Boom! Boom! Boom!
Heavenly thunder roared continuously, striking down upon Tian Yao'er. She used her own demonic energy to resist, but her body trembled, struggling to endure the pressure.
"Give it your all. If you can't hold on, I'll step in."
Gu An's voice rang out, offering a rare moment of reassurance that calmed Tian Yao'er's heart.
Having accompanied Gu An for a millennium, she was one of the few he was unwilling to push too hard. Thus, he gave her a few words of comfort directly. If it had been An Hao or Yang Jian, the scenario would have been entirely different.
Cough, cough.
Am I being too biased as a teacher?
Gu An thought to himself, feeling a pang of guilt. His gaze unconsciously turned toward the battlefield, where An Hao was fighting fiercely against the Heavenly Demon forces, slashing through enemies like a whirlwind. His presence on the battlefield was awe-inspiring.
Yes, male disciples must be tempered like this!
Seeing that the heavenly tribulation was still in its early stages, Gu An directed his divine sense to observe the world at large.
For this great calamity, Gu An had no desire to interfere too much. His only intent was to wait out the tribulation, ensuring the safety of those he cared about, and then step into the new era.
After all, even if he intervened, new disasters would inevitably arise. Endless interference would only lead to harsher outcomes.
Still, as he witnessed the suffering of mortals across the realm, Gu An couldn't help but feel a tinge of compassion.
No matter how tragically cultivators or monsters perished, Gu An remained unmoved. At least those beings had the power to resist fate, even if they ultimately failed. However, the countless mortals, those without cultivation or strength, lacked even the faintest ability to fight back.
He watched as two Nirvana Realm cultivators clashed, their residual energy creating a devastating inferno that descended upon a town. In an instant, the flames consumed tens of thousands of lives, reducing them to ashes. The cries of agony turned the fire into a living hell on earth.
Gu An sighed softly. Enough is enough, he thought.
With a sharp gleam in his eyes, the sea of flames vanished in an instant, and those who were still alive were swiftly freed from their burns and injuries.
Gu An did not avenge them—saving their lives was mercy enough.
"Might as well seize the opportunity to harvest some lifespan," Gu An murmured, convincing himself. He wasn't acting out of some saintly compassion; he simply intended to capitalize on the chaos to drain the lifespan of the Heavenly Demon.
Yes, that's it.
Gu An's divine sense expanded across the entire Heavenly Spirit Great Heaven. Whenever a Heavenly Demon was about to be slain, his divine sense would strike at the critical moment, severing the demon's last thread of vitality.
System notifications appeared rapidly before his eyes.
Whenever he encountered mortals under attack by Heavenly Demon, he would obliterate the demons directly, regardless of whether cultivators were nearby to witness it or not.
As the heavenly tribulation progressed, Tian Yao'er's aura began to soar, while Gu An's lifespan increased at a remarkable rate.
Every second, mortals were being saved by him, and countless Heavenly Demon fell to his divine sense.
Tian Yao'er, immersed in her tribulation, suddenly felt a strange fluctuation. Looking up, her eyes widened in shock. It wasn't just her—Tian Qing and Tian Bai also noticed it.
From the rolling thunderclouds, a wave of fire surged forth, piercing through the dark storm like an unstoppable tide. The fire carried an apocalyptic might, descending with terrifying momentum that made the three women feel as though the heavens themselves were collapsing.
Suddenly, Gu An waved his sleeve, dissipating the fiery wave midair with an invisible strike. His calm voice followed, "Focus on your breakthrough. Embrace the transformation of Nirvana."
Tian Yao'er snapped out of her shock and quickly closed her eyes, focusing inward to sense the changes within her body.
Tian Bai muttered quietly, "How powerful do you think that flame was?"
"I'm not sure," Tian Qing replied, her gaze fixed on Gu An's back, her eyes filled with admiration and awe. "But it was certainly beyond anything we could comprehend."
Beyond the skies.
The Xuanhuang Demon God advanced toward Heavenly Spirit Great Heaven with an unstoppable momentum, his massive frame exuding unparalleled dominance. Streams of fiery waves erupted from his mouth, while his lower body remained shrouded in rolling black mist, adding to his terrifying presence.
Ahead of him, no Free Immortals remained. The cultivators of the Sacred Court and the immortal spirits of the Immortal Dynasty were utterly despondent, reduced to mere slaughtered prey.
It seemed as though the Heavenly Spirit Great Heaven's destiny had run its course. Even the heavenly light layer that once protected the realm flickered dimly, growing fainter with each passing moment. Among the seven divine beasts representing the sun, only three remained, their breaths weak, barely holding on.
The Heavenly Demon Emperor's lips curled into a sinister smile as he spoke, "Let us descend into the mortal realm."
At his command, the Xuanhuang Demon God suddenly leaped into the air, his massive frame akin to a collapsing mountain as he hurtled toward Heavenly Spirit Great Heaven. Along his descent, the clouds parted violently, generating shockwaves that spread across the heavens, vast and boundless.
With a thunderous crash that echoed through heaven and earth, the Xuanhuang Demon God landed on a vast continent. The ground instantly shattered, sending violent gusts mixed with rocks and broken trees sweeping across the land.
From a bird's-eye view, the expansive continent cracked like a spider web. Deep within the fissures, blazing flames erupted as if the earth's core was about to surface.
