Gu An heard Ye Tianji's words but did not make a move. He stood by, watching as Ye Tianji helped Long Qing awaken his past life's memories.
It was time for the boy to confront his fate.
If Gu An had helped him recover his past memories, Long Qing might have still clung to some hope. However, now that Ye Tianji was the one awakening those memories, Long Qing finally realized just how heavy the karmic burden he carried truly was.
Gu An wouldn't be taking care of Long Qing for the rest of his life. Long Qing was already over a thousand years old, and it was about time he faced his own fate.
The fate of the Dragon Clan was tragic, but they had done many wrongs themselves. To fall to such a state was regrettable, yet also somewhat deserved.
Of course, there were good people in the Dragon Clan, but due to Long Zhan, the clan had always had its fair share of violent and unruly individuals.
Just like Long Qing, Gu An could see that in his past life, Long Qing had also committed evil deeds.
Gu An was helping Long Qing to fend off the War Court as Long Zhan's representative. Moreover, the War Court wasn't exactly virtuous either. If Gu An could eliminate the War Court, it would be a way of completely erasing the karmic ties left by Long Zhan.
The War Court was founded by Long Zhan, and Long Qing was his only descendant. Gu An felt it was necessary to correct this bad karma.
If he didn't intervene, the Heavenly Spirit Great World would likely fall to the War Court's assault, and that was something Gu An couldn't allow.
Gu An looked up at the night sky, his spiritual sense locking onto Ye Tianji. He was probing into the deeper karmic ties of the War Court.
The War Court that had descended upon the Heavenly Spirit Great World was only a branch, much like the Silent God Emperor before. The true War Court was still trapped beyond the world's gate.
If Gu An were to destroy this branch of the War Court, it would be a battle to the death with the true War Court.
However, this didn't scare him. What he feared were the Immortals and Gods, not the War Court. The War Court itself wasn't enough to intimidate him.
"A karma caused by me shall be erased by me," Gu An thought, his face remaining calm.
In the void, above the grand hall.
The Sun Immortal Emperor and the Sacred Minister trembled as they stared at the enormous hand descending upon the Heavenly Spirit Great World. Facing such a hand, their hearts were filled with despair and not the slightest desire to fight.
Even though the Sun Immortal Emperor had seen similar scenes within the Heavenly Dao Golden Core before, seeing it in person still sent chills down his spine.
The Heavenly Spirit Great World was vast, but before this hand, it seemed insignificant.
The Sun Immortal Emperor turned to Ye Tianji and gritted his teeth, "Who are you really? Where did you come from? If you intend for us to die, could you at least let us die with understanding?"
Ye Tianji raised his right hand, and upon closer inspection, it became clear that the shape of his hand was identical to the giant hand above the Heavenly Spirit Great World. This only increased the pressure on the Sun Immortal Emperor.
At the Sun Immortal Emperor's inquiry, Ye Tianji sneered, "I'll fulfill your wish. We come from the War Court. My name is Ye Tianji, and I possess the power to peer into the Heavenly Dao. Your fates are already clear to me. You are both doomed to die, with no hope of reincarnation."
The War Court!
The Sacred Minister seemed to have realized something, and horror flashed in his eyes.
The Sun Immortal Emperor fell into silence, not because he chose to surrender, but because an overpowering force was suppressing him, making him unable to move.
Now, he could only wait for his death. He didn't even dare use the power of the Heavenly Dao Golden Core for fear of alerting Ye Tianji to its existence.
"Mm? Finally found it. As expected, it's under the Sword Master of the Dao's hand."
Ye Tianji suddenly spoke, drawing the attention of both the Sun Immortal Emperor and the Sacred Minister.
The Sword Master of the Dao became their only hope, like a drowning person clutching at a life-saving straw. Their eyes lit up with hope.
Ye Tianji then raised his left hand, reaching toward his right palm.
At that moment, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder, causing his heart to tremble. His pupils widened, and in his vision, the Sun Immortal Emperor suddenly grew larger. Not just him, everything around him expanded as well.
No, wait!
He had shrunk!
His eyes instinctively turned to the side, and from his peripheral vision, he saw a figure enveloped in dark purple demonic energy. This figure had placed its hand on his shoulder, compressing him down to the size of a mere mortal.
The War Court beings surrounding the grand hall turned their gazes toward Ye Tianji, and numerous figures suddenly appeared before him, surrounding Gu An, who had manifested his Heavenly Nether Purple Micro Saint Dao Body.
