Qiong Ling stared at Ye Guan with his eyes blazing. "Do you dare kill me?"

Ye Guan shook his head. "I don't dare."

Relief flickered across Qiong Ling's face.

"Just kidding," Ye Guan added and ruthlessly twisted the Qingxuan Sword.

Boom!

Qiong Ling's soul was sucked out of him, ending his life.

The nearby cultivators froze in fear at the sight. Without hesitation, they turned around and fled with their faces pale in fear.

Ye Guan didn't bother chasing them. His gaze focused on Qiong Ling's remains. Left behind was a storage ring, a pair of boots, a heavy suit of armor, and six Supreme Law fragments.

After pocketing the Supreme Law fragments, Ye Guan picked up the boots.

They felt softer than cotton, and it seemed like they had zero weight. It was covered with intricate rune patterns that looked similar to what could be found in the Guanxuan Universe.

The boots were also emitting a mysterious energy.

Lin Tiandi's expression was serious as he said, "Brother Ye, you're holding a divine artifact."

Ye Guan looked up. "A divine artifact? The strongest kind?"

Lin Tiandi shook his head. "Not the strongest, but in the Divine Ruins, it's among the top-tier divine artifacts. Stronger ones, like supreme divine artifacts, are incredibly rare—no, they're practically mythical."

Ye Guan nodded thoughtfully as he examined the boots. "How do I make them submit to me?"

Lin Tiandi hesitated. "You can't. They're forged by the Iron God Clan. Only someone with Iron God bloodline can use them—"

Just then, Ye Guan pressed the Qingxuan Sword against the boots. The boots trembled violently as if they had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Then, they transformed into a faint beam of light that melted into Ye Guan's forehead.

Moments later, an illusory image of the boots appeared in Ye Guan's mind.

The boots actually possessed their own divine sense!

Lin Tiandi was stunned for a while before muttering, "So even divine artifacts are afraid of death."

Ye Guan smirked and wore the boots. He felt as light as a feather as soon as they were worn.

Ye Guan shot forward, leaving a kilometer-long streak of sword light. In the blink of an eye, dozens more sword lights filled the air, each faster than the last. ṞаNȫBЁS̩

When Ye Guan returned to his starting point, the sword lights remained in the air. Ye Guan's eyes widened in astonishment.

I'm three times faster with these boots—wait, no, maybe even faster than that.

Ye Guan was already fast, but the boots had elevated his speed to a whole new level.

Taking a moment to calm himself down, Ye Guan reached for the heavy armor. It appeared bulky but was actually as light as a feather. They also felt like silk to the touch.

Upon taking a closer look, Ye Guan found that it was made of countless tiny and delicate scales that shimmered faintly beneath the light.

Ye Guan pressed the Qingxuan Sword against the armor, and it immediately surrendered.

With a will on his end, Ye Guan summoned the armor. Upon wearing the armor, Ye Guan took a step forward, and the ground trembled beneath him. He was pulsing with immense strength.

Ye Guan charged forward, and a wave of energy burst from the armor, sending Lin Tiandi flying nearly a kilometer away.

Ye Guan stopped with a grim face.

The armor was light as air when idle but heavy as a mountain in combat. With just a simple dash, his strength had multiplied several times over. Combined with the boots, his overall prowess had just increased several fold.

These are incredible!

Ye Guan thought to himself.

No wonder Qiong Ling was so confident. If it hadn't been for the Qingxuan Sword, I wouldn't have been able to break through his defenses.

I guess having the right gear truly changes everything.

Turning to Qiong Ling's storage ring, Ye Guan rummaged through its contents. His eyes soon landed on a massive sword, and it was far larger and broader than a regular sword.

It was jet black all over and was radiating an oppressive air.

The sword had piqued his interest not just because he was a swordsman but because the sword was the same rank as the boots and armor.

Ye Guan reached out and gripped the hilt.

His knees buckled slightly, nearly dropping the weapon.

Startled, he took a closer look at the sword.

Lin Tiandi's voice trembled as he muttered, "T-that's the Iron God Greatsword…"

"You recognize it?"

𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

"It is one of the Iron God Clan's signature weapons. It's third on the divine artifact list."

"That sword was crafted from the core of a colossal star. It's unimaginably powerful. And now…" Lin Tiandi's expression turned complicated as he glanced at Ye Guan. The Iron God Clan was a famous clan of forgers, and it possessed many divine artifacts. Qiong Ling was rich; he was their young clan leader, after all.

Unfortunately, he had died at Ye Guan's hands, and his belongings now belonged to Ye Guan. Qiong Ling's death was truly profitable for Ye Guan.

Ye Guan examined the sword with interest. "This armor, these boots, and this sword—they're a set, aren't they?"

"Yes," said Lin Tiandi with a nod. "They amplify each other's power."

"I guess brute force wins the day," Ye Guan said with a faint smile.

The greatsword would undoubtedly elevate his combat prowess to terrifying heights.

Lin Tiandi frowned. "Brother Ye, the Iron God Clan won't let you go. They'll surely hunt you down."

Ye Guan calmly placed the sword away and looked into the distance. "You should leave."

