Chapter 240: Chapter 240: Sworn to Protect

Looking at Li Ya, who was full of fighting spirit, An Hao remained unmoved. If it had been before, he might have expected to spar with Li Ya, but now his mind was occupied only with that junior brother he had never met.

Li Ya possessed the Immortal Path Supreme Treasure and was no longer the same as before. An Hao naturally did not consider himself a match for Li Ya.

However, excluding the Immortal Path Supreme Treasure, An Hao truly did not think Li Ya was qualified to be his opponent.

Li Ya thought he was timid, so he said, "Don't worry. When I spar with you, I won't use that treasure. But if it's against others, I won't hold back at all, and I'll show off our Supreme Sect's might."

Zhang Buku stood beside them and snorted, "I don't mind if you use that supreme treasure. In fact, I want to test its sharpness."

An Hao looked at Zhang Buku. He had met Zhang Buku before, at a time when Zhang Buku and Li Ya were already inseparable, though they had not yet become acquainted.

He found Zhang Buku very interesting and could feel the immense strength of his qi-blood. In terms of real strength, he was certainly stronger than Li Ya.

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

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

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

An Hao nodded and then said nothing more, turning around.

Li Ya became interested, stepped forward, and said, "The three of us come from the Supreme Sect and have joined the Star Sea Congregations at the same time. Regardless of victories or defeats in the future, how about mutual support?"

An Hao nodded without objection.

In his heart, the Supreme Sect held a high position. Helping fellow disciples was only natural to him.

Li Ya and Zhang Buku stepped forward and stayed beside An Hao, starting to chat and share their past experiences. An Hao initially didn't care, but as he listened, he became captivated by their experiences.

Were these two so eager for battle?

Very soon, Zhang Buku and Li Ya started arguing, each blaming the other. An Hao suddenly felt a bit envious of them, as they could rely on each other no matter where they went.

Thinking of his junior sister, An Xin, An Hao couldn't help but sigh.

Even he felt that the heavens were unfair.

…

While Li Ya and the others wandered in the Star Sea Congregations, far away at the Supreme Sect, Gu An and his disciples lived their lives as usual for ten years.

Ten years passed in a flash.

Gu An's age reached one hundred and thirty-nine. That summer, the Heaven Ranking Tournament, hosted by the Supreme Sect, was about to begin, plunging the Supreme Sect into an unprecedented state of prosperity.

In the Third Medicine Valley, within a pavilion.

Gu An looked at his attribute panel. His lifespan had recovered to eight million years, and he was secretly satisfied.

When he broke through to the Carefree Primordial Immortal, the life span barrier alone cost him nearly a million years of life. In ten years, he had gained more than four million years of life, which was quite stable.

Next, Gu An planned to aim for one hundred million years of life, at which point he would comprehensively enhance his attribute panel before breaking through to higher realms.

Although it seemed far off to gain a one hundred million year lifespan in just ten years, Gu An was not anxious. He still had a trump card, which was the Outer World Cave Heaven.

The seventh-order medicinal herbs in the Outer World Cave Heaven couldn't mature in just a few decades, and every month, Gu An brought in high-rank seeds.

What Gu An was currently thinking about was collecting an Immortal Path Spirit Tree.

Last year, during a private auction held by Sage Tang Hai, an Immortal Path Spirit Tree appeared, but unfortunately, its price skyrocketed. Gu An could not afford it due to his regular purchases of high-rank medical herbs. The other party was a great cultivator from the Star Sea Congregations with deep pockets and an astonishing background.

Gu An had not resorted to robbing for a single tree. There was no need to make enemies, as an Immortal Path Spirit Tree would not gain him a million-year lifespan at once. Moreover, at that time, the Supreme Sect and the Star Sea Congregations were on good terms. His disciple, An Hao, was also comfortably staying in the Star Sea Congregations.

There would be another chance in the future!

Seizing this Heaven Ranking Tournament, Gu An planned to amass wealth. He was looking forward to the upcoming excitement.

He stood up, preparing to head for the Mystic Valley, as an acquaintance had returned.

After coming downstairs, Gu An called over Yang Jian, then rode with the Blood Prison Great Saint to the Mystic Valley through teleportation.

The disciples of the Mystic Valley had all seen the Blood Prison Great Saint and Yang Jian over the years, so they knew of their relationship with Gu An.

Gu An did not go upstairs but began patrolling the gardens in the valley, with Yang Jian and the Blood Prison Great Saint following.

After ten years, the thirty-two-year-old Yang Jian had already reached the second layer of the Core Formation Realm. At such an age, with such cultivation, he was among the top-tier talents of the time. Considering that Yang Jian, at the age of twenty, was only at the third layer of Qi Cultivation Realm, his talent was immeasurable.

Yang Jian still concealed his cultivation, appearing to be at the seventh layer of Qi Cultivation Realm.

Yang Jian, who practiced the All Things Form and Energy Art and the Heaven and Earth Primordial Skill, had an extremely powerful qi-blood. Gu An judged that cultivators at the Nascent Soul Realm couldn't withstand his strength.

With Gu An's teaching, Yang Jian had grown more steady, neither arrogant nor impetuous, showing the demeanor of a true disciple.

"I heard the Daoist Lord of the Cangtian Sect has arrived," Yang Jian chatted with the Blood Prison Great Saint about the Heaven Ranking Tournament.

The Blood Prison Great Saint was also very interested, and the two only talked about others, not their own cultivation—a habit developed under Gu An's long-term instructions.

