Chapter 1353: A Supreme Emperor Cannot Be Humiliated

Ye Guan looked at her in surprise, but he quickly understood.

Diyi Jingzhao's expression remained calm.

Ye Guan smiled, saying nothing, and walked towards the exit.

Diyi Jingzhao stared at the stall that sold the eggs before turning to follow him.

After leaving Mu Pavilion, the two of them headed back to the Diyi Clan Residence. Along the way, Ye Guan flipped through the thick Ancient History book.

He had to admit that it was incredibly detailed. It documented all major events from the Ancient Era until now, spanning sixty billion years. It even recorded notable geniuses from each era.

Naturally, only the most extraordinary ones, the ones who stood above all others during their era, were recorded.

As for the first Supreme Emperor of the Ten Desolate Universe and the Era of Emperors, the book only wrote a few words, saying, "The world trembles before the Supreme Emperor emerges."

That marked the first time a Supreme Emperor appeared in this universe!

Before the First Supreme Emperor, this universe was dominated by countless prodigies competing for supremacy. Once he appeared, he crushed all geniuses, and it was an absolute suppression.

Everyone could only submit to him, and they had no other choice but to do so.

Once someone became a Supreme Emperor, they would stand above everyone, ruling with unquestionable dominance.

Seeing that Ye Guan was completely absorbed in the book, Diyi Jingzhao didn't interrupt him at first. Soon, she frowned slightly and reached out, tugging on his sleeve.

Ye Guan snapped out his thoughts and looked ahead. He saw two swordsmen approaching them from the distance. The figures belonged to a woman with a longsword and an elderly swordsman.

The woman with a longsword and the elderly swordsman stood before Ye Guan and Diyi Jingzhao.

The woman with a longsword glanced at Ye Guan before turning to Diyi Jingzhao, saying, "Clan Leader Jingzhao, we're here for that broken sword. If you're willing to hand it over, our Emperor Sword Clan will be deeply grateful."

Diyi Jingzhan calmly replied, "And if I refuse?"

The woman with a longsword narrowed her eyes. "Then that means you're refusing to show my Emperor Sword Clan the respect that we deserve."

"Then so be it," Diyi Jingzhao answered without any hesitation.

Schwing!

The sound of swords being unsheathed pervaded the air in an instant as hundreds of swordsmen tore through spacetime and appeared, surrounding Ye Guan and Diyi Jingzhao within mere moments.

There were six Half-Step Beyond Dao Realm cultivators among them.

The woman with a longsword locked her gaze on Diyi Jingzhao and coldly said, "Clan Leader Jingzhao, our Emperor Sword Clan has never had any grievances with the Diyi Clan, and we do not wish to create one..."

"Shut up!" Diyi Jingzhao exclaimed before the woman with a longsword could finish her sentence. She flicked her sleeve, and a terrifying wave of energy swept toward the woman with a longsword.

The woman with a longsword reacted swiftly, but...

Boom!

Thousands of terrifying auras descended upon them.

The experts of the Diyi Clan were here!

The Emperor Sword Clan cultivators had been surrounded in an instant.

Diyi Jingzhao's expression remained cold and indifferent. "Take them all down."

Daring to make a move in Diyi City? That was a direct provocation, a blatant act of disrespect against the Diyi Clan!

Take them all down!

When Diyi Jingzhao gave the order, the Diyi Clan experts immediately made a move.

Boom!

Just then, the skies were ripped apart, and a white-robed old man stepped out of a spacetime rift. As soon as he appeared, an earth-shattering sword aura swept across the heavens, crushing everything under its might.

He was the Clan Leader of the Emperor Sword Clan, Gong Shuang! He gazed down at Diyi Jingzhao from above and coldly said, "Clan Leader Jingzhao, if even a single one of my clan's disciples ends up dying here today, this entire city will be buried with them."

The experts of the Diyi Clan erupted in fury.

Meanwhile, Diyi Jingzhao calmly stared at Gong Shuang and replied, "

Oh?

Is that so?"

Gong Shuang's gaze sharpened. "Try me."

Diyi Jingzhao's eyes flashed with killing intent.

Kust as she was about to speak, Ye Guan grabbed her arm and said, "Something's not right."

Diyi Jingzhao fell silent. Of course, she knew something was off. Gong Shuang had come and was even willing to risk war with the Diyi Clan over a sword, but Diyi Jingzhao couldn't care less.

The Emperor Sword Clan was pushing things too far. If she were to back down today, then anyone would dare to trample on the Diyi Clan in the future.

Diyi Jingzhao's killing intent surged. Just as she was about to give her order, Ye Guan tightened his grip on her arm. He looked at her and said, "If you trust me, let me handle this."

Diyi Jingzhao stared at him for a moment before she nodded and relented. "Fine."

Ye Guan turned his gaze towards Gong Shuang and smiled. "As the saying goes, it's better to resolve a grudge than to deepen one. Fighting over a mere sword isn't worth it. Here, take it back."

He casually tossed the broken sword into the air. Gong Shuang instinctively reached out and caught it.

There was silence for a moment.

Everyone was stunned, and the experts from the Diyi Clan could hardly believe their eyes.

Then, their expressions twisted with fury. Their gazes burned with rage, and some even looked like they wanted to charge forward and punch him.

Even Diyi Jingzhao stared at him in disbelief.

"

Hahaha!

" Gong Shuang burst out into a peal of laughter. He glanced mockingly at Ye Guan and sneered, "This is the so-called Supreme Emperor? This is the mighty Diyi Clan? What an absolute joke!"

With that, he waved his sleeve and led his people into the starry skies.

Ye Guan glanced at the sky before withdrawing his gaze.

Diyi Jingzhao snapped, "Let go!"

