Chapter 600: Tian Hao Cultivates Immortality |
The Dao Field had gained a new junior disciple. For the disciples who had spent years immersed in arduous cultivation, this was an incredibly rare event. Everyone took turns visiting Tian Hao and accompanying him in play.
Among them, the one who spent the most time with Tian Hao was the Ephemeral Blossom Ghost Mother. Initially, she only intended to help Gu An by taking on some of the responsibility of caring for the child. But as she watched this little one slowly grow up, ripples began to form in her heart.
Especially when Tian Hao turned two years old and called her "Mother." She was completely stunned at that moment.
Gu An had been watching this unfold, but he didn’t interfere.
The Ephemeral Blossom Ghost Mother had always remained on the periphery of the Wu Shi Dao Field, unable to fully integrate with the other disciples. Over the years, however, her actions had already led Gu An to consider her as one of his own. Now, using Tian Hao as a bridge, he sought to break the barrier that separated her from the Dao Field.
With Tian Hao's arrival, time within the Wu Shi Dao Field seemed to pass more slowly than ever before.
In the blink of an eye, seventeen years had passed.
Without any formal cultivation, Tian Hao had already reached the Mahayana Realm. All he needed to do was breathe, and his cultivation would skyrocket. This left Lu Xian, Chen Chuan, and the others utterly shocked and envious.
Shen Zhen, on the other hand, found this perfectly normal. Besides Gu An, she was the only one in the Dao Field who knew that Tian Hao was a congenital celestial god.
In fact, she even felt that Tian Hao's growth was a bit slow.
—
On this day.
Tian Hao rushed into Gu An’s courtyard, his voice reaching ahead of him: "Master! Master! Master!"
Seated before a refining cauldron, An Xin turned her head towards him, momentarily dazed.
Under the sunlight, Tian Hao wore a fitted white robe embroidered with intricate gold thread, making him look even more vibrant and heroic. His features were sharp and handsome, his long hair tied high, with two strands at his forehead drifting like willow silk.
Looking at him, An Xin was suddenly reminded of An Hao, leaving her emotions in turmoil.
Gu An was lying lazily on a chair, taking a nap. Without even opening his eyes, he said impatiently, "What are you yelling for? You’re so noisy."
Tian Hao rushed to his side, his face full of excitement. "Master, when I woke up this morning, I discovered I had a new ability!"
At seventeen years old, he still retained a trace of youthful innocence, but his facial features had fully matured, exuding an undeniable handsomeness.
Before Gu An could respond, An Xin, standing nearby, asked curiously, "What ability?"
Even Shen Zhen cast a glance at Tian Hao. She was the person in the Dao Field who had the least interaction with him. Since she rarely spoke to him, Tian Hao had always been a little afraid of her, thinking that she was difficult to approach.
Tian Hao turned around and raised his right hand, his gaze fixed on his palm. Under the watchful eyes of An Xin and Shen Zhen, golden flames suddenly gathered in his palm, quickly intertwining and forming a fireball. Inside the fireball, light flickered—it resembled a miniature sun.
Both An Xin and Shen Zhen’s expressions changed. They could tell that the flames Tian Hao had summoned were no ordinary fire.
"This fire never goes out. I tested it. If I release it, it floats in the air and continues burning indefinitely." Tian Hao declared proudly.
Though he hadn’t officially begun his path of immortal cultivation, he was already aware of its existence.
However, he didn’t see cultivation as something too important—because he was constantly growing stronger, even without trying.
Tian Hao turned to look at Gu An, eager to see his master’s reaction. But his master was still lounging on the chair, eyes closed.
"Master!"
Tian Hao called out loudly, startling the birds in the nearby forest, sending them flapping into the sky.
Gu An rubbed his ears, then turned over and sat up. He glanced at Tian Hao, who eagerly extended his hand, presenting the small sun as if offering a treasure.
"That’s it?"
Gu An scoffed, his tone full of disdain.
