Chapter 1418: The Son Borrows, the Father Pays

The Chief Martial Officer...

Ye Guan looked at the middle-aged man before him. He had to admit that the man's strength took him by surprise. he was far stronger than the previous Immortal Emperor Lords he had encountered.

Without hesitation, Ye Guan transformed into a sword light and vanished from where he stood.

Shing!

A flash of sword light streaked across the battlefield.

In the distance, the middle-aged man extended his right hand and pressed down lightly. A terrifying force erupted from his palm, forcibly halting Ye Guan's sword strike several meters away.

Ye Guan twisted the sword in his right hand.

Two types of sword intent appeared simultaneously, shattering the middle-aged man's fist energy. Then, Ye Guan's sword flew forward, slashing toward the man, but at that moment, the middle-aged man suddenly turned illusory.

Ye Guan's sword strike struck nothing but air!

He spun around, slashing his sword in a wide arc. The sword light cascaded down like a waterfall.

At the very same moment, a terrifying fist flew toward Ye Guan with the force of a lightning bolt, distorting the spacetime fabric around them. Under the immense power, Ye Guan's sword light shattered.

The impact sent him stumbling backward.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man vanished once more. In the blink of an eye, the Divine Martial Arena was engulfed by countless fist lights.

The arena trembled violently.

Hum!

Just then, a resonant sword hum echoed across the arena. A moment later, the sea of fist lights was torn apart. Sword light flooded the Divine Martial Arena, covering everything in its radiant glow.

It was a fierce battle with sword light and fist lights clashing relentlessly throughout the arena.

At this point, Ye Guan had unleashed his full strength. The sword aura emanating from him was no weaker than the martial aura of the middle-aged man.

Neither side could gain the upper hand.

Outside the arena, Sui Gujin had been observing the battle closely. Not a single detail escaped her eyes.

Boom!

Suddenly, a terrifying martial energy erupted within the arena. The next moment, the sword lights were extinguished.

The middle-aged man slowly ascended into the air. At this moment, the aura around him was no longer martial aura but the terrifying aura of Laws. In the presence of such Laws, Ye Guan's sword aura was completely suppressed.

Ye Guan frowned. He could feel an overwhelming pressure as if a massive boulder had been placed upon his chest.

The middle-aged man spread his palm and pressed down forcefully. The Divine Martial Arena trembled violently as layers of powerful energy swept toward Ye Guan like a tidal wave. Even the star field around them became blurry.

The Divine Martial Arena couldn't contain the middle-aged man's power.

Ye Guan took a deep breath. The Mad Demon Bloodline within him surged wildly. In an instant, he transformed into a blood-red sword light and shot toward the middle-aged man.

Boom!

In the star field, a thunderous explosion erupted. On the Divine Martial Arena, terrifying waves of energy spread outward. Fortunately, a mysterious barrier was covering the arena, preventing the shockwaves from obliterating the star field outside.

After a long while, calm returned to the arena. Ye Guan and the middle-aged man faced each other from a distance. A trickle of blood slid down from the corner of Ye Guan's mouth.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man had over a dozen deep sword wounds all over him. The man stared at Ye Guan but said nothing. Moments later, he turned around and disappeared.

At that moment, Sui Gujin appeared before Ye Guan.

Ye Guan wiped away the blood on his lips. "What was that power?"

Sui Gujin replied, "The power of the Ten Thousand Dao Laws. However, he was merely borrowing them, not commanding them, so his strength is still far below Shang Hongyi."

Ye Guan's expression grew serious. "He was incredibly strong."

"If you use your faith power, bloodlines, and that sword of yours, you would be his match."

"You want to help me become even stronger?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Instead of answering, Sui Gujin changed the topic, asking, "Why are you not using your faith power?"

She was genuinely curious. Ye Guan had never used faith power except for when he wielded it against the Dao Illumination. Since then, his faith power had to have undergone a fundamental transformation, especially as those who believed in him were all training inside the tiny pagoda.

Ye Guan smiled. "I won't hide it from you. There are two reasons. First of all, I don't want to become overly reliant on faith power. Secondly, a hidden trump card won't hurt, will it?"

Sui Gujin was slightly surprised by his honesty. She stared at him for a moment before saying, "Your strength is already extraordinary. At your age, you are a one-in-a-billion prodigy.

"Unfortunately, you're still too weak compared to what you must accomplish, and your enemies are unimaginably strong. You don't cultivate the realms, so the only way for you to grow stronger is through intense battles.

"Only by fighting can you refine your sword intent and sharpen your combat awareness to the absolute limit. Through the fight just now, I saw that you have not yet reached your full potential."

"What should I do to reach that then?"

Sui Gujin glanced at the Divine Martial Arena beneath them. "Train in here."

Ye Guan hesitated. "I don't have money."

Sui Gujin looked at him. "You can just pay me later."

