https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-136-Breaking-Through-the-Ninth-Layer-of-the-Nirvana-Realm-/12575482/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-138-Are-There-Immortals-in-This-World-/12575486/
Chapter 137: The First Step Towards Immortality, I, the True Immortal Among Men
Chapter 137: The First Step Towards Immortality, I, the True Immortal Among Men
Gu An raised his eyes to look at the red-clad woman, sensing the dense demonic energy emanating from her.
Demonic beings capable of complete shape-shifting were usually powerful demons, yet this demon's demonic energy was only comparable to the ninth layer of the Qi Refining Realm, which was rather peculiar.
Without hesitation, he sent out a probe to scrutinize her lifespan.
Demoness Tian Yao'er (Qi Refining Realm, 9th Layer): 17/999/18,000
Hmm?
Her maximum lifespan exceeded even that of the Yellow Spring Demon Emperor, setting a new record for Gu An's knowledge of demonic talent.
Setting aside the Spirit Tree, the highest maximum lifespan belonged to the Datura Ghost Mother, who could live up to 54,000 years. However, being a ghost, she wasn't a suitable comparison.
Gu An couldn't help but sigh. The path of humankind was truly challenging, burdened by a lifespan limited to less than 10,000 years.
Of course, humans had higher spiritual comprehension than demons and ghosts. At least, Gu An hadn't come across any demon or ghost cultivators who cultivated faster than Li Xuandao.
Gu An's thoughts wandered as he awaited the completion of his breakthrough.
The transformation of spiritual power into magical power brought about a profound change in strength, and Gu An felt that he could now effortlessly crush his pre-breakthrough self.
Perhaps this was the true path of immortality!
He had crossed the first of the Nine Heavens of Immortal Cultivation and was no longer an ordinary spiritual being.
However, unlike other cultivators, his breakthrough did not bring about an increase in lifespan. Perhaps because he had cheated the system and avoided the Heavenly Tribulation, his lifespan could only be extended through acquisition and not through cultivation milestones.
But that wasn't a problem, as he was already adept at stealing lifespans.
When the Lifespan Barrier stopped drawing spiritual energy from Tianhuang Mountain, the entire mountain fell into a silence that was oppressively heavy.
Gu An sensed that the vast majority of the demonic creatures were fleeing Tianhuang Mountain. In the eyes of these beings, such an anomaly signaled impending disaster.
Time flew by.
After Gu An's cultivation reached the ninth layer of the Nirvana Realm, he remained immersed in a profound state of awareness.
He slowly opened his eyes and checked the consumption of the Lifespan Barrier. This breakthrough had cost him nearly 50,000 years of lifespan.
In other words, he had consumed a total of 454,000 years to reach the ninth layer of the Nirvana Realm! He still had 1,920,000 years of lifespan remaining, not including the odd years!
Not bad!
Gu An stood up and took out a black robe. As he put it on, he glanced at Demoness Tian Yao'er in the distance.
With his newfound abilities, he could now see things that most mortals couldn't. He noticed strands of gray qi on Tian Yao'er, and when he probed it with his spiritual sense, he witnessed scenes from Tian Yao'er's past.
Could this be the legendary karma? Gu An began to explore Tian Yao'er's past, which was why he hadn't immediately released the Lifespan Barrier.
After the breakthrough, the consumption of the Lifespan Barrier slowed down significantly, so keeping it active for a little longer wouldn't result in much loss.
Once Gu An finished dressing, he released the Lifespan Barrier and walked towards Tian Yao'er.
His ability to scrutinize karma wasn't particularly strong, allowing him to only view the past decade of Tian Yao'er's karma, unable to extrapolate into the future.
Being able to see the past decade was already impressive!
In just a few breaths, Gu An had witnessed the last ten years of Tian Yao'er's life.
Gu An approached Tian Yao'er and crouched down to pick up her unconscious body. He then carried her towards the edge of the forest.
