Chapter 651: White-Haired Immortal Ancestor

"What are you looking at?"

Gu An asked Shen Zhen with a smile. He could hear the speculations running through her mind, but he didn’t expose them.

Even when facing Shen Zhen, Gu An would never reveal his true strength.

Shen Zhen snapped out of her thoughts and asked, "The Tianhong Emperor has already left. Do you really think relying on him can save the world?"

Over the years, the mortal world had grown increasingly chaotic. She could sense an eerie and inexplicable force manipulating the fate of all beings.

Such a power must be connected to the Outer Heavens.

This was not something that could be resolved even by the Tianhong Emperor, who had reached the Dao Void Profound Immortal Realm, not even if he wielded a Dao Treasure.

Gu An walked over to her, waved his hand to move a chair from a distance, and sat down beside her. He casually replied, "Don’t underestimate his potential. He has a talent comparable to Tian Hao. Do you think someone like him is ordinary?"

"Could it be that he also has an immortal or divine background?"

"Perhaps."

Hearing Gu An’s words, Shen Zhen was now certain that the Tianhong Emperor was somehow connected to immortals and gods.

Tsk, tsk.

Immortals and gods were as elusive as myths, nearly impossible to encounter, yet by staying around Gu An, it seemed they weren’t so rare after all.

Shen Zhen turned to look at Gu An beside her, her eyes filled with curiosity.

She was very intrigued—how did the immortals and gods perceive Gu An?

With a teasing smile, she asked, "So many immortals and gods have appeared before you. Could it be that the Heavenly Court’s true target is you? What if one day, the Heavenly Court invites you to join them? What would you choose?"

"That depends on the position they offer." Gu An answered casually.

Shen Zhen’s eyes curved into crescents as she chuckled, "What if they invite you to take care of their horses?"

She had first approached Gu An because she loved his books. Even now, she would occasionally reread Investiture of the Gods, Journey to the West, Tai Xuan Immortal Lord, and other classics.

Gu An rolled his eyes at her and said grumpily, "You really have a sense of humor. If that happens, then I’ll go raise their horses—and I’ll take you with me as my assistant."

"Great! Great! The horses of the heavens must be extraordinary!"

Shen Zhen said excitedly, making Gu An shake his head and laugh.

The two of them continued planning their imaginary careers as the Heavenly Court’s stable keepers before finally turning their discussion to worldly matters.

Shen Zhen was extremely curious about the mysterious force causing chaos in the world. Gu An did not hide anything and shared his findings with her, hoping to broaden her understanding of the Dao.

Truth be told, aside from An Xin, Shen Zhen was the one Gu An had invested the most effort into cultivating. It wasn’t favoritism—rather, the others were still in the early stages of cultivation, closed off in seclusion, refining their techniques.

Shen Zhen was able to achieve her current level of understanding because she had inherited the karma of Yongsheng.

Of course, that didn’t mean she was simply lucky. Unlike Tian Yao’er, who depended on Gu An out of necessity, Shen Zhen had chosen to forsake other relationships and place all her trust in him.

That was precisely why Yongsheng had chosen her.

Everything had a cause and effect. What seemed like coincidence was, in truth, inevitable.

That year, the mortal world underwent a great upheaval, as a once-peerless prodigy of ancient times reappeared in the world.

The Tianhong Emperor did not return to the Dao Court, instead choosing to wander the lands, suppressing evil forces wherever he went.

Even the Dao Court, the ruler of the world, exerted its influence to quell unrest. Many prodigies rose to prominence through these efforts, and among them, the most renowned was the Dao Court’s chief disciple, Zhao Rushen.

During an era of chaos and darkness, the Tianhong Emperor and Zhao Rushen shone like twin stars, attempting to illuminate the world with their feeble yet determined light.

One hundred years later.

On a quiet morning, Gu An finished gathering medicinal herbs in the Wushi Dao Field and left alone.

He walked leisurely through the forest outside the Dao Field when his figure suddenly vanished.

Yet he did not stop moving. The universe beneath his feet was shifting. With every step he took, he crossed into a new cosmic plane.

Time and space twisted like a shuttle, light itself seemed to flow in reverse. Though his strides were swift, the infinite expanse ahead made his journey feel endlessly slow.

Suddenly—

A shroud of black mist coiled around Gu An, rapidly concealing his form. As his right foot stepped down, he instantly arrived in a vast and shadowy void.

He halted his steps and gazed forward.

Before him stretched a boundless expanse of towering Dao Mountains, extending endlessly into the horizon. Each peak stood with supreme majesty, and those farther away loomed like divine colossi, exuding an overwhelming divine might.

