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

“I’m not dreaming, right?”

Li Ya muttered to himself, but it was really directed at the Divine Anomaly Spirit on his shoulder.

The little spirit had its eyes wide and mouth agape, equally stunned.

From their perspective, the massive hand at the end of the sea horizon looked as big as the entire ocean. If not for the curved fingers, they wouldn’t even have realized it was a hand.

It looked like it could grasp an entire continent with ease!

Li Ya felt that the demonic aura on the giant hand looked oddly familiar.

Wait a minute—

Wasn’t that the Ancestor’s hand?

As soon as the thought hit him, hot blood surged up from deep within his body. It was uncontrollable, filling him with a wild rush of exhilaration.

At the same time...

Everyone on the continent could now see Gu An’s figure—so vast that not even mountain ranges or cloud seas could obscure him.

The sight was overwhelming. It shattered their understanding of the world and upended everything they thought possible.

Inside the Third Medicine Valley, over a thousand disciples stood slack-jawed in shock.

Ji Xuanyu also stepped out of his quarters, and the moment he laid eyes on Gu An’s towering silhouette, he froze.

To all living beings, it felt like witnessing the descent of a god.

“What is that?”

“That’s the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path! It’s him!”

“No way, that can’t be real—it’s gotta be an illusion, right?”

“There are books that say the Sword Sovereign appears using the Demonic Shadow Divine Art.”

“I knew he wouldn’t abandon us!”

Across the continent, waves of cheers erupted. The Demonic Shadow Divine Art had always been terrifying—but knowing the one casting it was the Sword Sovereign, the fear vanished. Instead, it filled everyone with hope.

Since the Sword Sovereign made his name known across the world, hadn’t everything he done been for the greater good? The ones he killed—weren’t they all evil?

If it were just normal sect competition, he’d never interfere. Otherwise, the Taixuan Sect would’ve long since been crowned number one.

That’s exactly why other sects respected him—even feared him—but they didn’t think he’d harm them. As long as they didn’t commit atrocities, the Sword Sovereign wouldn’t act.

Even as Taixuan Sect grew, and disciples died in the process, the Sword Sovereign never went on any revenge crusades.

Now, those sects and noble families who’d chosen to stay behind burst into celebration—it felt like Spring Festival had arrived early.

But while the continent rejoiced, the cultivators of the Grand Cold Demon Sect were plunged into despair.

They watched as Gu An’s fingers slowly lifted—five ancient mountain-like peaks rising from the earth. The sheer visual impact made even cultivators at the Immortal Dao level feel like their eyes were about to explode.

The Lifetaking Immortal desperately tried to mobilize his power—but couldn’t move an inch. The helplessness made him feel like a mere ant.

How many years had it been?

Ever since he stepped into the Nirvana Stage—forget the Free Soaring Immortal Stage—he had never been this humiliated.

The other three cultivators at the same level were just as trapped. No matter how hard they struggled, they couldn’t move. The crushing despair was beyond imagination.

If even they were like this, the lower-tier cultivators didn’t stand a chance.

Despair flooded every heart.

That one hand had captured millions of Grand Cold Demon Sect cultivators and their accompanying demons.

The reinforcements arriving from the sect took one look at the giant hand—and immediately scattered in panic. Sect rules? Consequences? All tossed aside.

Gu An looked down at the captives in his palm.

He hesitated.

Slaughtering this many… it weighed on his heart. He also feared it might bring about even greater troubles.

But then he thought of all the lives White Hong Zhenren had slaughtered—and his heart hardened.

A sect this evil… deserved to be wiped out.

If even that would incur divine punishment, then Gu An would have to start questioning what exactly “heaven” was.

Once his thoughts cleared, he clenched his massive hand.

The act triggered a terrifying hurricane, waves surging outward across the sea.

The raging winds slammed into Divine Anomaly City, forcing its protective grand formation to activate.

Li Ya watched the city’s barrier warp and ripple violently. He no longer cared about the city—his gaze was fixed on the distance, his whole body trembling.

That clenched hand was just… too majestic.

He couldn’t help but wonder—

Could cultivation really reach such heights?

Was the Ancestor perhaps born an immortal? A real immortal, not one forged through cultivation?

As Gu An’s fingers closed, the world fell silent. The oppressive force that had covered the continent and its surrounding seas vanished completely.

Thunderclouds still rolled above—but the people felt like the skies had finally cleared.

【You have successfully seized 1,228 years of lifespan from Bi Lie (Scattered Immortal Stage, Layer 7)】

【You have successfully seized 493 years of lifespan from Qin Suxin (Nirvana Stage, Layer 9)】

【You have successfully seized 58 years of lifespan from Old Immortal Duohai (Nirvana Stage, Layer 8)】

【You have successfully seized 2,780 years of lifespan from Cloudsea Heaven Lord (Free Soaring Immortal Stage, Layer 5)】

…

One notification after another appeared before Gu An’s eyes.

And then—he vanished.

But his afterimage remained in the sky, lingering in the heavens, etching awe into every soul.

The black fog over the sea was quickly dispersing—signaling that the catastrophe was ending.

