Chapter 679: A New Momentum

In the dark void, a stretch of purple clouds drifted in front of a bright full moon. Atop the cloud was a broken cliff, and on that cliff sat an elderly man in white robes.

His hair was white like a crane’s, but his face retained a youthful glow. Behind his head hovered two radiant halos, constantly shifting in color—mesmerizing and dreamlike.

He opened his eyes and began calculating with his fingers. His expression quickly turned strange.

He continued to deduce, over and over again, but no matter what method he tried, he couldn’t resolve the confusion in his heart.

Suddenly, a figure appeared behind him—it was a divine being clad in blood-colored armor, emanating an overwhelming presence. His white hair flowed freely, and on his forehead was a crimson flower-shaped mark.

It was none other than Heavenly Destruction God!

He had another identity—Long Mie, grandson of the Dragon Heart Emperor.

Heavenly Destruction God bent down, raised his hand respectfully, and greeted, “Master, your disciple has come to visit you.”

“It’s been so many years, and you’ve finally come. Looks like you’ve successfully forged a Dharma Body for that being,” the white-robed elder said, his tone calm and even.

Heavenly Destruction God replied, “It was my duty. Destiny cannot be defied.”

“Destiny cannot be defied? Indeed, it cannot.”

The white-robed elder rose to his feet, turned to face Heavenly Destruction God, and looked him up and down. A trace of satisfaction flickered in his eyes.

“Your Dao cultivation isn’t bad. It shows you haven’t wasted your years. I’m glad I took the time to nurture you.” The white-robed elder stroked his beard and smiled.

Heavenly Destruction God responded, “Master, you didn’t just nurture me. Without you, I would’ve been dead long ago.”

The white-robed elder shook his head and turned to gaze into the pitch-black void. Heavenly Destruction God stood still, quietly looking at him.

“My disciple, your talent is extraordinary. You have a gift that even immortals and gods can’t match. From this day on, you don’t have to suppress your desire to kill anymore.”

The white-robed elder spoke in a soft voice. In his pupils, scenes of massive explosions flashed in and out, alternating between light and dark.

Upon hearing this, Heavenly Destruction God frowned and asked, “You think the time has already come?”

“Even if it hasn’t, you still need to prepare ahead of time. The changes along the Grand Dao are becoming more complicated, and the struggles within the Heavenly Court are growing fiercer by the day. Who doesn’t know how much hidden chaos lies within it all? And in the end… what kind of situation will it all spiral into?”

As he spoke to this point, the white-robed elder couldn’t help but sigh.

Heavenly Destruction God was silent for a moment before saying, “I don’t plan to rely on the talents passed down to me from the Long Clan. The Long Clan should vanish. I’ll only cultivate step by step, through my own effort.”

The white-robed elder cast a glance at him and said meaningfully, “So there are still people from the Long Clan alive. You’ve got a burden now. The old you couldn’t wait to be unsealed as soon as possible.”

Heavenly Destruction God replied, “Indeed, some still live. But they’ve already severed ties with the past. I just don’t want to follow the Long Clan’s old path—growing stronger through slaughter. In my view, that isn’t the true path.”

Upon hearing this, the white-robed elder gave a faint smile, then turned his gaze back to the void.

“Before returning to the Heavenly Court, go visit the Path of the Grand Dao. A new fortune has been born there. As for what it is, you’ll have to discover it yourself.”

Heavenly Destruction God gave his acknowledgment, bowed once more, then vanished on the spot.

Only the white-robed elder remained atop the broken cliff. He stood beneath the full moon, his figure emanating a quiet desolation.

“Who will become the next Heavenly Emperor? Is all of this… truly just a struggle for that title?”

The white-robed elder murmured softly. No one could answer him—because he was questioning himself.

…

Wushi Dao Field.

It had been ten thousand years since Fang Xuan first succeeded in his reincarnation projection.

The mortal world had entered a new golden age. A hundred teachings contended, sects rose and fell. Even with the continuous growth of the Qiankun Sect and Tai Xuan Sect, they still hadn’t managed to squeeze into the ranks of the top hundred sects under heaven.

In these recent years, aside from his daily life, what Gu An paid the most attention to was the fortune of the Hunyuan Dao Emperor.

