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

Gu An raised his eyes to look at the woman in red, sensing the intense Demon Energy emanating from her body.

A demon capable of complete shape-shifting was generally a Great Demon, yet the Demon Energy of this one was merely comparable to the ninth layer of the Foundation Establishment Realm, which was indeed strange.

He immediately initiated a Life Span Detection.

[Tian Yao'er (Foundation Establishment Realm, ninth layer): 17/999/18000]

Hmm?

The maximum lifespan was higher than that of the Underworld Demon Emperor, breaking the records of the Demon Clan's qualifications known to Gu An.

Leaving aside the Spirit Tree, the Ghost Mother of Ephemera holds the highest maximum lifespan at fifty-four thousand years, but the Ghost Mother is a ghost, and should not be directly compared.

Gu An couldn't help but sigh. The Human Race truly faced harsh conditions, bound by a fate of less than ten thousand years.

Of course, the perception of the Human Race was higher than that of the Demon and Ghost Clans; at least, Gu An had not yet seen a demon or ghost whose cultivation speed surpassed that of Li Xuandao.

As Gu An thought this, he waited for the breakthrough to end.

After Spiritual Power transformed into Mana, the change in strength was earth-shattering. Gu An felt that he could now easily crush his former self before the breakthrough.

Perhaps this was what the true Immortal Path entailed!

The Nine Layers of Immortal Path, he had already stepped into the first layer, no longer a mere Mortal Spirit.

Unfortunately, unlike other cultivators, advancing in realms did not bring an increase in lifespan for him, possibly because he had cheated, not experiencing the real heavenly tribulations. His lifespan could only be acquired, not enhanced through breakthroughs.

But that was not an issue, as the speed at which he acquired lifespans was already fast enough.

When the Life Span Barrier no longer drew Spiritual Energy from Heavenly Phoenix Mountain, the entire mountain fell into silence, creating an oppressive atmosphere.

Gu An sensed that the majority of the Demon Creatures were fleeing Heavenly Phoenix Mountain, as such phenomena typically signaled a calamity to them.

Time flew by.

By the time Gu An's cultivation level reached the ninth layer of the Nirvana Realm, he was still in a mystical state of mind.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the consumption of the Life Span Barrier; this breakthrough had used up nearly fifty thousand years of lifespan.

This meant, he had used a total of four hundred and fifty-four thousand years of lifespan to reach the ninth layer of the Nirvana Realm!

He still had one million nine hundred twenty thousand years of lifespan left, not counting fractions!

Not bad!

Gu An stood up, took out a black garment, and as he dressed, he looked toward the distant Tian Yao'er.

Now, he could see things invisible to ordinary beings; he saw wisps of gray aura on Tian Yao'er's body. When his Divine Sense probed into the gray aura, he saw past scenes from Tian Yao'er's life.

Could this be the legendary Karma?

Gu An began to probe the past of Tian Yao'er, so he did not immediately dispel the Life Span Barrier.

After the breakthrough, the consumption of the Life Span Barrier slowed down significantly, and keeping it a bit longer wouldn't cause much loss.

When Gu An finished dressing, he dispelled the Life Span Barrier and walked towards Tian Yao'er.

His ability to probe Karma wasn't very strong, only revealing Tian Yao'er's past ten years and unable to predict the future.

Being able to probe the past ten years of Karma was commendable enough!

In just a few moments, the past ten years of Tian Yao'er's life appeared before his eyes.

Gu An approached Tian Yao'er, crouched down, lifted the unconscious Tian Yao'er, and then walked out of the woods.

Moonlight shone on them, elongating their shadows.

...

Tian Yao'er had a nightmare, dreaming that she was surrounded by demons, which tore her apart to make a soup for the Demon Mother.

She suddenly awoke, sitting up abruptly from the ground, gasping for air.

She instinctively looked around and found herself in a cave; her eyes were drawn to the firelight where a figure was meditating beside a fire pit, which frightened her into shrinking back against the wall.

"You..." Tian Yao'er was still unsettled, unsure what to say.

She looked closer. The person was wearing black clothes and a mask, appearing very mysterious.

It was Gu An!

At the moment, Gu An was immersed in the power of the Nirvana Realm; his Divine Sense covered vast territories. He could even see the entirety of the Nine Dynasties from Heavenly Phoenix Mountain, a feeling that fascinated him.

Was this what the Realm of Immortal Path felt like?

Gu An felt like a true Immortal of the Mortal World, as if he was omnipotent.

Tian Yao'er's gaze fell on an elixir bottle on the ground. After hesitating for a moment, she moved forward two steps, cautiously picked up the bottle, opened it, and the fragrance made her eyes light up. She immediately poured the elixir into her mouth.

After consuming the elixir, she felt her strength returning considerably, an indescribable sensation.

Refreshed and clear-headed!

She noticed that the wounds on her body had scabbed over. She involuntarily shrank back against the cave wall, curling up and covering her muddy feet with her clothes.

Once she calmed down, she realized that it was the person in black who had saved her.

Curiously observing Gu An, she found his presence very unfamiliar.

Since hatching from her shell, she had not yet encountered a Cultivator of the Human Race.

She was raised by the Demon Mother from childhood, and the red clothes she wore had also been passed down to her by the Demon Mother.

After a while,

Gu An withdrew his Divine Sense, slowly opened his eyes, turned his head to look, and his eyes visible beneath the mask met with Tian Yao'er's gaze, causing her to pause in shock and then snap out of it.

"Thank you, senior, for saving me..."

Tian Yao'er timidly said, like a small cat.

