https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-167-The-Green-Hero-Emerges-The-Nine-Cultivators-Under-Heaven/12575561/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-169-Descending-Upon-the-Ocean-Merging-Cultivation-Techniques/12575737/
Chapter 168: Breaking Through to a Lifespan of Millions of Years!
Chapter 168: Breaking Through to a Lifespan of Millions of Years!
Dark clouds swirled in the sky, casting the vast land below into a gloomy darkness. Rivers of lava flowed across the earth, and from above, it looked as if the ground was cracked, emitting a scorching heat. Amidst the haze, sparks of fire danced, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
Volcanoes stretched as far as the eye could see, some still spewing forth molten rock. Countless demons and monsters circled amidst the mountains, and even fish leaped out from the lava, causing white bones to sink and float.
Upon the peak of a majestic volcano stood an altar, where a man clad in a black robe sat in meditation. His robe was large, and his hair was long, giving the initial impression that the black robe occupied a third of the altar's surface. A long tail, covered in black scales, snaked out from beneath the robe and rested on the edge of the altar.
In front of the black-robed man was a huge skeleton with a bronze mirror placed upon it. The mirror seemed to be filled with a surging demonic energy, as if countless evil spirits were struggling to break free.
A formidable demon with the head of a tiger and the body of a human rode on demonic clouds and landed next to the altar.
"Great Demon Master, his Majesty the Demon Emperor is preparing to visit the ancient tomb of the Demon Ancestor. Will you be accompanying him?" The tiger-headed demon respectfully asked, his fists clenched in a formal salute.
The black-robed man on the altar was the Demon Master, a figure second only to the Demon Emperor in the realm of demons and monsters.
Casually, the Demon Master replied, "Tell his Majesty that my divination is at a critical juncture, and I cannot accompany him on this journey."
The tiger-headed demon asked further, "His Majesty asked me to inquire: in the event that the Demon Ancestor regains his senses ahead of time, what should he do?"
"Rest assured, the Demon Ancestor's soul is long gone, and his consciousness has been obliterated by the heavens. Without finding a suitable soul, there is no possibility of his resurrection."
"But... his Majesty needs an answer." The tiger-headed demon hesitated, his words causing the Demon Master to fall silent. The Demon Master's tail, which had been swaying gently, stilled, heightening the tension in the tiger-headed demon.
After a long pause, the Demon Master spoke in a low voice, "Should he truly regain his senses, then let his Majesty destroy him."
"Yes, I will convey your message." The tiger-headed demon's tension eased, and he quickly bid farewell before departing.
Only when the tiger-headed demon had disappeared from view did the Demon Master slowly raise his head. His face was a horrifying sight—half of it was nothing but white bone, and his eyes seemed ready to fall from their sockets. Two sharp fangs protruded from his mouth like daggers.
His blood-red irises fixed on the bronze mirror before him as he murmured, "Why has the heavenly mandate changed..."
...
During the late autumn season, in the Inner Sect's library.
Gu An ascended to the third floor and sought out Elder Xu Lu, inquiring, "Recently, another batch of overseas disciples have returned, including a Grand Elder. Do we have any ocean maps?"
Xu Lu glanced up at him and smiled. "You've asked me this three times already, but indeed, your patience has paid off."
He opened a drawer and took out a jade slip, explaining, "The map is stored within. You can view it with your spiritual sense, but you cannot take it with you. You'll have to study it here."
"Thank you, Elder," Gu An expressed his gratitude and then made his way to a nearby chair with the jade slip in hand.
He wasn't worried about arousing suspicion. Should anyone investigate, he could always reveal his identity as Pan An, which would provide a reasonable explanation.
With Pan An as his inspiration, Gu An's natural lifespan had now reached nine million nine hundred and fifty thousand years. He was just five thousand years shy of the million-year milestone.
