Nightfall descended, and the woods fell into complete silence, devoid of any insect song.
Zhu Xi stood up, holding a lantern in her left hand and clenching a sword in her right, her gaze nervously sweeping the surroundings.
Suddenly.
She heard the sound of the wind and instinctively turned her head to look, then sounds of the wind came from another direction before she could turn again, and soon wind noises erupted from all directions.
A gust carrying leaves assaulted her face, causing her eyes to widen in alarm.
Far in the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An watched this scene unfold without intervening.
Zhu Xi was no match for the Loose Immortal Realm, losing consciousness immediately upon the other’s attack.
The attacker was a female Heavenly Demon seeking to possess her body, but just as its soul began to infiltrate, the demon sensed a terrifying devouring force.
The Heavenly Demon instinctively tried to escape, but only part of its Soul Body flew out; the lower half was sucked in, unable to withdraw.
Gu An raised an eyebrow as he observed, how much Spiritual Energy had Zhu Xi consumed?
At twenty-three, even with copious quantities of Spiritual Energy consumed, she shouldn’t be able to shake a Loose Immortal.
Could it be she harbored an even greater secret?
No matter how the female Heavenly Demon struggled, she could not break free from the devouring force inside Zhu Xi, and soon, she was devoured.
Zhu Xi then collapsed to the ground, and the woods returned to tranquility.
It wasn’t until an Ancient Hour later that Zhu Xi opened her eyes with a confused gaze. Upon regaining her consciousness, she swiftly scrambled to her feet and warily surveyed her surroundings.
Seeing this, Gu An withdrew his Divine Thought.
This woman was no simple character; she might become a renowned figure in the future!
Gu An had no intention of inviting or accepting her as a disciple; mere curiosity prevailed.
In the future, it would be worthwhile to observe Zhu Xi’s life trajectory, reminiscent of binge-watching a drama in his previous life.
Gu An smiled and then turned his attention to reading the Green Hero Travelogue seriously.
The moon set and the sun rose.
A new day arrived, and the Taicang Continent resumed its regular serenity.
As the disciples gathered for morning exercises, they all discussed the distant battle of the previous day, curious about what had happened.
When Gu An was practicing, he used his Divine Thought to survey the world.
Many regions were still heavily afflicted by Heavenly Demons, but fortunately, the Holy Court and the Immortal Dynasty were quicker to act, constantly exorcising demons and providing rescue.
In this calamity afflicting all beings, the Immortal Dynasty showed formidable prowess, quickly catching up to the Holy Court. As they saved more and more lives, Gu An distinctly felt the Qi Fortune of the Immortal Dynasty growing.
This catastrophe actually presented an opportunity for the Immortal Dynasty.
Gu An spotted An Hao’s figure; he was observing the battle, for the weakest of the Heavenly Demons also had Immortal Path cultivation, far beyond his current capability.
While observing the world, Shen Xinzi returned. Many disciples looked towards him, feeling that he must know what happened the previous day.
Not until the morning exercises concluded did Long Qing eagerly rush to Shen Xinzi, asking why he had left.
“Yesterday, Heavenly Demons descended. Fortunately, the crisis on this continent has been resolved,” Shen Xinzi replied, though his complexion appeared unnatural.
The battle from the day before triggered some foreign memories, leading him to suspect they were from his past life.
He had long been aware of his identity as a reincarnated Heavenly Demon, but through the years, he had resolved to embrace this fact. He believed that with a determined will, he would not become a demon; he even entertained the delusion of using his identity to convert Heavenly Demons.
“Heavenly Demon?” Long Qing’s eyes widened.
Shen Xinzi began to describe the terror of the Heavenly Demons, leaving Long Qing trembling with fear.
From afar, Gu An watched the scene with amusement; two reincarnated Heavenly Demons discussing the threats of their kin, neither aware of the other’s true identity.
He gestured to the Blood Prison Great Saint and then walked towards the Outer Gate City.
