Chapter 685: Slaying the Son of Heaven

An Zizai was stunned by Gu An’s words for a long time. Once he regained his composure, he began to seriously ponder what his Grandmaster had said.

Should he choose to revive them?

He truly didn’t have the courage to say he could protect others for an entire lifetime—especially those who had already died many years ago and had likely been reincarnated by now.

He remembered his Master once telling him that reincarnation was part of nature. Many mighty cultivators even used reincarnation as a path to further their cultivation.

Knowing that his old companions had entered the cycle of reincarnation brought him some comfort.

He had once thought they had all perished, their souls completely destroyed, with no hope of rebirth.

He thought for a long while.

Then An Zizai looked at Gu An and answered, “Let things follow their course. I don’t want to interfere with their new lives. But I will keep cultivating and take revenge for them. That’s my mission.”

His closest sworn brother had once said before dying that maybe An Zizai was the one hope of toppling the Beidou Sect, the one who would become a savior.

To those people, the Beidou Sect was the most powerful force under the heavens, able to cover the sky with one hand.

And An Zizai had experienced firsthand how terrifying the Beidou Sect was. For now, he couldn’t even imagine how he might take them down.

The mortal world was vast, yet almost every place he had been was under the control of the Beidou Sect.

Even when he met cultivators from the Qiankun Sect, they too showed great fear toward the Beidou Sect.

From a young age, he had been instilled with the belief that his Grandmaster was the strongest. But after venturing out into the world, that belief started to waver.

Even though he knew Grandmaster could enter the cycle of reincarnation, he still couldn’t believe that Gu An alone could overturn the world.

Gu An said nothing more after hearing An Zizai’s decision.

An Zizai bowed and turned to leave.

His presence immediately drew the attention of the Dao Field’s disciples. They all emerged from seclusion and came looking for him.

Gu An continued fishing, though his ears were secretly listening to everything they said.

After learning about what An Zizai had gone through, the disciples of Wushi Dao Field were filled with righteous fury. Tian Yao’er even wanted to personally go confront the Beidou Sect, only to be stopped by An Xin.

“Senior uncles, I’ll avenge this myself. From now on, I’ll cultivate diligently. I’ve already seen the red dust of the mortal world. I won’t disappoint you again!”

An Zizai spoke with conviction. After talking with his Grandmaster and elders, his fighting spirit had been reignited.

He had lost many things, but he wasn’t left with nothing.

He not only needed to take revenge—he also had to protect Wushi.

The Tianhong Emperor snorted and said, “Beidou Sect? When the time comes and you want revenge, I’ll go with you. Don’t worry—your enemy’s head will be yours to take.”

An Zizai couldn’t help looking at the Tianhong Emperor.

Among all the senior uncles, the Tianhong Emperor was the one he feared the most.

He rarely smiled, rarely spoke—he would just silently watch An Zizai.

Although he wasn’t talkative, he had taught An Zizai some spells, and in An Zizai’s heart, the Tianhong Emperor was family.

Moreover, in his eyes, the Tianhong Emperor was likely the second strongest in Wushi after the Grandmaster.

The aura of strength he exuded filled An Zizai with admiration.

Hearing the bold words from Tianhong Emperor, An Zizai didn’t doubt him. Instead, he felt deeply moved and reassured.

With mentors like this, the unease left in his heart by the Beidou Sect slowly faded.

An Xin glanced at Tianhong Emperor and said, “You’d better focus on your cultivation.”

Tianhong Emperor shifted his gaze away and didn’t argue.

“Junior nephew, tell us—what is the mortal world like these days?” Tianqing looked at An Zizai with curiosity.

An Zizai nodded and began describing the sights he had seen, including the Sword Sect founded by Chen Chuan.

The disciples of Wushi had also once ventured into the world. They compared their memories to An Zizai’s stories and found the mortal world had changed drastically.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t determine the current top-tier cultivation realm just from An Zizai’s account.

