Chapter 1525: Protect the Clan Leader!

As soon as Ye Guan's calm and unwavering gaze swept across the battlefield, the Great Daoist Brush Master knew that something had gone terribly wrong.

That scheming traitor! The chaotic fluctuations in Ye Guan's aura earlier were a ruse, all of it. He was bamboozled. Just one moment of carelessness, and he had fallen right into this bastard's trap.

Though the Great Daoist Brush Master had quickly realized the deception and even tried to issue a warning, it was already too late. A dozen powerful Transcendent Realm elites had already surged toward Ye Guan.

Ye Guan lifted his head. With a flash, he lunged forward and unleashed a single sword strike.

Swoosh!

A blade of blinding white light tore across the sky like a lightning bolt, splitting the heavens.

Boom!

The earth-shattering sound shook the entire battlefield. Those dozen Transcendent Realm elites were blasted away like leaves in a storm. Three of them were completely obliterated; their bodies were reduced to a blood mist, and their souls scattered into the wind.

One sword—three kills.

The battlefield fell silent.

In the distance, the Great Daoist Brush Master's face grew darker by the second. That bastard was just as vile as his father!

Ye Guan stared at Ji Zhan, who stood far off in the ranks of the enemy. The moment their gazes met, Ji Zhan's expression shifted dramatically. He took an instinctive step backward, but he immediately regretted it.

Sure enough, laughter erupted from the Celestial Clan elites watching from afar. By now, their morale was soaring to new heights. They couldn't help it; Ye Guan was simply unstoppable!

He had just taken out three Transcendent Realm elites with a single strike. Even the previous Celestial Clan Leader was not

this

strong.

Ji Zhan's face turned a shade darker. He knew, with gut-sinking certainty, that taking that one step back had shattered what little morale remained on their side.

He glared at Ye Guan, the fury in his eyes as fierce as wildfire, as if he wanted to rip Ye Guan apart.

"Who else?" Ye Guan called out, wielding his long sword as he walked towards Ji Zhan and his men.

His tone was almost casual. Beneath the calm exterior, however, was an aura of absolute, unshakable dominance.

The faces of the elites from the Empire and the Zhou Clan turned as pale as a sheet of paper. They didn't just fear Ye Guan now; they dreaded him.

Ye Guan was simply too powerful and terrifying.

No one in the arena dared to confront him head-on anymore.

Seeing that no one from the Empire had stepped forward, Ye Guan asked, "Who else?"

His blood-red eyes swept over all the elites on the opposite side, a glare that seemed to pierce through their very souls. The moment those eyes met theirs, every elite felt a sudden, inexplicable pressure, as if something dark and ancient was staring at them.

The faces of the Empire's elites grew even darker, and their faces twisted with fear and uncertainty.

"Everyone, attack together!" the Great Daoist Brush Master shouted all of a sudden.

The crowd fell into a stunned silence.

The Great Daoist Brush Master locked eyes with Ye Guan and sneered, his words dripping with scorn, "He's at the end of his strength, like a bow that has been drawn to its limits!"

Ji Zhan and the others felt their expressions darken.

Damn it,

they thought.

You said that just now, and what happened?

The Great Daoist Brush Master, not noticing their hesitation, added, "This fool doesn't waste time talking. But now look at him, babbling on. There's no doubt about it, he's exhausted. If we all strike together, we'll finish him off for sure."

Silence fell over the crowd.

Ye Guan suddenly broke the silence, roaring with laughter. "Great Daoist Dog, you're right. I'm utterly exhausted. Come on, come kill me. Show me what you've got!"

The Great Daoist Brush Master's face contorted in fury. "Stop pretending, you bastard! I know exactly what kind of shit you're pulling!"

Ye Guan smirked. "Then come on over and see for yourself."

With a casual flick of his wrist, his sword intent blossomed in a shower of a dozen sword petals.

