A guardian, or Guardian Spirit, was something commonly found at the side of many great powers.
Everyone had their own specialty. A great power might be able to arrange fate, keep the world turning, even create heaven and earth, but that did not mean they were especially good at fighting others of the same rank.
Many powerful spells and even divine abilities that could affect opponents of the same rank came with prerequisites. They relied not only on magical treasures or favorable timing and terrain; even the simpler ones required enough opportunity, time, space, and a window to chant. That was why Guardian Spirits were needed.
Generally speaking, they were mounts, magical treasures, or hired Guardian Spirits brought in to protect their employers from being instantly killed by opponents of the same rank.
Though it sounded counterintuitive, a mount was not necessarily weaker than its owner, and a highly positioned great power was not necessarily strong among those of the same rank.
After all, cultivation was not brawling. The essence of divine abilities and spells was all "side effects," things accidentally brought forth during cultivation. Few Dao Pursuers cultivated specifically for divine abilities and spells.
Cultivating purely for divine abilities and spells was actually very difficult to see through. It was not absolutely impossible, merely difficult.
After all, the purpose of cultivation was to pursue the Dao, to find a truth one acknowledged. Combat was necessary in that process, but it was not the most important thing.
Therefore, one's status depended largely on the breadth and depth of one's "Dao," on how much respect and recognition one could gain from others, rather than on how well one could fight.
The Martial Way was looked down upon every day for precisely this reason.
Many famous high-ranking cultivators were not actually very