Chapter 236: Breakthrough to Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm Ninth Layer!
The Spring Festival had just passed, and the world seemed to wake with new life.
Gu An walked through the air, taking leisurely steps as he admired the ocean scenery.
Although rumors of the Ten Thousand-Year Great Ocean Tide were spreading far and wide, the ocean remained calm, showing no sign of any impending catastrophe.
His divine sense spread out, carefully searching for a suitable location to break through. He was now incredibly far from the mainland. With his Infinite Free Step, each step could span distances dozens of times greater than the entire continent. This alone showed how far this sea region extended.
The aura of life in the ocean was incredibly dense—far greater than on land. The sea beasts here were immensely powerful. He had even spotted a Loose Immortal Realm giant whale, large enough to span half a continent. It could devour the Three Dynasties' Region in a single gulp, its size unimaginably exaggerated.
Here, human cultivators were a rare presence. Occasionally, he sensed a cultivator's aura, but all were at least at the Immortal Dao Realm.
Without Nirvana Realm cultivation, no one would dare step into this part of the ocean.
Finally, Gu An's gaze settled on a massive island. The island teemed with life, with a population of tens of thousands of demons forming an organized force. Most of their ranks were stationed on the plains, training in formation. The strongest demon reached Loose Immortal Realm Second Layer.
As a Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Ninth Layer cultivator, Gu An slipped into the forest on the island silently, completely unnoticed. He sat under a giant tree, activating his Lifespan Barrier to ensure privacy.
However, instead of immediately breaking through, he spread out his divine sense again to survey the surroundings.
Within his divine sense's range, he detected the presence of a Wandering Immortal, but there were no Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal cultivators nearby.
Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal cultivators were rare no matter where one looked. After all, this realm allowed one to break free from the constraints of this world entirely.
When Gu An expanded his divine sense to its furthest limit and still detected no Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal presence, he finally relaxed.
While they weren't visible at sea level, Heaven and Earth Flying Immortals could often be seen soaring through the skies—streaking across the heavens like meteors.
Gu An withdrew his divine sense and pulled up his attribute panel.
[Name: Gu An]
[Lifespan: 128/16,890,764]
[Physique: Mysterious Sacred Body]
[Cultivation: Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Ninth Layer]
...
"Throwing in ten million years of lifespan—can I smash through to a higher realm?"
Advancing from Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Eighth Layer to Ninth Layer had already cost thirty thousand years of lifespan. Attempting to break through to the next realm would be far more demanding. Each failed breakthrough attempt would cost at least thirty thousand years, forcing him to wait before trying again.
Failing one hundred times would cost at least three million years of lifespan. Just the thought of it made Gu An's heart tremble.
If ten million years of lifespan could guarantee success, then it was worth the gamble.
For this reason, he hadn't yet upgraded his techniques or physique. He needed to brute-force his breakthrough.
Taking a deep breath, Gu An decided to test the waters first, investing one million years of lifespan.
[You practiced for fifty thousand years, attempting to forcefully break through to Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm using Heaven and Earth Creation Innate Art at the Grand Master level. You faced the Ultimate Path Reincarnation Heavenly Tribulation and failed.]
[You practiced for one hundred thousand years, attempting to forcefully break through to Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm using Heaven and Earth Creation Innate Art at the Grand Master level. You faced the Ultimate Path Reincarnation Heavenly Tribulation and failed.]
...
"Fifty thousand years per attempt? That's brutal!"
Gu An stared at the repeated failure messages, his heart pounding in his chest.
One million years of lifespan had resulted in twenty failures.
If this continued, five million years of lifespan would be consumed for just one hundred failures.
Clenching his teeth, Gu An decided to go all in—he invested five million years of lifespan!
Failure!
Failure!
The notifications appeared so frequently that Gu An didn't bother reading them anymore. As long as the message length didn't change, it meant he was still failing.
When the five million years were spent, all of it had been wasted—he had failed one hundred times.
