Chapter 688: The Profound and Unfathomable Master Ancestor

Wushi Dao Field, dusk.

Gu An was in the courtyard carving a wooden figure. Shen Zhen was cultivating before the artifact-refining cauldron, while An Zizai sat atop the courtyard wall, deep in thought. The golden glow of dusk bathed the entire courtyard in a quiet, peaceful atmosphere.

Suddenly—

Gu An raised an eyebrow slightly. He sensed that the Blood Prison Saint and Fang Xuan had been captured, and the threads of karma around them suddenly grew blurry.

The Heavenly Court!

Only the Heavenly Court could obscure karmic threads this thoroughly.

Fortunately, the Blood Prison Saint and Fang Xuan carried the fortune of the Hunyuan Dao Emperor, which Gu An could use to track them down.

He followed that trace of fortune and began investigating their current state.

Hmm?

Gu An suddenly thought of the Divine Court within the Taiwei Great World.

The Divine Court was also helping the immortals and gods capture living beings and throw them into a giant furnace. And now, the Blood Prison Saint and Fang Xuan were facing the same fate.

Could these immortals and gods be preparing for a battle for the position of Heavenly Emperor?

Gu An stood up and stretched lazily.

He glanced at An Zizai, and an idea formed in his mind.

No matter what, An Zizai was the lead disciple of the third generation of Wushi. In the future, he would need the capability and insight to stand on his own.

But right now, An Zizai seriously lacked insight. He even saw the so-called Zizai Immortal as the ultimate state of cultivation.

“Zizai,” Gu An said suddenly, “I’m about to head out. There might be a fight. Want to come along and watch?”

As soon as he spoke, An Zizai turned his head and looked at him, interest written all over his face.

Not just him—Shen Zhen also looked over, curiosity in her eyes.

“Master Ancestor, I’m afraid I’ll only hold you back…”

An Zizai did want to go, but remembering his past experiences venturing outside, he hesitated, a bit timid.

Gu An smiled and said, “No worries. You don’t need to do anything. It’s a rare opportunity—think it over.”

Hearing that, An Zizai fell silent.

Shen Zhen spoke up, “Your Master Ancestor wants you to broaden your horizons. You’re Wushi’s first third-generation disciple. In the future, there’ll be many junior disciples. With how you are now, do you really think you’re qualified to be the lead disciple?”

Her words were blunt, even a bit mocking, but An Zizai wasn’t offended.

He took a deep breath. He felt Shen Zhen had a point.

He glanced at her gratefully, then turned to Gu An and said, “Master Ancestor, I’d like to go with you!”

Gu An immediately waved his sleeve.

A strong gust rushed toward An Zizai, and he instinctively closed his eyes.

In the next moment, he couldn’t open his eyes at all. He only felt himself falling rapidly, even his divine sense couldn’t extend outward. This made him tense up instinctively.

After a while, An Zizai felt his feet touch solid ground. He opened his eyes on instinct and saw the back of Gu An standing right in front of him.

Seeing his Master Ancestor nearby, he let out a breath of relief.

He didn’t say anything but looked up to examine the surroundings.

He realized they were in a dark and dim world. The sky above was pitch black, like a starless night. The ground was barren and dead, covered in patches of scorched earth. Sparks and burnt smoke floated in the air, and he gradually felt an oppressive heat.

“What is this place?”

Confused, An Zizai turned to Gu An.

Gu An said calmly, “We’re inside a massive cauldron. Right now, there are several thousand beings who’ve surpassed the Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Dao suffering here.”

Surpassed the Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Dao?

Several thousand?

An Zizai’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped unconsciously. His entire worldview was shaken.

In his understanding, the Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Dao was already the peak of cultivation. He couldn’t imagine what kind of power surpassing that level would mean—but now, several thousand of such powerful beings were suppressed right here.

"Above the Free Immortal Realm lies the Dao Fruit Realm. It’s divided into Dao Repository Free Immortal, Profound Origin Free Immortal, and Vast Heaven Free Immortal. Beyond that is the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit Realm, which includes the Innate Golden Immortal, Measuring the Heavens Golden Immortal, and Supreme Purity Golden Immortal."

Gu An gazed into the distance as he calmly explained, making An Zizai even more shaken.

There were actually so many realms above Zizai Immortal?

Then what realm was Master Ancestor in?

His instincts told him—Master Ancestor might really be a Supreme Purity Golden Immortal!

How else would he know all of this?

An Zizai nervously asked, "Master Ancestor, who is the enemy? Where are they?"

Gu An didn’t hide anything and said, "The owner of this cauldron is an immortal god from the Heavenly Court. We came here because my mount was captured and thrown in."

"Was it Uncle Blood Prison?" An Zizai’s eyes lit up as he pressed further.

Though the Blood Prison Saint was technically a mount, within Wushi he was treated like a fellow disciple. An Zizai had heard about him since childhood.

Among Wushi’s disciples, the Blood Prison Saint was second only to his master and was extremely powerful.

"Yeah, it’s him."

Gu An nodded. He had already locked onto the auras of the Blood Prison Saint and Fang Xuan. The two were trying to escape the cauldron, but no matter how many divine abilities they used, they couldn’t get out.

The others trapped in the cauldron had long lost hope. All they could do was sit and meditate to resist the raging flames.

"Then are we going to save him now?" An Zizai asked excitedly.

He was excited not only because he’d get to meet the Blood Prison Saint but also because he was finally brushing up against immortal gods and realms beyond Zizai Immortal. It reminded him of the thrill he felt when he first left the Nine Spirits Continent for training.

"No rush."

Gu An turned to walk forward, and An Zizai quickly followed.

He kept looking around, nerves on edge, not knowing where the enemy might appear.

"This world is huge... Is it really a cauldron?"

An Zizai was shocked. He couldn’t imagine how powerful the Heavenly Court immortal god must be to control a cauldron this massive. What kind of being would that even be?

As they walked, An Zizai saw piles of white bones—some were human remains, others from beasts. It was a chilling sight. Some skeletons were twisted in horrifying shapes, and just looking at them made his scalp prickle. He could imagine how desperate they must have been before they died.

"Master Ancestor, how did you bring me in here?" An Zizai finally turned his eyes back to Gu An and asked cautiously.

Being able to enter even a treasure owned by an immortal god at will—An Zizai could truly sense just how unfathomable his Master Ancestor was. It made him even more eager to witness the coming battle.

"Just took one step and walked in," Gu An replied casually.

Such a nonchalant answer only made An Zizai admire him even more.

"Master Ancestor, are you going to fight an immortal god?"

"In this place, I might as well test their strength."

"What is this place exactly? Where is this cauldron located? Are we still in our own world?"

"This is the Path of the Grand Dao, incredibly far from the Tianling Great World—so far that with your current cultivation, you could never reach this place in your lifetime."

Gu An’s answer made An Zizai widen his eyes again. He silently etched the name ‘Path of the Grand Dao’ into his mind. If he ever had the chance, he swore to come here himself someday.

"Master Ancestor, if there’s a battle later... can you use the Myriad Dao Peerless Palm to fight?" An Zizai’s eyes gleamed as he asked expectantly.

Gu An gave a light nod. He didn’t turn back, but even that simple nod made An Zizai feel thrilled.

He had been cultivating the Myriad Dao Peerless Palm for so many years, yet he had never truly seen how powerful the technique was.