Chapter Summaries

Gu An watched the Taixuan Sect react to Sword Venerable Fudao’s growing fame and learned that the Heaven Sword Daoist would challenge him at the Heaven-Mending Platform in three months. As the coming battle drew near, Li Ya recognized Sword Venerable Fudao as his family’s progenitor, while Wu Jue began comprehending the Dao before his statue.

• At the Heaven-Mending Platform, Si Zhe revealed himself as a prince of Tianwei and disciple of the Heaven Sword Daoist, then announced that his master would challenge Sword Venerable Fudao in three months.
• A month later, Lu Baitian told Gu An that Tianwei hoped to use the challenge to suppress the Taixuan Sect, discussed the coming Golden List, and left Gu An a book titled Life-Reversing Divine Technique.
• Li Ya recognized Sword Venerable Fudao as the Li Family Progenitor and resolved to make his mark at the Golden Ranking Assembly.
• Wu Jue mourned that his master would not witness the coming battle and began comprehending the Dao as he gazed at Sword Venerable Fudao’s statue.
• As Li Ya turned to leave, the Old Ancestor suddenly told him to wait.

Wu Jue’s Dao comprehension astonished Li Ya, who failed to recruit him and was shocked by his strength. As the Heaven Sword Daoist arrived to challenge Sword Venerable Fudao, Gu An slipped away to prepare a dramatic display of the Great Vast God-Startling Sword.

• Old Ancestor told Li Ya that Wu Jue was comprehending the Dao and urged him to recruit Wu Jue as a disciple.
• Wu Jue pushed Li Ya aside and flew away, leaving Li Ya humiliated and determined to become stronger.
• Gu An gave Wu Jue a Storage Bag full of pills, and Wu Jue accepted them while promising himself he would protect Gu An.
• The Heaven Sword Daoist arrived in Outer Sect City and challenged Sword Venerable Fudao, drawing Taixuan Sect’s leaders and disciples to watch.
• Gu An left the inn, hid in a forest, and decided to reveal the true Great Vast God-Startling Sword.

Sword Venerable Fudao defeated the Heaven Sword Daoist with a single overwhelming strike, confirming his supremacy before the gathered cultivators. As Outer Sect City celebrated and Taixuan Sect prepared new events to capitalize on the spectacle, An Hao appeared to gain insight from the sword strike.

• The Heaven Sword Daoist challenged Sword Venerable Fudao, who answered through a giant face formed from thunderclouds above Outer Sect City.
• The Heaven Sword Daoist unleashed a vast Sword Intent galaxy, but Sword Venerable Fudao’s third-eye sword light shattered it and fatally wounded him.
• The Heaven Sword Daoist died satisfied that he had witnessed the sword of the Number One Under Heaven, while spectators erupted in cheers.
• Lu Baitian ordered preparations for the Golden Ranking Assembly and the World's First Sword Assembly, offering rewards tied to Sword Venerable Fudao.
• An Hao closed his eyes to savor the sword strike, and Old Ancestor Xuanquan and the others noticed that he seemed to have grasped something.

Gu An helped Lu Lingjun join Taixuan Sect and watched the sect expand after Sword Venerable Fudao defeated Heaven Sword Daoist. Five years later, Gu An had surpassed two million years of lifespan when Zhou Tongyou approached him and Lu Lingjun suddenly appeared at his side.

• Gu An watched An Hao comprehend the Dao, then drank and talked with Shen Zhen and Wu Jue after the battle.
• Lu Lingjun revealed that she was at the Void Crossing Realm and asked Gu An to help her join Taixuan Sect; he later introduced her to Lu Baitian, who arranged her new disciple token.
• News of Sword Venerable Fudao killing Heaven Sword Daoist spread across Nine Dynasties Land, and Taixuan Sect began expanding its influence.
• Five years later, Gu An emerged from Alchemy Hall with more than two million years of lifespan and heard that An Hao had become famous for killing a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator as a Golden Core Realm cultivator.
• Zhou Tongyou approached Gu An in the street, and Lu Lingjun appeared in front of Gu An before Zhou Tongyou reached them.

Gu An prepared Wu Jue and himself for the Golden Ranking Assembly as Zhou Tongyou and Li Ya brought invitations and gifts. During the Spring Festival gathering, Gu An sensed a group of powerful cultivators moving through a forest and went to investigate.

