Chapter 1239: Hardship Is Acceptable but He Cannot Die

Under normal circumstances, no outsider could trace back to Sword Master Qingshan through Ye Guan's bloodline. With his current strength, he was immune to all causal connections. Unless he willed it, no one could trace him. However, because he cared for his grandson, he did not resist some traces, particularly those that came through his grandson.

When he saw the divine Buddhist Light hurtling toward him, Sword Master Qingshan's gaze turned icy. With a flick of his sleeve...

Boom!

The Buddhist Light shattered instantly.

In the Other Shore, the monk sensed something and raised his head. His pupils constricted to needlepoints as he muttered, "What the—"

Before he could finish his sentence, he vanished without a trace, silently and completely.

The Other Shore disappeared with him.

Elsewhere, the experts who had assisted the monk with their chanting fell dead on the spot.

They died without ever understanding how or why. In an instant, everything about them was erased. The terrifying scene left the Divine Attendants outside wide-eyed and in disbelief.

How could a person suddenly cease to exist just like that?

Fan Zhaodi slowly raised her gaze toward the depths of the starry skies and frowned.

Meanwhile, in the distant reaches of the starry skies, Sword Master Qingshan glanced in the direction of the True Universe's Tribulation World. His gaze was as cold as frost. At that moment, a voice suddenly reached his ears.

Hearing the voice, his brows furrowed slightly. After a brief silence, he coldly said, "Hardship can be endured, but he must not die. Otherwise, I won't give face to anyone."

With that, he turned into a streak of sword light and vanished into the depths of the starry river.

True Universe, Tribulation World...

Fan Zhaodi retracted her gaze and looked at Ye Guan. Ye Guan was engulfed in flames, and his appearance was both menacing and fierce.

Earlier, the power of purification had tortured him to an unbearable degree.

He hadn't expected his enemy to call for reinforcements mid-battle!

Damn it! Utterly dishonorable.

Divine Attendant Pei stared at Ye Guan, puzzled. "Divine Attendant Fan, who intervened just now?"

Fan Zhaodi replied calmly, "It doesn't matter."

Divine Attendant Pei glanced at her but remained silent.

Not far away, Ye Guan steadied his mind. Although the monk was dead, the purification power had severely damaged both his fleshly body and soul. Now extremely weak, he ignored Fan Zhaodi and her group, focusing instead on healing his injuries.

Surprisingly, Fan Zhaodi didn't attack. She simply stood there, watching him calmly.

Beside her, Divine Attendant Pei couldn't hold back and asked, "Divine Attendant Fan, what are we waiting for? He's at his weakest now. If we attack, he'll surely die..."

Fan Zhaodi chuckled. "Why don't you give it a try?"

Divine Attendant Pei froze.

Me? try?

Ye Guan was no longer the same as before—especially now that he had activated three bloodlines. She had no confidence at all in facing him.

"I'll try!"

At this moment, Divine Attendant Yu spoke up.

Divine Attendant Pei looked at Divine Attendant Yu. "Are you certain?"

"I want to see just how monstrous he truly is."

He stepped forward, and a saber light shot toward Ye Guan.

From a distance, Ye Guan raised his sword to block.

Bang!

The saber light shattered instantly.

Divine Attendant Yu's eyes narrowed. Then, he gripped his saber tightly in his right hand. As his hand trembled, a starry region appeared around him. His Great Dao transformed as he channeled all his energy to unleash a single strike.

Losing to Ye Guan earlier had deeply unsettled him.

How can someone from a low-tier civilization defeat me?

He had to win this time or risk this loss festering into an eternal inner demon.

The energy around Divine Attendant Yu grew increasingly oppressive, warping the spacetime around him.

From a distance, Ye Guan held swords in both hands, and his expression was calm as he watched Divine Attendant Yu.

Divine Attendant Yu's eyes snapped wide open. Before he could make a move, his saber was already unsheathed.

Slash!

The vast expanse of spacetime in front of Ye Guan was split apart.

A colossal saber light infused with the power of the Great Dao surged toward him.

Ye Guan's eyes narrowed. Gripping his sword, he slashed downward with all his might.

Boom!

The massive saber light shattered, but countless afterimages and saber strikes followed, engulfing the entire space around Ye Guan.

Boom boom boom!

Explosions rocked the battlefield as Divine Attendant Yu unleashed everything in a desperate bid for victory.

Suddenly, a sharp sword hum resonated across the heavens. The sea of saber light was torn apart, and a streak of sword energy shot forth.

Bang!

Divine Attendant Yu was flung backward, scattering the saber light. The moment he stopped, another sword slashed towards him.

