The autumnal demon lands were a sea of golden leaves, stretching endlessly like waves of sunlight.
Li Ya stood on his North Sea Heavy Sword, flying through the air, with Zhang Buku positioned behind him, gazing into the distant horizon.
From afar, Zhang Buku noticed a figure darting toward the edge of the heavens at an astonishing speed. The aura emanating from this individual left him deeply unsettled.
"Brother Li, are we really going to involve ourselves in this mess?" Zhang Buku couldn't help but ask.
Li Ya was his first true friend. Over the past year, they had traversed the demon lands together, facing life and death side by side, forging a deep bond. Despite their propensity for injuries, the companionship far outweighed the struggles they had faced alone.
The wind howled against Li Ya's face, his resolute yet handsome features forming a smile. "So many great cultivators are rushing over. Let's just take a look. We won't compete, merely observe the situation. If there's no opportunity, we'll watch the show. But if there is—well, that would be ideal."
Hearing this, Zhang Buku nodded in agreement. His gaze turned forward, his eyes shining with a trace of anticipation.
Meanwhile, Gu An had stopped focusing on the ascension site and busied himself with other tasks.
He was expanding the Nian Chu Cave Residence. Unlike the more public medicine valleys or Xuan Heaven Cave, the Nian Chu Cave was truly his, overseen by Tian Yao'er. As most of the medicine valleys were exposed to prying eyes, they weren't ideal for secret projects.
Standing in the Nian Chu Cave, Gu An used his spiritual power to enlarge the space.
Tian Yao'er watched Gu An's back with her mouth slightly agape. Tian Qing and Tian Bai perched on her shoulders, tilting their heads as they curiously observed him.
Gu An moved along the rock face, his right hand extended forward. With each step, the mountain wall retreated inward. Not a single pebble fell, nor did the cave tremble. The precision of his ability left Tian Yao'er wide-eyed with amazement.
She had always known Gu An was formidable, but this display surpassed her imagination.
Despite her years of cultivation, she couldn't fathom the extent of Gu An's divine abilities.
In just one incense stick's worth of time, the Nian Chu Cave had doubled in size. Thanks to the vastness of Tian Huang Mountain, there was no risk of compromising its structure. Gu An estimated he could expand it tenfold in the future without issue.
Returning to the stone table, Gu An set down a storage bag. "These are all seeds. Take care of planting them. Don't disappoint me."
Before Tian Yao'er could respond, Gu An vanished into thin air.
Instead of examining the storage bag, Tian Yao'er raised her right hand and mimicked his gestures, replaying his earlier actions in her mind.
As the moon set and the sun rose, a new day began.
At the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An set down his brush and stood by the window. His gaze turned toward the demon lands. The previous night, after the ascender arrived, the hidden stele activated a formation, revealing a small secret realm. Swarms of great cultivators had poured inside.
By morning, many had already fled, sparking battles across the area. Among the combatants were none other than Li Ya and Zhang Buku.
In a forest by the great river's edge, Li Ya lay sprawled among toppled trees, his body bloodied. His gaze fixed on the distant figure dominating the skies, his teeth clenched as he struggled to rise.
"Hahaha! So this is the famed Celestial Great Realm? How unimpressive! Did I ascend to the wrong place, or is this realm truly so feeble?"
The speaker was a man with wild, blood-red hair and two curved black horns arching backward from his head. Bare-chested, he wore black pants cinched with a fiery red sash. His muscular body was covered in sinister, blood-red runes that writhed like living creatures as his spiritual energy surged.
He wielded a gleaming silver staff. When the surrounding great cultivators charged at him, he swept his staff through the air, unleashing a wave of blood-red flames that engulfed the sky, forcing them all back.
In the blink of an eye, he vanished, reappearing behind a Mahayana-level cultivator. With a single strike from his staff, the cultivator plummeted into the river below, his fate unknown.
Zhang Buku hurried to Li Ya's side, also injured but in better shape. With a grave expression, he said, "Brother Li, we should retreat."
Though Li Ya burned with reluctance, he could only nod in agreement.
Supporting each other, the two took to the skies, their path marked by the ascender's mocking laughter and the thunderous roars of battle.
This ascender had no intention of killing outright. Instead, he reveled in tormenting his opponents. The more they suffered, the more ecstatic he became, a frenzy of madness in his every move.
"To all you fleeing ants, remember my name! I am Blood Prison Saint! You may address me as Blood Prison Grand Saint!"
Hearing this declaration, Zhang Buku accelerated, terrified the Blood Prison Saint would give chase.
In truth, the Blood Prison Saint was indeed watching Li Ya and Zhang Buku.
He was particularly intrigued by the two hybrids, whose auras were a blend of human and demon. Zhang Buku, in particular, exuded an astonishing vitality that hinted at hidden potential. The power behind his axe techniques further piqued the saint's interest.
After a moment's hesitation, Blood Prison Saint turned his attention to a glowing white vortex hovering above a distant forest. Yet, his curiosity ultimately drew him toward the direction Zhang Buku and Li Ya had fled.
An hour later.
Li Ya and Zhang Buku landed in a dense forest blanketed by thick fog. The air was rich with spiritual energy, providing an excellent hiding spot.
Once on the ground, Li Ya began setting up an array, his movements swift and precise. Zhang Buku, lacking knowledge of formations, could only watch.
When the array was complete, both men finally relaxed, collapsing onto the ground.
