Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses Chapter 1135 - 1126: Wushi’s Calamity

How should this be handled?

An Xin found herself paralyzed by her master’s inquiry. She understood that this was a test, but why must he challenge her at such a desperate turning point?

Despite her significant growth in Cultivation, the massive karmic cause and effect at the Great Dao level remained far beyond her capacity to manage.

She couldn't help but sigh in frustration, "Master, why are you still questioning me at a time like this? Whatever your intentions are, or whatever you require of me, simply give the command."

A smile played on Gu An’s lips, though it took on a sinister edge when viewed through the power of the Reversing Void Eye.

"And what if I refuse to yield even a single inch?" Gu An countered.

Not yielding even an inch?

An Xin’s expression shifted slightly as she asked with caution, "Do you intend to rebel against the Great Dao itself, showing no salvation to any living beings within it?"

"The Great Dao has branded me its enemy, the masses are mobilizing against us, and the path ahead for Wushi is fraught with peril. Our choices are to flee into the void to establish a new order, or to remain within the Heavenly Dao and repel the invaders from every Dao Universe, forcing the Great Dao into submission."

Gu An’s voice was unnervingly frigid as he spoke those words.

An Xin felt a heavy weight settle in her chest. She had no arguments to offer, yet the reality of the situation filled her with dread.

How had the world come to this?

Wushi had always represented the righteous path of salvation; how had it suddenly transformed into the ultimate enemy of the Great Dao—a walking calamity?

She desperately hoped that this was merely a scheme orchestrated by others to frame Wushi, but her master had openly confessed to it.

Through her Absolute Void Eye, she could confirm without a doubt that the man standing before her was her true master and not some pretender.

Gu An offered no words of comfort to An Xin, for this was the harsh truth, and his own resentment toward the Great Dao had reached a breaking point.

He had suppressed his own desires, yet the Great Dao still incited all living beings to hunt him down. Even if he chose to retreat, there was no longer a path left for him.

While the Great Dao lacks the conscious mind of a sentient being, it possesses a primal survival instinct that now perceived Gu An as a mortal threat.

This was a clash of fundamental stances; Gu An and the rest of creation stood on opposite sides, and their conflict was irreconcilable.

After giving An Xin a lingering look, Gu An vanished into the air, leaving only his voice behind:

"The conflict between the Great Dao and Wushi shall be the Great Dao’s most grueling trial, and the true first tribulation for Wushi—one that carries both a beginning and an end."

An Xin stood there in a daze, whispering his final words, "With a beginning and an end..."

She sensed the hidden meaning of total replacement within that phrase.

...The Wushi Calamity!

The entire heavens and the myriad realms were thrown into chaos by this disaster. Every realm began a frantic investigation, hunting down any individual or object associated with Wushi.

Even former Wushi disciples who had long since left the Sect were ruthlessly targeted. Some opportunistic figures even used the crisis as an excuse to label their personal rivals as Wushi heretics.

A growing number of Wushi disciples fled back to the safety of the Wushi Realm, while many others met violent ends in foreign worlds. Inside the Wushi Realm, the mood was just as suffocating. In their understanding, the Great Dao had created everything, and protecting it was the definition of justice.

If they were now acting against the Great Dao, did that not make them the villains?

Protests began to break out among the disciples, who hoped the Ancestor would appear to explain himself or perhaps abandon this dangerous path.

At the foot of Gu An’s mountain, millions of beings had congregated. This crowd included Wushi disciples and various cultivators who had been reincarnated into the Wushi Realm, blanketing the mountainside in a sea of people.

Wu Xie hovered in the sky, his imposing presence serving as a barrier against the million-strong crowd. He prevented the more impulsive disciples from charging up the mountain, making himself the target of their collective rage.

"Ancestor Wu Xie, you cannot support the Ancestor on this delusional path!"

"Are we truly meant to annihilate the Great Dao and butcher all living souls?"

