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

Chapter 586 No. in the world
Su Zhenren really didn't want to look at Xiao Lan's petite demeanor. She looked at the great river in front of her, her brows slightly furrowed.

She sensed a faint demonic aura, which she couldn't fully perceive even with her current level of cultivation, suggesting that the other party's cultivation was likely higher than hers.

Xiao Lan lingered with Gu An for a while before reluctantly coming to Su Zhenren's side. She asked curiously, "Master, you've been frowning since just now. What are you looking at?"

Master Su turned to look at her, as if to say, "So you've finally remembered your master?"
“There should be a great demon hiding in the river ahead. I’m hesitating whether to change course,” Master Su replied softly.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan's eyes lit up immediately, and she asked, "What kind of great demon? Compared to the Heavenly Flood Dragon we encountered before, who is stronger?"

"This demon is probably stronger than my master."

Su Zhenren shook her head, saying that she didn't mind showing weakness in front of her disciple.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lan subconsciously looked at Gu An, then turned back to Su Zhenren, frowning as she said, "Then let's change our route."

Master Su was both pleased and helpless.

It's comforting that Xiao Lan isn't so reckless, but it's frustrating that this girl always puts Gu An first in everything she does.

Gu An looked toward the great demon in the distance. Downstream of the great river was a vast lake, where demons and great cultivators were fighting for the War Court's treasures.

That great cultivator was skilled in concealing his aura, and did not reveal the slightest trace of it, so the battle was not earth-shattering.

The great demon was also afraid of the treasure's aura being leaked, so it tried its best to suppress its demonic energy, but a considerable amount still leaked out.

Watching them battle it out, Gu An also had his own thoughts.

What kind of Dao treasure should be crafted for Xiao Lan?

……

As autumn approaches, the Third Medicinal Valley gradually turns a withered yellow.

Under an old tree, Long Teng was meditating and cultivating. His robes fluttered slightly, and his body was surrounded by powerful energy, like dragon energy.

Long Qing led a man toward him; this man was none other than Li Xuandao, the emperor of the Taicang Dynasty.

Li Xuandao was dressed in a golden robe and wore a dragon crown. His imperial aura was impossible to hide, which made the disciples of the Medicine Valley along the way look at him frequently.

Since his rebirth, Li Xuandao has fully demonstrated his power. After reigning for 20,000 years, he has become the god in the hearts of the people of the Taicang Dynasty.

He and Long Qing were the two most powerful people on the Taicang Continent. Many people worried that their falling out would cause turmoil. However, the two had always had a good relationship, which also made the Tai Xuan Sect and the Taicang Dynasty get along well, and any conflicts could be discussed.

Li Xuandao looked at Long Teng, and his eyes immediately lit up.

He had always harbored a bold guess: the mysterious extraterrestrial forces had come looking for Long Qing, and the appearance of the Dragon Battle Dharma Form made him even more certain of his guess.

The first time he saw Long Teng, he thought he looked like Gu An.

His face was sharper than Gu An's, and the two had highly similar facial features.

The two walked up to Long Teng. Long Teng opened his eyes, and Li Xuandao froze, his gaze drawn to Li Xuandao.

What a domineering man!

This was Long Teng's first impression of Li Xuandao.

“Teng’er, this is His Majesty of the Taicang Dynasty, an old friend of my master. Hurry up and pay your respects,” Long Qing said.

Upon hearing this, Long Teng immediately stood up and bowed to Li Xuandao.

Li Xuandao smiled and said, "Seeing you reminds me of the first time I met Yang Jian."

Yang Jian!

Long Teng had naturally heard of this name. This person was a legend of the Tai Xuan Sect and also his father's senior brother. He had made great contributions to the Taicang Dynasty and was still the strongest person in the Taicang Dynasty.

Before his master appeared, his greatest idol was Yang Jian.

In the continent of Taicang, anyone over the age of six has heard the story of Yang Jian, which has made Journey to the West widely popular and a timeless classic. It was even officially recognized as a classic by the imperial court, despite some of its content being controversial.

"From now on, follow me. I will not mistreat you. I will make you the next Yang Jian, or even surpass him," Li Xuandao said with great ambition.

After hearing this, Long Teng did not answer immediately, but looked at Long Qing.

Long Qing nodded and said, "I don't want the Long family to be too closely tied to the Tai Xuan Sect. It's a good choice for you to follow His Majesty and establish a great career. Once you've established yourself, the Long family will move out."

Long Teng already knew the fate of the Long clan, so he had no doubts. He clasped his hands in a salute to Li Xuandao, which made Li Xuandao even happier. He pulled him down to sit and they started talking about the past.

Upon hearing Li Xuandao mention his grandmaster, Long Teng became interested.

Now, what he was most curious about and longed for was his grandmaster, Gu An. He wanted to know what kind of person his grandmaster was. Li Xuandao started by talking about his first meeting with Gu An, and how he had heard that his grandmaster had once played the role of a menial disciple, which made Long Teng even more interested.

