Under Shen Zhen's gaze, Gu An descended from the golden light. It was as if an invisible staircase formed beneath his feet, his steps steady and divine, like a deity descending to the mortal world.
More and more disciples noticed Gu An's figure, and their faces lit up with surprise and excitement as they began cheering.
"Master has returned!"
"It really is Master! How is he back so quickly?"
"Could it be that the opponent fled?"
"I'm not sure, but earlier there was an overwhelming sense of oppression. It felt like they exchanged blows."
"Nonsense, our Master is the Sword Master of the Dao. Think about it—when has Master ever fought without displaying absolute dominance and destroying his enemies?"
The disciples chattered among themselves, their discussion drawing even more people to gather.
An Xin saw Gu An's figure from a distance and broke into a smile. She quickly stepped forward to maintain order, ensuring the disciples didn't disturb Gu An with their excitement.
Near Myriad Sword Mountain, the Jue Luo Sword Master had witnessed the earlier battle and was now frozen in disbelief.
That was the Annihilation God Emperor—the most terrifying legend of the Desolation Domain. A being so fearsome had been utterly powerless before Gu An.
Moreover, the Jue Luo Sword Master had overheard their conversation. These two mighty beings were at the same cultivation level.
Suddenly, he felt that he could no longer consider himself a genius. As he stood now, even facing Free Immortals, he found it challenging to deliver a killing blow. He could battle a dozen Free Immortals at once, but killing even one of them? That was nearly impossible. If a Free Immortal wished to flee, he wouldn't be able to stop them.
Meanwhile, Shen Xinzi and the Nine-Finger Divine Lord, two highly revered cultivators of the Medicine Valley, now gazed at Gu An with reverence, akin to common disciples marveling at the majesty of their master.
The Nine-Finger Divine Lord was especially awash in emotion.
He had once thought that he was lowering himself by befriending Gu An, but now he realized it was Gu An who had lowered himself to interact with him.
Reflecting on the games of chess he had played with Gu An, he now understood that Gu An had been subtly guiding him all along.
For a moment, the Nine-Finger Divine Lord was lost in his memories.
Others who had close interactions with Gu An also found themselves reminiscing. The overwhelming strength Gu An displayed today had shattered their previous perceptions of him.
Shen Zhen took a step back, watching as Gu An entered through the window. She stared blankly at him, the golden light surrounding him still lingering.
Gu An smiled faintly, and as the golden sunlight behind him faded, the room returned to its ordinary appearance.
He waved a hand in front of Shen Zhen, breaking her trance. "What are you thinking about?"
Shen Zhen snapped back to reality and quickly asked, "Is it over?"
"What do you think? Do you think I went to beg for mercy?" Gu An blinked and countered with a rhetorical question.
Shen Zhen's eyes widened, and her breath quickened.
"You… won?"
"Hmm, I was lucky to win."
"Lucky? And yet it was so quick?"
"When experts clash, the outcome is often decided in an instant."
"I don't believe you."
"Then don't believe me. But what about that portrait of me I asked for? You haven't even started. Don't tell me you don't know how to paint?"
"How could I not? I'll start right now!" Shen Zhen retorted, though her tone was filled with excitement. Without another word, she turned and made her way to her desk.
Gu An turned slightly, glancing out the window. The black clouds in the sky were dispersing, revealing a world growing brighter with each passing moment.
"Enjoy the time I've earned for you all," Gu An murmured to himself. His mind had already shifted to his next goal: preparing for his breakthrough.
He extended his divine sense across the mortal realm, eradicating the Heavenly Demons that continued to cause chaos. As for those who had already fled, he no longer bothered to pursue them.
"Reach six billion years of lifespan, and I'll break through," he thought.
News of Gu An's return quickly spread to the Tai Xuan Sect. As the natural disasters and tribulations began to subside and the Heavenly Demons retreated, all beings across the world realized that the Sword Master of the Dao had emerged victorious.
In the North Sea Mountains, within the Mountain God Temple, Xuanmiao Zhenren sat on the stone steps, gazing at the dissipating black clouds above. His heart was filled with awe.
"Mountain God, Sword Master of the Dao… So that's how it is," he murmured, a look of enlightenment flashing in his eyes.
Suddenly, he understood. Titles and identities were meaningless. Upholding justice and righteousness for all beings was what truly mattered.
Closing his eyes, Xuanmiao Zhenren returned to his cultivation.
The Sword Master of the Dao was so powerful that Xuanmiao Zhenren couldn't afford to disgrace himself. At the very least, he could now consider himself half a disciple of the Sword Master.
As the clamor of the world grew louder, Gu An chose to remain secluded within his residence.
By the time the black clouds blanketing the heavens had completely dispersed, the sun had already begun to set.
As the sun dipped below the horizon and the moon rose, a new day began. At dawn, Gu An quietly departed.
His first stop was the Submerged Spirit Palace, where he harvested the matured spirit herbs and instructed the Deep Sea Dragon Koi to plant new seeds.
Reclining in a rocking chair, Gu An opened his attribute panel, a faint smile playing across his lips.
