“Master, I can’t go on…”

An Xin dragged herself over to Gu An, looking completely exhausted.

Gu An came back to his senses, gave a small nod, then stood up and left with An Xin and the Blood Prison Grand Sage.

“Master, do you think the Immortal Dynasty and the Holy Court will end up fighting? Word is spreading everywhere that the world’s about to change.” An Xin walked beside him, her curiosity overflowing.

Ancestor Yuanxu had bestowed blessings upon all living beings, and as a result, the Immortal Dynasty’s prestige had skyrocketed. In the eyes of most, the Immortal Dynasty now outshone the Holy Court in strength.

If the Immortal Dynasty were to defeat the Holy Court—it would mark the dawn of a new era!

“Maybe. But it has nothing to do with us. The Taicang Continent isn’t in a position to participate in that kind of conflict yet,” Gu An replied.

Looking up at the golden light layer in the sky, Gu An couldn’t help but feel like he had delayed the conflict between the Immortal Dynasty and the Holy Court.

Now, with the entire Heavenly Spirit Great Realm wary of the Oblivion Domain, no one dared to start a war lightly.

Gu An chuckled to himself, half-jokingly thinking how great he was—just his breakthrough had bought the world more time in peace.

Maybe that peace would only last a few decades—or a century or two—but for mortals, that was already a lifetime.

An Xin kept asking, genuinely curious which side was stronger: the Immortal Dynasty or the Holy Court. Gu An didn’t give her a clear answer, and she knew he didn’t want to talk about it, so she switched to chatting with the Blood Prison Grand Sage instead.

In the following days, Gu An’s divine sense scanned the Oblivion Domain daily, looking for the right moment to break through.

The shockwaves from his previous attempt had been too intense, drawing strong beings to the areas near the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm. Not only were the Great Realm’s cultivators on edge, but even the forces within the Oblivion Domain were tense—they thought the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm was invading them.

Autumn faded into winter, and the year’s first snowfall arrived right on time.

Early winter.

Gu An brought An Xin to Mortal Peak, where she quietly moved aside to begin her cultivation.

Before long, Zhu Xinglan arrived to visit.

“Master, there’s been a thief on Mortal Peak recently,” Zhu Xinglan said grimly.

Gu An raised an eyebrow. “What kind of thief? Any injuries?”

“No injuries. But a lot of herbs from different gardens were harvested—including ours. Fortunately, they were only taken, not destroyed. Even the Supreme Elder on the main peak couldn’t find the culprit. And with recent strange phenomena in the sky… do you think this could be the work of the Heaven Demons?” Zhu Xinglan asked worriedly.

The higher you stand, the more dangers you see. There were the Heaven Demons stirring outside, and inside, the Immortal Dynasty and the Holy Court were on the verge of war. He couldn’t help but worry.

Especially with a Heaven Demon sealed beneath Mortal Peak!

Gu An frowned and pretended to divine the situation with a few finger taps.

Zhu Xinglan seemed to remember something and added, “Right, other sects have reported the same thing. Their herb gardens have been mysteriously picked clean too, with no clue who did it.”

“How many times has this happened on Mortal Peak?” Gu An asked.

“Just once.”

“Then let’s keep an eye on it for now—might just be a false alarm.”

“Fair enough.”

Zhu Xinglan found that reasonable and then began discussing the situation on Ding Tian Peak.

Soon after, he left, and Gu An settled back into his rare free time. With everything in turmoil lately, he wasn’t in a rush to pick herbs.

With a billion years of lifespan, he should be more than ready to break through.

After reading for a while, Gu An looked up at the sky.

He saw a battle erupting in the Oblivion Domain—a clash between Divine Soul Immortals, and neither side hailed from the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm.

Beings born in the Oblivion Domain were distinctly different in aura from those in the Great Realm—it was easy to tell a Heaven Demon apart.

Gu An watched closely, curious how these Oblivion Divine Soul Immortals stacked up against the Sun-Moon Nether Emperor.

One of them fought exactly like the simulated version of the Sun-Moon Nether Emperor—each strike lethal, utterly merciless. It was clear there was a blood feud.

After a while, Gu An concluded that neither was as strong as the Sun-Moon Nether Emperor. Even together, they might not win.

No wonder that guy had been able to charge out of the Yin-Yang Realm, break into the Holy Court, and walk away unscathed.

Gu An guessed that the Reincarnation Dao Emperor must have some kind of karmic tie with the Holy Court—otherwise, the Sun-Moon Nether Emperor could never have stolen the Soul Jade from right under their noses.

By the time Gu An brought An Xin back to Taixuan Sect, the two Divine Soul Immortals were still fighting.

Night fell.

In his pavilion, Gu An sat reading beside a fire. A kettle warmed on top of the stove—cozy in the depths of winter.

The door suddenly opened, and Ji Xuanyu walked in.

“Ever heard of knocking?”

Gu An didn’t even lift his head as he spoke. An idea had just popped into his mind—

He should capture Xuantian Yi, lock him in a room, and make him write novels all day. Such a talent for writing—what a shame it was wasted on cultivation!

Ji Xuanyu shut the door behind her and sat down at the table. “You’ve changed. Your aura’s different. Are you training in some mysterious technique?”