For Gu An, five thousand years was hardly an issue. If he wanted to take it slow, he could simply wait another month. But if he wanted to expedite the process, he could venture to the Cave of the Ancient Stars and gather celestial treasures.
Seated, Gu An extended his spiritual sense into the jade slip.
Immediately, he beheld a vast ocean. From high above, he could make out the edges of the Great Cang Empire, beyond which lay the ocean. The edges of the map were shrouded in fog, symbolizing the unknown.
As far as he could discern, there didn't seem to be any landmass larger than the current continent. There were only islands of varying sizes, some as large as the Great Cang Empire itself.
When he focused his spiritual sense on a particular point, his vision surged forward, allowing him to witness the ocean's grandeur. Even the shadows of sea beasts could be seen beneath the waves.
The creator of this jade slip was likely a highly skilled cultivator, perhaps even a Grand Elder.
An hour later, Gu An withdrew his spiritual sense from the jade slip. He stood, approached Xu Lu, and returned the jade slip with a sense of awe. "The ocean truly is immense."
Xu Lu placed the jade slip back into the drawer and asked with a smile, "You've been studying ocean maps. Are you thinking of running away?"
Gu An replied with conviction, "How could that be? I believe in the Tai Xuan Sect's ability to overcome the Demon-Monster Calamity. Why would I need to flee? I'm merely curious about this world."
Xu Lu laughed. "Quite a few people have come to me for ocean maps recently, even True Disciples. I thought the Tai Xuan Sect was on the brink of disbandment."
Gu An asked, "What about you, Elder? If the Tai Xuan Sect needed all its disciples to fight a decisive battle, what would you choose?"
Xu Lu smiled in response. "This old bag of bones is prepared to be buried within the Tai Xuan Sect. I've even prepared my tombstone in advance."
Gu An couldn't help but reveal a look of admiration.
The two chatted for a while longer before Gu An bade farewell and departed.
As Gu An descended the stairs, a figure emerged from the staircase leading upward. It was a veiled woman dressed in a simple Daoist robe, her hair pinned up with wooden hairpins. She approached Xu Lu and bowed.
Xu Lu returned the greeting and asked with a smile, "Senior, what can I do for you?"
The veiled woman produced a stack of jade slips from her sleeve and said, "If that disciple comes looking for maps again, you can give him these.
Xu Lu took the jade slips, and he couldn't help but ask, "Do you know him?"
"You could say I'm aware of him. Someone wants to take him on as a disciple, and he has another identity worth cultivating," the veiled woman said, leaving with these words and vanishing into thin air.
Xu Lu looked at the jade slips on the table and muttered, "Another identity? He's just a Foundation Establishment cultivator who reads idle books all day. What kind of identity could he have? Could he be Pan An?"
"Impossible. How could Pan An be a fan of 'Spring Seeking Daoist' novels? Could he be the author of the 'Tai Xuan Secret Manual,' writing under his real name?"
...
Winter arrived, and the first snow of the year came late.
As night fell, Gu An first went to the Xuantian Cave to harvest a batch of medicinal herbs and then replanted them.
After leaving the Xuantian Cave, he took about ten steps before arriving at Tianhuang Mountain's Nianchu Cave.
Tian Yao'er was cultivating the Ultimate Free Step, her figure constantly shifting. Although she wasn't far away, there was already an air of mystical prowess about her movements.
This demoness truly had high comprehension abilities, but to cultivate the technique to the level of a hundred or a thousand li would still require a lot of hard work and many years of practice. As for reaching Gu An's level of mastery, he didn't see any hope for that anytime soon.
Gu An only glanced at her before turning away to gather herbs.
Tian Yao'er saw him and immediately revealed a delighted smile. She rushed towards him.
A fragrant breeze blew towards Gu An, and Tian Yao'er hugged him, rubbing her face against his chest, leaving him feeling helpless.
Why was this girl getting more and more clingy?
"Why do you suddenly smell so fragrant?" Gu An asked, raising an eyebrow. He gently patted Tian Yao'er's thigh, as she was becoming increasingly bold.
