Chapter 687: As a God That Calms the World

“Myriad Dao Peerless Palm…”

An Zizai muttered the name of the palm technique under his breath. Hearing Gu An say that just the first palm alone could quell all chaos in the world made him both excited and full of anticipation.

Just the name alone sounded powerful!

“Please, Grandmaster, teach me!”

An Zizai immediately knelt down, eyes full of eager expectation.

Gu An looked at him with a faint smile and said, “The Myriad Dao Peerless Palm is a supreme technique I created after comprehending the Grand Dao. It has seven palms in total, each one equivalent to a powerful divine ability. The first palm I’m going to teach you is called As a God That Calms the World…”

An Zizai listened patiently. This was the first time Gu An was personally teaching him, and he wanted to prove his talent, so he took it very seriously.

Gradually, his mind began to sink into it.

He was entering the Dao!

It wasn’t that his comprehension was overwhelmingly sharp, but rather that Gu An was using his own Dao Intent to guide him in.

Since An Xin had personally asked, and An Zizai was the first person to cultivate the Myriad Dao Peerless Palm, Gu An was naturally going to teach it with full dedication. He would make sure An Zizai’s mastery of this technique earned great fame across the world.

No one knew how much time had passed.

When An Zizai finally woke, his eyes were clear and bright. By now, it was already nighttime.

He instinctively looked around but didn’t see any sign of his grandmaster. He took a deep breath and recalled the insights now engraved in his mind—his spirit trembling.

He had never encountered such a powerful ultimate art. He hadn’t even begun practicing yet, and just from the memory of the inheritance alone, he could already feel how unmatched it was.

And this was just the first palm. What kind of terrifying power would it be if he cultivated all seven?

It was the first time he felt such intense curiosity about his grandmaster’s cultivation.

Just what kind of realm did one need to reach to create a technique like this?

All of a sudden, An Zizai had the urge to stay by Gu An’s side to cultivate. In the past, he always thought Gu An was annoying and wanted to stay far away. Now, he was curious about everything related to him.

How high was Grandmaster’s cultivation?

What kind of life had he experienced?

Why did Grandmaster refuse to step into the world?

So many questions piled up in his heart, making him feel like he was being reborn. Even he could sense a surge of fighting spirit within himself.

So—

In the days that followed, An Zizai began sticking to Gu An like glue. As long as Gu An was in the Dao Field, An Zizai would be there too, cultivating the Myriad Dao Peerless Palm at his side.

As time passed, the other disciples at Wushi gradually came to know that Gu An had created a peerless technique. But none of them approached An Zizai to ask how to cultivate it. Without Gu An’s permission, they wouldn’t dare touch it.

This had been the rule for the past hundreds of thousands of years—disciples wouldn’t exchange divine abilities among themselves. They had complete confidence in the techniques they had already mastered.

…

In the depths of the void, countless meteorites floated silently in the darkness.

The Blood Prison Saint and Fang Xuan sat side by side in meditation, cultivating together.

Fang Xuan slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a deep breath. His expression was complicated.

“How many lifetimes did you project into?” came the Blood Prison Saint’s voice beside him, tinged with exhaustion.

Fang Xuan glanced over and saw that the Blood Prison Saint also looked somewhat despondent. He replied, “Twenty-seven lives. All of them were bitter.”

The Blood Prison Saint sighed and said, “Twenty-one lives. Mine were bitter too.”

The two of them fell into silence.

After a while—

“Maybe it's only by going through enough failure that we can survive the trials to come,” Fang Xuan said quietly. “The strength of a Hunyuan Dao Emperor doesn’t come from just having powerful cultivation or divine abilities. Their Dao Heart must also be unbreakable.”

It was hard for him to imagine how many cycles of reincarnation a true Hunyuan Dao Emperor had been through. What kind of mindset would such a being have when they gazed upon the Grand Dao and all the things in the world?

