Gu An's visions encompassed all facets of existence. He saw the birth of infants, the joy of marriage and family, the brutality of monsters killing for survival, and the sorrow of people weeping in grief.
The scenes varied.
There was happiness, but also pain.
It felt as though he was witnessing the life cycles of all beings. Countless images flashed before his eyes, a vast expanse of visuals capable of overwhelming the consciousness of ordinary immortals.
But Gu An was different. He was undergoing a metamorphosis into a Wondrous Mystical Spirit Immortal. Initially, he found the experience disorienting, but gradually, he adapted and began to glean insights into fate itself from the infinite array of visions.
A Wondrous Mystical Spirit Immortal could peer into the threads of fate. Fate, in turn, shaped destiny. This meant such an immortal could perceive the destinies of most living beings.
Destiny was rooted in the interplay of cause and effect but formed its own set of rules.
A person's life was shaped by the intersection of their choices and their surroundings. Each choice created cause and effect, weaving the paths of destiny. However, destiny also involved factors beyond cause and effect, such as natural disasters or calamities.
Destiny operated under the rules of heaven and earth, encompassing all the cause-and-effect decisions in a person's life.
While Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realms and Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realms delved into the Dao of cause and effect, Wondrous Mystical Spirit Immortals mastered the Dao of destiny.
Observing the destinies of all beings, understanding the truths of fate!
Gu An's consciousness immersed itself in this comprehension. His soul transformed with each passing moment, and his cultivation surged.
The second layer of the Wondrous Mystical Spirit Immortal Realm!
The third layer!
The fourth layer!
The cliff beneath Gu An crumbled, and he plummeted amidst the swirling dust.
Under the blood-red sky, Spectral Wraiths flitted through the air. Thunderclouds churned above, and within the roiling clouds, ghostly figures as massive as mountain ranges loomed faintly.
For two hours, the realm was in upheaval. Only then did tranquility return, though the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had thinned significantly.
On the shoreline, the nine Spectral Wraith Kings gathered around the stone stele, collectively breathing sighs of relief.
At last, the anomaly had subsided, and throughout the ordeal, they had not been attacked.
Perhaps it truly was a disturbance in the rules of heaven and earth, rather than an enemy's incursion.
The Lord of the Supernatural Realm sat cross-legged in midair, his eyes closed, brows furrowed.
His divine sense swept ceaselessly across the various realms of the Supernatural Realm. He scrutinized every inch of land but found no abnormalities. Even he, as the Realm Lord, could not determine where the drained spiritual energy had gone.
This left him uneasy, as though his grasp on the Supernatural Realm was slipping.
Even if it was merely a disturbance in the rules of heaven and earth, it must have an underlying cause, yet he remained ignorant of it.
He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon the nine Spectral Wraith Kings below, a flicker of suspicion in his expression.
Could these individuals have offended someone, and this was a warning?
Amid the swirling dust, Gu An sat cross-legged, deep in meditation. The lifespan barrier did not repel the dust, but none of it came close to him. A brilliant aura of seven-colored light radiated from his body, while the golden mark on his forehead gleamed with resplendent brilliance, resembling a celestial eye hovering just before him.
His cultivation had reached the ninth layer of the Wondrous Mystical Spirit Immortal Realm!
Gu An kept his eyes closed, savoring the profundity of his transformation.
His soul had now ascended into the realm of the Wondrous Mystical Immortal Soul. As long as his soul remained intact, even the destruction of his physical body could not end him. Such was the might of a Wondrous Mystical Spirit Immortal.
Yet, Wondrous Mystical Spirit Immortals still had a lifespan, signifying an ultimate limit to their existence. In his exploration of the Dao of destiny, Gu An could feel this truth acutely.
After a long while.
He slowly opened his eyes. The golden mark on his forehead shimmered before retracting the ethereal Taiyuan Divine Eye into itself.
The mark lent him an air of divine majesty.
For now, he could not fully retract the golden mark into his body unless he used a spell to conceal it.
After some thought, he decided to leave it as it was. With the Universal Shape and Form Technique at his disposal, no one could discern the secrets of the Taiyuan Divine Eye.
