Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

Seeing that Stealing the Five Elements was willing to teach the disciples sorcery, Gu An was secretly pleased. This guy knew his way around people, far more so than the Nine-Finger Divine Lord.

As the number of Medicine Valley disciples increased, Gu An's distance from them grew ever larger. Despite being called master and disciple in name, they didn't share that true relationship. Even so, Gu An still hoped they would have a better life and come across more opportunities for Immortal Cultivation.

Stealing the Five Elements immediately took action, and seeing Gu An on the way, he greeted him.

After they left, Gu An went to the chess table and looked at the Nine-Finger Divine Lord, smiling, "Shall we play a game?"

The Nine-Finger Divine Lord snorted, "No, find him to play if you dare."

"Then forget it. He seems very powerful; I'm not sure I'd win, so I can't start a game so carelessly."

"What do you mean, you are sure with me?"

"Have I ever lost to you?"

"You…"

The Nine-Finger Divine Lord was so angry he wanted to slam the table and stand up. Seeing the smile on Gu An's face, he understood that Gu An was deliberately provoking him.

Gu An then asked, "By the way, it's been a while since you returned, where is Chu Jingfeng? Aren't you taking care of him?"

"Don't worry, he's doing well. He's in seclusion. When he returns, you'll have to look up to him."

The thought of Gu An being surpassed by his own disciple, even becoming a figure from another world, made him quite cheerful again.

Gu An sighed, "If that's true, that would be wonderful. I have no hope of becoming an Immortal. If he can achieve immortality, then I would also know an Immortal, and my life would be without regrets."

The Nine-Finger Divine Lord really wanted to say that he himself was an Immortal, but looking at Gu An's expression, he felt ashamed.

What was wrong with himself?

Why was he being so petty?

Gu An noticed the change in his expression and cursed inwardly: the old man still wants to rile me up, watch me retreat to advance.

The Nine-Finger Divine Lord began speaking about the sect where Chu Jingfeng was located. He had sent Chu Jingfeng to an overseas branch of a sect, which, although not as powerful as the Star Sea Congregations, was still stronger than the Supreme Sect.

Gu An listened intently to his tale of the overseas realm.

It was nearly evening when Gu An returned to his attic.

In recent days, he had seen more and more Heaven and Earth Flying Immortals return, mostly near the Sea Breaking Rift. Clearly, a great battle was brewing.

He sat in his chair, concentrated his mind, and his Primordial Spirit Emerged.

The Carefree Primordial Immortal could remain undetected and untouchable by all beings, and even the Divine Immortal of Wondrous Dharma could not perceive it.

Gu An quickly snuck into the Sea Breaking Rift, where he saw more fighting figures along the way than before, with nearly every heaven and earth engaged in battle.

He stepped into the largest heaven and earth, which was where the Master of Divine Exotic Realm resided.

At the moment, the Master of Divine Exotic Realm wasn't fighting, but there was still the aura of another Carefree Primordial Immortal lingering, a sign that someone else had recently left the area.

Gu An landed in front of a cave, dark with a faint sound of wind.

He stepped into the cave silently, the wind passing through his Immortal Soul of Wonderous Dharma without any obstacle.

Walking through the winding cave, he arrived at a chamber where Zhang Buku, now a Divine Exotic Resentful Ghost, was sitting cross-legged on the ground. Lying across his legs was an axe, formed not from a Dharma Treasure but from condensed divine exotic force.

Zhang Buku's eyes were closed, his brow furrowed as if he was enduring torment.

Although he retained his Original Soul Consciousness, he was constantly enduring the erosion of divine exotic force, as it autonomously devoured the soul. This was a process that even the Master of Divine Exotic Realm could not reverse.

Gu An sighed at the sight of his painful demeanor.

How distressed would Senior Brother Zhang be if he saw this?

Gu An transformed into a sparrow and perched on a nearby rock.

He chirped softly, and Zhang Buku opened his eyes instinctively. Upon seeing the sparrow, he was stunned.

"Is that…"

Zhang Buku's face lit up with joy. Just as he was about to speak, the sparrow flapped its wings humanly, signaling him to keep silent.

Zhang Buku immediately understood but remained excited.

Though unclear about the origin of the sparrow, he was grateful to it.

When he had been close to death, it led him to a cave where he found a Demon Core and learned a World-Dominating Axe Method.

He had always harbored dreams about the sparrow, but never did he imagine he would see it here.

At this moment, Zhang Buku felt incredibly fortunate. No matter the origin of the sparrow, there was someone looking out for him in the dark – how could he not be happy?

The sparrow suddenly flew toward him, but he didn't dodge.

Then he felt a peck on his forehead, and a flood of memories poured into his mind, leaving him in a daze.

