Chapter 96: Breakthrough to the Eighth Level of the Mahayana Realm!
As Gu An was enjoying his cultivation breakthrough, the spiritual energy in the North Sea Mountain Range sank once again, this time accompanied by fierce winds as if a storm was brewing.
Monsters, cultivators, and ghosts all hid away, waiting for the spiritual energy disturbance to end. None of them knew what was happening; they could only pray that this disaster would pass quickly.
In a certain valley, Li Xuandao had already begun his tribulation.
A cluster of thunderclouds floated above the valley, not at the same height as the clouds in the sky, but just a little higher than the surrounding mountain peaks.
The tribulation cloud was gathering heavenly power, with threads of lightning rolling inside, occasionally flashing and creating a terrifying sight.
Li Xuandao was sitting on the formation platform, golden dragon shadows coiling around him, causing his robes to billow and ripple.
After a while...
Li Xuandao suddenly opened his eyes and looked up just as a bolt of heavenly lightning struck from the tribulation cloud.
Boom!
The outermost protective barrier formed a light screen to resist the lightning. The screen hadn't fully dissipated before the second and third bolts followed, crashing down in quick succession, making the valley flicker between light and dark.
Li Xuandao raised his hand, and a treasured sword appeared. As soon as the sword materialized, a dragon's roar resounded, and the blade was surrounded by tendrils of blood-red energy, as if thousands of evil spirits were wailing within it.
He drove the sword into the ground beside him, then closed his eyes and began forming seals with his hands. His spiritual power flowed from the platform into the surrounding formations.
Countless spirit stones flew out of his storage bag, filling the empty spaces of the formation.
With his eyes still closed, Li Xuandao opened his mouth, and numerous spirit pills flew from their bottles directly into his mouth, causing his aura to surge even higher.
The night wind howled, and the faint sound of thunder echoed through the air. From high above, the valley appeared tiny, like a faint star in the vast, dark North Sea Mountain Range.
...
Time passed quickly.
After an hour of accumulation, Gu An had finally reached the first level of the Profound Heart Realm and was now on his way to the ninth level.
Upon reaching the Profound Heart Realm, his heart began to change, glowing with golden light as golden blood coursed through it. On the surface of his heart, a mysterious symbol appeared, like some kind of mark.
As he continued to enjoy the influx of spiritual energy, Gu An studied the symbol on his heart.
In that moment, a revelation came to him.
Innate Divine Ability!
The Profound Heart symbol could nurture a unique divine ability, but the time it would take and its power were unknown.
The divine ability one could cultivate depended on their life experiences and the depth of their Dao. Each person would manifest a different ability.
Gu An was completely immersed in this wondrous process, and through the Profound Heart symbol, he began to gain new insights into his many Dao techniques, organizing his cultivation achievements.
At the same time, his cultivation level continued to rise.
Second level of the Profound Heart Realm!
Third level of the Profound Heart Realm!
Fourth level of the Profound Heart Realm!
Suddenly, Gu An opened his eyes and looked toward the sky above the forest.
In the night sky, a bolt of lightning appeared above the treetops. It hadn't fallen from the sky but had appeared out of nowhere. Instead of vanishing in a flash, it remained, writhing like a long, struggling serpent.
What is that?
Gu An frowned, feeling uneasy.
The lightning began to split, forming several bolts, and then, unexpectedly, the space between them tore open, revealing a black rift.
A figure with disheveled hair leapt out of the rift, illuminated by the lightning, revealing pale skin. Judging by her figure, it was a woman, barely covered by tattered robes that seemed to have just been torn apart.
Sensing the power radiating from her, Gu An was alarmed and immediately cast a lifespan investigation.
[Lu Lingjun (Body Fusion Realm, Ninth Level): 1989/2750/3700]
A nearly two-thousand-year-old monster!
This was the oldest person Gu An had ever encountered!
And with a cultivation at the ninth level of the Body Fusion Realm, she was on par with Lü Baitian!
Who was this person?
Lu Lingjun hovered in the air, the black rift behind her rapidly closing, along with the disappearance of the lightning.
She retrieved a blue Daoist robe from her storage ring and draped it over her graceful body, then wrapped a belt around her waist.
Gu An, despite the impropriety, couldn't help but continue observing, desperate to learn more about her.
Lu Lingjun's long hair fluttered in the wind, revealing an exquisitely beautiful face, though her brows were slightly furrowed, and her eyes were filled with confusion.
One of her strands of hair fell, transforming into a white snake that coiled around her shoulder.
Gu An immediately cast another lifespan investigation:
[White Spirit Demon Emperor (Body Fusion Realm, Eighth Level): 4678/6280/8300]
A Body Fusion Realm demon pet?
Who exactly was this woman?
The White Spirit Demon Emperor flicked its tongue and spoke in a soft, feminine voice, "Such dense spiritual energy—looks like we've succeeded in our ascension. The legends were true!"
Asc... ascension?
Gu An was stunned. The implications of those two words were staggering.
Lu Lingjun frowned slightly and said in a soft voice, "When we were traversing the rift, the heavenly lightning was terrifying. I almost perished. I flew toward the weakest point in the lightning and ended up here. Judging by the richness of the spiritual energy, it does seem we've ascended, but we need to explore more to confirm."
The White Spirit Demon Emperor gazed into the distance. "The spiritual energy here is sinking. I can sense a Body Fusion Realm demon far away. This must be an ascension. Back in the mortal world, after two hundred years of wandering every corner, I was the only demon at the Body Fusion level, and the humans had fewer than five. Only in the legendary Great Celestial Heaven could you find Body Fusion Realm cultivators everywhere."