At present, on the Path of the Grand Dao, there were already more than three hundred cultivators chasing after the Hunyuan Dao Emperor’s opportunity. The total number of those who had come into contact with this fortune exceeded one thousand. Some had perished in the past ten thousand years, while others had already given up on the opportunity.

All things considered, to have over three hundred cultivators attempting to reach for the Hunyuan Dao Emperor’s level meant that this fortune had truly taken root.

Although the Hunyuan Dao Emperor path did not rely on victories to rapidly grow stronger, the lifespan projection method still significantly sped up a cultivator’s progress. Perhaps within hundreds of thousands of years, the very first Hunyuan Dao Emperor would be born—and this was something Gu An was quite curious about.

Who would it be?

Fang Xuan might have been the first to begin, but on the Path of the Grand Dao, latecomers were appearing with even greater momentum than his.

As for those Dao-seekers from the Heavenly Spirit Great World, they were all Gu An’s old acquaintances. Although they had potential, compared to the true prodigies of the Path of the Grand Dao, their talent fell short. Gu An wouldn’t show favoritism for them on the Hunyuan Emperor path. They had almost no chance of becoming the first Hunyuan Dao Emperor.

One day, at the Wushi Dao Field—

Gu An played a flute while watching a fierce battle unfold in the sky.

He had opened up a sealed domain to let the Blood Prison Saint duel with An Xin. Shen Zhen, Tian Yao’er, Tianqing, Tianbai, Jiang Shi, the Ephemeral Blossom Ghost Mother, Tianhong Emperor, and the White Spirit Mouse were all present, observing the match. Their excitement grew as they watched, and the discussions never ceased.

“Why did the Blood Prison Saint suddenly stop again? Was he caught in an illusion?”

“An Xin is amazing! Looks like she’s toying with him.”

“Hahaha, don’t let him hear that. He really holds grudges.”

“Senior Sister An Xin really is strong. You can’t even tell how deep her cultivation runs.”

“Did you guys see what divine ability An Xin used?”

Everyone was chatting fervently. Gu An had deliberately used the domain to hide An Xin’s Immortal Emperor Eyes, so none of the disciples saw the changes in her eyes, nor could they feel the power of those eyes.

That made the duel look awkward. The Blood Prison Saint would suddenly freeze from time to time. If it weren’t for his strong physical body and overflowing blood qi, he would have already lost long ago.

Compared to An Xin’s Immortal Emperor Eyes, Gu An was more satisfied with the Blood Prison Saint’s growth.

The Blood Prison Saint had created a divine ability of his own that allowed his flesh and blood to rapidly regenerate. Even if his body were completely obliterated, he could recover within a short period of time.

But this regeneration consumed his soul’s essence. Fatigue began to set in, originating from the depths of his soul. That kind of exhaustion slowly eroded his control over his physical body.

At this rate, he was sure to lose.

Gu An was thinking—should he toss the Blood Prison Saint onto the Path of the Grand Dao to train?

The Blood Prison Saint was well-suited to growing stronger through battle. Unfortunately, Gu An had asked him several times before, and this guy always flat-out refused. Even after Gu An promised he could return to Wushi later, the Blood Prison Saint still disagreed.

If he was asked to handle matters in the mortal world, he’d go. But the Path of the Grand Dao was far away, and he always felt that if he left, it’d be hard to come back anytime soon.

No. This can’t go on.

He had to be sent out—to train for one hundred thousand years, then return.

Gu An thought silently to himself.

It wasn’t just to make the Blood Prison Saint stronger, but also to reduce the pressure on the other disciples.

The Blood Prison Saint wasn’t just battle-hungry—he had a foul mouth. Every time he won, he would relentlessly mock his opponents. So now, no one wanted him to win—they were all watching and waiting for him to be embarrassed.

A while later—

The Blood Prison Saint was defeated. He and An Xin flew out of the domain together.

An Xin, like a celestial maiden descending to the mortal world, landed beside Gu An. Her clothes weren’t even slightly rumpled, as if she hadn’t been through a battle at all.

The Blood Prison Saint, on the other hand, had his head lowered, devoid of spirit, his fists clenched tightly.