Chapter 678: Rise of Imperial Might

Nine-Finger Divine Lord started telling stories from the past about him and Gu An. Throughout his tale, he didn’t mention Gu An’s name once, and he even twisted many details.

Gu An sat quietly before the chessboard, patiently listening to Nine-Finger Divine Lord boast and bluff his way through the tale.

But his thoughts had already drifted back to the Tai Xuan Sect.

Right now, the current sect master of Tai Xuan Sect was Ye Cang. Under his leadership, the sect had been thriving, growing stronger year after year. With the Tai Cang Dynasty forming an alliance with them, the cooperation between both sides had proven highly effective. Their combined strength was brimming with momentum and ambition.

Gu An was contemplating whether it was time to release the inheritance of the Heaven-Sundering Divine Axe.

The inheritance within the Heaven-Sundering Divine Axe had long ceased to be of real value. The problem was that the sword intent Gu An had left behind was too powerful—so much so that no one had ever managed to lift the axe.

Having built up the legend for hundreds of thousands of years, it was time to bestow the Heaven-Sundering Divine Axe with a true inheritance.

Gu An silently infused it with a special form of Hunyuan Dao Emperor destiny. The whole process was carried out without a single soul noticing—not even the divine spirits knew what he had done.

Just as Gu An had expected, after Nine-Finger Divine Lord finished his tale, he immediately tried to pull Gu An along to visit the former residence of his “old friend.” As for the chess match—which he should have lost—he didn’t mention a single word about it.

Thinking back on how Nine-Finger Divine Lord had already lost to him countless times in the past, Gu An decided to just let it go.

In the days that followed, Gu An divided his attention between observing Fang Xuan and humoring Nine-Finger Divine Lord.

Even after he left, no one ever realized that the Sword Master of the Dao had quietly returned.

…

The great battle between the Dao Court and the Tai Qian Imperial Dynasty had finally drawn to a close. In the end, the Dao Court emerged victorious. When Zhao Rushen killed the Tai Qian Emperor, the entire dynasty crumbled from within, plunging into chaos—like a mortal purgatory.

This war had lasted for many years, and the casualties were countless. Once the Tai Qian Imperial Dynasty’s destiny dissipated, blood mist filled the lands of Tai Qian, lingering for a long time without fading.

With the merit of slaying the Tai Qian Emperor, Zhao Rushen's fame shook the world. He cast off the title of "Heavenly Prodigy" and became a hero acknowledged by all.

At the same time, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth began to rise again. More and more fortunes were born, making cultivation easier than ever before.

Time flew by.

It had already been fifty thousand years since Gu An began seeding the destiny of the Hunyuan Dao Emperor onto the Path of the Grand Dao.

The Tai Qian Imperial Dynasty had become nothing more than an ancient legend of the mortal realm. Free Immortals across the world had increased significantly. The ceiling for heavenly prodigies was reaching unimaginable heights. The entire world was growing more complex and vast.

Dao Court, within Xiao Lan’s cave heaven.

Gu An accompanied Xiao Lan in her cultivation while simultaneously reviewing his own stat panel.

【Name: Gu An】

【Lifespan: 445,492 / 31,076,970,562,704】

【Physique: Hunyuan Dao-Creating Physique】

【Cultivation: Dao Extreme Grand Luo Immortal – Perfection】

…

His lifespan was steadily increasing, but the goal of reaching one hundred trillion years was still far away.

Gu An intended to wait until his lifespan reached that point before attempting his breakthrough.

Although in recent years, more and more variables had infiltrated the Heavenly Spirit Great World, none of them were enough to threaten him. So he remained completely unfazed.

These variables were normal. Any powerful Great Thousand World would naturally attract beings from Beyond the Heavens. While the Heavenly Spirit Great World wasn’t strong enough yet, it was in a phase of rapid development, and that alone made it appealing enough to draw attention from other Great Thousand Worlds and higher planes of existence seeking opportunities.

Back then, the Tai Qian Imperial Dynasty should’ve perished within several thousand years. Yet, with help from beyond the heavens, it had managed to extend its life by over ten thousand years.

Of course, it wasn’t just the Tai Qian Imperial Dynasty that had support from outsiders—the Dao Court did too. Its leader, Yuan Songzi, originally came from another Great Thousand World.

