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

On the cliff, two figures stood. One of them was the white-robed man who had previously conversed with the Dark War Emperor. The other had disheveled hair, wore tattered red clothes, and his hands were bound with iron chains. His back was plastered with talisman papers. The sea breeze blew, making his messy long hair flutter.

“Saint King of the Mortal World, what do you think after seeing what I’ve become?” the chained man asked. His expression was indifferent, and his gaze was as deep and still as a dark well.

The white-robed man, addressed as the Saint King of the Mortal World, replied blankly, “I’m even more grateful now. Dao-Void Celestial Immortals are incredibly powerful, and Saint Kings stand high. But the higher you stand, the more careful you must be—because your enemies are even stronger.”

Hearing this, the Great Ming Saint King closed his eyes and smiled.

He raised his hand slightly, and the chains clinked with a crisp sound.

“How do you know your cautious choice is the right one? Just wait, I’m sure the Holy Prime Minister still has a much larger scheme in play.” The Great Ming Saint King laughed freely. He had already come to terms with life and death.

The Saint King of the Mortal World seemed to sense something and instinctively turned his head, his expression immediately shifting.

A figure wrapped in dark purple demonic energy had appeared behind them.

The Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path!

An overwhelming pressure swept over the Saint King of the Mortal World, making him feel as though he were facing the Holy Prime Minister or even a Holy God.

In that moment, he understood why the Holy Prime Minister held the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path in such high regard.

He immediately cupped his fists and saluted. “Greetings, Holy Sword!”

Hearing this, the Great Ming Saint King trembled slightly. He had appeared calm, but when staring down death, how could anyone not be nervous?

【Saint King of the Mortal World (Dao-Void Celestial Immortal, Fourth Layer): 1,740,982 / 6,000,000 / 7,500,000】

【Great Ming Saint King (Dao-Void Celestial Immortal, Second Layer): 1,580,442 / 4,000,000 / 5,000,000】

Gu An looked at the two lifespans and was secretly satisfied.

The lifespan of Dao-Void Celestial Immortals could reach several million years. Judging by the gap between the second and fourth layers, a Divine Soul Immortal might even surpass ten million years of life.

Gu An gave a slight nod to the Saint King of the Mortal World, then locked eyes on the Great Ming Saint King, clearly sensing his unease.

Boom!

Suddenly, a burst of golden light erupted from Gu An’s forehead, instantly engulfing the Great Ming Saint King. The golden beam shot toward the sea, disappearing less than a thousand feet away.

When the light faded, the Great Ming Saint King was gone.

Gu An couldn’t be bothered to exchange words with him, nor did he want to hear any explanations.

Even if there had been a misunderstanding, it was the Great Ming Saint King’s fault. And with so many people pointing fingers at him, it was hard not to believe it.

The Saint King of the Mortal World watched with his heart pounding.

That was a Dao-Void Celestial Immortal! Even with his cultivation sealed, he shouldn’t have been eliminated that easily.

Just how powerful was the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path?

【You have successfully seized 370,963 years of lifespan from the Great Ming Saint King (Dao-Void Celestial Immortal, Second Layer)】

Seeing the notification pop up before him, Gu An felt slightly pleased. But what brought him the greatest relief was pulling out a thorn in his side.

He vanished from the spot, leaving the Saint King of the Mortal World alone.

The Saint King stood on the cliff for a long time in silence before finally leaving.

A Saint King—someone who stood above all living beings—had just died. For the Saint King of the Mortal World, this left a deep psychological scar.

To him, the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm had become even more complex and dangerous.

Mortal Peak, Ding Tian Peak.

Inside the Peak Master’s courtyard, Gu An was sipping tea. An Xin stood behind him, while a row of Roving Immortals—disciples of Ding Tian Peak, including Zhu Xinglan—stood before him.

They were discussing the news that the Holy Court had officially conferred the title of ”Holy Sword” upon the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.

“Holy Sword—number one sword under the heavens. The Holy Court clearly holds him in the highest regard.”

“That outer-realm demon’s aura was terrifying, but against the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path, it was useless. With such power, of course the Holy Court wants him on their side.”

“I heard the reason that outer-realm demon attacked was because a Saint King plotted against the Sword Sovereign, sending a large number of Heaven Demon reincarnations into the Taicang Continent. Absolutely sinister.”

“I heard the same. It was the Great Ming Saint King—he underestimated the Sword Sovereign.”

“To be honest, who would’ve guessed? A place that small hiding such a terrifying powerhouse.”

The Roving Immortal disciples of Ding Tian Peak were thrilled. Only in front of Gu An would they act like this. Normally, in front of their own disciples, they maintained the lofty demeanor of true immortals.

Zhu Xinglan glanced at Gu An. He had heard that his master had appeared out of nowhere and was curious whether his master knew the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.

He never considered that his master was the Sword Sovereign. After all, there were plenty of reclusive cultivators in the world, and the Sword Sovereign merely concealed his identity. Who’s to say his real identity wasn’t once world-renowned?

An Xin listened to the chatter, secretly amused.

The person they all admired so much was right in front of them. If they found out, how would they react?

She had no idea how powerful the Dark War Emperor really was, so she couldn’t fully grasp the excitement of these Roving Immortals.

To her, Roving Immortal or Celestial Ascension Stage—both were insanely strong.

After a while, Gu An finally said, “Then you all better cultivate diligently. I have a feeling the world is growing more and more unstable.”

His divine sense was currently watching over Yang Jian.

The Tianzong Sect had just learned of the Great Ming Saint King’s fall and was preparing to bring Yang Jian out into the world.

