https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-211-The-Journey-to-the-West-Shocks-the-World/12576008/
Chapter 212: The Profound and Inscrutable Gu An
Chapter 212: The Profound and Inscrutable Gu An
Qiao Dai ignored Ji Hantian's provocation, his gaze fixed on the Axe of Severing Heaven.
Everyone turned to look at him, as over the years, countless cultivators had come to challenge the axe, but few possessed an aura as formidable as his.
The top cultivator of Lingxia—just the title alone was intimidating!
Qiao Dai appeared calm, but his heart was pounding.
The fame of the Supporting Sword Immortal had spread far and wide, even within the Spirit Realm, and Qiao Dai knew he stood no chance against such a legendary figure. However, the Axe of Severing Heaven was merely a treasure left behind by the Supporting Sword Immortal, and he believed he had a chance to lift it.
He raised his right hand and gripped the axe handle.
The moment he touched it, he felt a weight like nothing he had ever experienced before.
His brow furrowed, and he began to exert force.
Rumble!
The Butian Platform trembled, and everyone watched with bated breath.
Regardless of their sect, no one on the platform wanted to see him succeed.
The disciples of Tai Xuan Gate valued their reputation, while those from other sects coveted the opportunity. Who wouldn't want to become the successor of the Supporting Sword Immortal?
By now, the Supporting Sword Immortal had become an object of worship for all sects in the Three Empires.
Gu An, sitting atop the Blood Hell Great Sage, was secretly startled. He, too, had wanted to test his might against the axe, and apart from the person on his back, he had never encountered a being more powerful than himself.
This Qiao Dai, however, was different. The Blood Hell Great Sage could sense that Qiao Dai's cultivation level was slightly higher than his own.
If Qiao Dai couldn't even budge the axe, then he basically had no hope either.
This only added to his wariness of the Supporting Sword Immortal.
Just leaving a treasure behind on the platform had been enough to deter all challengers for so many years, let alone lifting it. One could only imagine how formidable the Supporting Sword Immortal's cultivation must have been.
Qiao Dai began to employ secret techniques, and his aura surged, causing the outer city to tremble.
More and more figures appeared on the Butian Platform, all of them high-ranking members of Tai Xuan Gate. They watched Qiao Dai with fearful eyes.
But as they continued to watch, the expressions of the great cultivators of Tai Xuan Gate turned to smiles.
His aura was terrifying, but it was useless!
If he couldn't lift it, he couldn't lift it! Zuo Yi Jian looked at Qiao Dai's ferocious expression and felt a secret pleasure.
Serves you right for being so arrogant! And with your meager skills, you dare to challenge the Axe of Severing Heaven?
In the end, Qiao Dai didn't lose his cool like Xuantian Yi and Ji Xuanling. He only struggled for a few breaths before his aura suddenly retracted.
He straightened his body, lowered his right hand, and said, "As expected of the Supporting Sword Immortal. I, Qiao Dai, admit defeat!"
His voice rang out throughout the city, echoing endlessly.
Although these words were a bit showy, many people wanted to ask, "And who are you?" They had never heard of him before, but when they thought of Qiao Dai's aura from earlier, no one dared to offend him.
If they couldn't offend Qiao Dai, then they would praise the Supporting Sword Immortal!
The Butian Platform erupted into noise as everyone began discussing the Supporting Sword Immortal's might.
Qiao Dai turned to Ji Hantian and said, "Where's your sect leader? I want to meet him!"
Ji Hantian nodded and gestured for Qiao Dai to follow. The two quickly left the outer city.
Gu An patted the Blood Hell Great Sage on the back, indicating that it was time to leave.
After leaving the outer city, Gu An said, "In a few more years, I'll help you reach the second-stage realm, and you'll be able to speak."
At these words, the eyes of the Blood Hell Great Sage lit up.
Not being able to speak was truly frustrating!
He couldn't wait to curse at those ants who kept touching him all the time!
"However, you must remember that there are some things you can say and some things you can't," Gu An reminded him.
The Blood Hell Great Sage quickly nodded. To be honest, he didn't have much to say anyway, as he had no idea how strong Gu An truly was.
