Saint Who Lay Low

Gu An refrained from using his divine sense to investigate the Profound Heart Realm cultivator in the Library Pavilion. After all, the lifespan investigation could not be conducted through the divine sense, and using it would serve no purpose. If the person had cultivated some special technique that could detect higher-level probing, it could lead to unnecessary trouble.

Returning to the Xuan Valley, Gu An went upstairs and took out the map scroll and the book given to him by Xu Lu.

The book was titled Records of the World's Lands, which contained detailed descriptions of various regions. The book allowed Gu An to locate information on any place marked on the map.

He carefully reviewed the contents, searching for a suitable location to attempt his breakthrough.

Based on the map, the Nine Dynasties only occupied about one-tenth of the continent, with the rest overrun by demonic lands. The names of the mountains and rivers were enough to strike fear into one's heart—places like Demon Shadow Peak, Demon Bone Mountain Range, Ghosthead Forest, and Fallen Immortal River.

After some thought, Gu An decided to break through in the demonic lands.

The demonic lands were filled with abundant spiritual energy, and more importantly, they didn't harbor the same sea-based dangers as other regions.

This map, hand-drawn by a Grand Elder, was proof of that. The Grand Elder had traveled the entire continent and marked these places personally.

As night fell, Gu An quietly set off, heading east, slightly to the north.

Holding the map in hand and using the Infinite Free Step, Gu An traversed the night rapidly, and soon, he left the Tai Cang Dynasty.

In less than twenty steps, Gu An crossed into the demon-infested lands, leaving the Nine Dynasties behind.

Immediately, he felt the increase in demonic, devilish, and ghostly energies. Within his divine sense, evil spirits were visible everywhere.

Looking around, the mountains and rivers were shrouded in thick mist. The towering peaks loomed like enormous demons, giving the landscape a terrifying, ominous feel.

Every living creature he sensed was either a demon or a monster.

Occasionally, he would detect the presence of a cultivator, hiding under the cover of night and protected by formations to conceal themselves.

After traveling for half an hour, Gu An arrived at Tianhuang Mountain—a towering peak over ten thousand zhang high with mountain ranges stretching tens of thousands of li. According to the Records of the World's Lands, an ancient phoenix had once descended upon this mountain to lay its offspring, hence the name Tianhuang Mountain.

This mountain had long been occupied by monsters, and the book's author mentioned being attacked by a Body Fusion Realm demon while passing through here.

Though the spiritual energy of Tianhuang Mountain wasn't the most abundant, it wasn't an entirely inaccessible place.

Gu An used his divine sense to cover the entire mountain, sensing the presence of three Body Fusion Realm demons. The total number of demons exceeded a million, with countless lesser demonic creatures that had not yet gained sentience.

For a single mountain to harbor so many demons, it was no wonder that demon calamities occurred frequently.

Landing midway up the mountain in a dense forest, Gu An sat down beneath a tree and activated his Lifespan Barrier.

Surveying the surroundings, he noticed the sparse forest, the rolling demon mist, and the swaying weeds in the night breeze, all creating an eerie, wave-like effect.

After a brief observation, he withdrew his gaze and summoned his attribute panel.

Looking at his 2.38 million years of lifespan, Gu An felt a twinge of pain.

This breakthrough could take numerous attempts, and he anticipated losing years of accumulated lifespan.

But he had no choice—investing in survival was the most important thing.

"Let's start with 100,000 years!" Gu An thought, directing his lifespan toward his cultivation.

[You have invested 100,000 years of lifespan to cultivate.]

[You have cultivated for 4,000 years and are attempting to break through to the Nirvana Realm. You failed the innate Five Elements Divine Thunder Tribulation.]

[You have cultivated for 8,000 years and are attempting to break through to the Nirvana Realm. You failed the innate Five Elements Divine Thunder Tribulation.]

...

Wow! A tribulation every 4,000 years?

No wonder the Nirvana Realm is considered the first major obstacle in the Nine Tribulations of Immortality.

As the failure prompts flashed rapidly, Gu An's expression remained unchanged.

The first 100,000 years went down the drain.

"Another 100,000 years!" he thought as he began another round of cultivation.

Again, all attempts failed.

"One more time, another 100,000 years!" Gu An refused to give up. However, by the time he reached his third batch of 100,000 years, his face darkened as the failures piled up.

It wasn't until the fourth round that success finally came. Upon seeing the success message, the cloud of frustration lifted from his mind, and he smiled in relief.

[You have cultivated for 74,000 years and successfully passed the innate Five Elements Divine Thunder Tribulation. You have broken through to the Nirvana Realm, First Layer.]

[You have cultivated for 77,000 years. Your cultivation has reached Nirvana Realm, Second Layer.]

[You have cultivated for 80,000 years. Your cultivation has reached Nirvana Realm, Third Layer.]

[You have cultivated for 83,000 years. Your cultivation has reached Nirvana Realm, Fourth Layer.]

...

[You have cultivated for 98,000 years. Your cultivation has reached Nirvana Realm, Eighth Layer.]

Nirvana Realm, Eighth Layer!

Reaching from the Seventh to the Eighth Layer had cost him 5,000 years of lifespan. Gu An immediately invested another 4,000 years, successfully reaching the Nirvana Realm Ninth Layer.

It was impossible for Gu An to leave his cultivation at an incomplete level—he had developed a habit of never leaving a minor realm below the number nine.

Now that he had reached the Nirvana Realm Ninth Layer, he could comfortably begin accumulating lifespan again.

Boom!

The earth's spiritual energy surged wildly into Gu An's body, shattering his clothes instantly. He raised his brows slightly as he continued to endure the violent energy that was refining his body.

Unlike previous breakthroughs, this time, Gu An felt pain.

The Nirvana Realm was the rebirth of both body and soul, so experiencing some pain was understandable.

At the same time, memories related to the Nirvana Realm flooded into his mind.

As Gu An began to devour the world's spiritual energy, the spiritual energy in Tianhuang Mountain started sinking rapidly. The sudden, intense phenomenon caused the entire mountain's demons to tremble in fear.

The wind howled violently through Tianhuang Mountain. The sounds of demonic roars and screeches filled the air, deafening and terrifying.

...

In the Northern Sea Mountains, late at night.

Several disciples from Tai Xuan Sect's Law Enforcement Hall sat around a campfire, while Zhen Qin glanced over at Xuanmiao Zhenren, who was meditating beneath a tree nearby. After some hesitation, she stood up and walked over.

"Senior, are you sure we don't need to set up any formations?" Zhen Qin asked cautiously.

They were all Law Enforcement Hall disciples who had been ambushed by Ephemeral Blossom Sect's demonic cultivators while on a mission at the Tai Cang Dynasty's border. They had been captured and imprisoned in a magical artifact, only to be brought to the Northern Sea Mountains. Thankfully, Xuanmiao Zhenren had saved them, or they wouldn't have survived.

Xuanmiao Zhenren, eyes still closed, responded calmly, "There's no need. If Ephemeral Blossom Sect's demonic cultivators come, I'll kill them."

After his encounter with the Huangquan Fox Demon, Xuanmiao Zhenren harbored a deep hatred for the Ephemeral Blossom Sect.

He believed the fox demon must have been connected to the Ephemeral Blossom Sect. Otherwise, how could he have been poisoned by their toxins and even predicted their impending attack? Clearly, it was a plot to trap him.

Zhen Qin opened her mouth but stopped herself from speaking.

Wasn't he using them as bait?

Despite her doubts, she held back her complaints.

With their Foundation Establishment cultivation levels, it was impossible for them to survive in the Northern Sea Mountains without Xuanmiao Zhenren's protection. And since Xuanmiao Zhenren wasn't part of Tai Xuan Sect, he wasn't obligated to help them. She couldn't afford to offend him at this point.

Zhen Qin returned to her previous spot, sitting down again to continue meditating.

The other Law Enforcement Hall disciples began whispering among themselves, discussing the Ephemeral Blossom Sect.

The world was in chaos. The disaster caused by the Ephemeral Blossom Sect was far greater than anything before. The pressure weighed heavily on these disciples, who feared they wouldn't survive the tribulations to come.

"You need not worry. This area is protected by the Mountain Spirit. Once I recover, I'll send you all back to the Tai Cang Dynasty," Xuanmiao Zhenren's voice rang out, catching the attention of the disciples.

One male disciple curiously asked, "Mountain Spirit? What Mountain Spirit?"

"Naturally, the immortal spirit of the mountain. As for where, I won't be telling you," Xuanmiao Zhenren answered.

The disciples exchanged puzzled glances, thinking that Xuanmiao Zhenren was speaking nonsense. Was he delirious from his injuries?

Even Zhen Qin felt that there might be something wrong with his mind.

For a moment, silence fell over the forest.

...

Back on Tianhuang Mountain, the landscape was shaking violently as if waves were crashing through the forest. The ground trembled, and the mist of spiritual energy descended while the demon fog ascended, creating the illusion of dragons flying everywhere. The scene was majestic and awe-inspiring.

Gu An, still sitting cross-legged and now completely naked, finally broke through to the Nirvana Realm after an hour of solidifying his foundation.

Upon reaching the Nirvana Realm, his spiritual energy had transformed into magical power, and his primordial spirit had undergone a significant metamorphosis!

Gu An's Profound Heart was now covered in runes, soon to hatch a divine ability unique to him.

He already had a plan in mind—to create a divine ability based on his cultivation techniques.

Though his rate of absorbing spiritual energy hadn't slowed, reaching the Nirvana Realm Ninth Layer would still take some time.

He opened his eyes and frowned slightly.

A demon was flying towards his location. It was currently about a hundred li away, and if it didn't change course, it would likely enter his Lifespan Barrier.

"Let's hope heaven protects you. If you intrude, even though we have no grievances, you'll still have to die," Gu An thought silently before closing his eyes again.

He wasn't one to kill indiscriminately, and that extended to demons as well. As long as they had gained sentience, he believed that wanton slaughter would only accumulate karmic retribution.

However, if a creature posed a threat to him, Gu An would not hesitate to strike.

Time continued to pass.

An hour later...

Gu An's cultivation had already reached the Nirvana Realm Sixth Layer. The fierce winds around Tianhuang Mountain had started to weaken—not because Gu An's rate of absorption had slowed, but because the mountain's spiritual energy was nearly depleted. His Lifespan Barrier was now drawing in energy from even farther away.

Several li away…

On a hillside, a red figure moved forward.

The demonic mist in the sky dispersed, revealing the moon. Beneath the moonlight, a woman in red was stumbling along. Her hair was disheveled, and she was barefoot, her steps unsteady as though she might collapse at any moment.

Her long hair was tangled, and strands of it were plastered to her face with blood. Only her bright eyes were clearly visible.

Her gaze was lowered, and she looked incredibly weak.

"I can't fall yet… I need to reach the forest ahead and rest…" she muttered to herself, her vision already blurry.

She staggered forward, taking half an hour to cover several li. Upon reaching the forest, she collapsed into a patch of grass, unable to move.

She was now less than a hundred zhang from Gu An's Lifespan Barrier.