Chapter 273 Please forgive me, senior!
Gu An saw countless visions of lifeâs myriad facetsâhe witnessed the birth of a baby, a common man taking a wife and starting a family, demons slaughtering to survive, and someone weeping bitterly in front of a hall.
There was joy.
And there was sorrow.
It was as if he were watching the entirety of mortal existence, with an endless stream of images flashing before his eyesâan overwhelming flood of visions that could shatter the consciousness of an ordinary immortal.
But Gu An was different. He was in the midst of transforming into a Mysterious Law Spirit Immortal. At first, he felt some discomfort, but gradually, he adapted. He even began to glimpse the threads of fate from the boundless illusions before him.
A Mysterious Law Spirit Immortal could perceive fate. Fate shaped destiny. In other words, a Mysterious Law Spirit Immortal could witness the destinies of nearly all living beings.
Destiny was based on cause and effect, yet it formed its own independent laws.
A person's life was intertwined with their environment; different choices led to different paths. Choice was cause and effect; the path formed was destiny. But unlike cause and effect, destiny also encompassed influences beyond karmic tiesâsuch as natural disasters and calamities.
Destiny was the culmination of a personâs choices within the laws of heaven and earth.
The realms of Celestial Ascension and Free Soaring Immortal delved into the Dao of karma, but the Mysterious Law Spirit Immortal pursued the Dao of fate.
Observing the destinies of all beings, comprehending the true essence of fate!
Gu Anâs consciousness immersed deeper into this realization, his soul undergoing constant transformation, his cultivation surging ever higher.
Mysterious Law Spirit Immortal, Second Level!
Third Level!
Fourth Level!
Beneath him, the cliff crumbled. He fell, vanishing into the billowing dust.
Under the blood-colored sky, sinister Spectral Wraiths flitted about, thunderclouds churning above. Through the stormy mist, faint outlines of colossal ghosts loomed, vast as mountain ranges.
Two full hours passed before the heavens and earth finally settled. Yet, the spiritual energy in the world had thinned noticeably.
By the shore, the Nine Great Divine Wraith Kings surrounding an ancient stone monument exhaled in relief.
At last, the anomaly had endedâand they had remained unscathed.
Perhaps this was truly just a disturbance in the laws of heaven and earth, not an attack from some formidable foe.
Suspended in midair, the Lord of the Divine Anomaly Realm sat cross-legged, eyes closed, brows furrowed.
His divine sense swept across the entire Divine Anomaly Realm, scanning every inch of the land. Yet, he found no abnormalities. Even he, the ruler of this realm, had no clue where the spiritual energy had gone after sinking.
An uneasy feeling gnawed at himâhe was losing control over his own domain.
Even if this was merely a shift in the worldâs laws, there had to be a reason behind it. Yet, he had no knowledge of it.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, his gaze falling upon the Nine Great Divine Wraith Kings below, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes.
Could it be that these creatures had angered some unseen force, and this was a warning?
In the midst of the swirling dust, Gu An sat cross-legged, meditating.
Though his Lifespan Barrier did not block out the dust, it could not touch him. He radiated seven-colored divine light, a golden sigil glowing on his forehead, shimmering like a third eye floating before him.
His cultivation had now reached the ninth level of the Mysterious Law Spirit Immortal Realm!
The reason he had yet to open his eyes was simpleâhe was carefully attuning himself to the wonders of a Mysterious Law Spirit Immortal.
His soul had already transformed into a Mysterious Law Immortal Soul. As long as his soul remained, even if his physical body was destroyed, he could reconstitute himself. This was the terrifying power of a Mysterious Law Spirit Immortal.
However, even a Mysterious Law Spirit Immortal had a Heavenly Fate, signifying that lifespan had its limitsâsomething he could now perceive with absolute clarity.
After a long moment, he slowly opened his eyes. The golden sigil on his forehead flickered, and he drew the Primordial Divine Eye back into the sigil.
This golden sigil made him seem almost divine.
He still couldnât fully retract it into his bodyâunless he used a spell to conceal it.
