Chapter 334: Is that the end?

Chapter 334 Is that the end?

A streak of red light tore through the thundercloud-covered sea, fast as lightning.

Gu An, An Xin, Fairy Yongxin, and Fu Shenxiu stood at the edge of the pavilion, gazing out at the awe-inspiring scene of the Thunder Sea Demon Domain.

Demonic aura blanketed the area, yet it couldn’t conceal the crashing waves. Countless bolts of lightning weaved between sea and sky, writhing like dragons and serpents—terrifying and chaotic. From time to time, massive demonic beasts the size of mountains burst from the water, roaring madly like ancient primordial creatures.

“The place where the Earth-Origin Soul Core appears will be shrouded in a strange light, so it’s easy to spot. But the Earth-Origin Soul Core can run. If we don’t catch it fast enough, it’ll dive into the sea and vanish completely. We’ll have to wait until it shows up again,” Fairy Yongxin explained.

Gu An nodded slightly. He could sense a powerful divine sense in this ocean, dispersed through the seawater and impossible to condense. Judging from this, the ancient Grandmaster cultivator she mentioned was likely at the level of a Divine Soul Immortal.

Even Divine Soul Immortals eventually passed on. Who knew what kind of tribulation that cultivator had faced?

While pondering this, Gu An spread his divine sense across the entire Thunder Sea Demon Domain. The domain was massive—larger than the entire Severed Sea Region. Demonic beasts of all levels filled the place, ranging from Mystic Celestial Immortal to Qi Refining Stage.

Many areas within the domain were protected by powerful restrictions that even Gu An’s divine sense couldn’t pierce directly. If he focused, he could break through—but doing so would destroy the small worlds inside those formations.

Gu An locked his attention onto a Mystic Celestial Immortal.

This individual was hiding on a sea island, surrounded by demonic beasts each as strong as a Celestial Ascension cultivator, and far larger than the island itself.

Right then, he happened to see a Roving Immortal flying nearby, only to be swallowed whole by a massive black whale before her nascent soul could even escape.

A female cultivator—graceful as an immortal. Such a waste.

While thinking, Gu An responded to Fairy Yongxin and quickly picked up the location of an unusual light. He directed her to fly in that direction.

Beside him, An Xin looked around wide-eyed at the surrounding chaos.

The demonic aura was so thick it had condensed into black fog.

If she were thrown into the Thunder Sea Demon Domain alone, she figured she’d rather die—it was hard to imagine how anyone could survive here.

Boom—

A section of sea exploded in the distance. A massive deep-red fish—over ten miles long—leapt into the air. But before An Xin could take in its full form, she saw terrifying tentacles wrapping around it and crushing it to pieces. Blood and flesh flew everywhere, sending chills down her spine.

Gu An, Fairy Yongxin, and Fu Shenxiu were unfazed.

Gu An noticed cities dotting the edges of the Thunder Sea Demon Domain, resembling the main city of the Severed Sea Region. It seemed the Holy Court had taken control of this sea and barred other sects from claiming territory—establishing the rules themselves.

No wonder so many cultivators were grouped together, led by Celestial Ascension experts, clearly not here for the Earth-Origin Soul Core.

Gu An focused his senses on them. Their fate and fortune felt similar to that of Lu Xianyi.

Before long, they arrived at a sea region bathed in blue light. It stretched for ten thousand miles in every direction. Even the thunderclouds above were rendered translucent by the glow.

Within the blue light, two Free Soaring Immortals were locked in fierce combat. Their divine techniques were overwhelmingly powerful, though the battle’s pressure remained confined to the glowing zone.

Gu An’s gaze locked onto a man named Zhao Qizhen, clad in battle armor and wielding a divine weapon. Flames shaped like phoenixes circled him, and his magical aura was bold and commanding.

In his other hand was a glowing blue crystal.

That had to be the Earth-Origin Soul Core!

Gu An could sense a trace of divine will within it, one that matched the ocean’s dispersed consciousness.

“Zhao Qizhen of the Zhao Family,” Fu Shenxiu said coldly.

Fairy Yongxin chuckled. “Zhao Qizhen and Shenxiu are basically destined rivals. They’ve fought at every major cultivation stage.”

An Xin glanced at Fu Shenxiu, wanting to ask who usually won but afraid of offending him.

Fu Shenxiu huffed, “I lost last time. Next time, I’ll win.”

Gu An was intrigued—so there were clans powerful enough to rival Human Peak?

The fact that Fairy Yongxin emphasized his family instead of his sect showed just how formidable the Zhao Family was.

An Xin really wanted to ask: why wait for next time? Why not now?

Fairy Yongxin went on to introduce Zhao Qizhen’s opponent—an elder from a certain sect.

A Supreme Elder losing to a family’s genius—it spoke volumes about the disparity between their powers.

Their arrival caused the two Free Soaring Immortals to feel pressure, especially Zhao Qizhen, who sensed Fu Shenxiu's aura.

The two slowed their fight in unspoken agreement, wary of third parties interfering.

Fairy Yongxin and Fu Shenxiu both looked to Gu An, waiting to see how he would act.

An Xin, meanwhile, was tense. Once in the blue-lit area, she could feel the full might of Free Soaring Immortals.

