Chapter 628: My Family's Strength Is Decent |
After a moment of silence, Ye Guan asked, "Are you sure?"
The old man nodded solemnly. "Young Master Ye, I don't have any reasons to deceive you, do I?"
Ye Guan fell silent.
Apparently, Sifan Jing of the Past Clan had established an alliance with the Divine Temple.
Ye Guan turned to the old man and said, "Tell me more about the Divine Temple."
The old man nodded slightly and began, "The Divine Temple is also known as the Temple of the Gods. They're likely familiar to you, Young Master Ye, given your journey through the Time River. The Divine Temple believes in five gods: Yuanshi, Fuchen, Jingyue, Huaxu, and Erye..."
Ye Guan furrowed his brows in confusion. "And these gods have no ties to your clan?"
Shaking his head, the old man replied, "None whatsoever."
Ye Guan found himself intrigued.
"Pseudo-gods? It seems you don't hold them in high regard."
"The First God once proclaimed that you are your own god."
Ye Guan stayed silent again. This old man was definitely more powerful than an Ancient Sovereign.
"Young Master Ye, do you know the current whereabouts of those gods?" asked the old man.
Ye Guan shook his head.
"They are residing in the God Realm at the moment," the old man replied, "This is a world of their own creation, and only gods can enter that place. As far as I know, a god in the God Realm has recently established a Daoist Temple and has ascended to the role of the Divine Lord..."
"That's impossible!" Mu Yuan chimed in as he appeared from out of nowhere. His expression was grim as he said, "They don’t have the Divine Imprint, and none of them have inherited the First God’s legacy. How could they possibly ascend to the position of Divine Lord? That's simply impossible—"
"But they have the God's Seal," the old man interrupted.
Mu Yuan froze in disbelief.
Turning to Mu Yuan, Ye Guan asked, "The God's Seal?"
Mu Yuan didn't seem to have noticed Ye Guan's gaze as he was unwittingly transfixed on the old man. "Who are they? What are their name?"
The old man shook his head. "I do not know."
Mu Yuan's expression darkened.
Intrigued, Ye Guan asked, "The God's Seal?"
Taking a deep breath, Mu Yuan explained, "The God's Seal is a Daoist artifact and is beyond all divine artifacts. It was crafted personally by the First God, and it was used to seal gods. Once upon a time, the First God had many followers, and they all followed him to establish order in the universe. They went all-out in their support, allowing the First God to create that treasure. However, only two individuals have ever used that artifact. One of them is Xuanzong, who was once the most powerful figure in the Divine Temple.”
"And the other?" Ye Guan inquired.
Shaking his head, Mu Yuan replied, "I'm not sure. All I know is that there were two, and it's all according to the Divine Imprint's words..."
Ye Guan's curiosity was piqued. "How come there are only two? What about the rest of the Gods?"
"I'm not sure." Mu Yuan shook his head once more and said, "All I know is that the First God has decided to seal that Daoist artifact, and it hasn't appeared since then."
Mu Yuan then stared deeply at Ye Guan and said, "In fact, I had plans to take you to the place where the God's Seal was last seen. We could have attempted to undo the First God's seal on the God's Seal and claim it for ourselves, but the Mistress has taken away the Divine Imprint... Without it, it would be hard for you to venture there, so I abandoned the idea."
Ye Guan's mind raced. It was odd how the Mistress hadn't pursued us after our escape.
As for the Divine Imprint, he didn't particularly mind losing it. It wasn't because he lacked powerful divine artifacts—he had plenty. It was all because he believed that the Divine Imprint had the right to make its own decisions.
Follow me, and I will treat you well. Abandon me, and you are on your own.
Mu Yuan added, "If the other party truly possesses the God's Seal, then they are capable of boosting a god's strength and sealing other gods."
Ye Guan shook his head and said, "I'm concerned about the Clan Leader of the Past Clan."
"The Past Clan?"
"Yes, I'm not sure if you're familiar with her, but she's incredibly strong," Ye Guan said, shaking his head with a wry smile. She was the most powerful foe he had ever encountered, and it seemed she wasn't going to afford him any opportunities for growth. And she has decided to work with the Gods.
Ye Guan turned to the old man and asked, "How did you learn of their collaboration?"
The old man hesitated before revealing, "Gu’er, come."
A lady materialized on their right.
Ye Guan was taken aback; the young lady was the female swordsman in the cloth dress—Si Fanjing's disciple.
"You're from the Zhao Clan?" Ye Guan asked with an incredulous look.
The lady remained silent, prompting the old man to interject, "Yes, she's of the Zhao Clan, and her name is Zhao Gu’er. She joined the Past Clan under strange circumstances, and she eventually went on a journey with their clan leader to the Time River.”
Ye Guan scrutinized Zhao Gu’er and asked, "Does this not constitute a betrayal of your master?"
"No," Zhao Gu'er replied, "the Gods in the Realm of the Gods are now aware of your existence and the inheritance you have in hand. They'll seek you out soon."
Ye Guan didn't reply but glanced at the old man instead.
