Chapter 1423: Big-Hearted Fool

In the end, after constant persuasion from Eternal Civilization and the Old Lands Civilization, Sui Gujin finally agreed to take on the task, but she made it seem like she was

very

reluctant to do so.

After the meeting, she made her way to the Divine Martial Arena.

The Chief Martial Officer appeared beside her and asked, "Didn't you say it would be better if the Old Lands Civilization and Eternal Civilization didn't join us? Why did you change your mind?"

Sui Gujin calmly replied, "From the perspective of our Suiming Civilization, of course, it would be better if they didn't join. Ideally, we ought to swallow them whole and enjoy all the benefits ourselves. But from Young Master Ye's perspective, having all three civilizations join us is the better option."

The Chief Martial Officer turned to look at Sui Gujin.

Sui Gujin raised her head, gazing at the distant Divine Martial Arena. "Since he aspires to become the Universe Ruler, I must also broaden my perspective."

The Chief Martial Officer nodded in understanding.

Sui Gujin asked, "Any movement from her?"

The Chief Martial Officer shook his head. "None."

Sui Gujin frowned.

Seeing her face, the Chief Martial Officer was confused. "Isn't that a good thing?"

Sui Gujin shook her head. "No movement means she's completely confident. She must have something planned."

A trace of worry flickered in Sui Gujin's eyes. She was not afraid of opponents who confronted her openly. What truly unsettled her was the Great Daoist Brush Master. She knew almost nothing about him, and when one knew nothing about one's opponent, one would have no idea of their next move.

The enemy was lurking in the shadows, while she was standing in the light.

What she feared most was that the opponent might make a move beyond her comprehension. That was going to be difficult to deal with.

Sui Gujin glanced at Ye Guan inside the Divine Martial Arena, and a flicker of complex light flickered in her eyes. "The path he's chosen is not an easy one."

The Chief Martial Officer replied, "How could the path to becoming the Universe Ruler ever be easy?"

"Indeed."

"What about Fan Zhaodi?"

"No need to worry about her. She's one of us. Just keep an eye on Shang Hongyi; she is highly likely to be connected to the Great Daoist Brush Master."

"Understood."

"From what I know, that woman took a young lady away..."

"You're saying...?"

"That young lady has a complicated emotional connection with Ye Guan. What I fear is that they will use her to manipulate him... This game is too vast and too deep. I'm truly exhausted."

"Then why did you choose to side with him so resolutely in the first place?"

Sui Gujin glanced at him but did not answer.

The Chief Martial Officer frowned. "Can you not look at your brother like he's an idiot?"

Sui Gujin smirked. "Do you know why his father and aunt didn't kill me back then? Because they were giving me a chance. If I hadn't seized that, do you really think I'd still be alive?"

"His father is good to him and has been doing a lot for him, but he never said anything about it." The Chief Martial Officer sighed. After a brief silence, he added, "Why don't you try studying the spacetime inside his pagoda?"

Sui Gujin stared at him.

The Chief Martial Officer's face instantly fell. That look was downright insulting... and the worst part? He couldn't even argue against it. He felt utterly suffocated.

Sui Gujin saw that and decided not to humiliate him any further. Instead, she said, "Imagine this—you're a god-like being crushing a star before a primitive human. You'll then ask that person to study it.

"Tell me, what do you think they'll come up with?"

Sui Gujin walked forward slowly. When she reached the Divine Martial Arena, the place trembled slightly, and Ye Guan emerged from within the arena.

Ye Guan smiled. "Lady Sui."

Sui Gujin asked, "Gained a lot?"

"A ton," Ye Guan said, nodding.

"That's good."

"Did you come to see me for something?"

"I've convinced the Old Lands Civilization and the Eternal Civilization. They have agreed to let you join the Old Lands."

"They agreed?"

"Yes."

"Lady Sui, how did you manage that?"

"It took some effort, of course, but nothing too complicated. I came to see you because I want to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

"How much do you know about the Great Daoist Brush Master?"

"Not much, but I do know that he was once my father's rival, and he seems to have some connection to my grandfather as well. Beyond that, I'm not sure."

"I suspect he's the one targeting you."

"No need to suspect. It's definitely him."

"Right now, he's in the shadows while we're in the open. That puts us at a major disadvantage..."

"I know... but there's nothing I can do," said Ye Guan. A hint of helplessness appeared on his face. Even though he knew the Great Daoist Brush Master was targeting him, he truly had no way to fight back.

Sui Gujin said, "There is a way."

Ye Guan froze.

Sui Gujin stared at him with her eyes as deep as the cosmos.

Moments later, he realized what she was trying to say, and he was shocked.

"Y-You mean..."

Sui Gujin locked eyes with him. "Don't say it out loud. Let's talk inside the pagoda."

Ye Guan nodded.

The two of them entered the pagoda. They sat together on a spacious, empty patch of ground and talked for a long, long time. Sui Gujin remained calm throughout, while Ye Guan became more and more excited as the conversation went on.

However, no one knew what they talked about.