"Can my father pay later?"

Sui Gujin stared at him in silence.

Ye Guan chuckled awkwardly. "I really am broke."

Sui Gujin spread her palm. A scroll appeared in her hand, which she handed to Ye Guan. "This is an IOU. I've already written it. Just sign your name and leave a blood imprint."

Ye Guan solemnly said, "Miss Sui, I'm a swordsman. My word is as good as—"

Sui Gujin cut him off. "Enough talk. Sign it."

Ye Guan was dumbfounded.

In the end, Ye Guan signed it and left a bloodprint on the IOU.

Sui Gujin put away the IOU. "I'll activate the Divine Martial Arena at its highest difficulty level. Inside, you'll fight endlessly against the greatest cultivators of Suiming Civilization. Each one of them has their unique martial art and techniques.

"How much you'll gain depends on your own comprehension level."

Ye Guan nodded. "Alright."

Sui Gujin produced a shining golden seed and handed it to him. "Swallow this."

Ye Guan asked, "What is it?"

Sui Gujin replied, "A Life Seed. Don't worry; it won't turn you into a fruit. It serves as an identity marker. Once other people see it, they'll recognize you as one of us. Otherwise, they'll kill you."

Ye Guan nodded. "I trust you, Miss Sui."

"If you truly trusted me, you wouldn't have said that," Sui Gujin said. Then, she turned around and left.

Ye Guan watched her leave. He was naturally wary of her, very, very wary. He had to carefully analyze anything she did, as he was afraid of missing out on any hints.

Ye Guan sighed softly. His enemies were getting stronger and more cunning. Sometimes, he would feel extremely exhausted. At this rate, his brain was going to explode.

Great Daoist Brush Master! Shang Hongyi! And now, Sui Gujin...

Ye Guan suddenly said,

"Master Pagoda, you've been with us for three generations. Have you met anyone particularly intelligent? Introduce me to them."

Little Pagoda replied,

"There are two."

Ye Guan quickly asked, "Who?"

Little Pagoda answered,

"Lady Ding and Lady Mu."

"Can you help me contact them?"

"No."

Ye Guan was puzzled,

"Why?"

"I don't have enough influence."

Ye Guan's face immediately darkened.

Little Pagoda continued,

"Kid, don't underestimate me. I have a brilliant plan that will definitely solve your current troubles."

Ye Guan became curious, "What plan?"

Little Pagoda said,

"Marry that Lady Sui. That way, you won't just gain another powerful ally but also a capable wife. You can even bring the entire Suiming Civilization under your control. Truly, it's killing multiple birds with one stone."

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Ye Guan nodded.

"Brilliant, truly brilliant."

Little Pagoda became excited, and he exclaimed,

"Really?! Your grandfather and your father did the same—ah, I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything when I said that. Okay, I'll stop talking now."

Ye Guan was speechless.

At that moment, the array beneath his feet activated. A blue light enveloped him, and in an instant, he was transported into a vast void.

Ye Guan gripped the Qingxuan Sword tightly, staying alert as he observed his surroundings. The next moment, his expression changed greatly.

***

Meanwhile, Sui Gujin gazed at the distant Divine Martial Arena in silence.

Just then, the Chief Martial Officer appeared beside her. He looked at the arena in the distance and asked, "Are you really going to let him join the Old Lands?"

Sui Gujin nodded.

The Chief Martial Officer frowned slightly and looked at her. "What exactly are you scheming?"

A bitter smile tugged at Sui Gujin's lips. "Brother, do you also think that I'm scheming something?"

The Chief Martial Officer nodded. "Yes."

He knew his sister's nature, so he knew that she would never do anything meaningless.

Sui Gujin looked at the Divine Martial Arena in the distance.

"What do you think of him?" she asked.

The Chief Martial Officer said, "An unparalleled monster. Even in the Old Lands, he has no rivals."

Sui Gujin nodded. "He is highly wary of me, afraid that I'll trick him. Of course, I understand why. He is very smart in many ways, but in others, he is actually quite foolish."

The Chief Martial Officer turned to look at her.

Sui Gujin's expression carried a trace of bitterness. "Do you know how powerful his aunt and father are? I can confidently say that they have long surpassed all existing civilizations, even the legendary Ancestral Civilization..."

"Having him join the Old Lands is indeed part of a plan, but it's not about scheming against him," Sui Gujin closed her eyes. "It's about saving our Suiming Civilization! His father and aunt are so powerful. If we don't surrender now, doesn't that mean that we're simply waiting for our demise?

"It can't even be called 'working together.' I just want to retain a bit of our dignity by surrendering."

Sui Gujin truly felt helpless.

The middle-aged man frowned slightly. "Didn't his father say that he won't interfere for the next ten years?"

"I don't believe even a damn word of what he said," replied Sui Gujin.