Thanks to Jing Chu, it didn't take long for Ye Guan to reach the Wujian Universe. Little Pagoda's concealment technique had also allowed him to remain unnoticed.

As soon as Ye Guan quietly entered the starry sky of the Wujian Universe, a sense of unease stirred within him. The Boundless Spacetime up ahead felt unsettling.

Jing Chu's voice echoed. "This place is incredibly complex. You must be cautious."

Ye Guan nodded, and his gaze briefly swept over the Qingxuan Sword in his hand before he scanned his surroundings. He could detect several powerful auras lurking in the shadows, and his expression darkened upon sensing them.

"I'll distract them for you," Jing Chu offered.

Without further words, Jing Chu stepped out from the tiny pagoda. In an instant, she appeared hundreds of meters away, and a terrifying martial will erupted from her. It swept across the heavens and the earth, suppressing everything in its path.

The lurkers from the Wujian Universe were caught off guard. They hadn't anticipated Jing Chu to appear here from seemingly out of nowhere.

Wasting no time, Jing Chu charged at them, initiating a battle.

Ye Guan seized the opportunity and slipped into the Boundless Spacetime up ahead. As soon as he entered, his brows furrowed once more. The spacetime here was irregular and warped, like fractured mirrors.

Ye Guan didn't dare to be careless. Gripping the Qingxuan Sword tightly, he advanced cautiously. After only a short walk, an ominous force began to surround him.

With a slight frown, Ye Guan thrust his sword forward.

Shwik!

The spacetime before him was ripped open, and a fissure was created. The surrounding spacetime retreated, seemingly afraid of the sword in his hand.

Clearly, the Qingxuan Sword commanded respect.

With the path now clear, Ye Guan continued forward. His eyes swept over the area, but he found no trace of the Tianxing Ruler. Frowning, he thought,

Could that fruit have withered already?

Shaking off the thought, he pressed on. After about half an hour, an ancient stone gate appeared in the distance.

A gate?

Ye Guan approached, puzzled. The gate towered several dozen meters high, and two ancient characters were carved on either side of the gate—Dao and Law.

"Dao and Law?" He lightly pressed the Qingxuan Sword on the gate. Just as he was about to exert force, the gate swung open on its own.

Ye Guan was speechless.

Beyond the gate was a radiant white light. Stepping through it, he emerged into a desolate wasteland. At the far end of the land stood many tombstones. There were close to thousands of them, and each exuded an air of desolation.

Ye Guan paused, perplexed by the sight before him.

What is this place?

He continued his way through the wasteland. As he passed through the tombstones, he glanced at each one, noticing unfamiliar words on all of them.

Venturing deeper, he soon found himself standing before four enormous tombstones. Each was far larger than the rest and was painted in a blood-red hue with intricate, ancient runes etched into their surfaces.

Ye Guan quickly looked away from the tombstones and shifted his gaze to the distance, where an ancient hall loomed. He walked toward the hall, only to find two armored guards in black lying lifeless at its entrance.

Ye Guan tried to release his divine sense, but the moment it reached the entrance, it dissipated without a trace.

Ye Guan's brows furrowed in concern, but he continued forward, entering the vast hall. Inside, a single statue of a middle-aged man stood tall at the center.

The man gazed sternly into the distance with his hands held behind his back.

Just then, a soft voice echoed beside Ye Guan. "Hmm?"

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. He turned around slowly to see a lady standing by the wall in the distance. She wore a pale green dress, and her features were delicate and beautiful. Her silvery hair cascaded down her shoulders, shimmering softly in the dim light.

Ye Guan immediately recognized her—she was none other than the Tianxing Ruler.

The lady studied him curiously, and her eyes were filled with intrigue. "How did you get here?"

Ye Guan's voice was deep as she asked, "Are you the Tianxing Ruler?"

The lady's brows lifted in mild surprise. "How do you know that?"

"I came to rescue you," Ye Guan said calmly.

The lady's expression grew curious, but Ye Guan didn't explain. "Let's go."

He turned around to leave, but the lady made no move to follow him.

Frowning, Ye Guan glanced at her.

You said you came to rescue me?" the lady asked.

Ye Guan nodded.

The lady's smile widened. "But I don't even know who you are."

"We can talk on the way."

"I don't want to leave."

This time, it was Ye Guan's turn to be confused.

The lady's smile deepened. "Besides, if I wanted to leave, I can do so anytime."

Ye Guan's face darkened. "You can leave whenever you want?"

"Of course," she replied.

Ye Guan stared at her, growing suspicious. "Do you even know what had happened outside?"

Puzzled, the lady asked, "What happened?"

