Chapter 1132: It’s Hard To Make A Living These Days

He knows the Great Daoist Brush Master!

Ye Guan was greatly shocked. It seemed he had underestimated the Great Daoist Brush Master.

"Brother, how should I address you?" asked the man.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Ye Guan looked at the man and smiled. "Ye Guan."

"I'm Zong Wu, and I'm from the Divine Law City," said Zong Wu. Glancing at the dark abyss not far away, he asked, "Brother Ye, how long did it take you to come out from there?"

"A few hours."

Zong Wu and the old man behind him froze.

Zong Wu revealed a doubtful look as he asked, "A few hours?"

Ye Guan nodded. Seeing the strange expressions on their faces, he asked, "Why?"

"Brother Ye, that's truly remarkable."

Ye Guan was puzzled. "Why do you say that?"

Zong Wu smiled wryly. "Did you not encounter any danger?"

Ye Guan shook his head. "No."

Zong Wu and the old man exchanged confused looks.

Zong Wu explained in a low voice, "After that great battle, the body and the soul of the foreign god who died were left behind as Supreme Law fragments. Many heretics from Otherworld City often enter that place to search for them, making it an extremely dangerous place."

"Ah," Ye Guan said, chuckling. "I did encounter someone wearing strange clothing. I'm not sure if they're one of the heretics that you mentioned..."

"

Oh,

I got this from them," Ye Guan said. He opened his palm, revealing a golden symbol.

Zong Wu exclaimed in shock, "That's a Supreme Law fragment! You actually killed a heretic? You're incredible!"

Ye Guan.

I killed a heretic?

After a moment's hesitation, Ye Guan replied, "They didn't seem very strong."

Zong Wu's expression froze.

Ye Guan laughed and felt relieved. At least, he hadn't become a rookie among rookies in this strange place. He was no longer the Ye Guan of many years ago. His sword intent was almost as strong as the Qingxuan Sword.

While he couldn't dominate the vast expanse, he was far from being a pushover.

Zong Wu forced a bitter smile. "Brother Ye, those heretics from Otherworld City are very strong, but it's clear that Brother Ye is stronger."

Ye Guan asked, "Brother Zong, could you tell me more about this place?"

"That's easy. Brother Ye, you can buy a copy of the Encyclopedia from the Divine Ruins Imperial City to learn all about it," said Zong Wu. Then, he pointed to the right and added, "Go straight in that direction, and you'll eventually find a crimson planet. The Divine Ruins Empire once lived on that planet."

Ye Guan clasped his hands in thanks. "Much appreciated."

With that, he soared into the distant starry sky.

After Ye Guan left, the old man behind Zong Wu asked, "Young City Lord, that person's background is extraordinary. Why not recruit him?"

Zong Wu shook his head. "He killed a heretic from Otherworld City and made enemies with them. If we recruit him, we'll inherit that karma. That is going to be too expensive of a price to pay; it's not worth it at all."

The old man hesitated but eventually said nothing. He thought it was worth it because the young man had spoken so casually about the heretic, which suggested that he was far stronger than they had imagined. Still, he chose not to press the issue.

"A Supreme Law fragment..." Zong Wu muttered, and his eyes glimmered in a strange sheen.

The old man grew uneasy upon seeing that. "Young City Lord, even if we don't recruit him, we shouldn't make enemies with him."

Zong Wu smiled faintly. "Elder Yu, killing someone doesn't always require doing it yourself, right?"

The old man's expression darkened. He glanced at Zong Wu, wondering whether to flee or not.

He was far stronger than Zong Wu, but facing Ye Guan had been like staring into an abyss. Based on his experience, that young man was extraordinary. Recruiting him would be great, and if it was impossible, forming a good relationship with him would be more than enough.

However, Zong Wu seemed intent on a third option—making an enemy out of him!

Even if Zong Wu planned to use others to do the dirty work, such schemes were rarely flawless. The old man sighed inwardly.

It's really hard to make a living these days...

***

About half an hour later, Ye Guan soon made his way to a crimson planet. His brows were furrowed as he neared. The planet emitted an eerie energy that seemed to be corroding his sword intent and cultivation as he got closer to it.

Of course, his sword intent wasn't easily shaken.

Ye Guan wondered aloud, "Can anyone even live here?"

Without overthinking, he rushed toward the planet. Upon entering, he noticed that the crimson energy within was denser and more potent than outside. Without his sword intent shielding him, survival here would be impossible.

Frowning, Ye Guan wondered.

What kind of place is this?

Soon, he landed on a hill and scanned his surroundings. To his right, he noticed a massive statue nearly ten thousand meters tall. The statue's arms were outstretched, with flames burning in each palm—white flames like snow on the left and black flames on the right.

An ancient city was beneath the statue.

Ye Guan rose into the air and appeared before the statue. Up close, he felt an overwhelming sense of insignificance. The statue depicted a middle-aged man with shoulder-length hair. His head was tilted slightly upward, and his gaze was defiant as it seemed to pierce the heavens.