The moonlight bathed them, elongating their shadows.
...
Demoness Tian Yao'er had a nightmare. She dreamed of being surrounded by a group of demons who wanted to tear her apart and boil her into a soup offering for the Demon Mother.
She jolted awake, sitting up on the ground and panting heavily.
Instinctively, she looked around and realized she was in a cave. Her gaze fell on the flickering fire, and she noticed a figure meditating beside it. Startled, she quickly scooted back, pressing herself against the wall.
"You..." Tian Yao'er was still shaken and didn't know what to say.
She looked more closely and saw that the person was clad in black, their face hidden behind a mask, shrouded in mystery.
It was Gu An!
At that moment, Gu An was immersed in the power of the Nirvana Realm. His spiritual sense covered a vast expanse, and he could even see the entirety of the Nine Kingdoms from his position on Tianhuang Mountain. This newfound perception fascinated him.
Was this the realm of immortality?
Gu An felt like a true immortal among men, capable of anything.
Tian Yao'er's gaze fell on a bottle of pills on the ground, and after a moment's hesitation, she took a cautious step forward. She picked up the bottle, opened it, and the fragrant smell that wafted out brightened her eyes. Without hesitation, she poured the pills into her mouth.
After swallowing the pills, she felt her strength returning, an indescribable sensation.
She felt refreshed!
She noticed that her wounds had scabbed over, and she instinctively scooted back, pressing herself against the wall again, her body curling up as she used her robe to cover her muddy feet.
Once she calmed down, she realized that the black-robed man had saved her.
She studied Gu An curiously, finding his aura unfamiliar.
Since she had hatched, she had never encountered a human cultivator.
She had been raised by the Demon Mother since she was young, and the red robe she wore had been passed down to her by the Demon Mother.
Time passed.
Gu An retracted his spiritual sense and slowly opened his eyes. He turned his head, and the eyes visible above his mask met Tian Yao'er's, causing her to freeze for a moment before snapping back to her senses.
"Thank you, Senior, for saving me..."
Tian Yao'er whispered, sounding like a timid kitten.
Gu An asked, "Now, what do you plan to do?"
Based on his earlier investigation, Tian Yao'er was a demon raised by a Demon King of the Fusion Realm. There were other demons in the cage, all of them young and capable of shape-shifting, indicating their exceptional talent.
Due to the sudden sinking of spiritual energy, the demons believed that a catastrophe was about to occur, so they began to migrate. During their journey, they encountered powerful demons, leading to a battle. In the chaos of the fight, Tian Yao'er escaped.
After that, she fled straight into Gu An's path.
Perhaps it was because they both lacked parents, but Gu An felt a twinge of sympathy for Tian Yao'er. He didn't immediately leave.
Tian Yao'er hesitated, unsure how to respond. She, too, felt lost.
"Now I give you two choices. One, I will take you out of Tianhuang Mountain and send you far away to survive. Two, from now on, serve me as your master, and I will protect your safety."
As Gu An's voice rang out, Tian Yao'er's eyes reflected her inner turmoil.
Tian Yao'er gritted her teeth and asked, "Can you take revenge for me? My parents were killed by the Demon Mother of Tianhuang. As long as you avenge me, I will follow you forever."
"The Demon Mother of Tianhuang is too powerful. I am not her match, but I can teach you cultivation methods so you can take your revenge in the future." Gu An replied.
The Demon Mother of Tianhuang was at the Fusion Realm, and she was definitely not a match for Gu An, but he didn't want to reveal his true strength.
From Tian Yao'er's memories, he learned that the Demon Mother had lived for thousands of years. Killing her would likely only net him a double-digit increase in lifespan, so there was no need to expose his true cultivation.
Even if Gu An wanted Tian Yao'er to take care of his new cave abode, he didn't want to reveal his true power.
One must always keep a trump card!
He was merely at the first realm of immortality, and true invincibility was still far off. What if someone traveled back in time to kill him in the future?
