Chapter 168: Descending Upon the Ocean, Fusion of Techniques


    Faced with Tian Yao’er’s endless pleading, Gu An finally agreed to stay with her for the night. With his lifespan surpassing ten million years tonight, he could afford to rx for an evening.


    Hearing his agreement, Tian Yao’er became even more cheerful.


    To celebrate reaching ten million years of lifespan, Gu An even returned to Xuan Valley to fetch somemb for a barbecue. This gesture deeply touched Tian Yao’er, making her believe he wasmemorating this special asion.


    As he grilled the meat, Gu An’s divine sense remained locked onto the battlefield at the edge of Phoenix Mountain. More and more demons were gathering, and the Grandmasters at the Profound Mind Realm, led by Ji Xuanyu, were struggling to gain the upper hand. Even Ji Xuanyu and the others were being dragged into battle.


    If this continued, things would only get worse.


    He wasn’t sure whether these people were from the Ji Family or the Seven Star Spirit Realm.


    While these thoughts ran through his mind, Gu An continued chatting casually with Tian Yao’er, ensuring she noticed nothing amiss.


    An hourter, the Profound Mind Realm Grandmaster was severely injured and had no choice but to retreat with Ji Xuanyu and the others. But by then, it was already toote.Gu Any beneath a tree, guiding Tian Yao’er in her cultivation.


    She practiced the Infinite Free Step in front of him, and he asionally offered critiques. But to her, this was sheer injustice—her small mouth pouted as she protested.


    <em>"We were supposed to lie down and read together!"</em>


    <em>"Liar! Big liar!"</em>


    The more she practiced, the more her eyes reddened.


    Seeing her sulky expression, Gu An found it amusing.


    Tonight, he intended to teach her a lesson—


    The more you desire something, the harder it is to obtain. That is the true meaning of life!


    It had only been a few years, and she was already overthinking things. How would she endure thousands, even tens of thousands of years in the future?


    Gu An was moved by his own wisdom. Tian Yao’er was truly fortunate to have met him. If she had another master, she’d be doomed!


    Under the dark night sky, Ji Xuanyu, dressed in ck, was fleeing rapidly. The deste mountains were filled with demons and ghosts, and upon spotting her, they all swarmed toward her. ?ΑN?βЕ?


    With her sword in hand, she unleashed the Heavenly Dragon Suppressing Demons Aspect. A golden divine form appeared behind her, from which golden dragons surged forth, ughtering the approaching creatures.


    Soon, she withdrew the technique and continued ying demons with her sword alone.


    She had lost all sense of direction and could only run in a single direction.


    She didn’t know how long she had been fleeing.


    As her spiritual energy ran dry, she took out a Spiritual Energy Pill while running. But the energy it provided was nowhere near enough to sustain her in battle.


    Stopping at the base of a hill, she quickly arranged an array formation using small gs and talismans. Within five breaths, she had sessfully concealed herself.


    Sitting cross-legged, she began meditating.


    Above her, demons swooped past without noticing her presence.


    But suddenly, the ground trembled. Stones bounced into the air, making Ji Xuanyu open her eyes with a furrowed brow.


    Looking toward the distant mountains, she saw a colossal figure looming in the darkness. It was a transformed Grand Demon, humanoid in shape but with the head of a lion. Its long, bristly mane writhed like tentacles, making for a terrifying sight in the night.


    <em>"Little girl, where do you think you''re running?"</em>


    A cold, violent voice echoed as fierce winds swept across the terrain, kicking up dust clouds.


    The gale struck Ji Xuanyu’s array, outlining its contours as swirling dust and debris revealed its presence.


    She gazed at the approaching demon with an unshaken expression, her eyes devoid of fear.


    With a soft sigh, a faint golden mark appeared on her forehead.


    Soon, the monstrous lion demon stood before her. As it crouched, its massive form loomed over her like a ck sun.


    Its crimson eyes gleamed, its sharp fangs bared, and its pitch-ck mane burned like the mes of hell.


    Then—


    The demon suddenly froze, its gaze shifting past Ji Xuanyu.


    The golden mark on her forehead spread, covering her entire brow in aplex, vein-like pattern.


    Sensing something, she turned her head.


    Atop the hill behind her stood a figure d in violet robes, wearing a mask, his silhouette unmoved against the wind.


    She was stunned—she hadn’t even noticed his approach.


    <em>"Who the hell are you?"</em> the lion demon roared, mming its massive paw toward the hillside.


    The sheer force shattered Ji Xuanyu’s formation instantly. gs were buried in the dirt, talismans fluttered through the air, and even her headpiece was blown off, sending her hair whipping wildly.


    BOOM!


    A deafening explosion shook the earth. Even Ji Xuanyu, at the seventh level of the Nascent Soul Stage, had to shut her eyes against the overwhelming force.


    When the suffocating presence finally faded, she opened her eyes—


    The terrifying lion demon was reduced to half its body. Blood rained from the sky, clearing the demonic clouds and revealing a dazzling starry night.


    Ji Xuanyu’s eyes widened in shock.


    This demon was unimaginably powerful—it had even devoured her Void Transformation Realmpanion.


    She instinctively turned toward the masked man. He remained on the hill, hands at his sides, as if he had done nothing at all.


    It was Gu An.


    To avoid recognition, he had subtly altered his height, making himself taller by a head, let his hair flow loose, and suppressed his aura to near nothingness.


    He chose not to use the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body—news had already spread that the Sword Sovereign of the Righteous Path wielded the Demonic Shadow Divine Art. He didn’t want Ji Xuanyu associating him with that identity.


