Chapter 199: Breaking Through to the Ninth Level of the Celestial Ascension Stage!

[You have cultivated for 390,000 years. Your cultivation has advanced to the Second Level of the Celestial Ascension Stage.]

[You have cultivated for 400,000 years. Your cultivation has advanced to the Third Level of the Celestial Ascension Stage.]

[You have cultivated for 420,000 years. Your cultivation has advanced to the Fourth Level of the Celestial Ascension Stage.]

…

[You have cultivated for 500,000 years. Your cultivation has advanced to the Eighth Level of the Celestial Ascension Stage.]

As the notifications settled, Gu An analyzed the pattern, then invested another 30,000 years of lifespan—successfully reaching the Ninth Level of the Celestial Ascension Stage!

At that moment, heaven and earth surged with spiritual energy, rushing into his body as the breakthrough process began.

This feels amazing!

Gu An briefly considered using another 30,000 years to peek at the name of the next realm, but ultimately dismissed the idea.

What use is just knowing the name?

The forest around him shook violently as heaven and earth’s spiritual energy plummeted toward him.

The ground beneath him began to manifest the image of an ethereal sea, its waves swirling faster as the influx of energy intensified.

What is the true difference between Roving Immortal and Celestial Ascension?

Looking up at the sky, Gu An felt an inexplicable connection to the heavens themselves.

Upon reaching the Roving Immortal Stage, he had sensed an invisible force restricting all beings, preventing them from leaving this world.

Roving Immortals could break free from the world’s natural laws, but they still couldn’t escape the suppressive force from above.

Boom—!

The spiritual energy absorption surged to an unprecedented speed, even startling Gu An himself.

Just how much spiritual energy am I pulling from the surroundings?!

It didn’t take long before every living creature on the continent felt the disturbance—

Birds scattered. Beasts fled. The earth trembled.

Gu An had no time to worry about the commotion. Enlightenment flooded his soul.

☯ One who achieves Celestial Ascension can break free from worldly constraints and roam the cosmos!

☯ One can perceive Yin and Yang, master the Five Elements!

At this realm, cultivators had to master the Dao of the Five Elements to progress further.

Since Gu An’s Primal Heaven and Earth Art was based on the Five Elements, his breakthrough proceeded seamlessly.

His Nascent Soul underwent an unprecedented transformation, making even his very soul feel euphoric—a sensation more intoxicating than any mortal pleasure.

Thirty minutes later…

Gu An had fully stepped into the Celestial Ascension Stage.

Across the ocean surrounding the continent, titanic waves surged, as countless sea demons thrashed in chaos, the shockwave of his ascension rippling out for untold miles.

As Gu An opened his eyes, his Nascent Soul emerged from his body.

An instinctual urge arose within him—to step out of his Lifespan Barrier, to leave this world, and glimpse the higher realms.

But he held himself back.

Raising his gaze to the night sky, his vision pierced millions of miles above.

There, he saw it—

A formless barrier, shrouding the heavens like an inescapable cage, imprisoning all beings of this world.

Gu An knew he could break through it—but he chose not to.

He knew nothing about what lay beyond. Venturing out recklessly would be foolish.

Suddenly—

The formless sky barrier rippled.

Gu An followed the disturbance with his gaze—

And saw a figure plummeting from beyond the heavens, crashing toward the world’s farthest horizon!

Someone… from beyond the heavens?

Gu An didn’t dare probe too closely, lest he alert the newcomer.

For the first time, he wondered—

Perhaps this world and the outer realms were not as disconnected as he once thought?

Perhaps those who left… could return?

He continued refining his body with heavenly energy.

Now, his Nascent Soul had evolved into a Celestial Soul, capable of manipulating Yin and Yang.

☯ “Yin” was not the underworld beneath the surface… but rather, an entirely different plane of existence, parallel to this world.

☯ He could now see wandering souls drifting toward reincarnation, vanishing just before they ascended past 100,000 miles in height—pulled into the Yin Realm.

Gu An could now sense the Yin Realm’s chilling aura—so cold, he had no desire to enter it.

His cultivation continued to stabilize, and the spiritual energy absorption remained ferocious.

Below him, the phantom sea of energy churned like an unstoppable tide, threatening to drown him entirely.

Another thirty minutes passed, and he witnessed a distant Celestial Ascension cultivator leaving the world and vanishing beyond the heavens.

This confirmed his theory—ascending did not mean immediate departure.

Which meant—

☯ Celestial Ascension was NOT the highest realm of this world!

But Gu An had no desire to explore beyond.

☯ Why leave the comfort of the known world when he could still grow stronger here?

Two hours later—

☯ Gu An’s cultivation fully stabilized at the Ninth Level of the Celestial Ascension Stage!

☯ His Lifespan Barrier had drained nearly 700,000 years.

Too excessive.

☯ Future breakthroughs would require an even greater expenditure—millions of years at least!

☯ The path ahead was long.

As the final strands of spiritual energy settled, Gu An slowly stood up.

☯ He didn’t immediately deactivate his Lifespan Barrier. Instead, he took a moment to revel in his newfound power.

☯ His magic, senses, and perception had undergone a complete metamorphosis.

☯ At this level, no mere Roving Immortal could ever defeat a Celestial Ascension cultivator, no matter how powerful their techniques were.

Deep within the Demonic Domain, a darkened forest trembled.

☯ A spatial rift tore open.

☯ A bloodied An Hao stumbled out, collapsing onto the ground.

Gritting his teeth, he forced himself upright and hurried southward, desperately calling for his master.

But, as before—his master did not respond.

“Damn it… this is all because I was too weak…”

His pride shattered—tonight had been a bitter lesson.

