Chapter 1474: Let Him Try

"What a load of nonsense..." Ye Guan clearly didn't believe the guy in front of him. He looked like the typical slick talker.

The man in brocade robes just chuckled. He had his reasons for sticking around.

In truth, he'd been thinking about one thing this whole time—how could Ye Guan's sword ignore the divine law inside that painting?

No, it went beyond mere ignoring; it actually broke through them.

He deduced that Ye Guan had to be incredibly strong. Regardless of his strength, there was just no way he could overpower the divine law left behind by that mysterious figure.

And yet, Ye Guan's sword managed to shatter it.

It could only mean one thing. Whoever forged that sword was at least on par with the one who created that divine law.

And who was the creator of that divine law? It was that legendary mysterious figure from a long time ago. He was someone so powerful that it was terrifying to even think about fighting him.

Could there really be someone even more fearsome than him?

Just imagining it made the man in brocade robes a little uneasy.

That was why he chose to stay; it was a gamble. Moreover, he also didn't want to walk away like nothing happened. Had it not been for the young swordsman, he wouldn't have gotten out in the first place.

Leaving now would feel wrong. He figured he'd do what he could to help, and if they still ended up losing, then well... at least, he could leave with a clear conscience.

After all, one couldn't go through life with too much of a conscience, but one still ought to have a conscience.

Boom!

Just then, a thunderous explosion echoed from afar. Blinding golden light erupted, followed by a powerful wave of energy laced with intense fist intent. It spread out wildly in all directions, forcing everyone to raise their defenses.

Ye Guan waved his sleeve, effortlessly deflecting the lingering shockwaves heading his way.

Sui Gujin glanced at him. "You've gotten stronger."

"All thanks to the time you bought me."

Sui Gujin didn't respond.

Ye Guan added, "Next time, I won't say thank you. Sounds too distant."

"You're still the same; you haven't changed at all."

Ye Guan chuckled and looked up. "Where's the Great Daoist Brush Master?"

"Charging up a big move."

Ye Guan's expression tightened.

He knew Sui Gujin wasn't joking.

Looking at the distance, he saw Xi Xiao suddenly launch himself into the air like a meteor, hurling himself toward the Grand Preceptor.

As Xi Xiao soared forward, his fleshly body blurred, and the force he unleashed became even more overwhelming.

He was a Void Breaking Realm cultivator!

Facing this terrifying attack, the Grand Preceptor remained calm. He pointed, and thousands of glowing runes erupted from his fingertip, forming a massive rune-fist that clashed with Xi Xiao's own.

Boom!

It seemed like even time itself had come to a halt.

Xi Xiao's fist, radiating countless beams of energy, slammed into the rune-fist.

When the two powers collided, massive shockwaves were unleashed. The nearby Gorgon Giants and members of the Dark Spirits Clan were forced to retreat. The sheer force of the exchange was just too much.

This was truly a clash between elites.

Ordinary cultivators had no place in this kind of battle.

Dao Xiao stared at Xi Xiao, frowning. "Who is that guy, really?"

Fan Tian stood beside him, calm as ever. "Anyone the Old Ancestor had trapped in that painting can't possibly be ordinary."

Dao Xiao nodded. He turned to Dao Zangtian beside him, who looked absolutely grim.

Dao Xiao frowned. "So what if you win or lose a match? On the path of cultivation, who wins every time? If you can't accept failure, your journey will end here."

Dao Zangtian's face shifted immediately upon hearing that. He adjusted his mindset and said, "You're right, Grandfather. I understand."

Dao Xiao nodded in approval.

Dao Zangtian looked back at Ye Guan in the distance and scoffed coldly. This world wasn't about individual strength. It was about background and bloodlines.

So what if Ye Guan was strong? He was still from a low-tier civilization.

He could afford to lose a hundred times, but the Dao Cang Lineage would always be there to catch him.

Ye Guan only needed to lose once, and it'd be over for him.

Dao Zangtian felt much better at that thought.

Boom!

Another deafening explosion rang out.

Xi Xiao and the Grand Preceptor were both blasted backward, each retreating over ten thousand meters before finally coming to a stop. The entire battlefield between them had become a raging storm of destructive force.

Ye Guan glanced around. The strength of both men was absolutely terrifying, probably the strongest in the Main Universe. Yet even with that, they hadn't left a scratch on the spacetime around them.

Something about this place was just unnaturally sturdy.

Far off, the Grand Preceptor brushed his sleeve, and the energy surrounding him vanished like mist. He looked over at Xi Xiao, who was laughing heartily.

"Been a while since I had such a satisfying fight!" Xi Xiao roared.

The Grand Preceptor smiled. "If you're willing to join my Brahma Heaven Kingdom, we'll not only help you restore your full strength, but we'll also help you go beyond that. That's a promise."

The crowd was shocked. Xi Xiao wasn't even at full strength?

However, Xi Xiao just laughed louder. "A real man stands by his word. What kind of man would I be if I were to break my word?"

He raised his hand and clenched it.

Boom!

A surge of pure fist intent exploded from his palm, engulfing the skies. The pressure crashed down like a mountain, sending the Gorgon Giants and members of the Dark Spirit Clan fleeing once again.

Their clan leaders didn't move. They stood firm, gritting through the overwhelming pressure; after all, they were Void Breakers as well.

Dao Xiao and Fan Tian turned to look at Ye Guan.

When they saw that Ye Guan could also withstand the pressure, Dao Xiao frowned deeply.

Was Ye Guan a Void Breaker, too?

Xi Xiao was about to attack again when the Grand Preceptor nodded. "No need to push things too far."

He stepped forward, and a golden Great Dao light unfurled beneath his feet, blazing forward like a river of light. It carried a terrifying law energy that surged toward Xi Xiao like a tidal wave.

"Good timing!" Xi Xiao shouted joyfully.

He leapt and punched the Great Dao light.

There were no fancy tricks, just pure, unfiltered brute force. It was a fist that could quite literally shatter the heavens.

The moment their powers collided again, an explosion tore through the sky, and both men were swallowed up by the storm of their clash.

Their Daos collided head-on in the most violent way possible. Neither could overpower the other.

And then, from within the storm, Xi Xiao let out a furious roar and launched a barrage of punches. Like a thunderstorm, wave after wave of fist intent crashed into the Grand Preceptor.

He punched faster, harder, and with increasing momentum. Fist upon fist stacked on top of each other, amplifying his power.

Soon, the Grand Preceptor was being pushed back, and his golden Great Dao grew dim under the relentless assault.

Dao Xiao's brows furrowed again. He turned to Fan Tian, who remained calm.

Within moments, the Grand Preceptor was driven tens of thousands of meters away.

His golden Great Dao had shattered. He had no time to breathe, let alone counterattack.

The watching crowd grew increasingly tense. Xi Xiao's punches were getting faster... and even stronger.

Sui Gujin murmured, "He's running on sheer willpower now."

Ye Guan nodded. Xi Xiao was like a runner in the final sprint, pouring everything into one last burst.

If the Grand Preceptor could survive it, the tides would turn.

Just then, Ye Guan's expression shifted. "Something's off."

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Sui Gujin's brows also furrowed. Both of them looked at Xi Xiao, and their eyes widened in shock.

Even Fan Tian finally showed a hint of surprise.

Xi Xiao's fist intent... was evolving.

Everyone was stunned.

His fist intent was transforming in the middle of the fight.

"It's because of his fist intent. It's like my Mad Demon Bloodline..." Ye Guan muttered.

He was only getting stronger!

There was no sign of exhaustion. In fact, the more his opponent resisted, the stronger his fist intent became. And not just stronger, it was actually evolving mid-battle.

Ye Guan grinned. "That guy's a beast. No wonder the others who were imprisoned with him were so terrified of him."

Just then, he recalled something and turned toward the man in brocade robes nearby.

Noticing Ye Guan looking his way, the man blinked in surprise before flashing a warm, friendly smile.

Ye Guan withdrew his gaze and sent a message via profound energy to Sui Gujin.

"That guy's been watching the whole fight, and his expression hasn't changed at all. Not even a hint of surprise or shock..."

"If he chose to stay, it's either because he feels he owes you, or he's picking a side... or maybe he's just watching to see how things play out. Honestly, it's probably all three. What he does next depends entirely on how strong we are... We could try pulling him in and get him to fight the Great Daoist Brush Master."

Ye Guan's eyes widened.

"You want him to fight the Great Daoist Brush Master? Isn't that... a bit much?"

"Even if he can't win, stalling him would still help."

"But what if he gets killed?"

Sui Gujin replied without hesitation,

"How about we just let him try?"

Ye Guan fell silent for a moment. Then, he looked over at the man in brocade robes again. When their eyes met, the man in brocade robes seemed a bit confused, but he still had the same warm smile.