Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

"I'm not dreaming, am I?"

Li Ya muttered to himself, questioning the Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit perched on his shoulder.

The Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit also widened its eyes in shock, its mouth agape.

From their perspective, the huge hand at the horizon of the sea seemed as large as the ocean itself. If not for the curved fingers, they could hardly tell it was a hand.

It felt like it could grab an entire continent with ease!

Li Ya recognized the Demonic Qi emanating from the gigantic hand as somewhat familiar.

Wait!

Wasn't this the hand of the Primordial Ancestor?

At that thought, a surge of blood rushed through Li Ya's body uncontrollably, exciting him to the extreme.

At the same time,

the entire continent's populace could see Gu An's figure, whose massive presence shook mountains and clouds on his path, a sight that overturned their understanding and imagination.

In the Third Medicine Valley, thousands of disciples watched with their mouths agape.

Ji Xiaoyu also stepped out of his house, completely dumbfounded when he saw Gu An's towering figure.

It was as if they were beholding the descent of a deity!

"What is that?"

"It's Sword Venerable Fudao! It's the silhouette of Sword Venerable Fudao!"

"Really? How can it be so large? Is it not an illusion?"

"Many texts record that Sword Venerable Fudao perceives others using the Demon Shadow Divine Skill."

"I knew Sword Venerable Fudao wouldn't abandon us!"

A roar of cheers erupted across the continent. Though the Demon Shadow Divine Skill was terrifying, the thought of it representing Sword Venerable Fudao uplifted their spirits rather than causing fear.

Since the fame of Sword Venerable Fudao, which righteous deed hadn't he done, and which person he killed wasn't among the evil?

If it were a normal competition among Sects, Sword Venerable Fudao wouldn't have intervened, otherwise, Supreme Sect would have long become the foremost under heaven.

Because of this, other Sects respected Sword Venerable Fudao, acknowledging Supreme Sect's luck. In confrontations with Supreme Sect, they were wary of Sword Venerable Fudao, but they weren't afraid he'd harm them, as long as they didn't commit heinous acts.

Since Sword Venerable Fudao appeared, many disciples had perished during Supreme Sect's expansion, yet Sword Venerable Fudao hadn't sought vengeance.

The Sects and clans that decided to stay were bustling with excitement, as if the Spring Festival had come early.

While the continent was invigorated, the cultivators of the Great Cold Demon Sect fell into despair.

They watched as Gu An's fingers slowly rose, appearing like ancient colossal peaks ascending, creating an overwhelmingly impactful scene, even Immortal Path Realm cultivators watched in awe.

The Life-Seizing Immortal desperately mobilized his mana, but he couldn't move an inch, feeling as insignificant as an ant.

How many years had it been?

Ever since he entered the Nirvana Realm, not to mention the Carefree Primordial Immortal Realm, he hadn't been so embarrassed.

The other three Carefree Primordial Immortals were in the same state, utterly immobile despite their full efforts, despair beyond common understanding.

If they were so affected, not to mention cultivators of other realms, despair shrouded every heart.

This hand had captured millions of the Great Cold Demon Sect's cultivators and demons. Those arriving cultivators from the Great Cold Demon Sect, upon seeing this gigantic hand, fled in panic, throwing aside all their rules and consequences.

Gu An looked down at the Great Cold Demon Sect cultivators and the demons they brought within his palm.

He also hesitated.

Killing too many would weigh on his conscience and he worried it might bring greater troubles.

But remembering the countless lives Bai Hong had slaughtered, his heart hardened.

Such a wicked Sect, if it's to be extinguished, so be it. If even this act brought divine retribution, then Gu An would question what heaven really stood for.

Once Gu An's thoughts cleared, he suddenly clenched his hand.

His palm was so huge that a simple clench stirred up a terrifying storm, unleashing waves sweeping toward the horizon.

The fierce winds assaulted Divine Exotic City, forcing it to activate its City Protection Array immediately.

Li Ya watched as the protective barrier around Divine Exotic City violently distorted; he couldn't concern himself with the safety of the city as he looked into the distance, trembling.

The sight of that mighty clenched fist was simply too magnificent!

He even doubted whether Immortal Cultivation could really reach such a mighty level.

He wondered whether the Primordial Ancestor was born an Immortal, a true Immortal, not merely a mortal who had cultivated into one.

As Gu An clenched, the heaven and earth fell silent, the terrifying oppression that had engulfed the continent and the surrounding seas was gone.

Despite the rolling thunderclouds above, the masses felt as though they had emerged from the clouds into clear skies.

[You successfully seized 1,228 years of lifespan from Bi Lie (Loose Immortal Realm, Seventh Layer)]

[You successfully seized 493 years of lifespan from Qin Suxin (Nirvana Realm, Ninth Layer)]

[You successfully seized 58 years of lifespan from the Sea-Crossing Old Immortal (Nirvana Realm, Eighth Layer)]

[You successfully seized 2,780 years of lifespan from Yunhai Tianjun (Wandering Immortal Realm, Fifth Layer)]

...

Alerts continuously popped up before Gu An's eyes, and then he vanished, but his remaining image in the sky left the beings in awe.

The black fog enveloping the sea swiftly dissipated, signifying the end of a massive calamity.

Li Ya recovered his senses and quickly urged the Divine Exotic Immortal Spirit to head towards the mainland.

