It took Gu An a total of four hours to break through from the ninth layer of the Nirvana Realm to the ninth layer of the Loose Immortal Realm.
Upon reaching the Loose Immortal Realm, his magical power multiplied, and he felt many of the restraints that bound him to the world vanish. These were the natural constraints that heaven and earth imposed on all living beings. For instance, he no longer needed to use magical power to fly, nor did he require it to dive into the ocean depths. He could even shift his physical form into that of his primordial spirit, allowing him to pass through any innate barriers within the world.
The feeling was indescribably marvelous!
As his cultivation reached the eighth layer of the Loose Immortal Realm, Gu An noticed the entire ocean seemed to tremble. In the distance, he sensed great cultivators at the Nirvana Realm engaging in battle, leaving him slightly ashamed.
The experiences of these past two days made him realize the vastness of heaven and earth, with countless powerful presences passing through this region.
Lu Lingjun's choice to ascend was not wrong. In a way, this world was equivalent to the Spiritual Realm or even the Immortal Realm—a world far beyond the understanding of mortal beings.
Reflecting on the size of the Tai Cang Dynasty, Gu An couldn't help but think that the earth of his previous life, compared to this world, might not even be as vast as the Tai Cang Dynasty itself.
He recalled how Lu Lingjun and the White Spirit Demon Emperor referred to this world.
The Great Heavenly Spirit World! But how vast was this so-called "Great Heavenly World"?
Gu An looked up, staring into the boundless sky.
Come to think of it, he had yet to explore how high the heavens truly were.
Back when he was in the Nirvana Realm, he had once attempted to extend his divine sense upward, only to be struck with fear by the result.
His divine sense had failed to penetrate the celestial dome. The sky of the Great Heavenly Spirit World seemed infinitely high, which shattered the worldview he had formed in his previous life.
Now, having reached the Loose Immortal Realm, Gu An could vaguely sense a mysterious force residing within the heavens—a force that even immortals wouldn't dare to recklessly touch.
It was not the aura of living beings but more akin to the will of heaven itself!
Taking a deep breath, Gu An lowered his gaze back to his status panel, his eyes filled with determination.
Since he had already stirred up a big commotion, why not continue increasing his cultivation?
One million years of lifespan, invest!
Notifications flashed rapidly before his eyes!
Failure!
Failure!
Failure!
Despite the repeated failures, Gu An remained optimistic. He still had five million years of lifespan—surely, he could break through the Yin-Yang Xuanhuang Five Emperor Tribulation, right?
I don't believe I can't do it!
The moment this thought crossed his mind, the entire one million years' worth of attempts failed.
His expression remained unchanged as he invested another one million years of lifespan.
Failure after failure followed once more.
He reassured himself—he was already a great cultivator at the ninth layer of the Loose Immortal Realm. His Dao heart was firm.
Do not rejoice over external gains; do not grieve over personal losses...
Third million years of lifespan, invest!
Moments later, Gu An couldn't help but mutter a single word: "Damn!"
The restraint and patience he had cultivated over ninety-one years in the cultivation world finally shattered, causing him to utter a curse in his native language from his previous life.
Unwilling to risk investing another full million years, he chose to put in just five hundred thousand.
Heavens, bless me!
Wait, no, he was already defying the heavens—so instead, he prayed to his master, Cheng Xuandan, for luck.
Failure filled his screen once more.
Just as one particular notification appeared, significantly longer than the others, a surge of joy filled his heart.
It's here!
[You have cultivated for 350,000 years. With your profound mastery of the Heaven and Earth Primordial Technique, you attempt to break through to the Wandering Immortal Realm. You pass the Yin-Yang Xuanhuang Five Emperor Tribulation, successfully breaking through to the first layer of the Wandering Immortal Realm.]
[You have cultivated for 355,000 years, advancing to the second layer of the Wandering Immortal Realm.]
[You have cultivated for 360,000 years, advancing to the third layer of the Wandering Immortal Realm.]
...
[You have cultivated for 440,000 years, advancing to the ninth layer of the Wandering Immortal Realm.]