"Has Wushi not been the most righteous Daoist lineage since the dawn of time? Why have we fallen to this?"

"Ancestor Wu Xie, do not force our hands against you!"

Listening to the furious shouts of the disciples below, the stoic Wu Xie finally reacted; he let out a cold, mocking laugh.

Wu Xie swung his right hand, manifesting a long spear in his grip. He pointed the weapon downward, releasing the terrifying aura of a Xuan Qi Primordial Immortal that caused the very earth to tremble.

"Do you idiots not realize where you stand? You bunch of ungrateful wretches—anyone who dares to strike shall die; anyone who dares to set foot on this mountain shall perish!"

The murderous intent radiating from Wu Xie blanketed the world as the origin power of the Daoist Emperor surged uncontrollably within him.

Silenced by his overwhelming pressure, the masses below were paralyzed with fear and dared not speak another word.

Meanwhile, at the mountain's peak.

Gu An stood at the cliff's edge with his hands clasped behind him. He looked down at the scene, his heart swirling with complex emotions.

The human heart truly is a fickle thing.

Wu Xie, who was merely a reincarnation of the Daoist Emperor’s will, had proven to be his most steadfast follower. In contrast, those beloved disciples and grand-disciples were all wavering, only remaining silent and following his lead out of obligation.

In that vast silence, Wu Xie’s roar carried immense weight.

One had to remember that Wu Xie, as the vessel for the Daoist Emperor’s origin power, was the most susceptible to the influence of the Great Dao, yet he had successfully mastered himself.

Gu An knew that a final resolution was required.

He stepped forward and ascended into the sky, cutting through the fabric of time and space to arrive in a void of total darkness. He raised his left hand, and the Wushi Realm appeared within his palm, wreathed in a mysterious gray fog.

A massive staircase manifested beneath his feet, stretching deep into the abyss.

He released his aura, signaling to every cultivator across the Dao Universes that he was here, waiting for their challenge.

Furthermore, he shattered the barriers between the Dao Universes, granting passage to anyone who wished to confront him.

Standing there, looking out over the myriad realms and Dao Universes, Gu An felt a sudden surge of loneliness for the first time.

He had come to the Great Dao and the Chaos alone, he was born into the Heavenly Dao alone, and now he would face the end alone.

He recognized how difficult it was for beings of the Great Dao to resist the Dao Will. However, he had to accept that he now existed on a plane far above any other lifeform, regardless of how he tried to humble himself to keep the peace.

As Gu An stood in thought, figures began to appear on the stairs below, positioned according to their strength. Those with higher Cultivation bases stood on the higher steps.

A powerful figure, whose strength rivaled that of a Taoist Master, landed on a step below and gazed up at him. The man wore black armor and a billowing blood-red cloak; dragon horns protruded from his dark hair, and his eyes were as cold as a demon from the pit.

Gu An identified him instantly.

This was the Wanyin Demon Venerable, the eternal rival of the Wanyuan Dao Ancestor.

The Wanyin Demon Venerable and the Wanyuan Dao Ancestor had been born at the same moment with identical potential. They were unaware of each other’s existence, created by the Great Dao specifically to keep one another in check. Had Gu An not interfered, they would have plunged the Great Dao into chaos to establish the order of the Endless Dao.

Even the Dao Master who birthed the Chaos would have been no match for them.

Because of a single variable, the Dao Master had found a path to transcend the Saint, an act that defied the Dao Will. The Great Dao is the creator of all, but it will never permit its creations to become a threat to its existence.

Was the Dao Master’s current state not a result of Gu An’s intervention? Without him, the Dao Master would have suffered a far more gruesome fate.

The higher one’s Dao Practice, the closer one comes to a direct confrontation with the Great Dao.

The true horror of the Great Dao is beyond the comprehension of ordinary cultivators; it can turn a cultivator's own power and possessions into the very weapons that destroy them.