Chapter 1274: Ancestral Dragon Energy? Even Dogs Don't Want It!

Everyone was watching Ye Guan, who was standing outside the grand hall with his broken sword in hand. Ye Guan's face was cold. The aura he exuded struck fear into the hearts of those present, leaving them curious about his background.

Consort Qin's gaze was complex as he gazed at the scene.

The officials within the grand hall were silent. The events had unfolded too abruptly, and they had just realized that Tian Chen's previous warnings were not a lie. The young man was indeed extraordinary, and the actions taken by the Heavenly Tomb Empire this time were rash.

However, no one dared to speak up, as Emperor Tian Zong himself had made the decision. They were deeply shocked by the emperor's decisions. Even if he coveted the ancestral dragon energy, he wasn't supposed to seize it blatantly.

Could it be that he intended to use it to shatter his cultivation bottleneck? That thought popped up in the minds of many people, as it was well-known that Emperor Tian Zong had been stuck at his current cultivation realm for many years.

Divine Attendant Pei watched on calmly, showing no intention of intervening. This matter had nothing to do with her. She was satisfied to sit back and observe.

Emperor Tian Zong slowly rose from his dragon throne. Before he could do anything, a voice suddenly sounded from nearby, calm and deliberate. "There is no need for Your Majesty to take action."

A middle-aged man stepped forward from behind Ye Guan and Tian Chen. His long hair draped over his shoulders, and his hands were clasped behind his back. His steps were slow, measured, and full of confidence.

In the Heavenly Tomb Empire, there were four supreme experts—Emperor Tian Zong, Wu Zhuguo, the Desolate Border King, and the Ancestral Dragon.

Tian Chen's expression turned grave at the sight.

"Brother Ye, he is above the Supreme Ancestor Realm..." he muttered.

The Dao Transformation Realm was above the Supreme Ancestor Realm. The cultivation realm involved evolving one's understanding of the Great Dao; not any ordinary Great Dao, but the Supreme Great Dao of their respective Tier Nine Civilization.

To put it simply, a cultivator on that realm could temporarily connect with the Supreme Great Dao of their civilization, borrowing its immense power.

Above the Dao Transformation Realm was the even more terrifying Dao Channel Realm. This realm allows one to connect with the Ancestral Dao of a Tier Ten Civilization. It was exceedingly rare for anyone in a Tier Nine Civilization to reach that realm, as those who could communicate with the Ancestral Dao had a huge advantage over others.

After all, the laws of causality, spacetime, destiny, and the ordinary Great Daos were governed by the Ancestral Dao.

In simple terms, beings like them were the Ancestral Dao's representatives in the secular world. Opposing them was equivalent to opposing the Ancestral Dao, and the Ancestral Dao was like the supreme authority across all universes.

Who would dare to challenge such power? It could crush you effortlessly!

Ye Guan remained calm as Wu Zhuguo approached him. After his battle with Fan Zhaodi, he was no longer easily intimidated.

However, Tian Chen's face was grave.

"Brother Ye..." he began, his tone bitter. "I'm sorry, my ancestral dragon energy has been stolen, and my dantian has been shattered. I can't help you."

He no longer urged Ye Guan to leave. At this point, there was no more turning back. It was a fight to the death. What pained Tian Chen the most was his inability to stand alongside Ye Guan in battle.

Ye Guan helped him sit down. He looked at him and said, "If you're going to follow me, then what would you need some random ancestral dragon energy for? Trash like that, even dogs wouldn't want it!"

Tian Chen was at a loss for words.

Ye Guan turned to Consort Qin and said, "Auntie, take care of him."

Ye Guan opened his palm, and a tiny pagoda floated over to her. "Activate it only at the critical moment. This is Master Pagoda, and he will protect you both."

Consort Qin accepted the tiny pagoda and said, "Be careful."

Ye Guan nodded. "All right."

Then, he turned and strode towards Wu Zhuguo.

Wu Zhuguo stared at him and said, "No matter who you are or who stands behind you, you dared to offend my Heavenly Tomb Empire today..."

"Spare me your nonsense," Ye Guan interrupted. "If my brother does not ascend the throne today, the Heavenly Tomb Empire will fall."

With that, he suddenly leapt forward, transforming into a streak of sword light that disappeared on the spot.

Decisive Strike!

Although he had no access to his full cultivation base, the power of his attack was terrifying, and it was mostly due to the Qingxuan Sword. Of course, it was still far from his peak.

After all, Ye Guan wielded the Order Sword Intent when he was at his peak!

Sister Zhen and the myriad beings of the Guanxuan Universe were supporting his Order Sword Intent. If he were to unleash it, beings in the Supreme Ancestor Realm would be no more than ants before him, and even those at the Dao Transformation Realm would be utterly unable to resist him.

Moreover, if he were to reforge the Qingxuan Sword, it would become even more terrifying!

Unfortunately, he was too weak to reforge the Qingxuan Sword at the moment.

