Chapter 302: Don’t get carried away! |
Under the night sky, the entire ocean was filled with streaks of Grandmaster Cultivators flying past, while massive sea monsters leapt from the waves, making the night even more terrifying.
The isolated island where Gu An was located was surrounded by raging waves, on the verge of being swallowed at any moment.
And yet, he was still waiting for his breakthrough to finish. Every minor stage within the Dao Void Profound Immortal Realm demanded spiritual energy far beyond that of any previous major realm breakthrough.
Gu An kept an eye on the outside world. He needed to understand how much this breakthrough was affecting the Heavenly Great Realm.
Currently, the range of the spiritual energy sink had become rather outrageous, though compared to the vastness of the Heavenly Great Realm, it still wasn’t enough to shake the whole realm.
The Heavenly Great Realm was simply too vast!
Even though Gu An could already see the world beyond, he couldn’t ignore the sheer scale of the realm itself.
As time passed, more and more Grandmaster Cultivators arrived to protect the seas. Even sects Gu An had previously dared not spy on lightly were sending out powerhouses, and even that empire composed solely of Immortal Dao beings had dispatched its people.
Gu An noticed something interesting: the Immortal Spirit Dynasty and the Holy Court just so happened to be located on opposite ends of the Heavenly Great Realm. The distance between them was so great it felt like the separation between two different worlds.
Looking out, Gu An saw that aside from this part of the ocean, the continents and islands in other areas all had Grandmaster Cultivators providing protection. Even near the continent where the Taixuan Sect was located, cultivators were suspended in the air, holding back the waves.
The Holy Court really lived up to its name—its efficiency in protecting the people in such a short time was impressive.
Worth mentioning was that the Free Soaring Immortal in this sea region had been hunted down and forced to flee to the outer world, entangled by several others of his level.
Gu An couldn't help but silently mourn for him.
Poor guy.
Even if the fallout affected others, Gu An couldn’t help it. He had to break through. Anywhere he went would cause a commotion. If he tried breaking through in the outer world, the entities attracted would at least be at the Celestial Ascension Stage—it’d be too risky.
Still, judging by the current disturbance, he’d probably have to go to the outer world for his next breakthrough.
Dangerous as it was, Dao Void Profound Immortal wasn’t exactly weak.
Gu An had already glimpsed the words “Divine Sense True Immortal,” and with his vast lifespan, it was unbearable not to reach the ninth level of that realm.
Next time, he needed to control himself—once he reached the ninth level, he’d stop. If he caught a glimpse of the next realm’s name again, he’d end up too tempted.
Gu An mused silently.
The anomalies above the ocean hadn’t affected the outer world.
The moon set, and the sun rose.
By dawn, the spiritual energy turbulence across the ocean had gradually subsided.
Gu An had finally reached the ninth level of the Dao Void Profound Immortal Realm!
He slowly opened his eyes. A golden vertical eye glimmered on his forehead, shining with an ethereal light.
The pupil of the Primal Divine Eye was gradually turning black, then dark gray, making the vertical eye appear even more fearsome and oppressive.
With a thought, Gu An made the eye disappear.
He slowly stood up. Without taking a step, his figure vanished from the island.
In an instant, he appeared inside the Nianchu Cave Dwelling on Phoenix Mountain.
Tian Yao’er, Tianqing, and Tianbai were all cultivating. The chamber was quiet, with only the sound of dripping water echoing in the silence.
Gu An clapped his hands.
The three demons were startled awake. They quickly rushed out, and upon seeing Gu An, their faces lit up with joy as they ran over to him.
“Master, what happened outside the past couple of days?”
“Yeah, such terrifying energy made it in here!”
“Master, are you alright?”
The three of them chirped nonstop, clearly excited.
Gu An felt a pang of guilt. He really should’ve come here first and not left them worried for so long.
“Come on, we’re heading to the Hidden Realm,” Gu An said as he waved them along and departed with them.
On the way, the three kept chattering. Gu An didn’t hide anything and told them about the calamities outside.
Divine Anomaly Wraiths, Divine Anomaly Wraith Kings, the Grand Cold Demon Sect, the Great Heavenly Fire Cataclysm—each tale left them pale with fright.
Fortunately, when they heard that the disaster had passed, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
They became curious about who had resolved the calamity, but Gu An claimed he didn’t know.
Once they reached the Hidden Realm, Gu An raised a hand, and countless storage pouches, rings, and magical items flew out from his sleeves, piling up in the open area.
The three demons stared, dumbfounded.
Tian Yao’er couldn’t help asking, “Why are there so many?”
Gu An didn’t respond. Once the pile reached a mountainous size, he swept his Divine Sense over it, breaking all the restrictions and instantly destroying anything that might be dangerous.
“You three will manage these from now on. Don’t mess with them too often—no need to attract unwanted attention,” Gu An said, glancing at them.
Truthfully, no other cultivators would dare touch anything under their care. He was just worried they might accidentally hurt themselves.
The three demons nodded blankly, their minds still trying to catch up.
Gu An didn’t explain further and vanished on the spot.
Tianbai, regaining her senses, cautiously asked, “Could that mysterious powerhouse who saved everyone be… our Master?”
Tian Yao’er had a strange look on her face. Gu An had previously claimed he wasn’t a match for the Phoenix Demon Mother—she’d had her doubts back then. Now she was almost certain that had been a lie.
She just didn’t understand why he was hiding his cultivation level.
Meanwhile…
Gu An returned to the Taixuan Sect.
The continent where the sect was located hadn’t been affected by the previous night’s phenomena, though the winds were noticeably strong.
He headed back to the Eight Views Celestial Realm first and told Jiang Qiong that the Grand Cold Demon Sect had been destroyed. Jiang Qiong was shocked and immediately left to take action.
