Chapter 187: Challenge the World, Ascend the Immortal Path!

"It failed after all!"

"The idea was a bit too rash..."

"But it can be considered as having tested out a path."

"While this Taiyi Stone does indeed contain the Four Thousand Bureau, no matter what, the Qilin Grotto-Heaven is still a true and real Heaven and Earth!"

"In my conception, I intended to use the method of refining a mustard seed to contain Mount Sumeru to refine the Qilin Grotto-Heaven into the Taiyi Stone, and subsequently create a portable Grotto-Heaven."

"If my conception could be realized, the future me would not even need to travel to Beidi."

"According to my calculations, the material of the Taiyi Stone is sufficient to bear the Qilin Grotto-Heaven."

"But, the Qilin Grotto-Heaven is also a part of Heaven and Earth!"

"My desire to integrate a part of Heaven and Earth into the Taiyi Stone is to turn an object of Heaven and Earth into my own private property; it is nearly equivalent to using a knife to carve flesh from the body of Heaven and Earth."

Gu Jiangming looked at the Taiyi Stone before him, then gazed at the Qilin Grotto-Heaven in front of him; what could be seen in his eyes was nothing more than a touch of helplessness and regret.

The Heavenly Human Realm, in the eyes of others, is the principles of Heaven and Earth taking on form to walk the world.

Yet while others crave the Heavenly Human Realm, Gu Jiangming knows that even as a Heavenly Human, one's status is ultimately still a notch lower than Heaven and Earth.

If the Qilin Grotto-Heaven had been opened by Gu Jiangming himself from outside the Void, that would be one thing, but unfortunately, this Qilin Grotto-Heaven is inherently a part of the Heaven and Earth of Beidi; the difficulty for Gu Jiangming to refine this Qilin Grotto-Heaven is multiplied several times over! "If I want to refine the Qilin Grotto-Heaven into the Taiyi Stone, perhaps I can think of another way?"

"If there could be another Heavenly Human, combining the power of two Heavenly Humans, it would be entirely possible to strike the Qilin Grotto-Heaven into the Void."

"The Qilin Grotto-Heaven, once struck into the Void, would naturally no longer belong to Heaven and Earth."

"At that moment, if I were to refine the Qilin Grotto-Heaven into the Taiyi Stone again, the greatest obstacle—Heaven and Earth—would naturally be removed!"

Gu Jiangming frowned, his brow carrying a few more traces of distress.

Outside Canglan City in Beidi, waves of aura were still surging; one Quasi-Supreme after another stood upon that dome of heaven, their auras constantly intertwining and colliding.

Gu Jiangming's attention had originally been on the Qilin Grotto-Heaven, but as those Quasi-Supremes and aged Supremes gathered and intertwined in Canglan City, the brow Gu Jiangming had originally furrowed relaxed slightly at this moment.

"With the fall of Zhou Kai, it is impossible to find a second Heavenly Human in this Heaven and Earth."

"Those ancient Supremes are still a distance away from the Pseudo-Heavenly Human realm; it is fundamentally impossible for them to break the blockade of Heaven and Earth."

"But, if a second Heavenly Human cannot be found in Heaven and Earth, then what if we combine all the Heaven and Earth Enlightenment, Quasi-Supremes, and the power of those Supremes—could it compare to the power of a Heavenly Human?"

Gu Jiangming's gaze began to flicker; in this life, he had reached a point where there was no way forward.

To truly ascend to immortality, he had already taken the wrong path from the very beginning.

The path of self-creating a Heaven and Earth to become a Grotto-Heaven Immortal had been perfected for the most part during Gu Jiangming's two thousand eight hundred years of deduction.

But the causal entanglement between the Qilin Grotto-Heaven and Heaven and Earth was too deep, which made it impossible for Gu Jiangming to even attempt whether his method could work.

"For those ancient Supremes, they need a grand finale, so that the living beings of this era will remember the names of these ancient Supremes."

"For those Quasi-Supremes, this is their last chance to break through."

"But just them alone is not enough, far from enough!"

"Only if all the powerhouses above Enlightenment take action might it be possible to compare to one Heavenly Human, and only then might it be possible to help me strike the Qilin Grotto-Heaven into the Void!"

Gu Jiangming's gaze flickered more and more; he was pondering, pondering how to make all the powerhouses above Heaven and Earth Enlightenment in the world, including his wife and children, join forces to take action.

"Ascend to immortality!"

"Invite all living beings to battle, saying that I wish to sublimate myself to the extreme under the decisive battle of all living beings, and subsequently attempt to ascend to immortality!"

"As long as I release this news, whether they are my enemies or my friends, they can all come to Canglan City."

"Outside Canglan City, if I ascend to immortality, I will open a path for all living beings!"

"Outside Canglan City, if I am defeated, I will step into Nirvana two hundred years early!"

Gu Jiangming stood at the exit of the Qilin Grotto-Heaven, gazing at the Qilin Grotto-Heaven before him and murmuring to himself.

