Two hundred million years of lifespan allowed for only five tribulations, each separated by twenty million years.
As expected, all five tribulations ended in failure.
With 4.1 billion years of lifespan remaining, that meant he could at most attempt two hundred tribulations.
This time, Gu An decided to reserve at least five hundred million years of lifespan for his Lifespan Barrier, ensuring he could avoid any unforeseen dangers.
Taking a deep breath, Gu An resumed pouring lifespan into his cultivation—still in units of one hundred million years at a time.
Above him, Grand Dao spiritual energy churned like a dense mist, swirling across the sky in waves of pressure and majesty. Occasionally, immense silhouettes flickered in the distance, shrouded in hazy forms that disappeared as quickly as they appeared.
Gu An didn't lift his gaze, focusing entirely on his investment of lifespan.
One hundred million years after another!
Soon, one billion years of lifespan had been consumed. Gu An's expression turned grim.
Continue!
Maintaining his method, he fed another one hundred million years of lifespan into his cultivation, piece by piece.
Gu An's mindset remained steady. As long as he succeeded in breaking through, even if he was left with only a century of lifespan, it wouldn't matter. After all, he had the ability to accumulate lifespan quickly.
Finally, another billion years were gone.
Now, with only 2.1 billion years of lifespan remaining, Gu An began to feel some unease.
The Cangxuan Dao Rebirth Tribulation was no ordinary test. Could it be that after every failure, those two hundred million years were being consumed by reincarnation?
Gu An's thoughts raced, but he brushed them aside and resumed his efforts, pouring in another one hundred million years.
One hundred million, then another.
When his lifespan dwindled to just 1.1 billion years, Gu An made a decisive resolution: If I haven't succeeded by five billion years, I'll stop and abandon this breakthrough for now.
With that, he poured in yet another one hundred million years.
Suddenly, a shift in the system prompts occurred!
[You cultivated for sixty million years, using the Great Boundless Free Will Scripture to forcefully impact the Vast Heaven Free Immortal Realm, initiating a tribulation. You endured the Cangxuan Dao Rebirth Tribulation and successfully passed. Your cultivation has advanced to the early stage of the Vast Heaven Free Immortal Realm.]
[You cultivated for one hundred million years, and your cultivation has further improved.]
With ten billion years of lifespan still remaining, Gu An decided to keep going!
Investing another two hundred million years, his cultivation finally rose to the mid-stage of the Vast Heaven Free Immortal Realm.
However, Gu An couldn't shake the feeling that things were becoming precarious. It seemed unlikely he'd reach perfection in one attempt.
Forget it! Reaching the late stage is enough for now. Mid-stage feels too weak—it doesn't sound intimidating enough.
He poured in another three hundred million years, successfully reaching the late stage of the Vast Heaven Free Immortal Realm.
Now, with only four hundred eighty million years of lifespan remaining, Gu An could feel the Lifespan Barrier activating once more, absorbing Grand Dao spiritual energy at an unprecedented rate.
This time, the disturbance caused by his actions would be even greater than before.
Gu An could only hope it wouldn't alert the Heavenly Spirit God.
He wasn't ready to confront the Heavenly Spirit God yet. In his assessment, the true body of the Annihilation God Emperor wasn't as strong as the Heavenly Spirit God. Otherwise, the Annihilation God Emperor's true body would've come for him already.
Without absolute confidence, Gu An had no intention of going head-to-head with the Heavenly Spirit God.
Even if the universe where the Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven was located turned out to be a cage, Gu An wasn't concerned. As long as he could continuously extend his lifespan, staying within the Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven indefinitely wouldn't bore him.
With his gaze fixed on the Lifespan Barrier, Gu An made sure the rate of consumption wouldn't threaten his remaining lifespan. Finally, he relaxed, turning his attention inward to savor the profound transformation within his body.
From the Profound Origin Realm to the Vast Heaven Realm, this breakthrough brought incredible changes.
As Gu An's breakthrough into the Vast Heaven Free Immortal Realm continued, Grand Dao spiritual energy from all corners of the universe began to converge upon him, its origins impossible to trace.
Around the Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven, violent Dao winds howled endlessly in the void, terrifying all the powerful beings stationed atop the Dao Spirit Energy barrier.
The universal disturbance grew increasingly intense. While it lacked the oppressive presence of the Annihilation God Emperor, the abnormal fluctuations in universal laws and spiritual energy filled the heavens with unease.
Some couldn't help but wonder: Will the universe collapse?
Speculations swirled among the cultivators, with many attributing the phenomena to the sheer strength of the Sword Master of the Dao and his mysterious opponent. They believed the universe itself was struggling to withstand their power.
However, no one dared to blame the Sword Master of the Dao. Without him, that mysterious entity would've annihilated the Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven long ago.
Time flowed on.
While the masses remained restless, Gu An immersed himself in the intricacies of his newfound transformation.
In the mortal world, ordinary beings remained unaware of the chaos unfolding beyond their skies. With the retreat of the Heavenly Demons, the lands of the Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven were filled with a renewed sense of life and celebration. Survivors of the recent calamity gave thanks to the Sword Master of the Dao, and some had even begun preparing to erect monuments in his honor.
Within the Third Medicine Valley, on a cliff near Wanjian Mountain, the Absolute Luo Sword Monarch sat in meditation, gazing toward the turbulent skies with furrowed brows.