Endless Dao Mountain!

Gu An had just appeared when he felt the force of the rules of this place surge toward him, seemingly trying to cloak him in a layer that obscured cause-and-effect deductions. However, he did not conceal his true form.

He remained in his Dao Formless Body, as he was also wary of these rules.

When the force of these laws enveloped him, he realized that his actions were not restricted. It was a rather peculiar set of rules.

Stepping forward, he admired the towering Dao Mountains along the way.

Before coming here, he had already suppressed his cultivation level to the Heaven-Opening Grand Luo Immortal Realm. Not only that, but he also deliberately weakened his aura. At a glance, he appeared to be a cautious yet slightly exposed Heaven-Opening Grand Luo Immortal.

His purpose for coming to Endless Dao Mountain was not to cultivate, but to gather intelligence, connect with the cultivators here, and explore deeper insights into the Great Dao.

If he could learn more about the Heavenly Court while he was here, that would be even better.

He wandered aimlessly, taking in his surroundings. He noticed that most cultivators occupied their own Dao Mountain alone—after all, there were simply too many peaks available.

These cultivators seemed wary of one another.

That made things a bit difficult.

Gu An couldn't help but think of Bai Ziya from Mortal Peak. When he first ventured beyond the world, he had encountered Bai Ziya, who warmly welcomed him and even brought him into Mortal Peak.

Though Mortal Peak hadn't significantly aided his cultivation, it had helped him gain a better understanding of the world and the Dao. This was why he had never severed his karmic ties with it—he valued such connections.

He continued drifting about, waiting for an opportunity.

During this time, he saw other figures entering Endless Dao Mountain, though most of them had clear destinations and moved at great speed.

One particular figure caught his attention.

This cultivator seemed just as lost as he was, moving slowly while glancing around cautiously.

After hesitating for a moment, Gu An cautiously flew over, pretending to be careful.

The other party was also a Heaven-Opening Grand Luo Immortal. Perhaps because they had a certain level of confidence, they dared to wander about like this. Earlier, Gu An had seen a Supreme Purity Golden Immortal enter the area, only to immediately hide inside a Dao Mountain.

This Heaven-Opening Grand Luo Immortal was somewhat thin, resembling a Daoist. He held a floating dust whisk, which looked somewhat like a sword. Upon seeing Gu An approach, he stopped and turned to face him.

"Fellow Daoist, may I ask, is this Endless Dao Mountain?" Gu An asked, altering his voice slightly.

"Yes, this is indeed Endless Dao Mountain. Is this your first time here?" The man replied, his tone slightly cold.

"That's right. I heard that Endless Dao Mountain holds boundless truths of the Great Dao. My cultivation has reached a bottleneck, so I came to try my luck. The Dao aura here is indeed dense, far surpassing my expectations… but this place is different from what I imagined…"

Gu An trailed off, as if hesitating.

"You didn’t expect so many people here, did you?" the other party followed up.

"Exactly."

Gu An spoke with a touch of awe in his tone.

The man sighed. "Every cultivator who comes here is a great figure from their own world. This only proves how vast the Great Dao truly is—far beyond what we can comprehend. Though I was aware of Endless Dao Mountain before, upon arriving here, I was just as shocked as you."

"I am Hong Yazi, from the Ethereal Immortal Court. May I ask your name, and which sect you hail from?"

Ethereal Immortal Court?

Gu An hadn't expected the first Grand Luo Immortal he met to be from the Ethereal Immortal Court.

He replied, "I am Meng Lang. Back when I first ascended to Golden Immortal, my sect was destroyed. Since then, I have wandered the world and am currently unaffiliated."

Hong Yazi nodded after hearing this and said, "With your level of cultivation, establishing your own sect wouldn’t be difficult."

Gu An shook his head. "Forget it. Having a sect comes with burdens. I prefer to pursue the Dao freely without attachments."

"That makes sense," Hong Yazi replied. He seemed to recall something and fell into silence.

Gu An was considering how to advance their conversation.

"Meng Daoist, since you are also new here, you must be unsure of where to go next. How about joining me to listen to a True Immortal's Dao lecture?" Hong Yazi suddenly invited him.

Gu An was taken aback and hesitated before asking, "Me? Is that really appropriate?"

Hong Yazi replied, "Don’t worry. I have no personal connections with the True Immortal. His lectures are not private teachings—anyone can attend."

"Dare I ask, who is this True Immortal?"

"He is known as White-Haired Immortal Ancestor, a highly respected immortal of the Heavenly Court."