When An Zizai said that the Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Dao was the Free Immortal Realm, his face lit up with yearning.

The others nearly burst out laughing—but they held it in.

And none of them corrected him, as if in silent agreement.

Within the Dao Sea of Qi, stars sparkled brilliantly. A streak of golden light swept across the upper sky of the Qi Sea. On that golden light were countless figures moving forward, all clad in golden battle armor, exuding overwhelming power.

Zhang Buku and Xu You walked among the Heavenly Army, completely inconspicuous.

Their eyes were fixed on the burly figure leading the army at the front.

Heaven-Stabilizing God!

Heaven-Stabilizing God wore heavy, domineering heavenly armor and held a large saber in hand. As he walked, divine aspects floated around his body.

“This time, are we still fighting the Chaos Fiends?”

Zhang Buku asked Xu You in a low voice. The other heavenly soldiers were also whispering among themselves, all excited.

To be chosen for the Heavenly Army, one had to be a peerless genius or mighty figure from the various realms. For them, battle meant excitement.

It was during such wars that one had the best chance to seize fortune and accumulate merit. Their goal was to become Heavenly Gods like Heaven-Stabilizing God.

Xu You replied, “I don’t think so. If it were the Chaos Fiends, news would’ve leaked out by now. There hasn’t even been a whisper. Most likely, what we’re doing next isn’t under the will of the heavens, but for the personal affairs of the immortals and gods.”

His eyes scanned left and right, as if searching for someone.

“Personal affairs of the immortals and gods?” Zhang Buku looked more confused.

“You don’t really think the immortals and gods only act for the good of all beings, do you? They have their own conflicts of interest too.” Xu You’s tone was calm as ever.

Even without his beggar’s appearance, and now dressed in heavenly armor, he still looked awkward and out of place—nothing like Zhang Buku, who had the look of a heroic warrior.

“Then why not say we’re seeking treasures for the immortals and gods? Why are you so sure it’s their internal conflict?” Zhang Buku pressed on.

He’d already realized long ago that Xu You wasn’t simple. Back in the Tai Ze Grand World, Xu You had seemed to know everything. Now within the Heavenly Army, he still had all the answers, which filled Zhang Buku with curiosity.

Still, after hundreds of thousands of years facing life and death together, he trusted Xu You deeply and believed he’d never be betrayed.

“Because this is the path of the Grand Dao—a place that can’t be divined, where the Heavenly Court’s fortune can’t reach. Doing anything here won’t be detected. Even if an immortal or god falls here, it’s almost impossible to trace who did it.”

Xu You’s words made Zhang Buku frown.

The surrounding heavenly soldiers who overheard began to question Xu You further.

After all, the two of them had been in the Heavenly Army for hundreds of thousands of years and had made many friends. Xu You didn’t mind at all. If someone asked, he’d answer.

Up front, Heaven-Stabilizing God didn’t seem to notice or care and never looked back.

Time flowed quickly.

The golden light stretched endlessly. The Heavenly Army marched on, never stopping, as if the road ahead had no end.

After a long while…

A vast and terrifying pressure surged from ahead, enveloping the hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers. Every single one of them changed expression.

Heaven-Stabilizing God came to a halt.

As soon as he stopped, the entire army stopped.

All of them felt the crushing pressure coming from ahead.

They stood on full alert, not daring to speak.

“Heaven-Stabilizing God, do you really intend to wipe us out?”

A voice full of killing intent echoed from the front, the tone filled with resentment and hatred.

Heaven-Stabilizing God’s expression didn’t change.

“If you stand with the wrong side, choose the wrong camp, you’ll face a fate worse than death. No matter where you run, it’s useless. You should be thankful it’s me who came—not that Immortal Lord.”

That mysterious voice responded right away,

“Ridiculous. You dare slay even the Son of Heaven. You and Huangfeng Immortal Lord will only end up worse than me!”