"I'm in the Void Crossing Realm now. They won't be able to detect me!"
Hao Long declared proudly. Despite being over 300 years old, his voice still carried a youthful tone, as if he were a boy.
Gu An didn't argue and didn't mention the presence of someone sneaking into the Eight Views Heavenly Cave. Instead, he gave Hao Long a once-over and asked, "Are you comfortable staying at Gu Hao Sect? If you want to come back, I can talk to Tai Xuan Sect."
With the current power of Tai Xuan Sect, acquiring Gu Hao Sect's sacred beast would be a trivial matter.
Hao Long shook his head. "It's fine. I won't return. Tai Xuan Sect is far stronger than Gu Hao Sect. If I come back, my status definitely won't be what it was."
Gu An chuckled inwardly. What a foolish dragon. Very well, you can stay at Gu Hao Sect.
He had no intention of revealing his own strength to Hao Long. This approach was consistent with how he treated all his disciples. Only those who sincerely and resolutely stayed by his side would receive his focused cultivation.
Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed from a distant cave entrance, drawing the attention of both Gu An and Hao Long.
A figure emerged from the cave's shadow—a man dressed in black. His features were handsome, and he carried a folding fan. Perched on his shoulder was a palm-sized black spider.
From afar, the man's gaze swept over Gu An and Hao Long before stopping at the Ancient Vine Tree, his expression revealing undisguised greed.
Although Gu An had already discerned the man's cultivation level, he couldn't resist using his Lifespan Investigation skill for confirmation.
[Zhu Mo (Profound Heart Realm, Second Layer): 2107/4600/7500]
A monster who's lived for over 2,000 years!
Gu An suppressed a smirk, curious to see what the man would do next. Outwardly, however, he feigned a wary expression.
"You… why are you here?" Hao Long's eyes widened in shock, his expression full of disbelief.
Through his insights into karma and fate, Gu An quickly pieced together the connection between Hao Long and the intruder, Zhu Mo. The man had infiltrated Gu Hao Sect under a false identity, pretending to be in the Nascent Soul Realm. He had even visited Hao Long, treating the dragon with apparent reverence at the time.
Zhu Mo sneered. "Do you think you could've reached this place without my help?"
He stepped forward, releasing the overwhelming pressure of his Profound Heart Realm, startling Hao Long into reverting to his true form. The massive black jiao dragon positioned itself defensively between Gu An and Zhu Mo.
"You're no match for me," Zhu Mo taunted coldly. "And if we fight here, this location will be exposed."
His eyes locked onto the Ancient Vine Tree, growing brighter with excitement.
"Who exactly are you? How did you achieve such a cultivation level?" Hao Long growled through gritted teeth. The gap between the Void Crossing Realm and the Profound Heart Realm was immense, leaving Hao Long feeling suffocated.
Meanwhile, Gu An continued probing Zhu Mo's karmic ties.
The man's background was intricate. He had a master in the Body Fusion Realm, who was severely injured and hiding in a remote cave. This master hailed from an ocean-based demonic sect, whose leader had reached the Loose Immortal Realm—Zhu Mo's grandmaster.
Interestingly, the grandmaster was a traitor to an ancient noble family, though he maintained a close relationship with his brother, the family's head. Whenever he encountered trouble he couldn't resolve, he would seek his brother's aid.
This ancient noble family's strongest member had reached the Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm. What intrigued Gu An most was the family's karmic connection to another grand immortal world that Gu An had glimpsed during his breakthrough.
In other words, this noble family's roots originated from another immortal world entirely.
However, Gu An wasn't concerned. That Immortal world wasn't significantly stronger than the Heavenly Spirit World, and the two were far apart.
He merely found Zhu Mo's web of karma exceptionally complicated.
Becoming an enemy of Zhu Mo would likely trigger a chain of escalating vendettas: defeating the weaker adversaries would inevitably lead to stronger ones.
Before long, Zhu Mo approached Hao Long, his tone unyielding and commanding, "Kneel and submit to me. This is your only path to survival."
