Gu An held the Boundless Sword Book as he walked over to his usual rocking chair.
Seeing him appear, Xu Ling, who had been meditating nearby, immediately stood up and bowed respectfully.
The Deep Sea Dragon Koi, on the other hand, was much bolder. Having grown familiar with Gu An, it eagerly swam up, its curiosity piqued.
"Boundless Sword Book?" it asked. "What kind of book is that?"
Gu An replied casually, "A forbidden book. Stop looking at it and go back to cultivating. Don't waste my time."
Noticing that his master was not in his usual gentle mood, the Deep Sea Dragon Koi quickly slipped away.
Gu An then took out the Pen of Destiny.
With one hand, he flipped open the Boundless Sword Book, while the other hand held the pen, its tip hovering over the pages.
This was his first time using the Boundless Sword Book, and a hint of anticipation filled his heart.
The enemy this time might have come from beyond the universe—he wondered whether he would be able to kill them.
If he did, would he be able to extract their lifespan?
Rather than overthinking it, he focused all his causal power into the Boundless Sword Book.
Somewhere in the Universe
The cosmos stretched endlessly, with countless nebulae scattered across space.
Some looked like giant figures in motion, others like the hands of creation, while some resembled mysterious primordial beasts.
A radiant sword light streaked through the vast expanse, carrying two figures at its forefront.
One was a tall and imposing man in purple robes, while the other was a hunched, elderly figure.
The purple-robed man wore a crystal crown, his sharp eyes reflecting two swords, making his gaze seem piercing and oppressive.
Beside him, the elder was much shorter, barely reaching his shoulder.
He held a wooden staff, his wrinkled face speckled with gray spots. His long white hair was tied up, with two antler-like horns protruding from it.
"Master, do you really intend to act on behalf of the God Emperor?" the horned elder asked, his brows furrowed in worry.
"If even the God Emperor cannot deal with this existence, then it must be someone extraordinary."
The purple-robed man—Jian Guming—responded calmly.
"If it were easy, the God Emperor wouldn't have sought me out."
"His identity makes it inconvenient for him to cross the Realm Gate, but for me—if I wish to reach a higher realm, I must rely on him."
"I can already feel my own limits."
"Though I can still live for many, many years—almost eternally—I don't believe I can break through to an even higher level."
The horned elder fell silent.
He, too, wished for his master to grow stronger.
Yet, the thought of traveling to that distant universe filled him with unease.
"As long as our opponent is below the Profound Origin Free Immortal Realm, they cannot be my match," Jian Guming continued, his tone unwavering.
"If they were truly that powerful, even Heavenly Spirit God wouldn't allow such an existence to continue growing."
His gaze sharpened, as though piercing through space and time, locking onto the Heavenly Spirit World.
The horned elder sighed.
"The Heavenly Spirit God truly is formidable..."
"Even with the Dao in turmoil, he still remains at his post. That place must hold an unimaginable secret."
"That has nothing to do with us," Jian Guming stated plainly. "Not even the God Emperor would dare interfere with such karma."
Hearing this, the horned elder nodded, unwilling to discuss the Heavenly Spirit God any further, lest he invoke divine punishment.
Just then—
The sword light beneath them suddenly halted.
In the next moment, it dispersed entirely.
Everything happened so abruptly that the horned elder instinctively turned to look at Jian Guming.
What he saw shocked him to his core.
Jian Guming was trembling all over, his face twisted with terror.
"Master, what's wrong?" the horned elder asked urgently.
Sweat dripped from Jian Guming's forehead.
He struggled to speak.
"Run… quickly…*"
Run?
The horned elder was horrified.
His instincts screamed at him, and he immediately scanned his surroundings with his divine sense.
Yet—
He found nothing.
No trace of danger at all.
Jian Guming's eyes widened in sheer terror—this was a fear he had never felt before. Not even during his Profound Origin Free Immortal Tribulation had he been so panic-stricken.
The horned elder beside him was also trembling. His mind was in chaos. He had no idea what was happening or what to do.
"Master..." he called out hesitantly, his voice quivering.
Jian Guming's face contorted with strain, his voice hoarse and trembling.
"There is… a sword… You can't see it…?"
His bloodshot eyes locked onto something ahead, filled with dread.
The horned elder followed his gaze, but all he saw was empty space.
"Where is it?" He asked hurriedly. "How far away?"
Jian Guming's next words made his blood run cold.
"Right in front of us..."
A chill ran down the horned elder's spine, and he felt as though he had fallen into an abyss.
As a Dao Repository Free Immortal, his divine sense could pierce through countless realms. Yet, he could see nothing.
If he couldn't perceive it, there was only one explanation—his cultivation was too low to comprehend it.
And if his master, Jian Guming, a Profound Origin Free Immortal, was this terrified, what did that mean?
"We should run!" The horned elder gritted his teeth.
But Jian Guming's pupils only trembled. He couldn't even respond.
At that moment, before Jian Guming's eyes, a colossal sword materialized.
It was impossible to describe in words.
It floated silently in the void, its tip a mere hundred zhang away from them.
But from a distance, it looked as though they were right next to it.
The sword's length and size were unfathomable.
Compared to it, they were smaller than specks of dust.
This sword—Azure Swan Sword—did not emit any dazzling radiance.
Yet, it exuded a pressure that crushed Jian Guming's soul.
A feeling of absolute death filled him.
Endless causal energy surged from the sword, drowning him like an unstoppable tide.
Jian Guming instinctively used his sword intent to resist, but he couldn't.
The sword tip continued its slow advance.
He couldn't escape.
He couldn't counterattack.
All he could do was struggle to resist.
Yet, the more he resisted, the greater the pressure became.
At this moment, he couldn't even speak.
Within his perception, the horned elder had already disappeared.
The horned elder, on the other hand, saw Jian Guming trembling violently, his silence making him even more terrified.
What kind of power could force his master into such despair?
His heart wavered—should he run, or stay and fight?
But even if he stayed, what could he do?
A Dao Repository Free Immortal—powerful beyond measure in the vast universe—had never felt so helpless before.
Suddenly—
Jian Guming's eyes widened in horror, and he barely managed to squeeze out a single word:
"Run..."
And then—
The universe fell into absolute silence.
The horned elder's breath caught.
Before his eyes—
Jian Guming exploded into countless specks of light.
He was completely annihilated.
Gone.
Scattered into nothingness.
These countless specks of light were Jian Guming's sword intent, and even they began to dissipate.
The horned elder stood frozen. His mouth hung open in sheer disbelief.
A Profound Origin Free Immortal…
Was dead.
Just like that.
How was this even possible?
[You have successfully extracted 1,440,090,872 years of lifespan from Jian Guming (Profound Origin Free Immortal, Mid-stage).]
A system notification popped up in front of Gu An, causing his eyes to widen in shock.
Then, excitement surged through him.
It worked!
In one move, he had gained over 1.4 billion years of lifespan!
More than what he could have accumulated in centuries of cultivation!
And most importantly—
He had killed an enemy without even revealing himself.
Previously, avatars and puppets couldn't help him steal lifespan.
So he had always been skeptical about causal abilities.
But now—
This changed everything.
He could simply remain in hiding and harvest his enemies' lifespans from the shadows.
Gu An's heartbeat accelerated.
His mind began racing with new possibilities.
Dark thoughts surfaced.
Could he—
Could he build an empire without lifting a finger?
Just as these thoughts took shape—
He sensed something.
His expression changed.
He immediately stood up and strode toward the entrance of Submerged Spirit Palace.