The Heavenly Nether Purple Micro Saint Dao Body was a transformation of the Demon Shadow Divine Art, possessing more mysteries and powers. The reason Gu An used this form was to act under the guise of the Sword Master of the Dao.
Surrounded by nine Dao Repository Free Immortals, he didn't care at all.
Even if he stood still, these nine Dao Repository Free Immortals would never be able to break the defense of the Heavenly Nether Purple Micro Saint Dao Body!
Gu An's gaze fell upon Ye Tianji.
Ye Tianji had lived for 1.2 billion years, with a lifespan of 30 billion years.
Not bad, this was worthy of his attention.
Gu An's gaze flicked over to the nine Dao Repository Free Immortals surrounding them but found that he couldn't probe their lifespans. This meant that these nine were not their true bodies, but only projections, their auras resembling those of real beings.
No wonder those nine suns were connected to other universes. It turned out that they were merely a special kind of energy transfer channel. If the true bodies of those nine beings wanted to come here, they would likely still need to go through the world gate.
The Sun Immortal Emperor stared at Ye Tianji's shrinking form in surprise, only to see Gu An's figure.
"Sword Master of the Dao!" the Sun Immortal Emperor exclaimed in excitement.
The Sacred Minister, from afar, also looked on in shock. Their hope had indeed arrived!
Ye Tianji turned his gaze toward Gu An, his nervousness slowly dissipating as he coldly spoke, "Sword Master of the Dao, you really did make a move. What exactly is your connection to the Dragon Clan?"
The nine Dao Repository Free Immortals surrounding them all radiated dark qi, their true forms hidden, just as mysterious as Gu An himself. They didn't speak, but their powers had already formed a barrier to prevent Gu An from escaping.
Gu An could even feel their invisible forces trying to probe his Heavenly Nether Purple Micro Saint Dao Body's surface, but they were powerless to penetrate it.
"I've told you before, do not harm the countless lives. No matter who you are, no matter where you come from," Gu An's voice echoed, hoarse and cold, laced with overwhelming killing intent. This sent a fresh wave of fear surging through Ye Tianji, who had only just begun to calm down.
Ye Tianji felt the same sensation as the Sun Immortal Emperor.
He couldn't move!
His internal power had almost solidified!
How could this be?
Has he already surpassed the Dao Repository Free Immortal realm?
Ye Tianji felt something was terribly wrong. He had already overestimated Gu An, but it turned out Gu An was even stronger than he had anticipated.
How could a Dao Repository Free Immortal appear in this broken Great Thousand World?
Ye Tianji couldn't make sense of it. At the same time, he couldn't believe that Gu An was related to the Dragon Clan. The Dragon Clan had no such powerful beings. If they did, how could they have fallen to this state?
In that instant, Ye Tianji thought of various possibilities, even considering the notion that Gu An could be an enemy of the War Court.
"Fellow Daoist, are you truly going to oppose the War Court?"
"With such cultivation, why have you hidden yourself in this shattered Great Thousand World? What is your reason?"
"Is it for the Heavenly Dao Golden Core?"
"How laughable, for the sake of the common folk? The common folk are not here. Why then act so hypocritically?"
The nine Dao Repository Free Immortals around them spoke one after another, their tones filled with hostility.
To them, Gu An's arrival was not to protect the lives of the people but to interfere with the War Court's plans.
Gu An slowly lifted his head, casting a cold glance at them.
Boom!
A golden light exploded from within him, instantly dispersing the nine Dao Repository Free Immortals!
Protective Dao Divine Essence!
And this was still with the complete power of a Dao Repository Free Immortal realm, but it was enough to crush these projections!
The dark qi scattered, swirling in front of Ye Tianji. His pupils contracted sharply, and disbelief appeared on his face.
The War Court's experts surrounding the grand hall were equally terrified, retreating in unison, moving far away from the hall, including the winged man who had previously fought against the Sun Immortal Emperor, who dared not approach.
Gu An lowered his gaze, looking down at Ye Tianji and said, "Is this the War Court you are so proud of?"
Ye Tianji, his heart overwhelmed by fear, opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, a terrifying karmic force surged in from all directions, instantly erasing him.
His body disintegrated, his soul scattered, and even his karma was completely wiped away!
The entire void suddenly fell silent.
The Sun Immortal Emperor gazed up at the higher levels where Gu An stood, wide-eyed, his body trembling uncontrollably.
The Sacred Minister was equally shocked. When the oppressive aura from Ye Tianji disappeared, he collapsed to his knees, his gaze fixed on Gu An as though he were a mere mortal gazing upon a deity.