The old man in black ultimately chose to compromise. He believed Gu An would keep his word—after all, he had no strength left to resist, and it was pointless for Gu An to lie at this stage.

After dealing with the old man, Gu An let go of Qingtian Peak.

He looked up, his gaze piercing the walls. He saw little Long Qing, barely a year old, chasing after the White Spirit Mouse. The White Spirit Mouse had slowed down deliberately, worried the boy wouldn’t be able to keep up.

It was rare to see the White Spirit Mouse being so gentle. A smile crept across Gu An’s face.

Gu An no longer dwelled on what exactly “Reincarnation Evolution” truly was. What mattered now was getting stronger.

These reincarnated identities couldn’t help him survive better. In this world, there was the Holy Court and the Immortal Dynasty, and beyond the heavens, there were realms like the Realm of Extinction. He was being watched by the Extinction God Emperor, the Black Profound Emperor, and countless other great realms. His path was still long.

Long Zhan had been too arrogant—and was crushed to death by the Extinction God Emperor.

Gu An aimed to quietly surpass the Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Path while still within the universe of the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm.

He chose to overestimate the Black Profound Emperor and the Extinction God Emperor. That way, if he ever faced them again, especially as enemies, he’d have a better chance of victory.

Gathering his spirits, Gu An even suppressed his resentment toward the Black Profound Emperor, burying the past deep in his heart.

He was Gu An. Gu An was his true self!

Gu An picked up his brush and ink, ready to write and let out his feelings.

The skies were clear, not a cloud in sight. Under the blue sky, countless cultivators had gathered on the desolate plains, surrounding a massive crater over a hundred miles in diameter. Towers were being erected along the crater’s rim, and before each stood a towering iron pillar.

Bai Ziya stood at the edge of the crater, looking into the distance at a deep red coffin, his eyes filled with worry.

“Have you ever seen it in the Realm of Extinction?” a voice suddenly asked. Fu Shenxiu stepped forward to stand beside Bai Ziya.

Bai Ziya turned and saluted him. Only after the salute did he reply, “I haven’t. But its aura feels incredibly dangerous.”

“I have,” Fu Shenxiu said, calmly gazing at the deep red coffin.

Bai Ziya looked at him in surprise. Fu Shenxiu continued, “Wherever this evil coffin appears, the Heaven Demons retreat, leaving behind nothing but carnage. Even they fear what’s inside. I’ve heard that even beings stronger than those in the Free Soaring Immortal Stage turn to ash the moment they approach it.”

Stronger than the Free Soaring Immortal Stage?

Bai Ziya was even more terrified. As someone in the Celestial Ascension Stage, he viewed the Free Soaring Immortal as the epitome of transcendence. And something stronger than that still couldn’t stand against the coffin?

He couldn’t help but picture Meng Lang approaching the coffin and being instantly reduced to ashes. A chill ran down his spine.

As Fu Shenxiu continued recounting his experience, Bai Ziya listened intently. He wasn’t the only one—others from different sects were also sharing their own tales of the Realm of Extinction.

Atop a grand and majestic tower, a white-robed man stood with his hands behind his back, silently watching the deep red coffin, his gaze unfathomable.

A man clad in golden armor suddenly appeared beside him, cupping his hands in salute. “Saint King, the higher-ups instructed you not to take action. We’re to wait for the Dark War Emperor to awaken.”

Hearing this, the white-robed man narrowed his eyes but said nothing. No one could tell what he was thinking.

The man in golden armor said in a low voice, “Saint King, I really think something’s off. The Heaven Demons may cause trouble every now and then, but back when Saint Heaven was around, this never happened. Didn’t he say that all beings beyond the heavens are our enemies? When have we ever turned to enemies for help?”

He wasn’t worried about being overheard—this tower was protected by multiple restrictions, preventing even high-level cultivators from spying.

Expressionless, the white-robed man replied, “This is the Saint Prime Minister’s era now. It’ll likely last a long while. If you want to survive in the Holy Court, you’d better learn to play dumb.”

The golden-armored man’s face darkened in frustration. Gritting his teeth, he asked, “Where exactly did Saint Heaven go? Why does he trust the Saint Prime Minister so much?”

The white-robed man calmly said, “The Tribulation of Reincarnation is a trial all supreme beings must face. Saint Heaven has delayed his for too long. If he waits any longer, no one knows what the future might bring.”

“Tribulation of Reincarnation? Has Saint Heaven reincarnated?” The golden-armored man frowned.

The white-robed man shook his head. “Your cultivation level isn’t high enough—don’t ask too many questions. Just remember this: If the Holy Court truly faces life and death, Saint Heaven will return. Until then, let the Saint Prime Minister stir things up. The more chaos, the more opportunities for us. Don’t forget, even the Holy God is dissatisfied with the Saint Prime Minister.”

The golden-armored man’s expression flickered, then he bowed and took his leave.

The white-robed man’s long hair fluttered in the breeze as he quietly watched the deep red coffin.

The summer heat was intense.

Gu An rode the Blood Prison Grand Sage toward the Third Medicine Valley, his eyes fixed on the distant horizon.

A Dao-Void Celestial Immortal had appeared near the deep red coffin!

It was Gu An’s first time sensing the aura of a Dao-Void Celestial Immortal.

It likely came from the Holy Court.

With so many factions gathered yet no one making a move, Gu An had no way to tell who was friend or foe.