When Long Teng learned that books such as Investiture of the Gods, Journey to the West, and Tai Xuan Immortal Venerable were all written by his grandmaster, he couldn't help but widen his eyes. No wonder these books were essential reading for disciples entering the sect, and were even studied as history.

Now he believes it.

Perhaps it truly was the tribulation that our grandmaster had experienced.

Looking at Long Teng's expression, Long Qing smiled.

Although he was prepared to sever ties between the Long clan and the Tai Xuan Sect, he did not want his descendants to become estranged from their ancestor.

Without the progenitor, there would be no Long family; this is something that cannot be forgotten.

An hour passed quickly.

Li Xuandao rested his hands on his knees and laughed, "I plan to send you to the Dao Court to cultivate for a period of time. When you return from your cultivation, I will appoint you as a Grand General. What follows will be an unprecedented golden age. I intend to sweep across all dynasties and establish a unified empire to do good for all mortals. I need you. This will be a long and arduous task, and you will experience countless battles."

Upon hearing this, Long Teng's eyes immediately burned with fervor, and even his breathing became rapid.

"Is the Dao Court very powerful?" Long Teng asked curiously.

"In today's world, it can be considered a first-class Dao Court. Of course, if your grandmaster were still in the Tai Xuan Sect, that Dao Court wouldn't even be worthy of carrying his shoes. I have already taken care of everything. After you go there, you only need to cultivate. I will have someone accompany you and help you handle everything."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Long Teng exclaimed excitedly, his goodwill towards Li Xuandao greatly increased.

This was the first time Long Qing had truly felt Li Xuandao's personal charisma; no wonder his senior brother Yang Jian had been willing to serve him for so many years.

Serving the imperial power is fine, because no matter how powerful the Long family becomes, there will be someone above them to restrain them.

Long Qing looked at Li Xuandao and Long Teng and thought to himself.

He began to look forward to Longteng's performance many years later.

……

Eighty years have passed since Xiao Lan left Xiao Manor. Master Su is finally preparing to return to the Dao Court. Before leaving, Xiao Lan wants to visit Xiao Manor, and Master Su agrees.

This time, Master Su no longer traveled on foot; instead, she used magic to bring Xiao Lan and Gu An back to Xiao Manor in half an hour.

The three stayed for two days before leaving. Before leaving, Xiao Lan left behind a lot of cultivation resources, enough to make Xiao Manor take off. Many of these resources came from Su Zhenren.

Master Su understood Xiao Lan's thoughts perfectly; it was perfectly normal for someone to attain enlightenment and for their entire family to benefit from it.

She also hoped that Xiao Lan could cultivate without any worries.

The three rode on clouds to the Daoist temple.

As they approached the Dao Court, Master Su turned to look at Xiao Lan, wanting to say something, but seeing Xiao Lan clinging to Gu An's arm, she swallowed her words.

That's it!

Anyway, this girl didn't neglect her cultivation.

Everything will be alright once her feelings for Gu An fade.

Gu An was also very interested in the Taoist temple, because many of his old friends had become disciples there.

During the previous calamity from beyond the heavens, the Dao Court demonstrated the spirit and responsibility of the number one sect in the world. After that battle, its prestige soared, and more and more sects believed that the Dao Court was qualified to be the leader of the world and was worthy of trust.

The Dao Court was not stingy either. They did not need all the sects in the world to submit, but only to form alliances. For each ally, they provided cultivation quotas, allowing disciples from various sects to go and cultivate the Dao. As one disciple from another sect returned from cultivation, the reputation of the Dao Court also grew day by day.

Xiao Lan also looked forward to the Dao Court. She said she wanted Gu An to stay in her cave. According to Master Su, with her talent, she could receive high-level treatment in the Dao Court. The spiritual energy in her cave was extremely rich.

Faced with her expectations, Gu An agreed, which made Su Zhenren shake her head, but she didn't say anything more.

Before long, the magnificent sight of the Dao Court came into view.

The Dao Court occupies an entire continent, with layers of clouds forming above it. Daoist temples and cities are built on these clouds. The higher one's cultivation level, the higher one's residence. Even before setting foot on the continent, one can feel its immense fortune, which is far beyond what the former Immortal Dynasties and Holy Courts could ever achieve.

Gu An sensed the aura of the Holy Minister of the Holy Court and other high-ranking officials. The Dao Court was able to expand rapidly, and the Holy Court and the old members of the Immortal Dynasty had contributed a lot to this.

To be precise, the Dao Court was formed by the overlords of various worlds before the Great Thousand Worlds were reshaped. The factions within the court are intricate and complex, which is why the Dao Court does not forcibly annex other sects but chooses to form alliances, because their essence is also an alliance of sects.

(End of this chapter)