Gu An and Xuantian Yi talked for two full hours.

Before Xuantian Yi left, Gu An gave him half a copy of Journey to the West.

Over the years, Gu An had long finished writing the book, but he had deliberately delayed its release, refining the manuscript over and over again to perfect his handwriting.

He only gave Xuantian Yi half of it—he couldn’t risk him spoiling the entire story.

A little suspense never hurts.

After seeing Xuantian Yi off, Gu An headed downstairs, mounted the Blood Prison Great Saint, and rode to Xuan Valley.

Ye Lan was already waiting for him in the loft.

Leisurely dismounting, Gu An made his way upstairs.

The two exchanged pleasantries as usual.

Ye Lan had been incredibly busy over the past year and only had time to visit him during the New Year Festival.

“Senior Brother, you’re turning a hundred this year—shouldn’t we celebrate?” Ye Lan asked with a smile.

Gu An shook his head.

“What’s the point? Cultivators don’t celebrate birthdays. It’s just a hassle.”

Ye Lan nodded, not pressing further.

After all, turning one hundred was a major milestone for any cultivator.

But if Gu An didn’t care, she wouldn’t force the issue.

Their conversation drifted between Taixuan Sect, the cultivation world, and the mortal realm.

For the most part, Ye Lan did the talking while Gu An simply listened and nodded along.

At one point, Gu An asked about her progress with Innate Reincarnation Technique.

Ye Lan assured him that she practiced it every day.

Although her cultivation realm hadn’t improved, she could feel the technique’s gradual accumulation.

Satisfied, Gu An handed her a collection of top-tier alchemical pills, urging her to hurry up and consume them.

In twenty years, she would have to unseal the technique—and by then, who knew how much her lifespan limit would increase?

Ye Lan happily accepted his gifts, her face glowing with joy.

Seeing her expression, Gu An suddenly shuddered.

“Junior Sister, don’t get the wrong idea—I’m always your Senior Brother.”

Ye Lan simply laughed.

She stood up, walked over to him, and placed her hands on his shoulders.

He was always the one putting hands on other people’s shoulders—only Junior Sister could do it to him.

Sigh. Who told her she was my Junior Sister?

“Sit down. Stop touching me,” Gu An grumbled.

“Aiya, Senior Brother, I won’t do anything. Just like last time~”

“You dare bring up last time?”

“What’s wrong with a little touching? I promise I won’t put my hands inside.”

“Stop talking nonsense and sit down. I have something serious to discuss.”

“Go ahead—I just like standing next to you.”

Riding the Blood Prison Great Saint, Gu An arrived at Outer Sect City and made his way to the Library Hall.

There, Grand Elder Feng Shang personally greeted him.

After they sat down, Feng Shang grinned and asked, “So, Shattering the Void is finished—do you have a new book in the works?”

Even though Shattering the Void hadn’t reached the same legendary status as Romance of the Gods, it was still wildly profitable.

Not only had Feng Shang benefited, but the entire Outer Sect City had prospered as well.

Currently, their city ranked first among the Eight Outer Sect Cities.

In martial strength, they had the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.

In literature, they had Pan An.

Every time Feng Shang reread Romance of the Gods, he couldn’t shake the suspicion that Gu An was actually the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.

But then he’d remember—Gu An was barely a hundred years old.

Ridiculous.

Still… perhaps Pan An and the Sword Sovereign were connected.

Maybe that’s why Pan An refused to write about the Sword Sovereign—he was afraid of revealing something.

Without a word, Gu An pulled five books from his storage bag.

They contained the first half of Journey to the West.

Feng Shang picked up the top book, reading the cover aloud:

“Journey to the West?”

The title sounded too plain.

A little disappointed, he thought to himself, Maybe this one won’t be as interesting.

Still, with Pan An’s reputation, he had to give it a chance.

Flipping through the pages, his expression gradually changed.

A few breaths later—his posture straightened.

As time passed, his hand began to tremble.

