Chapter 1414: Remove Her

Clearly, she had chosen to take Ye Guan's side. She had no reason to refuse, even though she knew that in the future, he would most likely absorb the Suiming Civilization.

Despite that, being absorbed was still better than being destroyed. In fact, this could be a golden opportunity for the Suiming Civilization.

Right now, they were nothing more than a chess piece. However, as long as they sided with the right player, even a chess piece could flip the board.

Yes, this was a valuable opportunity for the Suiming Civilization. Now, she had to prove their worth. Otherwise, they would be discarded. Without any hesitation, she made up her mind. She was going to cooperate with Ye Guan.

Hearing what Sui Gujin said, Ye Guan muttered, "Lady Sui, you've really woken me up."

Only after Shang Hongyi disappeared did he realize that he was in a bigger game, but he had never considered the possibility that his father and aunt could be one of the players.

Sui Gujin's words had snapped him awake.

Why couldn't his father and aunt be the ones pulling the strings behind the scenes? Especially since his father had just played that trick on him... That was clearly to make his life more difficult, but then again, that was his own problem.

His father had already given him a choice.

Thinking of that, Ye Guan couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Deep down, though, he felt warm. His father hadn't set him up to fail and had given him a chance. It was just a skill issue on his side. In other words, even if he ended up losing the bet, he would have no complaints.

Of course, he deduced that it had something to do with his father's

upbringing

and how his grandfather had treated his father at the time. Perhaps that was why his father understood how difficult it was to be a son.

While his father had made things difficult for him, he still left some room for him to breathe.

"Young Master Ye, you have two urgent problems that must be handled as soon as possible..." Sui Gujin trailed off.

Ye Guan looked at Sui Gujin. He naturally understood what she was trying to say and said, "Lady Sui, I can't promise you anything right now. Even if I say something, you probably won't believe me.

"I understand that the Suiming Civilization doesn't want to submit to me. After all, the Suiming Civilization is stronger and more advanced than my Guanxuan Civilization

right now.

Asking a high-tier civilization to submit to a low-tier one... that doesn't make sense at all."

"But the keywords are 'right now.'"

"To be honest, my goal is indeed to unify the vast expanse and establish a brand-new order. But don't worry, Lady Sui, I won't attempt anything like that unless my strength surpasses the Suiming Civilization.

"If that day comes, then we'll talk again. As for the final outcome, we'll see it when the time comes. How about that?"

Suddenly, Little Pagoda excitedly chimed in,

"Kid, I get what you mean! You're basically seeking common ground while preserving differences. You're not going to argue about conflicts right now. Instead, you're going to focus on cooperation and mutual benefit first. You'll deal with bigger issues later, right?"

Ye Guan ignored him.

Sui Gujin fell silent in deep thought. After a long pause, she nodded. "Alright."

Ye Guan smiled.

"However, Young Master Ye, you must know that I cannot represent the Suiming Civilization. For now, this cooperation is just between you and me personally. It has nothing to do with the Suiming Civilization."

Ye Guan fell silent. Sui Gujin was sharp. He had to get her on his side!

If he could bring a talent like her with him to the Guanxuan Universe, he would be spared from so many issues. Right now, he truly lacked people like her.

Ye Guan smiled. "That works for me."

Sui Gujin nodded upon hearing that and said, "Young Master Ye, you cultivate the Dao of Order, and your goal is to unify the vast expanse. That means your ultimate goal must be the Ancestral Civilization and to become the Universe Ruler.

"To achieve that, you will inevitably have to participate in the Great Dao Contest, and to be frank, you are too weak for that."

Ye Guan nodded. "I know."

She continued, "Then there's the second issue, going back to what we discussed earlier. If you truly are a chess piece in someone's game, and if your father and aunt are one of the players, then who are their enemies?

"How strong is their opponent? Do you know?"

Ye Guan admitted, "I have a guess, but I'm not sure."

Sui Gujin said, "Regardless of whether your guess is correct, one thing is certain—they are extremely terrifying, and..."

Sui Gujin didn't finish her sentence.

Ye Guan said, "And Shang Hongyi is most likely on his side?"

"That's right." Sui Gujin nodded.

"What exactly is her identity in the Old Lands?"

"Young Master Ye, why ask when you already know the answer?"

"She's really the Old Lands Sovereign?"

The Old Lands Sovereign! Her mere appearance was enough to make people from all three civilizations of the Old Lands bow toward her. There was no doubt that she was indeed the Old Lands Sovereign.

