Sun Immortal Emperor appeared above the Heavenly Dao's radiance, transforming into a brilliant sun, allowing all beings across the world to witness his divine light.
His vast power spread across the entire realm and even extended into the depths of the universe. The blazing flames behind him condensed into the form of the Heavenly Dao Golden Core, which was now even larger than the seven suns above Heavenly Spirit World.
One after another, figures flew out from all over the world, staring at Sun Immortal Emperor in shock.
Yet, under his overwhelming presence, no one dared to approach.
"Who is that?"
"The ruler of the Immortal Dynasty, Sun Immortal Emperor. What is he trying to do?"
"Such immense power… just how high has his cultivation reached?"
"Has he gone mad? Something about this feels off!"
"Could it be that he's about to make a move against Sacred Court?"
The immortals and Dao cultivators murmured among themselves, their hearts filled with unease. But no one dared to speak out under the growing might of Sun Immortal Emperor.
Far away in Tai Xuan Sect, Long Qing was also gazing up at the sky. When Zhu Xing appeared beside him, he immediately asked about this strange phenomenon.
"The ruler of the Immortal Dynasty wants to borrow the power of the Heavenly Dao to restore the shattered Grand Thousand Worlds, essentially merging all the major Heavens and Earths together." Zhu Xing's expression was heavy. Sun Immortal Emperor was merely at the Dao Repository Free Immortal Realm, yet the power he displayed was enough to make even a Profound Origin Free Immortal like Zhu Xing feel a sense of dread.
Hearing this, Long Qing couldn't help but feel shaken. At the same time, an even greater doubt arose in his heart, and he asked, "What's the point of merging the Heavens and Earths together?"
At the Wushi Dao Field, Shen Zhen was also asking Gu An the same question.
Gu An replied, "When the Heavens and Earths merge, their fate energy will also merge, allowing those who fight for Heavenly Fate to obtain even more power. Furthermore, from the perspective of the Heavenly Dao, this is indeed a good solution. The reason calamities keep occurring is that Heavenly Spirit World has reached its limit. The Heavenly Dao hopes to relieve some of the pressure on this realm. Meanwhile, countless other realms in the universe have been suffering from massacres, and many of them have already become barren. If all these realms merge together, the resulting new world will be more stable. Perhaps the beings of Heavenly Spirit World might survive this catastrophe and usher in a new era."
Gu An had previously explained the concept of the Heavenly Dao's will to Shen Zhen, so upon hearing this, she couldn't help but feel admiration for Sun Immortal Emperor.
"So, he's doing this for the sake of all living beings?" Shen Zhen sighed in admiration.
With the world reaching its limits, most people would think of reducing the number of living beings to weather the calamity. But Sun Immortal Emperor was thinking of expanding the world and enhancing its capacity instead.
Not only did he dare to think of such a thing, but he also had the courage to act on it.
Gu An gazed at the blazing sun in the sky and said softly, "He does have the heart to protect all beings, but the reason he's doing this is more out of desperation."
He could see that the Immortal Dynasty had already been infiltrated by foreign forces. But wasn't it the same for Sacred Court?
On the surface, the Sacred Prime Minister controlled the power of the Sacred Court, but in reality, foreign powers had already infiltrated it. Not to mention, entities like Demon Emperor Jiye and others could easily overturn the Sacred Prime Minister's rule at any moment.
"Desperation?" Shen Zhen grew even more curious. However, she wasn't worried. Staying by Gu An's side had gradually made her develop a detached view of worldly affairs.
She knew that as long as Gu An was around, she wouldn't be caught up in mortal conflicts. Instead, she could focus on understanding the Heavenly Dao and the intricate web of cause and effect in the world. After all, Gu An had once told her that everything in existence carries the essence of the Grand Dao.
Gu An didn't elaborate further. He simply waited to see what fate had in store for Sun Immortal Emperor.
As time passed, the influence of Sun Immortal Emperor's power extended across the universe, enveloping numerous Heavens and Earths. More and more realms began to tremble under his might, and those closest to Heavenly Spirit World started drifting toward it.
The shifting of worlds was nothing short of a catastrophe for the beings within them. Mountains trembled, rivers surged, and countless mortal creatures perished as the great Heavens and Earths collided.
However, at the very center of it all, Heavenly Spirit World remained unharmed. Though bathed in the oppressive aura of the Heavenly Dao, its inhabitants merely felt an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Gu An observed in silence. He noticed that none of the Dao Fruit Realm cultivators residing in Heavenly Spirit World had taken action, which made him even more suspicious.