Time was lost to him.

When Zhang Buku regained consciousness, his mind was filled with the memory of cultivating a Divine Skill.

"Limitless Freedom Step…"

Murmuring to himself, even reflecting on the Divine Skill let him sense its profound and inscrutable nature.

Perfect, now he could practice the Divine Skill to divert the pain in his body.

To use the words of the Master of Divine Exotic Realm, he had to get used to the erosion of divine exotic force, or he would truly become a Divine Exotic Resentful Ghost.

Perhaps, the sparrow wanted to help him in this way.

Warmth filled Zhang Buku's heart, and he suddenly felt that his pain was bearable.

How many perished in the Divine Exotic Realm, turning directly into Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts, while he still had a chance – how could he not be joyous?

"I must practice diligently, get out of here early, so Li Ya won't worry. And Martial Uncle Gu... if I were to stay here for hundreds or even thousands of years, wouldn't I lose the chance to ever see Martial Uncle Gu again?" Zhang Buku felt a sense of urgency at the thought.

He always felt that Martial Uncle Gu wasn't simple, possibly concealing Cultivation Level. But no matter how much Gu concealed, he was younger than Li Ya and couldn't possibly be much stronger, especially since Li Ya had an opportunity like Divine Exotic City.

Zhang Buku stood up and started practicing the Limitless Freedom Step.

He moved around the chamber, changing his Step Technique, gradually losing track of time and forgetting his pain. However, because he was in cultivation, his will became exceptionally clear.

In the blink of an eye, two years went by rapidly.

Zhang Buku was still in the cave, practicing the Limitless Freedom Step without rest. For him, practicing the Divine Skill was not exhausting; he even began to find a way to resist the divine exotic force.

Footsteps echoed from the tunnel, jolting him from his focus.

He turned to see the Master of Divine Exotic Realm slowly entering the chamber.

Zhang Buku had seen him before, so he wasn't afraid, just vigilant.

The Master of Divine Exotic Realm looked at him and said, "The Divine Skill you're practicing is exceptional, with great potential. Practice well, for your future achievements will certainly be extraordinary."

Hearing this, Zhang Buku was surprised.

Knowing the nature of his Divine Skill, the other didn't inquire further about it.

Did that guy recognize the sparrow?

Zhang Buku was about to ask when the Master of Divine Exotic Realm said, "Although your friend obtained Divine Exotic City, he has not truly mastered its power; another is its master. Would you like to take me as your teacher and inherit my mantle? In the future, you could claim Divine Exotic City as your own. Of course, if you are unwilling, you've received my teachings; conquering an Immortal Path Supreme Treasure in the future would not be difficult."

Take him as a teacher?

Zhang Buku was a bit slow to process this. He could feel the suppressive force from the Master of Divine Exotic Realm; he was utterly incapable of resisting him, even unable to lie.

In such a situation, if the Master of Divine Exotic Realm wanted to calculate against him, why would he need to beat around the bush?

The Master of Divine Exotic Realm saw through his thoughts and explained, "What interests me is not you, but the entity behind you. Now your fate is linked with mine; if I perish, you must die. At least we are now on the same side. If I can be on good terms with your backing, it's all benefits and no harm."

"My backing? Who is it?" Zhang Buku asked in surprise.

The Master of Divine Exotic Realm showed no astonishment; he had already delved into Zhang Buku's memories, but some parts were not clear, obscured by a force preventing his probing. He dared not investigate further, as he had already witnessed the power behind Zhang Buku.

"If you don't know, then don't ask too much. Knowing too much isn't always good. You just need to understand that whether it's him or me, if we wanted to harm you, we wouldn't need such methods. Your worth isn't that high," the Master of Divine Exotic Realm said slowly.

After listening, Zhang Buku fell silent. He wasn't angered; in fact, he was even more grateful to the sparrow.

Even if it was manipulation, he accepted it – he would definitely repay the sparrow in the future.

As for the Master of Divine Exotic Realm, strictly speaking, they had no direct enmity. If he died in the Divine Exotic Realm, he couldn't blame anyone; after all, it was his own path that he had chosen, and nobody had forced him to come.

Zhang Buku took a deep breath and said, "Alright!"

He then knelt halfway and saluted with a fist, "Honorable master above, please accept your disciple's bow!"

And with that, he bowed his head.

The Master of Divine Exotic Realm's face revealed a smile, "It's been many years since anyone called me master. My last disciple is now high above, seemingly afraid of any association with me."

His tone was full of self-derision.

Zhang Buku looked up and asked, "Who is your disciple?"

The smile on the Master of Divine Exotic Realm's face faded, and he scoffed, "Him? Just a dog of the Holy Court!"