She dared to hug him, and now she was even rubbing her leg against him!
How outrageous!
Tian Yao'er tilted her head back, laughing. "I don't know. Maybe it's my natural body scent. Master, do you like it?"
Gu An pressed her forehead and pushed her away.
"It's passable. I need to harvest the herbs. You continue your cultivation."
Gu An was telling the truth. Although Tian Yao'er smelled wonderful, his mind truly wasn't wandering.
Tonight, he would reach a lifespan of one thousand million years!
Tian Yao'er didn't listen and instead followed him, asking about his preferences while he was busy harvesting.
Gu An casually humored her, his thoughts already drifting overseas.
He had begun to envision even higher realms!
After a while, Gu An suddenly sensed something, and his movements paused for a moment before he continued harvesting.
His spiritual sense extended from the Nianchu Cave, gazing into the distance. Under the cover of night, demonic mist swirled, and behind the mountains, a colossal being seemed to be stirring.
He looked closely and saw a group of cultivators besieging an ancient remnant species that was a thousand feet tall, causing the mountains to shake.
The ancient remnant species resembled a turtle. On its shell was a mountain, and on that mountain was an active volcano. It had three snake-like heads that continuously spewed demonic flames.
Among the group besieging it was a familiar face.
Ji Xiaoyu!
Why was she appearing near Tianhuang Mountain?
Ji Xiaoyu's cultivation had reached the seventh layer of the Nascent Soul realm, and the lowest cultivation level among the cultivators accompanying her was the Spirit Transformation realm. There were twenty-seven of them, and there was also a Mystical Heart realm cultivator observing from a distance.
Gu An could sense a demonic aura approaching from the distance, its cultivation level reaching the fifth layer of the Mystical Heart realm.
Could this group of cultivators be from the Seven Stars Spirit Realm?
Gu An wondered, his movements not slowing for a moment.
Before long, the Mystical Heart realm demon arrived, forcing the other Mystical Heart realm cultivator to take action. A battle between two Mystical Heart realm experts erupted, and Ji Xiaoyu and the others quickly retreated to a safe distance.
Seeing that the battle between the two Mystical Heart realm cultivators was evenly matched, Gu An retracted his spiritual sense and focused on harvesting the herbs.
Time passed.
Suddenly, Gu An paused, and two prompts appeared before his eyes:
[Your lifespan has broken through one thousand million years for the first time, unlocking the Lifespan Fusion function.]
[Lifespan Fusion: Consume lifespan, break the rules of heaven and earth, the laws of the Dao, and fuse different supernatural powers, spells, and strengths. The lifespan consumed depends on the object of fusion.]
Fusion?
Gu An first thought of his Five Elements Treasure Body, finally able to fuse his cultivation techniques into a Five Elements cultivation method.
Expectation shone in his eyes.
"Master, why did you stop?" Tian Yao'er asked, standing beside him.
Gu An replied, "I was thinking if I had missed any herbs, afraid that you might have sneaked some."
After saying this, he continued harvesting.
Tian Yao'er panicked and began swearing that she hadn't eaten any.
Gu An teased her for a while before revealing that he was just joking.
Tian Yao'er pouted, her eyes widening as if she wanted to devour him.
This was the first time Gu An had seen her angry.
After finishing harvesting the herbs, Gu An hugged her shoulders and comforted her, "Don't be angry. Later, I'll teach you a powerful spell."
Tian Yao'er stuck out her tongue. "Just the Primordial Heaven Earth Immortal Art and the Ultimate Free Step are enough for me to practice. I don't want any spells."
"Then what do you want?"
"Let me think... How about you stay with me for a night?"
"To accompany you in cultivation?"
"No, no, no. To accompany me in reading. We'll lie down and read together."
Hearing this, Gu An immediately felt that something was amiss.
This girl was becoming bolder and bolder!
(End of Chapter)
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