Gu An continued watching the battle while patiently waiting for his cultivation to fully stabilize.
During this process, the clash between the silver-armored man and the mysterious great demon appeared increasingly slow in his perception.
The Grand Dao rules of the Nine Heavens Extreme Sky were incredibly dense, and Gu An had gained tremendous benefits from them. Even his proficiency in the Dao of Karma had taken a huge leap forward.
At this moment, he even considered moving the Wushi Dao Field here.
Of course, it was just a passing thought.
As powerful as the Nine Heavens Extreme Sky was, it was also far more dangerous.
So far, Gu An had yet to encounter a single living being below the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit Realm in this place.
The creatures here could obliterate everyone in Wushi Dao Field with a single breath.
Moreover, he suspected that lower-level cultivators couldn't even survive in this realm. The sheer power of the Grand Dao's laws might crush them out of existence, unless they remained within a protected Dao Field.
Time passed.
Finally, Gu An's cultivation stabilized.
He checked his remaining lifespan—still over 19 billion years left.
A steady and safe breakthrough!
[Would you like to consume 10,000,000,000 years of lifespan to teleport back to the Time Realm?]
Gu An stood up.
He looked into the distance—the battle far away was still ongoing, with no clear victor in sight.
Yet, when he glanced in other directions, he couldn't see any other living beings.
He silently chose 'Yes', and his body vanished from the spot.
That familiar sensation of dimensional shift swept over him again.
His senses were plunged into darkness.
After a moment...
His feet touched solid ground, and he opened his eyes—
He had returned to the forest.
It was now nighttime.
His heart-eye immediately expanded, encompassing the entire world in his vision.
The moment it spread out, his heart settled.
He did not leave immediately.
Instead, he remained in place, continuing to observe the universe.
He wanted to capture the presence of every Great World within the cosmos and imagine their combined size.
There were over a thousand Great Worlds scattered across the universe, along with countless Small Worlds.
Yet, even with all of them combined, what he saw wasn't as vast as he had once imagined.
Now, if Gu An were to create his own Dao Fruit World, it would surpass the once-intact Heavenly Spirit World in size.
This meant that his cultivation had already surpassed the former master of the Heavenly Spirit World.
That wasn't surprising.
After all, once the Heavenly Spirit World shattered, even Free Immortals could roam the cosmos freely.
Dao Repository Free Immortals had become extremely rare, proving that before its destruction, the Heavenly Spirit World wasn't as unfathomably powerful as Gu An had once thought.
Gu An shifted his gaze back to the Realm Gate, where the Heavenly Spirit God resided.
The Heavenly Spirit God had the same cultivation level as the Extreme Sky God he encountered earlier—both were at the Measuring the Heavens Golden Immortal Realm.
However, neither had reached perfection in their realm.
Finally—
Gu An no longer felt any pressure when facing the Heavenly Spirit God.
A smile appeared on his face.
His mood became lighter, more relaxed.
Even though his cultivation had now surpassed the Heavenly Spirit God, Gu An had no immediate plans to make a move against him.
After all, the Heavenly Spirit God had never been a direct enemy.
The only reason they clashed was because of opposing positions and duties.
It was clear that the Heavenly Spirit God had a powerful force supporting him.
First, deal with the Annihilation God Emperor!
That bastard schemed against the Dragon Clan.
He schemed against Gu An.
Their hatred was irreconcilable—a deep-seated grudge soaked in blood.
The Heavenly Spirit God, on the other hand, was just doing his duty.
He had no personal stake in these matters.
The Annihilation God Emperor, however, had acted purely for his own selfish desires.
Gu An took a step forward, strolling through the forest beneath the night sky.
The tiny insects in the darkness seemed so full of life.
Their world was vivid and dynamic, surprisingly similar to the mortal realm.
They struggled for survival.
They had their own entanglements of karma.
Great Thousand Worlds, Great Worlds, Small Worlds, the microcosm of insects—
All of them differed in power, but they all followed the same fundamental rules.
In the darkness, a mantis slowly crept out from beneath a leaf.
It was silently approaching a cicada.
As the morning sun broke through the sky, golden rays illuminated the vast landscape.
Between the towering mountains lay a tranquil lake, its surface shrouded in mist, resembling an ethereal paradise.
At the lakeside, Li Ya stood with the Nine Absolute Sacred Heart Sword in hand, his gaze fixed on a distant figure—a man clad in black robes, his long hair unkempt and wild, exuding an aura of demonic energy.
