Hearing Shen Zhen's words, Gu An remained silent. His indifferent gaze fixed firmly on Jade Cicada, cold and unwavering.

From Gu An's demeanor, Jade Cicada quickly realized that trying to bypass him to take Shen Zhen away was an impossible task.

With a sigh, Jade Cicada said, "We spoke so pleasantly earlier, but in the end, you still stand in my way. I should've known—you, walking alongside him, could never align with me. It was foolish of me to think otherwise."

He took a step back.

Shen Zhen, hearing this exchange, couldn't help her curiosity. These two know each other?

And judging by his words, Jade Cicada had attempted to recruit Gu An.

It wasn't entirely surprising. Gu An's peculiar charm always seemed to attract all sorts of beings, from spirits to demons, and even revered cultivators. He somehow managed to build connections across the most disparate realms.

But who exactly was this person? Why was he so determined to win Gu An over?

As Shen Zhen's thoughts spiraled, Jade Cicada raised his right hand. In his palm, golden flames surged forth, revealing the small golden tower once again.

Danger!

Instinctively, she glanced at Gu An. To her surprise, his expression remained composed, free from any trace of fear. Gradually, this steadiness calmed her own racing heart.

Though she couldn't fathom where Gu An's confidence came from, something about him compelled her to trust.

Gu An's gaze also landed on the golden tower. Simultaneously, a notification surfaced in his vision.

Enemy detected: Hostile intent from Jade Cicada! Intensity: Extreme hatred!

So this is the malice of someone from the Abyssal Demon Realm.

Gu An sighed lightly. "Why go through all this trouble?"

"Trouble?" Jade Cicada sneered as if he had just heard the world's greatest joke. The golden tower in his hand began radiating a brilliant light, and his expression twisted into one of feral rage as he growled, "Do you even realize who you're up against?"

Before he could finish, Gu An casually waved his sleeve. A powerful gust of wind erupted, obliterating Jade Cicada's physical form in an instant. His monk robes were reduced to ash, scattering into nothingness.

The golden tower fell to the ground with a crisp clang, echoing sharply in the cave.

Silence descended.

Shen Zhen stood frozen, as if under a spell, unable to process what had just transpired.

[You have successfully extracted 85 years of Jade Cicada's (Divine Transformation Realm, Level Three) lifespan.]

Gu An glanced at the notification, his heart sinking slightly. Even as a reincarnated Free Immortal, his mortal body's lifespan is pitifully short.

Turning to Shen Zhen, he chuckled. "Usually, you're fearless—bold enough to take on the heavens and earth. But tonight, you look as if you've seen a ghost. I should sketch this expression and show it to you later."

Shen Zhen snapped out of her daze, glaring at Gu An. "What is your cultivation level, exactly?"

Gu An tilted his chin slightly, a playful smirk gracing his lips. "When you're strong enough, you'll find out for yourself."

Before Shen Zhen could press further, the golden tower on the ground suddenly emitted a radiant glow. The atmosphere in the cave transformed in an instant.

It was as if they were abruptly transported into the vast cosmos. The two now stood atop a craggy meteor.

Shen Zhen gasped, instinctively turning around. Her wide eyes drank in the sight—this was her first time in the endless void of space, a realm she had only ever glimpsed in her dreams.

Gu An, however, remained calm, his gaze fixed toward the deep expanse of the universe.

Above them, the golden tower ascended higher into the void. Its windows flung open, releasing streams of golden flames. The flames coalesced, surging forth like rivers transforming into vast oceans—grand, unstoppable, and awe-inspiring.

As Shen Zhen watched, the flames condensed into an enormous face. It loomed over them, its size dwarfing even the celestial bodies around them.

It was Jade Cicada's face.

But this visage was utterly different in aura.

His eyes radiated an oppressive majesty, their glow so blindingly intense that it obscured his pupils entirely.

In the shadow of this gargantuan face, Gu An and Shen Zhen appeared smaller than specks of dust.

This display of power far exceeded the awe she had felt when confronted by Qiu Xi Immortal Lord. Unlike then, she now stood not within the bounds of a mortal world but in the infinite cosmos, where Jade Cicada's face dominated her entire field of vision. How could she not be shaken to her core?

Unconsciously, Shen Zhen inched closer to Gu An, clutching the edge of his robe.

Gu An turned to her, smiling softly. "What's there to fear? I'm still here, right by your side."

Something about his smile stirred a whirlpool of emotions in Shen Zhen's heart—fear, despair, curiosity, and even hope.

"Who are you, really?" Shen Zhen demanded, her eyes fixed on Gu An. Even a fool could see by now that he was far more than the humble Valley Master of Medicine Valley.

No wonder the Sect Leader was constantly visiting him.

Wait—

Could it be…

A wild thought flashed through Shen Zhen's mind, widening her eyes in astonishment.

"You… You're not a reincarnated soul!"

Jade Cicada's voice echoed, his tone tinged with fear.

Gu An shifted his gaze back to him, smiling faintly. "Your divine abilities are impressive, almost indistinguishable from reality. But do you think you can escape my grasp?"

As he spoke, Gu An raised his right hand.

Sensing a terrifying force, Jade Cicada's eyes widened, his gaze brimming with ferocious energy.

Gu An's hand suddenly moved faster. He stretched it toward the starry void, clenched his fist tightly, and retracted it.

In an instant, the cosmic expanse vanished. Shen Zhen blinked, her vision blurring momentarily. When her sight cleared, she found herself back in her cave dwelling.

Gu An stretched lazily, exuding an air of nonchalance. "It's late. Time to sleep."

He turned and began walking toward the cave entrance.

Shen Zhen stepped forward. "What happened to him?"

"He won't be coming back. Let tonight's events remain between us," Gu An replied flatly. Without waiting for her response, his figure disappeared around the corner of the cave passage.

