Chapter 199: Breakthrough to Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm, Ninth Layer!
[You cultivated by absorbing spiritual energy for 390,000 years. Your cultivation has advanced to Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm, Second Layer.]
[You cultivated by absorbing spiritual energy for 400,000 years. Your cultivation has advanced to Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm, Third Layer.]
[You cultivated by absorbing spiritual energy for 420,000 years. Your cultivation has advanced to Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm, Fourth Layer.]
…
[You cultivated by absorbing spiritual energy for 500,000 years. Your cultivation has advanced to Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm, Eighth Layer.]
Gu An reviewed the sequence of notifications, piecing together the patterns of his breakthroughs. He then invested an additional 30,000 years of lifespan, successfully reaching the Ninth Layer of Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm.
At that moment, spiritual energy from the heavens and earth surged into his body, signaling the start of his breakthrough.
Satisfying!
Gu An considered whether to spend another 30,000 years of lifespan to glimpse the name of the next realm but decided against it. What was the point of knowing its name?
The surrounding forest began to shake violently as the heavens' spiritual energy converged downward.
The ground beneath Gu An transformed into a manifestation of a spiritual sea. The influx of energy accelerated, and he began envisioning what it truly meant to be an Flying Immortalcultivator.
What distinguishes the Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm from the Wandering Immortal Realm?
Gu An's gaze shifted toward the sky. In his soul, he felt an intangible connection to the heavens.
Upon reaching the Wandering Immortal Realm, he had sensed a suppressive force from above, restricting all beings from escaping. While the Wandering Immortal Realm allowed one to break free of earthly rules, it couldn't escape the power reigning from the heavens.
Rumble—
The flow of spiritual energy into his body reached an unprecedented pace, even alarming Gu An.
How wide an area is being drained of spiritual energy at this rate?
Before long, life across the continent stirred with unease. Birds fled in frantic flocks, beasts stampeded, and the earth quaked.
Gu An ignored the commotion, focusing instead on the profound insights of Flying Immortal flowing into his consciousness.
Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal!
This stage transcends the boundaries of the world, allowing one to roam freely through the universe.
It grants one the ability to observe yin and yang, as well as master the five elements.
To progress beyond this stage, mastery of the Five Elements Dao is essential.
Fortunately, Gu An had been cultivating the Heaven and Earth Primordial Technique, which was inherently rooted in the five elements. As a result, his breakthrough proceeded with remarkable fluidity.
His primordial spirit underwent an extraordinary transformation, filling him with an unparalleled euphoria—a joy more profound than anything he had ever experienced.
After half an hour, Gu An fully stepped into the Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm.
Even the surrounding seas roared with towering waves as countless sea demons churned the waters, creating chaos that extended for tens of thousands of miles.
Opening his eyes, Gu An released his primordial spirit.
His first instinct was to test the limits of his lifespan barrier by leaping beyond the heavens to explore what lay outside this realm.
However, he restrained himself.
Gazing at the night sky, his vision pierced millions of miles upward, where he saw an invisible membrane blanketing the heavens—a barrier imprisoning all beings within this realm.
Gu An felt confident he could cross it, but he refrained.
He knew nothing of the world beyond and dared not proceed recklessly.
Suddenly, Gu An noticed ripples within the invisible membrane. His gaze followed the disturbance to see a figure plummeting from beyond the heavens toward the farthest reaches of this world.
Someone descending from the outer heavens?
He dared not look too closely, fearing his presence might alert the newcomer.
For the first time, Gu An considered that the connection between the heavens and the world might not be entirely severed. Flying Immortal cultivators seemed to depart and return as they pleased.
This raised a crucial question: Was Flying Immortal truly the pinnacle of cultivation in this realm?
Despite his growing curiosity about the outer heavens, Gu An felt little desire to leave. Remaining in his current comfort zone seemed the safest course.
Why leave when I can continue growing stronger here?
Time passed quickly.
Two full hours later, Gu An's cultivation stabilized at the Ninth Layer of the Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm.
The lifespan barrier, however, had consumed nearly 700,000 years of his life—a staggering cost.
Breaking through further will demand millions of years for the lifespan barrier alone.
The road ahead is long and arduous!
As the spiritual energy infusion ceased and the world around him calmed, Gu An slowly rose to his feet.
He didn't immediately deactivate the lifespan barrier. Instead, he took a moment to savor his newfound strength.
His mana and senses had undergone a complete metamorphosis. In the realm of Flying Immortal, the disparity between layers would only grow increasingly vast.
Gu An realized that no Wandering Immortal Realm cultivator, no matter how skilled in divine abilities, could defeat someone of the Flying Immortal Realm.
Elsewhere, within the Demon Lands.
In a darkened forest, a spatial rift suddenly appeared, and a heavily wounded An Hao tumbled out.
Scrambling to his feet, he fled southward, his heart filled with desperation as he silently called out for his master. But, just as before, there was no response.
"Damn it… It's all because I'm too weak…"
An Hao gritted his teeth, his pride shattered.
His mind replayed the scene of Xuan Tianyi using a mysterious scroll to send him away, and his ears echoed with the elder's confident words:
"Go back. I won't die here. Wait for me to return."
The more nonchalant Xuan Tianyi had seemed, the more concerned An Hao grew. Those seven mysterious cultivators were overwhelmingly powerful, far beyond Xuan Tianyi's ability to contend with.
