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

Dustless Wasteland.

Early morning.

Thick clouds blanketed the sky, shrouding the wasteland in eternal gloom.

On a jagged cliff, dozens of cultivators had gathered. Among them stood Ji Hantian, the Vice Sect Master of Taixuan Sect. They gazed into the distant horizon, their brows furrowed with worry.

”That demoness is simply too powerful. Without a Profound Mind Realm cultivator, it doesn’t matter how many of us join forces—it’s useless.”

”Our empire has no Profound Mind Realm experts.”

”Our sect had one… but they vanished eight hundred years ago, and their whereabouts remain unknown.”

”Just how many Profound Mind Grandmasters stand behind the Nightshade Sect?”

”We have no path left. Retreat is not an option!”

These were the leaders of various dynasties and sects, each having reached the Integration Stage. Before the Nightshade Sect’s rampage, they were all legendary figures of the Nine Dynasties—mighty enough to shake the heavens. Yet, now they had been gathered here for days, paralyzed by fear, unable to act.

Many Integration Stage cultivators had already fallen beneath the Nightshade Tree. Some had ventured alone, others had launched all-out assaults, but all had met the same fate—utter defeat. The Profound Mind Realm’s terrifying might made them tremble.

Suddenly, Ji Hantian raised his right hand. A ring on his index finger shimmered with radiant light, which flowed into the space between his brows.

A flash of joy appeared on his face. Lowering his hand, he announced,

”Everyone, our Taixuan Sect’s Supreme Elder, Ancestor Xuan Quan, has returned! He is already en route to us. When he arrives, we can launch an attack alongside him!”

”Our Ancestor Xuan Quan has successfully reached the Profound Mind Realm!”

The news sent a wave of excitement through the gathered sect leaders.

Voices praising Taixuan Sect filled the air, making Ji Hantian straighten his back with pride.

Though Taixuan Sect was the most powerful sect in the Taicang Empire, it didn’t rank among the top three in the Nine Dynasties. However, if they played a crucial role in defeating the Nightshade Sect, their reputation would soar across the cultivation world. Countless noble families and cultivators would seek to join them.

The atmosphere atop the cliff shifted—hope of victory had finally appeared.

A thousand miles away.

Beneath the ominous, swirling clouds, the Nightshade Tree, towering hundreds of feet tall, stood like a demonic titan. Its branches twisted and writhed, its massive form blotting out the sky.

Thick vines dangled from the tree’s limbs, each one bound to a corpse. Some bodies still twitched—alive yet barely breathing. Bloodshot eyes stared in horror, veins bulging across their pale necks.

Amidst the sea of people, Jiang Qiong clenched her delicate brows as she gazed at the captives.

Unconsciously, her fingers brushed against the blood-red Nightshade Mark on her wrist.

She was trapped between two inevitable fates:

Either the Nine Dynasties’ cultivators would hunt her down…

Or she would be devoured by the Nightshade Tree.

She could not sit idly by.

But what could she do?

The Nightshade Mark bound her freedom.

She turned toward the middle-aged man beside her and sent a transmission:

”Father, do you still trust the Nightshade Sect?”

The man—her father, Jiang Lang, one of the Thousand Autumn Pavilion’s elders—remained silent, his face dark.

He had brought Jiang Qiong and many disciples with him when he joined the Nightshade Sect.

And now, he knew they had been played for fools.

But what choice did he have?

Countless Integration Stage and even Void Transformation Stage cultivators hung lifeless from the Nightshade Tree.

If they couldn’t escape, how could he?

His gaze shifted toward four cultivators seated at the edge of the Nightshade Sect’s encampment. Their auras alone kept the thousands of cultists at bay.

Only those with close ties to the Nightshade Sect’s upper echelon or who were considered trustworthy had been allowed to leave.

Jiang Lang was neither.

He had been loyal to Zhong, the former sect leader. But with Zhong’s downfall, his subordinates had been scattered. Though allowed to remain, they were no longer trusted.

Seeing her father’s grim expression, Jiang Qiong knew she could not rely on him.

No one would save her.

She had only ever been able to rely on herself.

Her gaze hardened as she looked up at the Nightshade Tree.

She would not fall here!

Just as this thought solidified in her mind, light suddenly illuminated her face.

Her eyes widened.

Not only hers—all those present were bathed in radiant light.

Above the Nightshade Tree, the dark clouds trembled and scattered, revealing a clear sky stretching nearly a thousand miles across.

Sunlight poured through.

Snowflakes drifted gently on the wind.

The black-robed woman seated at the ritual platform slowly raised her head, her masked face flashing with a sharp gleam.

She was not the only one.

The four Nightshade Sect Grandmasters, who had been stationed around the million-strong congregation, all turned their gazes skyward.

Beneath the golden sunlight, the Nightshade Tree trembled as if in discomfort.

”Who dares hide in the shadows? Show yourself!”

The black-robed woman stood, her voice cold and commanding, echoing across the heavens.

A figure suddenly materialized in midair above the Nightshade Tree.

It was Gu An, clad in the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body.

From his vantage point, Gu An looked down upon the entire Nightshade Sect.

Among the million cultists, he swiftly located Jiang Qiong.

To him, the scene below was a cruel irony.

These people had trusted the Nightshade Sect—

Only to become its prisoners.

A truly pitiful fate.

Gu An swiftly activated Lifespan Detection.

One Profound Mind Realm (Second Level).

Four Integration Stage (Ninth Level).