...
Days passed, and summer drew to a close.
On a mountain peak north of Xuangu Valley, Gu An was sparring with Chu Jingfeng, practicing their sword techniques.
As he swung his sword, Gu An's spiritual sense spread out, observing the world beyond the continent.
He saw a Heavenly Flying Immortal crossing the sky in the distance, descending upon the mortal realm.
Over the years, he had witnessed countless beings entering and exiting the heavens, and while Heavenly Flying Immortals were rare, at his level, he could encounter one almost every day. This was enough to show how vast this mortal realm was, and Heavenly Flying Immortals were certainly not the strongest beings in existence.
Speaking of which, even after reaching the Heavenly Flying Immortal realm, Gu An's spiritual sense couldn't cover the entire mortal realm.
No wonder it was called the Grand Heavenly World. This mortal realm was indeed immense!
For Gu An, the larger this world was, the better. The vaster the world, the more insignificant and minuscule he seemed.
A while later, Gu An sensed a vast aura erupting from the eastern direction, far away from the continent, even farther than the Island of Seeking Immortals.
But that aura made his heart skip a beat.
It was powerful!
It didn't feel like the cultivation aura of a living being but rather that of a supreme treasure.
Could it be that this mysterious treasure was the reason for that person's descent from the heavens?
Gu An thought it was highly possible.
At that moment, Chu Jingfeng sheathed his sword and panted heavily. "I'm tired. I can't beat you."
He looked at Gu An with a complicated expression.
Whenever he felt that his sword technique had improved, he would spar with Gu An, and each time, he felt like he was close to winning. But in the end, he always failed.
Their sparring matches didn't involve the use of spiritual power, relying solely on physical strength.
Of course, if he couldn't defeat Gu An before his strength gave out, it meant that his sword technique was still inferior.
Gu An smiled and said, "You're very close. Your skills have improved a lot compared to before."
Chu Jingfeng wiped the sweat from his forehead and stared at Gu An, asking, "Do you mean that you've also been improving, or have you been hiding your true strength all this time?"
The more he interacted with Gu An, the more unfathomable he found him to be. Initially, he had only felt gratitude towards Gu An, but now he suspected that Gu An was either an unparalleled genius or a master hiding his true cultivation.
Chu Jingfeng's thoughts drifted back to the past when the Greed and Hatred Demon had wreaked havoc. The demon had met its end inside Gu An's house, and to this day, no one knew who had saved Gu An.
Could it have been Gu An himself?
Gu An chuckled. "Now, now, I may not be much, but I am still a ninth-layer Grand Master of the Foundation Establishment realm, and I will soon be forming my Core Formation pill. Beating you is perfectly normal. Don't forget, I am also officially ranked 500th on the Golden Roll!"
Seeing Gu An's proud expression, Chu Jingfeng couldn't help but shake his head and laugh.
It made sense. Why bother overthinking it?
After all, he was now a cripple, and no matter whom he compared himself to, he would still be the weaker one.
The two chatted a while longer before Gu An, holding the Celestial Lodging Sword, began his descent from the mountain, while Chu Jingfeng sat down on the edge of the cliff to meditate, reflecting on the insights he had gained from their earlier swordplay.
The next morning, the number one cultivation tournament officially began. Rumor had it that over 50,000 cultivators and demons of various realms, including the mysterious Great Vehicle realm cultivators, had signed up for the tournament.
Gu An did not participate. Instead, he headed towards the Celestial Valley to harvest medicinal herbs.
This year, he aimed to reach a lifespan of seven million years. By crossing the million-year threshold, he would be able to set his sights on a lifespan of one hundred million years.
What new abilities would he unlock at one hundred million years? Would it be ten billion years or even a hundred billion years before he could unlock the next set of abilities?
Gu An couldn't help but feel excited at the thought.
If it were in the real world, how high would his cultivation be after a hundred million years?
...
The vast sky stretched endlessly, and the ocean seemed infinite. Xian Island (Xian Dao), minuscule as a speck of dust, was nestled in the ocean. However, as one drew closer, the island's bustling activity became apparent.