    Ji Xuanyu quickly rose and bowed.


    <em>"Thank you, senior, for saving my life."</em>


    <em>"Why is a disciple of the Ji Family in the Land of Demons?"</em> Gu An asked in a hoarse voice, making himself sound like a weathered man in his forties or fifties.


    ying the demon had granted him 600 years of lifespan—quite the reward.


    Ji Xuanyu replied, <em>"I was training outside under the Seven Star Spirit Realm’s guidance. Does senior have ties with my n?"</em>


    Without a word, Gu An appeared in front of her and ced a hand on her shoulder.


    <em>"Let''s talk somewhere else."</em>


    Before Ji Xuanyu could respond, her vision blurred.


    The long-distance spatial shift left her feeling disoriented and unable to move.@@novelbin@@


    Momentster, she felt solid ground beneath her feet again. Opening her eyes, she found herself inside a cave.


    The space wasn’t vast, but the rockyers were distinct, and water trickled down the stone walls. The damp air filled her lungs, and glowing crystals on the ceiling illuminated the cave in soft, multicolored light.


    <em>"You should rest and recover here."</em>


    With those words, Gu An vanished into thin air.


    Ji Xuanyu remained silent, scanning the area with her divine sense. The cave was over a thousand feet underground, rich in spiritual energy—perfect for recuperation.


    She didn’t know the identity of her mysterious savior, but given his terrifying power, she understood that escaping was not an option.


    Still, he seemed to harbor no ill intent. If he did, this moment—when she was at her weakest—would have been the perfect time to strike.


    Sitting down, Ji Xuanyu crossed her legs and began meditating to restore her strength.


    Meanwhile, elsewhere…


    Gu An returned to Phoenix Mountain, where Tian Yao’er was sulking. But the moment she saw him carrying two jars of fine wine, her face lit up with joy.


    Ever since she had gotten drunkst time, she had fallen in love with alcohol.


    Half an hourter, Tian Yao’er waspletely intoxicated, passed out on Gu An’sp. He gently patted her back, a faint smile appearing on his lips.


    At dawn, Gu An didn’t return directly to Taixuan Sect, nor did he go looking for Ji Xuanyu. After all, it would take her more than just one night to fully recover her spiritual energy and injuries.


    Instead, he headed south, flying toward the ocean.


    Activating the Nine Extremes Yin-Yang Body, he transformed into a Demonic Shadow, then used the Infinite Free Step to swiftly leave the Taicang Empire and enter the vast ocean.


    The endless blue sea stretched before him, and the sky above was boundless. His vision suddenly expanded, and even his mood became lighter.


    As he moved through the sky, he flickered across the sea of clouds, advancing rapidly.


    On the ocean, arge ship sailed swiftly across the waves.


    Lying on the deck was a man in blue robes, reclining as he read a book.


    Suddenly, he caught sight of something and abruptly sat up. However, when he looked carefully, he saw nothing in the sky.


    <em>"Strange… Did I just imagine that?"</em> He furrowed his brows.


    His interest in reading vanished. He stored the <em>Romance of the Gods</em> into his storage pouch and walked to the bow of the ship, gazing into the distance.


    The sea stretched endlessly, yet he could already sense the familiar aura of his homnd.


    A smile crept onto his face as he murmured, <em>"A demonic catastrophe, huh? Another stepping stone for my rise to glory."</em>


    Gu An took over 500 steps before finallynding on a mist-shrouded ind in the ocean. The ind was vast but sparsely popted with living beings. Within a radius of a hundred miles, there were only six inds, making it an ideal location for his breakthrough.


    He silently slipped into the forest and sat beneath an ancient tree, then immediately activated his Lifespan Barrier.


    Pulling up his status panel, he looked at his ten million and ten thousand years of lifespan, a smile spreading across his face.


    First, he had to upgrade his techniques!


    Gu An activated the Lifespan Fusion Function, attempting to merge the Innate Divine Immortal Art with four different elemental foundation cultivation techniques.


    [Due to the significant disparity between these five techniques, forcibly merging them may not surpass the strongest one. Do you wish to continue?]


    <em>"Huh?"</em>


    What was that supposed to mean? Would the fusion result in an average oue?


    Gu An cursed internally. <em>Was this function trying to scam his lifespan?</em>


    Fortunately, he had prepared for this. Over the years, he had in countless enemies, searched their souls, and transcribed numerous cultivation techniques for backup.


    Without hesitation, he took out four high-tier techniques and started cultivating them one by one.


    He didn’t need to abandon his current techniques or cultivate new spiritual energy attributes—he simply needed to run through the methods once to register them in his status panel.


    Half an hourter, his panel now contained four additional techniques.


    Originally, he intended to upgrade them individually, but he received another system prompt:


    [The attributes of these techniques conflict. Choose to either abandon your current techniques and start over or forcibly integrate them, thetter carrying the risk of qi deviation and demonic possession.]


    <em>"Good grief!"</em>


    Even with a cheat-like system, he could still suffer qi deviation?


    Gu An had no choice but to activate the Lifespan Fusion Function again, merging all five techniques together.


    [This fusion will consume 500,000 years of lifespan. Do you wish to continue?]


    <em>"Half a million years?!"</em>


    Gu An gritted his teeth and endured the pain, selecting confirm.


    [You have invested 500,000 years of lifespan to fuse the Innate Divine Immortal Art, Infernal me Dark Sky Technique, Golden Light Spirit Body Technique, Vast Earth Unified Qi Art, and Grand Cold Heaven Method.]


    [Fusion sessful. You haveprehended the <em>Five Elements Dao Art</em>!]