Saint Who Lay Low

Hearing Ji Xiaoya's words, Gu An paused for a moment, then asked, "You went back just to get this thing? To look at my soul? Do you think I'm some kind of monster?"

Gu An felt strange about Ji Xiaoya's request, unsure how to evaluate her idea.

Ji Xiaoya seemed to catch the meaning in his gaze and explained, "Of course, it's not just about that. If cultivators could examine their own souls, it might help increase their comprehension."

"I don't believe that, so I'm not going to try it," Gu An said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Ji Xiaoya leaned closer and coaxed him softly, "Just give it a try. It won't hurt."

"It's not about pain. You're asking me to examine my soul, and I find that offensive. Don't tell me you suspect I'm a monster?" Gu An replied, his tone tinged with irritation.

"Of course not. Even if you were a monster, it wouldn't matter, considering you're the..." Ji Xiaoya started.

"Still denying it, huh?" Gu An cut her off, pretending to be upset as he turned and strode away.

Although he didn't know the true nature of the treasure Ji Xiaoya brought back, Gu An decided to keep his distance just in case it revealed his soul to be something extraordinary. Rationally, he knew it probably wasn't that powerful of an artifact, but he wasn't about to take any chances.

Ji Xiaoya stood in place, watching him leave, her expression contemplative.

Back in his room, Gu An shut the door and pulled out a peculiar book he had recently acquired from the outer sect city. He began leafing through it leisurely.

This time around, Ji Xiaoya was persistent yet not unreasonable. After Gu An turned her down, she simply returned to her own quarters to cultivate. Over the following days, Gu An made an effort to avoid Ji Xiaoya altogether.

As autumn approached, Gu An returned from Tianya Valley, and on this day, his lifespan finally exceeded 30 million years.

Walking through the forest, Gu An extended his divine sense across the ocean, locking onto the Deep Sea Rift. Looking at the rift's entire expanse, the number of cultivators and monsters gathered around it exceeded tens of millions. This didn't even account for the countless beings lurking in its depths.

Gu An quickly identified the point where he would descend into the rift.

With his next step, Gu An's aura changed dramatically as he entered a unique state of the Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm. Using his Infinite Free Step, he leaped beyond the continent, and in just a few steps, he plunged into the depths of the Deep Sea Rift.

Inside the rift, it felt like a boundless abyss. Darkness enveloped him on all sides, and the crashing sound of seawater echoed continuously. It was deafening.

As he descended, Gu An encountered cultivators, monsters, and Spectral Wraiths flying out from the depths. Some passed him by, while others phased through his body, none aware of his presence.

The Deep Sea Rift was even deeper than Gu An had anticipated, seeming to lead to an entirely different realm.

After descending tens of millions of miles, he saw a faint blue glow emanating below. It shimmered like ripples on the water, exuding a strange energy reminiscent of the laws of heaven and earth.

Passing through the blue light, Gu An felt himself entering another world.

This realm's atmosphere was eerily familiar, akin to the interior of the Mysterious Divine City. Here, multiple smaller worlds existed within the vast expanse. Gu An focused his attention on the largest of these worlds, one with the densest spiritual energy, far surpassing the others. It was a realm several hundred times the size of the Tai Xuan Sect's continent.

While flying toward it, Gu An noticed many cultivators and monsters moving between worlds. The weakest among them were at the Wandering Immortal Realm.

Only beings at the Wandering Immortal level or higher could traverse freely between these worlds. Those below that level had to rely on teleportation arrays or spatial fissures to cross between realms.

He also spotted Spectral Wraiths prowling through the void, watching the travelers with malicious intent, ready to strike at any moment.

Ignoring the commotion, Gu An used his Infinite Free Step to reach a cliff in a single stride.

The sky in this realm was blood-red, shrouded in thick clouds. Amid the gloom, faint outlines of moons could be seen, though there were more than one.

Sitting cross-legged on the cliff, Gu An activated his Lifespan Barrier.

The spiritual energy in this realm was overwhelmingly abundant, even denser than in the Third Medicine Valley, which was known for its abundance of spiritual herbs. It was no wonder so many cultivators and monsters risked everything to venture here.

Instead of rushing to break through, Gu An took a moment to appreciate the surroundings.

The world was desolate and barren, with few signs of plant life. In the distance, massive tornadoes tore through the mountains, dragging countless vengeful spirits into their swirling winds, their howls echoing like a mournful symphony.

The bleakness and desolation stirred a deep sense of melancholy in Gu An. He couldn't help but wonder what catastrophe had befallen this realm to leave it in such a state.

"What would this place be like if life here had flourished? The spiritual energy would surely be immeasurable."

Retracting his gaze, Gu An summoned his status panel.

Name: Gu An

Lifespan: 174/30,004,901

Physique: Mysterious Sacred Body

Cultivation: Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm, Ninth Layer

Looking at his extended lifespan, a satisfied smile spread across Gu An's face.

Rubbing his hands together, he murmured, "Time to get to work."

Gu An decided to enhance his physique first, throwing in a million years of lifespan to see the effect.

From the Innate Dao Body to the Mysterious Sacred Body, he had spent 520,000 years of lifespan. He wondered if a million years would suffice for a further breakthrough.

Initiating lifespan infusion!

A series of notifications flashed before him, all indicating an enhancement to his physical foundation.

Ultimately, the million-year investment fell short of achieving success.

Feeling the sting of disappointment, Gu An shifted tactics. He decided to infuse lifespan incrementally, one thousand years at a time.

The notifications continued to appear, his expression growing more strained with each passing attempt.

Finally, after an expenditure of 1,670,000 years, the transformation occurred.

[You have comprehended the essence of natural laws for 10,000 years. Your body has been tempered by the truths of heaven and earth. Your Mysterious Sacred Body has ascended to the Primordial Causal Body.]

Suddenly, an immense influx of spiritual energy surged toward Gu An's body. The ground beneath him shimmered, enveloped in a sea of spiritual mist, creating an awe-inspiring spectacle.

A smile broke across Gu An's face.

However, the cost of breaking through was no trivial matter—1,670,000 years of lifespan. "Who could endure such an expense?" he muttered to himself.

Now, he hesitated. Should he upgrade his cultivation technique as well?

The thought gnawed at him. If both his physique and techniques consumed such massive amounts of lifespan, would there be enough left to break through his current cultivation level?

Advancing in cultivation already demanded increasing amounts of lifespan. If this breakthrough required the same cost as the last, it would represent a monumental leap in power. But reducing the consumption of lifespan for future breakthroughs seemed almost impossible.

The ground trembled continuously, and spiritual energy descended from the heavens, triggering the disturbance of countless Spectral Wraiths.

On the opposite side of the realm, Tian Wuchang, meditating by the shoreline, suddenly shot to his feet, panic etched across his face.

The trembling beach beneath him stirred the waves into a frenzy, while spiritual energy cascading downward generated violent winds.

"Could it be him?" Tian Wuchang gritted his teeth.

Though more than two months had passed, his nerves remained on edge, fearing that individual's arrival at any moment.

"Descending spiritual energy might be due to a disturbance in the realm's laws. It may not involve anyone," said the cold, detached voice emanating from the monument beside him.

Relieved, Tian Wuchang exhaled deeply and sat back down.

Yet, he grumbled, "Realm Lord, when will your cultivation be restored? Only then can you reestablish order in this realm. The number of intruding cultivators continues to grow; eventually, they'll cause trouble."

The voice from the monument gave no reply.

After waiting a moment longer, Tian Wuchang resigned himself to silence and resumed his meditation.

Back at the cliff, within the confines of the lifespan barrier, Gu An endured the pain of his body's transformation while grappling with indecision.

The last time he upgraded his cultivation technique, it had cost him 700,000 years of lifespan, evolving the Five Elements Dao Art into the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi Technique.

Now, another upgrade would likely start at 2,000,000 years of lifespan!

"To hell with it!" Gu An muttered, finally resolving to proceed. As a master, he couldn't afford to use the same-level techniques as his disciples, Yang Jian and An Hao.

He infused 1,000,000 years of lifespan.

As expected, the attempt failed.

Another 1,000,000 years went in. Still no success.

He scaled down to 500,000 years. Failure.

Finally, after infusing 200,000 years, success arrived.

[Your Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi Technique has ascended to Chaos Taiyuan Sacred Art. Current proficiency: Minor Accomplishment.]

In total, the upgrade cost Gu An 2,700,000 years of lifespan. He felt the sting keenly, not just from the expenditure, but also from the relentless drain of the lifespan barrier. Thousands of years of lifespan had already been consumed within the short span of this transformation.

"If I don't leave myself at least a million years, I might die from the barrier's consumption alone," Gu An realized grimly. "Or worse, I'll be forced to deactivate it before the breakthrough concludes, exposing myself entirely."

Gu An reluctantly postponed plans to enhance his Universal Shape and Form Technique, which was vital for concealing his true cultivation and strengthening his body.

"I'll revisit this after my breakthrough," he decided. "First, I need to accumulate five million more years of lifespan for the upgrade."

Settling into meditation, Gu An observed that no knowledge of his new physique or techniques immediately entered his mind. "The Primordial Causal Body must first pass down its inheritances before any supplementary technique memory is unlocked," he reasoned, choosing to wait.

An hour later, his physical transformation was complete.

The Primordial Causal Body was incredibly domineering. It could sever all causal connections, even weaponizing the power of causality against adversaries.

All phenomena were intertwined with cause and effect. By examining the causal links of an opponent's techniques and divine abilities, Gu An could exploit their flaws. With sufficient cultivation, he could even obliterate their very Dao foundations.

This new physique also granted the Primordial Divine Eye, a mysterious power he would need time to explore.

Next came the inheritance of the Chaos Taiyuan Sacred Art.

Spiritual energy from the earth flooded Gu An's body. Just as his mind cleared, an overwhelming torrent of memories consumed his consciousness.

The Chaos Taiyuan Sacred Art encompassed all five elemental attributes and could evolve into a Chaos Spirit Sea, refining an even stronger power known as Taiyuan Force.

Taiyuan Force was a fierce and boundless energy, capable of generating spiritual energy at astonishing speeds, nearly achieving an endless cycle of replenishment. However, its efficacy still depended on an ample supply of spiritual energy and elixirs to sustain its consumption.

The technique also came with an extraordinary divine ability: Taiyuan Heaven-Grasping Hand.

As the name implied, this ability could capture the heavens themselves, serving both offensive and defensive purposes while also possessing sealing properties.

Another hour passed before Gu An slowly opened his eyes.

A faint golden streak adorned his brow, radiating a golden iridescence that gave him an ethereal appearance.

Raising his right hand, Gu An condensed Taiyuan Force into his palm, transforming it into the Taiyuan Heaven-Grasping Hand.

This hand could seize the heavens, suppress the earth, and annihilate all beings.

Suppressing the urge to unleash its power, Gu An dispelled the Taiyuan Force and summoned his status panel once more.

Seeing his rapidly declining lifespan, Gu An snapped out of his reverie.

Slapping his cheeks, he muttered, "The real test begins now."

Time for the breakthrough.

To surpass the Unrestrained Primordial Immortal Realm!