Dark clouds churned as the sky dimmed. Across the land, rivers of lava stretched as far as the eye could see, making the earth appear as though it were cracked. The air was thick with scorching heat, and demonic mist filled with embers swirled across the landscape.
A chain of volcanoes extended into the distance, some still actively erupting. Demonic creatures circled between the mountains, and occasionally, fish-like creatures leaped from the lava, pulling bones along with them.
Atop one of the tallest volcanoes, there was a grand altar. Sitting cross-legged on the altar was a man clad in a black robe. His robe was so large that, at first glance, it seemed to cover a third of the altar's surface. His hair was long, and a black-scaled snake tail protruded from beneath the robe, hanging over the edge of the altar.
Before this black-robed man lay a massive skeleton, and on it sat a bronze mirror. Demonic energy swirled within the mirror, as though thousands of evil spirits were trapped inside, struggling to break free.
A demon with the body of a man and the head of a tiger descended on a demonic cloud, landing beside the altar.
"Lord Demon Master, His Majesty the Demon Emperor is preparing to journey to the Ancient Tomb of the Demon Ancestor. He has asked if you will accompany him."
The tiger-headed demon bowed respectfully as he spoke.
The black-robed figure on the altar was none other than the Demon Master, second in power only to the Demon Emperor in the Demon Realm.
The Demon Master lazily responded, "Tell His Majesty that I am at a crucial point in my divination and cannot accompany him."
The tiger-headed demon hesitated, then asked, "His Majesty also wanted to know what should be done if the Demon Ancestor regains his consciousness early."
"Reassure His Majesty that the soul of the Demon Ancestor is nothing but an empty shell. His intelligence was worn away by the heavens long ago. Without a suitable soul to inhabit it, there's no way he could revive."
"However… His Majesty seeks a definite answer."
The tiger-headed demon appeared uneasy. Hearing this, the Demon Master fell silent, his tail ceasing its slow swaying. The tiger-headed demon grew even more nervous.
After a long while, the Demon Master finally said, "If he truly regains his intelligence, then tell His Majesty to destroy him."
"Understood!"
The tiger-headed demon, relieved, bowed deeply before taking his leave.
Once the demon had disappeared into the horizon, the Demon Master slowly lifted his head, revealing a ghastly and terrifying face. Most of his flesh had been reduced to bone, and his eyes bulged from their sockets, as if they might fall out at any moment. His mouth housed two sharp fangs that resembled daggers.
His blood-red pupils stared into the bronze mirror as he muttered to himself, "Why have the heavens changed…"
…
Late autumn had arrived, and inside the Inner Sect's Library Pavilion, Gu An ascended to the third floor to find Elder Xu Lu.
"Another group of disciples and elders has returned from overseas recently," Gu An said. "Do you have any sea maps available?"
Elder Xu Lu glanced up with a smile. "This is the third time you've asked. Your patience has finally paid off."
He opened a drawer, retrieving a jade slip. "Here's the map. You can examine it using your divine sense, but you cannot take it out. Study it here."
"Thank you, Elder," Gu An replied gratefully, taking the jade slip and moving toward a nearby chair.
He wasn't worried about being suspected. Should anyone question him, he could simply adopt his identity as Pan An.
After all, as an author, it made sense to research.
Gu An's lifespan had already reached 9.95 million years, just 50,000 years away from reaching the ten-million-year mark.
For him, 50,000 years of lifespan was no longer an issue. If he waited a month, he would reach the mark. If he wished to speed up the process, he could visit Xu Xing Cave Heaven to gather heavenly treasures.
Sitting down, Gu An focused his divine sense into the jade slip.
In an instant, he was greeted with the vast image of the ocean. From a high vantage point, the boundary of the Tai Cang Dynasty came into view, followed by the seemingly endless sea. The edges of the map were shrouded in mist, indicating the unknown.
At first glance, there appeared to be no landmass larger than the continent, only islands of various sizes scattered across the ocean. Some islands were as large as the Tai Cang Dynasty itself.
As his divine sense honed in on specific points, the map zoomed in, revealing detailed oceanic scenes, with waves crashing and even glimpses of sea creatures lurking beneath the surface.
Whoever created this jade slip must have been incredibly powerful. Could it have been one of the Tai Shang Elders?
An hour later, Gu An withdrew his divine sense, rising to return the jade slip to Elder Xu Lu.
"The ocean truly is vast," Gu An remarked, awed.
Elder Xu Lu placed the jade slip back in the drawer, his expression amused. "You've been studying sea maps quite a bit lately. Are you planning to run away?"
Gu An responded righteously, "How could that be? I trust that Tai Xuan Sect will survive the Demon Catastrophe. Why would I need to flee? I'm merely curious about the world."
"Is that so? You're not the only one asking about sea maps recently. Even some true disciples have come to inquire. I was starting to think Tai Xuan Sect was disbanding," Elder Xu Lu joked.
Gu An asked, "What about you, Elder? If Tai Xuan Sect called upon all disciples to fight, what would you do?"
Elder Xu Lu chuckled. "These old bones of mine are already prepared to be buried here. I've even had my tombstone prepared in advance."
Gu An couldn't help but admire the elder's dedication.
After chatting for a while, Gu An took his leave.
As he descended the stairs, a figure ascended—a masked woman, dressed in plain robes with her hair pinned up by a simple wooden hairpin. She approached Elder Xu Lu.
