Chapter 1542: Sanctuary of Souls

Ye Guan shook his head. This guy was clearly on the verge of being driven insane by the Great Daoist Brush Master. Then again, it was understandable. When this guy had first appeared, he had nearly driven the Great Daoist Brush Master mad. Ye Guan had never seen him so frustrated before.

Facing Gu Pan's threats, the Great Daoist Brush Master mocked, "Oh no... I'm so scared..."

The blatant disrespect made Gu Pan seethe with rage, but he still held himself back.

Patience is a virtue, and revenge is a dish best served cold.

Once his true body was here, all these ants would be crushed to death beneath his feet.

With that thought, he felt a lot better.

Seeing that Gu Pan no longer had any snarky comebacks, the Great Daoist Brush Master didn't bother to provoke him any further. Instead, he turned to Ye Guan and said, "Punk, about several hundred meters to the east, there are some ancient war ruins there. Interested?"

"Why not?" Ye Guan retorted.

The Great Daoist Brush Master chuckled. "Aren't you afraid I'm setting you up?"

"You're not that kind of person."

The Great Daoist Brush Master burst into laughter but didn't push the conversation further. He turned and walked off into the distance.

Ye Guan looked at him and followed.

After a moment's hesitation, Gu Pan also chose to tag along.

Following these two lunatics is dangerous... but not following them would be even worse.

If his true body were here, he wouldn't fear anything. In his weakened state, however, he was about as fragile as a baby. For now, sticking with them was his best option.

"Did you obtain something from that Bizarre God?" The Great Daoist Brush Master suddenly asked along the way.

"No, I didn't."

The Great Daoist Brush Master glanced at him.

"I believe you," he said and closed his eyes.

The mysterious soul that resided in him said,

"Under normal circumstances, there's no way he could have handled the Bizarre God... Even though the Bizarre God was far from his peak and still sealed... he wasn't someone he could possibly defeat. But... the Bizarre God's aura has truly vanished."

The Great Daoist Brush Master remained expressionless. He couldn't believe it either, but he trusted the soul's judgement. The Bizarre God was gone. That could only mean one thing. Someone killed him. But who did?

Ye Guan? Impossible. There was only one plausible explanation—Ye Guan's family.

The Great Daoist Brush Master's face turned cold. He opened his eyes and asked, "Ye Guan, are you sure you didn't call anyone?"

Ye Guan answered firmly, "Absolutely not."

The Great Daoist Brush Master looked Ye Guan in the eye.

"I truly did not," Ye Guan responded.

The Great Daoist Brush Master narrowed his eyes. "Then explain to me how the Bizarre God disappeared. Don't tell me you killed him."

"The Bizarre God was kind to me. He passed down his legacy and gave me everything he had. I was... deeply moved."

The Great Daoist Brush Master stared silently at Ye Guan.

"If I really wanted to break the rules, I'd just ask my father to kill you. Don't you think that's easier?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master looked away. "No matter how you dealt with the Bizarre God, I'll just say this—if you ever want to surpass your father, or your ancestors... then do it with your own means. Every time you rely on someone else, you'd plant a seed in yourself, and one day, you'll have to swallow its fruit.

"That's a price you may not be able to stomach."

Ye Guan nodded. "Thanks for the reminder."

Suddenly, Gu Pan cut in. "Great Daoist Brush Master, you've got some nerve. You go around gathering allies, but won't let others do the same? You are truly shameless."

The Great Daoist Brush Master glanced at him. "You know why you were locked up?"

Gu Pan opened his mouth to retort, but the Great Daoist Brush Master beat him to the chase, saying, "The fact that someone like you even made it to adulthood is a goddamnned miracle. No offense. Just the truth."

Surprisingly, Gu Pan didn't get angry. "When my true body returns, I hope you'll still have the guts to say that."

The Great Daoist Brush Master gave him a cold look. "We'll talk about it when that happens. Until then, shut up. Got it?"

"

Hahaha!

" Gu Pan roared with laughter. "Just you wait. The wheel of fate is always turning. One day, I'll make you cry so hard there won't be any tears left to squeeze!"

"I'll be waiting," the Great Daoist Brush Master said calmly.

Ye Guan looked at Gu Pan. "Don't get so worked up. He has an awfully foul mouth."

Gu Pan glared at Ye Guan. "And what? You think you're a good person? You're not!"

Ye Guan thought for a moment and said, "Well, think about it this way.. He's your enemy. He's also my enemy. Ever consider that maybe we could join forces?"

Gu Pan roared. "Join forces?! I don't need anyone's help! Once my true body is here, you're all going to die!"

