Chapter 637: Absolute Power

An Xin watched as Tai Yi Immortal Lord slowly knelt down, her heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Relief.

Awe.

Admiration for her master.

But more than that, there was an indescribable sense of absurdity at witnessing the collapse of the image of the so-called Immortal Gods.

So this is an Immortal God?

So this is the existence that represents the Heavenly Dao—what countless beings spend their entire lives pursuing?

When Tai Yi Immortal Lord's knees finally hit the ground, the pride of an Immortal God was completely shattered.

All the divine aura he once carried was gone.

Even though his eyes were covered, the moment his head bowed, his entire presence exuded defeat and weakness—from the inside out.

The expressions of the Jin Dong Seventy-Two Immortals dimmed completely.

They dared not and could not curse Gu An any longer.

Tai Yi Immortal Lord was not only their master—he was their pride.

And now, their pride had knelt without resistance.

This was a truth they could not accept.

Just then—

Inside the light screen, the shattered universe suddenly began to shift.

Countless space fragments reversed direction, flowing back toward their original positions.

This spectacle immediately drew the attention of the Jin Dong Seventy-Two Immortals.

Right before their eyes, the Heavenly Spirit Great World was restored to its original state—as if nothing had ever happened.

This left them utterly stunned.

What kind of technique was this?

Purple Dragon Star Lord felt a deep shock as he witnessed Gu An's divine ability.

A Celestial Lord representing the divine might of the Heavenly Court had annihilated a world.

And yet, the one regarded as a defier of the Heavens was the one restoring all life?

As they watched Gu An raise his hand, Tai Yi Immortal Lord shrank in size, landing in his palm.

Tai Yi Immortal Lord had been completely subdued.

Then—

They watched as Gu An transformed Tai Yi Immortal Lord into a wooden token, attaching it to his belt.

A belt that already had several other wooden tokens hanging from it.

And those tokens…

Looked exactly like them.

At last, they understood their own fate.

As the light screen began to contract, the consciousness of the Jin Dong Seventy-Two Immortals began to fade into darkness.

Just like the light screen, they were being swallowed by the void.

But Purple Dragon Star Lord did not concern himself with his own fate.

His mind was still replaying the moment Tai Yi Immortal Lord knelt down.

Not just him—

Every single Jin Dong Immortal had that same scene burned into their minds.

Until everything faded into darkness.

…

At the Realm Gate, An Xin lifted her gaze, looking out at the restored Heavenly Spirit Great World.

She could feel the flourishing vitality in the distance.

A bright expression appeared on her face.

She stepped forward, moving to stand in front of Gu An.

Her eyes locked onto his.

Gu An did not conceal his Immortal Emperor Eyes, allowing her to observe it freely.

Previously, only she and Tai Yi Immortal Lord had been able to see the Immortal Emperor Eyes.

Though the Jin Dong Seventy-Two Immortals had overheard her conversation with Gu An, they had never seen it themselves.

Nor had they heard the exchange before Tai Yi Immortal Lord knelt down.

As for Tai Yi Immortal Lord—

Gu An had methods to ensure he would forget the Immortal Emperor Eyes altogether.

Aside from his Dao of Power, Gu An’s greatest proficiency was in the Dao of Karma.

Using the Dao of Karma to erase memories was trivial.

“Master, that wasn’t an illusion just now, was it?” An Xin struggled to suppress her excitement.

“I saw him destroy an entire Great Thousand World…”

Gu An smiled.

“All of your perceptions were real.”

“Your Immortal Emperor Eyes can restore everything? Or… does it reverse time?”

For the first time, An Xin used the formal ‘Master’ to address him.

Normally, while she was always respectful, she was too familiar with him to use such a formal tone.

This was something that even the other disciples had noticed—her special treatment.

Gu An did not hide anything.

“My Immortal Emperor Eyes can make what has disappeared reappear… and make what exists turn to nothing.”

He had no fear of An Xin revealing the true nature of his ability.