Then he reached the scene where Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Celestial Court—

“Good! Good! GOOD!”

He slammed his leg in excitement.

Gu An chuckled and stood up.

“The book is yours. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

He had worked with the Library Hall for years—there was no need to worry about being cheated.

Feng Shang shot up from his chair, his face flushed with pure exhilaration.

“Journey to the West is going to be a sensation! This isn’t just as good as Romance of the Gods—it’s even better!”

The narrative was stronger.

The characters were more engaging.

Seeing Sun Wukong awaken, claim his title as the Monkey King, and set out to find immortality—Feng Shang was hooked.

The Heavenly Court’s mistreatment of Sun Wukong only made him anticipate his rebellion even more.

Then…

Sun Wukong rebelled.

He rampaged through the Celestial Court.

He fought gods and immortals alike.

Too strong!

Feng Shang was in awe.

How did Gu An come up with all of this?

Even the spells, treasures, and factions described in Journey to the West felt eerily realistic—because they mirrored real legends.

• Underwater Dragon Palaces
• Immortals in the Celestial Realm
• Reclusive Daoists beyond the seas

Could these really be just stories?

Gu An simply smiled and left without another word.

Watching him walk out into the sunlight, Feng Shang found himself momentarily dazed.

“Truly an immortal among mortals.”

Mounting the Blood Prison Great Saint, Gu An rode off.

As he made his way through the Outer Sect City, he greeted familiar faces along the way.

The Ji Family had withdrawn from Taixuan Sect.

The Zhou Family had defected to Cang Heaven Sect.

If this had happened decades ago, Taixuan Sect would have suffered immense losses.

But now?

Their departure barely made a difference—in fact, Taixuan Sect had grown even stronger.

And yet, new powerful families were already rising to take their place.

This was Taixuan Sect.

For every one who left, another rose to replace them.

The sect was flourishing.

Still, Gu An wondered—

How long before Taixuan Sect reaches the level of the Seven Star Spirit Realm or the Starsea Sect Alliance?

By then… how many of his old friends would still be at his side?

As the ox beneath him trotted along, his thoughts drifted toward the distant future—ten thousand, a hundred thousand years ahead.

Taixuan Sect’s First World Cultivation Tournament was fast approaching.

But the hottest topic in the cultivation world?

Journey to the West.

The moment Pan An’s Journey to the West was released—

The entire cultivation world shook.

Many had expected another simple novel like Taixuan Immortal Venerable or Shattering the Void.

Instead, they got a masterpiece on par with Romance of the Gods.

And at its center—

Great Sage, Equal to Heaven—Sun Wukong!

The most famous name in all of the Three Dynasties.

Pan An was once again elevated to legendary status.

With the release of Journey to the West, the accusations of him running out of ideas were completely crushed.

Some people even began to say that Journey to the West was superior to Romance of the Gods!

Lü Baitian seized the hype surrounding the book, announcing that the champion of the First World Cultivation Tournament would earn the title “Great Sage”.

This fueled even greater anticipation for the tournament.

Thanks to Journey to the West, Pan An’s fame within Taixuan Sect even briefly surpassed the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.

Pan An had started a literary movement in the cultivation world.

Now, he had once again overshadowed the Sword Sovereign with his stories.

Although many new cultivation novels had appeared after Pan An’s rise, most cultivators still believed that Pan An was the best.

Gu An personally thought this was nostalgia bias—there were many talented writers in the cultivation world.

That day, Gu An rode the Blood Prison Great Saint into the Outer Sect City.

He had a feeling there would be some entertainment today.

Sure enough—

The streets were overflowing with cultivators, their voices merging into a deafening roar.

It felt like another New Year Festival.

Many cultivators wore exotic outfits, and even transformed demons could be seen walking around freely.

Taixuan Sect had begun accepting demon disciples, with great success.

Every year, over ten thousand demons came to seek admission.

