Gu An was immersed in the extreme memories, experiencing his heart-wrenching life.
At the same time, Gu An’s understanding of the Ultimate Battle Technique deepened. Although it was called a combat skill, it was actually the way of extremes. He combined all his cultivation techniques, divine skills, and spells into the Ultimate Battle Technique, forming a combat system unique to himself.
Through this memory, Gu An could confirm that the Taichu Period was immeasurably distant from the present, perhaps impossible to measure in millions or tens of millions of years.
Taichu Period, Ancient Times, Middle Ages, Taoist Period…
Each period was separated by countless years, and in the Taichu Period, one could still encounter Li Ya, Li Xuandao, and Lv Xian, but in the later Ancient Times, their legends were no longer to be found.
Yang Jian didn’t even survive until the Taichu Period.
Gu An thought of many things, but he didn’t feel that the future was already set, nor did he worry about those friends who did not appear in the extremities of his life.
Rather, he experienced the life of the extreme.
In the same realm, the combat power of the extreme was incredibly fearsome. Apart from fighting, all his time was spent cultivating, and judging by the rapid strengthening of his Ultimate Battle Technique, he had devoted most of his life span to it.
After Gu An inherited all the memories, he felt that the Ultimate Battle Technique might be stronger than any method he currently possessed.
Having reached the Free Immortal Realm, he did not become arrogant but instead felt a strong unease, which was also why he chose to become stronger by battling through the River of Time.
The River of Time was different from the River of Destiny; it allowed one to traverse the past and future. The reason for choosing the past was because the extreme felt that what was past had already gone, and he would not feel as much guilt when killing.
In fact, the extreme did not kill indiscriminately and even admired some opponents. Because he let many enemies go, his life span was not as long as Gu An had anticipated.
Both were belligerent, but the extreme led a life without shame, never killing innocents or those without enmity, at most leaving them to their fate.
Thinking about the extreme’s battles, Gu An felt that in terms of combat talent, the extreme was stronger. He could even say that he had never seen a stronger being than the extreme.
If the extreme hadn’t been hunted by immortals, his potential would be unimaginable.
After entering the Tao Fruit Realm, the extreme’s combat talent was clearly stronger. None of the ten thousand immortals he faced was of a lower realm than him, and each possessed outstanding divine skills. Every one of them brought a sense of pressure that surpassed any opponent he had faced in his earlier life.
Yet even so, the extreme was able to break out of the encirclement of ten thousand enemies who were of a higher realm than himself.
As for the Heavenly Spirit God he faced last, that guy was indeed terrifyingly powerful, decidedly many levels above the extreme.
Gu An opened his eyes, and instead of immediately returning to the North Sea Mountain, he had another idea.
He wanted to fight with the extreme!
Even though the extreme was him, he just wanted to spar with another self.
The aura of the extreme was too strong; even in death before the Heavenly Spirit God, he had not felt fear or dread.
Just do it!
Gu An’s mind stirred.
[Simulating a battle with the extreme will consume 1,000,000 years of life span. Do you wish to continue?]
Continue!
Gu An’s eyes hardened, and his consciousness plunged into the simulation.
Both were Taoist Hidden Immortals, but Gu An was still in the Perfect Realm.
Gu An liked battling lower realms from a higher one, but that didn’t mean he had no demands for his own combat strength.
The battle lasted for several Ancient Hours until night fell.
Gu An opened his eyes, his brow furrowed.
He had actually lost!
He couldn’t beat the extreme!
The combat power of the extreme’s Ultimate Battle Technique was simply too strong. No matter what combat skill he used, the extreme could find a way to counter it in an extremely short time.
Gu An felt somewhat depressed. He had never tried so hard, yet he still lost.
Losing to himself was not a big deal, but it still irked him.
He had to look into the Ultimate Battle Technique later!
Gu An stood up, looking towards the North Sea Mountain, where he saw Sage Xuan Miao cultivating and not rushed by his disappearance.
Seeing this, he decided to return to the Supreme Sect first.
He vanished on the spot.
Thirty minutes later, Gu An sat in the attic of the Third Medicine Valley, reviewing the previous fight, repeatedly reassessing, and looking for ways to defeat the extreme.
His mana was a bit stronger than the extreme’s, but clearly, the extreme had invested far more life span into the Ultimate Battle Technique than he had into Daoist Sorcery. Moreover, the extreme’s combat talent was truly exaggerated, the whole process filled with pressure, and without any flaw.
He sat from night until morning.
Only when the sounds of disciples practicing came from outside the window did he finally wake up.
He couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Was he really influenced by the extreme? Why did he care so much about winning and losing?
Wasn’t he pursuing the joy of high realms battling lower ones?
If he ever reached the extreme’s period of the Tianyuan, it was unimaginable how terrifying he would be then, and the extreme wouldn’t be worth mentioning in his eyes.
Gu An found that the Reincarnation Evolution absorbed character traits from the evolution, fortunately only the good ones, at least he had not inherited Long Zhan’s brutality.
“I have a goal now…”
Gu An silently thought. He wanted to comprehend the Ultimate Battle Technique, and he also thought of Long Zhan’s divine skill.
Heavenly Dragon Reincarnation Dharma Aspect!
This divine skill could condense the self of a past life to fight alongside oneself, perfectly fitting for Lifespan Samsara.
Gu An had realized that all his reincarnations were battle maniacs: the more numerous they became, the stronger the Heavenly Dragon Reincarnation Dharma Aspect would grow.
In a sense, the more times one reincarnated, the stronger the Heavenly Dragon Reincarnation Dharma Aspect became.