Gu An spoke, "What do you plan to do next?"

From his previous spying, Tian Yao'er was a demon creature reared by a Demon King in the Unification Realm. There were other young demons in that cage who could shape-shift at a young age, which indicated they were not ordinary.

Because the spiritual energy suddenly sank, the demons thought a disaster was imminent, so they all migrated. During the migration, they encountered a Great Demon, and a battle erupted. Tian Yao'er escaped amidst the chaos.

Afterward, she fled all the way to where Gu An was.

Perhaps because they were both orphans, Gu An felt a hint of sympathy for Tian Yao'er. He didn't leave immediately.

Tian Yao'er hesitated, unsure of how to respond, and she was also confused.

"Now, you have two choices—first, I can take you out of Heavenly Phoenix Mountain and help you survive in a distant place, or second, you can pledge loyalty to me, work for me, and I will ensure your safety," he said.

When Gu An's voice reached her, Tian Yao'er showed a struggle in her eyes.

Tian Yao'er bit her lip and asked, "Can you avenge me? The Demon Mother killed my parents. As long as you avenge me, I will follow you forever."

"The Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother is too powerful. I am not her match. However, I can teach you the cultivation technique so you can seek revenge yourself," Gu An replied.

Although the Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother was in the Unification Realm, she wasn't truly a match for Gu An, but he did not want to reveal his true strength.

From Tian Yao'er's past, information revealed that the Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother had lived for thousands of years. Killing her might extend one's life span by a mere two digits, so it wasn't worth revealing his cultivation level.

Even though Gu An wanted Tian Yao'er to manage his newly established cave mansion, he did not want to reveal his real power.

One must always keep some secrets!

He was only at the first layer of the Immortal Path, far from invincibility. What if someone from the future crossed through time and space to kill him?

He needed to keep everyone in the dark about when he had become powerful!

Tian Yao'er showed disappointment in her eyes, but on second thought, it was reasonable. She had never heard of a being stronger than the Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother.

She cautiously asked, "If I follow you and cultivate, do I have a chance for revenge?"

"At least it's an extra chance, isn't it?"

"Okay, then I will follow you!"

Gu An immediately waved his sleeve, and the ground behind him suddenly collapsed, followed by water gushing from the bottom rapidly forming a pool.

"Go wash up," Gu An said, then stood up and walked towards the cave entrance.

Tian Yao'er quickly got up and asked anxiously, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going outside to take a look. I will come in after you have washed up."

Gu An did not stop walking but just waved his hand.

Tian Yao'er watched his retreating figure, wanting to speak but hesitated.

For some reason, Gu An's attitude made her feel more fond of him.

Perhaps following him, she would live a better life than before.

Tian Yao'er turned and walked to the edge of the pool. She looked at the water and thought in amazement, "He seems so powerful. Is he really unable to fight the Demon Mother?"

Elsewhere.

Gu An walked out of the cave entrance, and sunlight fell on him.

He stood halfway up the mountain, surrounded by flowers and trees, but they did not obstruct his view.

Following his gaze, the mountains rose and fell, surrounded by thick fog, resembling an immortal realm, making it difficult to associate such beautiful scenery with a Demon Land.

Gu An's Divine Sense spread out, beginning to search for a suitable place—he planned to establish a cave mansion underground.

After settling Tian Yao'er today, he would return to his business.

Luckily, he had already prepared various formation materials in advance, enough to build a concealed cave mansion, which he would continue to perfect over time.

Soon, Gu An locked onto a Spirit Lineage and planned to establish the cave mansion beside it.

He left a Yin Yang Clone behind, while his original form vanished on the spot.

After 30 minutes.

Tian Yao'er was squatting by a fire, her hands wrapped around her legs, the firelight on her delicate face. She stared blankly at the fire, lost in thought.

It wasn't until she heard footsteps coming from the cave tunnel that she snapped out of her daze and quickly stood up.

Before long, Gu An entered the cave chamber and looked at the now-clean Tian Yao'er, feeling quietly satisfied.

She was attractive, and having her manage the cave mansion would be pleasing to the eye.

Gu An waved his sleeve, and a gust of wind blew towards Tian Yao'er, fluttering her long hair and lifting her clothes, revealing views underneath that made Gu An avert his gaze.

Tian Yao'er felt her hair puff up suddenly and her clothes dry, the damp feeling on her body gone.

Gu An raised his hand, summoning Tian Yao'er through the air to face him, then grabbing her shoulders, both vanished within the cave.

Tian Yao'er only felt dizzy, extremely uncomfortable, unable to open her eyes or extend her Divine Sense, which made her instinctively clutch at Gu An's belt.

Soon, she felt her feet touch the ground and the discomfort faded.

She opened her eyes wide in astonished wonder.

They had arrived at a vast underground space, almost as large as Mystic Heaven Cave Mansion, with walls embedded with various Spirit Stones, emitting light and rich in Spiritual Energy, making Tian Yao'er feel exhilarated.

This cave mansion was personally created by Gu An. At first glance, it seemed naturally formed by the earth, with its environment appearing as if crafted by sublime skills.

"From now on, you will live here. You should first heal and stay inside. This is still Heavenly Phoenix Mountain. If you feel bored, you can read some books," Gu An said as he pulled out Investiture of the Gods, Supreme Immortal Venerable, and other books from his sleeve, placing them on the ground.

After speaking, he vanished on the spot.

Tian Yao'er crouched down, picked up a copy of Investiture of the Gods, and began to flip through it, her face filled with confusion.

She couldn't read.