Chapter 1532: Speak Its Name, Reap Its Soul!

The Great Daoist Brush Master was glaring at Ye Guan with murderous intent; he truly wanted to twist that traitor's head right off his shoulders.

The punk wouldn't stop dragging his family into things at the drop of a hat. He wasn't just shameless anymore; it felt like he'd given up all pretense and decided to go full rogue.

And that was a problem...

Once he stopped feeling guilty about calling in his family, who the hell could stop him?

To make matters even worse, Ye Guan clearly had it out for him. If he really did go off the deep end, the first person he'd target would definitely be him.

Damn it!

He had to win this round.

The Great Daoist Brush Master turned his gaze to the Great Dao River before them, deep in thought.

Outside, he no longer held the upper hand. But here, this was his one shot at turning the tables.

Gu Pan glanced at both Ye Guan and the Great Daoist Brush Master before focusing on the river, too. There was curiosity in his eyes at first, but it quickly gave way to seriousness.

Ye Guan was also staring at the river. He wasn't sure if it was really as powerful as the Great Daoist Brush Master claimed; he couldn't sense anything from it at all.

The surface was still, like a dead river, yet it gave off an eerie vibe. Divine sense couldn't even get close; it would simply vanish without a trace.

Ye Guan suddenly asked, "Great Daoist Brush Master, you said there are 3,600 Great Daos inside this river, and each one is at the ninth level of the True Dao. Does that mean this river is actually some kind of supreme treasure?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master replied flatly, "It's an Emperor[1] Artifact."

Ye Guan turned to look at him. "An Emperor Artifact?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master gave him a rare direct answer. "The highest-tier of divine weapon in the Boundary of Truth and Illusion. Even in there, it's the kind of artifact only the cream of the crop can possess."

Ye Guan grew even more intrigued. "An artifact like that... how did it end up here? And judging by its state, it looks... trapped?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master said, "Not trapped. Broken."

Ye Guan froze.

Gu Pan's expression also darkened.

The Great Daoist Brush Master glanced at them and sneered. "Didn't expect that, did you?"

Ye Guan didn't argue and just nodded.

Seeing that Ye Guan didn't push back for once, the Great Daoist Brush Master didn't press the issue either. He looked at the Great Dao River again. "The 3,600 Great Daos in that river have been scattered. Most are in a dormant state now; it's pretty much useless."

Ye Guan asked, "But it can be repaired, right?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master snorted, clearly seeing where this was going. "Thinking of claiming it for yourself? Keep dreaming."

Ye Guan said, "I'll let my father take care of it later."

The Great Daoist Brush Master froze.

Gu Pan glanced at Ye Guan, and then he shifted his attention back to the Great Dao River before falling into contemplation.

Ye Guan, curious, asked, "Do you know who broke it?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master expressionlessly replied, "No idea."

Ye Guan looked at him.

The Great Daoist Brush Master added, "The Great Dao River was once one of the Emperor Artifacts that protected the Ancient God Nation.

"To destroy an Emperor Artifact, besides the Three Swords, I only know of one person who can do that."

Ye Guan raised a brow. "Who?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master sternly said, "Me."

Ye Guan was dumbfounded.

Even Gu Pan, who had been silent all this time, couldn't help but mock, "That's the funniest thing I've heard. You? What's the difference between you and a joke?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master gave Gu Pan a cold glance but didn't bother arguing. He turned back to the river and said to Ye Guan, "Hey, stubborn mule, want to claim this river?"

Ye Guan immediately shook his head. Sure, he wanted it. However, he knew it wasn't something he could handle right now. And besides, if the Great Daoist Brush Master was asking that question, there had to be a trap waiting.

The Great Daoist Brush Master looked at him. "If you really want it, I can help you take it. It's heavily damaged right now, making it easy to subdue."

Ye Guan casually replied, "Sure."

The Great Daoist Brush Master froze.

Ye Guan gave him a provocative look. "If you've got the guts to tame it, I've got the guts to take it."

The Great Daoist Brush Master stared at him. "You're serious?"

Ye Guan didn't hesitate. "Dead serious."

After staring at Ye Guan for a moment, the Great Daoist Brush Master laughed. "Alright then."

He walked over to the river, knelt down, and placed his palm on the surface. A Dao seal lit up in his hand. In an instant, the river trembled violently. Before their eyes, the vast river shrank, and within moments, it became a mini river floating above his palm.

The Great Daoist Brush Master stood, walked over, and handed the mini river to Ye Guan.

Ye Guan said nothing and simply accepted it.

Seeing that Ye Guan had really decided to accept it, the Great Daoist Brush Master smiled. "All done."

