If I become a saint, a celestial official will summon me to raise horses.

Chapter 241 Protect with Our Lives
Looking at Li Ya, whose face was full of fighting spirit, An Hao remained unmoved. If it were before, he might have looked forward to fighting Li Ya, but now he only had his junior brother, whom he had never met, in his heart.

Li Ya possesses a supreme immortal treasure, making him vastly different from before. An Hao naturally doesn't consider himself Li Ya's match.

But setting aside the immortal treasures, An Hao really didn't think Li Ya was qualified to be his opponent.

Li Ya thought he was afraid to fight, so he said, "Don't worry, I won't use that treasure when I fight you, but I won't hold back against anyone else. It'll be a good opportunity to show off the prestige of my Tai Xuan Sect."

Zhang Bukui stood to the side and snorted, "I don't mind if you use that treasure. Perfect, I also want to test its power."

An Hao looked at Zhang Bukui. He had met Zhang Bukui before. At that time, Zhang Bukui and Li Ya were inseparable, but the two had not yet met.

He was very interested in Zhang Bukui, and could sense that Zhang Bukui's blood and qi were extremely powerful. In terms of true strength, he was definitely stronger than Li Ya.

"What's your name?" An Hao asked, staring at Zhang Bukui.

Zhang Buku replied, "My name is Zhang Buku, and I am Li Ya's brother."

Li Ya's lips twitched, but he did not refute.

An Hao nodded, then turned away without saying anything more.

Li Ya became interested and stepped forward, saying, "The three of us are all from the Tai Xuan Sect, and we joined the Xinghai Sect in the same batch. How about we help each other out no matter what the outcome is?"

An Hao nodded without refuting.

In his heart, the Tai Xuan Sect still held a very high position, and he considered it only natural for fellow disciples to help each other.

Li Ya and Zhang Buku stepped forward and stayed beside An Hao, starting to chat about their past experiences. An Hao was initially indifferent, but as he listened, he became captivated by their stories.

Are these two really that belligerent?
Zhang Bukui and Li Ya quickly started arguing, shifting blame to each other. An Hao suddenly felt a little envious of them; no matter where they went, they could always be together and rely on each other.

An Hao sighed as he thought of his junior sister, An Xin.

Even he felt that God was unfair.

……

While Li Ya and his two companions were adventuring in the Star Sea Sect, Gu An and his disciples, far away in the Tai Xuan Sect, lived the same life day after day for ten years.

Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Gu An was 139 years old. That summer, the Heavenly Ranking Conference, hosted by the Tai Xuan Sect, was about to begin, and the Tai Xuan Sect was in an unprecedented period of prosperity.

Inside the attic of the Third Medicine Valley.

Gu An looked at his attribute panel and was secretly satisfied that his lifespan had been restored to eight million years.

When he broke through to the Free and Unfettered Immortal realm, it took him nearly a million years of lifespan just to break through the lifespan barrier. In the past ten years, he has gained more than four million years of lifespan, which is not bad and very stable.

Next, Gu An plans to aim for a lifespan of 100 million years. At that time, he will first improve his attribute panel in all aspects, and then break through to a higher realm.

Although it only adds four million years to one's lifespan every ten years, and a hundred million years seems like an unattainable dream, Gu An is not worried. He still has a trump card, which is the secluded paradise.

The seventh-grade medicinal herbs in the secluded cave cannot mature in just a few decades, and Gu An would bring high-grade seeds every month.

Gu An is currently focused on collecting the Immortal Spirit Trees.

Last year, a spiritual tree appeared at a private auction held by Master Tang Hai. However, the price was driven up to an astronomical level, and Gu An, who had been buying high-grade medicinal herbs for many years, was unable to acquire the spiritual tree. The other party was a great cultivator from the Star Sea Sect with a powerful background and astonishing wealth.