"This Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm is ridiculously difficult to break into," Gu An muttered, his face dark. No wonder he had never heard of anyone reaching this realm.
While stories of Heaven and Earth Flying Immortals circulated widely, there was no mention of Unrestrained Primordial Immortals.
Summoning his attribute panel again, Gu An saw that he still had ten million years of lifespan left. This realization calmed him slightly.
"Let's try another five million years."
Determined, Gu An poured another five million years of lifespan into his cultivation.
The failure messages appeared again in quick succession. His Lifespan Barrier remained still, no spiritual energy surged, and the rustling leaves above him sounded as though they were mocking him.
It was as if the Lifespan Barrier itself was taunting him.
This second five million years of lifespan resulted in another one hundred failures.
Gu An had now spent eleven million years of lifespan, failing a total of two hundred and twenty times.
"If I had upgraded my techniques and physique first, would I have succeeded by now?"
Gu An shook his head, unwilling to accept this complete lack of progress. He chose to invest another five hundred thousand years of lifespan—this time cautiously.
Failure!
Failure!
The messages continued to roll in. Suddenly, one message caught his eye—it was longer than usual. His heart leapt with excitement.
[You practiced for three hundred and fifty thousand years, attempting to forcefully break through to Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm using Heaven and Earth Creation Innate Art at the Grand Master level. You faced the Ultimate Path Reincarnation Heavenly Tribulation and succeeded! Your cultivation has advanced to Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm First Layer.]
[You practiced for four hundred and ten thousand years. Your cultivation has advanced to Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm Second Layer.]
[You practiced for four hundred and seventy thousand years. Your cultivation has advanced to Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm Third Layer.]
[You practiced for five hundred thousand years. Your cultivation increased further.]
"Sixty thousand years per small breakthrough… This Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm is truly ruthless!"
Gu An's voice carried both relief and amazement as he stared at the messages on his panel. The sheer cost of advancing further was terrifying.
Gu An sighed with relief as the Lifespan Barrier finally showed its worth. The earth's spiritual energy surged wildly into his body.
He didn't idle for a moment. Instead, he continued pouring lifespan into his cultivation.
For him, reaching the peak of each small realm—Layer Nine—was a habit. Anything less would feel incomplete and unsafe.
It took another four hundred ninety thousand years of lifespan to push himself to Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm Ninth Layer.
From Layer Eight to Layer Nine alone, it had consumed one hundred fifty thousand years of lifespan!
In total, this breakthrough had cost him nearly twelve million years of lifespan. The sheer amount was staggering!
Boom!
The ground trembled, and spiritual energy soared skyward like tidal waves, filling every corner of the Lifespan Barrier. The surrounding grass and soil seemed to glow under the flood of energy.
The spiritual energy across the entire island and nearby sea regions began to plummet sharply. Every living being felt this change and panicked.
The disturbance startled countless oceanic monsters. Beasts emerged from the water's depths, letting out fierce roars as they charged skyward, their cries shaking the heavens.
The island itself plunged into chaos. Cries and howls echoed across the land as demons scrambled to organize themselves. Most thought it was an invasion by a powerful enemy.
Gu An ignored the chaos outside as he sat cross-legged under the ancient tree. His mind was immersed in his transformation as he carefully examined the profound changes within his body.
He had to know what made the Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm so unique. After all, its difficulty far exceeded any breakthrough he'd ever faced.
An incense stick's time passed. Suddenly, endless insights exploded in Gu An's mind—like the birth of the universe itself. Countless streams of information surged through his consciousness.
Heavenly Dao!
To reach the Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm, one needed to comprehend the Five Elements Dao—only then could they touch upon the higher realms. Once the Five Elements were perfected, the cultivator could begin to grasp the laws of the world.
Everything in existence, whether tangible or intangible, was constructed of laws. The Five Elements were merely the foundation, the first step to understanding these invisible forces.
