Chapter 705: Dao Field Expansion

It had been another hundred years since Li Xuanmiao began calling Gu An “Master.” Not much had changed in the human world. Life and death still played out daily, and the top hundred major sects and the Dao Court continued to clash, the situation still uncertain.

On this day, right after the Spring Festival—

Gu An brought Li Xuanmiao to the Dust Realm Great World. This great thousand world was even more prosperous than the Heavenly Spirit Great World. It was even said to hide a native Innate Golden Immortal.

He planned for Li Xuanmiao to ascend here.

For that purpose, he altered Li Xuanmiao’s karma, turning him into a native lifeform of the Dust Realm Great World. Not just Li Xuanmiao’s karma—Gu An even inserted him into the memories of the world's major cultivators. Now, Li Xuanmiao was a widely recognized prodigy in this world.

In effect, he had rewritten the karma of the entire Dust Realm Great World.

This was the power of a Dao Extreme Grand Luo Immortal. Even the local heavenly deity hadn’t noticed a thing.

On the edge of the ocean, upon the sandy shore, Li Xuanmiao held the Heavenly Dao Immortal Stone in hand, looking solemnly at Gu An.

Gu An smiled and said, “Don’t worry too much. You’ve already experienced the trial inside. The only difference is that your opponent will now be immortal gods. Just in case, I’ll seal off your memories of me. After you’ve been immortal for ten thousand years, those memories will return.”

Li Xuanmiao took a deep breath and nodded slightly.

Gu An waved his sleeve. A gust of wind swept over Li Xuanmiao, throwing him into a daze.

When he regained clarity, Gu An was gone.

He lowered his head and looked at the Heavenly Dao Immortal Stone in his palm, then immediately channeled his divine sense into it.

After about one stick of incense’s time—

The sand beneath his feet suddenly erupted into a massive wave of energy that shot straight into the heavens. A brilliant light followed, forming a beam of Heavenly Dao radiance. The spiritual energy of the entire world surged toward him madly.

He had passed the Heavenly Dao trial!

In the vastness of outer space, before the realm gate, the deity guarding the Dust Realm Great World opened his eyes, his expression curious.

“Someone in this world actually passed the Heavenly Dao Immortal Stone’s test? Impressive.”

The deity muttered to himself, and then a look of expectation crept onto his face.

A new immortal god being born in this realm was a good thing for him. He would be rewarded by the Heavenly Court. Plus, this new immortal god’s position would definitely rank higher than his, so maybe they could become acquaintances in the future.

Many newly ascended immortals or trial-passers still held sentiment for their original worlds. Some great thousand worlds became extraordinary simply because they birthed many immortals and gods, far surpassing other worlds in heritage.

He stood up, preparing to go greet the new immortal god. He could offer a few reminders—a way of showing goodwill and starting a connection.

…

Gu An returned to the Wushi Dao Field. With Li Xuanmiao about to be listed among the immortals, he was in a very good mood.

He wondered what rank of Heavenly Dao immortal position Li Xuanmiao would achieve.

According to the Longevity Daoist, whether through the Heavenly Dao Mandate or the Heavenly Dao Immortal Stone, the resulting immortal rank would exceed that of a heavenly deity.

The Longevity Daoist had also listed other methods of achieving immortality, so he never suspected Gu An possessed a Heavenly Dao Immortal Stone.

There were dozens of ways to become immortal. Any method that allowed one to step onto the Ascending Heaven Steps was a high-grade path.

Most heavenly deities were chosen either through recommendation by immortal gods or by passing the trials of heavenly soldiers.

Even a god like the Heavenly Spirit God, with incredible natural talent, still needed recommendation to ascend if they couldn't pass the Heavenly Dao Immortal Stone test. Talent meant nothing in front of the Heavenly Court, because there were simply too many ambitious prodigies trying to become immortals.

Even the greatest talent in a great thousand world was nothing special on the path of the Grand Dao.

Gu An strolled leisurely along the small river of the Dao Field.