This man was none other than the Annihilation God Emperor, who was currently engrossed in comprehending the Sacred Heart Sword Dao.
Li Ya had always harbored wariness toward him, yet Sword Annihilation Patriarch never dared to drive him away.
Instead, the Annihilation God Emperor had even taught him divine abilities, leaving Li Ya no choice but to endure his presence.
Watching the black-robed man's deep focus, Li Ya couldn't help but feel a growing sense of curiosity.
Who exactly was this person?
What was he after?
If he wished to comprehend the Sacred Heart Sword Dao, why did he not go to the River of Sword Dao instead?
Not long ago, Sword Annihilation Patriarch had taken Li Ya to the River of Sword Dao.
Its vastness and brilliance remained deeply ingrained in Li Ya's mind, an unforgettable sight.
He had longed to return, yet Sword Annihilation Patriarch warned that his current cultivation was not strong enough to linger there for long.
Has Junior Brother Gu ever visited the River of Sword Dao?
The thought suddenly surfaced in Li Ya's mind.
Although Gu An's true identity had already been revealed, to Li Ya, Gu An would always be his Junior Brother.
It wasn't that he was trying to take advantage of the title, but rather, calling him "Junior Brother Gu" made him feel closer to him.
"Sword Master of the Dao" felt too distant, something to be revered, not familiar.
Whenever he thought of Gu An, an unconscious smile would appear on his lips.
They had grown up together.
He knew that Gu An's personality was not a facade.
Perhaps, in this life, Gu An was merely one of the many reincarnations of Sword Master of the Dao.
But precisely because of that, he believed that the Junior Brother Gu he remembered was more real than the grand, untouchable Sword Master of the Dao.
Just then, Sword Annihilation Patriarch appeared behind the Annihilation God Emperor.
The two seemed to be communicating through voice transmission, their conversation beyond Li Ya's ability to hear.
Moments later, both figures vanished into thin air.
Li Ya sighed and stopped dwelling on it, focusing once more on his sword training.
If he wanted to catch up to Junior Brother Gu, the first step was to become the number one swordsman in the world!
What Li Ya failed to notice was that high up in the forest canopy behind him, Gu An stood lightly on a tree branch, silently observing him.
With the emerald mountains as a backdrop, the mist-shrouded lake reflected the tranquil morning light, painting an exquisite and peaceful scene.
Having just completed his breakthrough, Gu An had suddenly thought of Li Ya and decided to come take a look.
Watching Li Ya train, he was reminded of his own youthful aspirations and emotions.
One must never forget their original intent.
Sometimes, reminiscing about the past strengthens the heart's resolve.
Gu An had already made up his mind—
He would wait until the Annihilation God Emperor had completely passed down all his divine techniques to Li Ya before making his move.
As for whether killing the Annihilation God Emperor would provoke even stronger enemies, Gu An wasn't concerned at all.
After all, there was still the Realm Gate separating this Great Thousand World from others.
His instincts told him—
The strongest figures in War Court were not much more powerful than the Annihilation God Emperor.
If they were, then the pursuit of Long Qing wouldn't have dragged on for so many years.
A gentle breeze lifted Gu An's robes, a single leaf detaching from the tree beside him and drifting toward the sky above.
Seasons passed.
Thirty years flew by in the blink of an eye.
Within Wushi Dao Field, Gu An watched Lu Xian train, while An Xin stood beside him, discussing recent troubles within Qiankun Sect.
Qiankun Sect was already the undisputed overlord of Nine Spirits Continent, yet no matter how strong a sect became, its growth would always encounter obstacles.
Over the years, An Xin had frequently assisted Yi Qingshan and the others in handling various issues.
But now—
A sect from overseas had set its sights on Nine Spirits Continent.
Rumor had it that the enemy sect had an ancient Heaven and Earth Flying Immortal among its ranks.
For Qiankun Sect, this was a legendary existence, an unstoppable force.
Even An Xin couldn't handle such an opponent.
She had no choice but to seek Gu An's aid.
Gu An continued watching Lu Xian train, his voice calm.
"I can help Qiankun Sect, but I won't assist in expanding their territory."
"If a high-level cultivator invades, then you should act."
An Xin pouted in frustration.
"Master, is the issue whether I act or not?"
"I can't even fight them!"