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

Hateful Heaven Ancestor had stayed in his cave for over a thousand years without taking a single step outside. None of the cultivators on the island knew he was hiding there.

Suddenly, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Even though he had Loose Immortal cultivation, he was still startled.

He instinctively wanted to turn his head, but at that moment, an incredibly terrifying mana surged into his body, destroying his bones and tendons before restraining his Primordial Spirit.

Behind him stood Gu An, who had performed the Nine Extremes Yin Yang Body.

Gu An pressed a hand on his shoulder, looking down at him.

Although there was only one major realm difference between Loose Immortal and Wandering Immortal, the gap was vast. Moreover, Gu An had Ninth Layer Wandering Immortal cultivation, while Hateful Heaven Ancestor only had Second Layer Loose Immortal cultivation.

"Puff—"

Hateful Heaven Ancestor spat a mouthful of blood, and his eyes immediately lost their spirit.

Gu An began to perform Soul Capturing Skill to search his memories.

The memories of Hateful Heaven Ancestor were too vast, so Gu An only searched for memories related to the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword.

A long time passed.

Gu An withdrew his Divine Sense and then began to use the Three Pure Ones True Fire to finish off Hateful Heaven Ancestor.

[You have successfully taken 1,280 years of life from Hateful Heaven Ancestor (Second Layer Loose Immortal Realm)]

Watching Hateful Heaven Ancestor's body gradually turn to ashes, the heavy weight on Gu An's mind slowly lifted.

Being resented by a Loose Immortal put pressure on Gu An. If he didn't eliminate the enemy immediately, he couldn't be at ease.

He started examining the cave. It wasn't small; it was well-furnished and even had a Spirit Pond with various kinds of aquatic plants.

According to Hateful Heaven Ancestor's memories, he had no connection with this island. He had sneaked onto the island to hide because he had enemies.

His enemies were from a sea-based sect called Star Sea Congregations. This sect dominated the ocean and had countless disciples, though Gu An wasn't sure of their exact strength.

During the memory search, Gu An was very careful, fearing he might see other Wandering Immortals or higher realm beings. Immortal Path Realm cultivators' perception of karmic forces increased with their cultivation level, and he worried that other great cultivators might notice his soul search.

As for the strongest cultivator on this island, they were only in the Nirvana Realm, not a major concern.

Soon, Hateful Heaven Ancestor was burned to ashes. Gu An began to inventory his belongings.

His storage bag was of high quality, containing dozens of restrictions. The internal space was over ten miles in diameter, storing countless spirit stones, elixirs, magic artifacts, secret books, and rare treasures.

Gu An felt that with this storage bag alone, he could establish his own sect.

He wasn't in a hurry to leave. He sat on a stone bench and took out a secret book to read.

This secret book was called Hateful Heaven Path!

The Hateful Heaven Divine Sword was merely a branch of the Hateful Heaven Path. Because Hateful Heaven Ancestor had been a sword cultivator, he had created the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword.

Hateful Heaven Path was a legacy discovered by Hateful Heaven Ancestor in an ancient palace under the sea when he was a thousand years old. It was said that this palace belonged to a powerful sect from ancient times. When the ocean submerged the mortal world, everything sank to the seabed.

Hateful Heaven Ancestor had reached his current height relying on the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword. He propagated the sword technique, allowing sword cultivators to bolster his Hateful Heaven Path. The power of the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword came from borrowing his strength. In this process, he would continually absorb the other party's Qi fortune and lifespan. Thus, those who practiced the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword advanced quickly in cultivation but also died quickly.

The cultivator from the Sword Sect of the Great Yu Dynasty who created the Hateful Heaven Divine Sword had also been taught by him, not self-created.

After perusing it, Gu An thought Hateful Heaven Path was indeed powerful, but it was too sinister. Moreover, practicing this path would lead to backlash. For example, Hateful Heaven Ancestor couldn't be exposed to sunlight and could only act at night. Even as a Loose Immortal, walking in the sunlight would cause heart demons to torment him.

Gu An threw the secret book into his storage bag and continued to inventory the other secret books.

... …

At the end of the year, the demonic catastrophe was entering a more severe stage, and the Supreme Sect began mobilizing outer disciples to patrol the surrounding areas.

That day, a violent demonic cat rushed into Mystic Valley, attempting to attack servant disciples. Fortunately, Chu Jingfeng arrived in time to slay it.

When Gu An returned from the Third Medicine Valley and saw the demonic cat's corpse, he found it still harbored a concealed and sinister power of cause and effect.

This power of cause and effect was quite similar to the Hateful Heaven Path, possibly explaining the demon clan's transformation into demons.

The disciples gathered around him, talking all at once, worried that Mystic Valley would face an attack during the demonic catastrophe.

Gu An stood up and comforted them, "Don't be afraid. With the protection of the Supreme Sect, nothing will happen."

The disciples didn't believe him. If there was a demonic cat today, what would appear tomorrow?

Chu Jingfeng had no cultivation, relying solely on his swordsmanship to slay demons. If Gu An wasn't present, even a Second Layer demon beast could devour them all.

Hearing the disciples' concerns, Gu An thought they were reasonable and decided to go to the Outer Gate City to issue a bounty, inviting Foundation Establishment Realm disciples to protect the Medicine Valley, which made the disciples very happy.

Watching them discuss excitedly, Gu An thought of the scene when Cheng Xuandan invited Chu Jingfeng.

