NOVPUBSeeing that Zhuimo was on the verge of collapse, Gu An couldn’t be bothered to explain. With a single stroke of the Lifespan Pen, he turned Zhuimo into ash, vanishing without a trace.
Throughout the entire process, Hao Long remained silent, staring blankly at Gu An. It wasn’t until Zhuimo disappeared that he finally snapped out of it.
He swallowed hard, his gaze toward Gu An filled with fear.
Gu An’s strength was beyond anything he’d imagined. After so many years apart, seeing such a terrifying method firsthand—how could he not be afraid?
Gu An found his expression amusing. His interest piqued, he stared at Hao Long, face expressionless.
That look made Hao Long even more terrified. He subconsciously backed away.
“About what happened today...” Gu An said slowly, deliberately dragging out his tone.
“I swear I won’t tell anyone! Please, Master, believe me!” Hao Long blurted out in panic.
Gu An spun the Lifespan Pen in his fingers, a smirk curling at his lips. “This pen can kill someone from very, very far away. If you break our agreement... you know what that means.”
Hao Long trembled from head to tail, nodding repeatedly in a frenzy of promises.
Gu An turned and walked toward the Spirit Tree. His move today was mainly to test whether the Lifespan Pen could truly seize lifespan.
The result was excellent—just as he’d hoped.
The Lifespan Pen was his own creation, crafted without relying on any external materials. From now on, seizing lifespan with it would be even easier.
This time, in dealing with Zhuimo, Gu An had killed over a hundred people—all directly connected to Zhuimo. They would’ve been drawn into this karmic grudge eventually, so Gu An simply brought their ends forward.
This was the Dao of Karma.
The ability to glimpse the evolution of all things—this was the foundation of walking the path of destiny.
The Dao of Karma was incredibly profound. Even though Gu An had only just touched upon it, he already possessed power beyond what ghosts and gods could fathom.
This strike earned him over forty thousand years of lifespan. At his current stage, such an amount wasn’t particularly significant.
Hao Long shrank his form and cautiously approached Gu An.
“Master... you’re the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path from the Taixuan Sect, right?” Hao Long asked nervously.
Without turning his head, Gu An replied, “The less you know, the safer you’ll be. Got it?”
Hao Long nodded instantly, scared stiff by the words.
Man and dragon arrived beneath the Spirit Tree. The Spirit Tree extended two vines, gently massaging Gu An’s shoulders. Hao Long was left wide-eyed and speechless at the sight.
Two hours later, Gu An and Hao Long left the Eight Views Celestial Realm—Gu An headed toward Tianya Valley, while Hao Long went to find cultivators from the Gu Hao Sect.
In the bustling Taixuan Sect, no one knew that a Profound Mind Realm cultivator had just been reduced to ashes.
After the Spring Festival, Gu An’s life returned to peace. He roamed the various Medicine Valleys, sometimes bringing An Xin along to Mortal Peak, other times visiting Ye Lan or Zhen Qin alone.
The sects whose herbs had been mysteriously picked also gradually calmed down. Even the Holy Court couldn’t trace the cause and eventually gave up. Besides, it hadn’t happened again recently.
Even though he’d reached the Free Soaring Immortal Stage, Gu An wasn’t slowing down. He was still expanding the supply of high-grade herbs within the Hidden Realm.
Time flew.
In the blink of an eye, five years passed.
Outside the heavens, the number of Heaven Demons had exceeded five million. They prowled through the cosmos, ready to tear the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm apart.
The Holy Court, the Immortal Dynasty, and major sects were all on high alert. They spread their forces across the land, determined to block any infiltration.
On a massive meteor, two men cloaked in black demonic aura stood side by side. Their appearances were strikingly similar, both clad in black scale armor, though one was noticeably taller.
“The Holy Court still hasn’t made a move. Looks like our intel was right.”
“Could the previous disturbance have been the reincarnation of Saint Heaven?”
“Most likely. Only Saint Heaven within the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm could cause such commotion.”
“If that’s the case, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“His Majesty’s target is that emperor. We mustn’t forget.”
The two black-armored men spoke in low voices, their gazes locked on the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm, filled with hostility.
In the middle of their conversation, they suddenly sensed something and turned in unison. From the darkness, thick fog came rolling toward them.
Their expressions shifted slightly—and then they vanished.
It was the turn of spring and summer.
Gu An sat under a tree, sharing drinks with Xuantian Yi, discussing writing.
Xuantian Yi was a huge fan of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and thought it was on par with Journey to the West.
“I used to think Romance of the Gods was already the peak. I didn’t expect you to write Journey to the West and Three Kingdoms. You’re amazing! Why can’t I write stories like that?” Xuantian Yi looked at Gu An with heartfelt admiration.
Gu An shook his head. “Your Adventures of the Green Hero isn’t bad. Just stick to writing that one—make it long, and it’ll become a classic someday.”
When he tried writing serious books, Xuantian Yi found them dull. He’d written a lot over the years, but none had made a splash.
“Really? But lots of people feel embarrassed to admit they like Adventures of the Green Hero,” Xuantian Yi said doubtfully.