After leaving the pagoda, Ye Guan looked at Sui Gujin with a changed gaze. He was full of admiration for her. She was a true genius!

Sui Gujin said, "Keep on cultivating. I'm going to take care of something. I'll be borrowing your pagoda for a while."

Ye Guan quickly nodded. "Sure, of course!"

He then handed over the tiny pagoda to Sui Gujin.

"Your sword..." Sui Gujin muttered.

Without any hesitation, Ye Guan took out the Qingxuan Sword and handed it to her.

She accepted them, then turned and left.

Ye Guan watched her departing figure, deep in thought, but he didn't dwell on his thoughts for too long. He turned around and returned to the Divine Martial Arena to continue cultivating.

He was almost done fusing his sword techniques together. At this point, he just had to refine them through real battles.

***

Inside the Strategist Pavilion, the Ancestral Dao was seated at a desk, staring wearily at the mountain of confidential documents in front of him. His head was aching.

He was now officially part of the Strategist Pavilion, but his rank wasn't high at all, so he was stuck handling all kinds of menial tasks. He felt that this was completely beneath someone of his status.

Just then, he saw Sui Gujin walk in. Seeing her, he stood up and hurried over. His face was blooming with a flattering smile as he greeted her. "Lady Sui..."

Sui Gujin looked at him. "What is it?"

The Ancestral Dao asked, "When are we going to make a move on Ye Guan? I'm telling you that guy's talent is terrifying, and he grows at a ridiculous rate. With all due respect, if you give him even a little more time, he'll leave the Old Lands in the dust.

"If we're going to deal with him, it must

be early, and it must

be ruthless. We absolutely cannot afford to underestimate him. Just go all out and take him down!"

Sui Gujin nodded slightly. "That's an excellent suggestion. You're a real talent. Keep up the good work."

With that, she walked away into the distance.

From behind, the Ancestral Dao added, "You absolutely must not underestimate him..."

Sui Gujin sat down and saw several confidential documents on the desk. She opened and reviewed them one by one, but when she reached the final one, her brows furrowed deeply. "Sky."

Swoosh!

A woman clad in sleek mecha armor appeared not far in front of her.

Sui Gujin asked, "Any updates?"

The armored woman replied, "Team Sky just sent word about how a new Immortal Domain Secret Realm has appeared in the Genesis Starry Region, which is about ten billion star years from here.

"It's likely to be connected to the legendary Ancestral Civilization, but we can't confirm it yet."

"What about the surrounding civilizations?"

"They're very weak."

Sui Gujin fell silent. The Ancestral Civilization...

The armored woman asked, "Should we send someone...?"

Sui Gujin waved her hand. "No need. Let the nearby civilizations probe it first."

"Understood," the armored woman said. With that, she stepped back and retreated into the shadows.

Sui Gujin leaned back in her chair, deep in thought.

The Ancestral Civilization... All of the Old Lands and the major Immortal Domains had been scouring the universe for traces of the Ancestral Civilization, but after so many years, there had been little progress.

Trying to rediscover a civilization that once vanished in the vast expanse was... no easy task at all.

An Immortal Domain Secret Realm appeared out of nowhere, and it was apparently connected to the Ancestral Civilization.

Sui Gujin frowned.

Is this just a coincidence?

She didn't dwell on it too long. Leaving the small pavilion, she soon arrived at the Old Land Divine Hall. The elders of the three civilizations arrived shortly after.

Seeing her, Qiu Yuan of the Old Lands Civilization immediately put on a bright, eager smile as he asked, "Lady Sui, so? Any progress?"

Sui Gujin's expression turned cold. "That Ye Guan is extremely difficult to deal with."

Qiu Yuan's face darkened. "Does he want to fight us?"

Li Chen of the Eternal Civilization also frowned deeply. "If that's the case, we should immediately join forces and eliminate him, but... is he really going to go to war with us?"

Sui Gujin replied, "He doesn't exactly want to fight, but he also has no intention of working with us."

Li Chen asked in confusion, "Why not?"

Sui Gujin said calmly, "He said that we're too weak. We're not worthy of becoming his allies."

"What?!" Qiu Yuan instantly erupted in fury. "Outrageous! How arrogant is this kid?! He—I can't take it anymore! We must fight him and not hold back!"

Li Chen's expression turned grim.

This Ye Guan... truly arrogant beyond belief.

At that moment, Sui Gujin added, "There's no need to go that far. He didn't say that he wanted to be enemies with us either. Oh, and he casually gave me a tiny pagoda."

"A tiny pagoda?" Both of them were confused.

Sui Gujin led them into the pagoda, and the two were stupefied by the sight before them.

Qiu Yuan's voice trembled. "H-He gave this to you...

casually?

"

Sui Gujin nodded.

Li Chen stammered, "W-Why?"

Sui Gujin replied, "He said this thing's outdated and thought it was a waste to just toss it away, so he gave it to me."

Qiu Yuan looked around, and his voice was still shaking as he said, "C-Can you... introduce that big-hearted fool to me? Just for a little meet and greet?"