[You have cultivated for 460,000 years. Attempting to break through to the Heaven and Earth Immortal Ascension Realm, you face the Heavenly Divine Will Grand Tribulation and fail.]
...
The next 40,000 years saw repeated failures, with each tribulation occurring every 20,000 years.
Phew—
The ninth layer of the Wandering Immortal Realm!
What a thrill!
The boundless spiritual energy of the earth surged up like dragon roars echoing in his ears, as if the heavens and earth were celebrating his success, making Gu An feel euphoric.
Heavens never forsake those who defy them!
Could the Heaven and Earth Immortal Ascension Realm actually allow one to break free from this world?
Gu An's thoughts ran wild, and his heart filled with endless anticipation.
With only 1.6 million years of lifespan remaining, he dared not attempt another tribulation.
If he got carried away and exhausted his lifespan, causing his body to collapse and die, it would be too much of a pity for this life!
The ninth layer of the Wandering Immortal Realm should be enough for now, right?
As far as Gu An knew, there were no open Nirvana Realm cultivators on the continent. Even in the Demon Land and Seven Stars Spirit Realm, such figures likely hid in the shadows.
The Seven Stars Spirit Realm might have Loose Immortal experts, but could they rival him now that he had reached the Wandering Immortal Realm?
Even if some ancient monster could, Gu An figured he could easily survive for a few more decades. By then, with his one-hundred-million-year plan for enhancing his abilities, no one in the Seven Stars Spirit Realm would be able to stand against him!
No, I didn't cheat at all. Every bit of my cultivation is earned through my own hard work!
Gu An reassured himself.
The earth's spiritual energy was now flooding into his body at an even faster rate, expanding the range of the lifespan barrier. Gu An could sense strong auras approaching from all directions.
Even Loose Immortals were appearing!
Hopefully, no one from the Wandering Immortal Realm showed up...
Gu An felt nervous. Having just reached this realm, he wasn't keen on encountering another cultivator of the same level.
As time passed and Gu An continued to ascend in the Wandering Immortal Realm, the intricacies of the realm unfolded in his mind.
The Wandering Immortal, as its name suggests, was an immortal capable of traveling freely across heaven and earth. With both the primordial spirit and physical body united, they could move unhindered through the heavens and earth, with their primordial spirit becoming even stronger than their physical form.
At this level, the power of the soul finally surpassed that of their magical abilities. Of course, his magical powers also underwent another significant transformation.
The nine layers of the Immortal Dao Realm, as one ascended, the gap between each layer grew ever larger!
While Gu An was deep in his breakthrough, a towering wave suddenly rose to the west, reaching a height of a thousand feet, startling him into turning his head.
With a deafening crash, the sea engulfed the island where Gu An stood, and before the island could resurface, the surrounding ocean violently surged.
Gu An distinctly felt something collide with the island, causing the mountain beneath it to fracture, and he plummeted downward.
At this moment, the true power of the lifespan barrier revealed itself. Despite falling, the barrier remained stable, and Gu An sat as if nothing had happened, continuing to absorb spiritual energy.
Looking through the swirling waters, he saw a massive creature, like a mountain moving through the ocean, its presence imposing.
[Ancient Deep Sea Whale (Nirvana Realm, Eighth Layer): 87,808/150,000/180,000]
An 80,000-year-old sea monster!
No wonder the ocean was said to be even more dangerous than the Demon Lands!
Gu An also spotted other underwater sea monsters of various cultivation realms, marveling at the diversity.
Before long, his breakthrough reached a critical point, forcing him to close his eyes and focus on comprehending the essence of the Wandering Immortal Realm.
Time flew by.
When Gu An opened his eyes again, he had already reached the first layer of the Wandering Immortal Realm. To his surprise, he found himself at the bottom of the ocean.
It was pitch black around him, surrounded by mountains, with countless sea monsters swimming about—almost all of them radiating demonic energy.
Being in such an environment would have terrified most.
Fortunately, Gu An sensed no other Wandering Immortal auras nearby.
If one did appear, then he'd have to prepare for a real battle.
The immense spiritual energy needed to progress from the first to the ninth layer of the Wandering Immortal Realm caused the lifespan barrier to draw in vast amounts of energy from the earth, causing tremors to ripple through the seabed.
