When I Achieved Sainthood, the Immortal Official Actually Called Me to Raise Horses!-Chapter 359: One Billion Years of Life!

Hearing Zhu Xi’s words, Gu An felt a bit uneasy.

This girl… is she planning to take this chance to pocket the herbs and then smear his name?

Gu An decided to just keep waiting. He wanted to see what tricks she had up her sleeve.

He stared at Zhu Xi and noticed that no matter how much spiritual energy she absorbed, her cultivation didn’t budge. It was like her tiny body hid a black hole that could swallow everything.

Interesting.

This girl’s physique wasn’t ordinary. No wonder she had a lifespan limit of 9,999 years.

After about half an hour, all the spirit flowers by the lake had been drained and withered.

Zhu Xi took a deep breath, then suddenly looked horrified and turned to leave.

Floating in the night sky, Gu An was deep in thought.

The spiritual energy and medicinal essence Zhu Xi had just absorbed would’ve been enough to push an ordinary Core Formation Stage cultivator straight to the Nascent Soul Stage. Of course, in reality, a cultivator at the Core Formation Stage couldn’t possibly absorb so much energy at once.

But Zhu Xi not only did it—her cultivation hadn’t increased at all.

What kind of physique was this?

Gu An began recalling the memories of Long Zhan and Lu Han. They’d lived for hundreds of thousands of years and seen countless battles. Maybe they had encountered something similar.

Soon, Gu An frowned.

Could it be…

A strange gleam flashed in his eyes, and he became even more intrigued by Zhu Xi.

A moment later, a large group of cultivators flew over. When they saw the withered pile of spirit flowers by the lake, their faces changed dramatically.

“We’ve been robbed?”

“Who dares to steal natural treasures from our Falling Moon Divine Lake? They’ve got a death wish!”

“To sneak into Falling Moon Divine Lake and absorb the essence of the Purple Yun Flowers all at once—their cultivation must be high.”

“Could it be a spirit beast from the sea?”

“Or maybe it’s the work of an Immortal Spirit from the Immortal Dynasty? They’ve been stirring up quite a bit lately.”

While the elders discussed, Zhu Xi stood nearby looking frightened and innocent. No one suspected that she was the one who had absorbed the Purple Yun Flowers.

After a lengthy debate, the cultivators of Falling Moon Divine Lake still hadn’t figured out the culprit. They decided to report the incident to their higher-ups. Before leaving, they even comforted Zhu Xi and told her not to worry.

Zhu Xi walked back to her quarters alone, visibly troubled, her brows furrowed, glancing around constantly. Gu An couldn’t help but admire her acting skills—she really had the conviction.

Once she entered her room, Gu An finally saw her crack a smile.

From worried to satisfied in an instant—her change of expression was so fast even Gu An was impressed.

Seeing her about to change clothes, Gu An stopped observing and turned to leave, continuing his herb-gathering journey.

That night, Gu An harvested a lot of herbs at Falling Moon Divine Lake, which only made the atmosphere there even more tense.

After that night, Gu An no longer returned to the lake for harvesting.

There were so many sects across the world. Harvesting from them all was enough to rapidly accumulate lifespan.

Summer turned to autumn, and the Third Medicine Valley was cloaked in hues of withered yellow.

Gu An looked at his attribute panel, smiling.

Just one million years more, and he’d hit ten billion years of lifespan.

Turns out, taking the unorthodox route really does speed things up.

However, all the sects he had harvested from were now on high alert, convinced a calamity was coming.

Gu An made sure to pick remote sects to avoid them connecting the dots and escalating the matter.

Even though he hadn’t technically stolen their herbs, his method of harvesting was definitely suspicious.

Some sects thought it was the work of demonic beasts or spirit beasts, while others believed it was an enemy’s warning. Gu An had to admit—they were pretty sharp. Every time he finished harvesting, they were immediately on guard.

He closed the attribute panel and stood up.

While stretching his limbs, he used his divine sense to look far into the distance—toward Zhu Xi at Falling Moon Divine Lake.

Gu An had developed a growing interest in this oddball girl. She felt like a kindred spirit.

Zhu Xi had incredible talent, but she was still just an ordinary disciple in Falling Moon Divine Lake. That was probably why she had been tasked with watching over one of the lake areas.

Gu An guessed she accepted the job so she could steal from herself.

BOOM—

Suddenly, a deafening explosion rang out from outside.

Gu An wasn’t startled—whatever happened was far away from the Taicang Continent.

The disciples of the Third Medicine Valley were shocked at first, but quickly recovered and grew curious. Who was fighting this time?

Tensions between the Immortal Dynasty and the Holy Court were escalating. They were practically at the brink of war.

To Gu An, it still looked like the two sides were probing one another.

Just last year, he’d witnessed two Dao-Void Celestial Immortals clash outside the heavens. The battle had been so intense that many Grandmaster-level cultivators from the human world had projected their divine sense to watch.

Gu An stepped downstairs.

As he descended the staircase, he looked toward the mouth of the valley. Someone was approaching.

It was Zhang Xianwang—from the Immortal Dynasty.

Upon entering the valley, Zhang Xianwang observed everything around him.

The Third Medicine Valley was well-known within the Taixuan Sect. Cultivators visiting the sect often made a point to stop by, but Gu An rarely greeted them personally—there were plenty of disciples here, after all.

Zhang Xianwang’s gaze passed over Shen Xinzi, then over Nine-Fingered Divine Lord, who was playing Go. He nodded to himself. As expected of a renowned place.