He wanted everyone to be unsure of when he had become so powerful!
Disappointment flashed in Tian Yao'er's eyes, but she quickly reasoned that it was normal. She had never heard of anyone stronger than the Demon Mother of Tianhuang.
She asked cautiously, "If I follow you in cultivation, do I have hope for revenge?"
"At least there's one more hope, isn't there?"
"Okay, then I'll follow you!"
Gu An waved his sleeve, and the ground behind him suddenly caved in. Then, water gushed from the bottom, quickly forming a pool.
"Go and wash up," Gu An said as he stood up and walked towards the cave entrance.
Tian Yao'er hurriedly got up and asked anxiously, "Where are you going?"
"I'll take a look outside. I'll come back when you're done washing."
Without pausing, Gu An waved his hand.
Tian Yao'er stared at his retreating back, wanting to say something but stopping short.
For some reason, Gu An's attitude made her like him even more.
Perhaps following him would lead to a better life than before.
Tian Yao'er turned around and walked to the pool. As she looked at the water, she thought in amazement, "He seems so powerful. Could it be that he's really not a match for the Demon Mother?"
On the other side.
Gu An walked out of the cave, and the sunlight shone down on him.
He stood halfway up the mountain, surrounded by flowers, grass, and trees, but his vision remained unobstructed.
Following his gaze, one could see the undulating mountains and misty landscapes, like a fairyland, making it hard to associate such beauty with a place inhabited by demons.
Gu An's spiritual sense spread out as he began searching for a suitable location to establish his cave abode. He wanted to create a place of his own.
For now, he would start by creating an underground cave abode and settling Tian Yao'er in before returning to his previous tasks.
Fortunately, he had already prepared various formation materials, so he could at least set up a hidden cave abode and improve it continuously over time.
Soon, Gu An locked onto a spiritual vein and decided to establish his cave abode next to it.
He left behind a Yin-Yang clone, and his main body disappeared from the spot.
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Tian Yao'er crouched by the fire, her hands hugging her legs, the firelight reflecting off her delicate face. Her gaze fixed on the fire, her eyes vacant as if lost in thought.
Only when she heard footsteps approaching through the cave did she snap out of her reverie and quickly stand up.
Soon, Gu An entered the cave and saw that Tian Yao'er had cleaned herself up, which pleased him.
She had a pretty face, and having her help him take care of the cave abode in the future would be a pleasure to behold.
Gu An waved his sleeve, sending a gentle breeze toward Tian Yao'er, ruffling her long hair and causing her clothes to flutter. The view beneath her garments caused Gu An to look away.
Tian Yao'er felt her hair become suddenly voluminous, and her clothes dried as the dampness disappeared from her body.
Gu An raised his hand and summoned Tian Yao'er in front of him, then grabbed her shoulders, and they both disappeared from the cave.
Tian Yao'er felt dizzy and nauseous as the world spun around her. She couldn't open her eyes, and her spiritual sense was also affected, causing her to instinctively hold onto Gu An's waist.
Soon, she felt her feet touch the ground, and the nausea dissipated.
When she opened her eyes, she was amazed by what she saw.
They had arrived in a vast underground space, almost as large as the Xuantian Cave Abode. The walls were adorned with various spirit stones, emitting a radiant glow, and the dense spiritual energy filled Tian Yao'er with a sense of comfort.
This cave abode had been crafted by Gu An himself, and at first glance, it seemed like a natural wonder, with its structure resembling the work of gods.
"From now on, you will live here. First, heal your injuries, and don't go out. This is still Tianhuang Mountain. If you get bored, you can read some books." Gu An took out books like Investiture of the Gods and The Grand Sovereign of the Three Mysteries from his sleeve and placed them on the ground.
After saying this, he disappeared from the spot.
Tian Yao'er crouched down, picked up a copy of Investiture of the Gods, and flipped through it, her face filled with confusion.
She couldn't read.
(End of Chapter)
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