Ye Guan was speechless.

If it weren't for the fact that both he and the Great Daoist Brush Master considered this guy a shared annoyance, he'd be dead by now.

Just then, Ye Guan realized something. He glanced at Gu Pan and said nothing more.

The three of them continued on their journey.

After a while, Ye Guan broke the silence. "Great Daoist Brush Master, do you know why this place once saw such a great battle?"

"I do," replied the Great Daoist Brush Master. "But I don't feel like explaining."

Ye Guan smiled slightly. "Do you know how the Bizarre God died?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master glanced at him.

Ye Guan stared back and said plainly, "I don't feel like explaining either."

Behind them, Gu Pan looked at the two but said nothing. Their earlier conversation had left all three in a strange mood. No one spoke again.

And frankly, neither Ye Guan nor the Great Daoist Brush Master wanted to talk to Gu Pan.

As they pressed on, the sky gradually darkened. The three picked up their pace.

An eerie dread began to seep from every shadow once night fell.

After what felt like hours, the group came to a sudden stop. Ahead, a few hundred feet away, lay a vast swamp. Floating above the swamp were tiny green lights, like fireflies.

"

Hmm...

" The mysterious soul attached to the Great Daoist Brush Master suddenly said, "The Sanctuary of Souls... Why is it here?"

"The Sanctuary of Souls?" echoed the Great Daoist Brush Master.

"It's the place where the Soul God fell. His death transformed the place into the Sanctuary of Souls... But as far as I remember, he hadn't died here. Something's wrong. This place... it has developed a will of its own."

Before the soul could finish, both the Great Daoist Brush Master and Ye Guan had already turned around to flee without hesitation.

Gu Pan lagged half a step behind but quickly caught on and bolted as well.

After a moment, the three abruptly stopped, faces going pale.

The swamp hadn't disappeared. It was still right in front of them.

They hadn't gone anywhere at all. The mysterious soul said, "It's targeting you. Sanctuary of Souls has chosen you."

"What does it want?" the Great Daoist Brush Master asked grimly.

"Most likely... it wants to devour your souls."

The mysterious soul continued, "The Soul God was a top elite in soul cultivation. One of his forbidden techniques was the Soul Devouring Art. It doesn't just consume the soul; it absorbs your cultivation as well, turning your power into his own. That is exactly why he was branded as an evil god at the time."

The Great Daoist Brush Master stared at the distant swamp. "So his death gave birth to the Sanctuary of Souls and now... it has a mind of its own?"

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"Exactly," said the mysterious soul.

"Can we devour it?" Ye Guan asked, all of a sudden.

Both the Great Daoist Brush Master and Gu Pan turned to him in surprise.

The mysterious soul responded, "Theoretically possible. Forgive for being blunt, but you three aren't strong enough."

"Our souls are weak, but what if this thing's real target... is you?"

Silence descended.

Ye Guan looked at the Great Daoist Brush Master. "Split up. Whoever it chases... is screwed."

And with that, he took off running.

The Great Daoist Brush Master's eyelid twitched and immediately bolted after him.

Gu Pan hesitated but followed suit.

Seeing the Great Daoist Brush Master chasing after him, Ye Guan scowled. His face darkened when he noticed that the swamp had reappeared in front of them.

The Sanctuary of Souls' true target is that mysterious soul!

"Ye Guan, this isn't the time to argue. We need to work together!" the Great Daoist Brush Master exclaimed anxiously.

Ye Guan didn't answer. He knew full well that it was impossible to shake off the Great Daoist Brush Master. Just then, the green lights from the swamp trembled. The next moment, they all surged together into a single, blinding mass.

"Have your soul guy do something! Now!" Ye Guan shouted.

The Great Daoist Brush Master hesitated. "Brother Ming..."

"No," the soul said firmly. "I'm a soul. If I act, they'll only grow stronger. That's how the Sanctuary of Souls works."

The Great Daoist Brush Master turned to Ye Guan. "Bring out your trump card!"

"I don't have one!" Ye Guan snapped.

"This is not the time for secrets!" the Great Daoist Brush Master barked.

"You think that I'm invincible just because I inherited the Bizarre God's legacy? What kind of joke is that?"

"Even if you're not invincible, you have something. Quit holding back, or we're all going to die!"

Ye Guan still shook his head. "I have nothing."

The Great Daoist Brush Master's expression darkened. He turned toward Gu Pan, who sneered coldly. "If my true body were here, this filthy swamp wouldn't stand a chance—"

"Shut up!" snapped the Great Daoist Brush Master. "I swear I'm so done with you, you bastard!"