Regardless, the appearance of the deep red coffin had caused the destruction of an entire continent. In his past life, it would have been akin to the extinction of all life on Earth—yet even then, the Holy Court did nothing.

Maybe, to them, the Heaven Demons posed a greater threat. Perhaps they were thinking long-term. But to the innocent lives caught in the crossfire, wasn’t that just another tragedy?

“Master, what do you think of Long Qing’s talent? He seems pretty sharp to me,” the Blood Prison Grand Sage asked, pulling Gu An back to the present.

He wasn’t stupid. His master wouldn’t take in an orphan for no reason—this boy had to be special. Maybe even more monstrous than Yang Jian.

Gu An replied, “Mediocre. He won’t amount to much in this lifetime.”

The Blood Prison Grand Sage was stunned. “Master, you’re kidding, right?”

“You’ll see soon enough,” Gu An said with a chuckle.

The Blood Prison Grand Sage couldn’t help but press, “Then why take him in?”

“Just had a good feeling. You think I need anything from Yang Jian?” Gu An said offhandedly.

The Blood Prison Grand Sage found that reasonable. After all, Gu An didn’t just treat Yang Jian well—every disciple in the valley had received his grace.

As Gu An often said: Do good without asking for returns.

“That’s true. Living a simple, peaceful life isn’t so bad either,” the Blood Prison Grand Sage agreed. But deep down, he was convinced Long Qing was destined for greatness—it was only a matter of time.

As they reached the mouth of the valley, Gu An spotted a group of female disciples surrounding Long Qing from afar. They were passing him around, making the boy laugh gleefully, spreading joy.

When someone spotted the Blood Prison Grand Sage, they quickly whispered among themselves and dispersed. One female disciple was left holding Long Qing, flustered. She hurried toward An Xin.

“Gu An, let’s play a game of Go!” came the cheerful voice of the Nine-Fingered Divine Lord.

Gu An signaled the Blood Prison Grand Sage to continue on.

Soon after, when Gu An sat at the stone Go table, the Nine-Fingered Divine Lord grinned and asked, “So, who is that little guy Long Qing? What’s his background?”

He had tried divining Long Qing’s karma but found nothing. With Yang Jian as a precedent, he had a gut feeling the boy had a major backstory.

Gu An picked up a piece and smiled. “How should I know? I really found him in the mountains. If you like him, why not take him as a disciple?”

The Divine Lord laughed. “Forget it. I already stole one of your disciples—I can’t steal another.”

When Gu An made the first move, the Divine Lord frowned, scooped up the white pieces, and said, “Here, black goes first. Don’t you know the rules?”

Then he quickly made his move.

Gu An chuckled and followed up, then asked about Chu Jingfeng.

The Divine Lord said he’d settled Chu Jingfeng overseas while he himself remained at Taixuan Sect. Gu An didn’t even know what to say to that.

Half an hour later, Gu An stood and left.

The Divine Lord frowned at the board.

“Where did I go wrong…” he muttered.

No one would explain it to him. Losing wasn’t surprising—winning would’ve been.

Gu An was in a great mood. Tomorrow he could head to the Hidden Realm and harvest high-grade herbs, gaining millions of years of lifespan in one go!

He decided not to activate Lifespan Reincarnation again before his next breakthrough.

Actually, not until he saved up a full billion years of lifespan!

He didn’t want any more descendants popping up and making him feel guilty about ignoring them.

The sun set, and the moon rose.

Early the next morning, Gu An handed Long Qing over to You Yingying before heading off alone from the Medicine Valley.

You Yingying adored Long Qing. She didn’t even know why—she used to hate kids.

That evening, Gu An returned.

He was humming a tune along the way, clearly in a good mood.

He had just harvested over sixty-five million years of lifespan—what a blast!

The Hidden Realm was his prized investment. He’d been consistently putting more and more high-grade herbs into it.

Along the way, he greeted every disciple he passed. They were all stunned by the attention.

He finally reached You Yingying’s courtyard and picked up Long Qing.

“Hey, I want to ask you something,” You Yingying stopped him.

Gu An rolled his eyes. “I’m not ‘hey.’”

You Yingying glared back. “Lately I’ve had a bad feeling, like something terrible is going to happen to the Medicine Valley. Do you think I should leave?”

Gu An looked at her, surprised. “If you wanna leave, go. Why ask me?”

Fuming, You Yingying tried to pinch him, but he nimbly dodged.

“I’m leaving tomorrow!”

She turned and stormed into her room.

Gu An called out, “Hey, if you’re really that scared, what’s the point in worrying? Don’t forget who’s holding down the fort in Taixuan Sect.”

You Yingying paused, looked back, the anger in her eyes slowly fading. “Isn’t that kind of wrong though?”

Gu An replied confidently, “Everyone in Taixuan Sect enjoys the protection of the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path. What’s wrong with that? If you feel guilty, you can take care of Qing’er from now on—he seems to like you.”

You Yingying hesitated. Gu An said no more and walked away.

He figured he might as well cuddle Long Qing while the boy was still small—once kids grew up, they weren’t cute anymore.

As for You Yingying’s worries, Gu An didn’t take them seriously.

There were countless Heaven Demons out there. He’d deal with the Dark War Emperor after he woke up.

Judging by his current aura, the Dark War Emperor was still far from becoming a Divine Soul Immortal.

At this pace, it’d probably take thousands of years for him to reach that stage.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep