Chapter 690: Palm Turned Down

As hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers stared at the lid of the Soul Refining Cauldron, inside the cauldron, the endless sea of fire had already been dispersed.

One by one, figures soared upward, floating in the air, their eyes scanning the surroundings, trying to understand what had just happened.

Who put out the cauldron flames?

Some among the trapped had already experienced the torment of that blaze firsthand and knew how terrifying it was.

That gust of wind just now—there was no way it was a coincidence. A mysterious powerhouse had extinguished the flames!

An Zizai looked at Gu An, eyes full of anticipation.

What kind of battle was about to erupt?

Under An Zizai’s gaze, Gu An turned around, facing a certain direction, and slowly raised his right hand.

It’s happening!

An Zizai’s heart pounded, his eyes wide with excitement.

As Gu An lifted his palm, a terrifying aura burst forth. This time, he deliberately weakened the barriers of karma and aura so that all living beings inside the cauldron could see him, though they still couldn't make out his face.

The Blood Prison Saint and Fang Xuan also turned their heads to look, eyes locking onto Gu An’s direction.

They could only see a blurry silhouette, not his true appearance.

The Blood Prison Saint’s expression changed drastically. His breathing quickened.

He couldn’t see clearly, but he instantly guessed—it was Gu An!

Back when Gu An faced the War Court, his figure had looked just like this—hazy and indistinct, yet undeniably present.

He’d only just been captured, and now his master had already come!

“That person… who is he? He’s completely—” Fang Xuan furrowed his brow and muttered. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind, and his eyes widened.

He glanced sideways at the Blood Prison Saint and saw his face filled with excitement, his entire body trembling.

Fang Xuan’s heart began to tremble too.

That existence… had arrived!

Elsewhere in the cauldron’s world, dozens of figures floated in the sky. At the head of the group was a burly man in dark red armor, his long hair coiled beneath a divine beast crown. His face was stern, his entire being radiating overwhelming pressure.

This was the Xuanji Emperor.

His cultivation had already reached the Vast Heaven Free Immortal Realm. He was one of the most likely candidates to become a Dao Sovereign Emperor on the current Grand Dao path.

Even the Xuanji Emperor couldn’t see Gu An’s true face. The presence before him felt like one of the ancestral figures from his own race—profound and unknowable.

A strong intuition told him—this person might really take them out of here.

Under the gazes of several thousand trapped heaven’s prides and powerful cultivators, Gu An casually extended his right hand forward. The motion was relaxed, like picking a flower or plucking grass.

But the moment his arm stretched straight, a horrifying power exploded forth.

The dark sky ahead shattered instantly. Fierce winds mixed with black smoke howled outward like a horde of dragons charging into battle—unstoppable and immense.

The thousands of trapped cultivators within the winds were all stunned by this one palm strike from Gu An.

They could feel that terrifying, irresistible force. Since falling into this world, they had tried countless times to break free, but all had failed. Even their most powerful divine arts hadn’t left a scratch.

Clothing flapped wildly. Long hair flew.

All of them stared at the broken opening at the edge of the sky.

Beyond it was a blinding white light—like the entrance to a brand new world.

…

Above the Grand Dao Qi Sea, hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers stared in disbelief as a massive hole had been blasted through the Soul Refining Cauldron. Scorching waves of energy gushed out from within, unstoppable.

Most of the heavenly soldiers wore expressions of shock and disbelief.

That immortal artifact… someone actually punched through it?

From the inside, no less!

The face of the Heaven-Stabilizing God darkened. He leapt up and arrived at the front of the Soul Refining Cauldron’s breach. With his physical body, he stood against the storm winds, raising the massive blade in his hand high.

All around him, the hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers quickly began to form their battle formations.

Zhang Buku and Xu You channeled their power as they stared at the Soul Refining Cauldron, their gazes fixed on the breach.

They were all intensely curious—what kind of mighty being could have blasted a hole through the Soul Refining Cauldron?

Instinctively, they thought of the Xuanji Emperor. During the earlier capture led by the Heaven-Stabilizing God, the Xuanji Emperor’s resistance had left a deep impression on them.

Under the watchful eyes of all the heavenly soldiers, the white light inside the breach of the Soul Refining Cauldron remained dazzling. A figure slowly stepped out from within. Though he appeared no more than a speck of dust compared to the size of the gap, the pressure he exuded left the heavenly soldiers breathless.

