Chapter 237: The Soul of Ji Family's Ancestor

In the depths of the night, Ji Mansion lay shrouded in dim light as Gu An leisurely walked along the corridors. Memories of his childhood surfaced one by one.

The Ji Mansion was the starting point of Gu An's life, a place he still felt deeply attached to. From childhood to adulthood, he had lived well in the Ji Mansion, save for the time he accidentally broke a flowerbed and nearly had his hand chopped off. Otherwise, his days here had been peaceful. He had never been bullied by the Ji family descendants, and the occasional conflict among the servants never escalated to a point of no return.

After a century away, Ji Mansion felt both familiar and foreign.

Familiar because the layout and environment hadn't changed much. Foreign because the people were different.

The Ji family had countless branches spread across the land. This particular Ji Mansion was merely one among many. Ji family members could be found in all three dynasties.

Before the Great Demon Catastrophe, the Ji family had retreated into the Seven Stars Spirit Realm. However, only the main family, high-level elders, and talented disciples had entered. When the catastrophe ended, those who had taken refuge returned to their respective homelands to rebuild the family's influence.

Gu An had even seen some Ji family branches near the ocean, though they stayed close to the shore, afraid to venture deeper due to the high cultivation levels of oceanic beasts.

In this Ji Mansion, the strongest cultivator was at the Body Fusion Realm. Gu An remembered the time when such a realm was one he could only look up to with reverence.

Suddenly, he detected a faint, nearly imperceptible soul aura, piquing his interest. Without hesitation, he moved toward its source.

Along the way, servants and guards moved past him without notice. Gu An even phased through courtyard walls effortlessly, as if everything in this place was nothing but an illusion to him.

He passed by an old familiar face—the guard who had once threatened to chop off his hand for breaking the flowerbed.

Over a century had passed. The man's hair was now streaked with white, and his once-intimidating face had softened with age, giving him a gentle, kind appearance.

Gu An glanced at him briefly, without the slightest intention of seeking revenge. After all, back then, he had indeed broken the flowerbed. The guard had merely been fulfilling his duty. Moreover, with the vast difference in their realms now, the two no longer inhabited the same world. Why would Gu An bother holding a grudge?

The Ji Mansion was enormous, yet Gu An strolled leisurely, as if taking a casual walk.

An hour later, he arrived at the source of the mysterious soul—a place that turned out to be the Ji family's ancestral shrine.

Gu An stepped through the doors and was greeted by rows of ancestral tablets, all belonging to Ji family ancestors. The soul he sensed was hidden within the main tablet.

He approached the central tablet and read the inscription.

Ji Zhan!

The faint soul lay concealed within the depths of the tablet. It belonged to an elderly man who seemed to be napping, his soul body curled up lazily.

Ji Zhan's soul was hidden in the web of karmic threads, not in any ordinary spatial realm. No normal being could perceive his presence using divine sense.

Ji Zhan stirred slightly, rolling over as though caught in a dream. He showed no signs of being aware of Gu An's silent gaze.

Gu An extended his lifespan to probe Ji Zhan's soul, but all the resulting data showed zeros—his cultivation level and other details were completely blank.

Somehow, Ji Zhan was deeply intertwined with the entire Ji Mansion through intricate karmic threads. One of these threads also connected to Ji Xiaoyu.

Ji Zhan was Ji Xiaoyu's bloodline ancestor.

Following the karmic thread to Ji Xiaoyu, Gu An noticed an odd break. A portion of her karma appeared blurred, even to him.

This discrepancy puzzled Gu An. It seemed as though Ji Xiaoyu had suddenly become a different person at a certain point in her life.

Upon closer inspection, this strange shift had occurred when Ji Xiaoyu was ten years old.

Gu An dismissed the thought. He hadn't come here to investigate Ji Xiaoyu. Given her possession of the Innate Dao Rune, it wasn't unusual for her to have a unique karmic anomaly.