Gu An summoned his attribute panel, noting that his remaining lifespan had dwindled to just over 2.2 million years.
The lifespan barrier had consumed far too much!
Gu An exhaled deeply and stood, glancing around.
His gaze settled on Tian Wuchang in the distance. Without hesitation, he activated the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body, transforming into a shadowy, dark purple demon form. He then deactivated the lifespan barrier.
With a single step, he appeared behind Tian Wuchang.
At that moment, Tian Wuchang was discussing the earlier anomaly with the other Spectral Wraith Kings. Suddenly, the Spectral Wraith Kings before him widened their eyes in alarm.
Sensing their reaction, Tian Wuchang began to turn, only for a hand to land firmly on his shoulder.
Smack!
The touch sent his heart plummeting into a pit of despair, an overwhelming sense of fear crashing over him.
The other eight Spectral Wraith Kings instantly leapt back, putting distance between themselves and Gu An.
Even the Lord of the Supernatural Realm turned his gaze toward Gu An, his brows knitting together. His divine sense could not penetrate Gu An's Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body, heightening his wariness.
Gu An cast the Lord of the Supernatural Realm a probing glance, his Lifespan Investigation revealing only his cultivation level.
Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm, fifth layer!
That level was exceedingly powerful.
Before his breakthrough, Gu An estimated his chances of defeating the Lord of the Supernatural Realm at nine out of ten—a slim margin of error that could have spelled disaster.
Good thing he had broken through!
Gu An felt a wave of relief, though his attention shifted briefly to the stone stele beside him.
All the Spectral Wraiths had a karmic link to the stone stele, their powers converging within it.
"Who are you? What are you trying to do?" one of the Spectral Wraith Kings demanded, his tone laced with unease.
Gu An's sudden appearance had been too abrupt, catching them completely off guard. With no way to discern his cultivation level, fear gripped them. Most concerning of all was Gu An's apparent interest in the Spectral Fate Stele.
Ignoring the question, Gu An spoke calmly, "Extract Tian Wuchang's power from the stele. Otherwise, all of you will be annihilated together."
The Spectral Wraith Kings' expressions shifted drastically. Their gazes bristled with anger and shock, but none dared to refute him. Not a single one had the courage to act. Instead, they turned their eyes toward the Lord of the Supernatural Realm, seeking guidance.
Tian Wuchang trembled uncontrollably, unable to utter a word. He could only look pleadingly toward the Lord of the Supernatural Realm, despair written across his face.
The Lord of the Supernatural Realm's expression darkened, his eyes locked on Gu An in a silent confrontation.
Gu An showed no urgency, giving the Lord of the Supernatural Realm time to decide. It was a perfect opportunity for Tian Wuchang to taste true hopelessness.
This was justice. Tian Wuchang had ruthlessly suppressed Gu An's disciples before, so letting him off with just a swift death would be too lenient.
Having ascended to the Wondrous Mystical Spirit Immortal Realm, Gu An was now more certain that the Lord of the Supernatural Realm had powerful backers. The Spectral Fate Stele itself bore the auras of multiple Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realms, suggesting that the Lord of the Supernatural Realm served a larger faction.
For now, Gu An preferred not to provoke unnecessary attention. As long as the Spectral Wraiths did not threaten the Tai Xuan Sect's continent, he would let them be.
Moreover, he had sensed a familiar presence in this realm, further dissuading him from directly destroying the stele.
The Lord of the Supernatural Realm took a deep breath and raised his right hand. With a clawing motion toward the Spectral Fate Stele, a soul was forcibly extracted. It was none other than Tian Wuchang's, now curled up and lifeless like an empty shell.
Despair flickered across Tian Wuchang's face, soon replaced by bitter resentment. Surprisingly, his hatred was not directed at Gu An but at the Lord of the Supernatural Realm.
If Tian Wuchang could speak now, he would undoubtedly hurl curses at his former master.
The other Spectral Wraith Kings read the fury in Tian Wuchang's eyes, their own emotions a complex mix of dread and sorrow. They felt an almost instinctive kinship, the kind of pity that comes from seeing one's own fate mirrored in another.