Great Celestial Heaven?
Gu An's curiosity only deepened after hearing this.
It seemed these two came from a weaker world than this one.
This world was vast and unknown. The Nine Dynasties were but a corner of this continent, and no one knew what lay beyond the seas. Gu An certainly didn't believe the Body Fusion Realm was the pinnacle of power here, much less in the entire world.
Immortals and gods might be mere myths, but this world's cultivation realm was indeed expansive.
Aside from marveling at the vastness of the world, Gu An also felt a sense of relief.
He had initially feared some great force had descended upon the Nine Dynasties, in which case his ninth level of the Profound Heart Realm wouldn't suffice.
However, these two ascended individuals had no background in this world. Integrating into it would take time.
Lu Lingjun and the White Spirit Demon Emperor seemed unaware of Gu An's presence below. After scanning the area and confirming that there were no beings within a five-hundred-mile radius, they conversed freely.
After a brief discussion, they flew southward.
They believed the human presence was strongest in the south, while the north was dominated by demonic energy.
Uh oh.
Gu An silently prayed they wouldn't head toward Tai Xuan Sect.
Judging by their conversation, Gu An suspected they had benefited from his Lifespan Barrier during their ascension.
Since the barrier could shield him from tribulations, it had likely weakened the heavenly lightning, explaining why they landed right above him after breaking through the rift.
Gu An's thoughts swirled.
Who knew there were still those capable of ascending between worlds? Anyone who could break free from another realm must be formidable, and their methods could likely help them thrive here as well.
No, this isn't stable!
I need to push past the ninth level of the Profound Heart Realm!
I can hold off on upgrading my divine abilities for now—getting to the Mahayana Realm is more important!
People like Lu Lingjun and the White Spirit Demon Emperor might have terrifying abilities, but they surely couldn't reach the Mahayana Realm within just a hundred years, right?
Gu An quickly pulled up his status panel.
Though his current spiritual energy absorption wasn't over, he decided to jump straight to using his lifespan for breakthroughs.
He could continue absorbing spiritual energy afterward.
The usual plan—invest 100,000 years to breakthrough! Go big!
[You have invested 100,000 years of lifespan into evolving your cultivation.]
[You have cultivated for 1,000 years. Using your profound insights from the Innate Celestial Immortal Art, you initiated a tribulation to break through to the Mahayana Realm. You failed to withstand the Xuanhuang Five Gods Tribulation and failed to break through.]
[You have cultivated for 3,000 years. Using your profound insights from the Innate Celestial Immortal Art, you initiated a tribulation to break through to the Mahayana Realm. You failed to withstand the Xuanhuang Five Gods Tribulation and failed to break through.]
...
Gu An felt a bit anxious.
Although lifespan consumption in simulated cultivation was greater than in real life, this indicated just how difficult breaking through to the Mahayana Realm was.
Tai Xuan Sect had existed for thousands of years, and the Library Pavilion had no records of anyone reaching the Mahayana Realm!
Gu An was already preparing to invest another 100,000 years of lifespan.
After all, lifespan is just a number—true power lies in converting it into cultivation!
Failure.
Failure.
Failure.
As expected, the result was as he anticipated. 100,000 years down the drain.
With a darkened expression, Gu An threw in another 100,000 years!
More failure notifications followed, each one fraying his nerves. His blood pressure was rising.
A ninth-level Profound Heart Realm cultivator wasn't supposed to get so easily frustrated!
But Gu An couldn't control his emotions.
Finally!
Gu An saw the word "success" and let out a long sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his face.
[After cultivating for 87,000 years, you initiated a tribulation with the profound insights of Innate Celestial Immortal Art. You successfully endured the Xuanhuang Five Gods Tribulation and broke through to the first level of the Mahayana Realm.]
[After cultivating for 88,000 years, you reached the second level of the Mahayana Realm.]
...
[After cultivating for 92,000 years, you reached the fifth level of the Mahayana Realm.]
[After cultivating for 94,000 years, you reached the sixth level of the Mahayana Realm.]
[After cultivating for 96,000 years, you reached the seventh level of the Mahayana Realm.]
[After cultivating for 99,000 years, you reached the eighth level of the Mahayana Realm.]
[After cultivating for 100,000 years, your cultivation has increased.]
Eighth level of the Mahayana Realm!
Two hundred thousand years of lifespan!
Thinking back on it, Gu An felt a little scared, but he was glad to have succeeded.
The post-tribulation lifespan consumption was reasonable, proving that his enhanced spiritual root and cultivation techniques had indeed paid off. He remembered that advancing from the first level of the Body Fusion Realm to the ninth level had cost him a total of 18,000 years of lifespan, with each level beyond the fifth requiring 3,000 years to break through.
Reaching the Mahayana Realm was certainly harder, but the shortened breakthrough time confirmed that upgrading his spiritual root and techniques had been effective—and this effect would continue to benefit him in the real world as well.
At this moment, Gu An regained his confidence.
Never mind how powerful the strongest people on this continent were, or how vast the seas beyond might be. As far as the Nine Dynasties were concerned, he could now walk with his head held high.
Lü Baitian, at the ninth level of the Body Fusion Realm, could suppress the demonic forces of the Tai Cang Dynasty, and the Tai Cang Dynasty was by no means the weakest among the Nine Dynasties. Even if the other dynasties had stronger individuals, they were likely only at the Profound Heart Realm.