He stayed no longer and turned to leave the shrine.

Inside the tablet, Ji Zhan suddenly stirred and sat up, scratching his head. "How strange… Why did I feel uneasy just now? Could it be another calamity for the Ji family?"

He muttered to himself before sighing deeply. "It's all because of that Seven Stars Spirit Realm. Sigh… The younger generation has no ambition these days. They'd rather rely on others. Alas, I can only watch helplessly. Hopefully, she can restore the Ji family to its former glory."

With that, Ji Zhan lay back down and resumed his slumber. Time held no meaning for him. He preferred to immerse himself in dreams, creating his own cycle of reincarnation for comfort.

…

At dawn, sunlight stretched across the horizon, breaking over the sea.

On a sandy beach, Chi Bei stood frowning, staring into the distance. His face was pale, still poisoned from being stung by the Swallowing Immortal Scorpion during the battle in Divine Phenomenon City.

A figure emerged from the forest behind him. It was Chi Jiuxiao, the genius of the Star Sea Sect.

"Master, that brat An Hao is just too much! I passed him my divine ability, and he actually mastered it overnight. It's infuriating…"

Chi Jiuxiao grumbled as he approached, his frustration evident. Speaking of An Hao's talent always left him feeling helpless and resentful.

Even he had to admit defeat. An Hao's aptitude and comprehension far surpassed his own.

Chi Bei didn't respond, his gaze still fixed on the distant sea.

"Master, what are you looking at?" Chi Jiuxiao asked, unable to suppress his curiosity.

Chi Bei snapped out of his thoughts and replied, "The spiritual energy over the sea feels unusual. Something extraordinary must be happening. I wonder if it's connected to the rumored World-Ending Ocean Tide."

Chi Jiuxiao frowned. "World-Ending Ocean Tide? That's nonsense. It's probably just the Seven Stars Spirit Realm causing trouble again. That giant fissure appeared far too conveniently!"

Chi Bei didn't reply. He thought arguing about it was pointless.

The wind swept over the beach as the morning sun rose higher, casting its light across the land.

At this moment, a multi-colored radiance descended from the sky, landing near the two of them and instantly attracting their attention. They turned to look and saw a figure emerging within the dazzling glow.

It was a mysterious figure surrounded by dark purple demonic energy.

Chi Jiuxiao's eyes widened in shock. "Sword Master of Dao?"

Chi Bei, on the other hand, could not forget the scene where Gu An had easily subdued two Wandering Immortals. He immediately bowed in respect, knowing that the man had once saved his life. He owed him that courtesy.

"Thank you for taking care of my disciple all these years," Gu An said calmly.

Chi Bei was just about to respond when Gu An suddenly appeared before him. Without warning, Gu An extended his right hand, two fingers lightly pressing on Chi Bei's chest, instantly freezing him in place.

"Master!"

Chi Jiuxiao was startled and instinctively tried to charge forward.

"Don't move!"

Chi Bei's voice rang out with authority, even using his magic power to suppress Chi Jiuxiao.

"Senior is removing the poison from me..." Chi Bei took a deep breath, his voice filled with complexity. As the foreign energy entered his body, he suddenly felt how insignificant he truly was.

In the face of this immense power, his Wandering Immortal realm felt utterly weak—like an ant before a divine being.

"Is this the strength of a Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal?"

Even though Chi Bei had reached the Wandering Immortal realm, he felt no confidence about achieving the next step. To him, the Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm was an unattainable dream. The gap seemed insurmountable.

Chi Jiuxiao's expression shifted from fear to joy upon hearing his master's words.

For a long time, he had worried about the poison in Chi Bei's body, though he was powerless to do anything about it. To think that Gu An, An Hao's master, could remove the Swallowing Immortal Scorpion's venom so effortlessly.

Moments later, Gu An withdrew his hand. "I wish to speak with my disciple alone."

