Chapter 1523: A Gamble

One wanted to withdraw, but the other still chose a side!

The Zhou Clan Ancestor sneered coldly, and his face was full of provocation as he stared at Ye Guan.

He naturally understood that Ye Guan and the Great Daoist Brush Master were far from ordinary. Otherwise, the Taigu Clan Ancestor wouldn't have made that move.

However, he also knew what it meant to back out now. Withdrawing could bring temporary safety, but it also meant losing any chance at unimaginable wealth and power.

After all, withdrawing meant giving up everything.

And what if Ye Guan and the Great Daoist Brush Master didn't honor their word and chose to retaliate later? Who could he turn to then? Thus, he chose to continue this high-stakes gamble!

He would gamble the future of his clan!

If he won, the Zhou Clan would thrive for tens of thousands of years to come, and future generations would remember his name. It would be as if he lived a second life. And if he lost... well, he wouldn't lose much. After all, his real body wasn't even present. What was he supposed to fear here?

Ye Guan glanced at the Zhou Clan's Ancestor but didn't react to his provocation.

Instead, he turned toward the Wu Clan Ancestor.

The Wu Clan Ancestor cupped his hands into a fist. "Young Master Ye, if you allow my Wu Clan to stay out of this, we will immediately withdraw all our people and leave this universe, never to return."

His thinking was different from that of the Zhou Clan Ancestor. He believed both Ye Guan and the Great Daoist Brush Master were extraordinary. The Zhou Clan, caught between them, would face only disaster. Withdrawing was the safest path.

Ye Guan stared at him for a moment before replying, "You may."

The Wu Clan Ancestor cupped his hands into a fist again. "Many thanks."

Then, he looked at the Great Daoist Brush Master. "You and Young Master Ye are mighty beyond our comprehension. This kind of battle is not something the Wu Clan can get involved in. I hope you'd understand."

With that, he led all Wu Clan members away.

Seeing the Wu Clan retreat along with the Taigu Clan, the elites of the Celestial Clan breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Now, only the Empire and the Zhou Clan remained. What was there to fear?

Ji Zhan looked grim. Things had developed far beyond his expectations.

The Taigu Clan Ancestor had stabbed him in the back! He looked up at Ye Guan. "Great Daoist Brush Master, two versus one, we still have a chance to win."

The Taigu Clan and the Wu Clan could retreat, but the Empire could not.

The Great Daoist Brush Master said, "Leave this traitor to me."

He knew too well that this battle had to happen. Otherwise, this traitor could truly become invincible in the future.

Hearing that, Ji Zhan laughed. He opened his palm, and the Imperial Seal shot into the sky.

A golden light hovered between heaven and earth!

Within the light, countless runes gathered and transformed into a middle-aged man in a dragon-embroidered robe.

The Empire's first emperor, Ji Chen!

Ji Zhan's eyes showed a trace of complexity as he looked at Ji Chen. All his life, he had been chasing after his ancestor's legacy, trying to bring the Empire to even greater heights.

Upon seeing his ancestor, he realized that it was incredibly hard!

Even though Ji Chen was a mere phantom, his aura already far surpassed Ji Zhan's.

He was even stronger than the ancestor of the Taigu Clan!

"Ancestor summoning!"

Just then, a voice rang out from the Celestial Clan.

Tian Yan opened his palm. The Eternal Divine Lamp in his hand transformed into divine light and shot into the sky.

Soon, a middle-aged man in a black robe walked out from within the divine light.

The Celestial Clan's ancestor, Tian Ming!

Tian Ming's aura was no weaker than Ji Chen's.

The two ancestors looked at each other. Then, they turned their gazes to Ye Guan and the Great Daoist Brush Master.

Tian Yan respectfully transmitted the events via profound energy to Tian Ming.

When Tian Ming learned that Ye Guan was now the clan leader of the Celestial Clan, he froze. His eyes settled on Ye Guan, observing him carefully. Whatever he saw, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Ji Chen's gaze shifted to the Great Daoist Brush Master. His expression carried a hint of surprise before turning serious. He then looked toward Ye Guan, and his brows furrowed deeply.

Worried that his ancestor would back down, Ji Zhan quickly explained everything, declaring that the Empire and Ye Guan were already locked in a life-or-death struggle...

After a moment, Ji Chen nodded. "Then let's fight!"

The moment he saw Ye Guan and the Great Daoist Brush Master, he knew the Empire was not supposed to get involved in all this. Unfortunately, it was already too late to back out.

