Jiang Qiong gave a brief introduction to the terrifying might of the Blood Domain Soul-Suppressing Tower. This tower could suppress enemies, and once trapped inside, they would become lost within its confines, making escape nearly impossible. Furthermore, they would constantly be burned by the blood flames inside the tower. If they were reduced to mere souls, escaping would be completely out of the question.

According to the Divine Anomaly Spirit, the Blood Domain Soul-Suppressing Tower was ranked among the top three immortal treasures within Divine Anomaly City. This was also why Seven Star Spirit Realm cultivators had been desperately searching for it.

Most of the treasures within Divine Anomaly City were acquired through plunder—some were seized by their previous owners after slaying their enemies, while others were left behind by adventurers who had perished. However, the Blood Domain Soul-Suppressing Tower had long been a legendary supreme immortal treasure, its reputation well-known across the seas.

Gu An gasped in amazement from time to time, making the corners of Jiang Qiong’s lips curl into a smile.

She wasn’t annoyed by his curiosity—in fact, she found it amusing.

Elsewhere, her cultivation might be insignificant, but in front of Gu An, she was a grand cultivator.

Even if many looked down on her, as long as Gu An admired her, that was more than enough.

Jiang Qiong then shared her experiences from the past years, including how she founded Gathering Flower Sect. Gu An listened attentively. Although he often used divine sense to check on Jiang Qiong, hearing her tell the story herself was far more engaging.

The Next Day at Noon

Gu An leaped out of the alchemy cauldron, quickly putting on his robes.

Jiang Qiong approached him, examining him closely before exclaiming in surprise, “I didn’t expect your absorption speed to be so fast!”

Gu An controlled his vital energy and blood with precision, ensuring that Jiang Qiong couldn’t detect any abnormalities.

“Thank you!” Gu An said sincerely.

Jiang Qiong secretly mused that this brat still refused to call her Master-Grandmother. In the past, she would have been furious, but now, she felt a trace of joy instead.

Tilting her head slightly, she said, “Keep practicing your swordsmanship. Your talent in the sword path is outstanding. As for your cultivation, I’ll find a way to help you improve.”

“This… isn’t right. You should keep it for yourself. Giving it to me is a waste,” Gu An hesitated, his gratitude toward Jiang Qiong genuine.

The thought alone was enough—there was no need for her to actually do it.

If combat power could be measured numerically, then thanks to Jiang Qiong’s assistance last night, his combat power had increased from ten billion to ten billion plus one.

There was indeed an improvement, but such a minuscule boost was far more valuable to Jiang Qiong than to him.

Jiang Qiong snorted, “Don’t worry, I won’t neglect my own cultivation.”

Gu An had no choice but to accept.

Jiang Qiong then asked about Gu An’s experiences over the years. He didn’t hide anything, but as she listened, her expression darkened.

“Planting herbs, planting herbs—why are you always planting herbs?!” Jiang Qiong glared at him.

Gu An pouted. “Yeah, just planting herbs. What else do you expect me to do? Don’t underestimate herb cultivation—different spiritual herbs require different techniques…”

He then launched into a long-winded, enthusiastic explanation of his herb-growing methods.

Jiang Qiong fought the urge to scold him and forced herself to listen. Gradually, she calmed down.

Surprisingly, listening to Gu An talk about farming life had its own unique charm. It even brought back memories of her childhood.

Time Flew By

By nightfall, Jiang Qiong finally bid farewell and left.

Gu An, however, remained in the Eight Views Celestial Realm, planning to leave early the next morning.

The Rise of Li Ya and Taixuan Sect

Throughout the winter months, discussions about Divine Anomaly City spread across all of Taixuan Sect’s cities.

Li Ya’s name had now resounded throughout the cultivation world, completely overshadowing even the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path and Pan An.

Many people believed that with Divine Anomaly City under his control, Li Ya was destined to become an immortal. Since he was still young, some even hailed him as the number one genius of his generation, surpassing An Hao.

However, Li Ya’s fame had no impact on Gu An’s daily life.

With Divine Anomaly City seized, most of the grand cultivators from overseas departed, though some chose to stay and join various sects, with the majority flocking to Taixuan Sect.

After all, Li Ya himself was from Taixuan Sect.

Owning Divine Anomaly City, Li Ya no longer needed to wait for the future—he already possessed power surpassing that of Scattered Immortals, and even Roving Immortals were no match for him.

A New Year Arrives

With the arrival of another New Year, the Spring Festival celebrations in Taixuan Sect were even grander than before.

Rumors spread that Taixuan Sect was preparing to venture south in search of an island to establish a new city, backed by the Starsea Sect Alliance, making the endeavor much smoother.

After the Spring Festival, Taixuan Sect began recruiting disciples for the southern sea expedition, offering ten highly coveted slots with generous rewards. Every city eagerly competed for them.

Gu An, however, remained busy harvesting spiritual herbs, though he occasionally worried about Seven Star Spirit Realm making a move.

During the power struggle over Divine Anomaly City, Seven Star Spirit Realm suffered the greatest losses, yet they remained strangely silent—which only made Gu An more uneasy.

March—A New Chapter Begins

By March, the matter of Divine Anomaly City had gradually faded from the minds of Taixuan Sect disciples.

That day, Gu An arrived at the Outer Sect Library Hall, submitting the final volume of Journey to the West.

Despite Grand Elder Feng Shang’s repeated attempts to persuade him to stay, Gu An made an excuse and left.