With that, he turned and walked toward the forest. Chi Jiuxiao quickly bowed and did not dare stop him.

Chi Bei could feel the venom in his body dissipating, and the pressure that had weighed on him for so long finally lifted. His gaze toward Gu An now carried a deep reverence.

To effortlessly remove such a terrifying poison…

What Chi Bei didn't realize was that Gu An could have wiped out the poison in an instant. Instead, he intentionally delayed the process to make it seem more laborious—though even that left Chi Bei in awe.

Chi Jiuxiao hurried to Chi Bei's side, anxiously asking about his condition.

…

In the depths of the island, hundreds of miles away from Chi Bei and Chi Jiuxiao, among a range of mountains, An Hao sat cross-legged halfway up a slope, cultivating.

His cultivation had already reached Divine Transformation Realm Fourth Layer—a level that remained astonishing to anyone who knew his age.

Standing behind An Hao, Gu An silently observed him. Seeing his disciple's current cultivation brought a trace of admiration to his face.

An Hao was only ninety-four years old. A Divine Transformation Realm Fourth Layer cultivator at that age… It was merely a matter of time before he surpassed Li Xuandao. In Gu An's understanding, An Hao was still the fastest cultivator he had ever seen.

With a hint of satisfaction, Gu An finally spoke: "Judging from your progress, it seems you have not been slacking."

An Hao's eyes snapped open. Turning around, he was visibly overjoyed to see Gu An. He immediately jumped up and excitedly said, "Master, what brings you here?"

"I came to check on you," Gu An replied lightly.

Hearing this, An Hao grew even happier. He eagerly bombarded Gu An with a string of questions, momentarily losing his usual calm and composure.

In front of his master, he still seemed like that lively and mischievous young boy from years ago.

After chatting for a while, Gu An got to the point. "How is your progress with the Yang Wood Mixed Essence Art?"

An Hao had exceptional spiritual roots. However, what made him unique was not a singular spiritual root but the fact that all of his attributes matched the level of Supreme Heavenly Spiritual Roots.

In other words, An Hao possessed the natural talent to cultivate techniques related to the Five Elements.

His switch to cultivating Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi Technique was not a case of abandoning his foundation, as the two techniques shared the same origin.

"I'm doing well! I've already cultivated Yang Wood. This spiritual wood can devour spiritual energy—it's quite domineering…" An Hao began to explain enthusiastically, detailing his achievements. Rarely seeing his master, he wanted to show his progress and ensure Gu An wouldn't be disappointed.

After listening, Gu An said, "I will now teach you a higher-level technique. The Yang Wood Mixed Essence Art is merely the foundation for this."

An Hao's eyes lit up, and he quickly nodded, his face full of anticipation.

"This technique must not be revealed to anyone else. It will invite calamities. Also, when you undergo tribulations in the future, your Heavenly Tribulation will be far more dangerous than that of others in your realm. You must be prepared." Gu An warned him solemnly.

An Hao suddenly realized something. "Are Heavenly Tribulations related to one's cultivation technique? No wonder my tribulations always shock others…"

Gu An continued, "Recently, I accepted another disciple. Your junior brother's talent is not inferior to yours. As his senior, you must set an example. Don't let him surpass you."

Junior brother?

An Hao frowned, feeling an unexpected wave of tension.

If anyone else had said this, he would have scoffed at the idea. He believed no one could rival his talent.

But hearing it from his master, An Hao had no choice but to believe it. There was really someone in the world whose aptitude could rival his own—or perhaps even surpass it. A sense of urgency immediately took hold of him.

"Master, what's my junior brother's name?" An Hao asked cautiously.

"You will meet him one day. Since you cultivate the same technique, you'll naturally come to know him." Gu An replied cryptically.

Could it be Li Ya?

An Hao briefly thought of Li Ya, who had displayed the Tai Cang Divine Shocking Sword.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. Li Ya was not only older than him but, in An Hao's eyes, far from a true genius.