An hour later, Gu An detected significant disturbances in the distance—an underwater volcano had erupted, releasing scorching water into the ocean. Amidst the chaos, he sensed a Loose Immortal aura soaring away, the creature's energy erratic and agitated.
He faintly heard someone shouting.
"Hahaha! I'm finally free!"
"Seven Stars Spirit Realm, you better watch out!"
Hearing this, Gu An felt a surge of joy. Could it be that he had unintentionally freed an enemy of the Seven Stars Spirit Realm?
He had already identified the Seven Stars Spirit Realm as his primary adversary. If enemies of the realm appeared, naturally, he'd be thrilled.
Even though he had reached the ninth layer of the Wandering Immortal Realm, Gu An had no plans to single-handedly take on the Seven Stars Spirit Realm. At the very least, he needed others in the open to help divert attention while he eliminated the most powerful threats in the shadows. It wouldn't be wise to let people think he alone had destroyed the realm.
The Seven Stars Spirit Realm had existed for countless years—who knew what connections it had across the ocean?
There were many immortal creatures lurking in the depths.
Dealing with one tribulation would only lead to the next. Life was full of challenges, and if Gu An could take his time at each stage, it would undoubtedly work to his advantage.
No longer thinking too deeply about it, Gu An settled in. As long as no one disturbed him, even at the bottom of the sea, he could proceed with ease.
He pulled up his status panel.
The lifespan barrier was rapidly depleting his lifespan, leaving him with only around 1.5 million years left.
After some consideration, he decided to invest in his swordsmanship.
Previously, he hadn't dared to improve it, fearing he wouldn't have enough lifespan. But now that he had some spare lifespan, it was time to act.
He had debated whether to improve his Wood Spirit Sword Technique, but now that he had the Five Elements Technique, there was no need to enhance the former.
Instead, he would focus on advancing the Tai Cang Divine Shocking Sword!
This was the signature sword technique of the Sword Master of Dao!
More and more people were becoming familiar with the Tai Cang Divine Shocking Sword, and that wasn't necessarily a good thing.
He needed to create a sword technique that no one had ever heard of!
First, he would try it out with 200,000 years of lifespan!
Gu An channeled his lifespan into refining and evolving the Tai Cang Divine Shocking Sword, and notification after notification flashed before him.
After 80,000 years, the Tai Cang Divine Shocking Sword evolved into the Boundless Celestial Sword of Star Suppression!
He used the remaining 120,000 years to push the Boundless Celestial Sword of Star Suppression to the pinnacle of mastery!
A torrent of knowledge and insights surged into Gu An's mind.
The Boundless Celestial Sword of Star Suppression summoned the power of the stars to unleash sword intent that could suppress heaven and earth. Its sword qi was boundless and vast, possessing the essence of grand divine abilities!
Half an hour later.
Gu An opened his eyes, a gleam of light flashing within them.
What a domineering sword technique—the Boundless Celestial Sword of Star Suppression!
Once this sword technique was revealed, sword cultivators across the world would have no choice but to bow their heads, unable to fathom surpassing his swordsmanship.
Gu An was already imagining the impact this technique would have once it was displayed.
But it couldn't be used recklessly—it must be saved for crucial moments!
He smirked.
With his cultivation at the ninth layer of the Wandering Immortal Realm, mastery over the Heaven and Earth Primordial Technique, and wielding the Boundless Celestial Sword of Star Suppression, not to mention his Mysterious Sacred Body, could the Demon Emperor withstand even a few of his strikes?
Could the soon-to-be-revived Demon Ancestor pose a threat to him?
Sorry, dear junior sister, but I can't bear to see you suffer on some deserted island!
Gu An slowly stood up, deactivated the lifespan barrier, and with a single step, rose out of the ocean, ascending tens of thousands of miles into the sky. In an instant, his divine sense locked onto Xiao Chuan's aura in the Third Medicine Valley of the Tai Xuan Sect.
This overwhelming sense of power filled Gu An with unparalleled joy.
With one step, he crossed an unfathomable distance, arriving directly above the Tai Xuan Sect!