Since the protagonist of Journey to the West was a demon, this made the entire demon race view Taixuan Sect more favorably.

Arriving near the Heavenly Mending Platform, the Blood Prison Great Saint came to a halt.

All around, Gu An could hear the chatter of cultivators.

“Did you read Journey to the West

? The Library Hall stocked a new batch yesterday—I just managed to grab a copy!”

“Lend it to me! The one I read wasn’t an official copy—it didn’t have Pan An’s original handwriting!”

“More and more people are trying to pull the Heaven-Splitting Axe lately. They say that if you can lift it, you’ll be the top contender for the First World Cultivation Tournament!”

“What a joke! Even if you win the tournament, there’s no way you’re lifting that axe!”

Some were talking about Journey to the West.

Some were discussing the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.

But most were focused on the upcoming First World Cultivation Tournament.

Gu An quietly counted down in his mind.

Three… Two… One…

Here he comes.

A domineering aura suddenly engulfed the Heavenly Mending Platform.

A voice as loud as rolling thunder echoed across the city—

“I am Qiao Dai, the strongest cultivator of Lingxia! Step aside—I challenge the Heaven-Splitting Axe!”

Boom!

The entire city shook.

All eyes turned toward the sky above the platform, where a figure radiating overwhelming might hovered in mid-air.

It was a man in a golden robe, with a crown of gold atop his head and a python-patterned belt around his waist.

The energy swirling around him coiled like golden dragons.

Gu An activated Lifespan Perception.

[Qiao Dai (Grand Ascension Stage, Level 9): 898 / 8900 / 8900]

8,900 years of maximum lifespan!

Among those below Nirvana Stage, only An Hao and the Blood Prison Great Saint surpassed him.

Even Xuantian Yi couldn’t compare.

Gu An could sense that Qiao Dai’s lifeblood energy exceeded that of an ordinary Grand Ascension cultivator.

However—

That was it.

He couldn’t reach Nirvana Stage.

Even the weakest Nirvana cultivator was stronger than the most powerful Grand Ascension cultivator.

This was the true divide between mortals and immortals.

The crowd instantly parted, making way for Qiao Dai as he descended toward the Heaven-Splitting Axe.

Many in the crowd were whispering—

“Where is Lingxia?”

Gu An already knew.

Lingxia was a dynasty in the far north, created by the Seven Star Spirit Realm.

All of its citizens were descendants of Seven Star Spirit Realm cultivators.

For now, the Three Dynasties had yet to make contact with Lingxia.

Standing beside the Heaven-Splitting Axe, Zuo Yijian studied Qiao Dai carefully.

Qiao Dai radiated the aura of an emperor.

With each step he took, a faint dragon’s roar could be heard—sending a chill down Zuo Yijian’s spine.

Approaching the axe, Qiao Dai did not immediately attempt to lift it.

Instead, he looked at Zuo Yijian and said—

“Get lost. I don’t want to accidentally hurt you.”

“You—!”

Zuo Yijian was furious.

He squeezed his copy of Journey to the West so tightly that it crumpled in his hands.

At that moment—

A Grand Elder at the Integration Stage appeared and spoke calmly—

“Listen to him. Everyone, step back.”

Zuo Yijian had no choice but to retreat.

The cultivators meditating near the inscription ‘Righteous Path’ also rose to their feet—including Di Xie.

In the crowd, Ji Han Tian silently observed Qiao Dai, his expression grim.

The Ji Family had deep ties with the Seven Star Spirit Realm.

Ji Han Tian had even encountered Qiao Dai there years ago.

Back then, he was just a young cultivator, while Qiao Dai was already the most famous genius in the Seven Star Spirit Realm.

Although most of the Ji Family had now joined the Seven Star Spirit Realm, Ji Han Tian personally detested the sect.

Because of this, he naturally disliked Qiao Dai as well.

Unable to suppress his irritation, Ji Han Tian sneered—

“If you haven’t reached the Immortal Dao, don’t embarrass yourself.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep