Chapter 1517: Now!

Qin Yun gripped his fists tightly, his whole body trembling. Only he knew what kind of decision he had just made...

When he saw the report, his vision went black, and he was filled with utter despair.

Ye Guan had become the Clan Leader of the Celestial Clan!

And the Qin Clan, which had been collaborating with Ye Guan... How terrible would their end be? In that instant, his mind was filled with countless doomsday scenarios for the Qin Clan.

True despair.

After that wave of hopelessness, he considered cutting ties with Ye Guan immediately, but reason told him that it was already too late!

Everyone already knew the Qin Clan was helping Ye Guan build his academy, and their ties were well-known. At this point, trying to distance themselves was pointless. Since that was the case... he might as well bet everything on one last throw. If they were to fail, they'd perish!

Qin Xue's face was pale as paper. "Grandfather... we can't act like gamblers clinging to false hope! If we lose this bet, everyone in the Qin Clan will die..."

Qin Yun's fearful gaze slowly turned resolute. "In desperate times, we must have courage..."

With that, he suddenly clenched his fists. "Screw it, we go all in."

From then on, the Qin Clan threw everything into building the Guanxuan Academy.

Inside a great hall, a man stared at a secret report in front of him. After a long silence, he suddenly let out a heavy sigh of relief.

This man was none other than Jun Qin, the eldest son of the Jun Clan.

At this moment, he was overwhelmed by lingering fear because Ye Guan had once come to visit the Jun Clan. Fortunately, he had declined the meeting. Otherwise, the Jun Clan would likely be finished now.

Their ancestors had to have been watching over them, protecting the Jun Clan from beyond.

Thinking of how the Qin Clan was still investing in that academy, Jun Qin couldn't help but scoff.

Still clueless that they're on the brink of death. How pathetic.

***

Ye Guan stood at the entrance of the great hall, looking up at the sky, expressionless.

Tian Lian walked up beside him. "Can he really break through our Celestial Clan's array?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Definitely."

One could insult the Great Daoist Brush Master, not his prowess.

Tian Lian turned to Ye Guan. "What are you planning to do?"

She paused, then added, "I'm not trying to pressure you. But right now, morale in the clan is unstable, everyone's worried."

Ye Guan smiled. "Don't worry."

Tian Lian looked at him, and Ye Guan said earnestly, "If it truly comes down to it, I'll do everything I can to protect the Celestial Clan..."

Tian Lian fell silent.

Ye Guan continued, "Lady Lian... I'm sorry about your father. I've always wanted to apologize... but I never had the chance."

Tian Lian gently shook her head. "He died for the future of the Celestial Clan."

Ye Guan fell silent.

Tian Lian said, "No matter where you're from, all I know is that you are the clan leader of the Celestial Clan now."

A trace of complexity flickered in Ye Guan's eyes. He looked back up at the sky. Through the shimmering light barrier, he could faintly see the silhouette of the Great Daoist Brush Master.

He knew, with that man's power, it wouldn't take long for him to crack the array.

When that time came, it would be the final battle.

The final battle!

Ye Guan slowly closed his eyes. His divine sense entered the Boundary of Truth and Illusion. He stood there, as if waiting for something.

An unknown amount of time later, a blurry figure began to drift toward him.

Ye Guan looked at the figure, a bit nervous. Then behind it, over a dozen more shadows appeared...

Seeing that, Ye Guan finally let out a sigh of relief.

It worked.

***

Several days later, the massive barrier outside the Celestial World began to tremble faintly.

The Celestial Clan members raised their heads, staring at the light screen. Every face was filled with disbelief.

The array was actually being broken?

Outside the barrier, a small projection hovered in front of the Great Daoist Brush Master. His fingers flew across it, while mysterious Great Dao runes formed around him. As the runes appeared, the energy between heaven and earth grew increasingly strange.

Spacetime began to distort!

Nearby, Ji Zhan and the others watched solemnly.

Before long, under the Great Daoist Brush Master's manipulation, the distant barrier began to violently shake.

With a single finger point, he said, "Break!"

As soon as his words fell, the gathered Great Dao runes surged into the barrier, and in an instant, it shattered into countless fragments, scattering across the sky.

The array was no more!

"

Hahaha!"

Taigu Qing burst into laughter. "Brother, you're amazing! You broke that array so easily! Outstanding!"

The Great Daoist Brush Master calmly replied, "It was a small matter."

Taigu Qing was speechless.

Ji Zhan cast a deep gaze at the Great Daoist Brush Master, and then he turned to the Celestial Clan forces down below. "Kill!"

Kill!

At his command, over a hundred terrifying auras surged forward.

A hundred and twenty-two Transcendent Realm cultivators made their move!