After a while.

A figure flew from the distant sky; it was Li Ya.

Yang Jian turned his head to look, curiosity showing in his eyes.

What a powerful aura!

Li Ya came on his sword, like an immortal descending from the sky.

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

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

Li Ya nodded, his gaze inadvertently falling on Yang Jian.

Although Yang Jian's cultivation was low, his demeanor was extraordinary.

"What is this person's relationship with Junior Brother Gu?" Li Ya thought to himself.

After a while, Gu An handed over medicinal herbs to a servant disciple, then led Yang Jian towards Li Ya.

He introduced Yang Jian to Li Ya, asking Yang Jian to greet him.

"Yang Jian greets Uncle Master," Yang Jian clasped his fists, neither humble nor overbearing. Although Li Ya's aura was strong, it couldn't compare to Gu An. If Gu An hadn't concealed his cultivation, the two wouldn't be considered fellow disciples.

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

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

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

Yang Jian looked at Gu An, and only after seeing Gu An nod did he accept it.

Li Ya pulled Gu An towards the pavilion, while Gu An beckoned Yang Jian to follow, causing Li Ya to hesitate.

"Jian'er is my truly accepted disciple, whom I've taught everything I know. Let him follow us and broaden his horizons," Gu An said with a smile.

Li Ya, hearing this, took another look at Yang Jian.

He understood Gu An's implied meaning.

"I see. If you ever encounter trouble while adventuring out there, you can always come to me, your Uncle Master," Li Ya said with an air of spirit, to which Yang Jian quickly expressed his gratitude.

Gu An found it amusing; Li Ya had guessed his intention correctly, but got the relationship wrong.

He wasn't setting Yang Jian up with a backer but the other way around!

After the three went upstairs, Li Ya began recounting his experiences within the Star Sea Congregations. He had already become a true disciple of the Star Sea Congregations, although his cultivation was the lowest among them, relying on the Divine Exotic City.

Although Yang Jian had joined later, he had heard of the Divine Exotic City.

Unexpectedly, the Supreme Sect cultivator who seized the Divine Exotic City years ago turned out to be his Uncle Master.

He suddenly suspected that Li Ya had obtained the Divine Exotic City with help from his master.

"By the way, I heard there was an internal assessment in the Star Sea Congregations. Did you participate?" Gu An suddenly asked.

Li Ya's expression instantly became unnatural. "I did, and I got quite a good ranking, entering the top hundred. I became a true disciple based on my own strength."

Gu An didn't believe it. Over the years, Li Ya had used the power of the Divine Exotic City quite often.

"I heard An Hao also participated. What was his ranking?" Gu An continued to ask.

Li Ya's expression became even more awkward.

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

"That's right, it's him."

Yang Jian fell into contemplation.

Li Ya ambiguously said, "His ranking was also good. Without using the Divine Exotic City, I indeed couldn't match him."

Gu An curiously asked, "What do you mean? Did you two meet again?"

Li Ya felt aggrieved. Was Junior Brother Gu doing this on purpose?

Trying to embarrass me in front of a junior?

He did indeed run into An Hao. He had subdued many great cultivators with the Divine Exotic City. But when facing An Hao, for the sake of fairness, he didn't use the Divine Exotic City and ended up disastrously defeated. This incident became widely known inside the Star Sea Congregations, and An Hao made a name for himself by stepping on him, leaving him very frustrated.

Although frustrated, he did not regret it. An Hao had always been his goal to chase. He wanted to know how far apart their real strengths were.

Gu An chuckled, knowing his disciple had defeated Li Ya. He felt a sense of satisfaction.

Sigh, this kind of attitude was not good!

Gu An changed the topic, talking about the Heaven Ranking Tournament.

Li Ya said the reason he came back was that the Supreme Sect had sent a message, asking him to return. The Supreme Sect needed the power of the Divine Exotic City to deal with great cultivators from overseas.

After all, this was the first Heaven Ranking Tournament hosted by the Supreme Sect. Lv Baitian hoped to maintain the title of number one in the world, even if the opponents were cultivators from Holy Lands or great cultivators from overseas.

Gu An felt Lv Baitian was not being fair, but he couldn't criticize. Dharma treasures were part of a cultivator's strength. Besides him, who on the Immortal Path didn't rely on Dharma treasures in combat?

"Senior Brother Li, what do you think of my disciple? Five hundred years from now, I'll have him participate in the Heaven Ranking Tournament. Maybe he will even encounter you then," Gu An said with a smile.

Li Ya glanced at Yang Jian and said, "His cultivation is a bit low. To compete for the number one position in the world, he still needs a big opportunity."

Yang Jian remained silent, standing honestly aside.

Gu An laughed and said, "In any case, I believe my disciple has great qi fortune. He will eventually astonish the world. Although I'm uncertain if I'll live to see that day, I hope you will support each other on the Immortal Cultivation Path, advancing and retreating together. After all, this path requires more than just oneself." Read new chapters at m_v-l'e|-NovelFire.net

These words made Li Ya emotional.

He knew Junior Brother Gu's talent was mediocre, so he certainly couldn't vie for longevity like him.

Li Ya earnestly said, "Rest assured, your disciple is my disciple. As long as I am alive, I will protect him with my life. Anyone who dares to harm him must step over my dead body first."

Yang Jian looked at Li Ya, his eyes showing a change. Searᴄh the Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.