The vast void was shrouded in endless darkness, where a single luminous river quietly flowed, its source unseen, its end unknowable.
This was the River of Sword Dao, a realm within the Grand Dao Space. Here, there were no stars, no worlds—only an abyss of eternal darkness, with the river as the sole source of light.
The River of Sword Dao stretched endlessly, radiating an ancient and immortal aura.
On one particular stretch of the river, two figures were locked in battle, their silhouettes weaving through the void, their swords clashing and slicing through the darkness. The sheer force of their sword qi was enough to rend heavens and earth, yet upon touching the vast River of Sword Dao, it failed to create even the slightest ripple.
As the perspective drew closer, the river appeared boundless from every angle, a sea of sword intent with no discernible end.
Two surges of sword qi clashed, carrying an overbearing force capable of shattering worlds. The collision forced both figures to retreat, instantly widening the distance between them by ten thousand miles.
One of them, a man clad in a blue robe, wielded a wooden sword in hand. He squinted at his distant opponent and spoke, "Such an ethereal sword technique... Are you from Canglan Sword Domain?"
The other swordsman, dressed in pristine white, held a slender black sword in his grip. The blade shimmered with a fluid brilliance, as if a flowing river coursed along its edge.
At the blue-robed swordsman's inquiry, the white-robed swordsman snorted coldly. "Your sword carries a battle-hardened will. I never thought the War Court had cultivators devoted solely to swordsmanship. I always assumed the War Court was full of deranged fanatics."
The blue-robed swordsman replied, "If we continue, neither of us will gain the upper hand."
The white-robed swordsman remained silent, a flicker of dissatisfaction crossing his eyes.
In the Canglan Sword Domain, while he was not the strongest, he was unrivaled among his peers. Even when stepping into a new major realm, he could easily suppress others.
Yet today, he had encountered a formidable opponent—one from a faction he deeply disdained, the War Court.
That a place like the War Court could produce a sword cultivator capable of matching him in combat left him deeply frustrated.
The blue-robed swordsman was about to speak again when he suddenly turned his head sharply. At the same moment, the white-robed swordsman also glanced sideways.
Both men looked in the same direction.
From within the River of Sword Dao, countless streaks of sword qi surged forth, coalescing into a single figure atop the river's surface.
Upon seeing this figure, both swordsmen furrowed their brows, an unshakable sense of unease creeping into their hearts.
Far away, in front of Myriad Sword Mountain, Gu An also saw this figure.
He could not divine its karmic origins, which only meant one thing—the opponent's cultivation was unimaginably high.
Under Gu An's watchful gaze, the mysterious figure raised a sword and, with a single strike, obliterated both Profound Origin Free Immortal swordsmen. Then, without hesitation, the figure turned and walked into the River of Sword Dao, vanishing without a trace.
Gu An could not discern the figure's origins, yet he distinctly sensed that the person had used Sacred Heart Sword Dao.
Come to think of it, even Annihilation God Emperor had been entranced upon witnessing the Sacred Heart Sword Dao. Just how great was its allure?
Although Gu An could wield the Sacred Heart Sword Dao, he was only borrowing its power; he could not extract it from the River of Sword Dao and make it his own. He could choose to allow others to cultivate it or deny them access.
However, before he had merged with Yang Xian's memories, many had already started practicing the Sacred Heart Sword Dao. He had no intention of cutting off their paths.
Gu An withdrew his gaze and remained still for a long while.
A moment later, Chen Chuan approached and spoke, "Master, I've encountered a bottleneck."
Gu An replied softly, "The time has not yet come."
Chen Chuan froze, then scratched his head awkwardly. "Master, I haven't even explained yet."
"The hardest part of cultivation is enduring the passage of time," Gu An said casually. "Resisting loneliness and suppressing inner restlessness is more difficult than breaking through realms."
Having spoken, he turned and walked away.
Chen Chuan quickly followed behind him, his tone growing more inquisitive. "I overheard disciples from Qiankun Sect discussing someone named Li Ya, who wields the Nine Absolute Sacred Heart Sword. Could that be the same sword I once longed to obtain thousands of years ago?"
Gu An, with his current cultivation, did not need to leave Wushi Dao Field to observe the movements of Qiankun Sect.
