Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

Hearing the legend of the Demon Ancestor, Gu An felt something strange inside.

So the Nine Dynasties on the continent were the invaders?

No wonder the Holy Land didn't help the Nine Dynasties.

Gu An didn't think too much about it, he wasn't going to sympathize with the Demon Clan, nor blame the Nine Dynasties.

The battle for survival was never defined by good or evil, and besides, it's possible there were other species on the continent before the Demon Clan was born.

The evolution of the world is a natural selection, a cycle of the old being replaced by the new.

As a human, Gu An naturally had to consider things from the perspective of the Human Race.

If one possesses justice, then one should not annihilate the Demon Clan.

In fact, the Human Race and the Demon Clan could coexist; demon shadows could be seen everywhere in the Immortal Cultivation World, and demon pets had become an indispensable element for the vast majority of cultivators. In some sects, powerful demon creatures could even become protective deities, worshiped by cultivators.

After Tian Yao'er finished speaking, she looked at Gu An nervously and suddenly reached out to grab his left hand, saying, "Master, can the Human Race and the Demon Clan really not coexist? Why must it be a fight to the death?"

Although she feared the Human Race, she did not despise them, because she had never been in contact with the Human Race since she was young. On the contrary, it was the Demon Clan who persecuted her.

Gu An withdrew his hand and said, "It's not just species that struggle in this world. To become stronger, one must walk the path of strife. Rather than worry and feel sorrow, it's better to cultivate diligently because your enemies will not sympathize with you. If you want to sympathize with others, you need to be strong enough."

With memories of his past life, Gu An always regarded the world from the perspective of a bystander, except for his sincerely befriended old friends.

When chaos plagued the Outer Sect of the Supreme Sect, he might have inscribed the words of the Righteous Path, but he did not loathe the actions of those people.

Ephemera Sect's ravaging of the world didn't fill him with extreme hatred either.

He could blend into the secular world, but deep in his heart, there was always a loneliness that allowed him to see everything clearly while not being swayed emotionally by his surroundings.

After hearing his words, Tian Yao'er nodded seriously and followed with, "If the Demon Ancestor is revived and the Human Race is driven out, Master, wherever you go, you must take me with you!"

Gu An smiled and asked, "Is the Demon Ancestor really that powerful? Will the Human Race definitely be driven away?"

"I've heard the Demon Mother say before that once the Demon Ancestor revives, this continent will completely become the Demon Land, and the current Cultivators of the Human Race will not be a match for the Demon Ancestor," Tian Yao'er said with a tilted head.

That strong?

Gu An became even more interested in the Demon Ancestor.

If nothing went wrong, when the great calamity of demons erupted, the Demon Ancestor would have to be dealt with by him.

Furthermore, Gu An was somewhat skeptical about what Tian Yao'er said; he felt that this continent was hiding more secrets, and the legend couldn't explain it all.

If the continent truly belonged fully to the Demon Clan, then where did demons and ghosts come from?

Demons are not just another name for demon creatures; demons are a separate force.

When the Human Race cultivates demon powers, they become Demon Cultivators; when the Demon Clan cultivates demon powers, they become fiendish demons. Why do demon powers exist?

Moreover, Gu An felt that the resentment in the Demon Land was far greater than in the Nine Dynasties' lands, and in the Demon Land, the traces of Cultivators of the Human Race were scarce. It couldn't be said that all this resentment was caused by the Human Race Cultivators, could it?

Then, Gu An asked Tian Yao'er to continue practicing the Limitless Freedom Step while he used his Divine Sense to chase after the rampaging demons.

In the night, various demons ran through the mountains and fields, with many demon birds sweeping over the mountain tops. Upon closer inspection, there were several shadows of demons and ghosts amongst the demons.

The difference between the demon and ghost shadows was that these demon shadows emitted Demonic Qi, like clouds of black mist flying past.

Gu An's Divine Sense followed them across a distance of a million miles, and he saw more and more demons along the way.

Seeing the number of demons along the way, even he, at the Nirvana Realm, felt his scalp tingle. If the demon calamity were to break out, the lands of the Nine Dynasties would likely be quickly flattened without his intervention.

Not far from the depths of the Demon Land, Gu An also sensed the presence of demon creatures at the Unification Realm; these creatures were not stirred by the great tide of demons but remained in their own caves.

Finally, Gu An's Divine Sense stopped at a cluster of volcanoes. The place was filled with lava, and the night sky was covered in thick, hot smoke. Some volcanoes were even constantly erupting, spectacular yet terrifying.

According to the map given by Xu Lu, this should be the Ridge of Ten Thousand Demons deep in the continent.

The Ridge of Ten Thousand Demons has tens of thousands of volcanoes and is home to tens of thousands of Demon Kings; the number of demons is unimaginable.

The author of the Chronicles of the World passed by here and did not dare to go deep because the demon energy here was so intimidating that it made him turn back. He only came to know about the Ridge of Ten Thousand Demons by capturing and interrogating a demon.

Gu An could sense the presence of over a thousand figures in the Unification Realm, more than twenty in the Mystic Heart Realm, and even one at the Mahayana Realm!

At this moment, countless demons within the Ridge of Ten Thousand Demons were also rushing northward.

Gu An did not continue to explore northward, not because his Divine Sense could not stretch further, but because there were Mahayana Realm demons here. It was very likely that the Demon Ancestor surpassed the Mahayana Realm.

Thinking carefully about what Tian Yao'er had said about the legend, it was very plausible.

The blood of the Mahayana Realm wasn't so almighty, but the Nirvana Realm was different; the essence of life had already undergone transformation, just like Gu An's blood was no longer ordinary.

Gu An did not want to startle the snake.

After all, the demon calamity wasn't going to erupt tomorrow.

