As the sun set, the main city of Qiankun Sect was as bustling as ever.
Inside a tavern, Gu An and Heavenly Spirit God, who had transformed into the identity of Bai Sheng, sat by the window on the third floor, drinking. The third floor was spacious, divided into small booths by the windows. Even though the tavern was full of guests, the atmosphere remained calm.
Heavenly Spirit God looked at Gu An, reminiscing about their past experiences—wandering the mountains, outwitting bandits. Back then, Su Jin had yet to take human form.
Though their time together had been short, the memories were still vivid and meaningful.
He could never truly understand Gu An.
Having gone through reincarnation and losing all memory, it was understandable that he had experienced such things. But why had Gu An chosen to travel with him?
In his eyes, Gu An was an enigma.
Among all the beings he had ever encountered, Gu An was the most terrifying. Even though he himself was a Heavenly God of the Heavenly Court, his understanding of the Heavenly Court was limited. He had no frame of reference to compare Gu An's strength.
What made it even more puzzling was that such a powerful being as Gu An actually enjoyed wandering among mortals, drinking and laughing with them.
When Gu An fought, he was completely different from his usual self. It was hard to believe that they were the same person.
Gu An chuckled as he looked at Heavenly Spirit God. "It's rare for you to seek me out first. So, how does drinking here compare to sitting under the Realm Gate, wasting away?"
Heavenly Spirit God ignored the question, fixing his gaze on Gu An. "You're not killing me. Aside from being wary of the Heavenly Court, you must have another reason—you want to recruit me, don't you?"
Gu An replied with a question of his own. "You are a Heavenly Court Immortal, how could you possibly be recruited?"
"That is only my status. My loyalty belongs to whoever I choose. Since ancient times, many Immortals in the Heavenly Court have secretly pledged allegiance to forces beyond its reach. Otherwise, how do you think so many Immortal Sects and Clans exist? The Heavenly Court is indeed powerful and immovable, but the hearts of its Immortals are just as complex as mortals' hearts. Even under the strict Laws of Heaven, there are gray areas where right and wrong are not so easily defined."
His calm words left Gu An momentarily silent.
No matter the place, as long as interests were involved, there was always room for maneuvering.
After a moment of thought, Gu An said, "Then tell me more about the Heavenly Court."
Heavenly Spirit God's gaze grew deeper. "I am a Heavenly God. As a Heavenly God, I have the right to guard the Great Thousand Worlds. But within the Heavenly Court, I am merely part of the lowest ranks. I have never been qualified to step into the true Heavenly Court. Since I became an Immortal, I have either remained by my master, Ziwei Immortal Emperor, or stayed in the Heavenly Spirit World. My understanding of the Heavenly Court is not much greater than yours."
"What I can tell you is this—above the Heavenly Gods, there are the Star Lords. Even the weakest among them must be at the Supreme Purity Golden Immortal Realm. Above the Star Lords, there are the Immortal Lords, a level that I could never reach. Before I betrayed my master, Ziwei Immortal Emperor, he belonged to this realm. Whether he still holds that status now, I do not know."
Heavenly Gods, Star Lords, Immortal Lords.
From this, Gu An deduced that most Immortal Lords were likely in the Heaven-Opening Grand Luo Immortal Realm.
Since he himself was already at the Wondrous Truth Grand Luo Immortal Realm, he wasn't afraid. However, it was always best to overestimate one's opponent.
"The Heavenly Court has an innumerable number of Heavenly Gods. I once trained in a Heavenly Army—do you know how many Heavenly Gods were there? Over a billion. When I first stepped into their training realm, I realized that my talent was nothing special. In the eyes of those at the higher levels of the Heavenly Court, I was no different from an ant."
As he spoke, his expression turned complicated.
In the Great Thousand Worlds, he was unrivaled. But in the Heavenly Court, he was insignificant. The gap between these two realities was something mortals could never comprehend.
Gu An narrowed his eyes. "How many such Heavenly Armies does the Heavenly Court have?"
Just one of these Heavenly Armies contained over a billion Innate Golden Immortals and Measuring the Heavens Golden Immortals. The power of the Heavenly Court was beyond terrifying.
The total number of Golden Immortals across all the Three Thousand Great Worlds didn't even come close to that figure. In other words, the Heavenly Court's dominion stretched far beyond Gu An's current understanding.
Heavenly Spirit God sighed. "There are many such armies. I do not know the exact number. No one knows just how terrifying the full power of the Heavenly Court truly is—not even its Immortal Lords. Only the Heavenly Emperor himself knows."
The Heavenly Emperor!