At this stage, only the victor could claim all.

The Empire could give up everything and surrender, but that was clearly impossible.

Only one path remained—an all-out battle!

"

Hahaha!

" Tian Ming laughed. "Then let's fight!"

Fight!

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

When Tian Ming's voice fell, he locked eyes with Ji Chen. The next instant, both their figures grew hazy, and the spacetime around them turned blurry and indistinct.

Yet their auras still swept across the battlefield like giant mountains pressing down on everyone's hearts.

Everyone was shocked!

Though the two were no longer in this spacetime, their presence was still overwhelming, passing through countless layers of the dimension to descend upon the battlefield.

Even their mere aura was terrifying beyond belief!

Ji Zhan looked grim. He knew that there was a difference between the third level and the fifth level of the Transcendent Realm's True Dao, but he had no idea that the difference would be so massive.

He clenched his fists tightly, eyes resolute. Given enough time, he, too, could reach fifth-level True Dao.

He refocused and looked at the Celestial Clan. "Attack!"

Behind him, the Empire's elite powerhouses charged out!

The Zhou Clan Ancestor shouted, "Attack!"

He rushed forward first.

Though his strength couldn't match Ji Chen or Tian Ming, he still far surpassed ordinary powerhouses. His target? Ye Guan!

Ye Guan's eyes narrowed as he stared at the Zhou Clan Ancestor. The next moment, countless afterimages appeared around him. Then, he lunged forward with a devastating sword strike.

Boom!

The sword light erupted. The Zhou Clan's ancestor was blown thousands of meters away, and as he stopped, his soul shimmered faintly.

The Zhou Clan Ancestor was stunned.

So strong? How is this possible?

Ye Guan was about to strike again when a divine sense locked onto him. He turned and saw the Great Daoist Brush Master.

The Great Daoist Brush Master smiled. "Fight me."

Ye Guan didn't speak. He glanced at the battlefield and saw the Empire and the Zhou Clan besieging the Celestial Clan.

Though outnumbered, the Celestial Clan showed no signs of weakness—in fact, every one of them was fighting fiercely. They knew that there was no retreat. If they didn't fight to the death, their clan would be wiped out.

Seeing that the situation wasn't dire for the Celestial Clan, Ye Guan was reassured.

He looked at the Great Daoist Brush Master, who smiled and said, "Ye Guan, who would've thought that in the end, it would be just the two of us..."

Before he could finish, his expression froze. Ye Guan had already turned into a sword light and slashed at him.

The Great Daoist Brush Master's face darkened. "Damn it, you have no honor!"

With a wave of his sleeve, numerous seals erupted to meet Ye Guan's sword.

However, Ye Guan had merged with the True Void Spirits, becoming far stronger than before. His sword carried terrifying might, and the seals shattered instantly.

However, the Great Daoist Brush Master had already vanished into thin air.

Ye Guan's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, the surroundings darkened. Spacetime around him bloomed like brilliant fireworks. His face turned cold.

What divine spell is this?

Without hesitation, he slashed again.

Slash!

His sword tore open space itself.

At that moment, he sensed something and looked up. At the edge of his vision, a massive Dao imprint plummeted toward him. Instantly, the spacetime around him ignited as countless fiery runes surged toward him.

Sensing the terrifying power within the falling imprint, Ye Guan grew solemn. The Great Daoist Brush Master had clearly regained some of his strength. He had to be at least a fourth-level True Dao expert.

Ye Guan dared not underestimate him. He activated the Mad Demon bloodline, stomped down hard, and turned into a blood-colored sword light shooting skyward.

Hum!

A resonant sword hum echoed. His sword light collided with the seal.

Boom!

The sword light and the Dao seal shattered simultaneously, unleashing devastating shockwaves across the battlefield like erupting volcanoes.

Ye Guan was forced back thousands of meters away, but with a wave of his sleeve, a wave of sword light dispersed the shockwaves.

He looked ahead. In the distance, the Great Daoist Brush Master hovered in the air, hands forming seals. Strange runes surrounded him, and a fearsome Dao aura radiated from him.

The two locked eyes in midair.

The Great Daoist Brush Master smiled. "You little traitor, just as I suspected—you can't fully unleash the power of those True Void Spirits!"

"So what?" Ye Guan asked calmly, "It's more than enough to take you down."

The Great Daoist Brush Master stared at him. "I'll kill you today!"

Rumble!

A terrifying aura radiated from him.