In the distance, the Master of Divine Exotic Realm stood atop the thunderclouds, infinite Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts behind him, all displaying faces of fear, many visibly trembling.

Even degraded to Divine Exotic Resentful Ghosts, they still felt terror from the formidable being they had just witnessed.

How could such an existence be defeated?

Their fear was palpable, dreading the Realm Master might order an attack.

Fortunately, as the formidable presence disappeared, the Realm Master did not issue the command.

The Realm Master turned and said, "Back to the Divine Exotic Realm."

Gu An's strength filled him with ecstatic relief, though he restrained his emotions vigorously.

Aligning with Zhang Buku was a move well played!

As he turned, an unprecedented hope filled his heart.

...

Gu An returned to Mystic Valley, feeling Jiang Qiong's restless presence in the Eight Scenic Caves; her steps were brisk. He immediately headed towards the Eight Scenic Caves.

As Gu An entered the cave pathway, Jiang Qiong's footsteps abruptly stopped.

Meanwhile, the lifespan alerts continued to appear before Gu An's eyes.

Not yet reaching the cave entrance, Gu An halted, his attention captured by two alerts.

[For the first time, your lifespan has breached one billion years, unlocking the Lifespan Samsara feature]

[Lifespan Samsara: Every hundred years, execute once, undergoing Reincarnation Evolution, the evolution will reflect into reality, each use consuming ten million years of lifespan, all memories acquired during the reincarnation will be transferred into your mind as if you experienced them personally, the duration of the Reincarnation Evolution is limitless, entirely dependent on your karmic choices during the evolution, integration of real-world memories requires only an Ancient Hour]

[You successfully seized 487 years of lifespan from Zhu Changming (Mahayana Realm, Ninth Layer)]

...

Lifespan Samsara!

Seeing the ten million-year lifespan cost made Gu An feel it was a rip-off.

But after reading the explanation, he suddenly thought it might not be so bad.

If during the Reincarnation Evolution he lived long enough, the Daoist Sorcery, Divine Skills, and understanding of the Dao achieved in one lifetime could potentially be worth more than ten million years of lifespan.

Of course, he might also not survive past a hundred years, a huge loss of ten million years of lifespan.

This was a massive gamble!

As Gu An pondered, Jiang Qiong's voice floated over, "What are you standing there for? Come in already!"

On hearing this, Gu An immediately strode forward.

Tips indicating lifespan seizures continued; this series was a massive win!

Gu An had originally planned to use high-rank medical herbs from an Outer World Cave to push his lifespan over a billion years, but inevitably, some would push their luck too far.

Folks get cocky, but if the heavens don't act, then he would!

As Gu An reached the base of the Green Vine Tree, he couldn't help but laugh and cry.

Jiang Qiong had dug a hole and placed a coffin inside.

What was this, planning to bury himself?

Jiang Qiong pointed at the coffin, "Lie down here with me, it might help us avoid disaster."

Gu An pretended to be reluctant, "Is this really necessary?"

Jiang Qiong glared, swiftly came forward, and pushed him, if he hadn't suppressed his Daoist Gang Primal Energy, Jiang Qiong might have been obliterated.

Gu An had no choice but to lie down in the coffin, Jiang Qiong jumped in after him, forcibly pressing him down. Lying in the coffin, she swung her right hand, and the lid immediately covered them, plunging their vision into darkness.

From the outside, the coffin began sinking into the earth, soon vanishing from sight.

Confined in the cramped space of the coffin, Gu An and Jiang Qiong squeezed together.

In that moment, Gu An's heart calmed.

Massacring so many, even if all evil, his heart couldn't stay tranquil easily; excessive killing bred malevolent energy, even a thrilling emotion of breaking free from moral shackles. He needed time to adjust.

Now, lying in this darkness, his mood inexplicably steadied.

Despite being in the dark, Gu An could still see his lifespan alerts.

Jiang Qiong's body began to squirm; her arm was soft, she seemed to feel too squeezed, constantly pressing against Gu An.

Gu An couldn't help asking, "If the calamity doesn't strike, how long must we hide here before we can leave?"

Being squeezed in the coffin with Jiang Qiong, he actually found it quite amusing, a completely novel experience for him.

"Hide for a few decades, at least until we get past the Life-Seizing Immortal's hundred-year mark."

"That long? No, I need to go back, there are disciples in the valley, I can't abandon them."

"Humph, don't even think about it. Now that you've already lain down, don't think about leaving!"

As her words fell, Gu An felt his left hand grasped by hers.

Her hand was cold, like a corpse's.

Gu An tried to break free, but she held on tightly.

Only after all the lifespan alerts had settled did Gu An come back to his senses. He hadn't checked his lifespan yet, planning to later enjoy the moment of unveiling his lifespan.

He spoke up, "It's a bit uncomfortable squeezing like this, don't you think? Squeezing like this for decades, I'm afraid I might die."

Jiang Qiong didn't respond but began to shift her body.

Gu An stiffened instantly.

Jiang Qiong actually lay on top of him, face to face.

In the darkness, Gu An distinctly felt her breath was a bit agitated, though faint, not escaping his senses.

Suddenly, Jiang Qiong's face pressed against Gu An's chest, and he could feel one of her legs rubbing against his shin.

This is bad!

Things have gone too far!

Gu An fake coughed, "Why are you so heavy?"

Jiang Qiong's breathing hitched, then Gu An felt a hand land on his waist, fingers pinching his flesh.