Chapter 1163: The Guanxuan Academy

Ye Guan and Long Dai sat on the balcony, with Long Dai holding his arm without any reservations, her face filled with sorrow.

Ye Guan smiled and asked, "You don't want to inherit the family business?"

Long Dai nodded.

Ye Guan chuckled. "You want to be free?"

"Yes. Master, I don't want to marry for political reasons."

"An arranged marriage?"

"Yes."

"Then don't marry."

"I can't. It concerns the survival of my family. I have no choice."

"How so?"

"Master, have you heard of the Guanxuan Academy?"

Ye Guan was taken aback. "The Guanxuan Academy?"

"Yes..." Long Dai nodded. Her expression grew more serious than ever before as she explained, "It's an extremely terrifying organization. They are said to be controlling countless universe regions. Their influence is simply unimaginable."

Ye Guan was puzzled. "What do they have to do with your situation?"

Long Dai said, "People from the Guanxuan Academy came to the Heavenly World and demanded that we join them. At first, we refused, but eventually, we had to agree."

Ye Guan frowned. "Why?"

Long Dai sighed softly. "Their offer was just too tempting. Besides, we later realized that the Heavenly World couldn't compare to them at all. Any one of their people could crush all our strongest experts.

"Moreover, they genuinely have ways to help the Heavenly World, leaving us with no choice but to join them. Even those who initially opposed them have become their loyal supporters now."

"That sounds like a good thing for the Heavenly World."

"It is a good thing."

"So, what about you?"

"After the Heavenly World began interacting with the Guanxuan Academy, we started working with their affiliated forces. That's how the Long Clan met a powerful clan from their side. A young man from that clan took a liking to me and proposed an alliance through marriage."

"Marriage requires mutual consent. You can refuse."

"Refusing isn't an option. That clan holds considerable power within the Guanxuan Academy."

"Which clan?"

"The Zhao Clan."

Ye Guan's brow furrowed.

Long Dai smiled faintly. "Never heard of them, right?"

Ye Guan remained silent. He had indeed never heard of them. The Guanxuan Universe had countless clans, likely numbering in the millions. Naturally, he couldn't know them all.

Long Dai opened her palm, revealing a black token, which she handed to Ye Guan.

"What's that?" asked Ye Guan.

Long Dai replied, "A Tianxuan Token."

"What is it for?"

"Master, this Abandoned Continent won't last much longer. It's going to be destroyed soon."

"What do you mean?"

"A powerful clan from the Guanxuan Universe, the Chen Clan, has taken an interest in the Abandoned Continent."

"Taken an interest? What do you mean? Explain clearly."

"Although the spiritual energy here has been depleted, the continent has rich mineral resources. The mines being dug by refugees are actually controlled by major factions of the Heavenly World.

"However, the Heavenly World's technology is primitive, so they rely on manual labor, but the Chen Clan is different. They're from the Guanxuan Universe, and their technology is highly advanced.

"They've already negotiated with the major factions of the Heavenly World, and now, the entire Abandoned Continent belongs to the Chen Clan.

"I found out that they can extract all the mineral resources within a year. After that, the molten lava deep underground will rise to the surface, killing all living beings here."

Ye Guan's eyes narrowed. "Doesn't the Chen Clan know that there are still many living beings on this continent?"

Long Dai nodded. "They know, but evacuating everyone would be far too costly. In simple terms, only those with connections can leave through special channels and receive compensation. The rest... are left to fend for themselves."

Ye Guan's expression darkened. "This is illegal."

Long Dai gently shook her head. "This is already a dead, desolate continent. The people living here are ordinary, with no cultivation at all. To those in power, such people have no value.

"There's no way they will spend a fortune on their survival... In three days, a cloud ship will arrive at the Temple Academy. Master, you can use this Tianxuan Token to leave when the time comes."

Ye Guan turned to her. "What about you?"

Long Dai smiled. "I'll be leaving shortly."

"You're leaving already?"

"Master, take this," Long Dai said as she took out a storage ring and handed it to him.

Ye Guan glanced at the ring and saw seven hundred spiritual crystals inside.

It was all of her savings.