• Zhou Tongyou visited with Zhou Li, revealed his plan to claim the Golden Ranking Assembly’s top spot, and left to seek out An Hao after Gu An declined to spar.
• Gu An gave Wu Jue a Golden Ranking Assembly invitation and urged him to train hard for the next five years.
• Li Ya gave Gu An an invitation and Ten Thousand Year Wood Spirit Ginseng before flying away toward Cang Province.
• At the Spring Festival gathering, Zhen Qin spoke about Su Han and An Hao, and Gu An suddenly sensed something nearby.
• Gu An teleported to a dark forest and secretly watched thirteen ghostlike figures, including four carrying a huge coffin; they were Body Integration Realm cultivators.

Gu An received the Immortal King Crown from the Thirteen Fiends of the Nine Serenities, destroyed the Evil Emperor hidden in its coffin, and buried the crown and their flute beneath the North Sea. Three years later, he learned that Lu Xian planned to attend the Golden Ranking Assembly and suspected Lu Baitian might be connected to the Epiphyllum Sect.

• Gu An confronted the Thirteen Fiends of the Nine Serenities, who knelt and explained that Epiphyllum Ghost Mother had sent them to offer him the Immortal King Crown.
• Gu An blasted the Evil Emperor's skeleton to ash and learned from Li Shouyou that the Evil Emperor was Epiphyllum Ghost Mother's ancestor and the crown was a dangerous artifact tied to the Great Vast God-Startling Sword.
• Gu An accepted the Immortal King Crown and Nine Serenities Flute, then buried both beneath the North Sea before returning to Mystic Valley.
• Three years later, Gu An met Lu Xian, who said he planned to attend the Golden Ranking Assembly after his inner demons and dreams had stopped.
• Gu An sensed that one of the residual souls within Lu Xian was gone and wondered whether Lu Baitian had a connection to the Epiphyllum Sect.

Gu An advanced the Dao Derivation Technique into the Innate Reincarnation Technique and gained the Return to Origin Divine Path, a seal that could suppress or erase cultivation. At Taixuan Sect’s Golden Ranking Assembly, he watched the duels with Ye Lan and reunited with Wu Jue, whose maximum lifespan had surged to 7,600 years.

• Gu An met with Ye Lan, learned about her experiences on the Path of Nine Serenities, and confirmed that the Dao Derivation Technique had slightly increased her maximum lifespan.
• Gu An spent 100,000 years of lifespan simulating cultivation, advancing the technique to the Innate Reincarnation Technique and mastering the Return to Origin Divine Path.
• Gu An learned that the Immortal Path’s first stage was Nirvana and realized that maximum lifespan determined how long someone could pursue cultivation.
• Gu An registered for the Golden Ranking Assembly at age seventy-two and watched the opening duels with Ye Lan.
• Wu Jue appeared, questioned Gu An about Ye Lan and Miss Shen, and revealed that he was also competing with an invitation from Gu An.

Gu An watched the Golden Ranking Assembly, saw Wu Jue make a stunning debut, and accepted a Thousand Shadow Bead from Lu Baitian to compete. After several matches and months of cultivation, he headed to the Outer Sect City to watch the highly anticipated battle between An Hao and Li Ya.

• Gu An watched Perfected Lord Xuanmiao of the Three Pure Mountains defeat a Void Crossing Realm opponent with a single Dao seal, while Wu Jue later won his match with eight powerful punches.
• Lu Baitian gave Gu An a supreme-grade Thousand Shadow Bead and promised him a Sixth-Rank Spirit Tree if he reached the top five hundred.
• Gu An won his first Golden Ranking Assembly match with the Thousand Shadow Bead after putting on a drawn-out performance against a Golden Core Realm opponent.
• Gu An continued through three close matches as An Hao, Lu Xian, Perfected Lord Xuanmiao, and other dynasty geniuses rose to prominence.
• Gu An heard that An Hao and Li Ya were about to face each other, then went to the Outer Sect City to watch their battle.

An Hao revealed that he had also mastered the Great Vast God-Startling Sword and defeated Li Ya in the Golden Ranking Assembly, becoming famous across the cultivation world. Ten days later, Li Xuandao discussed Li Ya and Ye Yan with Gu An and said he already knew Sword Venerable Fudao’s identity.

