When I Achieved Sainthood, the Immortal Official Actually Called Me to Raise Horses!

Chapter 194: Beware the Sword Sovereign’s Pat on the Shoulder

The night was dark, and fierce winds howled, making the trees sway violently.

The temple's firelight flickered with the wind, while rolling clouds of dust rose from the mountain below.

Li Ya crashed into the forest, his body smashing through a mountain wall. Dust quickly engulfed him, and his Northern Sea Heavy Sword was sent flying hundreds of feet away, embedding itself into an ancient tree, causing its trunk to crack.

Zhang Bukui hovered in midair, gripping his stone axe tightly. He looked down nervously and asked,

"Daoist Li Ya, are you alright?"

Li Ya's sword intent was simply too powerful, forcing Zhang Bukui to use the Heaven-Splitting Divine Axe. In the moment he struck Li Ya down, he felt a sense of triumph—but almost immediately, his heart tightened in worry. What if he had accidentally killed him?

The two had only just met; he had no grudge against Li Ya.

Zhang Bukui raised his left hand, waving away the dust below. His gaze fell on Li Ya, who lay against the shattered mountain wall, his head drooping, body covered in blood.

Zhang Bukui quickly flew down, panicking as he stood before Li Ya, unsure of what to do.

Li Ya struggled to lift his head. One eye was closed, his teeth clenched.

"What kind of monster... are you...?"

"I'm sorry! I didn’t mean to! I really didn’t! You were just too strong—I had to go all out...!" Zhang Bukui hurriedly explained.

Hearing this, Li Ya felt somewhat comforted.

But it still hurts!

Thank the heavens his ancestor’s soul remained in Three Pure Mountains—otherwise, this humiliation would be unbearable!

With Zhang Bukui’s help, Li Ya sat down, crossed his legs, and began circulating his energy to heal. Meanwhile, Zhang Bukui retrieved his Northern Sea Heavy Sword. Ȑ𝐚ŊοᛒÈŜ

Li Ya opened his eyes and looked at Zhang Bukui, who stood awkwardly beside him.

If Zhang Bukui had been arrogant, Li Ya could have at least been angry. But the guy was being so polite that he couldn’t even find fault. After all, he had been the one to propose the duel.

"How old are you?" Li Ya asked.

"Seventy-one."

...

Ninety-seven-year-old Li Ya felt like he had been punched in the gut again.

At that moment, he truly understood the saying—"There’s always someone better out there."

Losing to An Hao was one thing—after all, An Hao’s name was renowned across the world. But losing to some half-human, half-demon nobody in the middle of nowhere? That was painful.

Suppressing his emotions, Li Ya asked, "Who is your master?"

Zhang Bukui scratched his head. "I don’t have a master. I do have a martial uncle, but I learned all my skills from a cave."

A cave?

Li Ya suddenly recalled his ancestor’s stories about miraculous encounters. He never expected someone to actually stumble upon such a ridiculous stroke of luck—surpassing his decades of effort purely by accident…

Seeing Li Ya’s confused expression, Zhang Bukui hesitated, then recounted his experiences—except for anything related to Gu An. He had promised not to bring Gu An any trouble.

Listening to Zhang Bukui’s story, Li Ya didn’t even know how to respond.

Where were all these miraculous encounters happening?

Why didn’t he ever get one?

Everyone called him the Heaven’s Favored Son of the Li Family, blessed with great fortune. But compared to Zhang Bukui, he was nothing.

The two, having fought and bonded, continued their conversation.

Far away, Gu An, in the midst of slaying demons, suddenly smiled, then turned and disappeared into the night.

After resting at the temple, Zhang Bukui and Li Ya traveled north together, venturing into the Land of Demons and Devils in search of fortune.

During their journey, Zhang Bukui offered to teach Li Ya his axe techniques, which touched him deeply.

However, Li Ya, devoted to the path of the sword, declined. He knew that his loss had nothing to do with swordsmanship—Zhang Bukui’s physical strength was simply overwhelming.