Ahead, someone was cultivating by the riverbank—Tianhong Emperor.

After so many years, Tianhong Emperor had awakened more of his immortal and divine memories. This made him cherish his days cultivating in the Wushi Dao Field even more, because he knew he would eventually return to the Heavenly Court.

Hearing footsteps, Tianhong Emperor opened his eyes and turned his head. When he saw it was Gu An, he quickly stood up and bowed.

“You just keep cultivating. I’m just wandering around,” Gu An said with a smile. Li Xuanmiao’s ascension had put him in a good mood, and even Tianhong Emperor now looked more pleasing to his eyes.

He had no reason to oppose the Heavenly Court without cause. He didn’t enjoy fighting and killing. He preferred peaceful days of comprehending the Dao.

After Gu An walked past him, Tianhong Emperor finally let out a breath of relief and continued meditating.

Even after so many years together, being in Gu An’s presence still made him feel pressured.

Gu An heard his thoughts but didn’t mind.

There were more and more people in the Wushi Dao Field, and he couldn’t possibly get close to every disciple—that would be too exhausting.

Among the third-generation disciples, only Shangguan Xian’er amused him. Even An Zizai, whom he had personally taken out to see the world, didn’t really interest him anymore.

Walking another hundred li forward, Gu An saw Lu Zidao, Tian Yao’er’s disciple, sparring in sword techniques with Jiang Lan, An Xin’s second disciple.

They weren’t using any spells or divine powers—just pure sword moves. Their figures interwove with lightning precision, their strikes fierce and sharp.

Noticing Gu An’s approach, both of them froze in shock and were about to stop when Gu An’s voice came:

“Don’t stop. I’m just passing by.”

Hearing that, Lu Zidao and Jiang Lan’s eyes sharpened. Their movements quickened.

Every third-generation disciple wanted to curry favor with Gu An. Now that they had a chance to show their talent in front of him, they naturally pushed themselves harder.

Gu An walked around them and stepped into the mountain forest.

“When the number of disciples in the Dao Field exceeds one hundred, I’ll probably have to expand,” Gu An thought to himself.

When high-realm disciples fought, even when holding back, the aftermath still affected large areas.

To expand the Dao Field, he needed lifespan. He planned to take the entire Nine Spirits Continent into the Wushi Dao Field.

He had this idea because he’d seen the future—Qiankun Sect would suffer a disaster. Internal strife would plunge the sect into chaos, leading to countless deaths across the continent.

It would be an internal collapse. Gu An still wouldn’t interfere. It was time for the Qiankun Sect to stand on its own.

He had protected the Qiankun Sect for so long. If he kept shielding it until it ruled the world under the banner of Wushi, it would go against his principles.

The Qiankun Sect could be the strongest sect in the world, but it couldn’t rely entirely on Wushi.

The number-one sect must be strong—and respected.

An hour later, Gu An strolled back to his courtyard.

Passing by the artifact-refining cauldron, Shen Zhen suddenly asked, “Can you calculate what rank of immortal Yang Jian has reached now?”

She had been curious about it ever since Yang Jian ascended. She’d asked Gu An many times.

Without stopping, Gu An replied, “Not yet. You’ll know when he returns.”

He had to go inside and read. Shangguan Xian’er had written a new piece recently, and he wanted to enjoy it thoroughly.

Shen Zhen pouted and secretly made up her mind—she couldn’t let that brat Shangguan Xian’er surpass her. It was time for her to pick up the pen again.

The sun set. The moon rose. A night passed.

At dawn the next day—

Gu An stepped out of his room, book in hand, with a faint smile on his face.

“Where are you going now?” Shen Zhen asked curiously.

Gu An glanced at her and replied, “Going to Qiankun Sect.”

“I’m coming too.”

Shen Zhen immediately got up. She had a guess about what Gu An was going to do and didn’t want to miss the show.

Gu An didn’t refuse and headed for the courtyard gate.

Just as he reached it, An Xin appeared out of nowhere, frowning. “Master, I’ve just received word—Yuan Luo has turned demon!”