Although the battle in Outer Heaven hadn’t ended, he had lost interest in it for the time being, as it seemed inevitable that the Heavenly Demons would be repelled. He decided to visit the Outer Gate City for a change of scenery.
Elsewhere.
Three Pure Ones Mountain.
Li Ya sat meditating at the edge of a cliff, gazing up at the sky, seemingly lost in thought.
A soul approached, the Ancestor of Li Family who had once been hidden within Li Ya’s body.
“What are you thinking about?” The Ancestor of Li Family asked as he came beside Li Ya.
“Ancestor, what is like beyond the heavens? And how many levels are there in the Immortal Path?” Li Ya asked softly.
The Ancestor of Li Family replied, somewhat annoyed, “How would I know? You have already surpassed me in your lifetime. I am waiting for you to show me a broader world.”
Upon hearing this, Li Ya cracked a smile and then stood up, stretching languidly.
“Well, get ready, as I will soon leave the mountain to seek fortune. I’ve realized that traveling is necessary; secluded cultivation alone makes for slow progress in raising Cultivation Level. At this rate, I’m afraid I’ll fall further behind An Hao.”
Hearing Li Ya’s words, the Ancestor of Li Family showed a smile, saying, “I am indeed curious to see how formidable the Divine Exotic City is.”
The corners of Li Ya’s mouth lifted, his eyes filled with spirit.
“The Saint Ancestor said that an era of prodigy competition is nigh; I cannot be absent.”
As he spoke, he lifted his right hand, where a white flame blazed in his palm.
The Ancestor of Li Family looked at Li Ya, stroking his beard and smiling, filled with emotion.
In just four hundred years, this young man had achieved so much; it was hard to imagine the heights he would reach in the future.
Ancestor of Li Family recalled the scene of meeting Li Ya, his smile deepened.
…
In the cosmos, scorching heatwaves devastated the starry space.
Ancient Immortal Emperor and Saint Ancestor paused, their gazes focused on a distant silhouette.
Enshrouded in black fog, the figure seemed like a Demon Lord emerging from the Abyss, a terrifying visage.
His white hair flowed freely, crowned with a pair of forward-curving horns, his face pallid, with pupil-less eyes. He wore a black-feathered great robe, beneath which gleamed a chainmail shimmering with cold light.
He was none other than the Great Emperor of calamity, a Free Immortal among the Heavenly Demons.
Gazing at the calamitous Great Emperor, both the Ancient Immortal Emperor and Saint Ancestor had eyes filled with wariness.
The two sides had been clashing for months. The Ancient Immortal Emperor and Saint Ancestor, two against one, couldn’t gain the upper hand, managing only to halt the Great Emperor of calamity’s advancement and prevent him from stepping into the great expanse of the Great Heavenly Spirit Land.
“The Heavenly Demon’s essence has dwindled to a mere tenth, yet you persist with your purpose?” the Ancient Immortal Emperor asked with an icy tone.
The corners of the calamitous Great Emperor’s mouth curled up, revealing a sinister and odd smile. He said, “Do you really think I allowed the Heavenly Demons to invade the Great Heavenly Spirit Land just to kill some inconsequential Mortal Spirits?”
At these words, both the Ancient Immortal Emperor and Saint Ancestor’s expressions changed dramatically.
Before they could interrogate him further, the calamitous Great Emperor was engulfed by the surrounding black fog, which churned violently and began to expand rapidly.
The Ancient Immortal Emperor and Saint Ancestor immediately responded, casting their mighty Mana upon the black fog, but they could not dissipate it.
During the surging process, the black fog coalesced into a huge black sphere that, from a distance, resembled a black hole.
“What kind of Divine Skill is this?” the Ancient Immortal Emperor asked with a grim look on his face.
The Saint Ancestor gave no answer; he too couldn’t see through it, but a strong sense of unease welled up in his heart.
Meanwhile,
In the Taicang Continent, within a sub-sect of the Supreme Sect.
In a courtyard.