Gu An asked, “Do you want to write something that lots of people read but rarely talk about, or do you want to write something a small group of people treasure for a lifetime?”
That question left Xuantian Yi deep in thought.
Just then, a deafening boom rang from the sky, startling both of them into looking up. So did everyone else in the valley.
A spectacular meteor shower lit up the sky. Countless meteors trailed blazing smoke, piercing the cloud sea. The doomsday-like scene stirred unease in all who witnessed it.
“What is that?” Gu An frowned, though inwardly he thought—It’s finally here.
The Heaven Demons had begun their invasion. Led by a Free Soaring Immortal, they had easily breached the outer defenses. Hidden within those meteors were numerous demons.
“No idea. I’ll go check it out,” said Xuantian Yi before disappearing.
Gu An stood up and walked toward his pavilion.
An Xin rushed over, worried. “Master, what is that?”
“I don’t know yet. But we’re inside the Taixuan Sect. We’re safe.” Gu An answered calmly.
That answer reassured her. She could tell from his tone—those mysterious entities from beyond couldn’t threaten her Master.
As he walked, Gu An looked up. He could see one meteor heading straight for the Taicang Continent.
Shen Xinzi had already gone to intercept it, ready to defend the land.
Gu An didn’t plan to step in. After his breakthrough, the Heaven Demons arrived—there might be some scheme behind this. As long as the continent could handle the crisis, he’d let others prove themselves.
The Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path hadn’t acted for a long time. Even though conflicts arose in the Taixuan Sect daily, Gu An never interfered.
This made his stance clear to the world.
As long as it didn’t threaten the foundation of the Taixuan Sect or the safety of the continent, the Sword Sovereign wouldn’t lift a finger.
By the time Gu An entered his room, Shen Xinzi had already shattered the meteor. From within burst a swarm of Heaven Demons—the strongest among them had reached the Roving Immortal Stage. They swarmed Shen Xinzi, dragging him into a fierce battle.
Nine-Fingered Divine Lord rushed to assist. Cultivators across the continent also joined the fray.
The Taicang Continent was just one battleground. Wars erupted across all regions.
In the outer heavens, the battle raged on. Ancient Immortal Emperors from the Immortal Dynasty and the Saint Ancestors of the Holy Court joined forces against Free Soaring Immortal demons. Even Divine Soul Immortals unleashed their powers.
Seven powerful beings emerged from the sun to join the war—Phoenix, True Dragon, Qilin, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, Azure Bird, and Kun!
Their foes were equally colossal—ferocious beasts from the Oblivion Domain.
The battlefield rapidly expanded. From the center of the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm, fighting spread in all directions.
The Sun and Moon Underworld Emperor stepped out of his home, gazing calmly at the firmament.
At that moment, Long Qing passed in front of him, staring into the distance with a tight frown.
The Underworld Emperor’s eyes narrowed as he looked at him.
After the Heaven Demons descended, Long Qing had been plagued with uncontrollable aggression. That’s why he wandered about, trying to calm himself.
“Why is his karmic thread shifting...?” thought the Underworld Emperor in surprise.
And at this moment?
This boy must be tied to the Heaven Demons!
His interest in Long Qing deepened. He’d always suspected Long Qing had a special physique.
Before long, a fierce wind swept through—just one of the many shockwaves from the great battle.
Gu An sat at his desk, holding Adventures of the Green Hero, his divine sense scanning the world.
The foundation of the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm was solid. In such a short time, countless Divine Soul Immortals, Dao-Void Celestial Immortals, and Mystic Celestial Immortals had emerged.
At this rate, the Heaven Demons would not be able to shake the Great Realm.
Once the Free Soaring Immortal war ended, this conflict would come to a close.
But Gu An noticed something strange—many Heaven Demons didn’t fight. Instead, they snuck into the mortal world. Some possessed living beings; others disintegrated and merged into the cycle of reincarnation, drawn into the heavenly vortex above.
Gu An suddenly realized—this batch of Heaven Demons might not all be from the same faction. Those that didn’t fight were somehow karmically tied to Long Qing. They were likely here for him.
His divine sense fell upon Falling Moon Divine Lake.
It, too, was under demon attack—worse still, a Mystic Celestial Immortal-level demon was watching them.
Gu An had his eyes on the lake for one reason—Zhu Xi, the bearer of the Primal Devouring Body.
Under his watch, Zhu Xi fled alone, riding her sword and holding an oil lamp that kept her hidden.
By dusk, with the Taicang Continent’s crisis resolved, she landed on a remote island and hid in the forest, the lamp still burning.
But she hadn’t noticed the demon already on that island. Though it was only at the Scattered Immortal Stage, it was far beyond what she could handle.
Her oil lamp couldn’t hide her from its gaze.
The demon was approaching.
Sitting cross-legged and meditating, Zhu Xi frowned. She opened her eyes and scanned the area, panic rising in her heart.
She had a dreadful feeling—disaster was near.
And she trusted her instincts. That’s why she was terrified.
Because she realized—danger was closing in from every direction.
There was nowhere to run.