His lifespan was already nearing its end; since his lifespan was nearing its end, what did it matter if it were two hundred years early? "For Jiu Jiu and the others, I must tell the truth, saying that I am about to step into Nirvana and want to attempt to refine the Qilin Grotto-Heaven into the Taiyi Stone."

"If it can truly be accomplished, the realm of ascending to immortality will indeed not be far off."

"As for those of Heaven and Earth Enlightenment in the outside world, I will say that I wish to ascend to immortality."

"This is not a lie either; after all, in refining the Qilin Grotto-Heaven into the Taiyi Stone, I may indeed have some selfish motives, but is this not also an attempt to ascend to immortality?"

The more Gu Jiangming thought about it, the more he felt that his idea indeed possessed feasibility.

Since those of Heaven and Earth Enlightenment in the outside world were already preparing a grand play for themselves, why could he not add some more drama to this play?

"If I only say it is to assist my ascension, perhaps that is not enough."

"After all, one Heavenly Human already makes the practitioners of Heaven and Earth look up in awe as if at a high mountain; if those of Heaven and Earth Enlightenment are unwilling to help me refine the Qilin Grotto-Heaven, I cannot force them!"

"Therefore, I must stake everything!"

As Gu Jiangming's thoughts turned, he finally set his sights on himself.

If there were something that was not very important to him, but important to those of Heaven and Earth Enlightenment, those ancient Supremes, and even the Quasi-Supremes, it would likely only be lifespan!

"I can extract one hundred and fifty years of my own Essence Refining to form a Life Essence River!"

"All who come to attack me can obtain Heavenly Human Essence, prolong their lifespan, and even comprehend the mysteries of the Heavenly Human!"

Gu Jiangming looked at his own body, which was strong to an unbelievable degree; he spoke these crazy words, yet his eyes were so calm.

Heavenly Human Essence—this is likely the greatest divine medicine in Heaven and Earth.

For those ancient Supremes, other things might not be able to prolong their lifespan, but Heavenly Human Essence could absolutely prolong the lifespan of those ancient Supremes.

Even for those with lower cultivation, the lifespan that Heavenly Human Essence could prolong would be even longer.

Following the utterance of these words, Gu Jiangming did not hesitate in the slightest and began to extract Essence Refining from himself. Outside Canglan City, those Enlightenment powerhouses were still marveling at how there were so many Quasi-Supremes in the world without anyone noticing; after a moment, all existences in the vicinity of Canglan City could not help but turn their gazes toward the far north of Beidi.

They saw it; they saw that on the distant horizon, an illusory river was spanning Heaven and Earth.

If it were just such a river, it might be rare in this Heaven and Earth, but not unheard of.

But everyone, just upon sensing the specific composition of that river, whether they were those Nascent Souls watching the excitement or those ancient Supremes who already harbored a will to die, all had their expressions change drastically at this moment.

They only had to smell a wisp of the scent of that river, and they clearly perceived, perceived their own Essence Refining surging, perceived their own lives stirring and yearning!

"Is that... a Life Essence River?"

"That direction is Wanglin Mountain, where the Heavenly Human Gu Jiangming is in seclusion!"

At this moment, whether it was those in Heaven and Earth Enlightenment, or those ancient Supreme and Quasi-Supreme beings, everyone who saw and felt the existence of this Life Essence River had eyes filled with shock.

They could perceive that the surging Life Essence River clearly carried the aura of Gu Jiangming, a Heavenly Human.

Yet, what made these powerhouses find it inconceivable was that Gu Jiangming, a Heavenly Human, was actively dispersing the imprint belonging to himself within the Life Essence River, turning the Life Essence River into an ownerless existence!

Every being who saw this scene felt only confusion and bewilderment in their hearts.

They did not know what Gu Jiangming, this Heavenly Human, wanted to do, but they could see, they could see just how much use that Life Essence River had for them.

Even those ancient Supreme beings who were on the verge of death suddenly changed color at this moment.

The three ancient Supreme beings who had previously been resigned to death, now looking at the Life Essence River that Gu Jiangming had actively dispersed, could barely conceal the greed in their eyes.

Their lifespans had truly reached the point of exhaustion, and they could truly feel what kind of temptation that Life Essence River held for them.

Not to mention anything else, just this Life Essence River, if it could be refined by an ancient Supreme, would likely allow any one of the three, including Long Ao, to extend their life by more than ten thousand years! The further one cultivates, the more terrifying the leap between levels of life becomes.

It was clearly just a Life Essence River formed from Gu Jiangming's hundred-plus years of lifespan, yet it could actually allow an ancient Supreme to extend their life by ten thousand years! Long Ao and the three ancient Supreme beings were confused in their hearts, confused as to why Gu Jiangming would release his own Essence Refining life, but they also felt more and more clearly just how far away they were from that Heavenly Human Realm! "This is the final method my father has used on me..."