The Dharma Aspect conjured by the Heavenly Dragon Reincarnation could retain the main body’s battle will, but lacked independent thought, only capable of battle, not of serving as doubles.
Imagining the future, Gu An raised his hand as myriad past lives stood behind him—how spectacular was that vision?
The Divine Skills created by Long Zhan, like the Ultimate Battle Technique, had immeasurable potential.
Gu An took a deep breath and ceased to dwell on the comparison of strengths and weaknesses with the Polar Extreme.
Even if he failed, so be it—then he would just continue to grow stronger!
It was precisely the right time to temper pride and complacency.
Gu An stood up, then went downstairs, ready to practice drills with his disciples.
Just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, Ji Xiaoyu also came out, saying she wanted to join him in practice. He did not refuse.
During the drill practice, Gu An could feel Ji Xiaoyu observing him.
After blending the Polar Extreme’s life memories, there came about a certain change in Gu An’s demeanor, one he couldn’t completely revert to as it was before merging those memories. He wasn’t afraid of Ji Xiaoyu seeing through him—after all, if he simply refused to admit it, what could she do?
After the practice was over, Ji Xiaoyu invited Gu An to her room, and he did not refuse.
Once inside, they sat down opposite each other at the table.
Ji Xiaoyu stared at Gu An, saying, “You’ve acquired some aura of reincarnation about you. Where did you go yesterday?”
Gu An replied, “Off to save the world—why do you ask? Can you see who I was in my past life?”
A mere Reincarnation Path Emperor, could he measure up to the Polar Extreme?
Speaking of which, the Polar Extreme had once visited the Yin Yang Domain in later generations, sweeping through all the strong beings there, even compelling the Yin Yang Domain to erect an imperial stele in his honor.
“I can’t see through it; I suddenly suspect that you are just like me—we both may be reincarnations of some Great Power.” Ji Xiaoyu said, her face unexpectedly breaking into a smile.
Gu An raised his eyebrows, “How could that be? I’ve not received memories of a past life, I haven’t even dreamt anything.”
“That’s because the karma of your reincarnation is still dormant, and your cultivation speed is too slow.”
Ji Xiaoyu laughed, but then suddenly remembered something and her brow furrowed again.
If Gu An was like her, didn’t that mean their future was already destined?
Both of them would eventually become just a memory for someone else, all their experiences belonging not to the ones who truly lived them but to their original selves.
At that thought, Ji Xiaoyu looked at Gu An with a different gleam in her eyes.
At this moment, she sensed the force of destiny.
Was it fate that led her to meet Gu An?
Seeing her spirits somewhat dampened, Gu An changed the subject, “So, who do you think was stronger in our past lives, you or me?”
Ji Xiaoyu’s soul was that of the Reincarnation Path Emperor, and they were one and the same. Even Gu An couldn’t extricate her from the Reincarnation Path Emperor’s being.
Without a soul and only having memories, she wouldn’t be the real her.
It was an unsolvable issue, only time could soothe the regret.
“Of course, I was stronger. Judging from the karma of reincarnation, the number of my reincarnations far exceeds yours, and for beings of that realm, the number of reincarnations indicates the height of their Dao level.”
Ji Xiaoyu stated as matter-of-factly, prompting Gu An to want to laugh.
The Reincarnation Path Emperor hadn’t even transcended the Reincarnation Tribulation, how could he be compared to Gu An’s past life?
Let alone outmatching the Polar Extreme and Long Zhan, it seemed doubtful that the Reincarnation Path Emperor could even defeat Lu Han.
The two of them continued to chat, and Ji Xiaoyu began to speak of the battles she had dreamed about—the epic battles of the Reincarnation Path Emperor against formidable enemies, which excited Gu An greatly.
Of course, the emotion was feigned; he had to put on a show for Ji Xiaoyu.
While chatting with Ji Xiaoyu, Gu An was reflecting upon more.
He thought about incorporating the Polar Extreme’s cultivation methods into his teachings for his disciples, which might make them stronger.
He would start with An Xin!
Nobody could possibly possess the Polar Extreme’s battle talent, but if An Xin could achieve a mere one ten-thousandth of the Polar Extreme’s combat achievement, even she could sweep through her peers.
Regrettably, the Polar Extreme’s life had not intersected with An Hao’s, leaving the future of An Hao an unwritten story.
As it stood, though An Hao could not compare to the Polar Extreme, both had different growing environments, and the future remained uncertain.
…
Late at night.
Hidden Spirit Palace.
Gu An was instructing the Deep Sea Dragon Carp in cultivation; after shape-shifting, the Deep Sea Dragon Carp, clad in white, looked even more feminine with her black hair neatly pinned up.
He intended to reprimand the Deep Sea Dragon Carp, but found her transformed appearance quite pleasing to the eye, so he held back the critique.
The Deep Sea Dragon Carp, receiving direct guidance from Gu An, was very joyful, speaking even more tenderly than An Xin and Ye Lan, sometimes drawing Gu An’s gaze to linger.
Once Gu An finished instructing, he lay back in the chair to read.
The Deep Sea Dragon Carp, practicing her Step Technique beside him, inquired, “Master, I’ve been reading the book you gave me. Do you think I might have a chance to turn into a dragon someday?”
She was named Long Li because she carried the blood of Ancient True Dragons.
Deep in her bones, she yearned for the stature of an Ancient True Dragon.
Gu An, flipping through the pages of Green Hero Travelogue, casually responded, “Keep cultivating well, and in the future, whatever you wish to do or become, you might have the chance.”
Hearing this, the Deep Sea Dragon Carp felt greatly inspired and practiced the Stepping Path of Ages Step with even more diligence.