Standing amidst the fractured land, the Xuanhuang Demon God appeared as though he was towering over a tiny island. No matter which corner of the continent one stood in, his colossal figure was clearly visible.
The Heavenly Demon Emperor, perched on the Xuanhuang Demon God's shoulder, casually twisted his neck before leaping into the air and flying toward the distant horizon. As he departed, he issued an order to the Xuanhuang Demon God: "Eradicate all living beings in this great heaven. Preserve as much of the realm as possible."
In response, the Xuanhuang Demon God tilted his head back and let out an earth-shattering roar.
"Roar—!"
The ferocious howl sent waves of terror surging through all living beings already trapped in despair.
Even the disciples cultivating in the Third Medicine Valley of the Tai Xuan Sect were startled. Many turned their heads, curious about the source of the sound and the kind of entity capable of producing such a terrifying roar.
An Xin, meditating beneath the Xuanqing Tree, frowned deeply. Her master had left earlier that day—could he possibly be heading out to confront such a monstrous existence?
The Xuanhuang Demon God's roar struck fear into everyone's hearts. An Xin felt as though she had been plunged into an icy abyss, her entire body trembling as if she were facing the most horrifying presence in existence.
This declaration of war from the Xuanhuang Demon God left no faction in the Heavenly Spirit Great Heaven unshaken.
High above, the Heavenly Demon Emperor flew through the skies, holding a black mirror in his hand as if searching for something. His piercing gaze swept across heaven and earth.
Suddenly, his senses locked onto a particular aura. He turned his head, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared into thin air.
A moment later, he reappeared on a distant island. Following his line of sight, one could see that heavenly thunder was relentlessly striking down upon a graceful figure—Tian Yao'er.
Not far from her, three other figures stood: Gu An, Tian Qing, and Tian Bai.
"Nirvana Tribulation… and this cultivation technique isn't ordinary," the Heavenly Demon Emperor murmured as he observed Tian Yao'er.
He stood silently on a boulder, watching her closely.
Tian Qing's gaze inadvertently swept toward him. Her eyes widened instantly, as the presence of the Heavenly Demon Emperor exuded an overwhelming sense of danger. He was clearly not someone to be trifled with.
Startled, she instinctively grabbed Gu An's arm and whispered, "Master, someone's here."
Gu An glanced toward the Heavenly Demon Emperor.
[Heavenly Demon Emperor (Free Immortal Realm Ninth Stage): 239,709,201/500,000,000/999,999,999]
All nines—absolute maximum lifespan!
This guy is clearly a rarity, a true existence blessed with unparalleled fortune by heaven and earth!
The Heavenly Demon Emperor felt Gu An's gaze and smirked. In an instant, he closed the hundred-zhang distance between them and appeared beside Gu An, startling Tian Qing and Tian Bai so much that they instinctively retreated.
Just as the Heavenly Demon Emperor was about to speak, Gu An nonchalantly waved his sleeve.
Boom!
In an instant, the Heavenly Demon Emperor was reduced to ashes. A fierce gust swept backward, forming a swirling dust dragon.
The sound of thunder continued to reverberate through the sky, leaving Tian Qing and Tian Bai frozen in shock.
Hearing the commotion, Tian Yao'er opened her eyes and saw the three of them facing a certain direction. Unable to suppress her curiosity, she asked, "Master, what happened?"
Gu An turned to her and replied calmly, "Nothing. Just a mosquito trying to bite me."
Mosquito?
Tian Yao'er looked skeptical, feeling like Gu An was teasing her.
At that moment, a notification appeared in front of Gu An.
[You have successfully harvested 26,708,213 years of lifespan from Heavenly Demon Emperor (Free Immortal Realm Ninth Stage).]
Twenty-six million years—not bad at all!
As expected of a Free Immortal!
Gu An smiled in satisfaction. Eliminating the Heavenly Demon Emperor didn't significantly alter the trajectory of the great calamity. The real threat was still the Xuanhuang Demon God.
The Xuanhuang Demon God had already begun a ruthless slaughter.
Taking advantage of the situation, Gu An accelerated his harvesting of Heavenly Demon lifespans, allowing the various factions in the realm to redirect their efforts toward resisting the Xuanhuang Demon God.
Unlike the Heavenly Demon, the Xuanhuang Demon God wasn't a living being, so killing him wouldn't yield any lifespan. As such, Gu An had no interest in dealing with him directly.
Boom!
A golden lightning bolt descended like a heavenly dragon, radiating divine might. Gu An's gaze shifted toward Tian Yao'er, who was now enveloped in a faint golden light. The radiance emanating from her body repelled the golden lightning.
Tian Yao'er felt her heart skip a beat and instinctively looked up, but the golden lightning had already vanished.
"Master, that person earlier…" Tian Qing asked cautiously as she looked at Gu An.
The earlier appearance of the Heavenly Demon Emperor had nearly scared her to death, and she couldn't believe how easily her master had turned him to dust with just a wave of his sleeve.
Tian Bai, braver than her sister, directly asked, "Master, what realm was that person at?"
Gu An replied casually, "Free Immortal."
"Free Immortal? What level is that? How many stages above the Nirvana Realm?" Tian Bai's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she pressed for details.
Gu An glanced at her and snorted, "That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself."
Tian Bai fell into endless imagination. One day, she vowed to reach the Free Immortal Realm—no, she had to surpass it. Otherwise, she would always pale in comparison to her master.