Chapter 888: Come, My Sword!
Chapter 888: Come, My Sword!
Chapter 888: Come, My Sword!
Ye Guan was incredibly fast, and before long, he was already inside the Great Zhou's territory. When the Eighth Hall Master saw Ye Guan entering the Great Zhou, he immediately stopped. He snapped back to his senses and hurriedly stopped the Seventh Hall Master.
The Seventh Hall Master halted and looked at him. "Hm?"
In fact, the Hall Masters of the various halls weren’t very familiar with each other because they governed different universe regions. The Seventh Hall Master had only come here upon receiving that emergency order from the Eighth Hall Master.
The Eighth Hall Master stared intently into the distance and said in a deep voice, "He’s deliberately luring us to the Great Zhou."
"Why?"
"There's a swordsman in a plain skirt within the Great Zhou’s borders."
The Seventh Hall Master frowned slightly. "Are you talking about the Tenth Hall Master's murderer?"
The Eighth Hall Master nodded. He was somewhat wary of the lady in a plain skirt.
"I'll go and meet her, then," the Seventh Hall Master said with a sneer.
"Wait!" the Eighth Hall Master exclaimed, saying, "Seventh Hall Master, she’s not just an ordinary expert—"
"Eighth Hall Master," the Seventh Hall Master interrupted, "Have you ever fought her?"
"No, I haven’t."
Seventh Hall Master stared coldly at him, "You haven’t even fought her, so why are you so afraid of her? And to think you once trained in the Ascension World. What’s wrong? Have you lost your courage without that Abi Hell of yours?"
The Eighth Hall Master's expression turned grim. He wanted to persuade him further but thought better of it. He'd only face more ridicule if he were to do that, so why bother?
With that in mind, the Eighth Hall Master cupped his fist. "I'll leave it to you, then."
The Seventh Hall Master glanced at him dismissively, his face full of contempt. Without saying another word, he led his people and disappeared into the distance.
The Eighth Hall Master chose not to follow. He just stood there and watched, curious whether that lady in a plain skirt was really as powerful as the rumors had claimed.
***
Upon returning to the Great Zhou, Ye Guan released the Heavenly Ruler Demon and the others.
Hengshan Ying’s expression was more serious than ever. That was her first time inside the tiny pagoda, and she was stunned upon seeing what was inside.
What a miraculous divine artifact! Hengshan Ying felt like she was a frog in a well. The Hengshan Clan had fallen, but they still possessed quite a few powerful artifacts. However, all of their artifacts were nothing compared to that tiny pagoda.
Hengshan Yung turned to Ye Guan with a complex expression. No wonder the old Daoist was so eager to form a bond of goodwill with him.
"They're here!" someone exclaimed.
Ye Guan looked up at the distant sky. A group of powerful men was coming their way from the distant horizon.
The Seventh Hall Master stood at the helm of the group.
As soon as he appeared, the entire world became illusory, and an invisible pressure weighed down on everyone, making it hard for everyone to breathe.
The Heavenly Ruler Demon spoke in a deep voice, "The Evil Dao Alliance is truly no joke."
The others nodded in agreement. They had fought the Evil Dao Alliance's cultivators, and the battles had told them about the Evil Dao Alliance's unfathomable depth.
To make matters worse, the oncoming enemies were just the Seventh Hall Master, and his men, but they were already already feeling suffocated.
If the Second Hall Master or even the First Hall Master were here... they didn't dare to even imagine it.
Ye Guan stared calmly at the Seventh Hall Master.
The Seventh Hall Master was also staring at Ye Guan.
"I heard there's a lady in a plain skirt backing you. Is it true?" asked the Seventh Hall Master.
Ye Guan nodded. "That’s my aunt."
The Seventh Hall Master sneered, "A man actually needs a woman to protect him? Aren't you ashamed of that?"
"Ashamed? Hahaha." Ye Guan chuckled, "How about you lower your cultivation base to match mine and duel to the death with me?"
"That makes no sense. I did my best to reach my current heights, so why should I stoop down to your level? On the other hand, don’t you fear that your sword dao will collapse by relying on a woman for protection?"
Ye Guan remained calm, "I offered you a fair chance, but you refused. And why waste words? Want a piece of me? I’m right here, so come at me."
The Seventh Hall Master glared at Ye Guan. "Here I come."
He took a step forward, and a terrifying wave of energy capable of destroying everything swept toward Ye Guan.
Everyone was horrified, and they rushed to stand in front of Ye Guan.
As soon as the Seventh Hall Master crossed the city walls, Ye Guan raised his right hand toward the sky and shouted, "Come, my sword!"
Swoosh!
A sword light descended from the sky.
Boom!
The Seventh Hall Master was pinned to the ground.
Everyone was stunned.
The Seventh Hall Master’s eyes widened in disbelief. "H-h-how is this possible?!"
Everyone present cast astonished gazes at Ye Guan.
What the hell?
He was this powerful?
Hengshan Ying stared at Ye Guan, her eyes as wide as saucers.
Only Dao Jun, Ci Tian, and Prime Minister Yuan knew the truth—they were well aware that the sword light hadn’t come from Ye Guan but from the lady in a plain skirt who had left it behind.