As for the Nightshade Tree itself… its lifespan limit was barely five hundred years.

How many lives had it devoured to grow this fast?

Gu An raised his right hand. A blue sword shadow materialized in his palm.

”Impudent!”

The black-robed woman roared, lunging toward Gu An. A blood-red longsword materialized in her grasp as she slashed toward him.

Thousands of vengeful ghosts erupted from her blade, drenching the sky in crimson light.

For an instant, the world turned blood-red—

And then…

BOOM!

The black-robed woman was blown away, crashing through the air over the heads of the million cultists. She smashed into the ground, her fate unknown.

Gasps of shock spread across the battlefield.

Impossible!

The black-robed woman had already proven her invincibility time and time again. Any challenger, no matter how renowned or powerful, had been effortlessly crushed by her.

Yet now, she had been defeated in a single move?

Gu An raised his left hand. His index finger gleamed with energy, unleashing a streak of divine light that pierced through the dust cloud where she had fallen.

A message flashed before his eyes:

[You have successfully seized 47 years of Nightshade Fairy’s lifespan (Profound Mind Realm, Second Level).]

Not bad.

Gu An stretched out his left hand again—this time, drawing her Profound Mind from the dust and sealing it into his storage bag.

Seeing this, the four Integration Stage Grandmasters stationed around the million cultists instantly attempted to flee in different directions.

Gu An’s eyes remained calm.

He raised his hand and pointed four times.

”Dao-Breaking Divine Light.”

Four streaks of divine light shot forth like falling meteors.

The million-strong congregation of the Nightshade Sect couldn’t track their trajectory with either sight or divine sense, but everyone instinctively knew—those four Integration Stage Grandmasters were doomed.

The world fell into a dead silence.

”The Thousand Autumn Pavilion had such a figure...?”

Jiang Lang muttered in shock, still unable to process what had just happened.

Jiang Qiong was equally stunned. She silently thanked her past self—had she acted recklessly in the Thousand Autumn Pavilion, she might have been courting death.

Four notifications flashed before Gu An’s eyes. He loosened his grip on the blue sword shadow, its tip now aimed directly at the Nightshade Tree.

Sensing the imminent danger, the Nightshade Tree trembled violently. Its countless vines released their captives, retracting skyward in unison.

Before the gathered cultists, something terrifying happened—

The main trunk of the Nightshade Tree began to distort, and from within its gnarled bark, a twisted face emerged!

”What… what is that?!”

”A demon tree… It really is a demon tree!”

”That face…”

”We were deceived!”

”No… no… Impossible…!”

Panic erupted among the million cultists.

Unlike Jiang Qiong, many had clung to false hope—some out of denial, others because they had no other choice.

Then—

RUMBLE!

The earth trembled as massive vines burst from the ground, whipping toward Gu An.

The million cultists scrambled into the air, some using the chaos to flee.

Yet others, including Jiang Qiong, made a desperate dash toward the Nine Nether Path.

Above them, Gu An’s sword shadow pulsed with terrifying sword intent—

A blade descended from the heavens, shining like a divine weapon of legend.

”This sword intent… It’s the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path!”

As Jiang Qiong fled, she looked up in horror, staring at Gu An’s figure.

Was the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path truly this powerful?!

The blue sword shadow, imbued with the terrifying sword intent of the Taicang Frightening God Sword, plunged toward the Nightshade Tree.

Countless cultivators had only just taken flight, still trying to escape—

But the sword was already upon them.

This time, the Nightshade Tree had no chance to resist.

The sword intent was overwhelming.

From its crown to its roots, the entire tree disintegrated into ashes.

The blade struck the earth, splitting the ground apart.

From high above, the destruction looked like an expanding spiderweb, fractures radiating outward in every direction.

Gu An watched as Jiang Qiong disappeared into the Nine Nether Path, but he did not pursue her.

After today, even if she survived, she would find it impossible to stay in the Nine Dynasties.

In the distance, thousands of Integration Stage cultivators were rushing toward him at breakneck speed.

Without hesitation, Gu An vanished into thin air.

As for the million cultists—

For a fleeting moment, Gu An had considered slaughtering them all.

But he hesitated.

Many might be like Yang Ni or Li Ya—deceived or coerced into joining. The karmic ties were too tangled. If he slaughtered indiscriminately, he might wrongly kill the innocent.

And what would that make him?

No different from the Nightshade Sect itself.

He had no desire to become a great demon, only to be hunted by the world in the future.

Even so, the sheer force of his previous strike had still killed countless.

That was no longer his concern.

Everyone must face the consequences of their choices.

The fact that he held back was already the greatest mercy he could offer.

Notifications flashed wildly before Gu An’s eyes.

His form vanished.

The ground continued to crack apart, sending billowing clouds of dust into the sky.

From the distance, Ji Hantian and the others finally arrived.

A fierce windstorm of dust hit them as they flew forward, but they had already seen the scene ahead with their divine sense—

The Nightshade Tree was gone.

”Hahahaha! Our Taixuan Sect’s Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path has made his move!”

Ji Hantian laughed exuberantly, eager to boast about Gu An’s strength.

Another powerhouse from Taixuan Sect?!

The sect leaders from other factions were visibly shaken.

That sword intent from earlier—

Even they, after a lifetime of cultivation, could never hope to reach such a level.

With the Nightshade Sect destroyed, they would have to reevaluate Taixuan Sect’s standing in the Nine Dynasties!