Night fell, casting the forest into a deathly silence, with not even the chirping of insects to break the stillness.
Zhu Xi stood up, holding an oil lamp in her left hand and a sword in her right. Her eyes darted nervously around, scanning her surroundings.
Suddenly.
She heard the sound of wind. Instinctively, she turned her head, only to hear the same sound coming from another direction. Before she could react further, the rushing wind surrounded her from all sides.
Leaves and debris were swept up by the howling gusts, rushing toward her in a chaotic storm. Her eyes widened in shock.
Far away in the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An watched this scene unfold but made no move to intervene.
Zhu Xi was no match for a Loose Immortal Realm opponent. The instant the assailant struck, she lost consciousness.
Her attacker was a female Heavenly Demon, who intended to seize Zhu Xi's body. Yet, as soon as the demon's soul entered her body, she was met with an unimaginable terror—a devouring force that threatened to consume her entirely.
The Heavenly Demon attempted to flee in desperation, but only a portion of her soul managed to escape. Her lower soul remained trapped, held fast by the relentless suction.
Gu An arched an eyebrow as he observed. Just how much spiritual energy has this girl absorbed?
She was only twenty-three. Even with immense spiritual energy, it shouldn't have been possible to challenge a Loose Immortal.
Could she be hiding an even greater secret?
No matter how fiercely the Heavenly Demon struggled, the devouring force within Zhu Xi's body refused to relent. It wasn't long before the demon was completely absorbed.
Zhu Xi collapsed to the ground as the forest returned to its eerie tranquility.
An hour passed before Zhu Xi opened her eyes again. Her expression was dazed, and once her awareness returned, she scrambled to her feet, glancing warily around her.
Seeing this, Gu An withdrew his divine sense.
This woman is no ordinary individual. Someday, she may very well become a figure who shakes the heavens.
However, he had no intention of recruiting her or taking her as a disciple. His interest was purely curiosity.
In the future, he thought, it might be amusing to observe her life unfold—much like following a captivating story in his past life.
With a faint smile, Gu An returned to reading Adventures of the Green Hero.
The moon set, and the sun rose.
A new day dawned, restoring calm to the Tai Cang Continent.
As disciples gathered for their morning exercises, whispers of the previous day's distant battles filled the air. Everyone was curious about what had transpired.
While Gu An joined the exercises, his divine sense continued to monitor the world.
Many areas still bore the brunt of the Heavenly Demon invasion. Fortunately, both the Sacred Court and Immortal Dynasty were swift in their responses, sending forces to eradicate the demons and provide aid.
This catastrophe, which affected all living beings, showcased the remarkable prowess of the Immortal Dynasty. It was nearing the Sacred Court's level of efficiency. With every life they saved, the dynasty's karmic fortune visibly increased.
This calamity had inadvertently become an opportunity for the Immortal Dynasty.
Gu An's divine sense caught sight of An Hao, who was observing the battles from a distance. Given that even the weakest Heavenly Demons possessed Immortal Dao-level cultivation, they were far beyond his current ability to confront.
As Gu An continued his observations, Shen Xin Zi returned to the sect. Many disciples turned to him, eager to hear about the events of the previous day.
After morning exercises ended, Long Qing eagerly approached Shen Xin Zi, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Master Shen, what exactly happened yesterday?"
"The Heavenly Demons descended," Shen Xin Zi replied, his expression somber. "Fortunately, this continent's crisis has been resolved."
However, his face betrayed a hint of unease.
The previous day's battle had stirred unfamiliar memories within him—memories he suspected were remnants of a past life.
Shen Xin Zi had long known that he was the reincarnation of a Heavenly Demon. Over the years, he had come to accept this truth, believing that as long as his will remained steadfast, he could resist succumbing to demonic corruption. He even entertained the lofty idea of using his identity to bring redemption to the Heavenly Demons.
"Heavenly Demons?" Long Qing's eyes widened.
