Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses

Gu An held the Infinite Sword Book and walked to his usual rocking chair.

When he appeared, Xu Ling, who had been meditating next to the garden, immediately stood up and saluted him.

The Deep Sea Dragon Carp, more audacious, had grown familiar with Gu An and approached him curiously, asking, "The Infinite Sword Book? What is this book?"

Gu An answered nonchalantly, "It's a forbidden book, don't look at it. Hurry up and go practice, and don't delay me from reading."

Seeing his master was not as gentle as usual, the Deep Sea Dragon Carp quickly scurried away.

Gu An then took out the Fate Pen. With one hand, he flipped open the Infinite Sword Book, and with the other, he held the pen, its tip against the page.

This was his first time utilizing the Infinite Sword Book, his heart filled with anticipation.

The enemy might come from beyond the cosmos; he didn't know if he could slay it.

And if he did, could he gain lifespan?

He stopped contemplating these thoughts and focused on channeling the power of karma into the Infinite Sword Book. Read exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire

...

In the cosmos, countless nebulae speckled the expanse—some like running giants, some like the palms of a creator; others resembled mysterious fierce beasts, colorful and bizarre, everything looking fantastically alien.

A streak of sword light sped through the cosmos carrying two figures, one a vigorous man clad in purple and standing tall, the other an old, hunched man with a back bent by time.

The man in purple had a crystal crown on his head, his brows emanating sharpness, and his eyes reflecting two swords, adding an oppressive air to his gaze.

The old man beside him, shorter than his shoulder, held a wooden staff, his cheeks dotted with age spots, two antler-like tufts of white hair among his mane, reminiscent of deer antlers.

"Master, are you really going to act on behalf of the Divine Emperor? A being the Divine Emperor cannot deal with is likely not so simple," the old man with antlers said, frowning with worry in his eyes.

The man in purple was Sword Gu Ming. He replied, "If it were so simple, the Divine Emperor wouldn't have sought me out. Indeed, his status does not permit him to pass through the World Gate. If I wish to step into higher realms, I must rely on him. I can already feel my own limits."

"Though I can live many more years, nearly immortal, I feel I cannot reach higher realms."

The old man with the antlers fell silent.

He too wished for his master to grow stronger, yet the thought of venturing into that part of the cosmos filled him with unease.

"As long as the opponent doesn't surpass the Profound Yuan Free Immortal, it cannot be my match. If they were truly that formidable, the Celestial Spirit God would not allow such a being to continue growing," Sword Gu Ming continued, his voice calm.

His gaze seemed to cross the cosmic space and time, landing on the Celestial Spirit Great World.

"The Celestial Spirit God is indeed formidable. Even when the Great Dao trembles, he still stands guard there. It seems there is a great secret," the old man with antlers lamented.

"That has nothing to do with us. The Divine Emperor would also not meddle with such karma."

Sword Gu Ming's words made the old man with antlers nod; he dared not discuss the Celestial Spirit God further, fearing taboo.

At that moment,

the sword light beneath their feet suddenly stopped and dissipated. Everything happened so abruptly that the old man with antlers quickly turned his head to look at Sword Gu Ming.

He saw Sword Gu Ming trembling all over, his face showing terror.

"Master, what's happening?" the old man with antlers asked nervously.

Sword Gu Ming's forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and he managed to utter, "Quick... escape..."

Escape?

The old man with antlers turned pale with shock, instinctively scanning the surroundings, his Divine Sense spreading out, unable to detect any danger.

He looked again at Sword Gu Ming, having never seen him so unnerved, not even during the Profound Yuan Celestial Tribulation.

"Master..." the old man with antlers panicked, not knowing what to do, unclear about what had happened.

"There's... a sword... can't you see it..."

Sword Gu Ming said laboriously, his eyes bloodshot, staring fixedly ahead.

The elder with antlers followed his gaze, but saw nothing.

"Where is it? How far away from us?" the elder with antlers anxiously asked.

"Right in.... front of us...."

This response from Sword Gu Ming made the elder's hair stand on end, as if he were in the depths of an abyss.

He was a Daoist Zang Zizai Immortal in cultivation level, yet saw nothing. He believed his master wouldn't lie or see illusions—it must be that his realm wasn't high enough to perceive the sword.

"Let's run away!" the elder with antlers gritted his teeth and said.

Sword Gu Ming's pupils trembled and couldn't answer him anymore.

At this moment, in front of Sword Gu Ming, an indescribable colossal sword hovered ahead, the tip not more than a hundred yards away. From afar, it seemed as if they were right next to the gargantuan sword, its length and size unknown. In front of this sword, they were smaller than dust particles.

This sword was the image of the Cyan Hong Sword, not emitting any dazzling light, but exerting an endless and immense pressure on Sword Gu Ming.

Sword Gu Ming felt the breath of death.

From this sword, an overwhelmingly terrifying karma force emanated, submerging him like a tide. He was resisting with his own sword intent, but it was utterly useless; the sword tip was still advancing.

Sword Gu Ming couldn't escape or fight back. He could only resist with all his might, but the more he resisted, the stronger the pressure felt.

By now, he couldn't even speak. In his sensory world, the elder with antlers had disappeared.

Seeing that Sword Gu Ming couldn't respond, the elder with antlers's body shook even more intensely, fueling his panic.

What kind of power could push his master to such a state?

He was caught in an inner struggle—should he flee or stay with his master?

But even if he stayed, he could be of no help whatsoever.

This Daoist Zang Zizai Immortal had never felt so powerless before.

Suddenly!

Sword Gu Ming's eyes widened as he began to speak, "Quick...."

But after uttering just one word, the entire cosmos fell silent in an instant. The elder with antlers widened his eyes; under his watch, Sword Gu Ming exploded into countless light stars.

All these light stars were made of Sword Gu Ming's sword intent, and they were also fading away.

The elder with antlers's eyes bugged out, and his mouth unconsciously hung open.

A Profound Yuan Free Immortal just died like that?

Impossible!

....

[You have successfully snatched 1,440,090,872 years of life span from Sword Gu Ming (Mid-stage of Profound Yuan Free Immortal Realm).]

A prompt jumped out in front of Gu An's eyes, startling him and causing his heart to surge with excitement.

He had succeeded!

He had snatched over 1.4 billion years of life span in one go!

That was better than the fruits of a hundred years of farming!

The key point was that Gu An had executed the kill with Karma Divine Power, without ever appearing before the enemy.

Previously, neither clones nor puppets could help him snatch life spans, so he was hesitant about the power of karma.

Doesn't this mean that he could now hide in the shadows, wildly reaping the life spans of his enemies?

Gu An's heartbeat quickened, unable to calm down.

In this instant, he envisioned many possibilities, even birthing sinister thoughts.

Right then, Gu An sensed something, his complexion slightly changed, and he immediately stood up and walked toward the gate of the Hidden Spirit Palace.