Xiao Lan opened her eyes and looked at Gu An. She sighed and said, “Brother Gu, I still can’t achieve the projection state. It’s too hard. Even though the Hunyuan Dao Emperor path doesn’t require brutal fighting like the Dao Emperor, the difficulty is no less.”

Gu An sat atop a tree branch, casually fiddling with the Seven Stars Mirror in his hand. With a smile, he said, “It’s exactly because it’s so difficult that it proves how powerful it is. There’s no need to rush. You’ve got plenty of time to try again and again.”

Xiao Lan took a deep breath and curiously asked, “Brother Gu, how many years did it take you to achieve the Hunyuan Dao Emperor realm?”

“A million years, probably.”

Gu An replied offhandedly.

Hearing that number, Xiao Lan was both relieved and overwhelmed.

A million years.

Even if her talent surpassed Gu An’s, wouldn’t she still need at least five hundred thousand years?

She suddenly felt a little tired.

She stood up and said, “Brother Gu, how about we go out for a walk?”

Gu An leapt down from the tree, tucked the Seven Stars Mirror into his robe, and walked toward Xiao Lan.

“What’s so special about that mirror of yours? You’re always holding onto it.” Xiao Lan couldn’t help asking. Her divine sense had once tried to peer into the mirror, but she hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Gu An replied calmly, “Only I understand what’s good about it.”

Xiao Lan rolled her eyes. Luckily that mirror hadn’t developed a spirit, or she’d really start to overthink things.

Gu An accompanied Xiao Lan out of the cave heaven, but his mind had already returned to the Path of the Grand Dao.

That guy Fang Xuan had actually succeeded in projection!

This guy’s comprehension on the path of the Hunyuan Emperor was astonishing.

Gu An was genuinely looking forward to seeing him become a Hunyuan Dao Emperor. If a Hunyuan Dao Emperor wanted to rise, someone needed to make a splash—show off their brilliance. And if he could defeat a Dao Sovereign, the momentum would be even greater.

…

On the Path of the Grand Dao, atop a meteor.

Fang Xuan sat cross-legged at the edge of a cliff. His red robes fluttered, his white hair danced in the wind, and his eyes were shut. His head lightly trembled as if he were in a trance.

Gradually, his brows furrowed, as if enduring some kind of pain.

After a long while—

Fang Xuan suddenly opened his eyes. His pupils quivered violently, like someone jolted awake from a massive dream. His emotions were out of control.

He tried hard to calm himself down. A look of joy emerged on his face as he murmured to himself, “So this is the fortune of a Hunyuan Dao Emperor? I didn’t truly reincarnate, yet I carry memories of countless lifetimes. I’m not sure if they were just my imagination or if they actually happened… If they were real, then the path of the Hunyuan Dao Emperor is simply unbelievable…”

On the Path of the Grand Dao, the title he had heard most often was "Dao Sovereign." Though there were other fortune-based rankings, none could compare to Dao Sovereigns.

But the Hunyuan Dao Emperor… was different!

Just the hundreds of lifetimes of memory he had just received were enough to leave him completely shaken.

He could feel that in the real world, time hadn’t passed that long.

If he could undergo more reincarnations like this, his cultivation speed would absolutely soar far beyond what he had achieved before.

At that thought, Fang Xuan’s heart started to race.

“Hunyuan Dao Emperor… I’ve never heard of it before. Even if there were others who succeeded in this path, they must be incredibly rare, far fewer than Dao Sovereigns. This could be the greatest opportunity of my life…”

His mood grew increasingly excited.

He closed his eyes once more, carefully recalling the insights he had just gained through those cycles of reincarnation.

At the same time…

In another patch of void on the Path of the Grand Dao, a lion demon clad in black armor arrived beneath a massive tree. He had a humanoid body—tall and muscular—but his head retained the appearance of his beast form. His long mane flowed down to his waist, radiating an intense aura of pressure.

He raised his right hand and reached toward a silver crystal floating beneath a tree branch.

“What is this?”

The black-armored lion demon muttered to himself, eyes full of curiosity.

And he wasn’t the only one.

With Fang Xuan’s breakthrough in comprehension, hundreds of silver crystals appeared across the Path of the Grand Dao. Scattered through various voids, most floated silently, waiting for a fated one. But there were a few, like this lion demon, who chanced upon one right after it manifested, striking it lucky through sheer fate.