Years had passed. Yang Jian had grown stronger, while Tianzong had aged. Although his cultivation hadn’t declined, his aura had noticeably weakened.

With Tianzong losing the luck of the heavens, his remaining lifespan was quickly dwindling. He probably didn’t have many years left.

Upon hearing Gu An’s words, the disciples all nodded in agreement. They too felt something in the air. It had been ages since such major events had occurred—anyone could sense that the winds of change were upon them.

Before long, the disciples took their leave.

An Xin sat down and stretched lazily. She didn’t take off her mask, but turned to Gu An and asked, “Master, what exactly is the Holy Court?”

She knew Gu An was the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path, but being on Mortal Peak, she had to mind her wording.

Gu An replied, “It’s the ruling power of the human world, the strongest in the current era. As for whether it’s good or bad, that depends on the situation.”

In this world, there were no absolutely good people or forces. Even the current Taixuan Sect had its share of filth.

Even if he joined the Holy Court, Gu An didn’t have any fondness for it.

Once he surpassed the Nine Heavens of the Immortal Dao, he wouldn’t have to worry about the Holy Court at all.

Right now, he was more curious about the Domain of Extinction.

The Extinction God Emperor could easily wipe out someone stronger than the Ninth Heaven of the Immortal Dao. Yet now it seemed Saint Heaven could withstand the Domain of Extinction.

Could it be they weren’t the same domain?

Or had the Extinction God Emperor already vanished?

An Xin remained curious about how powerful the Holy Court truly was. Unfortunately, Gu An didn’t have the answers, either. All he could offer were vague responses.

His recent talk with the disciples of Ding Tian Peak proved the cunning of the Holy Prime Minister. Even though Gu An hadn’t absorbed the Holy Court’s fortune, within just a few short years, every major faction in the world knew he had joined the Holy Court.

No matter what he truly felt, from now on, he would be publicly aligned with them.

And anyone who opposed the Holy Court… might come for him too.

Did the Holy Court have enemies?

Of course it did. Within the world, the Immortal Dynasty watched with predatory eyes, and beyond, countless Heaven Demons waited in the dark.

He just hoped they wouldn’t disturb his peaceful life.

After a while, Gu An stood up and said, “Time to test your cultivation progress. You’d better not get surpassed by Long Qing.”

An Xin immediately jumped to her feet.

She had raised Long Qing for the first four years of his life, but after that, the boy stuck to You Yingying like glue—it really rubbed her the wrong way.

There was no way she was going to let that brat outshine her!

Hearing all these world-shaking events today had lit a fire in An Xin. With such a great master by her side, why couldn’t she carve out a name for herself?

She hadn’t realized it yet, but her mindset was beginning to shift—becoming more like An Hao’s.

Seasons passed. Eight years went by.

Now thirteen years old, Long Qing raced through Medicine Valley, swift as a leopard, chasing a chubby white-furred mouse.

His gaze was sharp, his face youthful and handsome, and his long hair was tied up like a girl’s, drawing laughter and teasing from other disciples as he passed.

After running for a while, he finally stopped where no one was around, hands on his knees, panting heavily.

“D*mn rat, why are you so fast? Don’t tell me I’ve never pushed you to your limit before?”

He muttered, his sweat-drenched face full of frustration.

Just then, he heard footsteps nearby and turned his head. When he saw who it was, he quickly stood up straight and bowed with his palms pressed together.

Seeing this, Shen Xinzi couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Trying to catch that thing? Want to become my disciple?” Shen Xinzi walked over and asked with a grin.

Long Qing scratched his head. “Senior, I already have a master.”

Shen Xinzi smiled. “Of course I know that. But who says you can only have one? Have you ever read Journey to the West?”

Long Qing nodded, though he didn’t enjoy reading—he preferred to hear stories told aloud.

“You’re like Sun Wukong, and I’m Grandmaster Bodhi. How about I secretly teach you?” Shen Xinzi asked, beaming.

Like You Yingying, he had taken a strange liking to Long Qing. But he had observed him carefully—this kid wasn’t a Heaven Demon reincarnation.

For a cultivator of the Immortal Dao like himself to feel such a connection, it meant Long Qing’s innate fortune and fate were extraordinary.

“You can be Grandmaster Bodhi?” Long Qing asked skeptically.

Shen Xinzi laughed. “Your master’s at the Core Formation Stage. Do you know what realm I’m in?”

“Integration?”

“Haha, so you know Integration. But do you know what’s above that?”

“What? You’re above Integration Stage?”

Long Qing was stunned. Growing up in the Third Medicine Valley, he had picked up some knowledge about cultivation realms. To him, Integration was basically a realm of immortals.

Judging from how other disciples treated Shen Xinzi, he had already suspected he was powerful—but not this powerful.

Shen Xinzi tilted his chin proudly. “Above Integration is the Profound Mind Realm, then Grand Ascension, Nirvana, Scattered Immortal, Roving Immortal, and finally Celestial Ascension. I’m just one step away from Celestial Ascension.”

With every realm name he spoke, Long Qing’s mouth opened wider. By the time Shen Xinzi finished, he was completely dumbfounded.

Seeing his expression, Shen Xinzi felt thoroughly pleased.

In that moment, he finally understood the Taixuan Immortal Venerable.

Because he liked Journey to the West, he had read all of Pan An’s books. He never understood why those kinds of stories were so popular—characters acting brainless, mocking the protagonist at every turn, the protagonist always putting on a show—it all seemed so fake to him.

But today, pulling off this act himself, he finally got it.