Gu An returned to Xian Island and exchanged all the medicinal herbs he had collected over the past three years for high-quality spirit stones. He then began to explore the island.
He intended to purchase some high-quality cultivation pills to help Ye Lan and Xiao Chuan. As for the others, he wouldn't go out of his way to assist them, and they should consider themselves fortunate to be able to consume the pills he refined.
Hu Xiaojian continued to act as Gu An's guide, his enthusiasm unwavering.
"By the way, Senior, a few months ago, there was a conflict between the Star Sea Group and the Seven Star Spirit Realm. Have you heard about it?" Hu Xiaojian suddenly asked, his face lit up with excitement.
Gu An replied, "I've been in seclusion cultivating and am unaware of worldly affairs. Why did the conflict break out?"
Hu Xiaojian lowered his voice and said, "It's said that a disciple of the Star Sea Group was murdered by someone from the Seven Star Spirit Realm, so a group of Star Sea Group cultivators attacked one of the Seven Star Spirit Realm's subsidiary islands. The battle raged for three days and three nights. Many are speculating that the Star Sea Group and the Seven Star Spirit Realm are on the brink of war, even though they have coexisted peacefully for fifty thousand years. I don't know if it's true."
"If these two top powers go to war, there will be no peace in the ocean."
Gu An's first thought went to Xuan Tianyi.
Was Xuan Tianyi's capability that great?
On second thought, it made sense. After all, Great Vehicle realm cultivators in their hundreds of years were rare, and in the ocean, they were considered top talents. Even on Xian Island, Gu An had only seen a handful of them.
The two chatted casually as they walked.
Half an hour later, Gu An had spent all the spirit stones he had, but he was satisfied with his purchases.
He didn't mind spending his spirit stones on his junior disciples. Even if they were destined to die, he wanted to help them extend their lives by a few hundred or even a thousand years.
After dismissing Hu Xiaojian, Gu An began to explore Xian Island on his own.
The island was vast, with numerous cities and a diverse population of cultivators, demons, and spirit beasts. Every street bustled with activity.
Suddenly, someone brushed past Gu An. Due to the person's peculiar attire, Gu An subconsciously used his lifespan probing technique.
【Nine-Fingered Divine Lord (Youxian Realm, Layer Two): 170,800/190,000/800,000】
Hmm?
A lifespan of 170,000 years?
Was the limit of 800,000 years for real?
Gu An was intrigued. This person's apparent cultivation was only at the Great Vehicle realm, and even he, a ninth-layer Grand Master of the Heavenly Flying Immortal realm, couldn't see through his true cultivation. This person's ability was indeed formidable.
Of course, there was another possibility: this person might not be a Youxian at all and could have fallen from a higher realm for some reason.
Gu An felt that the latter was more likely. He didn't turn back and continued on his way.
However, the Nine-Fingered Divine Lord stopped in his tracks. Dressed like a wandering swordsman in black, his attire was neither luxurious nor ornate, and it even appeared somewhat worn. He wore a wide-brimmed hat on his head and carried a large wooden box on his back.
He turned back, and his brows furrowed beneath the brim of his hat. Confusion filled his weathered eyes.
"Could it have been my imagination?"
The Nine-Fingered Divine Lord sensed that someone had been paying attention to him earlier, but when he turned back, he couldn't spot anyone.
The strongest person on this street was probably only a scattered immortal.
He retracted his gaze and continued on his way.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
He arrived at a mansion and met a man in purple robes in the courtyard.
"Senior, please take a seat." The man in purple robes smiled obsequiously and gestured respectfully.
The Nine-Fingered Divine Lord sat down and placed the large wooden box he was carrying to the side. He asked calmly, "What brings you to me?"
The man in purple robes sat down as well and waved his right hand. A purple light barrier enveloped the courtyard, and then it quickly disappeared.
He turned to the Nine-Fingered Divine Lord and asked in a low voice, "Senior, regarding the Immortal's Way treasure you were looking for before, I have a lead. However, it's a bit tricky and involves the Seven Star Spirit Realm. I don't know if you dare to take on the challenge?"
(End of Chapter)
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