His mind replayed Xuantian Yi’s final words—

☯ “Go back. I won’t die here. Wait for me to return.”

Yet, An Hao’s heart twisted with worry.

☯ The seven mysterious Grandmasters they had encountered were far too powerful.

☯ Xuantian Yi had stood no chance.

☯ Who were they? And what had Xuantian Yi left on his back?

Before forcing him into the spatial rift, Xuantian Yi had slapped his back.

For a fleeting moment, his skin had burned unbearably.

Now, his back itched, as if someone were carving words into his flesh.

☯ Had his master discovered something?

☯ Was it some kind of hidden message?

Attempting to scan his back with spiritual sense, he found it repelled by an unknown force.

☯ Whatever had been left on him was protected.

Determined, he poured a Spirit Energy Pill into his mouth.

☯ He would return.

☯ If Xuantian Yi died, he would avenge him—no matter the cost.

☯ As dawn broke, Gu An finally deactivated his Lifespan Barrier.

☯ With three steps, he returned to Taixuan Sect.

☯ Descending from Xuan Valley, he mounted the Blood Prison Great Saint and rode toward Horizon Valley.

The Blood Prison Great Saint could clearly sense Gu An’s good mood, as he hummed an unfamiliar tune.

Strangely enough—

It actually sounded pretty nice.

Gu An expanded his divine sense, instantly enveloping the entire continent in his perception—even reaching into the surrounding seas.

One by one, he checked in on old acquaintances:

☯ Jiang Qiong’s Gathering Flower Sect appeared peaceful, and she was cultivating in the sect leader’s residence.

☯ Ye Lan was busy handling matters in the Law Enforcement Hall, exuding a frosty and commanding presence—completely different from when she interacted with him.

☯ Li Ya and Zhang Bukui were being chased by a powerful demon beast. It looked dangerous, but they probably wouldn’t die.

☯ An Hao was also on the run, but since no one was actually chasing him, Gu An didn’t bother to intervene.

After scanning through his friends and disciples, Gu An focused on the demonic lands.

As expected, a significant number of Seven Star Spirit Realm cultivators were still gathered there.

Gu An felt that, if he wanted, he could easily break the seal and take a peek at the Sealed Demon—but he held back.

☯ The Seven Star Spirit Realm’s growth rate could never match his own.

☯ Until they actively provoked him, he would remain patient.

☯ The Three Dynasties were far from the demonic lands. Unless the disaster was truly catastrophic, he had no interest in interfering.

Once they left Xuan Valley’s immediate vicinity, the Blood Prison Great Saint suddenly felt his body enveloped in an overwhelming force.

In the blink of an eye—

The scenery changed.

They had instantly traveled to a location less than 200 miles from Horizon Valley.

What kind of divine ability is this?!

The Blood Prison Great Saint was secretly alarmed.

It wasn’t the first time he had experienced this mysterious power, but due to the Primordial Return Divine Path’s seal, he had never been able to measure the actual distance they traveled.

☯ Even as one of the strongest beings in the Spirit Realm, he had tried to comprehend Gu An’s technique—but to no avail.

Half a day later, Gu An once again rode the Blood Prison Great Saint into the Third Medicine Valley.

By now, the disciples had grown accustomed to seeing him riding his bull.

Some had even gone to the Outer Sect City to buy first-rank mounts in an attempt to imitate him—

☯ Unfortunately, first-rank demon beasts simply couldn’t match the Ox Demon King’s presence.

As Gu An arrived, he sensed Shen Zhen’s aura coming from the pavilion.

She’s waiting for me?

Could it be that she already finished her book?

With a sudden sense of urgency, Gu An had the Blood Prison Great Saint pick up the pace.

As they approached the pavilion, Gu An quickly dismounted and rushed inside.

Seeing Gu An’s impatient reaction, the Blood Prison Great Saint felt utterly stifled.

☯ What’s the rush? Can’t you walk on your own?!

☯ It was only a few steps away!

☯ Why does he insist on acting weak in front of these low-level cultivators?!

With a long sigh, the Blood Prison Great Saint flopped onto the ground, closing his eyes.

☯ Might as well sleep and dream of his past, glorious days of invincibility.

Inside the room, Shen Zhen sat on a chair, a mysterious smile on her lips as she pointed to a jade slip on the table.

Gu An walked over and picked it up. “What’s this?”

Shen Zhen lifted her snow-white chin, her expression brimming with confidence.

“This is my latest creation. It will shake the cultivation world!”

Gu An narrowed his eyes suspiciously before inserting his divine sense into the jade slip.

The next moment—

His face turned bright red.

He instantly withdrew his divine sense, staring at Shen Zhen in disbelief.

“You… you actually did this?!” His voice trembled.

☯ Is she some kind of genius?!

☯ This thing really could shake the cultivation world… but in the worst way possible!

Damn it! This was too outrageous!

Shen Zhen arched an eyebrow. “Well? What do you think? My idea is amazing, isn’t it? Making illustrations move like real people—isn’t that incredible?”

Gu An didn’t even know how to react.

☯ Animated stories… in the cultivation world?!

☯ Except they were so realistic, they were indistinguishable from real people…

Using this kind of visual technology for The Secrets of Taixuan’s storyline…

☯ It was far too impactful!

☯ This would be a disaster!

Forcing himself to remain calm, Gu An asked, “…Who’s the male cultivator in this?”

Shen Zhen winked mischievously.

“Relax, I didn’t use your face. But… since I couldn’t bring myself to imagine another man, I had him wear a mask instead.”

Gu An fell silent.

No wonder he’s wearing a mask…

…The figure’s build looked a lot like his own.

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