The ancient city beneath the statue was vast yet weathered by time. Its gates were even heavily rusted. Ye Guan glanced at the statue, feeling an odd sense of familiarity. Shaking off the thought, he turned toward the city.

Ye Guan found the city to be bustling with cultivators, and they all emanated powerful auras.

The streets were lined with shops selling all sorts of items, many of which were extraordinary. One shop nearby sold weapons, catching Ye Guan's eye. He walked up to the shop and saw a burly man inside hammering a weapon with a massive iron hammer; each strike sent sparks flying and tremors across the ground.

Ye Guan's gaze then landed on a shelf of weapons. There were many weapons on the shelf, such as swords, sabers, hammers, and several other bizarre-looking ones.

"Boss, may I take a look at the weapons?" asked Ye Guan.

Without looking up, the burly man replied, "Go ahead."

"Thanks."

Picking up a sword, he noticed that it was unique, and its blade was composed of golden runes. It was extremely light, almost weightless, and it pulsed with immense power.

Ye Guan's expression grew serious. This sword was the strongest sword he had ever encountered aside from his family's sword.

It was a truly exceptional weapon.

Curious, Ye Guan asked, "Boss, what sword is this?"

Still hammering away, the burly man replied, "A Rune Sword, crafted from Supreme Law fragments and mithril, infused with metal-element energy. When swung, it unleashed a golden sword energy."

Ye Guan nodded. "Impressive. How much is it?"

"Three Supreme Law fragments."

Supreme Law fragments.

Ye Guan froze. "Is that the currency here?"

The burly man paused, glanced at Ye Guan, and asked, "New here?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."

The burly man snorted. "New and already looking at my goods? Let me tell you, my items are the most expensive in this imperial city—but also the best."

"This sword is indeed remarkable, but I've seen better."

The burly man's hammer fell with a thunderous

clang,

shaking the ground. His aura grew imposing as he glared at Ye Guan. "You've seen better?"

"Yes."

The burly man sneered. "Nonsense! No one can craft a better weapon than me. I don't believe it."

"Suit yourself then." Ye Guan chuckled. He put down the sword and turned around to leave.

However, the burly man wasn't having it. "Hold it! Explain yourself."

Ye Guan stopped and turned back. "Sir, your sword is excellent, but I've indeed seen better."

The burly man waved his hand dismissively. "I don't believe it. Show me!"

Ye Guan thought for a moment. "All right, let's make a bet. If I show you a better sword, you'll give me this sword or three Supreme Law fragments."

The burly man eyed Ye Guan and asked, "And if your sword isn't better?"

Ye Guan grinned. "I'll apologize."

"Shameless!" the burly man roared in anger. "How can you be so thick-skinned?"

Ye Guan was silent.

The burly man declared, "If your sword isn't better, you'll stay here and work for me—for a thousand years."

Ye Guan laughed. "Deal."

The burly man snorted. "Show me that better sword, then."

Nodding, Ye Guan produced the Qingxuan Sword and handed it over.

As soon as the burly man received the Qingxuan Sword, his expression froze. His face grew more solemn as he carefully examined the Qingxuan Sword.

Ye Guan asked, "What do you think?"

The burly man looked at Ye Guan and asked, "Who forged this sword?"

"I did."

"You're so young, and yet you've come up with something this fancy?"

Ye Guan chuckled awkwardly, then said, "My aunt did."

The burly man said gravely, "Can I meet your aunt?"

Ye Guan shook his head.

The burly man said seriously, "I'll pay you."

Ye Guan hesitated before asking, "How much are you offering?"

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The burly man glanced at him. "How much do you want?"

Ye Guan smiled. "Senior, to be honest, my aunt isn't interested in meeting ordinary people. However, if you pay me, I can answer many of your questions. Meeting me is essentially the same as meeting my aunt."

Little Pagoda was speechless.

"Young man, I've lived for many years, so can you show some respect for my intelligence?" asked the burly man with a stern tone of voice.

Ye Guan was silent.

The burly man looked at the Qingxuan Sword in his hand with a complex gaze. "This sword is indeed much better than my Rune Sword. It contains some unknown elements that even I have never encountered before. It is truly extraordinary..."

"If you can bring me to meet your aunt, I'll give you five Supreme Law fragments," said the burly man.

Ye Guan shook his head.

He knew his aunt would definitely have no interest in meeting anyone.

The burly man gritted his teeth. "Ten!"

Ye Guan was about to shake his head again when the burly man said sternly, "Do you know what ten Supreme Law fragments can do?"

Ye Guan shook his head.

The concept of Supreme Law Fragments was still vague for him.

The burly man stared at Ye Guan for a moment before saying, "Ten Supreme Law fragments could allow you to..."

Ye Guan shook his head again. "I'm not interested in money."

The burly man fell silent for a moment before he suddenly put the Qingxuan Sword away.

Ye Guan stared at him and asked, "You... you're not planning on stealing it, are you?"

"Steal it?" The burly man looked confused. " Young man, you can joke about many things, but don't joke about something like that. That sword was mine to begin with."