Chapter 1441: Ye Qing

After Shang Hongyi said her piece, the Great Daoist Brush Master's expression darkened. He looked at her and said, "Can you shut up for once?"

Shang Hongyi was clearly somewhat fearful of him. She huffed coldly but didn't dare talk back. She glanced coldly at Ye Guan and was just about to speak again when something dawned on her. Her face changed dramatically, and she turned to Sui Gujin, muttering. "No way..."

Shang Hongyi stared at Sui Gujin in disbelief.

Ye Guan also looked grim when the Civilization Rulers of the Three Great Civilizations appeared. Soon, like Shang Hongyi, he was shocked.

It was all because Qiu Yuan, Li Chen, and the other elders of the Old Lands showed no reaction when seeing the Civilization Rulers. It was as if they had expected to see them here.

Ye Guan turned to Sui Gujin, surprised and confused, but he quickly realized what had happened. He'd spoken to her about the three Civilization Rulers before. Back then, she told him that they hadn't appeared in a very long time.

And which second-in-command hadn't dreamt of taking the top seat?

Clearly, Sui Gujin had already convinced the second-in-commands of the other two civilizations to join her side.

The Civilization Rulers once held power, but the ones truly irreplaceable were the Civilization Founders. Civilization Rulers could be replaced. Moreover, a myriad of powerful experts were supporting the second-in-commands.

They were nurtured, promoted, and empowered by the second-in-commands, so their loyalty was naturally with the second-in-commands. In addition, people tended to follow whoever could offer them the best benefits.

Sui Gujin glanced coldly at Shang Hongyi but said nothing.

Shang Hongyi's face was grim. She had thought this move would be a game-changer, only to discover that Sui Gujin had already swayed their subordinates to her side.

If the people below no longer acknowledged the ones above, then those three Civilization Rulers were nothing more than just powerful soldiers.

The Civilization Rulers realized that, too. The Civilization Ruler of the Old Lands Civilization stepped forward and looked at Qiu Yuan. "So, after all these years, you've grown this bold?"

A terrifying aura surged toward Qiu Yuan.

However, Qiu Yuan stepped forward without fear. His aura as a Domain Lord surged out like a tide, neutralizing the oncoming pressure. He then stared the Civilization Ruler straight in the eye and snapped, "You've ignored the Old Lands for tens of thousands of years.

"What makes you worthy of calling yourself our Civilization Ruler?"

The Lord of the Old Lands stared at Qiu Yuan with narrowed eyes. "Are you looking for death?"

He suddenly punched Qiu Yuan from afar. A blazing fist light headed toward Qiu Yuan like a massive dragon with devastating power. Clearly, he wanted to kill Qiu Yuan and reclaim control over the Old Lands.

Qiu Yuan understood what the Old Lands Lord intended to do, but he wasn't afraid. With the Old Lands Array and the support of the Suiming Civilization's divine trees, he had every reason to stand his ground.

He stomped and charged at the Old Lands Lord like a cannonball, smashing the fist light to pieces on the way.

In the blink of an eye, Qiu Yuan reached the Old Lands Lord.

The Old Lands Lord raised his fist and punched forward.

Boom!

A burst of radiant fist light exploded, and both men were blown away.

However, Qiu Yuan wore a look of exhilaration. Now, he knew that the Old Lands Lord couldn't defeat him.

𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Before the fight, he was nervous. If he ended up losing, it would be game over. They were living in a world where strength mattered the most, and he had just proven to everyone that he was no weaker than their Civilization Ruler.

He could now openly take full control of the Old Lands.

The Old Lands Lord revealed a grim face. He hadn't expected Qiu Yuan to be

this

strong. He realized just then that he had completely lost control of the Old Lands.

The Old Lands Lord turned toward Sui Gujin and sneered, "Pavilion Master Sui, you made a great move."

The other two Civilization Rulers looked at her as well. None of them had expected her to turn their subordinates against them.

How had she done it?

Sui Gujin ignored them entirely. She turned to Shang Hongyi and said, "You must still have a trump card."

Shang Hongyi laughed. "Sui Gujin, you're good at scheming. But—"

Swoosh!

Her face changed before she could finish.

A sword light had silently appeared right in front of her.

She clenched her right hand, and an invisible shield formed before her.

Bang!

She was blasted hundreds of meters away.

Everyone turned to look and saw that the attacker was Ye Guan.

The sword was dead silent and undetectable. Even Immortal Emperor Lords and Domain Lords couldn't have seen it coming.

Shang Hongyi glared at Ye Guan. "How dare—"

Swoosh!

Before she could finish, another sword light silently appeared before her.

Shang Hongyi was shocked and furious. His sword was so eerily silent that she couldn't even sense it. She could only rely on instinct to react, clenching her fist to summon countless Great Daos to condense and shield herself.

Bam!

The sword slashed her throat. She was blasted back again, and when she stopped, she touched her neck. A shallow sword wound was made, and blood trickled out of it.

Shang Hongyi's face grew serious. This strength of the man before her had grown exponentially. He was no longer the ant she could once mock.

Ye Guan looked at her and said, "We might not get another chance like this. Want to trade a few moves?"

Before Shang Hongyi could answer, a voice came from behind her. "Allow me."

It was the masked man. He stepped forward.

Looking at Ye Guan, he said, "Just a spar. No killing."

Ye Guan nodded. "Alright."

The masked man took a step forward, and suddenly, a mysterious domain enveloped the two of them. Within that domain, billions of stars appeared. The masked man's body turned ethereal like smoke, shifting and hazy.

The Domain Lords' faces changed upon seeing that. They could no longer sense the masked man. It seemed that he was beyond the Great Dao of the Observable Universe.

Everyone thought that Domain Lords were above the Great Dao. But in reality, they were only on par with the Great Dao of the Observable Universe. They still had limitations, but the masked man had stepped beyond that Great Dao.

Who was he?

Everyone was baffled. At that moment, Ye Guan made his move. He didn't use the Qingxuan Sword but used his ordinary Order Intent Sword. It streaked through the air like a lightning bolt and reached the masked man, but it phased through him.

It couldn't hit him?

Ye Guan frowned.

The masked man smiled. "This technique is called Beyond the Great Dao. Of course, I mean the Great Dao of this Observable Universe. I've never used it against anyone before. You'd best be careful."

Ye Guan smiled back. "Alright."

The masked man opened his palm and pressed it toward Ye Guan.

Billions of stars came crashing down on Ye Guan, and each one of them was stronger than the last. Each star even contained a unique Great Dao.

He was the Master of All Daos! The masked man had grasped the Great Dao of the Observable Universe! The Domain Lords saw that and grew tense. The masked man was going all-in.

Ye Guan closed his eyes. He opened his left hand, and an endless torrent of Order Sword Intent pervaded the skies, bolstered by the power of faith!

For the first time since he arrived in the Old Lands, Ye Guan finally tapped into his faith power. Its strength could no longer be compared to the last time he wielded it.

As soon as it manifested, everyone's faces dropped.

A sky-shattering wave of sword force swept across the star field. Everyone felt like they were being crushed beneath its might. There were no warm-ups; no back-and-forths; Ye Guan immediately went all in. His Order energy turned into countless sword lights that clashed with the falling stars.

Boom!

Under the gaze of everyone present, a cataclysmic explosion occurred Ye Guan and the masked man's domain. It had the power of a simultaneous eruption of millions of volcanoes, and the firmament itself seemed to tremble beneath it.

The cultivators nearby immediately took action and joined forces to resist the powerful shockwaves.

Sui Gujin didn't move. Little Pagoda and the Qingxuan Sword stood before her, shielding her.

Shang Hongyi stared intently at Ye Guan in the distance. His faith power was many times stronger than when she last saw it.

How had he grown stronger so fast?

She turned her gaze toward Sui Gujin again. She stood calm and serene. However, something about her filled Shang Hongyi with unease.

Hum!

A resonant sword hum echoed.

Everyone looked up and saw a sword light rushing toward the sky, infused with immense faith power. This time, it wasn't just faith power. It carried three distinct bloodline powers as well.

When the bloodline powers emerged, the falling stars could no longer resist. One after another, they shattered and fizzled like fireworks, creating a dazzling sight.

Boom!

With a thunderous boom, everything was reduced to ash. The masked man was blasted into the original spacetime. He sprawled out as blood spilled from his mouth.

Ye Guan was pale, and blood dripped from the corner of his lips. He was heavily injured.

Under everyone's gaze, Ye Guan walked over and helped the masked man up.

"So I still can't beat you..." the masked man muttered. Then, he grinned and looked at Ye Guan. "When did you know it was me?"

"The moment I saw you," replied Ye Guan.

"But I used the concealment technique that Master taught us. How did you still recognize me?"

"Because we're brothers!"

The masked man laughed out loud. Then, he removed his mask, revealing a familiar face.

The masked man was none other than Ye Qing!