"Is that, is that Heavenly Human Gu also going to infuse his own Life Essence into his offspring?"

Outside of Beidi, in the territory of the Human Race, the Supreme Changyu appeared in a city of the Human Race, looking disheveled.

How far-reaching is the gaze of a Supreme; even across a distance of hundreds of millions of miles, the Supreme Changyu could still clearly see the Life Essence River diffusing over Beidi at this moment.

Yet, the Supreme Changyu actually said at this moment that his father had also used the same method on him?

It was not just the Supreme Changyu who thought this way; the ancient Supreme beings and Quasi-Supreme beings above Canglan City also thought of this point at this moment.

In their view, it was likely not just them who regarded this battle as their curtain call; Gu Jiangming, the true Heavenly Human in the world, also seemed prepared to end his own short life.

He evolved the Life Essence River, likely to infuse this vast Life Essence entirely into his own three offspring.

Inside Niankong Villa, Gu Nianmo, Gu Shengxi, and Gu Mingyue also sat up in shock. They looked at the Life Essence River in the direction of Wanglin Mountain, and as the three siblings looked at each other, they all saw the incredulity in each other's eyes.

In just a moment, Gu Nianmo and the three of them appeared on Wanglin Mountain.

Arriving with Gu Nianmo and the others were Jiu Jiu and the four of them. At this time, Jiu Jiu and the others looked at Gu Jiangming, whose complexion was pale to the extreme but who was still stubbornly dispersing his own imprint on the Life Essence River, and they all remained silent.

Even though Jiu Jiu and the others knew, knew that Gu Jiangming was about to undergo Nirvana, seeing Gu Jiangming dissipate his own Essence Refining like this, they still could not help but feel heartache in their brows.

"This Life Essence River is a reward for the brave!"

"I want to borrow the power of all the brave in Heaven and Earth to help me strike the Qilin Grotto-Heaven into the Void!"

"Nian Mo, as the eldest brother, take my place in driving this Life Essence River to make a trip to Canglan City."

"Deliver a message for me: I wish to borrow the power of the world to break through to the Immortal Realm; if I do not succeed, I shall die trying!"

"And this Life Essence River is the reward for all participants. The Heavenly Human Essence River is enough to allow those three ancient Supreme beings to recover to their peak, and even more so, it is enough to allow those Quasi-Supreme beings the possibility of going a step further."

"Let them divide this Life Essence River, let them adjust to their most perfect state, and three years from now, come and fight me!"

Gu Jiangming looked at Jiu Jiu and the others beside him, and finally placed his gaze on Gu Nianmo.

He did not hide his thoughts, saying that he was already about to undergo Nirvana, so he might as well try one last struggle! He first spoke in detail about his thoughts on the Qilin Grotto-Heaven and his plans, and then handed the Life Essence River over to Gu Nianmo.

As Gu Nianmo and the others listened to Gu Jiangming's words, and heard Gu Jiangming say that even they had to join this battle against Heaven, Jiu Jiu and the others could not help but be stunned.

But after the shock, a bit of realization appeared in the eyes of Jiu Jiu and the four of them.

They had all guessed, guessed that Gu Jiangming's story in this era was about to come to an end; this time, it was likely Gu Jiangming's first exploration of the Ascension Realm.

As for the three siblings Gu Nianmo, they were also stunned in their hearts at first, but after the shock, they were invigorated.

Gu Jiangming's journey had been far too legendary, so legendary that the confidence the three siblings had in Gu Jiangming was likely much greater than his own.

Since Gu Jiangming said he wanted to break through to the Immortal Realm, then they were willing to believe that Gu Jiangming would definitely be able to break through to the Immortal Realm.

Gu Nianmo only hesitated slightly, and then drove this Life Essence River, setting off from Wanglin Mountain, heading toward Canglan City.

Above Canglan City, after Gu Nianmo arrived driving this Life Essence River, whether it was those ancient Supreme beings, those Quasi-Supreme beings, or those in Heaven and Earth Enlightenment, the greed in the eyes of all the powerhouses was almost impossible to conceal.

"My father has words to say to the world!"

"My father wishes to borrow the combined strength of all living beings in three years to break through to the Immortal Realm!"

"My father says, those in the world willing to come to this battle, please use the Life Essence River, you must restore yourselves to your peak, and even go a step further!"

"Three years from now, my father will be here, with all living beings, to fight and break through to the Immortal Realm!"

"In this battle, if I do not succeed, I shall die trying!"

After Gu Nianmo arrived driving the Life Essence River, it was as if he did not see the greed in the eyes of those in Heaven and Earth Enlightenment at all, and just kept saying the words Gu Jiangming had previously instructed.

As Gu Nianmo's words fell, the entire Canglan City, at this moment, everyone's pupils shook violently.

They, what did they hear? Gu Jiangming, this world's only Heavenly Human, is challenging the people of the world alone, and then wishes to break through to the Immortal Realm?

(End of this chapter)