After some thought, he decided to leave it as it was. With the Myriad Forms Qi Technique, no one could see through his Primordial Divine Eye anyway.
Gu An summoned his status panelâonly 2.2 million years of lifespan remained.
The Lifespan Barrier had consumed far too much!
Taking a deep breath, Gu An rose to his feet and turned his gaze.
In the distance, Tian Wuchang had appeared.
Without hesitation, Gu An activated the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body, morphing into a dark purple shadow, and dispelled his Lifespan Barrier.
With a single step, he appeared behind Tian Wuchang.
At that moment, Tian Wuchang was still deep in discussion with the other Divine Wraith Kings about the earlier anomaly.
The Wraith Kings before him suddenly widened their eyes in shock.
Sensing their reaction, Tian Wuchang barely had time to react beforeâ
Slap!
A hand landed on his shoulder.
In that instant, a chilling terror surged through his heart, dragging his soul into an abyss of fear.
The remaining eight Divine Wraith Kings instantly leaped away, putting distance between themselves and Gu An.
Even the Lord of the Divine Anomaly Realm turned his gaze toward Gu An, his brows tightly furrowed.
His divine sense could not penetrate the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body, and this heightened his apprehension of Gu An.
Gu An cast Lifespan Detection toward the Divine Anomaly Lordâbut could only see his realm level.
Free Soaring Immortal, Fifth Level!
That was an immensely powerful cultivation!
Before breaking through, Gu An might have only had a 90% chance of instantly killing himâtoo risky.
Fortunately, he had advanced!
A flicker of relief crossed Gu Anâs mind as he glanced at the stone monument nearby.
All Spectral Wraiths were linked by karma to this Divine Fate Monumentâtheir power was stored within it.
"Who are you?! What do you want?!" one of the Divine Wraith Kings asked, voice tense.
Gu An had appeared too suddenly, and they couldnât sense his cultivationâhow could they not be afraid?
More importantly, he was staring at the Divine Fate Monument!
Ignoring the question, Gu An instead declared:
"Extract Tian Wuchangâs power. Otherwise, all of you will be obliterated together."
The Divine Wraith Kings' expressions drastically changed, their gazes filled with shock and fury.
But none dared to retort, let alone act.
Instead, all eyes turned to the Divine Anomaly Lord.
Tian Wuchang trembled violently, unable to even speak, his eyes pleading as he looked up at the Divine Anomaly Lord.
Face dark, the Divine Anomaly Lord locked eyes with Gu An, struggling with his decision.
Gu An was in no rush. Let Tian Wuchang experience despair.
This wretch had oppressed Gu Anâs disciples beforeâkilling him outright would be too merciful.
Moreover, after reaching the Mysterious Law Spirit Immortal Realm, Gu An was certainâthe Divine Anomaly Lord was merely a front. There was a greater power behind him.
That stone monument held the aura of several Free Soaring Immortals, indicating that the Divine Anomaly Realm likely belonged to an overarching faction.
For now, Gu An had no intention of exposing himself.
What mattered was that these Spectral Wraiths didnât threaten Taixuan Sectâs continent.
And he had sensed a familiar presence in this land.
For that reason aloneâhe couldnât destroy the monument just yet.
The Divine Anomaly Lord took a deep breath. Slowly, he raised his right hand and made a grasping motion toward the Divine Fate Monument.
A wisp of soul was pulled from within.
It was Tian Wuchangâs soulâshrunken, lifeless, curled in upon itself like a hollow shell.
Despair filled Tian Wuchangâs eyes.
Then, hatred.
He didnât hate Gu An.
He hated the Divine Anomaly Lord.
If he could speak, he would surely curse him to his final breath.
The other Wraith Kings understood the look in Tian Wuchangâs eyes.
And the feeling in their own hearts was no better.
A chilling realization settled over them.
Gu An had made a demand, and the Divine Anomaly Lord had complied without resistance.
It meant that in the end, they were all disposable pawns.
Gu An didnât hesitate.
His right hand clenchedâ
Poof!