Despite his bloodied face, Li Ya grinned broadly. From his storage bag, he retrieved a golden fruit, roughly the size of a fist. The sight of the fruit seemed to ignite a glimmer of triumph in his weary eyes.
"Now that we've obtained this treasure, all our efforts were worth it," Li Ya said with satisfaction, holding the golden fruit aloft.
Zhang Buku wiped the blood and sweat from his face, looking at Li Ya with admiration. "Brother Li, you're truly incredible. Your movements were so fast that even those great cultivators didn't notice you snatching this treasure."
"You're my brother, so we'll split it equally. I can sense the energy contained within; it's definitely a treasure that can enhance our physiques," Li Ya said proudly, basking in Zhang Buku's admiration.
Although he couldn't defeat Zhang Buku in combat, he could at least play the role of the elder brother in terms of resourcefulness.
As the two excitedly discussed their spoils, neither realized that Blood Prison Saint was already approaching silently from a few miles away. The so-called defensive array Li Ya had set up was no more than a flimsy decoration to him.
The Blood Prison Saint's lips curled into a mocking smile as he overheard their conversation.
Just as he prepared to make his move, a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder. In an instant, the demonic energy within him froze, and his entire body became immobilized.
His eyes widened in disbelief. He instinctively tried to resist, but it was utterly futile.
Impossible…
What realm is this person at?
The Blood Prison Saint was terrified. He had never been so thoroughly suppressed. Even his divine sense was sealed, leaving him clueless about the identity of the person behind him.
Naturally, the one standing behind him was Gu An, who had activated his Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body.
Before making his move, Gu An had carefully ensured that no one was following the Blood Prison Saint.
[Blood Prison Saint (Mahayana Realm, Eighth Layer): 1209/9000/9999]
An eighth-layer Mahayana Realm cultivator—far stronger than Lu Lingjun.
Gu An immediately used the Soul Capture Technique to search the Blood Prison Saint's memories.
The Blood Prison Saint hailed from the Spirit Realm, a mortal world with nine continents and seven oceans, where the Mahayana Realm was the pinnacle of cultivation.
He had once been a human cultivator, but after obtaining the true blood of a divine beast, he transformed into a demon, unlocking his full potential. He swept through cultivators of the same realm, often fighting across realms, becoming invincible.
Interestingly, despite his fearsome title, the Blood Prison Saint was surprisingly soft-hearted. As long as someone held no deep-seated grudge against him and begged for mercy after defeat, he would spare them. His fearsome reputation stemmed from his sharp tongue and the threatening bravado in his words, which led many to believe he had committed heinous deeds. Over time, rumors and slander from enemies solidified his image as a villain.
After reading his memories, Gu An hesitated to kill him.
Since no one was paying attention to the Blood Prison Saint, Gu An decided to make him an ally.
What particularly caught Gu An's interest was the divine beast whose blood the Blood Prison Saint had absorbed.
With the death of the demon ancestor, countless demons had been slaughtered, turning the demon lands into a hunting ground for human cultivators. The seven-star sects were preoccupied with the fierce demon and paid little attention to ascenders like the Blood Prison Saint. Perhaps the sects had seen too many ascenders to care.
The Blood Prison Saint's consciousness gradually returned. His head throbbed with pain as he opened his eyes, only to find himself facing a towering tree. Beneath it sat a man reading a book.
The Blood Prison Saint's eyes widened in shock. He instinctively tried to leap away, but all he managed was to stand up shakily.
Then he noticed something. His body felt wrong.
Horror filled his eyes as he turned his gaze downward.
He had become a large ox, his body covered in dark red fur. His shoulder height rivaled that of a full-grown man.
He tried to speak but could only manage a low, mournful "moo."
The most devastating realization was that his cultivation was gone!
This was Return to Origin Dao, a technique Gu An had used to seal his cultivation at the Qi Refining Realm. Gu An's spiritual energy enveloped his demon core and soul, making him appear as nothing more than a first-tier demon beast.
"Ascender from the Spirit Realm, serve me for a thousand years, and I will release you," Gu An said calmly, closing his book.
The Blood Prison Saint stared at Gu An's youthful face, trembling with fear.
Gu An stood and walked toward him. The Blood Prison Saint tried to back away, but with his power sealed, there was no escape.
In the end, Gu An mounted him, patting his back as if he were a common steed. "Let's go."
Reluctantly, the Blood Prison Saint trudged forward in the direction Gu An pointed.
By dusk, Gu An returned to Xuan Valley, riding the Blood Prison Saint.
The sight of the enormous ox, its dark red fur gleaming in the evening light, drew the attention of the valley disciples. They surrounded it, chattering excitedly.
The Blood Prison Saint was dumbfounded.
With his divine sense sealed, he had spent the journey dreading what horrors awaited him in this "demonic lair."
Instead…
The disciples were all Qi Refining Realm cultivators.
They seemed so weak. Was this a small sect in some remote corner of the Spirit Realm?
As Gu An laughed and explained his new "pet" to the disciples, the Blood Prison Saint felt a deep, bitter humiliation.
He was the Blood Prison Saint, the Spirit Realm's strongest genius in millennia. He had dominated the nine continents and seven oceans, earning the awe and fear of countless beings.
And now…
After ascending, he had been reduced to a mount?
The Blood Prison Saint stared into the distance, his mind clouded with disbelief.