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

Inside the Soul Calming Pagoda.

Life-Seizing Immortal opened his eyes, a frown creasing his brow, his eyes filled with doubt and suspicion.

"Why has his aura ceased?"

Life-Seizing Immortal began to cast spells and calculate—he did not consider the possibility that Bai Hong had really died; after all, he knew how high his disciple's Cultivation Level was. Within the same realm, Bai Hong had the power to suppress three Divine Exotic Ghost Kings single-handedly, which showed how terrifying his strength was; even if he encountered a Carefree Primordial Immortal, he would not die without a trace.

However, no matter how he calculated, he could not deduce Bai Hong's whereabouts.

Bai Hong's karmic ties were still fading away.

This indicated that Bai Hong had most likely fallen, and moreover, had been scattered to the winds, with the Heaven and Earth Rules erasing the marks of his existence.

Life-Seizing Immortal's eyebrows knitted tightly together, his heart filled with shock and anger.

Had a Carefree Primordial Immortal made a move?

To achieve such a feat, it would certainly not be a low-level Carefree Primordial Immortal!

The first thing Life-Seizing Immortal thought of was a being from the Holy Court; how could such a formidable existence hide in this Mortal World region?

In Life-Seizing Immortal's mind, the strongest beings in this Mortal World region were at most in the Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm; the sects here merely touched upon powers from Outer Heaven.

A Master of Divine Exotic Realm was sufficient to suppress this Mortal World region for so many years; how could a Carefree Primordial Immortal possibly be lurking here?

Wait.

Life-Seizing Immortal suddenly thought of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm.

Although his impression of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm was mediocre, he had some recollection; the Seven Stars Spirit Realm had always curried favor with the Holy King he supported. The Holy King disdained the Seven Stars Spirit Realm, but some under the Holy King had received benefits from the Seven Stars Spirit Realm; to some extent, one could say the Seven Stars Spirit Realm was a force on the same side as him.

He remembered a Daoist Friend mentioning that the Seven Stars Spirit Realm had sought help before; however, the Daoist Friend thought the Seven Stars Spirit Realm was not significant enough to warrant his intervention, so he assigned them a task. Consequently, just as the Seven Stars Spirit Realm had assisted the Divine Exotic Realm's emergence, it was dismantled because some residual forces still existed, so his Daoist Friend didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a local power struggle.

Now it occurred to him—could it be that this Mortal World region was hiding something?

Could it have something to do with that reincarnated being?

Life-Seizing Immortal's eyes flickered, not with fear, but with a hint of delight.

The massacre of the common people was not his main goal; all of this was to force out the reincarnated being. Now that signs had begun to show, how could he not be pleased?

Immediately, he took out an ancient bronze oil lamp and cast spells towards the wick.

It's time to call the old fogeys together!

...

The catastrophe triggered by Bai Hong had consequences far and wide, its extent immeasurable. The continent where the Supreme Sect resided was spared from catastrophe, leading many sects to speculate that it was Sword Venerable Fudao's doing, causing his name to spread like wildfire across the continent once again.

When the beings of the continent were excited and in awe, the sea was deadly silent; numerous islands and landmasses had been turned into seas of fire.

Could ordinary Immortal Cultivation Sects withstand divine powers unleashed by Bai Hong?

Even if the sects formed their formations in time, they could not hold back the sky-high flames; this was one of the reasons Gu An had taken action.

This heavenly fire caused a third of all creatures in the Mortal World region to die—a staggeringly large number.

After the disaster had passed, on the seventh day.

Gu An came alone to Immortal Seeking Island, where the atmosphere within was grave, with significantly fewer Cultivators coming and going, and a tense mood pervading the streets.

Judging by the buildings within the city, it had not suffered from the heavenly fire's onslaught, but the surrounding seascape was littered with countless dead fish and demonic creatures, showing that Immortal Seeking Island was within the reach of the heavenly fire as well.