All eyes in the arena turned to him. Ye Guan stood there, cool and composed, completely unlike someone who had reached the limit of their strength.

Not a single person dared to move.

Tian Yan looked at Ye Guan, silently observing the scene as he slowly moved to position himself behind Ye Guan. Thoughts raced through his mind. If Ye Guan were still capable of fighting, he wouldn't be talking so much.

Ye Guan had to have reached his limits.

The Great Daoist Brush Master and the others understood that, too, yet no one dared make a move.

After all, Ye Guan had just feigned weakness and almost wiped them all out. Who could say for sure that he wasn't faking it again?

This was a matter of life and death.

The Great Daoist Brush Master locked his gaze on Ye Guan.

"Keep acting," he snarled. "Let's see how long you can keep fooling us."

With that, he stepped forward. He opened his palm, revealing a faint Dao seal.

His expression twisted further into displeasure. The Dao seal was pathetically weak. If it weren't for the seal suppressing his Dao Law, he would be able to slap that conniving bastard Ye Guan to death in one blow.

How humiliating, for a mighty tiger like him to be brought down, was now being hounded by a stray dog. He gnashed his teeth and pushed the thoughts aside. Then, without warning, he vanished from the spot as he bolted towards Ye Guan.

He knew he couldn't hesitate. He had to make a move, or no one else would. And if they delayed too long, and this sneaky bastard managed to recover even a shred of strength, things would all go to the dogs.

At Ye Guan's side, Tian Yan instantly reacted to the threat. Without hesitation, he stepped forward to intercept, ready to put himself in harm's way to shield his clan leader.

However, Ye Guan simply shook his head, silently stopping him.

Ye Guan fixed his gaze on the distant figure of the Great Daoist Brush Master charging toward him. At that very moment, his bloodlines ignited to life. Ye Guan closed his eyes. His entire being radiated a terrifying, controlled fury, like a volcano moments from eruption.

Then, he snapped his eyes open. Murderous intent erupted from his gaze, and in the same instant, he thrust his sword forward. A single, devastating blood-colored sword light tore through the void.

Boom!

The Dao seal shattered with a deafening roar, and before everyone's astonished gaze, the Great Daoist Brush Master was sent flying away, soaring an astounding distance of tens of thousands of meters!

Just as he stopped, the Great Daoist Brush Master's fleshly body split apart. Fresh blood poured out of his wounds.

Seeing this, Ye Guan couldn't help but think what a shame it was

.

He had originally planned to kill the Great Daoist Brush Master with a single sword strike, but...

Just then, surged up his throat, but with immense effort, he forced himself to swallow it back down.

The Great Daoist Brush Master was sent flying by Ye Guan's sword strike, and the elites from the Empire and the Zhou Clan looked on with fear in their eyes.

Damn, it's a good thing we didn't make a move earlier. Otherwise, we'd either be dead or crippled by now.

Although the Great Daoist Brush Master was grievously wounded by that single sword strike, he let out a chilling laugh.

"Ye Guan," he sneered, "Can you still strike again?"

All eyes were fixed on Ye Guan. The elites from the Empire and the Zhou Clan stared at him intensely. In this moment, their gazes were no longer filled with hesitation but with pure murderous intent.

They could feel that Ye Guan had reached his true limits.

The elites from the Celestial Clan also realized the same thing. One by one, they gathered around Ye Guan, forming a protective circle.

Ye Guan slowly closed his eyes. Just as everyone had suspected, he had indeed reached the limits of his strength. The combined power of more than a dozen True Void Spirits was simply too overwhelming.

Just now, he had pushed his fleshly body and soul beyond their limits. Now, he felt as though his very body and soul were on the verge of collapsing.

He knew that if he called upon the power of the True Void Spirit again, it could result in his immediate death.

The Great Daoist Brush Master wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"Kill," he commanded.

In that instant, the elites from the Empire and the Zhou Clan dared ot hesitate. They charged at Ye Guan and the Celestial Clan elites.