He turned to the north. He could feel the demon ancestor's aura had stabilized and was no longer rising, indicating the demon ancestor had fully revived and could head south at any time.

Besides the demon ancestor, he also felt another aura. This aura didn't seem to emanate from an individual but from an entire land, vast and eerie.

It should be the Evil Demon from Black Disgust Demon King's memory.

The legend of the Evil Demon had been around for a long time. Black Disgust Demon King had only heard of it but never seen it.

According to legend, obtaining the true blood of the Evil Demon allowed demons to revert to their ancestral forms. The Six-Headed Sea Dragon had once obtained a drop of true blood from the Evil Demon.

Gu An suspected the Evil Demon was also raised by the Seven Stars Spirit Realm.

He stood there for a while, then headed toward the pavilion.

At the same time.

In the distant north.

Demon energy filled the heavens and earth, thunderclouds covered the sky, and lightning flickered, resembling the rolling of a sea dragon.

The land was uneven, and trees were sparse. Bones, more numerous than trees, stretched as far as the eye could see, resembling a hellish landscape.

The further north one went, the more bones there were, with even mountain-sized skeletons appearing, likely the remains of ancient species.

As the bones grew denser, an enormous altar emerged. It stood on a desolate plain, over twenty miles in diameter, made of some kind of blue stone and covered with numerous ancient runes. Bone piles surrounded the altar, forming a white ring around it from above.

Eight black lines, resembling chains, intertwined at the altar's center, where a figure sat.

It was the demon ancestor!

The demon ancestor wasn't as colossal as the Six-Headed Sea Dragon, appearing more like a human cultivator. He wore tattered robes, with long white hair hanging loosely, and his black fingernails were sharp as blades. On closer inspection, he had two additional eyes on his forehead, all four eyes pitch-black with dark red pupils.

He was playing with a stone sword. The blade wasn't long and was as wide as his arm, appearing ordinary.

"I'm hungry."

The demon ancestor suddenly spoke, his voice booming like thunder, accompanied by the roar of tigers and dragons.

A figure flew in from the horizon—a bird demon with black wings. He hovered at the altar's edge, looking nervous as he said, "Demon Ancestor, all the demons within a million miles have been eaten by you. His Majesty has also gone south to join the battle. There's no food left for you..."

His gaze towards the demon ancestor was filled with fear, and he tried hard to keep his voice from trembling.

The demon ancestor glanced at him, his eyes cold, causing him to immediately bow his head.

"Who says it's all been eaten?"

The demon ancestor's voice echoed, its tone lazy.

Upon hearing this, the bird demon's face changed color drastically, and he turned to flee, disappearing in an instant into the horizon.

The demon ancestor's eyes narrowed, and the space in front of him rippled.

That bird demon suddenly appeared before him, and he grabbed its head, smashing it violently onto the altar.

Blood splattered, and the demon ancestor showed a ferocious, cruel smile. He opened his mouth and bit down directly.

"Ah—"

The bird demon let out a miserable scream!

The demon ancestor didn't choose to kill it but to eat it alive.

A long time passed.

The demon ancestor sat in a blood-soaked area, surrounded by black feathers. He licked the blood on his fingers, his gaze looking towards the horizon.

"It's time to prepare to head south."

...

The new year's Spring Festival arrived, but it was very quiet, not as lively as in past years, and the banquets quickly dispersed.

In the dead of night, on Heavenly Phoenix Mountain.

In Nianchu Cave, Gu An was spending the festival with Tian Yao'er.

While roasting lamb, Tian Yao'er repeatedly showed off the Limitless Freedom Step, moving back and forth and occasionally using her innate Divine Skill to transform into various female demons.

Gu An couldn't help but laugh and ask, "Why do you keep transforming into female demons?"

"I want to see if the master likes it."

Tian Yao'er stopped and giggled.

Gu An commented, "None of them are as pretty as you. Stop transforming from now on."

He was telling the truth. Tian Yao'er was already stunningly beautiful, far superior to the female demons who retained demonic features.

Hearing this, Tian Yao'er was overjoyed and immediately pounced on Gu An, clinging to his arm.

After being affectionate for a while, she asked, "Master, can you catch a few more demons to keep me company?"

Gu An asked, "What kind of demons do you want?"

"Just female demons, preferably young ones, easy to control," Tian Yao'er smiled.

Gu An thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

Now that the various zones in Nianchu Cave were running smoothly, he could capture a few demons for Tian Yao'er to assist her, ensuring she could focus on her cultivation.

"Let's see if I come across any later. I don't like randomly catching demons," Gu An said, focusing on the roasted lamb leg in his hand.

Tian Yao'er nodded and smiled, "Master is kind-hearted and only saves demons. Being chosen by you is their blessing."

"What do you mean, kind-hearted? Don't use words incorrectly."

"Anyway, master is very nice. You're the best person I've ever met."

"How many people have you met in your life?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter. You're the best. Meeting you is the greatest blessing of my life."

As she spoke, Tian Yao'er's gaze fell on the mask on Gu An's face.

She really wanted to remove Gu An's mask but was afraid of angering him.

Gu An handed her the lamb leg and then stood up, saying, "Alright, you eat slowly. I have to go."

Tian Yao'er froze and quickly asked, "So soon? Where are you going?"

Gu An vanished into thin air, leaving a single sentence, "To check on another lonely demon."

Tian Yao'er's smile instantly froze.