Not long after exiting the library hall, a figure blocked his path—it was You Yingying from the Starsea Sect Alliance, disguised as a chubby man with an innocent, foolish look.

“Brother Gu, how have you been lately?” You Yingying grinned, transmitting her real identity to Gu An via voice transmission.

Gu An smiled. “Not bad. And you?”

He never understood You Yingying’s obsession with disguises—what was the appeal?

In Taixuan Sect, she wasn’t even famous. This whole act seemed pointless.

“I’ve been alright. But lately, I’m bored. I want to be your assistant in Medicine Valley—what do you think?” You Yingying asked.

Gu An hesitated briefly before agreeing, leading her toward the Third Medicine Valley.

The conversation shifted to immortal treasures, and You Yingying excitedly described their power.

Gu An listened with keen interest.

One day, when he reached that level, he too wanted to craft an immortal treasure.

It was never too early to plan ahead.

Spring passed, autumn arrived, and five years flew by.

Ever since Li Ya took control of Divine Anomaly City, the continent had entered an era of peace. Taixuan Sect successfully established its overseas city, and even the Outer Sect had constructed a teleportation platform leading to the Southern Sea City. More and more disciples began venturing into the ocean for training, and news from the seas frequently made its way back to the sect.

With the completion of the Southern Sea City’s teleportation array, every time Gu An visited the Outer Sect City, he encountered new and fascinating things, giving him the thrill of exploring a lively marketplace.

Early Summer

Gu An arrived at Seeker’s Island.

Led by Hu Xiaojian, a servant from the Sea Protectorate, Gu An strolled around Seeker’s Island while listening to the latest news about the ocean’s turmoil.

“The Starsea Sect Alliance and Seven Star Spirit Realm are clashing more and more. Seven Star Spirit Realm has gone mad, constantly invading the Starsea Sect Alliance’s territories. They say it all started five years ago because of an Immortal Dao Supreme Treasure.

“In a distant continent, Seven Star Spirit Realm released a supreme treasure for others to fight over. In the end, a small-time cultivator managed to obtain it. Later, the Starsea Sect Alliance took him in, completely offending Seven Star Spirit Realm.”

Hu Xiaojian sighed as he spoke.

Gu An asked, “Why would Seven Star Spirit Realm release an Immortal Dao Supreme Treasure in the first place?”

He had wondered about this before—it seemed too suspicious. Even the Divine Anomaly Spirit couldn’t figure it out and had assumed that Seven Star Spirit Realm cultivators simply couldn’t find Divine Anomaly City because Gu An was too powerful. That was why they had chosen to release the city instead.

But looking at it from Seven Star Spirit Realm’s perspective, even if they couldn’t control Divine Anomaly City, it still didn’t make sense to release it, essentially giving rival forces a chance to seize it.

Hu Xiaojian pondered for a moment before saying, “It doesn’t quite add up. Maybe Seven Star Spirit Realm needed an excuse to declare war on the Starsea Sect Alliance? But using an Immortal Dao Supreme Treasure as bait is a bit excessive.”

As they walked, the two continued their discussion.

Gu An wasn’t worried about their conversation attracting trouble—after all, nearly every passing cultivator was talking about the conflict between the two oceanic powerhouses.

Half a Day Later

Gu An left Seeker’s Island and made his way to Phoenix Mountain’s Nianchu Cave Dwelling, bringing Tian Yao’er, Tianqing, and Tianbai into the Celestial Realm within the cave.

He took out the seeds he had purchased earlier that day and handed them to the three demonic spirits for planting.

Though Tianqing and Tianbai had yet to take human form, their claws were nimble enough to handle the sowing process.

While they were busy planting, Gu An walked to the entrance of the Celestial Realm, gathering his mana to conjure a stone tablet. Then, with a flick of his sword qi, he carved three words into it:

World-Outside Celestial Realm.

Its meaning was simple—this place would forever remain separate from the world.

From now on, Gu An wouldn’t bring anyone here to live. This would always be his hidden Medicine Valley, a secluded sanctuary solely for cultivating lifespan-extending spiritual herbs.

Since all the seeds planted in this World-Outside Celestial Realm were Seventh-Grade and above, none of the herbs had matured yet. But Gu An wasn’t in a hurry—he was willing to wait patiently.

Once the first batch of herbs matured, they would provide him with an incredible amount of lifespan, something he eagerly anticipated.

Two hours later, Gu An left the World-Outside Celestial Realm with his three demonic spirits, making his way back through the underground tunnels toward Nianchu Cave Dwelling.

“I’ve prepared Transformation Pills for you. In a few days, you’ll be able to take human form,” Gu An said as he walked ahead.

Upon hearing this, Tianqing and Tianbai were overjoyed. They quickly rushed up to him, expressing their gratitude for their master’s gift.

Demonic beings could transform into human form through their own cultivation, but taking a Transformation Pill greatly accelerated the process and increased their success rate. If they attempted to transform on their own and failed, the consequences were dire—either death or serious injury, much like undergoing a tribulation.

“Master, what about me?” Tian Yao’er lifted Tianbai in her arms before squeezing in beside Gu An, looking at him pitifully.

Gu An replied, “I’ve prepared a batch of qi and blood-enhancing pills for you.”

The pills for Tian Yao’er weren’t ones he had refined himself. Instead, he had purchased them on Seeker’s Island—an exorbitantly expensive batch made by Purple Pill Palace, the most prestigious alchemy sect on the seas.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep