Chapter 982: Chapter 974: Immortal Versus Immortal

Shen Zhen looked at Gu An, puzzled, and asked, “Where did that sound come from? Is there a rare treasure emerging or is someone fighting?”

Gu An casually replied, “From the edge of Central Heaven, a being has intruded into Central Heaven.”

Intruded?

Shen Zhen raised an eyebrow; it seems this being comes with ill intent.

To cause such a commotion, it won’t be long before she hears about the troubles stirred by that being on the continent.

She withdrew her gaze and continued to look at Gu An, savoring the Dao Intent in his sword technique.

The earth-shaking noise earlier had caused great upheaval in Central Heaven, and many Great Powers from Dojos went to investigate. By the time Gu An sheathed his sword, the battle had erupted.

This battle was not worth Gu An’s attention.

The true contention between Chaos and Heavenly Dao had yet to begin; what he anticipated was the future battle.

In that battle, all the celestial realms of the Heavenly Dao will engage in all-out war; no world can escape it. The Celestial Emperor had foreseen this catastrophe, but he underestimated its magnitude.

In Gu An’s view, the Celestial Emperor couldn’t be blamed; he was already cautious enough, but things went against his wishes.

Without becoming a Saint, one will eventually meet their end.

Gu An sheathed the Cyan Hong Sword, then walked out of the courtyard, heading down the mountain.

No matter how many storms rage in the world, they cannot affect his plan to pick medicinal herbs.

On the other side.

Inch Island.

The True Yuan Ancestor stood on the cliff, gazing at the horizon with a furrowed brow.

Xuanwu stood on the beach, turned his head towards the True Yuan Ancestor, and asked loudly, “True Yuan, do you see anything?”

The True Yuan Ancestor’s diligent cultivation attitude did not affect Xuanwu. Whenever Xuanwu tried to muster the spirit to cultivate hard, he couldn’t persist for long before giving up.

He liked fishing, sleeping, and swimming in the sea—there were so many things he found more interesting than cultivation.

“Something has entered Central Heaven, releasing a peculiar power, like some form of Power of the Great Dao.”

The True Yuan Ancestor replied, his pupils reflecting scenes of battle.

Xuanwu blinked and asked, “Will it affect our Inch Island?”

“No, because it’s too far away.”

The True Yuan Ancestor’s words relieved Xuanwu, who then dove into the ocean and disappeared.

The True Yuan Ancestor did not mind this; he continued to observe the distant battle. That Great Dao power made him uneasy, and his instincts told him Central Heaven was about to face trouble again.

After watching for a while, he withdrew his gaze and turned towards his own courtyard.

What he wanted now was to break through as soon as possible.

Great powers in the world emerged in an endless stream; his vision was not limited to Central Heaven, for he had already set grander goals.

…

A thousand years after Xuanqing Star Lord departed, he finally returned. When the Ghost Mother of Ephemera went to greet him, the second generation disciples gathered outside Gu An’s courtyard, eagerly awaiting, discussing what kind of Immortal Position Xuanqing Star Lord would bring.

When Xuanqing Star Lord arrived at the Mountain of No End and saw so many disciples gathered, he stood tall and proud, confident. This time, he felt assured.

Coming to the courtyard gate, his smile vanished as he felt nervous facing the Ancestor Master Wushi.

He took a deep breath and walked into the yard, making his way to Gu An’s door. He bowed and said, “Ancestor Master, this humble Daoist requested a higher Immortal Position from His Majesty. His Majesty agreed and established the Merit Suppressing God Heavenly Monarch for you, eligible to reside in the Twenty-Nine Layers of Heaven, an Immortal Position higher than the Supreme Immortal, overseeing all ranks of the Divine Horse lineage, including the Heavenly King.”

Merit Suppressing God Heavenly Monarch!

This title brought smiles to the second generation disciples.

It sounded quite impressive, with a status higher than the Supreme Immortal, which they felt was more valuable.

As for why it wasn’t Celestial Dao Venerable, they understood that the Celestial Dao Venerable was on par with the Celestial Emperor, and how could one ascend to the top just after becoming an Immortal?

They were satisfied, but they still needed to see how Gu An would respond.

Clang—

Gu An’s door suddenly opened, and his voice followed:

“Come in.”

Upon hearing this, Xuanqing Star Lord’s face lit up with delight, and he promptly entered the room.

Inside Gu An’s pavilion, it was not dim; sunlight spilled in from the window, brightening the room, and the decor was full of charm. As soon as Xuanqing Star Lord entered, he felt an indescribable ambiance that invigorated him, bringing peace to his heart.

He saw Gu An sitting at the table, just as perfect as he had imagined.

With a youthful and handsome appearance, although not physically strong, he gave off an aura as steady as a mountain, with his energy entirely imperceptible.

Gu An was dressed in white, tasting tea. He glanced at Xuanqing Star Lord with a smile.

Xuanqing Star Lord quickly approached the table, bowing respectfully to Gu An.

“Sit down.”

Gu An said with a smile, which made Xuanqing Star Lord feel even more at ease, and he sat down accordingly.

Xuanqing Star Lord raised his hand, taking out the Merit Divine Horse Order and placing it on the table, saying, “This is the Merit Divine Horse Order, symbolic of your Immortal Position, and it represents your Immortal Authority.”

He was very respectful to Gu An, filled with anticipation, eager to see what changes Gu An’s ascent to Immortality would bring to the Merit Immortal, and how it would impact the Celestial Court’s structure.

Gu An did not reach for the Merit Divine Horse Order; instead, he looked at Xuanqing Star Lord and asked, “What do you think a Merit Immortal should be like?”

Xuanqing Star Lord’s expression turned solemn as he said, “Naturally, a Merit Immortal should revolve around merit, following the Righteous Dao, and amassing goodness for all living beings.”

“For the Merit Immortals who entered the Celestial Court, how does their rate of merit growth compare to before entering?”

Gu An’s inquiry left Xuanqing Star Lord’s expression instantly rigid.

Though he spent most of his time in Central Heaven, he could perceive the state of Merit Immortals through the Heavenly Tao Immortal Book.

In fact, after becoming Immortals, the Merit Immortals’ accumulation of merit halted completely.

This included the first Merit Immortal, Li Ya.

The Merit Immortals might have faced different predicaments and troubles, but the truth was that after ascending to Immortality, their merit stagnated.

Xuanqing Star Lord suddenly realized that a Merit Immortal seemed no different from the Immortal Gods, except the former relied on Celestial Dao Merits and the latter on Destiny of the Celestial Court.

He hesitated, unsure of how to argue.

“You hope for a Merit Immortal to labor for all living beings, but if I became a Merit Immortal, I would not be as you wished. Are you certain you want to grant this Immortal Position to me?”

Gu An looked at Xuanqing Star Lord with a half-smile, thinking that this Star Lord was too idealistic, not yet deep in his observation of human nature and interests.

He believed that as long as there were enough Merit Immortals, the Celestial Dao Immortal Gods would be swept along to goodness; in reality, it wasn’t that simple.

Xuanqing Star Lord’s expression changed from gloomy to complex, Gu An’s words impacted him, but he did not hesitate and immediately replied, “I’m certain. This humble Daoist believes in merit, human hearts are unfathomable and difficult to see through, but merit does not lie. Even if the motives differ, the existence of merit proves it indeed helped all living beings.”

By the end, his gaze became resolute, convincing even himself.

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