Still, two Roving Immortals weren’t enough to shock a Free Soaring Immortal like him. What he really wanted to know was how someone at the Nascent Soul Stage like Gu An could gather so many powerful cultivators around him.

He spotted Gu An in the distance and walked toward him.

Gu An, standing below the building, pretended not to see him. Instead, he headed toward the herb garden and stopped by the wooden fence to inspect the medicinal plants.

Once Zhang Xianwang got closer, Gu An turned around, feigning surprise.

“Daoist Zhang, what brings you here?”

Zhang Xianwang smiled. “I’ve come to take you to the Immortal Dynasty.”

Gu An’s expression shifted. He hesitated and said, “After thinking it over, I’ve decided not to go. But thank you for the offer.”

Zhang Xianwang frowned. “After what you experienced during the Immortal Dynasty’s blessing, you still don’t believe in its strength?” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

“I do. But I can’t bear to part with what I have now,” Gu An replied with a sigh.

Zhang Xianwang locked eyes with him. “You could rebuild everything in the Immortal Dynasty. You know this. In cultivation, your own future is what matters most.”

Gu An took a deep breath. “Everyone has their own path. I’m not just chasing the future.”

Zhang Xianwang’s frown deepened, but before he could argue further, Ji Xuanyu walked over.

“Going to the Immortal Dynasty doesn’t necessarily mean a better future,” she said, staring at Zhang Xianwang. Her tone was cold and direct, clearly not fond of him.

Zhang Xianwang’s gaze shifted to the Dao Pattern on her forehead. His expression turned strange.

His eyes flicked between Gu An and Ji Xuanyu.

Ji Xuanyu stepped beside Gu An and faced Zhang Xianwang.

“What did you mean by that?” Zhang Xianwang asked, displeased by her tone, even though he was curious about her identity.

Ji Xuanyu answered, “The Immortal Dynasty’s enemy is the Holy Court. Bringing him there isn’t taking him to a better future—it’s dragging him into a war zone. You can’t even guarantee the Immortal Dynasty will win.”

Zhang Xianwang’s expression darkened. He said coldly, “I do believe the Immortal Dynasty will have the last laugh. I’m not trying to harm him.”

Ji Xuanyu replied calmly, “You might have good intentions, but at a time like this, joining the Immortal Dynasty isn’t wise. At the very least, wait until this storm passes, right?”

Gu An could feel the Moon and Sun Nether Emperor’s divine sense locking onto Zhang Xianwang. If he made a wrong move, he could be wiped out in an instant.

Quickly, Gu An said, “Daoist Zhang, thank you for your kind offer. She was only looking out for me. I apologize if her words were harsh.”

He raised a hand in salute. Ji Xuanyu rolled her eyes.

Zhang Xianwang took a deep breath and smiled. “No worries. She had a point. I was being short-sighted. Let’s leave it at that.”

Worried he might still feel awkward, Gu An invited him for a drink. Ji Xuanyu didn’t follow—she just stood there, watching Zhang Xianwang’s back.

Zhang Xianwang stayed for about an hour before leaving for the Immortal Dynasty. Whether he’d return again was uncertain.

Even though he’d been turned down, he still wished Gu An a long and peaceful life. Before leaving, he even gave him a magical artifact.

Gu An tried to decline, but Zhang Xianwang insisted seriously, “Fate brought us together. The world’s about to descend into chaos—having one more artifact at your side could save your life. I hope we can drink together again someday.”

Hearing that, Gu An accepted and thanked him, wishing him all the best in return.

After seeing him off, Gu An walked to a slope at the edge of the Medicine Valley. He sat in the grass, watching the sunset.

In his eyes, the entire world was reflected. All the countless lives and their fates were held within his gaze.

Watching the great battles erupt across the realm, Gu An felt even more determined.

Once he reached ten billion years of lifespan, he would break through immediately!

He looked up toward the sky, starting to search for a suitable place for his breakthrough.

Late at night.

Gu An moved once more. This time, he arrived at the Bitter Sea Buddhist Sect.

Though it stood in barren lands, the sect cultivated an abundance of natural treasures. In terms of heritage, it far surpassed the Purple Pill Palace and Falling Moon Divine Lake.

There were several Mystic Celestial Immortals in the Bitter Sea Sect, but fortunately, no Dao-Void Celestial Immortals. No one could detect Gu An’s actions.

Interestingly, Gu An spotted Lu Lingjun again.

She was meditating beneath an old tree, quietly cultivating.

Gu An entered her herb garden and helped her harvest the medicinal herbs—without her ever noticing.

Tonight, Gu An was going to break the ten-billion-year lifespan threshold!

The mountain housing the Bitter Sea Buddhist Sect was massive, and its herb gardens were countless. Even harvesting only mature herbs, Gu An had barely made it a third of the way when he’d already gained over a million years of lifespan.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Two notifications appeared before his eyes:

【Your lifespan has surpassed ten billion for the first time. Lifespan Simulation function unlocked.】

【Lifespan Simulation: Consume lifespan to simulate. You can recreate anything from reality or construct original scenarios. Lifespan consumed depends on the complexity of the simulation.】

A smile spread across Gu An’s face. Finally, a new feature unlocked.

Now, he could safely make his breakthrough.

Simulate anything? That sounded incredibly powerful.

Gu An’s mind began racing—he could simulate tribulations, simulate battles, simulate plans…

Whether the simulation matched reality exactly still remained to be seen, but if it did—this was going to be fun.

Gu An stepped forward again.

Since he was already here, he might as well finish harvesting.