As the ancient Dao De Jing stated: "The Dao begets one. One begets two. Two begets three. Three begets all things."
The Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm represented a complete understanding of the Heavenly Dao. Reaching this realm meant transcending the boundaries of the world—becoming truly Unrestrained. The primordial spirit would be cleansed by the Heavenly Dao, achieving absolute detachment.
Gu An could feel the transformation within his body. His Golden Core and Profound Heart were evolving into a higher existence. Inside his Golden Core, an embryonic Heavenly Law Path was forming—his own Dao.
What is Dao?
The Dao encompassed everything: techniques, spells, divine abilities—everything related to his existence was part of his Dao.
The Golden Core nurtured the Dao and was now transforming into a Primordial Dao Core!
No wonder the Nascent Soul and Golden Core coexisted separately. The Nascent Soul would evolve into the Primordial Spirit, while the Golden Core would transform into the Dao Core.
Gu An guessed that, in some distant future realm, these two would merge into one, and he would become the very incarnation of the Dao itself.
As time flowed on, the island's spiritual energy continued sinking at an alarming rate. The sea clouds above churned violently as if threatening to collapse under the pressure.
The demons on the island trembled with fear. They huddled together in formations, too terrified to leave their shelters.
Fortunately, no creatures dared to enter the Lifespan Barrier.
After half an hour, Gu An completed his transformation, reaching Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm.
To transcend the Heavenly Dao—to achieve unrestrainedness.
The Dao now resided where his thoughts reached!
What is 'where the Dao resides'?
Wherever those who carried Gu An's teachings or influence resided—be they living beings or locations—those places were his Dao. He could descend there effortlessly or manipulate its karmic ties.
Gu An realized that the Dao of Karma was profoundly unique. With each breakthrough in cultivation, his control over karma deepened.
Karma, in essence, was the invisible force generated through all interactions and relationships. Every cause produced an effect, and the endless entanglement of karma wove together the fabric of the world.
With his great realm breakthrough complete, Gu An's cultivation skyrocketed further.
His Primordial Dao Core crystallized his Dao, gathering all the karma related to him. It was as if he was approaching a state of omniscience, moving toward knowing all things and all truths.
"First, understand all the karmic ties related to me," Gu An mused. "With higher realms, perhaps I can see the karma of everything in existence."
Time passed swiftly. As the night fell, Gu An finally reached the peak—Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm Ninth Layer!
His divine sense expanded rapidly, stretching across the sea and sky. He could feel the massive radius of spiritual energy his Lifespan Barrier had absorbed. It far exceeded the reach of his divine sense when he was at Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal Realm Ninth Layer.
The sheer vastness ensured that no one—human or demon—could pinpoint the exact location where the spiritual energy had vanished.
When the spiritual energy finally stopped surging into him, Gu An slowly stood up, his eyes opening calmly.
In a flash, his figure turned into a streak of divine light and disappeared from the spot.
Moments later, he reappeared outside a familiar mansion. It was nighttime, and the streets were silent, but the mansion itself was brightly lit.
Gu An looked up at the plaque above the gate. Two characters were carved into it:
Ji Mansion.
He had descended here through his Primordial Dao Core, a location bound to him through karmic ties.
That's right—he had descended, not teleported!
The act of descending left no trace, no sign of movement between two places. He had bypassed the rules of space entirely, arriving at his destination from a higher-dimensional perspective.
He was, quite literally, moving within his Dao.
The sensation was indescribable—ethereal and miraculous.
Gu An stepped into the mansion, his movements silent as he walked through the courtyard.
An elderly servant carrying a lantern appeared ahead, walking directly toward Gu An. Without even realizing it, the servant passed through Gu An's body as though he were made of air.
This was the wonder of the Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm!
Mortals could not perceive him. Mortals could not touch him.
No wonder there were no stories or legends about Unrestrained Primordial Immortals. Gu An finally understood why.
For the first time, Gu An felt truly omnipotent—capable of anything and everything.