Long Dai stood up, smiling. "Master, visit me at the Long Clan in the Heavenly World when you have the time."

Just then, a massive dragonhawk slowly descended from the sky. On its back stood an elderly man in a black robe, who eyed Ye Guan warily, clearly disapproving how close Long Dai seemed to be to him.

Long Dai looked at Ye Guan and said, "Master, remember to visit me in the Heavenly World."

With that, she climbed onto the dragonhawk's back. The dragonhawk let out a sharp cry before soaring into the sky.

Ye Guan watched as Long Dai waved at him from the dragonhawk's back. He smiled faintly and waved back until she disappeared into the distant horizon.

After a long pause, Ye Guan murmured, "The Chen Clan..."

Returning to the library, he noticed something unusual in the Temple Academy. Classes were suspended, and the instructors appeared to be busy and tense.

Long Dai said that the cloud ship would arrive in three days. However, on the second day, a cloud ship stopped by the entrance of the Temple Academy.

One by one, people began boarding it. Many were unaware of what was happening and merely watched out of curiosity.

When some noticed that the senior officials of the Temple Academy and students from wealthy families were boarding the ship, they realized that something was amiss.

Soon, the cloud ship was full. It soared into the sky and disappeared.

Only after its departure did news of the Tianxuan Token spread throughout the academy.

Panic swept across the academy in an instant. Chaos erupted, not just in the academy but throughout the continent. The grim reality soon set in—they had been abandoned for the second time around.

***

In the starry skies above the Abandoned Continent, a young man and an old man stood, overlooking the land below. The young man, dressed in luxurious robes, radiated wealth and authority.

The old man glanced at the continent below, hesitated, and then asked, "Young Master, are you certain that we should begin tomorrow?"

The young man was Chen Yitian, and he was the heir to the Chen Clan.

Chen Yitian smiled faintly. "A day of delay is a day of lost profits."

The old man cautiously said, "Young Master, the Guanxuan Laws strictly forbid—"

"Uncle Mu," Chen Yitian said, shaking his head dismissively. "The Guanxuan Laws are inflexible, but people aren't."

The old man opened his mouth to protest but held back.

Chen Yitian said calmly, "If we follow the Guanxuan Laws down to a tee, we wouldn't make any money at all. The real money lies in the forbidden."

The old man hesitated before speaking seriously, "Young Master, you must've heard about the recent crackdown involving the Heavenly Dragon Clan. The Academy has been conducting thorough investigations lately.

"I really think that we should be more cautious."

"

Haha.

" Chen Yitian chuckled, "Relax. This place is remote and far from the Guanxuan Universe. The Academy can't possibly oversee affairs here."

The old man's expression darkened. "I'm just worried that someone might expose us."

"Who would dare to do that? The forces in the Heavenly World have already profited handsomely from this. If they want more profits in the future, they'll have to rely on our clan. There's no way they'll risk offending us.

"As for the commoners below..." Chen Yitian chuckled and cast a disdainful glance at the continent down below. "Their lives are already full of suffering. I'm simply sending them to reincarnate early and spare them from more misery.

"In a way, you can say that I'm doing a good deed."

With that, he turned around and walked away.

The old man looked down at the continent below. He shook his head slightly and followed suit.

***

Meanwhile, chaos engulfed the Abandoned Continent. The fragile semblance of order crumbled entirely once the devastating news had spread throughout the continent.

The worst part? Rumors spread that another cloud ship from the Heavenly World would arrive in a day, but only those holding a Tianxuan Token could board it.

The price of a single Tianxuan Token? Five hundred spiritual crystals.

People fell into desperation and madness, looting and killing in a frantic attempt to gather enough spiritual crystals to buy a Tianxuan Token.

Even the once-sacred Temple Academy became a bloody battleground, with deaths happening every second.

Plundering! Insanity! Countless atrocities!

OYe Guan encountered Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang at the entrance of the Temple Academy. They were carrying many bags with them, and Zhu Tao also had a rusty hoe in his hand, with his forehead wrapped in a bloody rag.

A young girl was standing not far away from them. She was holding a man's head and was stabbing it while counting out loud, "Two hundred, two hundred one, two hundred two..."