These weren't just from the Empire and Taigu Qing's side; there were also members of the Zhou and Wu Clans, as well as others the Empire had brought in from the outside.

All four major superpowers had deployed every Transcendent Realm elite they had at their disposal!

Even though Tian He of the Celestial Clan had fallen, they weren't taking any chances. This was an all-out war with the goal of completely exterminating the Celestial Clan.

Behind the Transcendent Realm warriors stood tens of thousands of Void Breaking Realm cultivators.

Their mere presence distorted the spacetime of the Celestial World. Below, the Celestial Clan members gathered, their eyes locked on the approaching enemies. They had no fear in their eyes.

Ji Zhan stepped forward, preparing to strike first, but at that moment, a sword cry suddenly erupted skyward. In a flash, Ye Guan appeared before him.

The clan leader!

All eyes turned to Ye Guan. Though the Celestial Clan trusted him as a leader, many still doubted his strength... he was simply too young, after all.

Ji Zhan stared at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan smiled and said, "Ji Zhan, do you dare face me one-on-one?"

A duel!

Everyone was stunned.

This guy wanted to duel the Empire's strongest warrior?

Even the Celestial Clan fighters were shocked. They hadn't expected Ye Guan to challenge Ji Zhan so openly.

Tian Yan and the others' expressions darkened. Ye Guan's sudden challenge surprised them, but more importantly, if he lost, the blow to morale of the Celestial Clan would be catastrophic.

And... could Ye Guan even beat Ji Zhan?

No one believed it!

"No!" Before Ji Zhan could respond, the Great Daoist Brush Master stepped out, glaring at Ye Guan. "Duel? What duel? We're ganging up on you! Ganging up!"

Ye Guan ignored him and kept his eyes on Ji Zhan.

Smiling, he asked, "Your Majesty, do you dare or not?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master said seriously, "Brother Zhan, he's not simple—"

Ji Zhan suddenly laughed. "You think I'd lose to him?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master frowned.

Ji Zhan looked at Ye Guan in the distance, and said flatly, "I know he wouldn't challenge me unless he had something up his sleeve... but so what?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master warned, "There's no need to fight him one-on-one. If we all attack together, he doesn't stand a chance."

Ji Zhan's face was expressionless. "An emperor's dignity must not be insulted!"

The Great Daoist Brush Master fell silent. He understood that Ji Zhan had to uphold his image as the emperor.

He said no more and simply looked toward Ye Guan. In truth, he didn't believe Ye Guan could defy fate either. Ye Guan, though strong, should not be able to win against Ji Zhan.

Ji Zhan stepped forward. Just one step, and golden light burst beneath his feet, rushing toward Ye Guan.

Shhh...

Wherever the golden light passed, spacetime would shatter and disintegrate.

Ye Guan extended his hand. A sword made from sword intent formed in his palm, and in the next instant, he charged forward, slashing toward the golden light.

In that moment, three bloodlines surged, and a torrent of power erupted. The spacetime around Ye Guan took on a blood-red hue.

Boom!

Before everyone's eyes, Ye Guan's sword shattered the golden light. His sword light drove forward, aiming straight at Ji Zhan.

Ji Zhan's expression didn't change. He raised a fist and punched forward.

Bang!

Golden and sword light exploded. Ye Guan and Ji Zhan both staggered back. Ye Guan returned to his original spot, while Ji Zhan was pushed nearly a thousand feet away.

Seeing this, everyone's expressions turned solemn.

Taigu Qing stared hard at Ye Guan, utterly shocked. Ye Guan's strength had grown even stronger.

How long had it even been since they fought? How come his strength had already increased so dramatically?

Tian Yan's expression remained grave. He was surprised by Ye Guan's strength, but Ji Zhan was no ordinary Transcendent Realm expert.

Not far away, the Great Daoist Brush Master frowned deeply as he stared at Ye Guan.

How is this damn idiot improving so fast?

Is he cheating or something?

That shouldn't be possible!

The tiny pagoda is still sealed, and the Qingxuan Sword can't be used...

At that thought, his face darkened, realizing something terrifying.

If Ye Guan were to wield the Qingxuan Sword with his current strength... who could possibly stop him?

Fortunately, under the terms of their bet, Ye Guan wasn't allowed to use the Qingxuan Sword. He stared intently at Ye Guan in the distance. He wanted to see what cards Ye Guan still had up his sleeve.

Across from Ye Guan, Ji Zhan looked him over with slight surprise, but he said nothing. With a sudden clench of his right hand, a blinding golden light burst forth from his palm.

Just then, Ye Guan suddenly vanished. In an instant, a streak of sword light surged toward Ji Zhan at breakneck speed.

The Great Daoist Brush Master realized something, and his expression changed drastically. "Shit, something's wrong! Everyone, attack! Now!"