Still, he wondered… following Zhang Bukui, would he encounter some great opportunity?

"If Junior Brother Gu finds out I got injured again, he’s definitely going to worry about me…"

Time flew by, and a full year passed.

On the first of May, Gu An’s total lifespan surpassed ten million years.

With the Land of the Three Dynasties mostly cleansed of demons, he no longer ventured out and instead returned to his peaceful farming life.

Although a trend had emerged of cultivators heading north in search of fortune, Taixuan Sect continued to flourish, recruiting more disciples each year. The sect remained lively as ever.

That year, the Third Medicine Valley’s errand disciples exceeded six hundred—a quarter of them had already advanced. Most had left thanks to the Foundation Establishment Pills Gu An had given them. As a result, Gu An’s influence in Taixuan Sect kept growing.

Now, whenever he visited the Outer Sect City, disciples greeted him enthusiastically.

The Xuan Valley’s errand disciples had also grown to fifty members, and when Gu An expressed his desire to expand Medicine Valley, Outer Sect Grand Elder Lü Songhan immediately agreed.

After all, Gu An’s novel "Shattering the Void" had brought Lü Songhan significant benefits, and with the Lü Family’s backing, he was more than willing to grant Gu An’s requests.

That day, Gu An arrived at the North Sea Mountain Range, assuming the form of a Mountain God to check on Xuanmiao Zhenren’s progress.

Xuanmiao Zhenren had recruited a few small demon creatures as assistants, freeing up more time for his own cultivation.

Upon the Mountain God’s arrival, he immediately greeted him with respect and accompanied him to gather medicinal herbs. Along the way, he spoke about recent events in the North Sea Mountain Range.

Although the Demonic Cataclysm had ended, cultivators still clashed over treasures and grudges. Under the Mountain God’s name, he had saved many lives, hoping to spread his reputation.

Interestingly, while the Mountain God’s name was now well known, only Xuanmiao Zhenren could sense Gu An’s presence.

Gu An figured it was because others had never seen him, and even disciples like Zhen Qin from the Law Enforcement Hall, who had met him before, did not believe in him—after all, Taixuan Sect’s disciples only worshiped the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.

“Mountain God, What Do You Think of the Holy Land?”

Suddenly, Xuanmiao Zhenren asked nervously.

Gu An, still picking herbs, replied casually, “Why do you ask?”

Xuanmiao Zhenren hesitated before answering, “I have a feeling that the Demonic Cataclysm is connected to the Holy Land… And lately, rumors of the Sealed Demon have been spreading. I found records in Three Pure Mountains’ archives that state the Sealed Demon only appeared after the Demon Ancestor’s birth, but there are no clues about where he came from or why.”

"Isn’t Three Pure Mountains also considered a Holy Land? If you suspect something, why not investigate Seven Star Spirit Realm?" Gu An asked nonchalantly.

Was Xuanmiao Zhenren trying to get him to act against the Seven Star Spirit Realm?

No way!

Gu An wouldn’t make a move until he fully understood them.

Xuanmiao Zhenren stepped forward, lowering his voice. “We did investigate once… but it nearly led to our destruction. Since then, Three Pure Mountains no longer dares to even mention the Holy Land—even my master fears them.”

Gu An wasn’t surprised. Dynasties had risen and fallen countless times, but Seven Star Spirit Realm had always remained. Clearly, many had suspected them—they were just too afraid to act.

Then, Gu An suddenly smiled.

"Be careful tonight. Someone from the Holy Land is coming for you."

Xuanmiao Zhenren froze.

Gu An had sensed two Grand Ascension cultivators approaching the North Sea Mountain Range—one of whom had departed from Taixuan Sect.

Xuanmiao Zhenren still had more questions, but Gu An refused to say anything else.

After finishing his herb gathering, Gu An took a portion and left the rest for Xuanmiao Zhenren before vanishing into the forest.

With nightfall approaching and the thought of facing someone from Seven Star Spirit Realm, Xuanmiao Zhenren grew increasingly uneasy.