Ye Guan sighed softly and replied, "Your Tianxing Civilization was almost destroyed."

The lady's face turned grim. "Impossible. Jing Chu is around, so how could that happen?"

Ye Guan was at a loss for words. He had assumed that she was trapped, but it seemed that she had chosen to remain here.

"What happened?" the lady asked again.

Ye Guan recounted the events that had unfolded, explaining the near-collapse of the Tianxing Civilization. When he mentioned Fu Wu, the lady's face finally darkened.

The lady's face grew increasingly grim. She had no idea that the Tianxing Civilization was in danger.

Likewise, Ye Guan felt exasperated.

A civil war had almost wiped out her civilization, and despite being the ruler, she actually chose to stay here, oblivious to what was happening outside.

After a long silence, the lady turned to Ye Guan, asking, "What's your name?"

"Ye Guan."

"My name is Zhan Qing. I'm grateful for your assistance to my civilization." Zhan Qing bowed deeply.

"The Wujian Universe and the Evil Dao Alliance won't let things rest. We need to leave here as soon as possible."

Zhan Qing replied, "I just need a bit more time."

Ye Guan raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Why?"

Zhan Qing looked around the hall and asked, "Do you know where this is?"

Ye Guan shook his head.

"We are inside the Chaotic Ancient Ancestral Land,"

Ye Guan's brows knitted together. "The Chaotic Ancient Ancestral Land?"

Zhan Qing nodded and pointed at the distant statue. "That is the Chaotic Ancient Emperor of the Chaotic Ancient Era Civilization. And those tombs outside? They belong to the elites of the Chaotic Ancient Clan.

"But they're not dead; they're only sleeping."

Ye Guan's eyes widened in shock.

"During the Chaotic Ancient Era, the Chaotic Ancient Clan was the mightiest of all clans, but they had provoked a powerful enemy and had suffered severe losses as a result. Seizing the opportunity, their rival clans attacked them from all sides.

"Facing certain destruction, the Chaotic Ancient Emperor shattered their universe region into three parts: the Wujian Universe, the Chaotic Ancient Battlefield, and this— the Chaotic Ancient Ancestral Land."

Zhan Qing gazed around solemnly. "This is where the emperor had sealed his people, putting them into a deep slumber to protect them. The distorted, chaotic spacetime outside? That's his creation, a barrier to keep this place safe."

Ye Guan asked, "Is the Chaotic Ancient Emperor still alive?"

Zhan Qing shook her head. "I don't know."

"Was the Chaotic Ancient Civilization a Tier Six civilization?" Ye Guan pressed.

"I doubt it. Like us, they were striving to become one," Zhan Qing replied. Then, she pointed at a distant wall. "Look there."

Ye Guan followed her finger and saw strange symbols on the wall. He couldn't make sense of them.

Zhan Qing explained, "It says that they've been researching spacetime and many universe regions. If they had succeeded, they would have become a Tier Six civilization, suppressing all civilizations beneath them."

Just then, Ye Guan was reminded of Yama Dharmaraja.

Upon the death of a denizen from a civilizations below Tier Six, their soul would be absorbed by those from a high-tier civilization. It was like the countless civilizations above Tier Five were raising livestock.

"They almost succeeded, but they unexpectedly encountered a powerful enemy..." Zhan Qing trailed off and turned to look at Ye Guan. "Do you know what that means?"

Ye Guan said gravely, "You mean the high-tier civilizations don't want those below them to make a breakthrough and become one of them?"

Zhan Qing nodded. "That's highly likely. The resources of the vast expanse are limited. If another Tier Six Civilization is allowed to appear, the resources will have to be redistributed.

"The high-tier civilizations wouldn't let that happen. I suspect they've been watching us all along, and the reason they've allowed us to exist is that we are still useful to them."

Zhan Qing stared at Ye Guan and added, "It's like harvesting crops—you cut one batch this year and then another next year. As long as the roots aren't completely removed, they can be harvested every year."

Ye Guan glanced at Zhan Qing, shocked by her deduction.

"Of course, this is normal," Zhan Qing said, "The law of the universe is quite straightforward and simple—the big fish eat the small fish, and the small fish eat shrimps."

Zhan Qing looked at the distant statue of the Chaotic Ancient Emperor.

"Fruit Ye Guan, I'm offering you an opportunity. Do you want it?"

Ye Guan responded, "I'm not a fruit."

Zhan Qing nodded. "Okay, Fruit Ye Guan."

Ye Guan was speechless.

Zhan Qing revealed a cheeky smile. "So, do you want the opportunity or not?"

Ye Guan decisively replied, "I do."