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

Gu An listened to Shangguan Xian'er's mental activity and found it amusing. What rumors were spreading in private? Those disciples who went out and never returned were not turned away by Gu An.

"Go ask your teachers. You're not qualified for me to teach you yet."

Gu An replied, then continued carving the wooden statue in his hand.

Shangguan Xian'er widened her eyes, wanting to say something but ultimately held back.

"It seems my sword skills are still inadequate, not yet seen by the Ancestor."

Thinking this way, Shangguan Xian'er felt she had gotten an answer. She demonstrated in front of Gu An just to see how her achievements stood. Since they were lacking, she would continue to practice. At least now she had more motivation to gain Sword Enlightenment.

Once she figured it out, Shangguan Xian'er became invigorated, her whole demeanor returning to her usual lively state. After saying a few words, she hurriedly left.

Gu An's lips curved upwards as he continued to carve the wooden statue.

Over the long years, he had many hobbies, and those he persisted in, he integrated into his cultivation practices. Like the wooden figure in his hand now, which seemed ordinary but contained profound mysteries.

He wanted to turn these figures into a powerful combat force. The number he had stored was already considerable, though his Cultivation Realm was still insufficient.

After Shangguan Xian'er left, no one else came to disturb Gu An.

Until dusk, Shen Zhen, who was meditating in front of the Artifact Refining Cauldron, opened her eyes. She looked at Gu An, who was admiring the wooden figure in his hand, and said, "Gu An, I saw someone who is inexplicably directed by karma to rescue her."

After hearing this, Gu An looked at her and asked, "Who is it?"

While speaking, he followed Shen Zhen's karma, and what he saw and heard made his heart a little excited.

Finally found her!

"It's a woman, meditating in the dark. That darkness... I can't describe, it's very oppressive..." Shen Zhen took a deep breath and said seriously.

Gu An stood up, putting the wooden figure into his chest pocket. He looked at Shen Zhen and asked, "Do you want to go take a look?"

Shen Zhen, after hearing this, didn't immediately agree but hesitated and asked, "Would it be dangerous? Am I being manipulated by some powerful entity to draw you in?"

After comprehending the Dao for millions of years, although she didn't practice Qi Absorption Cultivation much, her Enlightenment period was the longest. After achieving Primordial Dao Emperor, she had the most reincarnation projections in the dojo, more than An Xin.

Though An Xin never said it, Gu An knew she already considered Shen Zhen her greatest future adversary for the Magic Battle Conference. The Blood Prison Great Saint was no longer a threat to her.

With profound Dao practice and rich understanding of the Path of Cause and Effect, she felt nothing in the world was coincidental.

She couldn't possibly achieve Enlightenment for no reason, nor develop a strong urge to rescue a stranger without cause.

It must be some peerless Great Power plotting against her behind the scenes.

What made her worthy of such scheming?

She could only think of Gu An.

"Indeed, someone in the unseen forces is guiding you to rescue that woman." Gu An walked toward her, smiling as he spoke.

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhen sighed in relief and asked, "You noticed this early on? Do you know that person?"

"Let's go, we'll talk on the way."

Gu An came to her side and gently patted her shoulder.

Shen Zhen stood up and followed in Gu An's footsteps. As soon as she took a step, the surrounding scene suddenly changed. She found herself in darkness, with silver lines underfoot flowing forward endlessly like countless schools of fish.

Gu An walked ahead, Shen Zhen's gaze fell on his back, and her unease dissipated.

She quickly caught up to walk shoulder to shoulder with Gu An and curiously asked, "What is this place? Why is there no aura of the Great Dao around?"

"This is a void space opened up by the Path of Cause and Effect. Although there seems to be nothing here, there are great cause and effect barriers at the edges. These barriers are products of the rules constructed by the Three Thousand Great Dao. Violating these rules will bring retribution, dissipating all Dao practice and suffering infinite misfortune until one's consciousness extinguishes."

Gu An answered. It was also his first time here. Even if a Dao Extreme Daluo Immortal came here, tainted by great cause and effect, they would meet a terrible end.

When he used Karma Divine Power to curse enemies, he suffered retribution from the great cause and effect, but compared to the barriers in this dimension, it was like a grain of rice compared to the moon.

Though strong, the great cause and effect here couldn't harm Primordial Dao Fruit.

In other words, a Xuan Qi Primordial Immortal could come and go freely. The great cause and effect here would be like nothing to them.

"Great cause and effect... does it mean bad karma?" Shen Zhen muttered.

"You could understand it that way. Let me tell you a story next."

Gu An agreed, then began narrating the story of the Emperor of Eternal Life.

The journey was long. He walked at a leisurely pace, telling the story on the surface, but in truth, he was using his Dao Intent to help the trapped Fairy Yaoxuan dispel the retributions of great cause and effect.

Fairy Yaoxuan was entangled by great cause and effect, her consciousness sinking into a boundless abyss, constantly experiencing her worst fears, already breaking down.

She hadn't entirely lost consciousness due to the Emperor's destiny protection.

One had to admit, the Daoist Emperor truly was a marvelous creation, able to contend against the Great Dao.

For the Immortal Realm, Fairy Yaoxuan's great cause and effect couldn't be dispelled, and the Emperor of Eternal Life was helpless. But for Gu An now, he could resolve the retribution of her great cause and effect.

At first, Shen Zhen wasn't very interested, listening while experiencing this unfamiliar and unknown cosmos. But soon she got captivated by the story of the Emperor of Eternal Life.

Born into misery, orphaned, shouldering vengeance while cultivating, meeting a beloved but having to part, roaming across realms with an obsession but not saving the beloved before being hunted by Immortal Gods.

Shen Zhen always had a habit of writing, but she too got absorbed in the life story of the Emperor of Eternal Life, her emotions swaying along.

Mysteriously, she seemed to empathize with him.

"The Emperor of Eternal Life sacrificed himself in the Great Cause and Effect Stele, trying to use the most perfect creation of the Path of Cause and Effect to search for Fairy Yaoxuan."

As Gu An spoke to this point, he stopped, his gaze shifting to Shen Zhen.

Shen Zhen understood. She asked, "The woman I saw is Fairy Yaoxuan, and the karma that led me to save her is the Emperor of Eternal Life's obsession?"

Gu An answered, "That's right. Once Fairy Yaoxuan is saved, this karma will be over, and you won't be affected anymore."

Shen Zhen frowned and said, "But why did the Emperor of Eternal Life choose me? Do I have some connection to Fairy Yaoxuan? Am I her descendant?"

"No, you are not. But sins are."

"I'm not? Then why me?"

Shen Zhen couldn't figure it out. Suddenly, she thought of something, her eyes widened, and she asked in amazement, "Could it be you are the descendant of the Emperor of Eternal Life? No, what is your relationship with him? Are you his reincarnation?"

The thought that Gu An could be the Emperor of Eternal Life made Shen Zhen's feelings complicated and inexplicable.

Gu An shook his head with a smile, "He has already died in the Great Cause and Effect Stele without a chance for reincarnation. I just knew him."

That was true. The Emperor of Eternal Life had not reincarnated; rather, he was Gu An's reincarnation body.