Li Ya snapped back to his senses and urged the Divine Anomaly Spirit to hurry toward the mainland.

Far away, atop thunderclouds, stood the Lord of Divine Anomalies. Behind him surged a vast sea of Divine Anomaly Wraiths—every one of them wore a look of pure fear. Some were even trembling.

Even as wraiths, they had felt that terrifying presence—and it terrified them.

How could anyone hope to fight against that?

They silently prayed their master wouldn’t order an attack.

Fortunately, once the presence vanished, the Lord of Divine Anomalies didn’t give any orders.

He simply turned around. “We’re going back to the Divine Anomaly Realm.”

Gu An’s overwhelming power thrilled him to no end—though he did his best to keep it under wraps.

Recruiting Zhang Bukui had been the right move!

As he turned, a feeling of unprecedented hope filled his heart.

Gu An returned to Xuan Valley.

He sensed Jiang Qiong pacing inside the Eight Views Celestial Realm. Her footsteps were quick—so he immediately made his way there.

Just as he stepped into the cave path, Jiang Qiong stopped walking.

Meanwhile, lifespan notifications were still popping up in front of Gu An.

He hadn’t even reached the cave entrance when two alerts caught his eye—forcing him to a halt.

【Your lifespan has surpassed one hundred million years for the first time. Lifespan Reincarnation function unlocked.】

【Lifespan Reincarnation: Consume lifespan to simulate reincarnations. Each simulation costs 10 million years. All memories gained from each life will be transferred to your mind, as if you personally lived through them. Reincarnation duration is unlimited. Outcome depends on karmic choices made within the cycle. Memory integration takes one hour.】

【You have successfully seized 487 years of lifespan from Zhu Changming (Grand Ascension Stage, Layer 9)】

…

Lifespan Reincarnation!

When Gu An saw the “ten million years” requirement, he immediately felt scammed.

But after reading the full explanation, he changed his mind.

If he lived long enough in a reincarnated life and gained countless insights into Dao, divine techniques, and the essence of the universe—it might be more than worth it.

Of course, he could also die at age ninety and lose ten million years for nothing.

It was a gamble. A huge one.

As Gu An pondered, Jiang Qiong’s voice floated over.

“Why are you just standing there? Get in here already!”

He stepped forward without hesitation.

The lifespan messages kept coming—it was a jackpot haul.

Originally, he’d planned to break through to 100 million using high-grade herbs in the Hidden Realm—but life always had a way of forcing his hand.

If heaven won’t punish the arrogant, then he would!

When Gu An reached the Spirit Tree, he nearly burst out laughing.

Jiang Qiong had dug a hole—and placed a coffin inside.

What was this? Planning to bury him?

She pointed at the coffin. “Get in. Maybe we can ride this out by playing dead.”

Gu An made a show of resisting. “Is this really necessary?”

She glared, then lunged at him and started shoving. If he hadn’t been suppressing his Dao Gang energy, she probably would’ve disintegrated from the contact.

Left with no choice, Gu An climbed into the coffin.

Jiang Qiong jumped in after him and shoved him down. Then she lay down too and waved her hand—the coffin lid shut tight.

Darkness swallowed them.

From the outside, the coffin slowly sank into the soil, disappearing without a trace.

Inside, space was tight—Gu An and Jiang Qiong were crammed together.

But strangely, Gu An’s mind began to calm.

He’d just killed so many—even if they were all villains, it was hard to stay emotionally neutral. Kill enough, and one risked growing addicted to bloodshed… even breaking free of moral restraint.

He needed time to rebalance.

Now, lying here in the dark, he felt unexpectedly at peace.

Even now, lifespan notifications still floated in front of him.

Jiang Qiong’s body shifted beside him. Her arms were soft. She kept squirming, clearly trying to find space—and ended up pressing against Gu An.

“Say,” Gu An asked, “if the catastrophe never comes… how long are we supposed to stay in here?”

Cramped as it was, he actually found the experience kinda fun. He’d never done anything like this before.

“A few decades at least. We have to outlast the Lifetaking Immortal’s hundred-year deadline.”

“That long? No way. I need to go back. There are disciples in the valley—I can’t abandon them.”

“Hmph! No chance. You’re in here now—you’re not getting out!”

As she finished speaking, Gu An felt her grab his left hand.

Her hand was ice-cold—like a corpse.

He tried to pull away, but she had an iron grip.

Only after the final notifications disappeared did Gu An return to his senses.

He didn’t check his lifespan right away. He wanted to savor that reveal later.

He said, “Isn’t this a little too cramped? We’re gonna be stuck like this for decades—I might not survive.”

Jiang Qiong didn’t respond. Instead, she started to shift again.

Gu An stiffened.

She was on top of him.

Face-to-face.

In the pitch-dark coffin, Gu An could sense her breathing—shaky, uneven, but not escaping his enhanced perception.

Then she pressed her face against his chest.

He could feel one of her legs brushing up against his.

Crap.

This was getting out of hand.

Gu An gave a fake cough. “Why are you so… heavy?”

Jiang Qiong’s breath hitched.

Then he felt a hand on his waist. Two fingers were pinching his side.