Shen Zhen stood in place, replaying the scenes in her mind. The surreal events felt like a dream.

"Did I just witness another world?" she murmured, then walked to the table and sat down. She summoned a wine jug with a wave of her hand, though her trembling fingers betrayed her unease.

Within the Third Medicine Valley, Gu An sat in a pavilion, holding the golden tower in his right hand.

Earlier, he had deliberately isolated the commotion in Shen Zhen's cave, ensuring that not even an existence as formidable as the Sun and Moon Nether Emperor could detect the disturbance.

While Divine Thought True Immortals were powerful, they were insignificant before a Free Immortal, let alone to someone like Gu An, who had reached the Dao Repository Free Immortal Realm.

Gu An was now using his divine sense to inspect Jade Cicada's soul, which was trapped within the golden tower.

As Gu An suspected, Jade Cicada and the forces behind him aimed to rebuild the Abyssal Demon Realm. Jade Cicada had made numerous attempts to recruit Mo Bian'an in the past but was always rebuffed. Then, several centuries ago, his reincarnated body sensed a karmic link to Mo Bian'an, rekindling his hopes of persuasion.

Jade Cicada's cycle of reincarnation had reached its final stage, which explained why he retained memories of his past life. The closer a reincarnated body got to transcending the cycle, the more memories of its original self it would recover.

Zhang Shi was also just one step away from this threshold. Ji Xiaoya, on the other hand, likely had further to go.

The more times one reincarnated, the stronger their original self's influence over their reincarnated body. However, during the early stages of the reincarnation cycle, it was akin to starting anew; memories remained sealed until death.

Currently, the Abyssal Demon Realm boasted immense strength, with over ten Free Immortals among its ranks. Leading them was the Abyssal Demon Monarch, whose cultivation remained unfathomable. Even Jade Cicada was unaware of the true extent of his power.

The Abyssal Demon Realm had many objectives, and the Heavenly Spirit World was merely one of them. They operated from the depths of the Desolation Domain, lurking in its shadowy corners.

Retracting his divine sense, Gu An clenched his fist. The golden sands in his hand slipped through his fingers and turned to dust.

The golden tower was, in fact, an immortal-grade treasure—a creation that had taken Jade Cicada millions of years to forge. Its power surpassed that of the immortal artifacts controlled by the Sacred Court, as it had never left its master's grasp.

[You have successfully extracted 2,580,928 years of lifespan from Jade Cicada, Demon Lord of the Cicada, Ninth Level Free Immortal.]

The notification appeared before Gu An, but he felt no joy.

It seems the reincarnation cycle halts the lifespan of one's original self. Enduring the cycle doesn't drain their life.

As he pondered this, the golden sands before him reformed into the golden tower once more.

Named the Tower of Infinity, this treasure could create domains like the cosmic void Gu An and Shen Zhen had entered earlier. Within its domain, its owner could suppress enemies and weave infinite illusions to confuse and weaken them.

Gu An gazed at the tower, a faint smile on his lips. He began the meticulous process of erasing all karmic connections tied to the Abyssal Demon Realm—a daunting task for any Free Immortal, but one that posed no challenge to him.

By the time dawn broke, the Tower of Infinity had been completely purified of its karmic ties. It was now like a blank canvas, though one imbued with boundless power.

Gu An fastened the palm-sized tower to his belt, letting it hang beside his Azure Swan Sword, where it served as an elegant ornament.

Satisfied, he rose to his feet and descended the pavilion to begin his morning exercises.

As noon approached, Shen Zhen arrived in search of Gu An, only to find him playing chess with Long Qing.

After a period of training with Shen Xinzi, Long Qing had returned to the Third Medicine Valley, his cultivation more refined and his demeanor more focused. He had even taken an interest in the art of chess, believing it to hold hidden truths of the Dao, much like the Nine-Finger Divine Lord. Even Shen Xinzi hadn't dismissed this perspective.

Gu An leisurely fanned himself with the Seven Stars Mirror, an air of casual elegance surrounding him.

Seeing him so relaxed, Shen Zhen felt a surge of frustration. Yet the memory of the previous night tempered her emotions, leaving her conflicted.

The sheer power Gu An had displayed filled her with a deep-seated reverence, making it impossible for her to regard him as she once did.

Gu An turned to Shen Zhen, catching her gaze. He tossed her a challenging look as if to say, Do you dare to play a round?

Shen Zhen glared back at him, muttering under her breath, How could I ever beat you? No wonder no one else can win against you either.

A gentle breeze stirred, brushing a strand of hair across Shen Zhen's cheek.

As she stood there watching Gu An, a mix of awe and longing filled her heart. He seemed both impossibly distant, an existence untouched by time, and yet undeniably real, as if he were the very embodiment of the ephemeral beauty of a dream.

How could someone like this hide such immense power?

Her thoughts turned to Gu An's every action and word. Looking back, she realized that even his seemingly mundane choices carried profound significance.

What kind of world does he live in?

As Shen Zhen pondered, a single leaf detached from a nearby tree. In its descent, the green hue faded, leaving behind a withered remnant—a silent reminder of the passage of ten fleeting years.

In the crisp air of late autumn, Gu An rose from the chessboard.

His opponent, an elderly white-haired man, stared intently at the board, his expression one of agony.

Gu An left the pavilion, his eyes drifting upward toward the heavens.

"It's time for a breakthrough."

A faint smile played on his lips.

What lies beyond the Dao Repository Free Immortal Realm?

With that thought, Gu An made his way back to his tower. Just as he reached the entrance, Ji Xiaoya appeared, pushing the door open.

"I need to leave the Medicine Valley for a while. We'll talk when I return," Gu An said, striding past her and disappearing up the stairs.