284: Is my cultivation over the past ten years enough?

"Who exactly is it?!"

The Sky Patrolling Immortal Envoy's gaze suddenly became incredibly sharp, piercing through the immortal palace and locking firmly onto the direction of the Xuanhuang Great World.

His originally transcendent aura gradually receded, replaced by a cold scrutiny and a hint of apprehension.

Trouble.

This time, what appeared in the Xuanhuang Great World was not a simple rebel, but a true, unknown trouble.

"Able to break the Origin Great Array and sever the Veins, very good, very good..."

He slowly rose, the clear Qi around him no longer ethereal, but beginning to condense, emanating a chilling sense of oppression.

"This Immortal will personally see who you truly are!"

Gu Changge stood silently in the Void Realm, sensing the naive yet sincere closeness emanating from this world.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, he slightly raised his eyes.

His profound, star-sea-like eyes seemed to pierce through the recently healed, still fragile world barrier, precisely looking towards the bronze immortal palace in the endless Chaos Void, which was currently emitting cold scrutiny and immense pressure.

He clearly felt a gaze—a gaze filled with surprise, scrutiny, apprehension, and a hint of offended anger—firmly locking onto the Xuanhuang Great World, or more accurately, locking onto him.

The owner of this gaze had an ethereal yet powerful aura, far surpassing the Great Emperors of this Realm; his life level had already transcended the mundane.

"Immortal..."

Gu Changge understood in his heart, calmly bringing forth this word.

Is this the existence that guards outside, maintaining that evil array that steals Origin?

Gu Changge's gaze and the gaze from the immortal palace seemed to meet across the endless Void Realm.

Gu Changge could clearly feel the condescending pressure contained within the other party's gaze, as well as a cold scrutiny as if looking at an ant.

However, Gu Changge's expression remained unchanged, still maintaining that calm and unruffled demeanor, with not even a ripple appearing in the depths of his eyes.

Trouble, as expected, had arrived.

What he disliked most were such troublesome complications.

Why engage in conflict when one could cultivate peacefully and accumulate silently?

But now, the other party clearly would not give up.

"An Immortal is indeed much stronger than a Great Emperor."

Gu Changge calmly assessed.

"Even across the world barrier, he can bring me a slight sense of pressure.

If we were to confront each other directly in the outer Chaos, with my Great Emperor Pinnacle cultivation, though I wouldn't fear him, taking him down would likely require more than one move, perhaps two, which would inevitably cause a considerable stir and attract more attention..."

"However..."

Gu Changge's mind turned to his attribute panel.

Behind the cultivation column, the eight-digit, golden, dazzling number, as if containing the power of the Universe's creation and destruction, quietly floated there.

A full twenty million eighty-five thousand three hundred and sixty-seven years of pure cultivation!

This was the vast reserve he had steadily accumulated day after day, never using!

Seeing this number, Gu Changge's last trace of hesitation instantly vanished.

Confidence immediately filled his entire being.

"Never mind."

The corner of his mouth curved upwards imperceptibly, a fleeting, cold smile appearing and disappearing in an instant.

"Since he's come knocking, it's a good opportunity to gauge the quality of this so-called 'Immortal' and see how much he's truly worth."

His gaze remained calm, but when he looked towards the immortal palace beyond the sky, it carried undisguised playfulness and scrutiny.

With a flicker of thought, he no longer hesitated and confirmed with the System in his mind.

"System, if I step out of this Realm, can I raise my cultivation to Immortal Rank?

Furthermore, after Immortal Ascension, if I wish to return to the Xuanhuang Great World, will this Realm collapse due to being unable to withstand Immortal Rank energy?"

"Ding! Host need not worry."

The System's pleasant notification sound immediately responded.

"Upon detection, the external environment can accommodate True Immortal Rank existences.

After Host achieves True Immortal, you only need to actively suppress and perfectly converge your energy level to below Immortal Rank to safely return; the Xuanhuang Great World will not collapse as a result."

"But a warning must be given: once Immortal Rank power exceeding this Realm's limit is used within the Realm, it will still trigger the world's collapse."

Receiving the System's affirmative reply, Gu Changge's mind settled.

True Immortal? He keenly caught this crucial word.

"System, where does True Immortal Rank among the Immortal Dao Realms?"

"Reply to Host: True Immortal is the first major Realm above the Emperor Realm, and the beginning of the Immortal Dao cultivation path."

So that's how it is, the beginning of the Immortal Path, Gu Changge nodded slightly.

"System, how many years of cultivation reserve do I need to break through from Great Emperor Pinnacle to the Immortal Realm?"

"Ding! Calculating... Calculation complete. Host's Foundation is at Perfection, having reached the extreme of this Realm. The energy required to break through the True Immortal Bottleneck is approximately: ten years of pure cultivation."

"Ten years?"

Gu Changge was slightly taken aback, looking at the terrifying number of over twenty million years on the System panel, his tone carrying a hint of surprise.

"Ten years? That little? Is it enough? Will it lead to an unstable Foundation?"

In his previous life, he had read various web novels, and in his impression, some protagonists achieved Immortal Ascension after going through thousands of tribulations and dangers, living through one life after another, spending hundreds of thousands of years to achieve Immortal Ascension in the Mortal World.

Was ten years of cultivation enough for him?

"System, how about we inject a bit more? For example, a million years to solidify the Foundation? That would be safer."

He couldn't help but suggest, always feeling that the cost of ten years was a bit too trivial.

"Ding! Host is reminded: Ten years of cultivation is sufficient for a perfect Breakthrough to the True Immortal Realm. Host has lingered at the Great Emperor Pinnacle Realm for a long time, and his own reserves have long accumulated to an overflowing state.

What is currently lacking is not energy accumulation, but merely that sliver of opportunity to break the shackles of heaven and earth. This Breakthrough is truly a matter of course."

Gu Changge: "..."

Although the System made sense, he always felt that achieving Immortal Ascension with only ten years of cultivation felt a bit too insecure.

He always felt a bit uneasy.

After a moment of contemplation, he suddenly raised his right hand, and with two fingers like a knife, lightly drew across his left fingertip.

Whoosh!

Ten drops of Emperor Blood, like crimson-gold glaze, containing immense vitality and immortal Dao Rhyme, were forcibly squeezed from his fingertip, suspended in the air, emitting chilling energy fluctuations.

Little Hei and Little Bai, who were beside him, were instantly stunned, their faces full of confusion.

"Your Honor, this is...?"

Little Bai couldn't help but ask softly, his tone full of bewilderment.

A great battle was imminent, why would he first damage his vital essence?

Gu Changge did not answer, his gaze merely pensive.

He flicked his finger, and these ten drops of vital Emperor Blood instantly transformed into ten imperceptible golden lights, piercing through the Void Realm, silently merging into various extremely hidden corners of the Xuanhuang Great World, where he had laid down multiple Restrictions.

"Being cautious is always good."

Gu Changge then thought silently in his heart.

"The Immortal Dao is unfathomable, vastly different from the Mortal World. Who knows if that Chaos beyond the Realm still hides methods I haven't even detected, or even more sinister traps?"

His thoughts raced, deducing various possibilities.

"Beyond this Realm is the place they have managed for eons. What if they have other contingencies, able to launch a decisive strike the moment I leave the Realm? That would be too dangerous."

"These are my vital essence blood, containing my life imprint and a portion of my Divine Soul Origin.

If that Immortal outside has some strange means that cause my unexpected demise, I can still instantly Rebirth within the Profound Yellow Realm by relying on these drops of essence blood.

Hmm, safety factor +10."