Gu An did not rob a spirit tree for the sake of it. There was no need to make enemies. The immortal spirit tree could not grant him millions of years of lifespan at once. Moreover, the Tai Xuan Sect and the Xinghai Sect were on good terms, and his disciple An Hao was staying peacefully in the Xinghai Sect.

There will be other opportunities in the future!

Taking advantage of this Heavenly Ranking Conference, Gu An could make some money, and he was also looking forward to the excitement to come.

He stood up, preparing to head to Xuan Valley, because an acquaintance had returned.

After going downstairs, Gu An called Yang Jian, and then rode the Blood Prison Great Sage to teleport into Xuan Valley.

The disciples of Xuan Valley have met the Blood Prison Great Sage and Yang Jian over the years and know their relationship with Gu An.

Gu An did not go upstairs, but instead began to inspect the park in the valley, with Yang Jian and the Blood Prison Great Sage following behind.

Ten years have passed, and at the age of thirty-two, Yang Jian has already reached the second level of the Core Formation Realm. At such an age and with such cultivation, he is already one of the top talents in the world. However, considering that at the age of twenty, Yang Jian was only at the third level of the Qi Refining Realm, his talent is even more immeasurable.

Yang Jian still concealed his cultivation level, which appeared to be only at the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm.

Yang Jian, who cultivated the Myriad Forms and Qi Techniques and the Heaven and Earth Primordial Skill, possessed extremely powerful qi and blood. Gu An judged that even a Nascent Soul cultivator would not be able to withstand his strength.

Under Gu An's tutelage, Yang Jian also became more composed, neither arrogant nor impatient, displaying the demeanor of a senior disciple.

"I heard that the Dao Lord of the Cangtian Sect has arrived." Yang Jian chatted with the Great Sage of Blood Prison about the Heavenly Ranking Conference.

The Great Sage of Blood Prison was also very interested in this. The two only talked about others and not about their own cultivation levels, a habit they had developed under Gu An's long-term instructions.

after awhile.

A figure flew in from the horizon; it was Li Ya.

Yang Jian turned his head to look, his eyes revealing curiosity.

What a strong breath!
Li Ya arrived on his sword, like an immortal descending from the sky.

After sheathing his sword, he quickly walked to the edge of the park and greeted Gu An.

Gu An smiled and said, "Senior Brother Li, what brings you here? Wait for me a moment."

Li Ya nodded, his gaze involuntarily turning to Yang Jian. Although Yang Jian's cultivation level was low, his demeanor was extraordinary.

"What is the relationship between this person and Junior Brother Gu?" Li Ya wondered to himself.

After a while, Gu An handed the herbs to a handyman disciple, and then led Yang Jian toward Li Ya.

He introduced Yang Jian to Li Ya and asked Yang Jian to greet him.

"Yang Jian greets his senior uncle." Yang Jian clasped his hands in greeting, neither humble nor arrogant. Although Li Ya's aura was very strong to him, Li Ya was far from being comparable to Gu An. If Gu An had not concealed his cultivation, the two would not have become fellow disciples.

Upon hearing this, Li Ya asked curiously, "Is it Yang Jian from the Investiture of the Gods?"

Yang Jian nodded and said, "I have loved reading Investiture of the Gods since I was a child, and I changed my name to Mingzhi after I entered the sect."

Li Ya smiled, then took out a precious sword from his storage bag and presented it to Yang Jian.

Yang Jian couldn't help but look at Gu An, and only after seeing Gu An nod did he accept it.

Li Ya pulled Gu An toward the attic, and Gu An beckoned Yang Jian to follow, which made Li Ya hesitate.

“Jian’er is my true disciple, and I’ve taught him everything I know. Let him follow along and broaden his horizons,” Gu An said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Li Ya couldn't help but glance at Yang Jian again.

He understood the unspoken meaning in Gu An's words.

"I see. If you encounter any trouble when you go out to make your way in the world, you can come to me, your senior uncle." Li Ya said with a spirited smile, and Yang Jian quickly thanked him.