The old man waited patiently. He knew that Ye Guan was deliberating over the fate of the Zhao Clan. He was stronger than an Ancient Sovereign Realm cultivator, but he knew that if Ye Guan decided to massacre the Zhao Clan, they wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Thanks to Zhao Gu’er's involvement, the old man had learned some pieces and bits about Ye Guan's background.
Sadly, Zhao Gu’er's return had come too late. If she had returned sooner, perhaps the Zhao Clan wouldn't have to suffer just like this.
Ye Guan announced, "Your information is valuable to me, so I shall spare the Zhao Clan."
With that, he extended his palm, and the sword intent that was pinning down Zhao Tianji returned to his hand.
The old man bowed respectfully. "The Zhao Clan is grateful for your mercy, Young Master Ye."
Ye Guan nodded and left with Ye An.
When the siblings vanished into the distant horizon, the old man breathed a sigh of relief. He was prepared to fight to the death with Ye Guan. After all, even though he stood no chance against Ye Guan, he couldn't simply stand idly by and watch as his clan members were slaughtered.
Thankfully, Ye Guan had chosen not to exterminate the clan.
Meanwhile, Zhao Gu’er stared at the distant horizon with a complex expression. Not long ago, she and Ye Guan were evenly matched in combat. But now, Ye Guan's strength far surpassed hers. Indeed, not all geniuses are born equal.
Zhao Gu’er sighed softly and left. There was a time when she wanted to chase after him, and it was when they were still at the Divine Academy. If someone were to ask her that question today, then she'd respond that she dared not have such thoughts.
***
Ye Guan came to a halt and turned to Ye An. "Big Sister, I need you to go home for a bit."
He knew that they had to inform their family members of the ongoing situation here. Otherwise, they'd have to face the Clan Leader of the Past Clan and the Gods by themselves.
They'd be done for if they were pushed to a corner.
Ye Guan was willing to fight his peers by himself, but he needed help against the older generation, especially against the Clan Leader of the Past Clan and the Gods.
"Be careful," Ye An said before turning around to leave. However, she stopped and turned around as if she had recalled something.
Ye An walked up to Ye Guan and gave him a strand of her spear intent. "Take this."
Ye Guan looked puzzled. "What's this?"
"Take it. Activate it when the time is right," Ye An said calmly.
Ye Guan was about to ask more questions, but Ye An shot him a stern glance. "Just take it and stop hesitating. You're so annoying."
Ye An tossed the spear intent to Ye Guan and transformed into a ray of white light that disappeared into the horizon.
Ye Guan shook his head and smiled as he put away the strand of spear intent.
At that moment, Mu Yuan interjected, "Is she going back to fetch reinforcements?"
Ye Guan nodded.
Mu Yuan's voice was low as he said, "I don't know the strength of that so-called Past Clan’s Clan Leader, but I do know the strength of those pseudo-Gods. And their strength must have gone considerably after so many years. In other words, ordinary run-of-the-mill supreme elites aren't going to be a threat to them..."
Ye Guan chuckled. "My family's strength is decent, so don't worry about it."
Mu Yuan hesitated. He had never seen any of Ye Guan's family members aside from his sibling, so he did not feel reassured at all.
However, based on Ye Guan and Ye An's abilities and talents, their other family members had to be no weaker than them. Of course, he still had his reservations.
"We're heading to the Yin-Yang World," Mu Yuan declared.
"Is it for the Yin-Yang Twin Beasts?"
"Yes," Mu Yuan said with a nod. "They're the divine beasts that the First God had nurtured himself. They returned to their own world and ceased to meddle in worldly affairs upon the First God's departure. You possess the First God's inheritance, so they might pledge allegiance to you."
Ye Guan smiled wryly. "But…”
"They once vowed to serve only the inheritor of the First God," Mu Yuan said, "Beneath the Yin-Yang Twin Beasts, there's a massive army of demonic beasts as well. The Yin-Yang Twin Beasts were in charge of those demonic beasts during the First God's era. If you can make them submit, they'll be of great help to you."
Ye Guan remained silent.
Mu Yuan hesitated briefly before asking, "Are you not interested?"
Ye Guan blinked, somewhat surprised. "Why would you think that?"
Mu Yuan sighed, "You've disregarded the Divine Imprint, so it's no surprise that you're not interested in the Yin-Yang Twin Beasts. Anyway, Young Master Ye, I'm genuinely puzzled. Just what exactly is going on with your family? You don't think much of the Divine Imprint, the Yin-Yang Twin Beasts, and you've even shunned the First God's inheritance..."
Ye Guan smiled and dodged the question. "Let's go and look for the Yin-Yang Twin Beasts."
Mu Yuan nodded. "Alright."
With that, the two vanished into thin air.
After their departure, a man in a black robe appeared. The black-robed man was none other than Ah Nan. Ah Nan stared deeply at the spot where Ye Guan and Mu Yuan once stood. Moments later, his fingers began moving. After a while, the threads of destiny manifested around him, and a mischievous smile suffused his lips. "I've done this nine times now, and the outcome is still the same: I'm going to die if I kill you, but... I really want to try it out."
Ah Nan looked around, but the world around him was silent, devoid of any disturbance.