Tian Wuchang disintegrated into dust.
Even his soul essence was erased with a flick of Gu Anâs sleeve.
No lifespan absorption notification appeared.
Because Tian Wuchang no longer existed.
His very being had been erased from the world.
For a brief moment, silence drowned the realm.
Gu An turned his gaze toward the Divine Anomaly Lord and transmitted a message directly into his mind.
Then, he turned to leave.
"Wait!"
The Divine Anomaly Lordâs voice rang out.
Gu An stopped in his tracks, not turning around.
Hovering above them all, the Divine Anomaly Lord peered down at Gu An, eyes narrowed.
"Before my Wraith Kings, I let you eliminate one of my own. They will not understand."
"I ask only thisâyou take one strike from me. Let them witness your strength."
Silence.
Even the wind stopped.
The ocean stilled.
The eight remaining Divine Wraith Kings held their breath.
They cursed in their hearts.
They had no desire to âwitnessâ anything!
Gu Anâs power had already been proven.
Why provoke him further?
They knew what was happening.
The Divine Anomaly Lord was bitter.
He wasnât satisfied with what had just happened.
And now, he was using them as an excuse to challenge Gu An.
Gu An finally spoke, his voice calm and distant:
"You wish to feel my strength?"
He turned slowly.
In an instantâ
He grew.
Taller.
Larger.
Colossal.
Sky-high. Earth-shaking.
He became a towering giant, his form reaching 100,000 zhang.
His head touched the blood-colored sky.
His feet crushed the land beneath him.
Dark purple demonic energy surged around him like a vast ocean, roaring into the heavens.
The Divine Wraith Kings stared in shock.
Even the Divine Anomaly Lordâs expression changed.
Gu An raised his right handâ
A mountain-sized palm radiated streaks of divine light.
âPrimordial Sky-Seizing Hand!
As the divine art formedâ
The Divine Anomaly Lord and the Wraith Kings felt the heavens collapse upon them!
Gu Anâs voice rumbled through the world:
"Once my palm is raised, it must descend."
"Divine Anomaly Lordâhow will you convince me to withdraw my hand?"
BOOM!
The Divine Anomaly Lord crashed to the ground.
Beneath his weight, countless cracks splintered across the barren land.
His body shook violently.
He was desperately trying to resist Gu Anâs overwhelming presence.
But he could not.
The eight Wraith Kings collapsed, pinned to the earth.
They couldn't stand.
They could only watch the Divine Anomaly Lord, their faces filled with horror.
The Divine Anomaly Lordâs teeth clenched.
Thenâ
His legs bent.
And heâ
Knelt.
His hands pressed to the ground, his voice trembling:
"I beg you⊠spare me!"
His plea echoed through the realm.
All throughout the Divine Anomaly Realm, countless Spectral Wraiths heard it.
The Divine Wraith Kings saw their rulerâonce proud and mightyânow kneeling in submission.
A breath of relief escaped their lips.
And yet, a deep sorrow filled their hearts.
They were strong.
They could roam the seas, command the winds and storms.
But before the true rulers of this world, they were stillâ
Nothing.
Taixuan Sect, Third Medicine Valley.
Gu An stepped off the teleportation platform, humming a cheerful tune.
"Oh? Whatâs got you in such a good mood?"
A familiar voice teased him.
He glanced overâYou Yingying had appeared beside him.
Gu An smirked. "Not bad, I suppose."
You Yingying chuckled. "If you were born overseas, I doubt youâd be so carefree now."
Gu An shrugged. "No point in 'ifs.' Thatâs just how things are.
"Cherish the present. Enjoy life, junior."
With that, he turned and walked toward the Go board area.
Time to crush Nine-Fingered Divine Lord in three matches.
Let him experience the horrifying predictive power of a Mysterious Law Spirit Immortal!
You Yingying watched his back, lips curling in amusement.
She sighed inwardly.
Sometimes⊠being at the bottom of the world wasnât so bad.
At least, you didnât have to worry about heaven-shaking calamities.