• Li Ya and An Hao fought in the Golden Ranking Assembly, and Li Ya unveiled the Great Vast God-Startling Sword.
• An Hao displayed an even stronger Great Vast God-Startling Sword, defeated Li Ya, and was declared the victor.
• News of An Hao’s inheritance spread through the cultivation world, while Li Ya withdrew to recover from his injuries.
• Gu An met Li Xuandao in Tianya Valley, where Li Xuandao said he had sent Ye Yan to cultivate at the Three Pure Mountains.
• Li Xuandao asked whether winning over Sword Venerable Fudao would secure his throne, and then told Gu An he already knew who Sword Venerable Fudao was.

Gu An harvested herbs in the Xuantian Grotto-Abode and considered using five million years of lifespan for his next breakthrough. While observing the North Sea Mountains, he watched Perfected Lord Xuanmiao survive a deadly ambush and unleash an ancient power that sent his attacker fleeing.

• Li Xuandao told Gu An that Sword Venerable Fudao had a close connection to Li Ya, while Ye Lan later warned Gu An that the sect was investigating Li Family disciples.
• Gu An reached the top five hundred of the Golden Ranking Assembly, then began conceding matches; An Hao won first place, and Wu Jue reached the top twenty as a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
• Lu Baitian told Gu An he planned to move against the Li Family but would not harm Li Ya, and warned that he would visit Medicine Valley less often as the Taixuan Sect faced new threats.
• Gu An harvested nearly twenty thousand years of lifespan from the Xuantian Grotto-Abode and began considering where to find enough spiritual energy for his next breakthrough.
• Gu An watched dozens of Spirit Transformation cultivators and a hidden Void Crossing cultivator attack Perfected Lord Xuanmiao; after his dharma manifestation was shattered, Xuanmiao opened a gate of ancient power and the Void Crossing cultivator fled.

Perfected Lord Xuanmiao’s mysterious power caught Gu An’s attention, while Jing Tuxian ordered the Epiphyllum Sect to prepare an invasion of the Nine Dynasties. Months later, Li Ya left to cultivate at Three Pure Mountains, and Perfected Lord Xuanmiao searched near Gu An’s grotto-abode for a blessed opportunity.

• Perfected Lord Xuanmiao summoned a giant hand that crushed a Void Crossing Realm Great Cultivator, then collapsed from the effort as Gu An watched and wondered about his connection to Three Pure Mountains.
• Jing Tuxian dismissed concerns about Sword Venerable Fudao and ordered the Epiphyllum Sect to gather with the Epiphyllum Mother Tree for an assault on the Nine Dynasties Land.
• Gu An saw Perfected Lord Xuanmiao build a Daoist temple in the North Sea Mountains and train beside a young fox demon.
• Li Ya visited Gu An and revealed that he was leaving for Three Pure Mountains at his father’s request, likely for several decades.
• Perfected Lord Xuanmiao searched near Xuantian Grotto-Abode with a compass, looking for a blessed opportunity.

Gu An disguised himself as a Mountain God and met Perfected Lord Xuanmiao, who sought his help curing the Fox Demon Youth’s poison. After healing the disciple and exchanging techniques with Xuanmiao, Gu An suspected the youth was connected to the Yellow Spring Demon Emperor.

• Perfected Lord Xuanmiao entered Gu An’s forest seeking blessed fortune, and Gu An appeared in a tiny form, posing as the Mountain God.
• Xuanmiao offered Gu An an Earth Spirit Mystic Ganoderma and asked him to cure his poisoned disciple, so Gu An told him to return the next night.
• Gu An gave the Fox Demon Youth a pill that cured his Epiphyllum poison, then warned Xuanmiao to keep the Mountain God’s existence secret.
• Xuanmiao asked Gu An for a supreme art and exchanged his Divine Connection Mystic Gate technique for the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body.
• Xuanmiao offered Gu An seven boxes of Seventh-Rank Heavenly Treasure seeds, and Gu An recognized a possible connection between the Fox Demon Youth and the Yellow Spring Demon Emperor.

Gu An harvested herbs with Lu Lingjun, who decided to build power with him and become the Taixuan Sect Master. After Perfected Lord Xuanmiao brought him a vision of the Epiphyllum Sect attacking the Nine Dynasties Land, Gu An warned him that the Yellow Spring Fox Demon might bring disaster or fortune, and Perfected Lord Xuanmiao left believing the Mountain God had revealed a calamity.