The divine skills of a Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal were enough to obliterate all beings!

Gu An called over Hu Xiaojian, who heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing him.

"Elder, I'm so glad you've come!"

Hu Xiaojian's tone held a hint of resentment; seven days earlier, he truly thought he was going to die on Immortal Seeking Island. Though he had a narrow escape, he trembled with fear every day, dreading the sudden arrival of another catastrophe.

Gu An teased, "That scared?"

Hu Xiaojian nodded, "How could I not be? Did you see that great fire? It was terrifying, blotting out the sky—just imagining the Cultivation Level of the person behind it scares me."

He wanted to say it might far surpass that of a Loose Immortal—for there were many Loose Immortals on Immortal Seeking Island, and he had occasionally witnessed Loose Immortals in Combat, which allowed him to make comparisons.

But then he thought of Gu An being a Loose Immortal and immediately held his tongue.

"Don't worry," Gu An consoled, "evil has never triumphed over good; the person behind the scenes will definitely face retribution."

In fact, the orchestrator of this catastrophe, Bai Hong, was already dead.

The reason Gu An had come so late was to guard against a sudden assault from Life-Seizing Immortal on the Supreme Sect.

Life-Seizing Immortal had not shown up, and, given his capabilities, he must have known of Bai Hong's demise. His absence likely meant he was plotting something.

Gu An felt there was a good chance he was shaking the tree to see what falls.

The Great Cold Demon Sect, after all, was a colossal force in the world, with countless Cultivators whose numbers were difficult to estimate.

Later, Gu An followed Hu Xiaojian around to learn the situation on Immortal Seeking Island.

According to Hu Xiaojian, after experiencing this calamity, the Island Master was clearly planning to abandon Immortal Seeking Island; he had already instructed people to transport part of his property and disciples away, and within the Sea Protection Mansion, everyone was in a state of panic, with Cultivators like Hu Xiaojian unsure of where to go.

Previously, Immortal Seeking Island was their home and their greatest support. The Sea Protection Mansion would not take them with them.

After hearing this, Gu An did not offer an opinion but asked Hu Xiaojian to take him to purchase medicinal herbs, which made Hu Xiaojian even more nervous.

He feared this was Gu An's last visit to Immortal Seeking Island.

An hour later.

The two arrived at Hu Xiaojian's courtyard, and after Gu An sat down, Hu Xiaojian immediately poured wine for him.

Gu An did not refuse, and his attitude made Hu Xiaojian feel somewhat more at ease.

Only after Hu Xiaojian had poured the wine did Gu An speak, "Rest assured, I truly wish to obtain Immortal Seeking Island. Soon, I will send a Wandering Immortal to take over Immortal Seeking Island, and then your standing within the Sea Protection Mansion will rise. You, on the other hand, should diligently cultivate, so in the future you can be worthy of a high position."

Wandering Immortal?

Hu Xiaojian trembled slightly, tentatively asking, "Elder, might I know who you truly are?"

Gu An being only with a Loose Immortal Cultivation Level but able to invite a Wandering Immortal suggested that Gu An had the backing of a great power.

This was a pleasant surprise for Hu Xiaojian.

No matter how strong one person was, they could not compete with a vast force!

Gu An replied, "It's better for you not to inquire about my identity. Knowing too much is of no benefit to you. Even if we truly can't withstand an attack from Life-Seizing Immortal in the future, I will take you away. I have a place where you can live in peace. However, before that happens, I want to take a gamble. What if a Great Power manifests from the sea to crush that Life-Seizing Immortal?"

Hu Xiaojian nodded vigorously; whatever the case, his job was to cling to Gu An's coattails.

Of course, deep down, he believed Life-Seizing Immortal was unbeatable.

The previous heavenly fire had left too deep of a scar on his psyche, and thinking about it still frightened him.

"Elder, what do you need me to do now?" Hu Xiaojian asked respectfully.