Chapter 331: The Emperor from the Realm of Nirvana

Chapter 331 The Emperor from the Realm of Nirvana

Gu An's eyes were fixed on the burning painting on the table, while his divine sense was locked onto the skies beyond the realm.

Among the seven suns hanging above the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm, one of them suddenly revealed a mysterious, enormous being that opened its eyes and stared directly at Gu An's loft.

The reason the painting was burning—was because of that being!

Gu An remained calm. All seven of those beings possessed the Free Soaring Immortal Stage cultivation, which posed no threat to him. However, he could sense the immense karma they carried and the powerful entities behind them.

Thinking about it carefully, it wasn’t surprising. Since the Holy Court allowed them to exist, either their backers were the Holy Court themselves, or their backers were beings even the Holy Court feared.

Whichever it was, Gu An had no intention of stirring the pot.

Soon, the painting turned entirely to ash—yet the table remained untouched. Quite the phenomenon.

Shen Zhen asked, still shaken, “What was that just now?”

Even with her Transformation Stage cultivation, she couldn’t make sense of how the fire had appeared or vanished.

At that moment, she felt like she'd offended the heavens themselves.

Gu An took a deep breath. “I don’t know either. Seems like yesterday’s omen... you shouldn’t have painted it.”

Shen Zhen frowned. “Only yesterday?”

“Most likely. You’ve painted plenty before and nothing happened,” Gu An replied.

That made it clear—Yang Jian’s karma was somehow linked to the Seven Suns.

Shen Zhen inhaled deeply. “Forget it. My cultivation is low. I can’t afford to mess with things like this.”

Just as she said that, Gu An saw the mysterious being within the sun close its eyes.

Shen Zhen had dodged a bullet. That had been just a warning—which also meant the being inside the Seven Suns wasn’t completely bloodthirsty or tyrannical.

Gu An sat back down and joked, “You’re something else. You actually drew a painting that pissed off the heavens.”

Shen Zhen didn’t seem proud. Instead, she said seriously, “While painting, I did feel like I’d entered a very profound state. After I finished each painting, my cultivation felt easier, and a lot of things I used to struggle with just made sense.”

“Looks like you’re about to undergo a complete transformation.” Gu An looked at her, clearly envious.

Shen Zhen finally smiled and huffed, “You better be nicer to me from now on. Who knows—I might ascend to immortality one of these days.”

“Yes, Immortal Shen.”

“Good boy.”

“You’re so shameless!”

“Hmm? You dare disrespect a future immortal?”

They bantered back and forth, Shen Zhen’s fear completely gone. Still, she made a mental note—she’d have to be more cautious with her painting in the future.

There were some things that simply shouldn’t be drawn.

Half an hour later, Shen Zhen left.

Gu An reclined in his chair, watching Yang Jian and Tianzong.

Even though Yang Jian hadn’t undergone a drastic breakthrough since awakening his past-life memories, his overall aura had changed significantly.

After observing him for a while and confirming he was fine, Gu An withdrew his gaze.

In the following days, Yang Jian and Tianzong stayed on that island. Thanks to Tianzong’s formation, even passing Grandmaster Cultivators couldn’t detect their presence.

Time passed, and summer arrived.

Gu An rode the Blood Prison Grand Sage down from the teleportation platform, visibly in high spirits.

Just as he was about to leave, Nine-Fingered Divine Lord approached with curiosity and asked, “Gu An, your disciple An Xin’s progress lately has been huge. What’ve you been teaching her?”

Since Gu An had once brought Yang Jian out before, he assumed An Xin’s changes were also linked to him. That made him even more curious about the power backing Gu An.

In Taixuan Sect, the most mysterious and powerful being was none other than the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path.

The Nine-Fingered Divine Lord always suspected Gu An was connected to him. Maybe Gu An’s Go skills even came from that lineage.

As for the idea that Gu An was the Sword Sovereign—he’d dismissed that after learning Gu An’s age.

“Secret technique. I can’t say. Unless... you become my disciple.” Gu An looked down at him smugly.

The Nine-Fingered Divine Lord rolled his eyes. “You know how high my cultivation is, and you think you can take me as a disciple?”

Gu An shrugged. “A true teacher teaches regardless of rank. You’re not better than me in everything. Is cultivation level all you care about? Is absorbing spiritual energy the only way to walk the Dao?”

The Nine-Fingered Divine Lord didn’t argue—instead, he fell into deep thought.

Gu An patted the Blood Prison Grand Sage’s head and urged him forward.

The beast had been cultivating the Innate Reincarnation Technique all these years. Even though his cultivation was still sealed, he was full of hope.

Once the thousand-year mark hit, he was sure to ascend!

The Nine-Fingered Divine Lord called out, “You’re saying even playing Go can lead to the Dao?”

“Who’s to say? Whatever you do—if you do it with your heart—anything’s possible.” Gu An responded offhandedly.

It was clear the Divine Lord had sustained serious injuries—his cultivation was far beyond Roving Immortal Stage, but Gu An couldn’t be bothered with his past.