• Gu An harvested Sixth-Grade Herbs while Lu Lingjun guarded him and decided to cultivate a faction with him to pursue the Taixuan Sect Master position.
• Gu An planted Perfected Lord Xuanmiao's seven Seventh-Rank Heavenly Treasures in the Xuantian Grotto-Abode and began preparing formations for another Cave Mansion.
• The Fox Demon Youth told Perfected Lord Xuanmiao about a nightmare of demons and black-robed cultivators ravaging the world, and Perfected Lord Xuanmiao used a compass to confirm the vision included the North Sea.
• The Fox Demon Youth developed hostility toward Gu An, while Perfected Lord Xuanmiao hurried to meet the Mountain God and report the vision.
• Gu An identified the vision as an impending Epiphyllum Sect assault and warned Perfected Lord Xuanmiao that the Yellow Spring Fox Demon might bring disaster or fortune.
• Perfected Lord Xuanmiao interpreted Gu An's words as guidance about his own calamities, thanked the Mountain God, and departed.

Gu An uncovered the Yellow Spring Demon Emperor’s origins and learned that the Epiphyllum Sect was launching a major invasion across the Nine Dynasties. As the Taixuan Sect mobilized, Gu An sought a place to break through before confronting the Epiphyllum Sect’s Mahayana Realm cultivator.

• Perfected Lord Xuanmiao fought the Yellow Spring Fox Demon, summoned a Profound Heart Realm cultivator through the Divine Connection Mystic Gate, and let the fox demon escape.
• Gu An followed the Yellow Spring Fox Demon, discovered the Yellow Spring Demon Emperor’s hidden Primordial Spirit, seized his memories, and killed him.
• Gu An learned that the Nine Serenities Domain was an independent world oppressed by the Epiphyllum Sect and began writing an encyclopedia about it.
• Ye Lan warned Gu An that the Epiphyllum Sect had invaded the Nine Dynasties and left with healing pills to protect the common people.
• Gu An decided to find a place to break through, then visited the Inner Sect Library Hall, where Xu Lu lent him a continental map and a book.
• As Gu An left the Library Hall, he sensed a Profound Heart Realm cultivator inside and grew more determined to advance his cultivation.

Gu An traveled to Heavenly Phoenix Mountain and used simulated practice to break through to the Nirvana Realm, while Perfected Lord Xuanmiao led Taixuan Sect disciples through the North Sea Mountains. As Gu An continued advancing, a wounded woman in red collapsed near his Longevity Barrier.

• Gu An chose the Land of Demons and Monsters as a place to break through and traveled to Heavenly Phoenix Mountain.
• Gu An spent hundreds of thousands of years of lifespan on simulated practice before successfully breaking through the Innate Five Elements Divine Lightning Tribulation and reaching the ninth layer of the Nirvana Realm.
• Gu An’s breakthrough drained spiritual energy from Heavenly Phoenix Mountain and startled its demon creatures.
• Perfected Lord Xuanmiao told Zhen Qin and the other Law Enforcement Hall disciples that a Mountain God protected the North Sea Mountains and promised to escort them back once he recovered.
• A wounded woman in red staggered into the forest and collapsed less than a hundred zhang from Gu An’s Longevity Barrier.

Gu An broke through to the Ninth-layer Nirvana Realm and rescued Tian Yao'er, a young demon fleeing captivity under the Heavenly Phoenix Demon Mother. He took Tian Yao'er as his apprentice and settled her in a newly excavated Cave Mansion, where she began recovering.

• Gu An completed his breakthrough to the Ninth-layer Nirvana Realm after spending nearly fifty thousand years of lifespan, then used his new ability to glimpse Tian Yao'er's past.
• Gu An carried the unconscious Tian Yao'er to a cave and offered to either take her somewhere safe or teach her to cultivate; she chose to follow him and seek revenge on the Heavenly Phoenix Demon Mother herself.
• Gu An created a pool for Tian Yao'er to wash in and went out to find a place for a Cave Mansion.
• Gu An excavated a spacious underground Cave Mansion beside a spiritual vein and brought Tian Yao'er there after she had washed.
• Gu An told Tian Yao'er to recover and stay inside, leaving her books that she could not read before he vanished.

Gu An harvested herbs with Lu Lingjun, reflected on immortals and mortality, and named his cave mansion Nianchu Cave. He tested his new plant-growing ability, discovered it could not accelerate lifespan gains, and began teaching Tian Yao'er to cultivate.

