Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

Ji Xiaoyu left, and Gu An sat down, picked up the book she had left behind, and began to read. Soon he became immersed in it.

This book mainly recorded the legend of Long Xin, the old ancestor of the Dragon family, who was known as the Dragon Emperor, the strongest in the universe. He established the Battle Court, swept through Great Heaven and Earth, and traversed Reincarnation.

There was no mention of Long Zhan in the book, as if Long Xin was the Primordial Ancestor of the Dragon family.

Starting from Long Xin, generation by generation, the Dragon family produced many glorious individuals. One of the masters of the Reincarnation Path Emperor was from the Dragon family, which was also the origin of Ji Family's Heavenly Dragon Demon-Suppressing Form.

In the end, during its prime, the Dragon family encountered oppression from a mysterious existence. The book speculated it might be a curse, or maybe a punishment from Heavenly Dao because the Dragon family acted recklessly and arrogantly in their strength – they had merits, but also sins. The Dragon family declined rapidly, the clan dissolved, and the descendants fled to different universes.

From the establishment of the Dragon family, to their prosperity, and then to their downfall, the story was poignant and stirring, leaving an endless aftertaste.

The author did not comment on the Dragon family, but continued to narrate the rise and fall of the Dragon family from an objective perspective.

After finishing the book, Gu An also felt quite emotional.

Before Long Xin, the Dragon family had also experienced such cycles of reincarnation under the leadership of Long Zhan.

From the content of the book, Long Xin reestablished the Dragon family and rebuilt the Battle Court after Long Zhan's death, for Long Xin was very strong from the beginning.

Gu An thought of the last meeting between Long Zhan and Long Xin, where the father and son parted ways. Long Xin did not understand Long Zhan's actions, but in the end, Long Xin chose to inherit Long Zhan's legacy and reestablish the Dragon family and the Battle Court, which made him feel the longing Long Xin had for Long Zhan.

Eons passed, and whether it was Long Xin or the Dragon family, all had become a thing of the past and were being erased.

On the path of Immortal Cultivation, how high must one reach to truly achieve immortality, to exist eternally?

Gu An turned his head to look out the window at the sky, his thoughts drifting.

It wasn't until the evening that he put the book away and then got up to go downstairs.

Just as he went downstairs, he heard Long Qing shouting at a distance – that kid was over a hundred years old, yet still acted like a child.

Gu An smiled and then approached the Blood Prison Great Saint, letting him carry him to patrol the Third Medicine Valley.

"Master, that kid Long Qing is becoming more and more presumptuous. Can you raise my cultivation level? Otherwise, I'll be bullied to death by him. And what about the White Spirit Rat? That fat rat is getting faster and faster, but its cultivation level hasn't improved much, and it can't even speak human words..."

Blood Prison Great Saint spoke with a tone of grievance. He was of the Mahayana Realm, how could he be bullied by Long Qing?

Gu An wanted to say that it was normal for you to not win against Long Qing, who was born in the Nirvana Realm.

"Do not compare yourself with others; everyone has their own path. You should look to the future," Gu An said earnestly.

Blood Prison Great Saint's eyes lit up, and he was immediately invigorated.

Did his master's words mean he would be a focus of cultivation in the future?

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He stopped thinking about being bullied by Long Qing and the White Spirit Rat and started to fantasize about dominating the world.

He wanted to become the strongest Great Saint under the heavens, sweeping across the Land!

If outsiders from Outer Heaven attacked and he was not an opponent, then the master would take action, shocking all beings – just thinking about it was thrilling!

On the surface, he would be the strongest, and enemies would conspire against him. Who would have thought that there would be an even more terrifying existence behind him!

...

On a resplendent golden palace, the Holy Minister was sitting on a chair, with steps behind him leading up to an empty throne.

A row of figures stood in the hall, among them was the Candle World Saint King, who had once been responsible for negotiating with the Dark Battle Emperor.

Yang Jian stood beside the Candle World Saint King, dressed in silver battle armor, with a three-pointed two-bladed knife floating behind him. Even though his realm was not as high as those around him, his aura was substantial.

All the figures in the hall were Holy Kings of the Holy Court, and they were not too restrained in front of the Holy Minister.

The Holy Minister's gaze swept over the seventeen Holy Kings, paused on Yang Jian for two breaths, and then moved away.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure you haven't forgotten the calamity of the Heavenly Demon from fifty years ago," the Holy Minister said nonchalantly.

A burly Holy King immediately replied, "It wasn't long ago, how could we forget? Whatever it is, Holy Minister, just give the order. His Majesty once said, in his absence, we were to listen to you!"

The other Holy Kings voiced their concurrence.

Yang Jian remained silent, but his gaze was on the Holy Minister.

The Holy Minister showed a smile and said, "That chaos was certainly just a precursor. Yuanxu Ancestor from the Immortal Dynasty opened the Reincarnation Vortex, which still hangs high in the sky. I wish to dispatch you into the vortex to find His Majesty. Who knows what year you will return when you leave. Take time to consider it."

Upon hearing these words, the Holy Kings' expressions shifted slightly.

That Reincarnation Vortex was not under the control of the Holy Court, and no one knew what lay within.

The hall fell silent, with no one immediately agreeing.

The Holy Minister was not in a hurry, patiently waiting. He raised his right hand, and a golden light orb condensed in his palm. He stared at the golden orb, as if peeking into something.

"I will go!"

A voice rang out, not loud but firm in tone, causing the Holy Kings to turn their heads to look.

The speaker was Yang Jian!

A Holy King taunted, "That makes sense, the Candle World Saint King just went through Reincarnation. Who could be more suitable?"