Since he couldn't leave the Dao Field, Qiankun Sect became his main source of information about the outside world. It wasn't just him—everyone in the Dao Field relied on it to understand external affairs.
Apart from Shen Zhen, An Xin, the Blood Prison Saint, and the White Spirit Mouse, no one else could leave the Dao Field. However, no one dared to complain about this special treatment. They all understood that these individuals would follow Gu An for eternity, whereas they themselves lacked that kind of unwavering devotion. Gu An allowing them to remain in the Dao Field was already an opportunity for them to build up their strength.
"Hmm."
Gu An responded casually.
After thousands of years, Chen Chuan had finally developed a desire to venture out into the world. He wanted to investigate the truth behind his parents' deaths, and at the same time, he was curious about the vast world beyond.
He felt that his sword was ready to be unsheathed, that it was time for the world to witness his strength.
Seeing Gu An's indifferent reaction, Chen Chuan hesitated, unsure of what else to say.
Gu An suddenly stopped walking and lightly tapped his finger against Chen Chuan's forehead.
Before Chen Chuan could react, his entire body froze, his mind going blank.
Gu An, however, simply turned and continued on his way.
After a while—
Chen Chuan suddenly snapped out of it, his body drenched in cold sweat as he gasped for breath.
He had clearly felt the sword intent of those two sword cultivators on the Sword Dao River. He had witnessed their battle, admired their prowess—only to see them both slain in an instant by a mysterious figure.
At first, he had been in awe of their mastery, but in the end, they had been cut down as easily as weeds.
The pride he had once held was now extinguished.
He understood his master's intentions.
"I'm still not strong enough... The time hasn't come yet..." Chen Chuan muttered to himself. His gaze gradually sharpened with determination.
Night fell.
Gu An was in his study, reading under the warm glow of candlelight. Across from him sat Shen Zhen, also engrossed in a book.
Shen Zhen had little interest in sitting down to cultivate. Whenever Gu An read, she read along with him. The two would often discuss their readings, a habit they had maintained over the years.
Books had brought them together in the first place. Whatever Gu An enjoyed reading, Shen Zhen would read too. They even wrote books for each other.
As Gu An was absorbed in his book, he suddenly heard the voice of the Shen Yi Immortal Spirit.
At the same moment, Shen Zhen looked up, excitement flashing in her eyes.
"This plot twist is fantastic! A duel fueled by vengeance in a stormy night, followed by passionate entanglement when the protagonist is gravely wounded, ending in a bittersweet execution. What a masterpiece!"
Gu An gave her a sideways glance.
"Can you stop reading these ridiculous stories?"
He placed his book down and pulled the one from Shen Zhen's hands, flipping through it.
Shen Zhen chuckled and grabbed another book from the shelf.
"Master, please save him!"
The voice of the Shen Yi Immortal Spirit rang out in Gu An's mind, filled with urgency.
It was referring to the Shen Yi Realm Lord—the source of the power of Shen Yi City(Mysterious Divine City).
Gu An found the plea bothersome and casually replied in his mind, "As long as I'm here, even if he dies, you won't."
Hearing this, the Shen Yi Immortal Spirit was overjoyed and immediately expressed its gratitude, no longer daring to disturb him.
Ever since stepping into the Measuring the Heavens Golden Immortal Realm, Gu An's perception of karma had reached new heights. Two thousand years ago, he had already heard Zhang Buku's cries for help. However, he had refrained from intervening, hoping that this tribulation would help Zhang Buku grow stronger.
When the time was right, he would make his move.
With the Shen Yi Immortal Spirit finally silent, Gu An's thoughts drifted.
He thought of Zhang Chunqiu—his senior brother from when he first entered Tai Xuan Sect.
Scenes from the past surfaced in his mind—Zhang Chunqiu training him and Meng Lang, scolding them for their recklessness. It felt like a distant memory.
"Senior Brother, your son will eventually enter reincarnation to seek you out. I look forward to the day we reunite."
A faint smile touched Gu An's lips as he pondered.
In his eyes, an image formed—a gaunt, ghostly monk.
Buddha Immortal.
If Zhang Buku couldn't deal with Buddha Immortal, then as his martial uncle, Gu An had to step in.
Coincidentally, Buddha Immortal had been quite close to the Annihilation God Emperor.
This was the perfect opportunity.