Bang!

Countless saber lights were torn apart, and Divine Attendant Yu was thrown back again, his fleshly body disintegrating in mid-air. With only his soul left, another sword silently streaked toward him.

Seeing this, Divine Attendant Yu's pupils contracted sharply.

He couldn't block this sword.

Just then, a faint light emerged, colliding with Ye Guan's Qingxuan Sword.

Bang!

The light shattered, but Divine Attendant Yu's soul was defended by a dim barrier of light.

Divine Attendant Pei had intervened.

She and Divine Attendant Yin stood before Divine Attendant Yu's disembodied soul; their gazes were grim as they watched Ye Guan.

Ye Guan had changed drastically.

Ye Guan gave the three of them a cold glance but didn't attack again. Instead, he closed his eyes. Due to the Mad Demon Bloodline, his aura was growing stronger as the fight continued.

Just then, he vanished.

Swoosh!

A heartbeat later, his sword appeared before Fan Zhaodi.

Decisive Strike!

The ultimate sword technique, held in reserve earlier, was now unleashed with unimaginable power against Fan Zhaodi—the true key to this battle.

Seeing this, Divine Attendant Pei and the others paled, retreating rapidly to avoid its terrifying might.

The sword was upon Fan Zhaodi, but he remained calm, merely raising a single finger.

Bang!

With a soft tap, the sword light shattered.

Ye Guan was sent hurtling tens of thousands of meters away.

When he stopped, his fleshly body was riddled with cracks, and blood splattered everywhere. Even his Qingxuan Sword was fractured.

Divine Attendant Pei and the others were shocked, staring at Fan Zhaodi with newfound awe.

This woman's strength was unfathomable.

Even Ye Guan, wielding all his might, couldn't shake her.

Ruan Cang was equally shocked. Fan Zhaodi had been hiding her real strength as well. He glanced at Ye Guan in the distance, his expression complicated.

When he surrendered to Ye Guan, he was sincere. However, the Genesis Daoist Temple and Fan Zhaodi offered far too much. He had no reason to refuse them, as the destiny aura around Ye Guan had already dissipated.

When Ye Guan came to a halt, he looked at the cracked Qingxuan Sword in his hand, his expression solemn. He hadn't expected that even after putting his all into that strike, he still couldn't shake Fan Zhaodi.

She must have been hiding her true strength all along!

Fan Zhaodi looked at Ye Guan and smiled. "So, you've been holding back all this time just to kill me."

If Ye Guan had used Decisive Strike from the start, neither Daoist Zhang nor the monk would have been able to withstand it.

Ye Guan wiped away the blood on the corner of his mouth and said, "Fan Zhaodi, there's something I'm curious about."

"You're curious about my connection with the Genesis Daoist Temple, aren't you?"

Ye Guan nodded.

"I can only say that the Genesis Daoist Temple is not as simple as you think. As for the rest... you'll soon know the full truth."

Ye Guan said gravely, "Why did you lure my aunt out back then? What was your purpose?"

Fan Zhaodi chuckled. "You're so clever; you should be able to guess."

"The reason you initially chose to side with me and pretended to join forces against the Genesis Daoist Temple was to see my aunt's true strength. After all, you'd only heard about her before and hadn't seen her in person. Without that, you couldn't determine her actual level."

Fan Zhaodi nodded. "You're half right."

Ye Guan frowned.

Fan Zhaodi suddenly said, "You're wrong."

Ye Guan looked at Fan Zhaodi, puzzled.

Fan Zhaodi smiled. "From your perspective, you're right. To protect the people of your universe and suppress the evil Dao, your actions are understandable. However, you've overlooked one thing: this world and this universe don't belong solely to these cultivators. And what is the core cause of the Universe Tribulation? It's the cultivators' unrestrained plundering. The tribulation didn't just appear—it's their doing."

"You're also a cultivator."

"I am, but I understand the need to follow the natural order of the Dao. Ye Guan, have you ever considered that your efforts to save the beings of this universe might lead to its destruction? It's like driving away a wolf to save a sheep, but have you thought about how the wolf might starve?"

Ye Guan stared at Fan Zhaodi. "I need time."

Fan Zhaodi shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't give you time. Because... my dear sister is waiting for me."

Ye Guan wanted to say more.

However, Fan Zhaodi continued, "Even now, I think you're incredibly naive. Truly. You don't understand what it means to follow the natural order of the Dao, the cycles of the heavens, or the way of nature. You act entirely based on your preferences, relying on your family's backing to forcibly interfere with the natural rules of the Dao. It may look like you're doing something noble, but in reality, it's utterly foolish."