Hearing Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign's words, An Hao's expression darkened. He immediately realized what Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign intended to do. He couldn't agree with it, nor could he stop it.
Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign was willing to sacrifice himself to save all beings. As a son, An Hao couldn't accept it, but at the same time, he couldn't disregard the lives of countless beings just to prevent it.
Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign cast a deep look at Gu An. The Heavenly Dao Golden Core on his shoulder burst forth with a dazzling golden light, while the Heaven and Earth Dao Fruit rose into the air, rapidly blooming, transforming into boundless Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, spreading across the world.
An Hao was bathed in the Heavenly Dao's energy, and his injuries quickly recovered.
He clenched his fists tightly, his gaze fixed on the gradually fading figure of Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign, teeth gritted in frustration.
Gu An observed this scene from afar, feeling somewhat conflicted.
He had already suspected that Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign had noticed his presence. A being of such power naturally made him wary. However, due to Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign's relationship with An Hao, Gu An had refrained from acting against him.
Now, Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign had chosen to sacrifice himself for the protection of all living beings in this world. To Gu An, this was a favorable outcome.
"I was born in Heavenly Spirit World, so I already owe you a debt. If there's a chance in the future, I will help you return to life."
Gu An thought to himself. He didn't dwell on it further and instead carefully felt the creation of this world.
He, too, was capable of creating a World, but even if he did, he wouldn't be able to extract lifespan from his own world. Therefore, he had never chosen to do so.
Extracting lifespan from his own world was akin to devouring his own spiritual power, and it wouldn't enhance his cultivation at all.
However, even if he couldn't take that route, witnessing Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign's act of creation provided him with an unparalleled opportunity—a chance to deepen his understanding of the Dao.
This was a rare opportunity—a transformation brought forth by the self-sacrifice of a True Innate Golden Immortal!
As the boundless Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy continued to spread, the twisted cosmic space gradually stabilized.
The beings of Heavenly Spirit World, who had first been swept by the energy, recovered their vitality, and the celestial firmament swiftly reformed, replacing the chaotic cosmic void with a structured, restored world.
Everything was returning to normal!
At this moment, Xunxian Daoist suddenly flew toward Gu An.
If not for their past acquaintance, Gu An would never have allowed him to approach.
Even as Xunxian Daoist neared, he still could not see Gu An's true form, thanks to the mystical power of the Heavenly Nether Purple Micro Saint Dao Body.
Facing the indistinct figure of Gu An, Xunxian Daoist took a deep breath and spoke:
"Fellow Daoist, you have slain Heavenly Spirit God, but this will bring a calamity upon you. Every Immortal God holds a Heavenly Dao Position, and their fall will inevitably be sensed by the Heavenly Court. Even if you have isolated this World using the power of karma, as long as the Heavenly Court wishes to investigate, it is only a matter of time before they find you. There are countless beings far stronger than Heavenly Spirit God in the Heavenly Court, and their Immortal Gods regard the dignity of the Heavenly Court above all else."
Gu An looked down at Xunxian Daoist and asked, "So, what exactly do you want to say?"
Xunxian Daoist replied, "If you can obtain a Heavenly Dao Position before the Heavenly Court detects you, then even if they seek retribution, your punishment will not be too severe."
"Is acquiring a Heavenly Dao Position that easy?"
"To be honest, I hold the key to such an opportunity."
Gu An calmly responded, "Not interested. Leave. Your presence here is a threat, not only to me but to this entire World."
Hearing this, Xunxian Daoist let out a bitter chuckle. He clasped his hands in respect, turned, and left.
Before he had traveled far, his soul suddenly dispersed.
The method Xunxian Daoist used to escape this world was self-destruction.
Gu An was unmoved. His gaze shifted toward An Hao.
At this moment, Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign was in the process of restructuring the World's Dao Order.
However, he harbored one final personal wish—he was leaving behind his own Dao inheritance for An Hao.
Even though this wouldn't immediately elevate An Hao's cultivation to new heights, it would help him cultivate more effectively.
Gu An didn't interfere. He wasn't worried about Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign scheming something—he could sense that Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign's karmic threads were dissipating, proving that he was truly letting go and not playing tricks.
But...
Gu An frowned slightly, turning his gaze to the deep void of the universe.
As Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign reshaped the rules of the World, an unexpected force emerged—Heavenly Dao Fortune.
It manifested out of thin air, following the flow of Dao.
Gu An couldn't help but ponder—what exactly was the relationship between the Heavenly Dao and the Great Dao?
Previously, he had always believed that the Great Dao was superior to the Heavenly Dao, or rather, that the Heavenly Dao was born from the Great Dao.
But now, it seemed that the Heavenly Dao held power that was not necessarily weaker than the Great Dao itself.
At this moment, Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign's figure completely faded away, and An Hao's injuries were fully healed.
An Hao surveyed his surroundings, his brow furrowing.
He could also sense the presence of Heavenly Dao Fortune.
"Could it be… that all of this truly wasn't Heavenly Spirit God's doing, and he merely took action at the most opportune moment?" An Hao murmured to himself.
His gaze shifted to Gu An.
Sensing An Hao's gaze, Gu An turned his head toward him.
Their eyes met.
Gu An understood the meaning in An Hao's expression.
An Hao couldn't read Gu An's expression, but being watched by Gu An gave him a sense of security.
A smile surfaced on An Hao's face.
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
"You should think carefully," Gu An's voice echoed in An Hao's ears. "The beings you save will ultimately still die. The World will eventually return to normal."
An Hao smiled and asked in return, "Master, how many beings have you saved in the past? Are they all still alive? In the end, they will all die too, yet you still saved them."