The Candle World Saint King glanced at Yang Jian, deep in thought.

The Holy Minister, still staring at the golden light orb in his hand, asked indifferently, "Anyone else?"

"I will go," the Candle World Saint King said.

"These Holy Kings were astonished, having not expected him to agree—it wasn't his usual style of conduct."

Yang Jian also glanced at the Candle World Saint King.

The Holy Minister nodded and continued waiting.

Realizing the Holy Minister was still waiting, the Holy Kings sensed something and their faces turned unsightly.

One of the Holy Kings asked, "Holy Minister, must we agree?"

"It's entirely voluntary."

The words of the Holy Minister allowed the Holy Kings to breathe a sigh of relief, but then the Holy Minister's voice rose again, "I assume you are all voluntarily going? I haven't misjudged you, have I?"

The Holy Kings were shocked and looked at the Holy Minister in disbelief.

As for Yang Jian, his expression remained calm, as if he had already foreseen this turn of events.

The Holy Minister raised his right hand, and the golden orb in his hand burst into a dazzling light, making his expression seem even colder.

"You must go to Reincarnation. For you, it is an opportunity, your chance to strike at higher realms. Of course, the premise is that you survive. In Reincarnation, there are countless Great Powers experiencing Reincarnation Tribulations. Act with extra caution and do not disturb those unrelated to the Holy Court."

The Holy Minister's indifferent tone set this matter in stone, leaving the Holy Kings' faces extremely unsightly.

...

In the depths of autumn.

Inside the mansion courtyard, Gu An was drinking wine, while Xiaochuan swept the grounds nearby.

"With so many servants in the house, and you being able to cast spells, why bother to sweep the grounds yourself?" Gu An asked, his divine thought gazing skyward.

He saw seventeen figures from the Holy Court flying toward the Reincarnation Vortex, among them Yang Jian.

These people threw themselves into the Reincarnation Vortex without hesitation, and immediately after, their presences completely vanished, which piqued Gu An's interest in the Reincarnation Vortex.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

What exactly is Reincarnation like inside there?

As Xiaochuan swept, he laughed and said, "Isn't this just a habit I've picked up? It's what you taught me, brother."

Gu An turned to Xiaochuan and asked, "Have you not cultivated these years?"

Xiaochuan's cultivation level had stagnated for decades, and his life span had shown no sign of increasing.

"Old age makes it hard to persist. Besides, my children and grandchildren often bring me troublesome matters," Xiaochuan said with a shake of his head and a wry smile.

He added, "I'm four hundred seventy-two years old this year. I'm content; I never imagined I would live for so many years."

He began to recount tales from his childhood.

Each time Gu An visited, Xiaochuan would reminisce about the past. On this occasion, however, Gu An wasn't listening attentively—his thoughts were wandering.

Seeing Yang Jian and the others enter Reincarnation, a bold idea suddenly came to him.

If he sealed Xiaochuan's memories and then implanted a Destruction Dao Seal into his body, no matter what kind of Reincarnation he underwent, Gu An would be able to find him. When the time came, he could help him recover his memories. Wouldn't they be able to reunite?

He had tried his best to impart the Traditions of Immortal Cultivation to Xiaochuan, but alas, Xiaochuan's maximum life span still increased very slowly. Even though he could elevate Xiaochuan's cultivation level, it didn't affect his maximum life span.

The higher he reached in realm, the more acutely Gu An felt the terrifying decree of the ineffable destiny.

"Xiaochuan, if there is an afterlife, would you still want me to find you?" Gu An suddenly asked.

Xiaochuan stopped his sweeping, turned his head to look at Gu An, and cheerfully said, "Brother, if you could find me, you must have become an Immortal, right? If you don't mind, I would indeed hope to see you again. But don't worry about it too much; everyone has their destiny. I'm truly only grateful to you."

Without Gu An, what would his life be like today? His only regret in this life was that he failed to repay his mentor.

"I'm just speaking hypothetically. If I become that powerful one day, I would need to consider whether or not to help you escape the suffering of Reincarnation," Gu An said with a laugh.

Xiaochuan responded with laughter, "If there's a chance for that, I would definitely want it. So, let me thank you in advance for taking care of me, brother."

Becoming an Immortal?

How distant a dream!

Xiaochuan had heard of the existence of the Immortal Path Realm, but he had not heard of those who possessed eternal life, nor had he heard of the true Immortal Gods.

Those who were comparable to Immortals were nothing more than powerful cultivators.

"If you undergo Reincarnation, in what kind of family would you wish to be born in the next life?" Gu An continued to ask, as he poured himself another drink.

Xiaochuan took interest, set aside the broom, walked over, and sat down, starting to ponder as he sank into reverie.

His requirements were not high—born to parents that could accompany him, and hopefully with better aptitude for cultivation.

Sunset gave way to moonrise.

The two talked into the night, and at Xiaochuan's invitation, Gu An stayed at the estate. He left at dawn.

Xiaochuan, assisted by a young girl, watched Gu An depart.

The girl, filled with curiosity, watched Gu An's retreating figure. She turned her head to Xiaochuan and asked, "Great-grandfather, who exactly is he? Is he really your mentor? He looks so young!"

Xiaochuan stroked his beard and laughed, "Yes, he's my mentor. But as to who he really is, I'm not sure myself. My mentor is very mysterious, maybe..."

The girl pressed, "Maybe what?"

Xiaochuan shook his head and walked away.

As Gu An disappeared at the end of the street, the girl hurriedly followed her great-grandfather, pressing him with questions.