As night fell, the forest sank into a deathly silence—no insects chirped, not even a sound.

Zhu Xi rose to her feet, holding an oil lamp in her left hand and a sword in her right, glancing around nervously.

Suddenly—

She heard the wind. Instinctively, she turned her head. But then, the wind came from another direction too. Before she could turn again, gusts rushed in from every side.

Leaves scattered in the swirling gusts as they surged toward her, making her eyes go wide in shock.

Far away in the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An watched this scene unfold. He made no move to interfere.

Zhu Xi wasn’t a match for someone at the Scattered Immortal Stage. The moment the attacker struck, she lost consciousness.

The one who ambushed her was a female Heaven Demon, intending to seize her body. But just as her soul entered Zhu Xi’s body, she was hit by a terrifying devouring force.

The demoness instinctively tried to escape, but only managed to pull part of her soul out—her lower half was stuck and couldn’t be withdrawn.

Gu An raised an eyebrow. Just how much spiritual energy had Zhu Xi absorbed?

She was only twenty-three. No matter how much spiritual energy she consumed, it shouldn’t be enough to shake up a Scattered Immortal.

Could she be hiding an even bigger secret?

No matter how hard the demoness struggled, she couldn’t break free from the devouring force inside Zhu Xi. Before long, she was completely consumed.

Zhu Xi collapsed to the ground, and the forest returned to stillness.

It wasn’t until an hour later that Zhu Xi finally opened her eyes, dazed. Once her senses returned, she quickly got up and looked around cautiously.

Seeing this, Gu An withdrew his divine sense.

This girl is something else… she might just become a legend one day.

Gu An wasn’t interested in recruiting her or taking her as a disciple—he was just curious.

He figured he’d observe her life like watching a drama series from his past life.

Smiling, Gu An went back to reading Adventures of the Green Hero.

As the moon set and the sun rose, a new day began, and the Taicang Continent returned to its usual calm.

During morning exercises, the disciples all gossiped about the distant battle from the day before, speculating on what might’ve happened.

As Gu An did his exercises, he spread his divine sense across the land.

Many regions were still suffering from Heaven Demon attacks. Thankfully, the Holy Court and the Immortal Dynasty were moving quickly, exorcising demons and offering aid.

In this catastrophe that affected all beings, the Immortal Dynasty’s performance stood out—it was nearly catching up to the Holy Court. As they saved more and more lives, Gu An could feel their fortune rising.

This disaster might actually be an opportunity for the Immortal Dynasty.

He spotted An Hao in the crowd, watching a battle from afar. After all, even the weakest Heaven Demon possessed Immortal Dao-level cultivation—An Hao couldn’t possibly take them on yet.

Just then, Shen Xinzi returned. Many disciples looked his way, figuring he must know what happened yesterday.

As soon as morning exercises ended, Long Qing rushed over to Shen Xinzi and demanded, “Why did you leave yesterday?”

“Heaven Demons descended,” Shen Xinzi replied. “Fortunately, the crisis has been resolved—for now.”

But his expression was clearly off.

Yesterday’s battle stirred up unfamiliar memories. He suspected they were from a past life.

He’d always known he was a reincarnated Heaven Demon, but after years of cultivation and reflection, he had accepted it. He believed that with strong enough will, he wouldn’t fall to darkness. He even dreamed of redeeming other Heaven Demons with his current identity.

“Heaven Demons?” Long Qing’s eyes widened.

Shen Xinzi began to describe their terrifying nature, and Long Qing listened with growing fear.

From a distance, Gu An found it hilarious. Two reincarnated Heaven Demons, discussing how dangerous demons were—neither knowing the other’s secret.

He waved to the Blood Prison Grand Sage and strolled toward the Outer Sect City.

The battle beyond the heavens wasn’t over, but it was clear the Heaven Demons would be pushed back. Gu An had lost interest and decided to explore the city instead.

Elsewhere—

At the Three Pure Mountains.

Li Ya sat cross-legged on a cliff, gazing at the sky, deep in thought.

A soul drifted over—it was the Li Family Ancestor who had long been hidden inside his body.

“What are you thinking about?” the ancestor asked as he appeared beside him.

“Ancestor,” Li Ya said softly, “what do you think lies beyond the heavens? How many realms are there on the Immortal Dao?”

“I’ve no idea!” the ancestor snapped. “You’ve already surpassed me in my prime. I’m just waiting for you to take me out to see the wider world.”

Li Ya chuckled and stood up, stretching lazily.

“Well, get ready. I’m heading down the mountain soon. I realized that staying in seclusion isn’t enough. My cultivation’s progressing too slowly—I might fall even further behind An Hao if this keeps up.”

The ancestor smiled. “I’d actually like to see how strong Divine Anomaly City really is.”

Li Ya’s eyes shone with youthful ambition. “Didn’t the Patriarch say this will be an era of young prodigies clashing? I can’t miss that!”