• Lu Lingjun asked Gu An whether she should leave the Medicine Valley to fight demons, but he told her to remain and protect the herbs; they then discussed whether immortals existed.
• Gu An helped Xiao Chuan hold the White Spirit Mouse and reflected on Xiao Chuan's age, while sensing a distant battle involving Old Ancestor Xuanquan and choosing not to intervene.
• Gu An carved the name Nianchu Cave into a stone stele and used his All Things Divine Descent ability to cover the cave floor with weeds.
• Gu An rapidly matured a second-tier spirit herb and found that the exhausted herb yielded no lifespan, so he decided to keep farming normally.
• Gu An taught Tian Yao'er the Innate Earth Immortal Technique, and by morning she could draw in spiritual energy on her own.

Perfected Lord Xuanmiao called upon Gu An, the Mountain God, to save him and the Taixuan Sect Law Enforcement Hall disciples from the Epiphyllum Sect. Gu An annihilated their pursuers, then punished Perfected Lord Xuanmiao for revealing his existence and sent the survivors away with a warning to keep his identity secret.

• As the injured Perfected Lord Xuanmiao and his companions were cornered, he urged them to pray to the Mountain God, and Gu An sensed his call from Inner Sect City.
• The Wooden Staff Elder and the Epiphyllum Sect cultivators arrived, but Gu An appeared on Perfected Lord Xuanmiao’s shoulder as the enemy attacked.
• Gu An raised a vast Tree Mountain that killed the Epiphyllum Sect cultivators and swallowed the Wooden Staff Elder before the trees vanished, leaving a Great Chasm.
• Perfected Lord Xuanmiao offered Gu An a Square Wooden Box, and Gu An reduced his cultivation to the Foundation Establishment Realm as punishment for revealing the Mountain God’s existence.
• The Law Enforcement Hall disciples offered treasures and promised secrecy, and Gu An sent them away with a warning that he would find them if they broke their promise.

Gu An continued preparing Nianchu Cave and supporting Tian Yao'er while waiting for the Epiphyllum Sect’s Mahayana Realm cultivator to emerge. As a decisive battle neared, Wu Jue prepared to join the Taixuan Sect’s expedition to the Great Chen Dynasty, determined to avenge his master.

• Gu An safely sent Perfected Lord Xuanmiao, Zhen Qin, and the others to the Great Cang Dynasty, and Perfected Lord Xuanmiao told the disciples to keep the Mountain God secret.
• Zhen Qin visited Gu An and described the spreading war, then accepted medicinal pills before preparing to enter seclusion.
• Gu An taught Tian Yao'er to sow medicinal seeds in Nianchu Cave and shared a barbecue meal with her as she asked about his past and requested future pill-refining lessons.
• Gu An learned that the Epiphyllum Sect had built a vast sacrificial altar in Ten Thousand Silence Forest, guarded by forty Profound Heart Realm cultivators, and suspected its Mahayana Realm leader would soon appear.
• Wu Jue told Gu An that he would accompany his master to the Great Chen Dynasty to fight the Epiphyllum Sect and avenge his own master, and Gu An urged him to be careful.

As Taixuan Sect faced an assault by Epiphyllum Sect, Gu An watched Old Ancestor Kusong battle Chigan Zun while guarding Third Medicine Valley. He killed the Ninth Layer of the Profound Heart Realm White Cloud Fairy when she came seeking information about Sword Venerable Fudao, while Lu Lingjun gained insight from the battle above.

• Gu An watched cultivators clash over the Great Chen Dynasty and suspected Epiphyllum Sect was preparing a surprise attack on Taixuan Sect.
• Epiphyllum Sect spies triggered a battle in Main Sect City, and Chigan Zun challenged Taixuan Sect’s Profound Heart Realm cultivator.
• Old Ancestor Kusong descended from the Library Hall and began fighting Chigan Zun high above Taixuan Sect as Lu Lingjun watched.
• White Cloud Fairy approached Third Medicine Valley in disguise and asked Gu An for information about Sword Venerable Fudao.
• Gu An suppressed White Cloud Fairy’s cultivation and soul, then used the Thousand Shadow Bead to make her death appear to be caused by the bead.
• Lu Lingjun burned White Cloud Fairy’s corpse and continued reflecting on the Profound Heart Realm.