Gu An glanced at her. “It’s because I like reading. Books nourish the soul.”

Ji Xuanyu chuckled, her eyes landing on Adventures of the Green Hero. “Books like this nourish the soul? Good thing you’re not too powerful—otherwise you’d be a menace to the world.”

Gu An tucked the book away, cleared his throat, and asked, “So, what’s up?”

Ever since she absorbed the Soul Jade brought by the Sun-Moon Nether Emperor, Ji Xuanyu’s cultivation had grown rapidly. She was now at the Ninth Layer of the Void Transformation Stage.

And she was only 263 years old!

“I’m heading out for a few years. Leaving tomorrow morning,” she said while scanning the room.

“What for?”

“To break through.”

“Again? What stage are you now?”

Seeing the surprise on Gu An’s face, Ji Xuanyu’s lips curled up. She met his gaze and said softly, “Ninth Layer of the Void Transformation Stage. I’m aiming for the Integration Stage.”

Gu An’s eyes widened. “You’re about to catch up with Wu Jue…”

“Well, it’s your fault for slacking off. Soon the gap between us will only grow wider.” Ji Xuanyu’s tone had a hint of teasing.

She had thought Gu An’s recent aura shift was due to cultivation, but clearly, she had expected too much.

Gu An immediately defended himself. “Hey, I’m a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator at 400 years old. That counts as a genius! I was just born in the wrong era. If I’d lived a few hundred years ago, the Taixuan Sect would’ve built temples for me.”

Ji Xuanyu shook her head and laughed. “Have you ever thought that the reason you achieved what you did… is because Taixuan Sect became stronger? Talent should be measured against those around you—not just against yourself.”

Gu An scratched his head, unable to argue.

Seeing him like that, Ji Xuanyu softened. She changed the subject. “Is there anything you need me to bring back?”

“Nah. I’m good.”

The two of them chatted freely, speaking of anything and everything without awkwardness.

It felt almost like… an old married couple.

Cough cough! What am I even thinking?!

Gu An cursed himself mentally, then began probing Ji Xuanyu’s karma.

Now that he had reached the Ninth Layer of the Free Soaring Immortal Stage, his understanding of karma and fate had deepened. He could see thousands of years into her future.

Although her fate was full of variables, there was one recurring thread—she would be drawn into the war between the Immortal Dynasty and the Holy Court.

In the future, the entire world would be engulfed in that storm—including the Taixuan Sect. Taixuan would side with the Holy Court, because the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path had joined them. The Holy Court would keep drawing the sect in, hoping to bind the Sword Sovereign to their cause.

Gu An could even glimpse the future through the lives of his fellow sect members. He had no intention of interfering or changing it. Instead, he felt a strange sense of detachment.

To most, it looked like everyone was just following fate’s script—but he could see it. And he had the power to change it.

It was a thrilling sensation.

An hour passed before Ji Xuanyu finally left.

Gu An stood up, walked over to the stove, and poured himself a drink.

Ji Xuanyu was about to break through—and so was he. It was a double celebration tonight.

The next morning, Ji Xuanyu departed from the Third Medicine Valley.

After accompanying the disciples in morning drills, Gu An also headed out alone. He stayed a while in Xuan Valley, then quietly left.

He activated Ultimate Incarnation of Void Form, concealing his presence. Using Dao Manifestation Divine Sense Technique, he completely masked his aura and karma, flying through the golden light layer undetected by even the strongest cultivators.

This time, Gu An flew in another direction.

He soon entered the Oblivion Domain, landing in the middle of a nebula.

He could sense powerful beings roaming all around him. Those two Divine Soul Immortals were still fighting.

But he had no time to worry about them—he had to break through.

He sat cross-legged, activated his Lifespan Barrier, and pulled up his status panel.

【Name: Gu An】

【Lifespan: 419 / 1,004,613,224】

【Physique: Primordial Refined Void Body】

【Cultivation: Ninth Layer of Free Soaring Immortal Stage】

…

A billion-year lifespan should be enough… right?

A hint of doubt crept in. This time, he wasn’t going to upgrade any divine abilities or techniques—just break through.

After all, there was no limit to how strong one could grow. But what mattered now was his realm. He couldn’t wait any longer.

Whatever!

Time to break through. If a billion years wasn’t enough, he’d just wait some more!

Gu An’s eyes grew firm as he stared at the Cultivation section.

He invested 100 million years of lifespan!

【You cultivated for 2 million years through Spiritual Absorption. Using your profound mastery of Eternal Infinite Art, you attempted to break into the Dao Fruit Realm. You failed to survive the Taiyi Divine Essence Tribulation of Heaven, and the breakthrough failed.】

【You cultivated for 4 million years through Spiritual Absorption. You attempted again with Eternal Infinite Art. You failed to survive the Taiyi Divine Essence Tribulation of Heaven.】

D*mn!

One attempt every two million years?!

That’s insane!

Gu An’s eyelid twitched. But thinking of how powerful Long Zhan had become after his breakthrough helped him calm down.

Two million years per attempt?

So what—he had a billion years to spare!

Prompts continued to pop up. Gu An deliberately ignored the content, only scanning the prompt length.

No changes.

Even after burning through 100 million years, he still hadn’t broken through.

Gu An took a deep breath—and threw in another 100 million!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep