Chapter 608: Manipulating Fate
Tian Hao couldn't defeat the existence that appeared blurred in the causality deduction, but Gu An could see it through his Heart Eye.
The appearance of that being was different from his, but his intuition told him that this was his projected self.
After escaping Tian Hao, the projected self turned around and jumped into the Sea of Reincarnation in the Yin Yang Immortal Domain, entered Reincarnation, and disappeared from sight.
[Start retracting the projected self]
[Start inheriting the Great Dao insights]
Two prompts popped up, interrupting Gu An's thoughts. He vanished from his spot and appeared at the edge of the dojo, starting to inherit the Great Dao insights.
It wasn't long before a disturbance occurred within the Daoist Field of the Beginningless, alarming everyone.
Since such an event had occurred before, the dojo disciples merely glanced in the direction of Gu An and then continued to cultivate, not bothering Gu An.
…
Under the starry sky, clad in golden robes, Tian Hao stood by the sea, staring at the dark waves ahead, his brow furrowed in thought.
A figure descended from the sky and landed beside him, it was the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor.
The two had had many dealings and shared a decent camaraderie.
"Are you still thinking about that person?" the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor asked.
Tian Hao took a deep breath, looked ahead, and said, "Yes, I felt pressure from someone of the same realm for the first time."
The Sun and Moon Nether Emperor consoled, "Even if it's the same realm, he must be much older than you, and he didn't defeat you, so why bother?"
In his opinion, Tian Hao already had the greatest talent. He had witnessed the previous battle; the opponent was indeed fearsome, but Tian Hao didn't lose; it was just hard to determine who was better.
Their encounter made the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor question life.
The battle of the Divine Immortal of Wondrous Dharma had even a Divine Thought True Immortal like him terrified.
Had this genius from the Old Era been outclassed?
He felt that Tian Hao would surpass him sooner rather than later, and much quicker than he had anticipated.
"I can't let it go, I feel excited. I'm recalling his combat techniques. He didn't use many Divine Skills or spells, he simply countered me with pure mana and Qi Power, truly a display of 'one force breaks ten thousand laws.'"
Tian Hao sincerely remarked, feeling very exhilarated.
Indeed, Master was right, never underestimate the world, you never know where a strong contender with great fortune might emerge.
His talent might truly be the best, but he had lived too short a life and still needed to continuously strengthen his Daoist Techniques.
Hearing Tian Hao's words, the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor opened his mouth, not knowing what to say, unable to grasp Tian Hao's thoughts.
"What are your plans next? You got what you wanted," the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor asked.
Facing a genius like Tian Hao, he chose to make a strong connection, having a premonition that this connection might save his life one day.
Tian Hao withdrew his gaze, looked at the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor, and smiled, "I'm planning to go back. Not being able to sweep through the same realm shows that my combat ability is not enough. I will go into seclusion to cultivate for a while before venturing out again. If you ever come to the Nine Spirit Continent, seek me out. I won't let you down."
The Sun and Moon Nether Emperor showed a smile, getting such a promise from Tian Hao was all he wanted; it at least proved that Tian Hao was still willing to maintain their friendship.
Then Tian Hao bowed to the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor and transformed into a beam of extreme light, leaping up and quickly vanishing into the horizon.
The Sun and Moon Nether Emperor watched his departing figure, a look of envy on his face.
Living for so many years, he had never been as free as Tian Hao.
A cultivator should be like this, roaming the heavens and earth, unbound.
Immediately after, the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor let out a self-deprecating laugh. The reason he was bound by the Yin Yang Immortal Domain was not because of his talent, but because he needed the power of the Immortal Domain to gather cultivation resources.
He used to think his cultivation speed was fast, but now it felt slow. He earnestly wanted to reach the Free Immortal Realm.
He now harbored a ridiculous guess.
He felt that Tian Hao might reach the Free Immortal Realm faster than him.
After a while, a figure landed beside the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor, a mysterious cultivator enveloped in black mist, who said in a deep voice, "Emperor, His Majesty has left. She said she would head to Outer Heaven to pursue the Great Dao, leaving you to lead the Reincarnation Domain."
The Sun and Moon Nether Emperor's thoughts were interrupted, and upon hearing this, he couldn't help but be astonished.
Go to Outer Heaven to pursue the Great Dao?
…
Inside the Daoist Field of the Beginningless.
Gu An opened his eyes, his gaze filled with a forceful presence. He had completed inheriting the three thousands projected selves' insights on the Path of Power.
He underwent a transformation, with his Qi Power and mana rapidly strengthening—a strengthening that required no absorption of Spiritual Energy but was aided by the invisible and colorless Path of Power.
He felt that the projected self that had entered Reincarnation had disappeared, as if it had never existed.
This allowed him to completely let go. Although there were many projected selves, indeed, they left no trace behind.
He carefully sensed the Path of Power.
Just pondering the Path of Power made his mana surge within the Heaven-Opening Daluo Immortal Realm, and his strength progressed leaps and bounds.
Pure mana enhancement made him feel incredibly wonderful, and this time his choice was the right one.
The sun set, and the moon rose.
Days passed swiftly.
Ten days later, Gu An stood up. He first went to various places to pick mature medicinal herbs, and only after gathering them did he return to Shen Zhen's side.
Shen Zhen had painted a new picture, depicting a scene where the Celestial Spirit God knelt before an Immortal.
This Immortal was an old Daoist, with an aura of Immortal Dao and bones of divinity, and his back was bathed in rosy light. In front of him, the Celestial Spirit God lacked its usual overwhelming might.
Gu An raised an eyebrow. Shen Zhen had already been able to excavate his causality through the Celestial Spirit God.
"Don't paint recklessly, be careful not to provoke an existence even I can't withstand," Gu An spoke.
Shen Zhen snapped back to reality, and when she saw clearly what she had painted, her face turned pale, and she immediately raised her hand, her fingers igniting, rapidly burning the scroll.
After doing all this, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She turned her head towards Gu An, embarrassingly said, "I was too engrossed earlier, it wasn't intentional."
She also felt a sense of fear.
The Celestial Spirit God was already so powerful, how horrifying must an existence be that could make the Celestial Spirit God kneel?
The thought that she might have brought about a catastrophe for Gu An made her uneasy, her eyes filled with guilt.
Gu An was just trying to scare her. He trusted his own Daoist Field.
If his Daoist Field weren't strong enough, Shen Zhen had already provoked that old Immortal. With his Dao Practice far surpassing the Celestial Spirit God, he would just need a thought to descend into the Celestial Spirit Great World.
"In the future, think about yourself. Your talent might hide unimaginable great cause and effect," Gu An said with a smile.
The Path of Power had let his strength leap forward, and he also planned to prepare for a breakthrough.
It was time to think of a way to save Fairy Yao Xuan.
This was the obsession of the Emperor of Eternal Life, and as the original, Gu An had to help him.
Speaking of obsessions linked to the Reincarnation Body, Lu Han had one too; his son, Lu Qiuxian.
The obsession of the Black Profound Emperor was his senior sister, Fairy Bai Xian.
Gu An didn't want to create too deep a cause and effect with these people. The Long Family was already troublesome enough, but he could secretly aid them.
Consider it as repaying them for their lifelong companionship.
"My great cause and effect?" Shen Zhen fell into deep thought.
Seeing her lose herself once again, Gu An shook his head in amusement.
It wasn't necessarily good to be too easily enlightened.
Gu An sat down and continued painting. He felt that Ji Xiaoyu had left the Celestial Spirit Great World, but he did not stop his brush.
He had long seen Ji Xiaoyu's future.
After many trials and tribulations, Ji Xiaoyu would descend into other Great Thousand Worlds, thus welcoming more opportunities. Her choice was right; she would go further in the future.
Unfortunately, it was just further.
Gu An had seen the end of her life; she would die in a struggle.
He was not worried, when the time came, he would act.
Peering into destiny did not make Gu An feel desolate towards everything because he was not only able to peer but also to change and even manipulate.
Beings of lower realms could not detect this manipulation and would only sink in fate.
One stick of incense later, Gu An completed his painting of Ji Xiaoyu.
He saw Shen Zhen still in a self-forgetting state, so he couldn't help but turn his gaze towards other worlds.
Zhang Buku was temporarily safe, and in the long years to come, his power would grow continuously until he became the Demon Emperor of the Taize Great World.
Compared to him, Gu An was more concerned about another person.
That was Zhu Xi.
The former Lord of the Holy Court, Saint Heaven Reincarnation!
After being sent out of the Celestial Spirit Great World by the Immortal Seeker, she came to a domain not part of the Great Thousand Worlds to make her way, a place that also had heaven and earth, but without the rules of the Great World.
Gu An had only recently in the last ten thousand years caught track of Zhu Xi.
At this moment, she was making her way through an ancient secret realm, said to be the dojo of a Daoist Emperor, filled with mechanisms and its own world.
This Daoist Emperor made Gu An feel familiar.
Emperor Ziwei!
This Emperor had appeared in the life of the Black Profound Emperor and was the strongest in talent he had ever encountered.
Now recalling it, Gu An felt that this Emperor Ziwei was very extraordinary.