Wu Zhuguo's eyes constricted, and a solemn light glimmered in his eyes.

He dared not underestimate the oncoming attack.

He stepped forward, and as his foot landed, a mysterious power enveloped the battlefield.

A Martial Domain!

A terrifying martial intent spread out in all directions from within the Martial Domain. Ye Guan's sword slowed down visibly; an invisible force was hindering it.

Wu Zhuguo disappeared and reappeared in midair, launching a punch straight at Ye Guan.

Wu Zhuguo struck with deadly intent from the get-go. His punch was straightforward, overwhelmingly powerful and domineering. It was like a volcanic explosion, and its immense power caused everyone on the battlefield to feel suffocated.

However, instead of retreating, Ye Guan advanced. He circulated his spiritual energy, shattering from the suppression of the Martial Domain. Then, he thrust his sword fiercely toward Wu Zhuguo.

Boom!

Upon contact, a terrifying shockwave erupted, shattering the Martial Domain.

The two were sent flying away.

The Imperial Palace was being protected by a defensive array, preventing it from shattering, but it still trembled violently, creating a terrifying sight.

Before the shockwaves could reach her, Consort Qin quickly placed the tiny pagoda in front of her. The pagoda emitted a burst of golden light, enveloping her and those nearby, protecting them from the shockwaves.

Consort Qin was utterly astonished by the tiny pagoda's prowess.

Not far away, Ye Guan steadied himself, and his face was a bit pale. His biggest issue at the moment wasn't his combat strength but his spiritual energy reserves. His current cultivation base was too low, and the spiritual energy within him couldn't sustain him through prolonged combat.

Meanwhile, Wu Zhuguo glanced at his right hand and saw that it had cracked open, exposing the white bone underneath.

Wu Zhuguo frowned deeply and looked at Ye Guan in the distance. His gaze settled on the broken sword in his hand.

Ye Guan's strength was formidable, but it wasn't

that

formidable. What truly made Ye Guan dangerous was his sword. It amplified his power to an abnormal degree.

With that in mind, Wu Zhuguo suddenly spread his arms wide. A glow emanated from his arms, and the next moment, a pair of dark golden armguards materialized on his forearms.

The armguards gleamed with a dazzling light, radiating an imposing aura.

"Ancestral Dragon Armguards!" someone exclaimed in shock.

These Ancestral Dragon Armguards were forged from special crystals and scales of the Ancestral Dragon. They were exceptionally durable and were among the few rare divine artifacts of the Heavenly Tomb Empire.

Moreover, the divine artifact not only offered impregnable defense but also contained immense power. Whoever equipped it could harness the power of the Ancestral Dragon, and when wielded by a top-tier expert like Wu Zhuguo, it was an extremely huge boost to their strength.

Swoosh!

Wu Zhuguo suddenly vanished.

Boom!

Ye Guan immediately felt as if tens of thousands of mountains were bearing down on him, suffocating him with their crushing weight.

Wu Zhuguo was indeed far superior to ordinary Supreme Ancestor Realm experts. If not for the Qingxuan Sword, the current Ye Guan would stand no chance against him.

Ye Guan took a deep breath, channeling the last remnants of his spiritual energy. Then, he stomped forward.

Hum!

A resonant sword hum echoed throughout the heavens and the earth.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ye Guan transformed into a streak of sword light and charged fiercely at Wu Zhuguo.

Boom!

With a thunderous boom, a dazzling sword light erupted, and both Ye Guan and Wu Zhuguo were sent flying backward.

The surrounding spacetime was torn apart, and at the same time, the array protecting the Imperial Palace shattered.

The officials were stunned, and their faces were pale with shock. Fortunately, another array promptly appeared, protecting the palace once again.

Meanwhile, more and more hidden experts of the Heavenly Tomb Empire emerged, many of whom were in the Supreme Ancestor Realm.

Ye Guan halted his retreat, but blood began to trickle from the corner of his mouth. His current cultivation level was still too slow, and his strength fell short of matching Wu Zhuguo's.

However, Wu Zhuguo wasn't in great condition either. Several horrifying sword wounds marred his body, especially the deep gash in his chest, which exposed his internal organs.

Divine Attendant Pei stared intently at Ye Guan, and a solemn look suffused her face. Ye Guan was still extremely terrifying despite his current predicament. If he were allowed to fully recover...

Divine Attendant Pei dared not imagine.

Emperor Tian Zong glared at Ye Guan, and his eyes brimmed with undisguised killing intent. He had to admit that he was taken aback. He hadn't expected this lone swordsman to storm the imperial palace, let alone possess such devastating strength.

He slowly clenched his right fist, and his thoughts remained inscrutable as he stared at Ye Guan.

Wu Zhuguo noticed something amiss with Ye Guan's condition, so he decided not to give Ye Guan any time to recover and charged at him without hesitation.

Just as he made his move, however, Emperor Tian Zong vanished from his seat and reappeared in front of Ye Guan.

Two against one!

Everyone was stunned!