Ye Guan sure knew how to act impressive. But they were also shocked. They hadn’t expected that a single sword light left by her would be enough to defeat the Seventh Hall Master.
It was just one sword light! Unbelievable.
The Seventh Hall Master glared at Ye Guan, "That sword light wasn’t yours."
"It was my aunt's."
The Seventh Hall Master's eyes narrowed, "I want a one-on-one duel with you. I'll lower my cultivation level."
Ye Guan asked, "Are you sure?"
The Seventh Hall Master nodded.
Without hesitation, Ye Guan slashed his sword.
Swish!
The Seventh Hall Master's head flew thousands of meters away, and his soul was immediately absorbed by the Qingxuan Sword.
Ye Guan calmly said, "I win."
The Seventh Hall Master was speechless.
Everyone revealed strange expressions. You call that a duel?
Ye Guan opened his palm, and the Seventh Hall Master’s storage ring flew into his hand. When Ye Guan saw what was inside, his heart skipped a beat.
Damn! I’ve struck it rich.
Ye Guan pocketed the ring, and then he looked up at the Path Creation Realm cultivators from the Evil Dao Alliance. Without hesitation, they all turned around and left.
Are you kidding me? The Seventh Hall Master was taken out with one sword strike. Why stay? To die?
The Eighth Hall Master fell silent upon witnessing the Seventh Hall Master's vain death.
The Seventh Hall Master had once reached the Fourth Heavens, albeit briefly, but it was still an incredibly terrifying feat.
Despite that, he was killed instantly.
The opponent’s true form hadn’t even appeared. Just a single sword light had been enough to kill the Seventh Hall Master.
There was something wrong here. The Eighth Hall Master took one last look at the Great Zhou before leaving. He was not qualified to do anything here; he needed to report this to the higher-ups.
Meanwhile, Ye Guan cupped his fist as he stood on the city walls. "Thank you all for your support."
With a wave of his sleeve, a Dao Fruit appeared before each of them.
The Heavenly Ruler Demon and the others exchanged glances. Then, they accepted the fruit with a smile.
Ye Guan said, "Everyone, the Evil Dao Alliance isn’t likely to give up. Be careful after you leave."
Leave! The group exchanged looks but said nothing.
Just then, the Heavenly Ruler Demon suddenly stepped forward and said, "Young Master Ye, I’d like to stay."
"Why?"
"Young Master Ye, do you want to hear the truth?"
"Of course."
"We’ve probably already been marked by the Evil Dao Alliance. If we leave now, we’ll be picked off one by one. We are too weak to resist them, so I want to stay with you, Young Master Ye, and seek shelter."
Ye Guan laughed, "Is that all?"
The Heavenly Ruler Demon shook his head. "To be honest, I’m interested in your tiny pagoda. If I can train inside, my strength will greatly increase, and you’re very generous as well, Young Master."
Consistent meals are better than one good meal. The Heavenly Ruler Demon knew that well.
He was in the Path Creation Realm, but he was aware that without an extraordinary opportunity, there was a very low chance for him to make further advancements.
If he wanted to improve, he needed a backer. And Young Master Ye was the backer out there.
An ant could never soar to the heavens, but if it landed on a bird’s wings, it could fly to the nine heavens.
An encounter with a backer was rare, and one had to cling on tight to a backer upon stumbling upon one. The Heavenly Ruler Demon knew that he couldn't soar to the nine heavens by himself, but he could find someone else to take him with them.
The others fell silent upon hearing the Heavenly Ruler Demon's words. They understood what the Heavenly Ruler Demon was saying, but they were feeling conflicted.
They naturally wanted to improve on their own, but they knew that even with Dao Fruits and Eternal Crystals, it would be nearly impossible for them to advance any further.
After reaching a certain level, advancing would become harder than climbing to the heavens unless one had a mentor.
Just then, the Weapon Master said, "Young Master Ye, if you don’t mind, I’m willing to follow you and help out."
Xiu Wu added, "I’m willing to follow you too, Young Master Ye."
"Young Master Ye, I’m not that ambitious. I’m satisfied with the opportunity I’ve received. Farewell," Jian Baiyi said. The Evil Dao Alliance was no joke, and the recent grueling battles had told her that.
Of course, Ye Guan wasn’t simple either, but she didn’t want to stay and be a pawn. Moreover, she was worried about not being able to handle the burdens that Ye Guan could bear, so she decisively chose to leave.
People had to know when to stop. She had already obtained an Eternal Crystal and a Dao Fruit, and she was satisfied with her spoils.
If she left now, she wouldn't stand to gain more, but it meant securing profits as well. If she were to stay, she'd earn more, but the risk was just too high for her personal risk tolerance.
Ye Guan smiled. "I understand."
Jian Baiyi cupped her hands in farewell, but before she could leave, she heard Ye Guan say, "Everyone, you will receive an Eternal Crystal every ten years and a Dao Fruit every thirty years. After a hundred years of service, the rewards will double!"
Jian Baiyi abruptly stopped. She turned around to Ye Guan and said, "Young Master Ye, I take back what I just said. Please give me a chance to serve you again."
With that, she bowed deeply. Risk? What risk? I'm going all in!