Shen Xin Zi began to recount the horrors of the Heavenly Demons, leaving Long Qing visibly shaken.
From afar, Gu An couldn't help but find the scene amusing. Two reincarnated Heavenly Demons, oblivious to each other's true identities, were discussing the threat posed by their kind.
Calling over the Blood Prison Saint, Gu An set off toward the outer sect city.
Though the battle beyond the heavens was far from over, it was clear the Heavenly Demons would eventually be repelled. With his curiosity waning, Gu An decided to explore the city for a change of pace.
Elsewhere.
At Three Purities Mountain.
Li Ya sat cross-legged on the edge of a cliff, gazing at the sky with an unreadable expression.
A soul flew toward him—it was the spirit of the Li Family Ancestor, who had once resided within Li Ya's body.
"What's on your mind?" the ancestor asked, coming to rest beside him.
"Ancestor, what do you think lies beyond the heavens? How many realms are there in the Immortal Dao?" Li Ya asked softly.
The Li Family Ancestor snorted. "How would I know? You've already surpassed me in strength. I'm just waiting for you to take me to see the vast world beyond."
Hearing this, Li Ya smiled faintly before standing and stretching lazily.
"Then prepare yourself. I'll be heading down the mountain soon to explore. I've realized that merely cultivating in seclusion isn't enough; my progress has slowed. At this rate, I'll fall too far behind An Hao."
The Li Family Ancestor chuckled. "I'm curious to see the wonders of the Divine City as well."
Li Ya's lips curled into a confident smirk, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"The Grandmaster said the era of peerless talents is upon us. I won't miss my chance to shine."
As he spoke, Li Ya raised his right hand, a white flame igniting in his palm.
The Li Family Ancestor watched him, stroking his beard with a smile, his heart filled with emotions.
In just four hundred years, this young man had achieved such extraordinary accomplishments. The heights he would reach in the future were unimaginable.
The Li Family Ancestor reminisced about the day he met Li Ya, his smile growing wider.
In the vast cosmos, searing heat waves ravaged the starry sky.
The Ancient Immortal Emperor and the Sacred Ancestor paused, their gazes fixed on a figure in the distance.
Enveloped in a shroud of black mist, the figure resembled a terrifying demon lord rising from the abyss. His presence was horrifying.
His long white hair cascaded down his back, a pair of forward-curving horns jutted from his head, and his pale face was devoid of pupils. Draped in a black feathered cloak that fluttered menacingly, he wore gleaming chainmail underneath.
This was the Dread Emperor of Calamity, a Heavenly Demon of the Free Immortal Realm.
The Ancient Immortal Emperor and Sacred Ancestor regarded him with unmistakable wariness in their eyes.
For months, the two had been battling the Dread Emperor, but even combined, they had failed to overpower him. All they could do was hold the line, preventing him from stepping into the domain of Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven.
"The Heavenly Demons' numbers have dwindled to a fraction. Must you persist in this madness?" the Ancient Immortal Emperor asked coldly.
The Dread Emperor's lips curled into a sinister smile, his voice dripping with malice. "Do you think I allowed the Heavenly Demons to invade Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven merely to slaughter insignificant mortals?"
At these words, the faces of the Ancient Immortal Emperor and Sacred Ancestor changed drastically.
Before they could respond, the black mist surrounding the Dread Emperor surged violently, swallowing him whole. The mist churned and expanded rapidly.
The two deities immediately struck, their boundless magical energy colliding with the black mist. But no matter how powerful their attacks, they could not dissipate it.
As the black mist swirled, it coalesced into an enormous black sphere, its appearance akin to a black hole devouring all light and space.
"What kind of divine power is this?" the Ancient Immortal Emperor muttered, his expression dark.
The Sacred Ancestor offered no answer; he too was baffled, though a deep sense of unease welled up within him.
On the Tai Cang Continent, within a branch of the Tai Xuan Sect.