He still had time to extend his life span. When he reached a life span of ten million years, his strength would also see a big leap.

Stay calm!

The advantage is mine!

Gu An withdrew his Divine Sense and continued to guide Tian Yao'er in her cultivation.

...

Spring passed and autumn came, and another three years went by.

One afternoon, the 82-year-old Gu An, transformed into a small figure clad in white, arrived at the North Sea Mountains to visit Sage Xuan Miao.

Sage Xuan Miao was being cared for by him, with Gu An visiting once every few months, and Sage Xuan Miao had grown accustomed to it, spending his days cultivating in the Mountain God Temple and living a contented life.

As soon as Gu An arrived, he saw another person outside the temple, and it was someone he knew.

An Hao!

An Hao stood shoulder to shoulder with Sage Xuan Miao at the edge of the hillside, gazing together at the majestic North Sea.

It seemed their relationship was good, the Golden List Conference having led to their fateful encounter.

An Hao had already broken through to the first layer of the Nascent Soul Realm, and he was not even fifty years old yet...

It looked like An Hao had a very good chance of surpassing Li Xuandao's breakthrough speed!

"Your cultivation speed is fast enough, what you really need now is to calm your mind," Sage Xuan Miao said, sounding somewhat helpless.

Before attending the Golden List Conference, he truly thought his talents were unmatched in the world.

Being defeated by An Hao didn't get him down; instead, he was grateful. He was fortunate to have encountered An Hao, allowing him to recognize his own shortcomings early, which would help him to cultivate better going forward.

An Hao stood tall and straight, his arms crossed before his chest, his face handsome and his hair casually tied back, exuding both grace and the pride of a heaven's chosen. A blade of grass dangled from his lips as he said with a slight laugh, "I don't feel that my cultivation speed is very fast. I don't know why, but ever since I began cultivating, I've always felt that time is pressing.

If I do not cultivate diligently, disaster will eventually fall upon me."

He gazed at the surface of the North Sea, his eyes deep.

Seeing the little brat who once didn't even reach his shoulder become such a figure, Gu An felt a great sense of achievement.

If it weren't for him, An Hao would've died in the jaws of demons long ago, and he had also instructed An Hao in cultivation; he deserved that sense of achievement.

Hearing An Hao's words, Gu An thought of the limit of life span.

Could geniuses like An Hao sense the existence of Heavenly Destiny?

If he could not achieve Nirvana within ten thousand years, he would eventually die.

Sage Xuan Miao spoke with emotion, "If that's the case, then I will guide you. On my way past Tianwei, my treasure led me to the ruins of a Great Cultivator's cave, but the restrictions inside were complex, and I couldn't comprehend them at the moment. I had to put it aside to attend the Golden List Conference. You can try it out, there's a great chance inside."

Upon hearing this, An Hao immediately inquired about the specific location of the cave ruins.

Sage Xuan Miao took out a map from his Storage Bag and handed it to An Hao.

After chatting for a while longer, An Hao prepared to take his leave. Just before leaving, he reminded, "The Hateful Heaven Divine Sword has been causing quite a stir in the Immortal Cultivation World lately. The Sword Master has fallen into the Demon Path, and he has also cultivated a heretical technique. More and more people are dying at his hands.

You must be careful in these deep mountains, lest he catch you. If the Mountain God continues to doze off, no one will be able to save you."

Sage Xuan Miao laughed, "I'm a fifth-layer Divinity Transformation Realm Cultivator, the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword has not yet killed anyone of the Divinity Transformation Realm."

An Hao shook his head with an amused smile, waved his hand, and then turned to leave.

He leaped up, a Flying Sword emerging from his waist, and he rode the sword away, quickly disappearing into the horizon of the North Sea.

Sage Xuan Miao watched for a while, then turned and went back to the temple.

Just as he entered the courtyard, he heard the Mountain God's voice: "This child has an excellent foundation, and his destiny is remarkable."

He looked up to see the Mountain God sitting on the temple eaves, watching the departing figure of An Hao.

Sage Xuan Miao revealed a smile, "His talents are indeed unmatched in the world. My master once said that the Supreme Sect would give birth to a prodigy who could change heaven and earth. Perhaps it's him."

Upon hearing this, Gu An chortled, "Is Three Pure Ones Mountain that powerful?"

Sage Xuan Miao replied, "Of course, Three Pure Ones Mountain can't compare with you. It's just that the Daoist Tradition has been in existence for over ten thousand years, and the elders have mastered some prediction techniques. In truth, our Three Pure Ones Mountain came from overseas as well. Our ancestors couldn't return, so they rooted themselves on this continent."

He started to elaborate on Three Pure Ones Mountain, and Gu An listened intently.

The Divine-Reaching Mystic Gate alone was enough to make him not underestimate Three Pure Ones Mountain.

"By the way, the Li Family has also given birth to a person of Heavenly Destiny, with tremendous destiny. This child must also be a disciple of the Supreme Sect. He has not yet revealed his talents, but once he encounters a great opportunity, he might soar to the skies and compete with An Hao. I'm quite looking forward to that day," Sage Xuan Miao looked up at Gu An, his face full of anticipation.

Gu An asked curiously, "The person of Heavenly Destiny, have you calculated it clearly?"

"How can calculations be so clear? But it should be him, the other descendants of the Li Family don't have such extraordinary talents," Sage Xuan Miao shook his head.

Gu An knew whom he was referring to; within the Supreme Sect, the most talented Li Family disciple could only be Li Ya.

But in fact, Li Xuandao's talents were even more terrifying!

Perhaps Li Xuandao was the Li Family's person of Heavenly Destiny, and looking at the current state, Li Xuandao indeed had the potential to rival An Hao.