He had heard of the Old Lands Sovereign from the Holy Throne, but he hadn't taken it seriously. Why? It was all because the Holy Throne told him that the Old Lands Sovereign was merely a symbolic figure—a puppet of the three civilizations.

However, it was clear to him that she was no puppet.

Ye Guan looked at Sui Gujin and smiled. "Lady Sui, you seem a bit surprised as well."

Sui Gujin nodded. "I am."

"I heard that the Old Lands Sovereign was just a figurehead created by the three civilizations..." Ye Guan trailed off.

Sui Gujin said calmly, "That

was

indeed the case."

Ye Guan was puzzled.

Sui Gujin said, "We put her in place to maintain balance, and she doesn't have any real power. However, it's clear that she has broken free from our control."

A complex light flashed in her eyes.

"What if we remove her from her position?" Ye Guan asked.

"We have to impeach her, then, but do you know how difficult that is?"

Ye Guan frowned.

"All three civilizations must vote in favor of her impeachment. The problem is that she hasn't done anything wrong. How do we justify removing her? After all, the decision to kill you was made collectively by our three civilizations. She was simply carrying out that decision.

"Furthermore, she lost an avatar in the Old Lands, which had to have weakened her severely. Even my Suiming Civilization won't dare make a move against her at this point. Of course, the other two civilizations definitely feel the same. I can't even bring that up. If I do, I'll be labeled as a traitor."

Ye Guan's face darkened. The situation was far more complicated than he had imagined.

"If the people of the Old Lands had witnessed your father's strength, perhaps they would choose to take your side, just as I did. The problem is that the only ones who are still alive are me and her. This is truly difficult."

"But you have a plan, right?"

"We have to frame her."

"That's not a bad idea."

"It's the only way to turn a passive situation into an active one."

"Alright."

"Let's do it."

"Lady Sui, forgive me."

With that, Ye Guan thrust the Qingxuan Sword into Sui Gujin's left shoulder, and blood instantly soaked her clothes. Just as he was about to pull the sword out, she said, "Not enough."

Ye Guan hesitated for a moment before tightening his grip on the sword and exerting more force. Sui Gujin extended her palm, and a scroll fell in front of Ye Guan.

"For the meantime, go here and wait for my message."

"Alright," Ye Guan replied. He then withdrew the Qingxuan Sword, causing more blood to gush out of Sui Gujin's wounds.

Sui Gujin said nothing, turned around, and disappeared into the distance.

Little Pagoda was puzzled.

"Kid, what kind of tricks are you two playing?"

Ye Guan said softly, "When Shang Hongyi returns, she can claim that Lady Sui and I have joined forces, which will put Lady Sui in a very passive position.

"With that possibility in mind, we decided to strike first. Lady Sui will go back and tell the three civilizations that Shang Hongyi and I are actually working together. It's simple. We frame her first, forcing her to prove she has nothing to do with me. That way, we can turn a passive situation into an active one."

Little Pagoda was silent for a moment before saying,

"For a second there, I couldn't tell who the real villain is."

Little Soul chuckled.

"I think it's fine. The concepts of good and evil are never black and white. As long as we can live with our conscience, any means are justified. Otherwise, if we wait until the other side strikes first, we'll be in a difficult position."

Little Pagoda agreed,

"Little Soul has a point. I'm just feeling a bit sentimental."

Ye Guan smiled.

"What are you feeling sentimental about, Master Pagoda?"

"I'm amazed at how smart you are, kid,"

Little Pagoda admitted. "Anyway, do you really think that she's truly willing to be your ally?"

"Nope," Ye Guan said calmly.

Little Pagoda asked,

"So you're also wary of her?"

Ye Guan slowly closed his eyes. "She's smart. She's so smart that she actually scares me a little. When dealing with people like her, trying to outsmart them is pointless. What I need to do is become even stronger. Once I become truly invincible, she will always make choices that benefit me.

"That's the difference between smart people and fools. Fools will never change their stance; once they decide to go against someone, they'll fight to the end without thinking.

"However, smart people don't do that. Smart people will assess the situation and adjust their stance based on their vested interests."

***

High-ranking elders from the three civilizations were gathered in a divine hall somewhere in the Old Lands.

"What?!" a red-robed elder exclaimed in disbelief, "The Old Lands Sovereign is working together with Ye Guan? Lady Sui, a-are you certain about that?"

Sui Gujin remained calm as she replied, "You all know that I, Sui Gujin, have never lied in my entire life."