A surge of powerful auras erupted all at once, like a torrential flood, sweeping through the air.

"Protect the clan leader!" Tian Yan shouted beside Ye Guan.

With that, he ignited his fleshly body and soul in a blaze of power, charging forward.

The elites of the Celestial Clan followed suit, each of them burning their fleshly bodies and souls.

There was no hesitation. Determination was written over everyone's faces.

The great battle erupted!

This time, the clash between the two sides was many times more intense than before. Though the Celestial Clan was outnumbered, their strength did not pale in comparison to that of the Empire or the Taigu Clan.

On the contrary, with everyone igniting their body and soul, they unleashed power far beyond their limits.

And at the center of it all, Ye Guan was in agony...

This was the price of exceeding his limits—a backlash.

The battle had pushed his body and soul far past their limits, and now, the full force of that backlash came crashing down on him like a tidal wave. The pain was excruciating.

It felt like he was going to explode!

Yet, he still endured it. He knew that if he collapsed now, the morale of the Celestial Clan would crumble.

Drawing in a deep breath, he clenched the sword in his right hand, using every ounce of his willpower to resist the devastating backlash surging within him.

Far in the distance, the Great Daoist Brush Master was also tending to his wounds. Ye Guan's two sword strikes had left him severely injured.

The more he thought about it, the more frustrated he became.

Damn it!

He never imagined that one day, he'd be wounded by that damned traitor!

The Great Daoist Brush Master fixed his gaze on Ye Guan, his expression dark and terrifying.

Sensing that stare, Ye Guan slowly looked up. Their eyes met across the battlefield. Two figures locked in a glare so fierce that it was as if they each wished they could tear the other apart with their bare hands.

Ye Guan was just as furious. The damned Great Daoist Dog had brought him nothing but disaster!

If it weren't for this bastard, I'd be cultivating peacefully right now. By now, I would've been invincible across the entire damn universe!

Just then, a blinding golden light, tens of thousands of meters wide, suddenly surged toward him like a falling star.

The attacker was none other than Ji Zhan!

Ji Zhan's eyes were locked onto Ye Guan, filled with a chilling, murderous gleam.

Before the golden light could strike, a graceful figure appeared in front of Ye Guan. The figure was Tian Lian. She raised the Eternal Divine Lamp high above her head, pouring all her strength into it. Radiant beams of divine light burst forth from the lantern, crashing straight toward Ji Zhan.

In response, Ji Zhan raised his hand and hurled the Imperial Seal straight at her!

The two divine artifacts collided head-on!

Boom!

Countless bursts of fire and golden light erupted, and the overwhelming force from their collision sent Ye Guan and Tian Lian reeling backward.

Though Ji Zhan was also pushed back, he halted almost immediately. The moment his feet found solid ground, he launched himself forward once more, charging straight at Ye Guan with terrifying speed.

He knew that this was the best moment to kill Ye Guan, and he had to seize the opportunity.

Seeing Ji Zhan charging towards Ye Guan once more, a savage glint flashed in Tian Lian's eyes. With a resolute step forward, she raised the Eternal Divine Lamp high, and in the next instant, the lamp burst into flames, slamming violently toward Ji Zhan.

Boom!

The moment the two forces collided, a cataclysmic shockwave exploded outward, a destructive force strong enough to tear the heavens asunder and reduce everything in its path to dust.

Tian Lian stood firmly in front of Ye Guan, refusing to yield an inch. She held the Eternal Divine Lamp tightly in both hands, desperately resisting the surging shockwaves of power. Her face was deathly pale, almost as white as paper, and blood trickled from the corner of her lips.

She was simply no match for Ji Zhan.

Without warning, Ji Zhan vanished. Suddenly, his eyes flared open again, radiating a deep, eerie crimson light.

The Great Daoist Brush Master stared in stunned disbelief, while Ye Guan's face changed drastically.