Ye Guan nodded.

Gu Pan glanced at both of them, puzzled. Just what kind of game were these two playing? Then, something clicked, and he looked at Ye Guan, warning, "An item like that carries karmic ties. And since it was shattered, that means it's entangled in some serious karma.

"He didn't give you a treasure. He handed you a disaster."

He wasn't doing this out of kindness toward Ye Guan; he just didn't like the Great Daoist Brush Master.

Ye Guan smiled. "It's fine."

Gu Pan shook his head. "Reckless idiot."

Ye Guan didn't argue.

The Great Daoist Brush Master chuckled. "Come on, let's keep exploring."

With that, he walked ahead.

Ye Guan followed.

Just then, Little Pagoda remarked,

"Something's off about this thing... my instincts are screaming that it's dangerous. You sure you want it?"

Ye Guan replied, "No."

Little Pagoda was confused. "Then why?"

Ye Guan didn't respond.

The group kept moving. Not long after, they saw thousands of black-armored warriors standing silently in front of a massive palace. Each one stood like a statue, but they were devoid of life.

The three of them shifted their gazes from the warriors to the palace ahead.

Still silent, they moved forward.

Once they got close, they realized all these warriors were just empty husks; their souls were gone. Left with just their fleshly bodies, their eyes were still open, filled with the will to fight.

The Great Daoist Brush Master murmured, "Soul Extraction Technique..."

Ye Guan looked at him.

The Great Daoist Brush Master frowned deeply and explained, "Their souls were pulled out in an instant. But this technique... shouldn't exist here."

Ye Guan asked, "What do you mean?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master said, "This Soul Extraction Technique is a forbidden art. When fully mastered, it allows you to speak someone's name and reap their soul.

"Even an elite on the ninth level of the True Dao will find it hard to resist that."

Ye Guan's expression shifted. "You know where it comes from?"

"Of course I do," the Great Daoist Brush Master said grimly. "What confuses me is that its creator is already dead. So why is it here...?"

He glanced around, his frown deepening. "What the hell is going on here?"

Ye Guan said, "I thought you knew everything?"

"I know jack shit." The Great Daoist Brush Master snapped and glared at Ye Guan. "I've been stuck in this damn place bickering with you every day, when the hell would I have time to pay attention to the rest of the vast expanse?

"Damn it, being around you this long is making me lose touch with reality!"

Ye Guan calmly replied, "If you hadn't been messing with me all the time, I'd have grown steadily stronger. Maybe I wouldn't be invincible yet, but I could've at least fought Father for a few rounds."

The Great Daoist Brush Master shot him a cold look. "Keep dreaming."

Then he turned toward the palace again, brows furrowed tight.

This place... was getting weirder by the minute.

He didn't know much about weak civilizations; that was only normal. However, a force strong enough to annihilate the Ancient God Nation and shatter an Emperor Artifact, and he had no idea who did it?

That was strange.

For the first time, the Great Daoist Brush Master didn't feel in control of the situation.

What the hell had happened here?

Ye Guan looked at him, noting his confusion and growing tension. He became even warier. He could tell the Great Daoist Brush Master genuinely didn't know who destroyed the Ancient God Nation, which meant someone extremely powerful was out there, and even this guy didn't know about them.

Gu Pan, calm on the surface, was also on high alert. This whole place was unnerving. The well, the Great Dao River, and now this palace... All of it radiated danger and was extremely bizarre.

Even his confidence was starting to waver. Still, all three of them kept up their bold front. None of them would admit weakness.

As the Great Daoist Brush Master and Gu Pan headed toward the palace, Ye Guan paused. He looked at the lifeless soldiers around him and sighed. "They've fallen, and yet their bodies are still left out here in the open. I-I can't stand to see this."

With a wave of his sleeve, he stored all the bodies in a storage ring.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"I'll give them a proper burial."

Gu Pan frowned. "Are you serious right now?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master said dryly, "He just wants their armor."

Gu Pan was dumbfounded.

Ye Guan looked at the Great Daoist Brush Master and said, "Disgusting."

The Great Daoist Brush Master replied, "Don't try to act all innocent with me. You don't even need to pull your pants down. I already know what kind of crap you're about to take."

Ye Guan had no idea what to say to that.

The Great Daoist Brush Master turned and walked toward the great palace.

Gu Pan glanced at Ye Guan and commented, "People from backwater places like you always fixate on petty gains... I guess I get it. Judging by your looks, life at home probably isn't great."

Ye Guan nodded. "Yeah, it's been rough."

The Great Daoist Brush Master glanced at Gu Pan and muttered, "What an idiot."

1. Veela: Yeap the author used 帝 again ☜