The waters of the North Sea shimmered under the fading sunlight.

Ji Xuanling stood at the shore, holding a book in his hands. The cover bore four large characters—"Sword Sovereign: A Myth."

Suddenly, a figure appeared beside him—a man dressed in a red robe embroidered with golden threads. His crown was adorned with a ruby, burning with a golden-red flame. His right hand rested on his waist, and his brows carried a sense of unyielding arrogance.

"Why are you moving even slower than me?" Ji Xuanling asked lazily.

Lin Chen narrowed his eyes at Ji Xuanling and snorted. "That’s what I should be asking you."

Then, his tone shifted. "You’ve been at Taixuan Sect for a year. Have you gathered any intelligence on the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path?"

Ji Xuanling raised the book in his hand and smiled. "The intelligence is right here. Want to read it?"

Lin Chen immediately snatched the book and scanned it with his divine sense. His expression darkened as he looked back at Ji Xuanling.

"Are you messing with me?"

Ji Xuanling lifted his chin. "Lin Chen, who told you I came to Taixuan Sect to investigate the Sword Sovereign?"

Lin Chen frowned.

Ji Xuanling continued, "The higher-ups want to maintain a good relationship with the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path. It’s certain that he is at the ninth level of the Scattered Immortal Stage, if not an even higher realm. A cultivator of such caliber couldn’t have just appeared out of nowhere—he might even be from a major overseas sect."

"Lin Senior’s death is indeed unfortunate, but if you want to blame someone, blame him for not being strong enough. Even a Scattered Immortal like him perished—do you really think you can challenge the Sword Sovereign?"

Lin Chen sneered coldly. "So your faction just loves swallowing their pride? The Sword Sovereign killed my father. Are you sure he harbors any respect or goodwill toward Seven Star Spirit Realm?"

Ji Xuanling shrugged. "Go ask him yourself. I, for one, don’t have a death wish. Let me be frank—my family sent me here to win over Taixuan Sect. And that means winning over the Sword Sovereign."

Lin Chen’s eyes burned with anger.

He threw the book hard against Ji Xuanling’s chest before turning to leave.

Ji Xuanling caught the book and, with a faint smile, mockingly reminded him, "The night is falling. Be careful—the Sword Sovereign might just tap you on the shoulder."

Lin Chen stopped in his tracks and turned to glare at him. Ji Xuanling simply lifted the book in his hand.

The next moment, Lin Chen disappeared into thin air.

Ji Xuanling smirked, sat down cross-legged, and continued reading.

Lin Chen arrived at Shanshen Temple, where Xuanmiao Zhenren resided. He was here to investigate the so-called Mountain God.

In his view, it was impossible for the Land of the Three Dynasties to produce two supreme cultivators at the same time.

As a disciple of Seven Star Spirit Realm, he had never encountered any records of a Mountain God in the sect’s ancient texts.

Lin Chen stated that the Holy Land wished to recruit the Mountain God and that he had been sent as an envoy.

Xuanmiao Zhenren remained cautious, merely saying that the Mountain God was elusive, and that even he had yet to meet him in person. That was precisely why he had built this temple—to await his presence.

After questioning Xuanmiao Zhenren for a long time without getting any useful answers, Lin Chen’s killing intent stirred.

However, wary that the Mountain God might be nearby, he restrained himself.

Just then, his gaze fell upon a small wooden effigy in Xuanmiao Zhenren’s hand.

"Is that a carving of the Mountain God?" Lin Chen asked. "Can you give it to me?"

In his free time, Xuanmiao Zhenren had carved many small figurines of the Mountain God, hoping to spread his name.@@novelbin@@

Without hesitation, he tossed the wooden effigy to Lin Chen.

Lin Chen said nothing more and turned to leave.

As he walked through the dark forest, Lin Chen held the wooden effigy in his hands, deep in thought.

The more he pondered, the more convinced he became—the Mountain God might actually be the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.

His killing intent grew uncontrollable in his eyes.