Gu An emerged slowly from the white light, with An Zizai following behind him.

The Heaven-Stabilizing God and the hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers couldn’t see their true faces. All they could perceive were two vague figures, which made the Heaven-Stabilizing God even more wary of Gu An.

“Who are you?”

The Heaven-Stabilizing God spoke with a heavy voice. He could be sure he hadn’t captured these two before, which meant they had entered the Soul Refining Cauldron without anyone noticing.

That could only mean one thing—their cultivation was likely above his.

This place was the path of the Grand Dao. Anyone bold enough to oppose the Heavenly Court might not hesitate to strike them down.

Especially since the two concealed their true appearances—it was clear they weren’t here peacefully.

If he died, he could rely on the Heavenly Court’s fortune to resurrect. But the hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers under his command had yet to formally attain immortal rank—they wouldn’t be able to come back.

He had spent so much time and effort training them. He didn’t want to see them perish here.

Gu An didn’t answer the Heaven-Stabilizing God. His gaze swept over the hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers and soon landed on Zhang Buku.

Then, his eyes turned to Xu You beside Zhang Buku. Gu An had already calculated that a Grand Luo-level being stood behind Xu You. Now that he was observing Xu You from close up, he could see even deeper layers of karma.

The Grand Luo being behind Xu You had many hidden links to the Heavenly Court—but the karma wasn’t fully obscured by the Heavenly Court’s fate.

Could it be… this one wanted to break free from the Heavenly Court?

As Gu An pondered, the hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers soared up, surrounding the Soul Refining Cauldron and quickly forming a massive formation. A colossal golden bell-like phantom enveloped the sky. Within the phantom, countless golden dragons and fire phoenixes spiraled, exuding intense pressure. Dragon roars and phoenix cries echoed endlessly.

From behind Gu An, more and more figures flew out from the white light—those previously trapped inside had all escaped.

After flying out, the Blood Prison Saint watched Gu An from afar, his eyes filled with excitement. But he forcefully restrained himself from acknowledging their connection.

His master hadn’t revealed his identity—he must not ruin things.

Instead, he began to anticipate how his master would deal with the celestial immortals of the Heavenly Court.

The Xuanji Emperor, Fang Xuan, and the others who had been trapped saw that the great formation of the Heavenly Court had already been completed and dared not make any rash moves. All of them focused their gazes on Gu An. At this moment, their only hope was this mysterious powerhouse.

The Heaven-Stabilizing God raised his blade, pointing it straight at Gu An. The divine image on his body rose up—it was awe-inspiring, like an ancient war god awakening. Even the Soul Refining Cauldron looked small in comparison.

“If you won’t speak… then you’re the enemy!”

The Heaven-Stabilizing God shouted sternly. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but over the long years, he had faced far too many enemies. He couldn’t immediately determine who it was.

But he hadn’t been wasting time talking. While questioning them, he was secretly channeling the Heavenly Court’s fate from the Heavenly Army, concentrating it into himself.

He was already at the Measuring Heaven Golden Immortal realm. Now, his aura continued to soar rapidly.

Gu An saw through his little trick—but didn’t care in the slightest.

An Zizai stared at the figure of the Heaven-Stabilizing God, and at the hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers arranged into their giant formation. He was so nervous his palms were sweating. In all his years, he had never encountered a setup like this before.

“Watch carefully. This is the first palm of the Myriad Dao Peerless Palm.”

Gu An’s voice suddenly echoed in An Zizai’s ears, making his eyes go wide.

An Zizai fixed his gaze on Gu An, watching as he lifted his right hand once more.

But this time, instead of pushing forward, Gu An raised his hand and turned his palm downward, pressing it toward the ground.

Not just An Zizai—almost everyone there stared at Gu An. The moment they saw that palm movement, all of them held their breath.

As Gu An’s hand descended, an overwhelming and boundless pressure crashed down from the sky, engulfing everyone and everything. All those present instinctively looked up.

Hundreds of thousands of heavenly soldiers raised their heads in unison. The sight was nothing short of majestic. Their eyes widened, disbelief written all over their faces.

Even Xu You—normally composed and enigmatic—had a drastic change in expression. He cried out in shock, “How is that possible!”