Gu An stopped his inquiry at this point, not wanting to probe further and risk touching on taboo subjects.
The mere glimpse he had gotten of the Heavenly Court was already terrifying enough. The realm of the Heavenly Emperor was beyond anything he could comprehend.
He asked, "Since you plan to follow me, do you understand what you're about to face?"
Heavenly Spirit God noticed that Gu An had refrained from asking further about the Heavenly Court or the Heavenly Emperor, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If they had continued down this conversation, he feared even mentioning these things might draw the attention of the Heavenly Court itself.
"I understand," Heavenly Spirit God said. "Xuan Su Immortal Lord, Tai Yi Immortal Lord… Before, I thought the former had come purely for his faith—but I was gravely mistaken. Their target is not me; their eyes are on Tian Hao. The fact that Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign created him must have had a specific purpose. There might even be deeper schemes at play, perhaps orchestrated by Ziwei Immortal Emperor, my former master."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "I don't know what he's planning, nor do I fully understand Tian Hao's true origins. But if he has drawn the attention of two Immortal Lords, then even if you deal with them, greater troubles will follow."
His tone was calm, without any fear or anxiety. Mentioning Xuan Su Immortal Lord and Tai Yi Immortal Lord, he showed neither hesitation nor concern. He believed Gu An could handle them.
Gu An narrowed his eyes. "And yet, you're still willing to help me? Is it because of Tian Hao?"
The protection of the Heavenly Dao's fortune made it impossible for Gu An to read his thoughts, but based on what he knew about Heavenly Spirit God, the man wasn't one to lie.
Heavenly Spirit God's gaze flickered slightly. "If I said he meant nothing to me, that would be a lie. But more than that, I need a stronger backing. My path in the Heavenly Court has reached a dead end, and the greater the turmoil in the Heavenly Spirit World, the greater my sins will be."
"What I want to know now," he continued, looking at Gu An seriously, "is whether your care for Tian Hao is merely out of fate, or do you have a greater purpose, like the Immortal Lords?"
He changed his form of address, referring to Gu An as 'you' in a more respectful manner—a clear sign of a shift in his attitude.
Gu An replied, "And if it's simply fate, do you have a solution in mind?"
Heavenly Spirit God smiled. Before coming here, he had already made his own guesses. If Gu An truly had ulterior motives, he would have taken action long ago—there was no need to wait for the Immortal Lords to arrive.
Besides, over the years, he had watched Tian Hao grow. The boy had lived freely, showing no signs of being manipulated by Gu An.
Heavenly Spirit God said, "Actually, solving this problem is not difficult. With Tian Hao's talent and fate, we can send him to a force even greater than the Immortal Lords. And the Immortal Lords have no reason to continue targeting the Great Thousand World. If Tian Hao leaves, they will have no choice but to back down."
At this point, he sighed, though it was unclear for whom.
Gu An's expression remained unreadable as he asked, "Do you know any Immortal Gods who can be trusted with him?"
A Heavenly God who had fallen to the lowest ranks of the Heavenly Court—how could he possibly still have the means to find a safe path for Tian Hao?
Heavenly Spirit God shook his head. "I don't personally know any beings of such transcendent status, but I can recommend Tian Hao to go to Ethereal Immortal Court. That place has produced countless Immortal Gods, and it is recognized by the Heavenly Court as a legitimate and orthodox Immortal Sect. The power behind Ethereal Immortal Court is stronger than the Immortal Lords, and with Tian Hao's talent, he would undoubtedly be accepted there."
"Once he enters Ethereal Immortal Court, Xuan Su Immortal Lord and Tai Yi Immortal Lord wouldn't dare to invade its domain."
"After that," he added, "we would only need to withstand one final retaliation. If they fail, then they will have no choice but to drop this matter—for now."
Ethereal Immortal Court!
Gu An's eyes flashed as he recalled the memories of Yongsheng.
Yongsheng had been born in a certain Immortal Manor within Ethereal Immortal Court. However, he had left at an early age and later returned only once. From his memories, Gu An could tell that Ethereal Immortal Court was truly unfathomable.
Yongsheng was one of Gu An's past lives, which meant that, in some way, Gu An himself could be considered a disciple of Ethereal Immortal Court.
If he were to send his own disciple, Tian Hao, there, it would simply be another turn of fate's wheel.
However… would Ethereal Immortal Court truly accept him?
And if Tian Hao went, would he really be protected?
Heavenly Spirit God's understanding of the Heavenly Court was limited—but Gu An's knowledge of Ethereal Immortal Court was just as incomplete.