect.

Yang Jian was no longer experiencing the Limitless Freedom Step for the first time, but as his cultivation level increased, he grew more awestruck of his master’s divine skills.

“Master, is there really someone who can confront the Great Cold Demon Sect?” Yang Jian asked, his words still carrying a hint of cautiousness.

He did not dare ask directly about his master’s prowess, so he had to beat around the bush.

While moving forward, Gu An responded, “Who knows? At any rate, your master am not sure.”

Just not sure?

Yang Jian was secretly alarmed: just what was his master’s background?

Gu An was unaware of Yang Jian’s thoughts; he had modestly underestimated himself, not expecting it would make Yang Jian even more amazed.

Listening to Hu Xiaojian, the Great Cold Demon Sect had taken on an unimaginably fearsome and evil persona in Yang Jian’s mind, such an existence often being the ultimate antagonist in stories. Knowing that Gu An was confident in confronting the Great Cold Demon Sect, how could he not be surprised?

“Jian’er, cultivate diligently. Even if we survive this calamity, there will be no shortage of trials ahead. From ancient times until now, every Great Cultivator has persevered through countless hardships. The greater the crises, the more diligently one must cultivate,” Gu An said earnestly.

Yang Jian nodded, saying, “Disciple always keeps this in mind. I will strive to cultivate as diligently as you.”

How many years had it taken for his master to reach his current height?

Yang Jian thought to himself, guessing surely it took tens of thousands of years, no, perhaps his master had even existed longer than the Great Cold Demon Sect, merely frolicking in the Mortal World.

He believed his master wouldn’t deceive him; his master surely had also endured countless hardships and diligently cultivated to achieve his current level of cultivation.

Gu An continued to instruct Yang Jian, educating a disciple, after all, required occasionally teaching them, making it an enjoyable experience.

Yang Jian, unaware of his master’s inner thoughts, could feel his master’s earnest intentions.