This area, so close to Wanjian Mountain, was where he had planned to seek enlightenment. Yet the increasing disturbances beyond the heavens made it impossible for him to find peace.
"What could possibly happen next?"
The Absolute Luo Sword Monarch couldn't help but ponder. Even with the Annihilation God Emperor defeated, he had hoped for a period of calm. Instead, new turmoil had arrived so quickly.
He sighed, reflecting on the misfortunes of the Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven. Its central position in the universe seemed to invite endless calamity.
Still, upon further thought, it made sense.
After all, this was the Heavenly Spirit Grand Heaven—the heart of the universe.
While it might not be the most powerful Grand Heaven, its history ensured it would never be ordinary.
After the great battle yesterday, many visitors came to the Third Medicine Valley, all hoping to meet the Sword Master of the Dao. Lü Baitian had specifically stationed cultivators from the Lü and Ji families around the valley to prevent Gu An from being disturbed.
Even Ye Lan and Zhen Qin, who came to visit, were stopped at the entrance.
"The Sword Master of the Dao is my master! How dare you block me?" Zhen Qin glared, clearly frustrated.
The middle-aged cultivator blocking their path looked startled and quickly replied in a deep voice, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Even as he spoke, his eyes darted nervously around, clearly wary of someone.
At that moment, a figure dressed in tight black clothing, wearing a theatrical mask, appeared out of nowhere. The middle-aged cultivator's expression grew even more unnatural when he saw this person.
The masked figure didn't say a word, but the middle-aged cultivator seemed to hear something. His demeanor shifted immediately as he bowed deeply toward Ye Lan and Zhen Qin. "I apologize for my mistake. I was only following orders. Please, go in."
Zhen Qin cast a glance at the masked figure, muttered under her breath, and pulled Ye Lan into the Third Medicine Valley.
The masked figure vanished as quickly as they appeared, leaving the surrounding Lü family cultivators to gather around the middle-aged one, asking curiously, "Were those two women really disciples of the Sword Master of the Dao?"
The middle-aged cultivator took a deep breath and nodded slowly, causing everyone to turn their gazes toward the backs of Ye Lan and Zhen Qin, memorizing their appearances. They resolved to show the women respect if they met them again.
Inside the Medicine Valley, Ye Lan noticed the valley was even more crowded than during her last visit. This time, many of the people present had cultivation levels she couldn't discern.
"Master Uncle, Senior Sister, you're here!"
An Xin quickly approached, greeting them warmly. Seeing her, both women broke into smiles.
Zhen Qin rushed forward, taking An Xin's arm as the two started chatting away excitedly.
After some time, Ye Lan seized a moment to ask, "Is Senior Brother not here?"
An Xin nodded. "He left early this morning, but he always comes back quickly. Should I take you both to your rooms first?"
Ye Lan didn't object. Now that she knew Gu An was the Sword Master of the Dao, she wasn't worried about him being gone for long.
As the three women walked toward a group of pavilions, Ye Lan suddenly asked, "An Xin, did you already know your master's true identity?"
Zhen Qin also turned her gaze toward An Xin, waiting for her response.
An Xin gave a bitter smile. "How could I? I only found out yesterday."
Ye Lan's expression relaxed, and Zhen Qin began to complain about how their master had kept such a secret from them for so long.
Relieved that she had dodged the question, An Xin secretly felt smug. She thought to herself, "Master, I've learned at least a fraction of your Dao."
She wasn't foolish. It was obvious Ye Lan had been testing her, and she had no intention of creating any tension with her future "Master's Wife."
Although Ye Lan and Gu An were still officially senior and junior disciples, in An Xin's eyes, they were no different from Dao companions.
The three women began reminiscing about the past, marveling at how deeply Gu An had hidden his true identity. Zhen Qin wondered aloud if Gu An had disguised himself as a baby, considering that he'd been in the Tai Xuan Sect and born into the Ji family from such a young age.
An Xin brought up the concept of the Reincarnation Tribulation, mentioning a story she'd heard from an elder. She explained that once a cultivator reached a certain level, they could enter reincarnation while retaining the ability to access their previous life's strength at will.
Both Ye Lan and Zhen Qin were intrigued, and their conversation shifted to the mysteries of the Reincarnation Tribulation.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the valley, Long Qing approached the Blood Prison Saint.
Even after transforming into his human form, the Blood Prison Saint hadn't chosen a separate residence. He still spent every day meditating beneath Gu An's pavilion.
At that moment, the Blood Prison Saint was practicing a divine ability, his palms emanating blood energy that shimmered ominously. Combined with his white hair and horns, the sight made him appear both eerie and menacing.
"Big Brother Bull, how about a sparring match?" Long Qing asked with a grin.
With the Heavenly Demons retreating, the unsettling feelings in his heart had vanished, allowing him to live freely once again.
The Blood Prison Saint opened one eye and was about to refuse when he noticed something. A mischievous grin spread across his face as he said, "Want to challenge me? Why not go challenge your senior brother first?"
"My senior brother?" Long Qing blinked in surprise and instinctively turned around. Following the Blood Prison Saint's gaze, he saw a figure walking toward the valley entrance.
The newcomer was a man wearing silver chainmail beneath a white robe. His handsome face radiated sharpness that couldn't be hidden, and his brow carried an aura of unyielding determination.