In a serene courtyard, Gu An was enjoying wine with Ye Lan and Zhen Qin. Zhen Qin was recounting the sect's recent events, her tone animated as she detailed the scandal of a revered elder oppressing a disciple, only to die under mysterious and gruesome circumstances, sparking uproar throughout the sect.
Zhen Qin had a talent for storytelling, her voice rising and falling with drama, drawing her audience in. Gu An played along, feigning tension at key moments in her tale.
Ye Lan, however, was more focused on Gu An. She found his reactions amusing and couldn't help but smile.
Suddenly, Zhen Qin leapt to her feet, drawing her sword and pointing it in an exaggerated gesture as she mimicked confronting the elder. "At that moment, I had my sword at his throat and demanded, 'Why did you betray your master?' That bastard still had the nerve to deny it, even with all the evidence laid before him!"
Gu An was about to respond when he sensed something unusual, his expression shifting subtly.
Just as Zhen Qin prepared to continue her tale, her face paled abruptly.
Ye Lan's expression mirrored hers, both women seemingly struck by an invisible force.
"What's happening…? I feel as if something's gripping me!" Zhen Qin exclaimed, her voice trembling. She instinctively looked to Ye Lan for confirmation.
Ye Lan's body quivered as she gritted her teeth. "Me too! I can't break free!"
In Gu An's eyes, a web of mysterious causal energy was entwining Ye Lan and Zhen Qin. It wasn't limited to them; many within the branch sect were ensnared by this force.
Raising his gaze, Gu An saw beyond the clear blue sky to a colossal black web unfurling across the heavens—a web imperceptible to ordinary beings, yet connected to countless living souls.
Through his divine sense, Gu An traced the web's threads to the massive black sphere in the cosmos. In an instant, he understood the Dread Emperor's intentions.
No wonder so many Heavenly Demons were reincarnated or possessed others. It was all to integrate themselves into Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven's very rules of existence.
Observing the flow of the causal threads, it became evident that the Dread Emperor intended to draw all living beings within Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven into that black sphere.
Among those entangled was Long Qing.
Gu An rose to his feet abruptly, feigning alarm as he placed a reassuring hand on Ye Lan's shoulder. "What's happening to you?" he asked, his tone laced with worry.
"Senior Brother… step back…" Ye Lan said through gritted teeth, unable to move or resist the force pulling at her.
"How could I abandon you? Tell me what's wrong!" Gu An's voice was resolute.
Before Ye Lan could reply, her surroundings began to spin chaotically. Both she and Zhen Qin felt the same disorienting sensation.
The next moment, Gu An vanished along with them.
Across the Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven, countless beings disappeared in the same instant, leaving chaos in their wake. The Tai Xuan Sect's branch erupted into a cacophony of panic and confusion.
Ye Lan, her eyes tightly shut, felt herself falling endlessly. Even with her Divine Transformation Realm cultivation, the sensation was unbearable.
As she fell, she slowly regained control of her body. When her feet finally touched solid ground, a warm hand gripped her right hand, instantly calming her.
It was her Senior Brother's hand—she knew it by the familiar texture and strength. There could be no mistake.
Opening her eyes, she was greeted by the sight of a blood-red sky. Countless figures plummeted from above like a torrential downpour.
Gu An and Zhen Qin stood beside her on a mountaintop, their gazes fixed on the horrifying scene unfolding in the heavens.
"What… what is this place?" Zhen Qin stammered, her eyes wide with fear as she took in the sight of the endless mountain range below, shrouded in oppressive darkness.
As the falling figures reached the ground, a pair of colossal eyes appeared in the blood-red sky—eyes belonging to the Dread Emperor of Calamity. His gaze swept over the world, as if searching for something.
"Inhabitants of Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven," his voice thundered, reverberating like a storm. "This is the Realm of Nine Abysses, created by me. None shall come to your rescue. But fear not—this emperor is merciful and will grant you a sliver of hope."