Who were they? What did Senior Xuan leave on my back?
An Hao's thoughts raced in a mix of fear and anger. Before the spatial rift swallowed him, Xuan Tianyi had struck his back, leaving a searing mark that now itched unbearably. It felt as though invisible hands were carving something into his skin.
He guessed that Xuan Tianyi had uncovered something and inscribed the critical information onto his back. Unfortunately, An Hao couldn't inspect it; any attempt to probe it with his divine sense was repelled by an unknown force.
With no other options, he took out a Spirit Qi Pill and shoved it into his mouth, gulping it down.
The resolve in his eyes deepened.
He would definitely return!
If Xuan Tianyi truly perished, no matter who the culprit was, he would seek vengeance for him!
As the moon set and the sun rose, the heavens and earth returned to complete stillness.
Only then did Gu An deactivate the lifespan barrier and head back toward the Tai Xuan Sect.
Taking just three steps, he returned to the Tai Xuan Sect.
Once back at Xuan Valley, he descended from his loft and mounted the Blood Prison Saint, riding toward Tianya Valley.
The Blood Prison Saint could clearly sense that Gu An was in an excellent mood. He even hummed a tune that the Blood Prison Saint had never heard before.
Oddly enough, it was rather pleasant to the ears.
Gu An released his divine sense, sweeping over the entire continent in an instant. He even extended his perception to the surrounding seas.
One by one, he observed the people he was acquainted with.
Jiang Qiong's Gathering Flower Sect appeared harmonious, and she was meditating in her sect leader's residence.
Ye Lan was managing Law Enforcement Hall affairs with a demeanor vastly different from how she acted around Gu An—cold, dignified, and reminiscent of an ice queen.
Li Ya and Zhang Buku were being chased by a powerful demon beast. Although it appeared dangerous, it didn't seem life-threatening.
Gu An then noticed An Hao, who was also on the run. However, since no pursuers were nearby, Gu An decided to leave him to his own devices.
Sweeping through his friends and disciples, Gu An's attention then shifted to the demon-infested lands, where numerous Seven Stars Spirit Realm cultivators still gathered.
He felt confident that he could easily break through the seal and investigate the ferocious demon, but he held back.
The Seven Stars Spirit Realm's pace of growth couldn't match his own.
Unless the Seven Stars Spirit Realm provoked him first, he would maintain a low profile for as long as possible.
After all, the lands of the Three Dynasties were far from the demon-infested territories. Unless it was a catastrophe of apocalyptic proportions, he had no interest in meddling.
As Gu An crossed beyond Xuan Valley, the Blood Prison Saint suddenly felt a terrifying force envelop him. His steps faltered, and the surroundings shifted dramatically.
In an instant, they were within 200 miles of Tianya Valley.
What kind of divine ability is this?
The Blood Prison Saint was secretly alarmed. This wasn't his first time experiencing such a technique, but because the Return to Origin Dao had sealed his powers, he couldn't discern how far they had traversed.
As one of the strongest beings in the Spirit World, he had been trying to comprehend Gu An's technique to mimic it, but he had yet to grasp its secrets.
By noon, Gu An was once again riding the Blood Prison Saint into the Third Medicine Valley.
The disciples had grown accustomed to seeing him on his mount. Some even bought first-tier mounts from the outer sect city to imitate him, but none of these beasts could match the imposing aura of the Bull Demon King.
Gu An sensed Shen Zhen's presence waiting for him in the loft.
She couldn't have published her book this quickly, could she?
Urging the Blood Prison Saint to quicken his pace, he dismounted as soon as they reached the loft.
Watching Gu An's hurried back, the Blood Prison Saint couldn't help but feel stifled.
If you're in such a rush, can't you walk on your own? It's only a few steps!
He couldn't understand why Gu An insisted on maintaining a façade of weakness in front of these low-level cultivators. Resigned, the Blood Prison Saint lay down to sleep, retreating to dreams of his once-glorious days of invincibility.
Inside the loft, Gu An closed the door behind him.
Shen Zhen sat casually in a chair, pointing to a jade slip on the table with a mysterious smile.
Approaching the table, Gu An asked, "What is this?"
Tilting her chin with pride, Shen Zhen replied, "It's my latest creation. It's going to shake the entire cultivation world!"
Gu An's expression turned skeptical as he picked up the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense.
Instantly, his face turned red, and he withdrew his divine sense in shock. Staring at Shen Zhen in disbelief, he stammered, "You… How could you come up with something like this?"
Was she a genius?
This creation would indeed shake the cultivation world. It was brilliant—no, it was downright outrageous!
Raising her eyebrows, Shen Zhen asked playfully, "What do you think of my idea? Isn't it incredible how the illustrations move like real people?"
Gu An didn't know how to respond.
Animated depictions in the cultivation world?
But this wasn't just any animation—it was so lifelike it was indistinguishable from reality.
Using this kind of technology for the plot of Tai Xuan Secrets was simply overwhelming.
Suppressing the turmoil in his heart, Gu An asked, "Who is the male cultivator in this?"
Shen Zhen blinked innocently and replied, "I didn't use your face, but honestly, imagining another man felt too awkward, so I gave him a mask."
Gu An fell silent.
No wonder he's wearing a mask…
His build looked suspiciously similar to Gu An's own.