[Name]: Gu An
[Lifespan]: 1,145/6,001,319,431
[Physique]: Hunyuan Dao Golden Physique
[Cultivation]: Perfected Realm of Profound Origin Free Immortal
...
Would it be enough for a breakthrough?
The last time Gu An made a breakthrough, his lifespan was only 3.3 billion years.
Gu An began pondering which techniques to strengthen. Experiencing the thrill of defeating an enemy in the same realm with a single strike only made him crave further improvements to his overall strength.
Of course, in future situations, if given the choice, he would still prefer to rely on a higher realm to crush lower realms rather than engaging in fights against equally powerful opponents.
After a while, the Deep Sea Dragon Koi, having completed its tasks, approached Gu An. It looked hesitant, as if it wanted to speak but didn't know how to begin.
"Speak if you have something to say," Gu An said lazily, resting with his eyes half-closed.
The Deep Sea Dragon Koi took a deep breath and cautiously asked, "Master, was that voice yesterday… yours?"
"Oh? You couldn't tell?"
"No, no, it's not that… I just…"
The Deep Sea Dragon Koi grew flustered, becoming so excited that it could barely string a coherent sentence together.
Even within the depths of the Submerged Spirit Palace, it could sense the terrifying pressure from the Xuanhuang Demon God and the Annihilation God Emperor. Yesterday, it had been filled with despair, wondering whether it should flee the palace. In the end, it chose to trust its master.
It had hoped its master would return and lead it to safety. Never had it imagined that Gu An would face these apocalyptic demons on behalf of all living beings. Although it couldn't witness the battle, just hearing the exchange between the Annihilation God Emperor and Gu An had left it awestruck.
Cultivation should be like this—dazzling, unyielding, and standing tall against the heavens!
The Deep Sea Dragon Koi's gaze toward Gu An grew fervent, filled with admiration and reverence.
Gu An opened one eye, looking at the creature, and immediately felt a shiver.
The Deep Sea Dragon Koi's expression resembled that of a lovestruck maiden, brimming with infatuation, as if it wanted to swallow him whole. How could Gu An not feel unnerved?
"Hurry up and get back to cultivating. Your progress is too slow," Gu An said sternly, his face serious.
The Deep Sea Dragon Koi snapped out of its daze, nodding instinctively before turning to leave.
As it departed, it kept glancing back. Gu An resisted the urge to look at it further.
Watching it for too long, Gu An couldn't help but notice its surprisingly elegant appearance.
The thought alone made Gu An shake his head and quickly redirect his focus to his plans for further improvement.
Half an hour later, Gu An left Submerged Spirit Palace. With a single step, he ascended to the outer heavens.
Today, he would break through!
Having just annihilated a clone of the Annihilation God Emperor, he was confident the latter wouldn't return anytime soon. Gu An had no intention of waiting for him to reappear before making his move.
The universe had already been in turmoil over the past few days. Gu An figured that causing more disturbances now wouldn't necessarily draw attention to him. After all, the Sword Master of the Dao had always maintained that his sole intention was to protect Heavenly Spirit World.
Concealing his aura, Gu An moved so stealthily that even Dao Repository Free Immortals couldn't detect his presence. He swiftly flew toward the location he had preselected for his breakthrough, deep within the Desolation Domain.
This time, Gu An planned to delve even further into the Desolation Domain.
Along the way, Gu An passed by numerous grand heavens. These grand heavens, much like Heavenly Spirit World, were enveloped by layers of Heavenly Dao light, shielding them from the corrosive spiritual energy of the Desolation Domain.
How many grand heavens existed in this universe?
The thought struck Gu An, sparking a curiosity he decided to suppress for now.
Upon landing on a desolate continent, he immediately activated a lifespan barrier. This continent was far larger than the Tai Cang Continent, with other barren continents of varying sizes floating nearby. Devoid of greenery or vitality, the region was shrouded in perpetual darkness.
Gu An surmised that this was the fragmented remnant of a once-grand heaven, far removed from Heavenly Spirit World. He had passed eight other flourishing grand heavens on the way here.
Spreading his divine sense across the universe, Gu An unleashed the full might of his Profound Origin Free Immortal cultivation, covering an expansive area in an instant.
The universe was boundless. Even the divine sense of a Profound Origin Free Immortal couldn't reach its edge in a short time—if there even was an edge to begin with.
Gu An did, however, spot a realm gate. In his eyes, realm gates were forbidden zones, and he had no intention of disturbing the Heavenly Spirit God. He made sure to avoid the gate altogether.
After ten breaths of time, Gu An retracted his divine sense.
In that brief moment, he had identified thirty-seven grand heavens on par with Heavenly Spirit World, as well as countless smaller heavens.
He recalled a legend stating that Heavenly Spirit World was merely a fragment of a once-greater entity. Could it be that all the heavens in the universe originated from the same source? Perhaps Heavenly Spirit World was the central piece?
The theory seemed plausible, especially considering that the guardians of the realm gates bore the name Heavenly Spirit.
Gu An was deeply intrigued by the world beyond the realm gates, but he knew now wasn't the time to explore it. He wouldn't even delve into the myths surrounding the realm gates for now.