Gu An was drinking with Ye Lan and Zhen Qin. Zhen Qin was discussing recent major events in the sub-sect; an Elder oppressed a Disciple, leading to the Elder’s sudden and gruesome death, causing a stir throughout the sect.
Zhen Qin had the makings of a storyteller, with a tone that could emotionally engage listeners. Gu An was quite cooperative, showing a nervous expression at critical moments of the tale.
Ye Lan, on the other hand, watched Gu An and was occasionally amused by his expressions.
Suddenly, Zhen Qin stood up, drew her sword, and pointed it to one side, her eyes wide as she said, “That’s exactly what I did, holding my sword to that man’s neck, questioning him why he would harm his own master. Despite the evidence in front of him, he was still defiant, refusing to admit anything.”
Gu An was about to speak when he suddenly sensed something, his eyes subtly shifting.
Zhen Qin was about to continue her story when her expression changed abruptly.
Not only her, but Ye Lan’s expression also changed dramatically.
“What’s going on… why do I feel like something is grabbing me?” exclaimed Zhen Qin in horror, instinctively looking at Ye Lan.
Ye Lan’s body trembled as she spoke through gritted teeth, “Me too, I can’t break free.”
In Gu An’s eyes, a mysterious causality force intertwined around Ye Lan and Zhen Qin. It wasn’t just the two of them; within the sub-sect, many others were entangled by this force of causality.
He looked up to see the sky, which appeared a magnificent blue, but through his eyes, there appeared an intricate black net across the sky, beyond the reach of mortal beings. This black net seemed to connect with countless souls in the world.
Gu An’s Divine Thought followed the black net and saw the enormous black sphere in the universe. In that instant, he understood the calamitous Great Emperor’s Divine Skill.
No wonder there were so many Heavenly Demons reincarnating and seizing bodies; it was to merge into the rules of Heaven and Earth within the Great Heavenly Spirit Land.
Watching the trend of causality force exerted by the calamitous Great Emperor, it seemed he intended to pull many beings of the Great Heavenly Spirit Land into that black sphere.
Gu An saw that Long Qing was also entwined by this force of causality.
He immediately stood up and, feigning panic, grabbed Ye Lan’s shoulder to ask her what was wrong.
“Elder Brother… get away quickly…” Ye Lan said through clenched teeth, unable to shake his grip nor stand up.
“What’s happening? How could I possibly abandon you!”
Gu An exclaimed anxiously. Ye Lan was about to reply when suddenly the world spun around them.
The same sensation hit Zhen Qin.
Then, Gu An and the two women vanished into thin air.
At this moment, countless beings disappeared without a trace, causing an earth-shattering uproar within the Supreme Sect sub-sect.
Ye Lan clenched her eyes shut, feeling as if she was falling—a sensation even she, in the Divinity Transformation Realm, found extremely unbearable.
As she continued to fall, she gradually regained control of her body.
Soon, she felt her feet touch the ground.
A hand grasped her right hand, immediately calming her heart.
This was her Elder Brother’s hand!
She knew every line on his palms, there could be no mistake.
She then felt her eyes could open and immediately did so. What appeared before her was a sky shrouded in crimson, with countless figures descending from above like a torrential downpour.
Gu An and Zhen Qin stood beside her, atop a mountain peak, all looking at the sky in shock.
“Where is this place…” Zhen Qin asked with trembling voice, her beautiful eyes wide.
She followed the direction the figures were falling and saw a series of peaks stretching endlessly into the gloom.
Once all the figures landed, the crimson sky revealed a pair of immense eyes – those of the calamitous Great Emperor, looking down upon all beings within the world, as if searching for something.
“Mortal Spirits of Great Heavenly Spirit Land, this realm created by this Emperor is Jiuyuan World. No one can save you here. However, this Emperor is merciful and will offer you a sliver of hope.”
The voice of the calamitous Great Emperor resonated, like a dull thunder, echoing through the heavens and earth.