Gu An didn’t follow. Instead, he used the teleportation array in the valley to return to the Third Medicine Valley.
Even though two days had passed, the atmosphere in the valley remained lively. Most people were still talking about the Grand Cold Demon Sect.
Qie Wuxing and the Nine-Fingered Divine Lord were playing Go again, shouting back and forth, drawing laughter from the nearby disciples.
Even the errand disciples busy with chores seemed more energetic. Under the Sevenfold Purity Tree, the usually drowsy White Spirit Mouse was lying beside An Xin, content as she petted it.
Everything felt so harmonious that Gu An couldn’t help but smile.
He had risked taking action just to preserve scenes like this.
Gu An walked toward his loft, while his Divine Sense reached out toward the outer world.
Next time, he’d have to go there to break through.
Maybe it was due to the previous night’s anomalies, but there were quite a few Grandmaster Cultivators patrolling above the Heavenly Great Realm. Though none of them were stronger than him, he didn’t want to draw attention just yet.
He’d wait until they were gone before heading out to break through again.
With the lifespan he had left, breaking into the Divine Sense True Immortal Realm shouldn’t be difficult.
The thought put Gu An in an even better mood.
He hummed a tune as he walked upstairs. The Blood Prison Great Saint, lying in front of the loft, watched his master thoughtfully.
After Gu An entered and closed the door, the Blood Prison Great Saint thought to himself, “Master seems even stronger now. Just how high is his realm?”
Back when the Grand Cold Demon Sect attacked, the colossal figure towering above even the heavens—he had recognized it immediately. That was his master.
He felt more and more like falling into Gu An’s hands had been the luckiest thing to ever happen to him.
Others could only dream of such fortune!
Thinking this, he beamed with pride.
A mere thousand years? That’s nothing!
Once the thousand years were up, he’d still stay and serve Gu An loyally.
He’d already set his sights on becoming the top disciple of the Third Medicine Valley. Given An Xin’s talent, she wouldn’t live more than a thousand years anyway—who else could challenge him?
As for Yang Jian, that kid definitely had dreams of venturing out—he’d be gone sooner or later.
At the same time…
Inside the loft, Gu An lay back comfortably in his chair.
Looking at the six billion-plus years of lifespan he had left, he couldn’t stop smiling.
Don’t get cocky!
He still had to cultivate spirit herbs. Dao Void Profound Immortal wasn’t his goal. Divine Sense True Immortal wasn’t the end either. He had to keep growing stronger.
He was powerful now, sure—but there were still things in this world he couldn’t see through. There was still room to improve.
Over the next few days, Gu An resumed his usual routine, traveling between the various Medicine Valleys.
During this time, the mysterious Zhenren from the Northern Sea Mountain Range asked his opinion on the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path. Gu An offered a few casual compliments and didn’t elaborate.
Five days later…
Gu An noticed a group of rather capable cultivators sneaking onto the continent, quietly gathering public opinion about the Sword Sovereign.
They were from the Holy Court!
Not just this continent—even the surrounding seas had Holy Court cultivators investigating the Sword Sovereign and the Grand Cold Demon Sect.
Gu An didn’t intervene. The fact that the Holy Court was looking into the sect meant that the upper echelon was aware now. That Saint King could no longer cover the sky with one hand.
Once he harvested the mature medicinal herbs in all the valleys, Gu An took a break.
He went to play Go with the Nine-Fingered Divine Lord—and won three times in a row.
Qie Wuxing took interest and challenged him.
From the first move Gu An made, half an hour later, he stood up, waving the Seven Star Mirror like a fan as he left proudly.
Qie Wuxing sat stunned on the stone bench, staring at the board in a daze.
The nearby disciples were fired up, praising Gu An loudly.
Qie Wuxing had always been arrogant after his winning streaks, so seeing their own teacher defeat him had everyone thrilled.
The Nine-Fingered Divine Lord grinned—turns out he wasn’t just bad at Go. Gu An really did have incredible talent in it.
As Gu An left amid the cheering, his face was lit up with a proud grin.
Play Go with me? Come back after another hundred million years of cultivation!
Gu An acknowledged that someone at the ninth level of the Celestial Ascension Stage was strong—but still twenty-seven minor realms below him.
Back at his loft, Gu An sat down and pulled up his status panel.
His last lifespan simulation had ended in regret. This time, he wanted to start a new one. With Holy Court Grandmaster Cultivators still patrolling the outer world, he didn’t need to rush.
Just one run—definitely not getting addicted!
【You have spent ten million years of lifespan to initiate a new Lifespan Cycle Simulation.】
【Connecting to the Dao laws…】
【Searching for reincarnation realm…】
【You may choose one of the following realms:】
【1. Heavenly Great Realm】
【2. Nine Extremes Realm】
【3. Dark Realm】
Gu An hesitated for a moment, then decided to choose the Dark Realm. Fall where you will, rise from the same place.
This time, he wouldn’t make the same mistakes again.
【You have chosen to reincarnate in the Dark Realm.】
【Due to your immense talent that cannot be hidden by this realm’s Dao laws, you will retain your lifespan absorption ability but cannot activate its staged functions.】
【Lifespan Simulation begins.】
【Year 1: You are born into the Duke Xiao household under the Sacred Ming Dynasty in the Northern Qian Region. Your parents name you Xiao Shengtian.】
【Age 5: While asleep, you are poisoned by your father’s third concubine. Before you pass out, you see her silhouette. Fortunately, your mother discovers the incident in time and saves your life. Once you recover, your grandfather gathers the entire family in the main hall. Faced with his questioning, do you reveal that it was the third concubine who poisoned you?】