Gu An clenched his right hand. Tian Wuchang's soul disintegrated into ash instantly, and with a wave of his sleeve, he dispersed Tian Wuchang's original soul essence.
No prompt for lifespan absorption appeared. Tian Wuchang had truly ceased to exist.
Before leaving, Gu An transmitted a cryptic message to the Lord of the Supernatural Realm through telepathy. Then he turned to depart.
"Wait!" the Lord of the Supernatural Realm called out suddenly.
Gu An stopped, his back to the speaker.
From his vantage, the Lord of the Supernatural Realm looked down at him and said, "You've just eliminated one of my Spectral Wraith Kings in front of so many witnesses. The others won't understand unless you let them witness your power firsthand. How about taking one strike from me?"
The air grew deathly still. Even the waves stopped crashing, frozen in place.
The eight remaining Spectral Wraith Kings stared at Gu An, holding their breath. Internally, they cursed their master. They had no desire to "witness" anything. Gu An's strength was already terrifyingly clear—what more proof did they need?
They understood that the Lord of the Supernatural Realm's demand came from his frustration, using them as an excuse to vent it.
"Feel my strength?" Gu An's voice was calm.
He slowly turned around, and in an instant, his body expanded. Growing larger and larger, he soon stood as tall as the heavens, his head scraping the blood-red sky while his feet crushed the ground below.
Divine Ability: Size Manipulation!
The eight Spectral Wraith Kings craned their necks to look up at him, their jaws slack in disbelief.
Gu An's colossal form reached 100,000 feet tall. His head brushed against the crimson clouds, and the dark purple demonic energy surrounding him surged like a boundless ocean, roaring skyward in an awe-inspiring display.
Before Gu An, even the mighty Spectral Wraith Kings felt nothing but abject fear.
The oppressive aura radiating from him pinned them to their spots, rendering them immobile.
Even the Lord of the Supernatural Realm's face darkened. As a Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm, he was far more attuned to the overwhelming power that Gu An exuded.
Gu An raised his right hand, its massive palm glowing with radiant streaks of light.
Taiyuan Heaven-Grasping Hand!
As the divine ability coalesced, the Lord of the Supernatural Realm and the Spectral Wraith Kings felt as though the heavens were about to collapse on them.
"When I raise my hand, it must fall. Lord of the Supernatural Realm, how do you intend to make me stop?" Gu An's voice echoed across the realm, calm yet imbued with the weight of divine authority.
The Lord of the Supernatural Realm staggered, crashing to the ground. The impact cracked the barren earth near the shore, splitting it into countless fissures.
His entire body trembled as he struggled against Gu An's oppressive might.
The eight Spectral Wraith Kings were similarly forced to the ground, unable to rise. All they could do was cast desperate glances at the Lord of the Supernatural Realm.
Teeth gritted, the Lord of the Supernatural Realm fell to his knees.
Supporting himself with his hands on the ground, he spoke slowly, each word filled with suppressed humiliation: "Please spare me, Senior."
His voice reverberated through the heavens and earth, echoing into the ears of countless Spectral Wraiths.
The Spectral Wraith Kings looked at their master, who had once held his head high with unshakeable pride, now bowed in submission. Relief mingled with bitterness in their hearts.
They were strong enough to dominate the oceans and wreak havoc, but before a true master of the heavens, they were no better than ants.
At the Tai Xuan Sect, within the Third Medicine Valley.
Gu An stepped off the teleportation platform, humming a lighthearted tune.
"Well, someone's in a good mood," teased You Yingying as she passed by.
Gu An glanced at her and replied, "Not bad."
Smirking, You Yingying retorted, "If you were born overseas, I wonder if you'd still be so cheerful."
"Life doesn't deal in 'what ifs,' does it?" Gu An said, shrugging. "Cherish the present and enjoy life, junior."
With that, he strolled toward the nearby game area, planning to defeat the Nine-Finger Divine Lord in three rounds of chess.
Let him feel the terror of the predictive power of a Wondrous Mystical Spirit Immortal!
You Yingying watched him walk away, pouting slightly. Internally, she mused that perhaps being at the bottom of the ladder wasn't all bad—at least there was no need to worry about global calamities.