Maybe they had never heard of the Hunyuan Dao Emperor before because he had already transcended everything and no longer cared about fame or gain.

The Blood Prison Saint nodded. “The deeper I cultivate this path, the more awe I feel toward the Hunyuan Dao Emperor. No wonder my master insisted I cultivate this. I think the Hunyuan Dao Emperor is even stronger than the Dao Sovereign.”

Fang Xuan smiled and added, “That’s obvious. The Dao Sovereign only knows how to fight and kill—he never cultivates the heart.”

The two continued to express their admiration for the Hunyuan Dao Emperor. Even though they had cultivated until now without seeing the day their Dao would be fulfilled, having each other gave them confidence. They weren’t as lost as before.

Just then, deep in the darkness, a burst of brilliant light erupted, dazzling and radiant, drawing their attention.

A terrifying aura surged toward them, causing them to frown.

Boom—

A streak of divine light flashed across, making the void where the Blood Prison Saint and Fang Xuan sat suddenly as bright as day.

The two looked up and saw a figure appear above them. It was a man in a black robe with chainmail underneath, floating in midair. His face was cold and harsh, his pupils snake-like. He looked down at the two with a tight frown.

The Blood Prison Saint was the first to speak. “Do you have business with us?”

Even though the man’s aura was powerful, he wasn’t the least bit afraid. At worst, a fight would break out—and truthfully, he hadn’t fought in years.

Fang Xuan glanced at the Blood Prison Saint and suddenly felt this sworn brother was even more battle-hungry than he’d realized. He could hear the eager undertone in the Blood Prison Saint’s voice.

Fang Xuan was considered a genius, but he didn’t enjoy fighting. In his view, cultivating immortality didn’t necessarily require combat. Fighting was a last resort, only when absolutely necessary.

“The Heavenly Court is currently hunting down all beings who’ve stepped onto the Imperial Path,” the black-robed man said, looking down at them. “While you don’t have the fortune of a Dao Sovereign, the fate on your bodies is still unusual. You may attract the Heavenly Court’s attention. You should leave the main plane of the Grand Dao Path as soon as possible.”

With that, the black-robed man turned and vanished into the void in the blink of an eye, disappearing without a trace.

“The Heavenly Court?”

The Blood Prison Saint frowned. He’d heard of the name, but didn’t know much. All he knew was that the so-called immortals and gods in legend came from the Heavenly Court, and that the Heavenly Court represented the Heavenly Dao.

Fang Xuan, on the other hand, knew more about it. His expression instantly turned grim.

In a low voice, he said, “Better to believe it exists than to risk it doesn’t. Let’s find somewhere to hide. At the very least, we should stay away from the main plane of the Grand Dao Path.”

The Blood Prison Saint’s eyes widened. “So what if it’s the Heavenly Court? This is the Grand Dao Path. I’ve never heard of any force that can cover the skies with one hand!”

If he left now, how could he complete the task his master entrusted to him?

Fang Xuan still wanted to persuade him further, when suddenly, a vast and overwhelming pressure descended upon them. Their expressions changed dramatically as they instinctively turned to look.

A beam of golden light extended rapidly from the direction where the black-robed man had appeared, charging straight toward them. From within the golden light came deafening footsteps, as if tens of thousands were marching in unison.

The Blood Prison Saint immediately summoned his Dao Treasure—the Heaven-Crushing Blood Prison Blade. As soon as it appeared, the pressure weighing down on him weakened slightly.

He grabbed Fang Xuan, who was completely immobilized by the pressure, and turned to flee.

“Hmph! Where do you think you’re going!”

A cold snort rang out from behind. It was the voice of Heaven-Stabilizing God.

Before the Blood Prison Saint could even look back, he suddenly felt an irresistible suction force pulling at him. Even the Dao Treasure couldn’t block it entirely.

The Blood Prison Saint was shocked. He instinctively turned his head and saw a boundless darkness—like a giant abyssal mouth—devouring everything, swallowing him and Fang Xuan whole.