Chapter 1445: Father, Thank You

The Great Daoist Brush Master was furious. He had never felt such a strong desire to kill, but he truly dared not make a move.

Sui Gujin was carrying the Yang Family's bloodline. If he were to make a move against her, he wouldn't be able to bear the karmic consequences. Just thinking of the fiercely protective people in the Yang Family made his face even uglier.

Even if they wouldn't acknowledge her, they would absolutely acknowledge her child.

He had never imagined that she would break the game in this way. She had flipped the whole game to her favor and became one of the players herself.

No one could kill her now. She could do whatever she wanted.

Under the Great Daoist Brush Master's cold glare, Sui Gujin led all of the Old Lands' people, along with the entire Ruler Divine Temple, to ascend. In the blink of an eye, they entered the vast, starry skies.

While they were in the middle of ascending, the faces of the Old Lands' powerful experts all changed. They could now feel wave after wave of terrifying tribulation pressure!

They had never felt anything like it. Just one of those tribulations could erase them without a trace!

Even the experts at the Civilization Lord Realm became deadly serious. The power of those tribulations had already surpassed their comprehension. There was no way they could resist this.

Everyone turned to Sui Gujin expectantly.

She was utterly calm. Without speaking a word, she walked slowly forward.

Then, something strange happened. The nebula in front of them trembled violently, seemingly reacting to her presence. Moments later, the nebula parted, layer by layer, to both sides.

They opened up a path for her.

Everyone was shocked beyond belief, and without hesitation, they moved forward.

As they passed through the starry nebula, many people instinctively looked to either side, and what they saw nearly scared their souls out of their bodies.

Countless blood-red faces shimmered into view. Each face was twisted and terrifying, glaring straight at them. Some even had their mouths wide open, looking as if they were roaring silently in fury. It was a bone-chilling sight.

No one had ever witnessed such a scene. They could clearly feel the sheer power and intense malice emanating from those faces. Just one of them, they were sure, could easily wipe them all out. There was no doubt about that.

Yet, those terrifying faces dared not make a move.

Everyone turned their gazes towards Sui Gujin, who stood at the front. Her eyes were slightly closed, and her left hand was gently resting on her lower abdomen.

Those bloody faces grew even more twisted and grotesque. They snarled and roared; their gazes were locked on Sui Gujin and the people she led. Each face represented a karmic debt, a tribulation.

However, the bloody faces were afraid of something

Just like the people in the group, these beings too could sense it. If they dared harm her, they would be annihilated with no hope of rebirth. A karma beyond their comprehension was within Sui Gujin.

And so, under the watchful eyes of the Great Daoist Brush Master and those grotesque, ugly faces, Sui Gujin led all of the Old Lands and the Ruler Divine Throne out of the nebula.

There was a curtain of water in the distance.

Some couldn't help but turn back for one last look, and when they did, many nearly fainted. Within that nebula behind them was a sea of bloody faces. It was like a hellscape pulled from one's deepest nightmares.

They embodied the three thousand Great Dao Tribulations, and they were made from countless fallen lives.

The Great Daoist Brush Master was right. If Sui Gujin weren't carrying the Yang Family's bloodline, a single tribulation would be enough to kill them all.

Thanks to that bloodline, even the fiercest karma was no more than an insect.

The Yang Family was invincible.

Very soon, Sui Gujin led everyone through the water curtain, and when they looked back once more, they froze.

They saw an endless sea, and they had just emerged from a single drop of water within that sea. At that moment, everyone's understanding of the world was completely shattered.

The once-lofty sense of superiority they held as the supreme civilization vanished without a trace.

Sui Gujin remained calm and composed. Before long, the group slowly faded into the distance, and just as they were about to disappear completely, she turned and looked back one last time.

***

Down below, the Great Daoist Brush Master remained silent. His face was still ashen, as if he had eaten something bad. This time, he had truly lost everything. He was utterly defeated.

He and Ye Guan had both lost, and the biggest winner was... Sui Gujin.

No, wait!

He realized something that made his face change drastically. He looked up at the nebula above, and his face quickly turned pale.

***

Elsewhere.

Ye Guan gently held Yi Nian's hand as they walked slowly into the distance. His aunt had already left, saying nothing.

Yi Nian no longer hid her feelings. She clung to his arm, her face glowing with joy and contentment. Ye Guan's expression, too, was more relaxed than ever, as if a thousand-ton weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders.

"Dear... I have to go," Yi Nian said.

Ye Guan froze and looked at her.

Yi Nian smiled gently and said, "I'm leaving with your aunt."

Ye Guan fell silent, causing Yi Nian to grow a little anxious. She quickly added, "I really do want to stay by your side, but I don't want to be just a flower vase."

Ye Guan stopped walking. He ruffled her hair and said, "You don't have to live your life for me. You should live it the way you want."

Yi Nian blinked, her eyes glistening as she said, "I want to be able to help you."

An indescribable emotion welled up in Ye Guan's heart. He didn't respond and simply pulled her gently into his arms. After a long moment, she suddenly tilted her head up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

Then, she turned around and ran away.

"Yi Nian!" Ye Guan called out, "Where are you going?"

Without turning back, Yi Nian shouted, "Aunt told me not to tell you that I'm going to the Main Universe!"

Ye Guan could not help but laugh. After chuckling for a while, he looked up at the sky and said, "Father... thank you."

With that, he turned around and walked away.

***

Ye Xuan chuckled softly.

Beside him, Plain-Skirt Destiny glanced at Ye Guan but said nothing.

Ye Xuan looked in the same direction, smiling gently as he said, "We're all just wanderers in this world. Most of the time, we search for a path based on the things we believe in, or the one our parents set for us... but we rarely ask ourselves what we truly want.

"Even rarer is the courage to defy the responsibilities and burdens that were never really ours to begin with. So we carry them, silently, and slowly lose ourselves in the process."

"Qing'er, I'm really happy. My son understands what I'm trying to say, and he has the courage to truly be himself. He's smarter than I was back then. Braver, too."

Qing'er calmly said, "It's because he has a good father."

Ye Xuan laughed and held her hand. "Actually, my father had it much harder. I had your protection, so no matter how tough things got, I never truly had to face death alone.

"However, he didn't have that. He had to shoulder everything by himself. There was no one to fall back on, and he never had anyone to teach him how to love someone properly, as our grandparents died so early.

"Everyone will probably go through something like this. I mean, reconciling with their parents.

"The pain and hardship I endured, I don't want my son to go through them. The love and warmth I never had, I can't let him be without it. After all this, I hope he will not only understand how to bravely be himself but also learns that no one will win forever.

"Life won't always go your way. Sometimes, taking a step back is how you can walk farther in the future."

The two of them walked into the distance.

"Qing'er, thank you... for always being by my side."

"Always will be."

***

Ye Guan returned to the Old Lands Starry Region.

The population of the Old Lands' three great civilizations, as well as the four Immortal Domains, had already been transported away by Sui Gujin.

The region was now completely deserted.

He released the Ten Desolate Universe, the Forbidden Wildlands, and the Other Shore Civilization to populate the region. Unfortunately, there were no Ancestral Spiritual Veins in this region anymore, so the spiritual energy was far inferior to what the Old Lands once had.

However, it didn't really matter to Ye Guan. What mattered now was managing the civilizations under his control and establishing a true Order among all beings.

Giving up the Ruler Divine Throne didn't mean abandoning the Order of All Beings. It only meant that he had come to understand that no matter how much land he conquered, if he couldn't govern it well, what was the point of it?

Everything had to be done step by step.

More importantly, he understood that he wasn't capable of ruling the vast expanse. Trying to force himself into something far beyond his capacity would only end up in him humiliating himself, and most likely, his aunt or his father would have to clean up the mess for him again.

He learnt that he could only do what his ability allowed him to do. After taking a step back, he felt an unprecedented sense of peace. For now, he would just focus on managing his own little corner of the vast expanse.

And that, he truly believed he could do well.

Just then, Ye Guan sensed something and turned.

The Great Daoist Brush Master was standing there.

Ye Guan smiled at him. "You've won."

The Great Daoist Brush Master stared at him as if trying to see straight through him.

Ye Guan joked, "You're not planning on killing me, are you?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master said, "You surrendered on purpose."

"Is there a problem with that?"

"Stop playing dumb with me! You little bastard, you knew it was a setup from the very start, but you still chose to walk right into it. You knew that without relying on your family, you had no chance of winning this game.

"So it's not just that damned Sui Gujin who used her body to gain an advantage. You, you damn brat, you did the same thing!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Still pretending?!" The Great Daoist Brush Master was furious. "Your mom's—"

The Great Daoist Brush Master hurriedly stopped himself from insulting Ye Guan's mother, as he knew that the karmic consequences were terrifying.

He quickly corrected himself, saying, "Stop pretending! You knew you were doomed if you pushed forward. You were never going to beat me and Sui Gujin.

"Both of us were unknown variables. No matter how hard you tried, there was no way you could compete against us in such a short period of time, so you stepped in as a chess piece, entered the game, and surrendered.

"You were retreating in order to advance. That one step back? It made us shift our focus away from you, so you could concentrate on resolving the issues within the Guanxuan Universe and accumulate faith power, am I right?"

Ye Guan's face remained blank. "Dunno."

"Fuck!" The Great Daoist Brush Master cursed, glaring at Ye Guan like he was about to explode. "Now you're just being disrespectful."

Ye Guan shrugged. "I really don't get what you're talking about. You and Sui Gujin are both really strong, can't you just let me go? I already surrendered, and you're still coming after me. Don't you think that's a bit much?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master said darkly, "Do you even know she's carrying your child?"

"I do."

"That's all you've got to say?!"

"Everyone already thinks I'm some kind of breeding machine. What's one more woman? Is that really strange?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master stared at him in silence. Ye Guan blinked at him, wide-eyed and innocent.

The Great Daoist Brush Master was practically fuming. "Do you even know who she really is? Do you not have any idea that she's engaged with someone from one of the superpowers in the Main Universe?

"Do you really think playing dead will give you a peaceful chance to grow? Dream on, kid!

"I don't even have to guess what she's going to do once she gets back. She's definitely going to reveal she's pregnant! And then? You're fucking done! That terrifyingly smart woman is pregnant, and she'll soar to the heavens with that child!

"The next time I see her, I'm going to run!"

Ye Guan glared at him, eyes burning with rage. "You've been yelling this whole time. What the hell are you yelling for, huh?! Everything that's happened, isn't it all your damn fault?!

"You're the one who kept coming after me, messing with me nonstop. Did I dig up your ancestors or something? You two are overpowered monsters, and you teamed

up to scheme against me!

"How the hell was I supposed to survive? You two have left me no way out!"

"So your solution was to sleep with her and get her pregnant?!"

Ye Guan snapped, "What was I supposed to do, sleep with

you

and get you pregnant?!"

The Great Daoist Brush Master had no idea what to say.