His voice carried an overbearing authority that allowed no room for defiance.
Gu An took a few steps to the side, ensuring Zhu Mo could clearly see him. He casually toyed with the Pen of Destiny in his right hand, a faint, amused smile on his lips as he asked, "What about me? Do I have a path to survival?"
Zhu Mo's gaze shifted to Gu An. That faint smile irritated him, and he could feel a sense of provocation emanating from the man.
[Zhu Mo has developed hostility toward you and intends to kill you. Would you like to perform a Lifespan Investigation?]
The notification in Gu An's mind caused him to chuckle quietly and shake his head.
His nonchalant reaction made Zhu Mo's eyes glint coldly. In a chilling tone, he said, "You? Naturally, you must die. I'll use your body to feed the Ancient Vine Tree."
Gu An tilted his head and asked curiously, "How do you know the Ancient Vine Tree consumes flesh and blood? What is your connection to the Thousand Autumn Pavilion?"
Though he already knew the truth, Gu An enjoyed probing his adversary. After all, he had nothing else to do at the moment.
Suddenly, Zhu Mo dissolved into a black mist, alarming Hao Long. The dragon instinctively turned his head, only to see Zhu Mo reappear beside Gu An.
But something unexpected happened. Zhu Mo's eyes widened in shock, his expression filled with disbelief. His right hand was blocked by the Pen of Destiny, his arm trembling uncontrollably.
Not only was he unable to harm Gu An, but he also couldn't retreat. An invisible force held him immobile, locking him in place.
"You… how is this possible… who are you?" Zhu Mo's voice trembled with fear, his face pale with dread.
Gu An looked down at him coldly and asked, "I can't give you a way out. Do you have any last words?"
Zhu Mo felt his body grow colder with every passing second.
"If you dare kill me," he growled through clenched teeth, "my master won't let you go!"
Gu An raised an eyebrow in interest. "Your master? A mere Body Fusion Realm cultivator, heavily injured at that. How exactly is he going to stop me?"
At those words, Zhu Mo's pupils shrank, and a wave of despair and terror overwhelmed him.
Desperation flared in his eyes as he stammered, "My master… my master is from an immortal sect… spare me, and we'll end this here!"
[Zhu Mo's hostility toward you has increased. He now harbors deep-seated hatred. Would you like to perform a Lifespan Investigation?]
His hostility had intensified further!
Gu An glanced at the notification with indifference. He had never intended to let Zhu Mo go in the first place.
Since you've reached this point, let's see how many lives you can burn through.
Gu An withdrew his hand. A terrifying force immediately crushed Zhu Mo to his knees with a loud thud.
Hao Long stared at Gu An in stunned silence, his mouth agape.
A memory long buried resurfaced in Hao Long's mind.
Gu An held the Pen of Destiny, casually drawing in the air. A golden mark materialized midair, floating before him.
The golden light illuminated Zhu Mo's face, draining it of all color.
Unhurried, Gu An continued writing with the pen, completing a single word: Death.
The moment the final stroke was made, Zhu Mo clutched his chest, his heart seized with terror. He looked at Gu An, trembling, and growled, "What… what did you do to me?"
[You have successfully siphoned 67 years of lifespan from Lingchuan Zhenren (Body Fusion Realm, Ninth Layer).]
[You have successfully siphoned 380 years of lifespan from Zhang Lu (Loose Immortal Realm, Fourth Layer).]
[You have successfully siphoned 512 years of lifespan from Xu Tianxing (Loose Immortal Realm, Seventh Layer).]
…
As a stream of notifications appeared before Gu An, he shifted his gaze to Zhu Mo, his expression calm and detached. "I didn't do anything to you. I just erased every potential backer you could rely on."
Zhu Mo's eyes widened in disbelief. He screamed hysterically, "What kind of joke is this—"
Before he could finish, an indescribable terror gripped his heart.
For reasons he couldn't comprehend, Zhu Mo suddenly felt as if the entire world had abandoned him. A profound, unshakable fear gnawed at his mind, reducing him to a trembling mess.