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

Chapter 999: Chapter 991: Daoshu Zun

Under the dark starry sky, a massive old tree stood unmoved. Below each branch hung strands of vine, and at the end of each vine was an oval fruit in various colors, resembling eggs, trembling slightly.

On one branch, a man in a black robe was meditating and cultivating. His hair was as white as snow, falling loosely, and his forehead had a vertical slit. His skin was pale without a trace of blood, and his long robe, like willow catkins, floated in the wind. Three tails hung beneath his green robe: one resembling a dragon, another a serpent, and the third like a lion.

Suddenly.

The man in the black robe opened his eyes, his brows furrowed, his eyes flashing with suspicion.

He instinctively raised his hand to cover his chest.

"What’s going on, what is this feeling?"

The man in the black robe murmured to himself, his tone filled with confusion.

He began to cast a spell, the vertical eye on his forehead opened, moving left and right, as if searching for something.

However, no matter how he tried to deduce, he could not find the source, nor did he detect any anomalies in himself.

In the end, he could only give up.

He lifted his head and gazed into the depths of the void, the vertical eye on his forehead closing, his eyes filled with profound meaning.

"Heavenly Emperor, it seems ending you is not so simple."

The man in the black robe murmured, a strange smile appearing on his face.

He raised his right hand, and the distant fruits swayed, swiftly falling off and colliding together to form a staff made of wood. The tip was hooked; the color transitioned from dark green to red, with black energy vaguely surging around it.

He grasped this staff, and with it, the robes he wore also fluttered, his entire aura seeming to transform.

...

Midway up the Mountain of No End, Gu An sat writing on the edge of a cliff, from where one could view a vast and magnificent landscape.

Fairy Yaoxuan approached from behind, standing beside him, looking at the paper hanging on the wooden frame in front of him, she recited the words on it:

"Dao Supreme..."

Fairy Yaoxuan, deep in thought upon reading this name, felt the aura of cause and effect rushing towards her, causing an unsettling feeling that her Dao Fruit foundation was unstable.

Gu An glanced at her and chuckled softly, "You’re becoming less cautious, daring to recite unknown names?"

Fairy Yaoxuan gently shook her head, saying, "Indeed, not as cautious as before. Perhaps I am starting to rely on you, trusting you."

These words left Gu An momentarily speechless, compelling him to change the subject and ask, "Did you see anything just now?"

"Slaughter, endless slaughter... and, devouring?"

Fairy Yaoxuan recalled and described, remembering more and more scenes the longer she thought about it.

Finally, she confidently stated, "It was indeed devouring; he wants to devour the Celestial Dao Destiny."

Devouring destiny was not unimaginable, but the thought of the Dao Supreme wanting to devour the Celestial Dao Destiny was terrifying.

The Celestial Dao is vast, omnipresent to the Heavenly Tao Creatures, who believe it will eventually replace Chaos.

The mere existence of a creature aiming to strengthen itself by devouring the Celestial Dao Destiny made Fairy Yaoxuan shiver.

If the Celestial Dao were to collapse, wouldn’t all these Celestial Dao creatures be in grave danger?

Even though Fairy Yaoxuan looked down upon the Heavenly Court Immortals, she still held reverence for the Celestial Dao that nurtured her.

The Dao Supreme would indeed become the most fearsome enemy of the Celestial Dao, potentially bringing despair to all living beings.

She gazed at Gu An, hoping he could clarify this for her.

For Gu An to write down that name, he must have foreseen the future actions of the Dao Supreme.

"You guessed right, this Dao Supreme comes from Chaos; he is more ancient than the Celestial Dao itself. Before the Celestial Dao’s creation, its creator once listened to him preach about the Dao." Gu An briefly introduced, his words enough to startle Fairy Yaoxuan.

More ancient than the Celestial Dao?

Fairy Yaoxuan looked at Gu An with a complex expression. If he could perceive such an ancient existence, then what kind of existence was Gu An himself?

"What do you intend to do?" Fairy Yaoxuan asked.

Gu An replied, "My stance naturally aligns with the Celestial Dao."

Born within and standing upon the Celestial Dao in this life, even though not governed by it, he wished to repay it.

Moreover, those he cared for were within the Celestial Dao.

Even though he had achieved sainthood, he did not have the thought of separating from these connections.

Gaining strength was not only to avoid subjugation but also to protect all he cherished.

Gu An’s desire to grow stronger was driven by many reasons.

He never deliberately aimed to do anything, acting freely and as he wished.

Fairy Yaoxuan looked at him earnestly, saying, "You’ve changed, becoming more direct, more like him."

Gu An knew who she referred to, but he didn’t mind, instead asking, "And what about you, what do you care about?"

Fairy Yaoxuan answered, "Previously, it was about the child and him. Now, I want to revert to my former self, unbound by emotions, single-mindedly pursuing the Dao."

"Then you’d better hurry. The upcoming times will be chaotic and will give rise to even stronger talent,"

Gu An said with a soft laugh, then picked up his pen to continue writing.

Fairy Yaoxuan focused intently, this time choosing not to read aloud the characters she saw.

"Nine Hong?"

Fairy Yaoxuan thought to herself, feeling that these two characters were imbued with deep meaning, intriguing her to explore what they signified.

...

Above the sea of clouds, Liu An and Wei Ye followed behind Yang Jian, both extremely excited, occasionally engaging in the practice of newly acquired combat techniques.

Ever since Tian Hao assigned them to cultivate under Yang Jian, their abilities had skyrocketed, keeping their spirits high, grateful for following Tian Hao as their best decision ever.

Yang Jian stood in front with furrowed brows, ignoring the sparring behind him.

They travelled upon clouds, quickly reaching Tian Hao’s Celestial Palace.

Entering the palace, they proceeded directly, arriving at the steps, dispersing the clouds, and the three bowed toward Tian Hao above.

"Junior Brother, the situation has changed again. His Majesty intends to select nine Great Dao Heavenly Emperors from the former Sons of Heaven to guard the eight directions. Xuanqing Star Lord contacted me, saying I’m within His Majesty’s selection range."

When Tian Hao spoke these words, he was not joyous but rather troubled.

Having experienced too many schemes, he found it difficult to trust the current Heavenly Emperor.

Upon hearing this, Yang Jian immediately said, "Indeed this is an overt strategy, the title of Great Dao Heavenly Emperor would place Senior Brother on par with the Supreme. I don’t think Senior Brother should worry; the Celestial Court’s troubles have indeed increased recently, and His Majesty needs more power. Especially since even if there are schemes, guarding the Celestial Court is our duty as Immortal Gods, albeit some roles are more dangerous."

Tian Hao nodded, saying, "I’m not afraid, it’s just that the four words Great Dao Heavenly Emperor make me ponder."

Yang Jian replied, "Recently the Celestial Army and Merit Immortals have gained power, a perfect opportunity for Senior Brother to accumulate achievements and build reputation. This is what the Divine Venerable also suggested, advising me to urge you not to miss this chance."

Tian Hao did not immediately respond, looking at Yang Jian, he asked, "If Master were here, how do you think he would advise?"