Tian Hao was about to argue back when Gu An lifted his hand, palm facing the sky.
In an instant, the entire world was bathed in a deep red hue as the temperature surged dramatically.
Tian Hao instinctively looked up, his mouth hanging open, his face filled with disbelief.
An Xin and Shen Zhen followed his gaze, only to see a colossal sun dominating the sky. No matter which direction they looked, they couldn’t see its edges.
An overwhelming sense of oppression and awe filled the air.
It was the first time Tian Hao had witnessed such a grand spectacle. In all seventeen years of his life, he had never stepped outside Wu Shi Dao Field. There had never even been a single battle between disciples in all that time. This was the first time he had ever truly seen the power of the Immortal Dao.
He took a few steps back, turning his head to take in the vast scene from different angles. A deep excitement began to build within him, his entire body trembling slightly.
Gu An smirked, then clenched his right hand.
The massive sun in the sky vanished in an instant, as if it had never existed.
Yet, the lingering warmth in the air told Tian Hao that what he had seen wasn’t an illusion.
Tian Hao turned back to Gu An, his excitement growing uncontrollable. He rushed forward, dropped to his knees beside Gu An, and clutched his master’s arm. “Master! Teach me! I want to cultivate immortality!”
He had grown up knowing the difference between a father and a master. Since Gu An had taken him in as a disciple, he would definitely teach him cultivation.
"Go to Qian Kun Sect to cultivate," Gu An said, placing his hand on Tian Hao’s head with a soft smile.
“Qian Kun Sect?” Tian Hao looked confused.
Gu An glanced at An Xin. An Xin quickly regained her composure and asked, “Right now?”
"Yes. The moment he asked, he should go. It’s also time for her to see him and resolve her lingering regrets."
With that, Gu An disappeared into thin air.
Tian Hao stood frozen for a moment before quickly getting up and looking at An Xin.
An Xin steadied her emotions, her expression returning to its usual calm and dignified look. She walked towards the courtyard gate. Tian Hao glanced at Shen Zhen, intending to say goodbye, but the cold look in Shen Zhen’s eyes made him hesitate. He immediately turned his head away and hurried after An Xin.
—
Somewhere in the universe, at the Realm Gate.
The Heavenly Spirit God, radiating boundless divine light, slowly opened his eyes. Within his pupils, the reflections of Tian Hao and An Xin flickered.
“He’s finally coming out… What exactly are you planning?”
The Heavenly Spirit God murmured to himself.
Ever since Tian Hao had been taken away by An Xin, he had been unable to spy on the boy’s situation. It wasn’t hard to guess that this was Gu An’s doing.
At first, he had thought Gu An intended to hide Tian Hao away. But to his surprise, Gu An was now allowing Tian Hao to step into the world.
As he watched Tian Hao eagerly questioning An Xin, a strange, indescribable emotion stirred within the Heavenly Spirit God’s heart.
In truth, he had never cared about Tian Hao himself. The only reason he had aided Tian Hao in becoming a congenital celestial god was to ensure Su Jin had a way to survive.
But now, it seemed that Gu An wasn’t going to harm Su Jin.
If that was the case, then the creation of a congenital celestial god might instead become the seed of future calamity.
He had lived through countless cycles of reincarnation, and the one in which Gu An had played a role was but a small fragment of them. He had experienced countless relationships and possessed familial ties before—his heart had long since grown indifferent.
With cold detachment, he looked down at Tian Hao, devoid of even the slightest pity. He was merely curious—curious to see what kind of heights the congenital celestial god he had created could reach.
The universe remained silent.
The Heavenly Spirit God remained motionless, simply watching Tian Hao.
No one knew how much time had passed.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, the Heavenly Spirit God lifted his left hand.
A golden command token shot out from his palm, and from within it, a voice rang out:
“Heavenly Spirit God, I never expected you to grow lax as well. I’ll be arriving soon. Prepare yourself—at the very least, don’t make a mess before I get there.”