Gu An had never relied solely on his Immortal Emperor Eyes. He simply preferred using it at this stage.

Moreover, he could continuously enhance it through lifespan evolution.

The Immortal Emperor Eyes had already become part of his attribute panel. As long as he could see the entry, he could infinitely upgrade it.

An Xin's eyes widened in amazement. "That sounds so overpowered. Isn’t this basically absolute control over life and death?"

Her Immortal Emperor Eyes was undoubtedly extraordinary—it could devour power, and even borrow strength from the past and future.

But in the end, everything she used was borrowed.

Compared to her master’s Immortal Emperor Eyes, hers seemed like mere tricks—flashy, but not truly powerful.

"Master, compared to yours, my Immortal Emperor Eyes is way too weak…" After her initial excitement, An Xin felt discouraged, as if she had disgraced the very name of the Immortal Emperor Eyes.

Gu An raised his hand and gently ruffled her hair, smiling. "The strength of the Immortal Emperor Eyes depends on your cultivation level. One day, you will surpass the power I displayed just now."

An Xin felt comforted, but deep down, she thought—her master was truly confident.

He stood so high yet continued to pursue strength.

How could she allow herself to wallow in self-doubt?

Gu An, sensing her thoughts, felt satisfied.

As expected of his most promising disciple—she knew how to reflect on his words.

Turning around, Gu An swept his right hand across his waist, and the wooden token formed from Tai Yi Immortal Lord released a glowing sphere.

The light flew swiftly into the depths of the universe.

"What was that?" An Xin asked curiously.

Gu An answered, "Immortal Gods cannot be completely eradicated—only suppressed. But I can make him suffer through endless cycles of reincarnation, forcing him to experience the pain of reversed status."

From the moment Tai Yi Immortal Lord attempted to annihilate the Heavenly Spirit Great World, Gu An had dismissed any possibility that he would be beneficial to Tian Hao.

Destroying the Heavenly Spirit Great World—perhaps it was a backup plan, meant to draw the Heavenly Court’s attention.

But there was another possibility.

He might have wanted to erase karma, preventing others from tracing where Tian Hao had gone.

Different stances led to different actions.

But Tai Yi Immortal Lord had no justifiable reason to destroy the Heavenly Spirit Great World—yet he still did it.

And that alone made Gu An extremely dissatisfied.

Although Xuan Su Immortal Lord was hypocritical, the Golden Divine Envoy and followers he had sent had genuinely granted opportunities to mortals.

As for creating disasters using the Xiantian Human Race, it was somewhat akin to Heavenly Tribulations—Gu An didn’t like it, but he couldn’t entirely condemn it either.

"Why can’t Immortal Gods be destroyed?" An Xin asked, her tone filled with discontent.

Why did such beings deserve to be Immortal Gods?

Gu An chuckled. "There's no need to ask ‘why’ so much. There must be a force stronger than us supporting them."

"If we work hard to become stronger, we can change what we currently cannot."

An Xin smiled and nodded firmly.

After that, Gu An led her toward the Heavenly Spirit Great World.

A long period of peace should follow.

Meanwhile, Gu An pondered—when he next attempted a breakthrough, should he first enhance his Dao Arts to improve his combat strength, then undergo Tribulation Crossing?

He had already reached the second major realm of the Dao Fruit Realm.

If the previous patterns held true, the next step would be the final realm of the Dao Fruit Stage—and it would certainly be extremely difficult to break through.

As he contemplated, he continued answering An Xin’s many questions about the previous battle.

Although she had been deeply shaken, she couldn’t understand the battle at all.

She had no idea how Tai Yi Immortal Lord shattered the Heavenly Spirit Great World, nor how Gu An forced him to kneel.

But what intrigued her most—

Was how Gu An turned people into wooden tokens.

This wasn’t ordinary transformation.

When she extended her divine sense into the wooden tokens, she found that they felt like ordinary wood, without a trace of anything unusual.