With a slight bow, she smiled and asked, "Elder, may I trouble you for something?"
The masked woman retrieved several jade slips from her sleeve and said, "If that disciple comes back to inquire about maps, you may give him these."
Elder Xu Lu accepted the jade slips, curious. "Do you know him?"
"I know of him," she replied. "There are those who wish to take him as a disciple, and he possesses another identity that makes him worth cultivating."
With that cryptic remark, the masked woman vanished into thin air.
Elder Xu Lu stared at the jade slips on the table, muttering, "Another identity? He's just a Foundation Establishment cultivator who spends his days reading idle books. What identity could he possibly have? Could he be Pan An?"
"No, that's impossible. Why would Pan An read Seeking Spring Daoist? Could he be the author of Tai Xuan's Secret Chronicles and writing under his real name?"
…
Winter had arrived, though the first snow of the season had come late this year.
After nightfall, Gu An first made his way to Xuan Tian Cave Mansion, gathering another batch of herbs before replanting new ones.
After leaving Xuan Tian Cave Mansion, just a few steps later, he arrived at the Nian Chu Cave Residence on Tianhuang Mountain.
Tian Yao'er was practicing the Infinite Free Step, her body shifting and dodging with impressive precision. Though her range was limited, she was already showing hints of divine mastery.
This demoness's comprehension ability was truly high. However, mastering techniques like covering a hundred or thousand miles in a single step would take her many years. As for reaching Gu An's level of expertise, that seemed a distant dream.
Gu An merely glanced at her before turning away to continue collecting herbs.
When Tian Yao'er noticed him, a bright smile lit up her face as she rushed toward him.
A fragrant breeze followed as she threw herself into Gu An's arms, rubbing her cheek against his chest. Gu An was helpless.
This girl was getting clingier by the day.
"Why do you suddenly smell so fragrant?" Gu An raised an eyebrow, gently patting her thigh as she clung tighter.
It was one thing to hug, but to rub against him with her legs?
That was going too far!
Tian Yao'er looked up with a playful grin. "I don't know either—maybe it's my natural scent. Do you like it, Master?"
Gu An pressed a hand against her forehead, pushing her away.
"It's passable. I have herbs to gather, so go back to practicing."
Gu An meant what he said. Though she smelled nice, his mind was set—tonight, he would reach ten million years of lifespan!
Tian Yao'er didn't heed his words and instead followed him around, asking endless questions about his preferences while he picked herbs.
Gu An answered her absentmindedly, his thoughts already drifting to the possibilities awaiting him in the higher realms.
After a while, Gu An suddenly sensed something. He paused briefly before continuing his task.
His divine sense reached out beyond the Nian Chu Cave Residence, observing the distant mountains where demonic mist swirled, and shadows of massive creatures stirred behind the peaks.
Upon closer inspection, he saw a group of cultivators besieging a thousand-foot-tall ancient beast, shaking the very earth.
The creature resembled a giant tortoise, with a mountain—a volcano—growing from its shell. It had three serpent-like heads that spewed demonic flames.
Among the group of cultivators attacking the beast was a familiar face.
Ji Xiaoya!
Why was she near Tianhuang Mountain?
Ji Xiaoya's cultivation had already reached the seventh level of the Nascent Soul Realm. She was accompanied by twenty-seven other cultivators, all with at least Divine Transformation cultivation. A single Profound Heart Realm cultivator stood by, watching the battle unfold.
Gu An also sensed a powerful demonic aura approaching from the distance, belonging to a demon in the fifth level of the Profound Heart Realm.
Could these cultivators be from the Seven Stars Spirit Realm?
Gu An pondered this as he continued gathering herbs.
Soon enough, the Profound Heart demon launched its assault, prompting the Profound Heart cultivator to step in. A fierce battle between them began, forcing Ji Xiaoya and the others to retreat from the battlefield.
Seeing that the battle was evenly matched, Gu An retracted his divine sense and focused on his task.
Moments later.
Gu An suddenly stopped as two notifications appeared before him:
[Your lifespan has surpassed ten million years for the first time. You have unlocked the Lifespan Fusion function.]
[Lifespan Fusion: Consume lifespan to break the laws of heaven and earth and merge various divine abilities, spells, or powers. The lifespan cost depends on the items being merged.]
Fusion?
Gu An's mind immediately went to his Five Elemental Treasure Body. Finally, he could merge the cultivation techniques into a single Five Elements technique.
His eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Master, why did you stop?" Tian Yao'er asked, noticing his pause.
Gu An casually replied, "I was just thinking whether there are fewer herbs. Did you steal some?"
With that, he resumed picking herbs.
Tian Yao'er panicked and began swearing up and down that she hadn't taken any.
Gu An teased her for a while before admitting he was joking.
Tian Yao'er was not pleased and stared at him with big, accusing eyes, as though she wanted to devour him.
It was the first time Gu An had seen her angry.
After finishing his herb gathering, Gu An wrapped an arm around her shoulder, comforting her. "Don't be mad. I'll teach you a powerful spell in a bit."
Tian Yao'er pouted. "I'm already busy with the Innate Celestial Immortal Art and the Infinite Free Step. I don't need more spells."
"Then what do you want?"
"Let me think… How about you stay with me for the night?"
"To help you cultivate?"
"No, no, let's lie down and read together."
Hearing that, Gu An immediately sensed something off.
This girl was getting bolder!