Watching Gu An’s retreating figure, the Nine-Fingered Divine Lord sensed an ethereal aura. That kid seemed more immortal than immortals themselves.

Maybe the Sword Sovereign stayed in the Taixuan Sect because of him?

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became.

Yes, staying in Taixuan Sect was the right choice.

He turned to look at Shen Xinzi, who was reading under a tree. He’d once thought Shen Xinzi had gone mad—now, maybe he was on the verge of enlightenment.

His gaze then drifted to the Third Medicine Valley, and he had a strong feeling...

Years from now, that valley would give birth to many who would shake the world.

That thought made him chuckle. He was actually looking forward to it.

Let’s see what kind of legends would grow from the land the Sword Sovereign chose.

—

Meanwhile, Gu An went upstairs.

He shut the door, sat down, and placed the Little Green Mountain, which had been disguised as an accessory, onto the table.

Today, he sensed a strange fluctuation inside Azure Sky Peak—connected to that mysterious Heaven Demon.

That guy couldn’t sit still anymore.

Gu An’s divine sense entered the Azure Sky Peak. That mountain also housed its own internal realm. Though not as vast as the space inside Divine Anomaly City, it was still larger than the Taicang Continent.

In a dilapidated temple, a projection of Gu An’s divine sense entered.

Sunlight streamed through the cracked temple walls, stretching Gu An’s shadow.

He stopped before a wall etched with ancient, timeworn carvings.

“Come out. Let’s talk. Give me one good reason, and I won’t erase you,” Gu An said flatly, eyes locked on the wall.

As soon as he finished, dark demonic energy began leaking from the wall’s surface, eerie even under the broad daylight.

Soon, a shriveled black-robed elder emerged from the miasma—as though he’d crawled through time itself.

His eyes were bloodshot. The moment he stepped out, they locked onto Gu An.

He landed, stood upright, and asked in a deep voice, “Who exactly are you, and what do you want?”

Gu An replied, “You interfered with Azure Sky Peak, trying to crash it into mine. And you ask me what I want?”

The elder’s face grew even darker. He fell silent, eyes flickering.

“You came for the Demonic Fetus, didn’t you?” Gu An asked.

The elder’s expression changed drastically, and he trembled.

He stared Gu An down. “What did you do to him?”

“Haven’t touched him yet. But he’s becoming a bigger pain.” Gu An’s tone stayed calm, unreadable.

The old man hesitated. “You... you have no grudge with us, right?”

Gu An didn’t respond.

Gathering his courage, the old man said, “If you don’t want to get dragged into this karmic mess, you’d best leave. That fetus is the reincarnation of a Great Emperor from the Extinction Domain, nurtured for tens of thousands of years. He can’t be moved. More Heaven Demons will come later.”

Gu An asked, “What if I tell the Holy Court?”

The old man narrowed his eyes. “You think the reincarnation of the Demon Emperor entered the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm on his own? Saint Heaven is gone. Your Holy Court isn’t as just or kind as you think.”

Saint Heaven is gone?

Gu An thought to himself but asked, “So you’ve already made contact with the higher-ups in the Holy Court?”

The old man replied, “If you really want to avoid karma, don’t ask too many questions. Ask too much, and you’ll attract attention.”

Gu An understood—the old man knew he wasn’t affiliated with the Holy Court, and wanted to avoid conflict.

With how Gu An had subdued Azure Sky Peak, he knew he stood no chance in a fight.

“What are you planning in the Heavenly Spirit Great Realm? You’re not trying to target all the people here, are you? If so, where would I even escape to?” Gu An asked slowly.

His mind weighed his options.

Should he leave Human Peak?

Logically, if he wanted to avoid trouble—he should go.

“The universe is vast. There’s always a place to hide. Besides, our plan won’t unfold for a long time,” the old man replied. Noticing Gu An’s hesitation, he grew bolder.

“What was the Demonic Fetus’s cultivation in his past life?” Gu An asked.

“He was at the Eighth Heaven of the Immortal Path. Reaching the Seventh Heaven this life won’t be hard.”

The elder himself was Free Soaring Immortal, but even Mystic Celestial Immortal Stage was out of reach for him, let alone something higher.

The Seventh Heaven was Dao-Void Celestial Immortal.

The Eighth Heaven was Divine Soul Immortal—Gu An’s realm!

He was at the Ninth Layer of Divine Soul Immortal Stage!

The old man assumed Gu An was scared and added, “Leave this place. Even if I find the Demonic Fetus, it’ll take thousands of years to fully awaken him. You’ll have plenty of time to find a new cultivation site.”

Thousands of years?

The pressure on Gu An lessened considerably. Even with this guy’s help, it’d take that long—without him, it might take ten thousand years!

Gu An said, “Give me a few years to think it over. That’s not too much, right?”

The old man’s expression eased. He bowed and said, “Of course. I hope you’ll come around. Don’t waste your future.”

He couldn’t leave Azure Sky Peak or spread word—so all he could do was keep Gu An on good terms, trying both hard and soft approaches.