It was terrifying. Not even the Heavenly Rankings Tournament had showcased such intense battle pressure.

Gu An raised his right hand and made a grasping motion through the air. In an instant, Zhao Qizhen vanished from the battlefield. His opponent jerked back in shock, eyes scanning toward the distant red pavilion.

Fairy Yongxin and Fu Shenxiu both snapped their attention to Gu An’s hand. The Free Soaring Immortals’ faces changed dramatically.

An Xin turned her head instinctively—and her eyes widened.

The once-mighty Zhao Qizhen, now clutched in Gu An’s palm, looked as small as an insect.

He looked up in terror. The most terrifying part was that he couldn’t escape—an invisible, untouchable force held him down.

Gu An raised his left hand, extended two fingers, and suddenly Zhao Qizhen felt something missing from his hand. Looking down, he saw the Earth-Origin Soul Core gone—now held between Gu An’s fingers.

Without a word, Gu An tossed it casually to Fu Shenxiu.

Fu Shenxiu stood frozen, as did Fairy Yongxin, their eyes blank.

That worked? Just like that?

Gu An flung Zhao Qizhen away. He returned to his original size midair and steadied himself, looking at Gu An in utter fear.

Gu An remained expressionless and didn’t bother speaking. Instead, he turned to Fairy Yongxin. “Let’s go.”

She snapped back to her senses and immediately activated the red pavilion.

Since Gu An had revealed his true form and the two hadn’t shown hostility, he decided to spare them.

As they flew off, Zhao Qizhen stood still, his handsome face flushed with humiliation.

He forced himself to calm down. Based on what he’d just experienced, he knew he was no match for Gu An.

If it had been him in Gu An’s place, he wouldn’t have left anyone alive.

Now, only one question haunted him—when did Human Peak gain such a powerhouse?

That man’s strength had to be at least Mystic Celestial Immortal!

Taking a deep breath, he turned to his previous opponent, offering a formal bow. The other Free Soaring Immortal was stunned. Before he could respond, Zhao Qizhen turned and left.

Back on the pavilion, Fu Shenxiu held the Earth-Origin Soul Core, face full of mixed feelings.

Fairy Yongxin was the first to thank Gu An, followed quickly by Fu Shenxiu.

“That’s it?” An Xin asked, unable to help herself.

Which only made the other two even more conflicted.

Gu An laughed. “Isn’t smooth sailing a good thing?”

“Of course!” An Xin said quickly. “I just meant…”

Seeing she couldn’t find the words, Gu An smiled and said, “Let’s head back.”

Fairy Yongxin smiled too—this had gone even better than expected.

Even Free Soaring Immortals faced life-or-death risks in the Thunder Sea Demon Domain.

As they reached the domain’s edge, Gu An suddenly grabbed An Xin by the shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat—then she found herself flying out of the pavilion.

With one hand on her shoulder, Gu An waved his other and sent the red pavilion soaring away.

Fairy Yongxin and Fu Shenxiu were both caught off guard. Before they could react, Gu An’s voice echoed in their minds: “You two go back first.”

The pavilion sped away, seemingly unhindered by any natural laws of heaven and earth. Fairy Yongxin and Fu Shenxiu could feel the world itself making way for it—a method so profound they couldn’t even begin to comprehend it.

“He must have another goal,” Fairy Yongxin said.

“I think... maybe his disciple still wants to look around,” Fu Shenxiu replied.

She turned to him in surprise. “He’s that willful?”

“With his cultivation, how is that willfulness?” Fu Shenxiu said, eyes drifting to the Earth-Origin Soul Core in his hand. In that moment, his impression of Gu An was completely transformed.

—

Elsewhere, Gu An carried An Xin as he soared through the clouds. He cloaked her with divine sense, shielding them in a way that made them invisible to anyone below Dao-Void Celestial Immortal.

“Master, you don’t have to do this for me… It’s dangerous out here…” An Xin said softly, deeply touched.

Gu An chuckled. “Don’t flatter yourself. This isn’t for you.”

“Then who is it for?”

“You’ll see in a moment.”

Hearing that only made her more curious.

Thunderclouds rolled rapidly around them, but she felt no discomfort—they were moving fast.

Soon, Gu An stopped.

Up ahead, lightning crackled within the clouds, and demonic fog churned below.

Suddenly, ghostly apparitions shot out of the clouds, causing An Xin to instinctively cling to Gu An.

The booming below drew her attention.

With a thought, they descended through the cloud cover into the space below. An Xin was stunned by the scene.

A massive city phantom hovered over the sea. Countless Spirit Wraiths flew from it, launching attacks on the demonic beasts nearby.

A chaotic war!

“Divine Anomaly City? Is Uncle Master Li Ya here?” An Xin exclaimed excitedly.

Li Ya had once appeared in the Heavenly Rankings Tournament, showcasing Divine Anomaly City’s might. It had left a deep impression on her.

Whenever she thought of Supreme Immortal Treasures, she thought of Li Ya.

“That’s one terrifying treasure. Master, can Azure Sky Peak do that too?” she asked.

Gu An snorted, “Divine Anomaly City is a broken Supreme Immortal Treasure—barely counts as a Pseudo-Supreme Immortal Treasure. In terms of raw power, it’s nowhere near Azure Sky Peak. I’ll show you soon.”