Ye Guan turned to look at her and saw that she was trembling with rage. She was staring at him with burning eyes, and her voice was filled with fury as she yelled, "You told me to trust you, so what have you done?!"

Ye Guan remained calm.

Diyi Jingzhao's anger exploded. "Do you have any idea that a Supreme Emperor cannot be humiliated?"

With that, she flung her sleeve and stormed off.

She felt utterly humiliated! However, it wasn't because the Emperor Sword Clan had insulted the Diyi Clan. Instead, it was the fact that they insulted Ye Guan.

However, Ye Guan's reaction was even more egregious to her. In her heart, a Supreme Emperor was supposed to be untouchable, above all else.

That was why, even after Ye Guan had lost his cultivation, she still treated him with utmost respect.

Today, Ye Guan had actually chosen to compromise. A deep and crushing disappointment settled in her chest. In her eyes, a Supreme Emperor ought to die rather than allow themselves to be humiliated.

The experts of the Diyi Clan were no less furious than her. They glared at Ye Guan with murderous intent before turning away and following Diyi Jingzhao.

Ye Guan merely watched as she stormed away in anger. After a moment, he shook his head and chuckled. Without saying a word, he turned around and left.

Instead of returning to the Diyi Clan's residence, he wandered through the city until he found an abandoned, deserted house. He decided to settle there temporarily.

Upon settling down inside the abandoned house, he pulled out a thick book and began flipping through its pages with rapt attention.

The records detailed the rise of the First Supreme Emperor and the eventual fall of the next one. Every clue within the book pointed toward the Suiming Ruins and the mysterious Tianxing Tree.

Determined to uncover the truth, Ye Guan immersed himself in the book, seeking answers about the lost civilization and the secrets hidden within the Suiming Ruins.

***

Gong Shuang led his swordsmen back to the clan. As soon as he returned, he headed straight for his cultivation chambers.

Just then, a phantom suddenly appeared before him. The phantom gradually solidified into a middle-aged man with a slightly stout physique. He was none other than Qin Hao, the leader of the Qin Clan, a Supreme Emperor Clan.

Qin Hao chuckled and said, "You openly provoked them, but Diyi Jingzhao actually endured it. As for that so-called Supreme Emperor, Ye Guan, he willingly allowed himself to be humiliated without displaying even a shred of a Supreme Emperor's dignity. That really is hilarious."

Swoosh!

A middle-aged man appeared in the room. He was Jun Yu, the clan leader of the Jun Clan.

"This whole situation is rather strange."

Both Qin Hao and Gong Shuang turned to look at him.

Jun Yu explained, "First, the Diyi Clan went so far as to give up an Emperor-grade weapon for Ye Guan, a man who has lost all his cultivation.

That alone is highly unusual. Secondly, after Ye Guan became a Supreme Emperor, he chose to scatter his cultivation and walk down an unorthodox path. That, too, is really suspicious."

Qin Hao laughed. "Brother Jun, if we're going down this path of reasoning, then his sudden ascension to Supreme Emperor is already an anomaly in itself."

Jun Yu furrowed his brows.

"A young swordsman from a remote starry region suddenly became a Supreme Emperor. It's ridiculous, yet it happened. There's no point in dwelling on that now. What truly matters is how we can get rid of the Diyi Clan."

"As for Ye Guan..." Qin Hao trailed off. Of course, he wanted Ye Guan dead. However, the Qin Clan would never personally make a move against him. The karmic consequences of slaying a Supreme Emperor were something the Qin Clan could not afford to bear.

The smaller and more lawless a place was, the less it cared about the consequences. However, the laws of karma in this starry region couldn't be trifled with. If they were to kill a Supreme Emperor, the backlash from karma would be too overwhelming for them to bear. The Qin Clan wouldn't survive it.

Moreover, their ancestors had manifested and issued a decree that no one in the Qin Clan was to kill Ye Guan unless the destiny aura on him had truly disappeared.

That was the only reason they had agreed to let the Diyi Clan take Ye Guan in the first place. He was nothing more than a burning hot potato.

Jun Yu said, "Let's put Ye Guan aside for now and talk about the Diyi Clan. The two avatars of their ancestors will soon enter a period of extreme weakness. When that happens, it will be the perfect time for us to strike."

Qin Hao asked, "What about the remaining Emperor-grade weapon in the Diyi Clan?"

Jun Yu frowned. "Thinking about dividing the spoils before we even win? Are you trying to start an internal conflict?"

"

Hahaha!

" Qin Hao laughed heartily. "I was just asking. We can discuss that after we take down the Diyi Clan."

Jun Yu nodded. "The situation is still unclear. Our three clans must remain tightly united. We mustn't fall into internal strife before achieving our goal."

At the side, Gong Shuang suddenly asked, "Once we take down the Diyi Clan, what should we do with Ye Guan? Are we just going to let him wander around freely?"

Jun Yu replied calmly, "Our ancestors decreed that we cannot kill him, but they never said we couldn't imprison him."

Qin Hao smirked. "That's true."

Gong Shuang nodded, then asked, "Should we notify the Dao Clan, the Mu Clan, the Yuan Clan, the Royal Clan, and the Divine Clan?"

Jun Yu chuckled. "Of course we should. The Diyi Clan has been dominating us for so many years. I refuse to believe that no one holds any resentment toward them. I will contact them myself. This time, we must utterly annihilate the Diyi Clan."

With that, he turned around and left.

Qin Hao left as well.

Once they were gone, Gong Shuang turned and walked into a secret realm. This was his personal cultivation grounds, protected by powerful arrays and restrictions that made it impossible for outsiders to enter without permission.

He took out the broken sword, and his eyes were filled with greed. "After all this time, you've finally fallen into my hands..."

He raised his right hand, placed two fingers on the sword, and drew the sword spirit into his sea of consciousness!