Chapter 156: Innate Divine Ability

Persecute me?

Gu An almost laughed.

Anyone who tried to harm him must have a death wish.

With his ability to foresee threats through lifespan perception, he could detect any hostile intent toward him in an instant.

At least for now, no one harbored any ill intentions toward him.

Gu An had always been kind and avoided making enemies. Outside of Taixuan Sect, barely anyone even knew him.

Under Lü Baitian’s scrutinizing gaze, Gu An furrowed his brows and mused, “I can’t say for sure. I did treat him well, but when the Sword Sect was hunting him down, I advised him to give up the Hatred Heaven Divine Sword. Maybe he holds some resentment toward me.”

Lü Baitian nodded. “Resentment is good—it means you won’t be his weakness. But you’d better pray he doesn’t truly hate you. If he grows stronger, you’ll be in trouble.”

His tone took on a teasing edge toward the end.

Gu An shrugged. “I trust Taixuan Sect will keep me safe. If I can still be harmed while staying here, then that just means something is seriously wrong with the sect.”

“You brat, are you taking a jab at me?”

“Of course not. I trust you, Sect Master. So please don’t tease me. A small cultivator like me doesn’t want to get caught up in trouble—be it the Nightshade Sect or the Hatred Heaven Divine Sword. I’d rather have nothing to do with any of it,” Gu An said helplessly.

Seeing his expression, Lü Baitian suddenly felt a twinge of guilt. Maybe he shouldn’t have been joking about this.

After all, Gu An wasn’t at the Ninth Level of the Integration Stage like him. Facing the threat of the Hatred Heaven Divine Sword

was no small matter—he must be feeling anxious, just putting on a brave front.

Lü Baitian’s expression turned serious. “As long as you stay within Taixuan Sect, you’ll be fine. At the very least, I guarantee your safety inside the sect!”

It was an implicit warning about Gu An’s excursions to Horizon Valley.

Though Lü Baitian didn’t know where Horizon Valley was, he was aware that Gu An frequently left Xuan Valley. However, he refrained from pressing for details. 𝘙âƝ𝖔ʙĚs̈

The conversation then shifted to Li Xuandao.

The Taicang Empire was advancing aggressively, forming an alliance with the Da Yu Dynasty and opening up no fewer than five battlefronts. The neighboring dynasties were struggling to hold out.

Though Lü Baitian didn’t particularly like Li Xuandao, he had to admit the man had an uncanny ability to recognize and cultivate talent, always finding exceptional generals and strategists.

From Gu An’s perspective, he actually hoped Li Xuandao would unify the Nine Dynasties.

Only with unification could they better resist the coming Demonic Cataclysm.

With unity would come order, and with order, peace. That was the true righteous path.

Peace was also the best condition for Gu An’s survival.

For low-level cultivators, stability was a blessing as well. While fewer opportunities might arise, how many among them truly turned their lives around due to sheer luck?

More often than not, those who chased after fortunes perished in conflicts.

The two continued their conversation until dusk, at which point Lü Baitian finally took his leave.

Gu An wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but Lü Baitian no longer seemed as sharp as he had been years ago.

Wearing a mask, Gu An stood atop a cliff, sweeping the area with his divine sense.

He spotted An Hao inside a cave. There, a pool of crimson liquid shimmered, its blood-like water brimming with energy as An Hao cultivated within it, steadily strengthening his life essence.

Si Yan’er was nearby, practicing footwork techniques in the forest.

After spending two years in the celestial realm, both An Hao and Si Yan’er had received unique inheritances and grown significantly stronger.

To fully inherit the Star-Seizing Daoist’s legacy, however, would take many more years.

After all, the Star-Seizing Daoist had been a Grand Ascension Stage cultivator. His life’s accumulation of knowledge was vast—even a genius like An Hao would need decades to absorb it all.

Gu An only observed them briefly before turning his attention to gathering natural treasures from the surrounding forest.

He moved silently, avoiding detection by the spirit beasts in the realm.

These Integration Stage spirit beasts had grown quite tame, having formed a bond with An Hao and Si Yan’er.

Still, Gu An preferred to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After half an hour, he left, satisfied.

This trip had earned him 50,000 years of lifespan.

Since no one was actively cultivating resources in the celestial realm, Gu An didn’t want to overharvest, lest it attract attention from the Seven Star Spirit Realm.

Instead, he let the natural treasures grow and seed themselves before coming back to collect them.

A month ago, under Gu An’s protection, Tian Yao’er successfully transcended her Core Formation Tribulation and had since been consolidating her cultivation.

Now, as Gu An landed outside the dwelling, he sensed her demonic energy had stabilized.

He deliberately made some noise as he walked toward a garden.

With a rush of wind, Tian Yao’er flung open the door and darted toward him, latching onto his left arm.

“Master! My demon core has fully formed! And I even awakened an innate divine ability!” she exclaimed excitedly.

Feeling the soft pressure on his arm, Gu An inwardly sighed.

Demons were just different.

She looked slender, yet her figure was rather exaggerated.

Casually, he pulled his arm free and took a few steps forward, crouching to pick some herbs. “What kind of divine ability?” he asked.

Tian Yao’er grinned, bending down with her hands on her knees. “A shapeshifting ability! I’m super powerful now!”

As she spoke, demonic energy surged from her body, enveloping her completely.

When it faded, Gu An was startled—she had transformed into his exact likeness, down to his aura.

There was no trace of demonic energy left.

That’s an impressive ability!

Stashing the herbs in his storage bag, Gu An stood up and asked curiously, “Can you teach it to me?”

Tian Yao’er shook her head. “I’d love to, but there’s no technique or mantra for it. This ability just… came naturally to me, like knowing how to speak. I can use it effortlessly, but I have no idea how to pass it on.”

She twirled around, reverting to her original form. Scarlet robes swirled as she placed her hands on her hips, grinning smugly.

“Master, aren’t I amazing?”

Her bright eyes curved into crescent moons, looking so delighted that Gu An couldn’t help but ruffle her hair, turning it into a complete mess.

After a few words of praise, he sent her back to training.

However, Tian Yao’er had no intention of letting him leave so soon. She stayed by his side, chattering non-stop about trivial things—how a flower had grown crooked, how she had bumped into a tree while practicing the Infinite Free Step…

Unlike Gu An, she was stuck in the cave dwelling with no other demons to interact with.

Rather than finding it annoying, Gu An listened patiently, occasionally responding, which only made her even happier.

As night fell, Gu An sat at a stone table with her and took out a series of cultivation pills.

“Once you master Infinite Free Step, I’ll take you out for a walk,” he said seriously.

Tian Yao’er was momentarily surprised but quickly pouted. “That technique is so hard to learn. Who knows how many years I’ll need?”

Gu An chuckled. “Even the Heavenly Phoenix Demon Mother didn’t become strong in just a few decades. True power comes from enduring long, lonely years of cultivation.”

Hearing this, Tian Yao’er nodded firmly. “I understand! I’ll work hard!”

Satisfied, Gu An began teaching her the Innate Divine Immortal Art.

Core Formation was only the beginning.

If he could raise a peerless demon, that would be an achievement worth remembering.

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