Gu An looked at him. "Are you truly willing to let go of An Xin? Of your wife? Your descendants? Can you really cut all ties completely?"
"You have already arranged everything for me, haven't you? The only person I have failed in this life is you. I have lived for nearly ten thousand years without ever repaying you, only making you worry about me..."
An Hao looked at Gu An, his face filled with guilt.
Gu An wanted to tell him that it had only been a small effort, that it wasn't much trouble at all. But seeing An Hao's expression, he knew that no matter what he said, it wouldn't change An Hao's decision.
Gu An was very strong now, but not strong enough. At the very least, he couldn't free the World from the Heavenly Dao, nor could he make this world develop according to his own will.
But seeing that An Hao was willing to take responsibility, Gu An felt comforted.
He couldn't change the inevitable outcome, but he could leave An Hao a path to survive.
Without another word, Gu An turned around and vanished into the void.
More and more divine senses and spiritual consciousnesses swept across the universe. They had locked onto An Hao's presence, but none dared to approach.
The battle from earlier had left them in fear. They hadn't fully comprehended what had happened, but just the lingering sword shadows from the Eternal Boundless Divine Sword and the colossal celestial eyes from the Heavenly Eye Dao Technique still made them shudder at the mere thought of it.
Even beings at the Dao Repository Free Immortal Realm and Profound Origin Free Immortal Realm felt like they could be obliterated at any moment if they had been caught in the battle.
An Hao gazed toward Heavenly Spirit World, his eyes filled with nostalgia. Slowly, he lifted both arms and murmured,
"Sun Immortal Emperor, I will complete what you could not."
—
In Wushi Dao Field, An Xin, Tian Yao'er, Chen Chuan, and the others had not been affected by Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign extracting the Heaven and Earth's power.
They had been discussing the battle's situation this entire time.
Suddenly, Gu An appeared beside An Xin.
Seeing him arrive, the crowd immediately surrounded him.
"Master! Did you take action?"
"That sword intent earlier… wasn't that the Eternal Boundless Divine Sword?"
"Master, what's happening beyond the heavens now?"
"Between An Hao and Zhu Xi, who won?"
"That voice from before… it sounded so arrogant. Just how powerful is he?"
One after another, they bombarded him with questions. Everyone was both curious and excited. Thanks to Wushi Dao Field's protection, they hadn't truly felt the pressure of the outside world.
Gu An looked up at the sky and said, "You will never see those two again."
The entire group froze on the spot.
Their excitement was immediately extinguished. Instinctively, they all turned to look at An Xin.
They had never been close to Zhu Xi, but An Xin and An Hao had always been like real siblings.
An Xin also fell into a daze.
But she didn't break down emotionally. Instead, she looked at Gu An and calmly asked, "Master, you saw him?"
"Yes."
"Then… let him be."
An Xin remained composed.
Gu An said nothing more.
He turned to face the others and stated, "A new era is about to begin. The world will become boundless. From now on, you are no longer just living within a World—you will exist in a true Grand World."
A Grand World!
Everyone was stunned.
They trusted Gu An's words, and so they began to imagine just how vast a Grand World must be.
Even An Shengtian seemed dazed.
Although he had severed his karmic ties with An Hao, deep down, he had always wanted to see him again.
Would they really never meet again from this moment forward?
"Look!"
Suddenly, Tianqing pointed at the sky and shouted.
Everyone turned their heads.
Above them, a new sun had appeared, rapidly growing larger.
Just as Tian Yao'er was about to ask Gu An something, a tremendous force suddenly descended from the sky, making everyone's minds go blank.
It was as if time itself had frozen.
All movement stopped.
Only Gu An remained unaffected.
He looked up and saw An Hao's figure fading away.
An Hao had chosen to follow the same path as his father, Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign.
Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign had sacrificed himself to reshape the World's Dao Order.
Now, An Hao had chosen to sacrifice himself to reunite the shattered Grand World.
An Hao was able to do this because he had inherited Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign's Dao.
He was now the ruler of this Grand World, and in order to help all living beings survive the calamity imposed by the Heavenly Dao, he had chosen self-sacrifice.
This great disaster had led to Zhu Xi being sent beyond the universe by Xunxian Daoist, Heavenly Spirit God being captured, and both Heavenly Spirit Immortal Sovereign and An Hao perishing.
At first glance, it seemed as if there were no victors.
Gu An sighed at the unpredictability of fate.
But at the same time, he looked forward to the new Grand World.
No matter what, this catastrophe was just another milestone in his life.
He still needed to become stronger.
His instincts told him that one day, he would no longer be able to remain hidden—he would have to face the full might of the Heavenly Court.
When that day came, would he compromise and ascend as an Immortal, or would he choose a different path?
That would depend on how strong he had become by then.
Gu An withdrew his gaze and walked back toward his pavilion.
As for the others, who had been frozen in time, they would not be harmed.
Gu An had deliberately allowed An Hao's power to seep into the Dao Field, letting them experience the transformation of the world just like all other beings.
By the time they woke up, they would simply believe they had dreamt it all.
At that moment, Gu An suddenly turned his gaze toward a particular direction.
A strange glint flickered in his eyes.
Everything in the universe had been stopped by An Hao's power.
And yet, Shen Zhen was completely unaffected.
Inside her room, she was still painting with intense focus, as if completely detached from reality.
Gu An could sense a unique aura from Shen Zhen—a presence he couldn't predict or comprehend.
This made him even more curious.
Just what kind of Dao had Shen Zhen stepped into?
As Gu An pondered this, a blinding divine light descended from the heavens, swallowing his figure.
It engulfed everything in the world.