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, and a white flame ignited in his palm.

The ancestor stroked his beard and smiled, his heart full of pride.

It had only been four hundred years, yet this boy had come so far. Who could guess how high he’d rise?

Remembering their first meeting, the ancestor’s smile deepened.

…

In the vastness of space, waves of burning energy ravaged the stars.

The Ancient Immortal Emperor and the Sacred Ancestor paused, their eyes fixed on a distant figure.

The figure stood shrouded in black mist, like a demon lord emerging from the abyss—a terrifying sight.

He had long white hair, curved horns, a pale face, and eyeless sockets. His black feathered robe covered armor that shimmered coldly beneath.

He was the Dread Demon Emperor, a Free Soaring Immortal among the Heaven Demons.

The two stared at him with intense wariness.

They had been fighting for months, two against one, and still couldn’t gain the upper hand. They could only stall him, preventing him from entering the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm’s star domain.

“The Heaven Demons have nearly been wiped out. Why persist?” the Ancient Immortal Emperor asked coldly.

The Dread Demon Emperor grinned, his smile dark and sinister.

“You think I had the Heaven Demons invade the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm just to slaughter some useless mortals?”

Their expressions darkened instantly.

Before they could speak again, black mist swallowed the Dread Demon Emperor, swirling and swelling rapidly.

They struck out immediately, their immense power crashing against the mist—but it didn’t disperse.

As the mist churned, it formed a massive black sphere—like a black hole in the sky.

“What kind of divine ability is this?” the Ancient Immortal Emperor muttered grimly.

The Sacred Ancestor didn’t reply. He couldn’t figure it out either—but a deep unease welled up inside him.

At the same time—

On the Taicang Continent, within the Taixuan Sect’s Branch Sect.

In the courtyard—

Gu An was drinking with Ye Lan and Zhen Qin. Zhen Qin was telling an intriguing story about a recent scandal: a certain elder oppressed a disciple and died suddenly under mysterious, horrifying circumstances, stirring up a storm in the sect.

Zhen Qin had a knack for storytelling, full of dramatic flair. Gu An played along perfectly, acting anxious at the right moments.

Ye Lan, meanwhile, found Gu An’s expressions hilarious.

Suddenly, Zhen Qin leapt up, drew her sword, and pointed it toward the side, eyes wide.

“I did this—I held my sword to his neck and asked why he betrayed his master. He still refused to admit it, even with the evidence right there!”

Gu An was about to speak when something shifted—his expression turned strange.

Zhen Qin was about to continue, but her face abruptly changed.

Ye Lan’s face did too.

“What’s going on… I feel like something’s holding me down,” Zhen Qin said, panic in her voice. She looked at Ye Lan instinctively.

Ye Lan was trembling. “Me too. I can’t move at all…”

Gu An saw a mysterious karmic force binding Ye Lan and Zhen Qin. And they weren’t the only ones—many in the sect were ensnared.

He looked up. The sky seemed brilliant and blue, but through his divine sense, he saw a vast black web above the world, linking to all living beings.

Following its threads, Gu An’s divine sense reached the massive black sphere in space. In that instant, he understood the Dread Demon Emperor’s divine power.

So that’s why there were so many reincarnated and body-snatching Heaven Demons—it was all to blend into the world’s laws.

Judging by the flow of karmic force, it looked like the Dread Demon Emperor was trying to drag all the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm’s beings into that black sphere.

Even Long Qing was caught in it.

Gu An stood, feigning concern as he grabbed Ye Lan’s shoulder.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Senior Brother… run…” Ye Lan gritted her teeth. She couldn’t shrug him off, couldn’t stand up.

“How could I abandon you!” Gu An shouted back.

Ye Lan was about to answer when the world spun violently.

She and Zhen Qin both felt the same thing.

The next moment, all three vanished without a trace.

Countless others across the land disappeared too. The Taixuan Sect Branch Sect erupted into chaos.

Ye Lan squeezed her eyes shut, feeling herself falling—an unbearable sensation, even for a Transformation Stage cultivator.

As she fell, she slowly regained control of her body.

Then—her feet touched the ground.

A hand grasped her right hand, instantly calming her.

It was her Senior Brother’s hand—she knew every line of his palm. No mistake.

Her eyes flew open.

Above her was a blood-red sky.

Countless figures were falling like heavy rain.

Gu An and Zhen Qin stood beside her, all three stunned by the sight.

“Where… are we?” Zhen Qin asked, eyes wide, voice trembling.

She followed the falling figures with her gaze. Below them lay endless mountain peaks, shrouded in oppressive darkness.

Once everyone landed, the blood-red sky revealed a pair of giant eyes—those of the Dread Demon Emperor.

He looked down upon all within this world, searching.

“Mortals of the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm, this is the Nine Abyss Realm—created by me. No one is coming to save you. But I, in my mercy, will grant you a sliver of hope.”

His voice boomed like thunder, echoing across the heavens and earth.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep