Chapter 1491: The Empyrean Star Battlefield

Everyone was baffled by the scene.

That works?!

The crowd stared at Ye Guan as if they were looking at a monster.

Does being handsome mean you can do whatever you want? Are women really

that

shallow?

Instead of kneeling, Ye Guan bowed slightly to maintain a balance of humility and dignity. He knew very well that the more servile he acted with people in power, the more they would look down on him.

On the other hand, if he remained composed and dignified, they would probably hold him in higher regard.

The woman in black said nothing and turned around to leave. The overseers of the Star Spiritual Mine hurriedly followed after her.

At that moment, a man quietly approached Ye Guan. His name was Zhan Yun, and he was the rebel Ye Guan interacted with on his very first day here. He discreetly placed a command token into Ye Guan's hand and said, "Brother, if you make it out, please deliver this to the people of the Xianyun Pavilion. I'm counting on you."

Ye Guan accepted it. He tucked the token away and followed the group. As he walked, he glanced back at the Great Daoist Brush Master.

When he noticed Ye Guan's gaze, the Great Daoist Brush Master's face darkened.

Fuck, that bastard is definitely planning to kill me once he's out of here! I have to think of a way to escape.

The Great Daoist Brush Master knew that once Ye Guan was outside, he would definitely return to kill him. The pressure was on.

Damn it!

The Great Daoist Brush Master grew more and more furious.

That bastard actually managed to make such an absurd method work somehow. Is appearance all that matters now? People nowadays are truly shallow!

Ye Guan quietly followed behind the woman in black and her group. It was obvious that she was of high status, as she walked ahead while others trailed behind her respectfully.

The woman in black was scanning her surroundings. After a moment, she stopped abruptly.

An overseer immediately came to her side.

"In ten years, I want every last bit of the Star Spiritual Mine to be excavated here."

The overseer's face changed. "Madam, that's—"

The woman in black interrupted, "The war is intensifying, and the frontlines are short on supplies. I'll send more people to help. If you fail to clear this mine in ten years, you can dig yourself a grave."

With that, she turned around and left.

The overseer's face turned pale as paper.

Moments later, the mine erupted with furious roars, "Dig! Dig faster!"

The prisoners were left with no choice but to continue digging.

Meanwhile, Ye Guan followed the woman and her group into a large teleportation array. A golden light wrapped around them, and in a flash, they entered a spacetime tunnel.

During the journey, the woman stood silently at the front and gazed ahead.

Ye Guan remained quiet and stood at the rear, waiting for an opportunity to present itself. He wasn't planning on escaping now. After all, his hands and feet were still chained, and his cultivation base was still being suppressed.

Even if he were to escape, he wouldn't get far. Besides, even if his cultivation wasn't restricted, he could still fail to escape. He was severely weakened, so the smartest thing to do was to lie low.

After some time, a white light appeared ahead. After passing through it, Ye Guan found himself standing before an estate. The estate was suspended in the air, covering at least tens of thousands of acres.

The woman disappeared into a mansion within the estate.

An elder glanced at Ye Guan and said, "Wait here."

With that, the elder left with the others, leaving Ye Guan alone.

Ye Guan was speechless and had no choice but to wait obediently. He thought of his old buddy, Mu Shanhe, and his advice to stay humble and lie low. Hence, Ye Guan waited patiently.

The next morning, the elder returned and said, "Follow me."

With that, Ye Guan followed him into a small pavilion.

"You may enter," the elder said.

Just as Ye Guan was about to enter, the elder added, "Don't look at her directly in the eye. Do you understand?"

"Understood." Ye Guan stepped inside. As soon as he entered, a faint fragrance swept across him. The lighting was dim, making the hall feel slightly suffocating.

Not far ahead, the woman stood waiting with her gaze fixed on him. Her expression was so calm that it made one feel uncomfortable.

Ye Guan gave a slight bow and greeted, "Madam."

The woman stared at him. "Speak. If I don't like what I hear, I'll have someone bury you."

The test was here! Ye Guan calmly said, "I want to live."

The woman remained expressionless.

Ye Guan opened his palm, revealing a trace of sword intent. "I'm a swordsman."

Still, the woman said nothing. She was clearly unsatisfied.

"To be honest, I'm the Young Master of the Yang Family in the Main Universe. Due to some circumstances, I was exiled here for training. However, because of a misunderstanding, I became a prisoner. I had no other choice but to attract your attention in hopes of escaping that place."

The woman stared at him for a long while before saying, "I've never heard of a Yang Family."

"It's very far from here," Ye Guan explained.

"What level of civilization is your Yang Family from?"

"It's about the same level as the Empire," Ye Guan replied.

The woman stared at him without speaking.

Ye Guan remained calm and steady. He had nothing to worry about, as he was telling the truth.

The woman's gaze carried a heavy pressure, but Ye Guan remained unaffected.

After a while, the woman said, "I don't keep freeloaders here."

Ye Guan immediately responded, "Tell me what I can do."

"Be my guard."

"Yes, Madam."

"You may go."

Ye Guan left without hesitation.

After he left, a voice emerged from a dark corner. "Why didn't you kill him?"

"Why should I kill him?" the woman asked.

"He might have ulterior motives."

"You think he was sent by the Celestial Clan?"

"It's possible."

The woman shook her head. "He's not from the Celestial Clan."

"How can you tell?"

"He's not afraid of me."

The owner of the mysterious voice fell silent in confusion.

The woman sat down and took out a sealed letter. After reading it, her eyes revealed a trace of concern. "His Majest has already begun mobilizing the provincial forces, demanding that the provinces gather resources at any cost.

'It seems that the Empyrean Star Battlefield has reached its most critical stage."

"Who's the commander?"

"It's Tian Shi from the Celestial Clan."

"So it's him!"

The woman nodded. "According to intelligence, he managed to convince the Taigu Clan to aid them. That's why the situation is turning against us." She frowned deeply and continued, "This war concerns the fate of the entire Empire. We can't afford to lose."

The voice asked, "Is the Emperor devoting the entire nation's strength to this battle?"

"Yes. We must seize the Transcendent Divine Mine. If the Celestial Clan seizes control over it, their strength will surpass ours in a few hundred years. Then, our empire would have no way to resist. But if we seize it first, we will surpass them instead. Neither side can afford to retreat. It's a battle to the death."

"But the Taigu Clan has joined forces with the Celestial Clan..."

The woman looked out into the distant sky and said, "His Majesty is wise and has great foresight. We have to trust him."

"What about that guy?"

"Let's train him and send him to the Empyrean Star Battlefield."

***

Ye Guan was finally set free from the chains, and his strength returned, but he didn't choose to run away. There was no point in doing that. It was better for him to stay close to the woman for now and find an opportunity to kill the Great Daoist Brush Master for the sake of ending the bet early.

Over time, he learnt more about this place, too.

They were in Yongrong Province.

The Empire had ten thousand and eight provinces, each with populations in the billions. The woman, Sang Han, was the City Governor of Yongrong Province. She wasn't appointed through inheritance but had earned it through merit. Under her rule, the province rose from one of the worst to the top ten.

A city governor held enormous power over the military and civil affairs of the province. And it was Sang Han who proposed using prisoners to mine.

Ye Guan also learned that the Empire was currently at war with the Celestial Clan. He didn't know much about the Celestial Clan, but he knew that they were at least as formidable as the Empire.

They had been locked in a brutal conflict for quite a while now.

This left Ye Guan troubled.

Here, the Empire was frighteningly advanced. Without help, conquering a force like this was nearly impossible. Never mind conquering the entire Empire, even conquering a single province felt unachievable.

Of course, the Great Daoist Brush Master was under restrictions as well. His father had cast them into this place, stripped them of their power, and ensured that they would start from nothing.

Sigh.

Ye Guan took out the command token that Zhan Yun had given to him. Needless to say, now wasn't the time to connect with those rebels. He had to be careful not to raise doubts in Sang Han's mind, or she would kill him without hesitation.

Everything had to be handled carefully.

Finally, Ye Guan received his first mission, which was to accompany Sang Hang on a trip. He didn't know where they were going, and he dared not ask.

For some reason, Sang Han brought no one else but him.