Gu An found it amusing that Li Ya had guessed his thoughts correctly, but unfortunately, he had the relationship backwards.

He wasn't helping Yang Jian find a backer, but rather helping Li Ya!

After the three went upstairs, Li Ya began to talk about his experience in the Star Sea Sect. He had now become a true disciple of the Star Sea Sect, but his cultivation level was the lowest among the true disciples, which was due to his connection with the Divine City.

Although Yang Jian joined the sect late, he had already heard of the name of the City of Mysteries.

Unexpectedly, the Tai Xuan Sect cultivator who seized the Divine City decades ago was actually his senior master.

He suddenly suspected that Li Ya was able to seize the Divine City because his master had intervened.

"By the way, I heard that the Star Sea Cult has an internal assessment. Did you participate?" Gu An suddenly asked.

Li Ya's expression instantly turned unnatural. He said, "I participated, and my ranking was quite good. I made it into the top 100. I became a true disciple based on my own strength."

Gu An didn't believe it; Li Ya had used the power of the Divine City quite a bit over the years.

"I heard An Hao also participated. How did he rank?" Gu An asked.

Li Ya's expression became even more awkward.

Yang Jian's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Master, are you talking about An Hao, the number one genius of the Tai Xuan Sect?"

"Yes, that's him."

Yang Jian fell into thought.

Li Ya said ambiguously, "His ranking is also good. Without using the Divine City, I am indeed not as good as him."

Gu An asked curiously, "What do you mean? You two met again?"

Li Ya was annoyed. Was Junior Brother Gu doing this on purpose?
Are you trying to embarrass me in front of the younger generation?
He did indeed encounter An Hao. He relied on the Divine City to suppress many powerful cultivators, but when facing An Hao, he did not use the Divine City in order to be fair, resulting in a crushing defeat. This matter was widely circulated within the Star Sea Sect. An Hao's fame spread throughout the sect by stepping on him, which greatly frustrated him.

Although he was frustrated, he did not regret it. An Hao had always been his goal, and he also wanted to know how far his true strength was from An Hao's.

Gu Anle was delighted; knowing that Li Ya had been defeated by his disciple, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

Sigh, this kind of mentality is unacceptable!

Gu An changed the subject and started talking about the Heavenly Ranking Conference.

Li Ya said he returned because the Tai Xuan Sect sent a message asking him to come back, as the Tai Xuan Sect needed the power of his Divine City to deal with the powerful cultivators from overseas.

After all, this was the first Heavenly Ranking Tournament hosted by the Tai Xuan Sect, and Lü Baitian still hoped to retain his title as the number one in the world, even if his opponents were cultivators from holy lands or great cultivators from overseas.

Gu An felt that Lü Baitian lacked martial ethics, but he couldn't criticize him. Magic weapons were an integral part of a cultivator's strength. Apart from Gu An, who didn't rely on magic weapons when cultivating immortality and fighting?

“Senior Brother Li, what do you think of my disciple? Five hundred years from now, I’ll have him participate in the Heavenly Ranking Tournament. Maybe we’ll run into you then,” Gu An said with a smile.

Li Ya glanced at Yang Jian and said, "Your cultivation is a bit low. If you want to compete for the title of the best in the world, you'll need a great stroke of luck."

Yang Jian remained silent and stood obediently to the side.

Gu An smiled and said, "Anyway, I think my disciple has great fortune and will definitely become famous throughout the world in the future. Although I don't know if I will live to see that day, I hope that you can support each other and advance and retreat together on the path of cultivation. After all, you can't rely on yourself alone on the path of cultivation."

These words saddened Li Ya.

He knew that his junior brother Gu's talent was mediocre and that he certainly couldn't compete for immortality like him.

Li Ya said earnestly, "Don't worry, your disciple is my disciple. As long as I live, I will protect him with my life. Anyone who dares to harm him will have to step over my dead body first."

Yang Jian looked at Li Ya, and his eyes changed.

Update begins!


(End of this chapter)