Meanwhile, in the other realms, native powerhouses could not sit idly by. One after another, Free Immortal Realm cultivators rushed forward, attempting to stop Sun Immortal Emperor.
But before the might of the Heavenly Dao Golden Core, the power of these Free Immortals seemed utterly insignificant.
Time continued to flow swiftly.
Soon, even Dao Repository Free Immortal powerhouses made their move against Sun Immortal Emperor, yet their attacks did nothing to shake his progress. Seeing this, the great cultivators from the various Heavens and Earths had no choice but to flee, abandoning all attempts to resist him.
On this day, Heavenly Spirit World lost its night.
As the appointed time arrived, daylight remained unbroken across the entire realm.
At Wushi Dao Field, everyone had gathered together, discussing Sun Immortal Emperor's actions.
Gu An, however, lay leisurely on his chair, a book in his hands, seemingly indifferent.
It wasn't that he was unconcerned—rather, he knew the time had yet to arrive.
Seven more hours passed.
Suddenly, the world began to tremble violently. Gu An watched as a nearby Heaven and Earth finally collided with Heavenly Spirit World. The borders of the realms overlapped, and the Heavenly Dao's fate energy started working to merge them.
Suspended above the Heavenly Dao Light Layer, Sun Immortal Emperor smiled. The first step had succeeded!
He had initially expected the hidden Dao Fruit Realm powerhouses within Heavenly Spirit World to intervene. However, to his surprise, none of them had shown themselves.
Now that the first realm had fused, merging the remaining realms was simply a matter of time.
The anxiety in his heart gradually dissipated. This ordeal had been dangerous, but it seemed he had managed to pull it off without catastrophe.
Yet, he failed to notice that high above him, deep within the dark expanse of the universe, a pair of massive eyes suddenly opened.
These eyes were so enormous that all living beings in the world could see them, and those who did were filled with unspeakable terror.
"What is that?!"
"My heavens, am I seeing things?!"
"Could it be another Heavenly Demon invasion?!"
"Those eyes are larger than the sun itself—just how powerful must that entity be?"
"This is bad... I heard that we are living in the era of world-ending tribulations, but I never thought it was true..."
Fear gripped the hearts of the people. Even the disciples within Wushi Dao Field were murmuring amongst themselves, shaken by the sight of those eyes.
Clearly, Sun Immortal Emperor heard their terrified discussions. He instinctively looked up—and the moment his gaze met those cosmic eyes, his heart stopped.
Faced with that cold and indifferent gaze, Sun Immortal Emperor's entire body turned icy, and his very soul trembled in terror.
Inside a hidden minor world, An Hao was also watching through the Heavenly Dao Golden Core, and his expression turned grim.
A deep sense of unease rose within him.
Just as Sun Immortal Emperor was about to speak, a terrifying figure bathed in radiant light appeared behind him, raising an enormous axe and swinging it down with unimaginable force.
From the corner of his eye, Sun Immortal Emperor caught a glimpse of the figure—and his pupils instantly contracted.
BOOM!
With a single axe strike, Sun Immortal Emperor was completely obliterated. He turned to dust in an instant, and even the Heavenly Dao Golden Core, which had manifested as a brilliant sun, vanished alongside him.
As soon as Sun Immortal Emperor perished, the Heavenly Spirit God also disappeared.
The vast cosmic eyes slowly closed, as if they had never existed.
The entire universe fell into a dead silence.
No one knew exactly what had happened, but they had witnessed the mysterious sun vanish as soon as those cosmic eyes appeared. Fear spread throughout the realm, and countless theories arose, yet an overwhelming sense of unease continued to linger in their hearts.
Standing beside Long Qing, Zhu Xing let out a sigh.
Long Qing, unaware of what had transpired beyond the world, turned to Zhu Xing and asked, "What did you see?"
"I saw the will of the Heavenly Dao."
Zhu Xing spoke softly, then turned and left.
The sheer power of the Heavenly Spirit God sent waves of shock through the cultivation world. The once unstoppable Sun Immortal Emperor had fallen so effortlessly?
Gu An, too, was astounded by the unfathomable strength of the Heavenly Spirit God. This being's mastery over the Grand Dao was beyond comprehension, and his actions were absolute—he did not tolerate explanations or resistance.
No wonder the Dao Fruit Realm cultivators from beyond the heavens had refrained from interfering with Sun Immortal Emperor's plan.
Perhaps they had already foreseen how the Heavenly Spirit God would act.
The shattering of the Grand Thousand Worlds—it seemed clear now that the Heavenly Spirit God had played a direct role in it.
Yet, there was something else that piqued Gu An's curiosity.
Having witnessed Sun Immortal Emperor's death, what would An Hao do next?