Lin Tiandi hesitated and gnashed his teeth. "Brother Ye, I want to follow you."

Ye Guan raised an eyebrow. "Follow me?"

Lin Tiandi nodded and sincerely explained, "I know that I'll never become strong on my own. I believe I can reach greater heights with a great leader."

Ye Guan chuckled. "What can you offer me?"

Lin Tiandi hesitated before replying, "Nothing… I know I'm being shameless."

"I'm shameless as well," said Ye Guan with a smile. Then, his expression turned serious as he said, "Go back. My enemies aren't just the Iron God Clan. I have more powerful enemies behind the scenes.

"Following me will implicate and doom both you and your clan."

With that, Ye Guan hopped onto his sword and vanished into the horizon.

Lin Tiandi stood silently, watching the empty sky. After a moment, he sighed and inwardly remarked,

This world is harsh. Without a strong leader, rising to the top is nearly impossible. But Brother Ye's path is too dangerous for me to follow. He killed Qiong Ling, after all.

Turning away, Lin Tiandi resolved to grow stronger on his own. If he weren't strong enough, Ye Guan wouldn't bring him along, after all.

A man and woman emerged from the shadows unbeknownst to Ye Guan.

The woman was clad in a pale blue robe, and her long hair flowed like a river of ink down her back. She had a delicate face that made her look like she had stepped out of a painting.

The man beside her was clad in a loose white robe. His facial features were sharp, and his faintly glowing red eyes exuded an air of danger.

The man's gaze lingered on the horizon. "That sword of his… it's probably a supreme divine artifact."

"If we fight him alone, we're going to lose," remarked the woman.

The man's lips curled into a cold smile. "I don't think so."

Without waiting for the woman's reply, he vanished into the horizon. Left with no choice, the woman followed closely behind him, and she left no traces at all except for a faint streak of blue light behind her.

***

Meanwhile, the two distant wills became even stronger as Ye Guan neared his destination. At this point, even his Order Sword Intent could barely withstand the pressure.

However, Ye Guan remained determined. The golden light in the distance had grown significantly more radiant, after all. The golden light was definitely the Supreme Law Heart that General Qiong Ye had left behind.

The oppressive force of the two wills multiplied exponentially as Ye Guan got closer and closer. When Ye Guan was a thousand meters away from the Supreme Law Heart, their aura became extremely overwhelming, and every step made them even more terrifying.

Ye Guan's face darkened, realizing that his Order Sword Intent was being suppressed.

Ye Guan stared intently at the Supreme Law Heart. Step by step, he advanced toward the heart of the core region. Each step felt like carrying the weight of ten thousand mountains, making his journey agonizingly slow.

Several feet later, Ye Guan came to a halt. He felt as if he was being crushed under the weight of tens of thousands of mountains. The terrifying weight was suffocating.

Ye Guan looked up, and a flicker of complex light flashed in his eyes. He marveled at the sheer power of those two lingering wills. If those remnants alone were so terrifying, just how unfathomable were their owners?

Ye Guan's strength had grown considerably, all thanks to the evolution of his sword intent. However, he was still not truly confident; he knew that there was always someone stronger out there.

He couldn't even compare to Clan Leader Jing or the First Hall Master.

He believed that he was close to the peak; he thought that he would reach the peak once he surpassed those two, but he had just realized how shortsighted he had been.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Guan's eyes burned with fervor. Letting out a roar, he unleashed his Order Sword Intent with all his fight. The wave of battle intent radiating from him made his sword intent rise like a relentless tidal wave.

Will against will!

Ye Guan pressed onward step by step. His hands were clenched tightly, and veins bulged all over his face as he walked closer and closer to the Supreme Law Heart.

His face was twisted with strain and determination.

When he was just ten meters away from the Supreme Law Heart, his legs refused to move any farther. His consciousness began to grow blurry as the overwhelming will bore down on him.

The will before him was too strong.

Ye Guan couldn't move an inch at all.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Guan bit down on his tongue. The sharp pain sobered him up. He forced himself to move forward. Although he was painfully slow, he inched closer and closer.

An unknown amount of time later, Ye Guan finally stood before the golden light. The moment he reached out for it, he collapsed to the ground, utterly drained.

Just then, the overwhelming will suddenly disappeared. It disappeared as soon as Ye Guan truly reached the core region.

After resting for a long while, Ye Guan rose to his feet. He glanced at the Supreme Law Heart and then turned around, using his sword to retreat a thousand meters away.

However, he didn't leave. He turned around once more and began advancing toward the Supreme Law Heart once again.

Without experiencing hardship, one cannot understand its severity. If it's difficult, then I must go through it as many times as necessary.

Little Pagoda suddenly spoke.

"Aren't you interested in the Supreme Law Heart?"

Ye Guan closed his eyes, and his expression remained calm and unbothered as he replied,

"It's a mere tool. I can have it, but I won't dwell on it."

Rumble!

The Order Sword Intent around him trembled violently, and a chorus of resonant sword cries erupted around him.

After a moment of silence, Little Pagoda replied,

"Impressive!"