Chapter 1616: The Divine Residence

The sudden twist of events left all the cultivators charging at Ye Guan frozen in shock.

They stood like statues, staring in disbelief at the bloody severed head in the distance.

She was dead? Just like that?

Even in death, the woman in white's eyes were wide open in disbelief as she stared at the figure before her.

The one holding her head was a woman dressed in a tight-fitting black robe with a white sash at her waist. Her long ponytail reached down to her hips, and her face was cold and emotionless. One hand rested behind her back, while the other casually dangled a severed head.

Her entire presence radiated deadly killing intent.

Someone murmured, "N-Nun Shepherd!"

Nun Shepherd was one of the three Divine Nuns!

Nun Shepherd tossed the head onto the ground and crushed it under her foot. "Filthy dog."

Everyone was stupefied.

Then, Nun Shepherd calmly walked toward Ye Guan. The cultivators who had originally stood in Ye Guan's path instantly turned pale and scattered like frightened birds.

She had killed the woman in white in an instnat.

It was far too shocking. At this point, none of them had the will to fight anymore. Well, almost none. The exception was the elite Jin Guards from the Divine Continent. Trained and unafraid of death, they held their ground.

The commander of the Jin Guards stared at Nun Shepherd and shouted, "Hold the line!"

But before he could move, Nun Shepherd was already in front of him. With a single slap—

Boom!

He was obliterated into a cloud of blood; he was killed instantly.

Everyone was stupefied.

The rest of the Jin Guards stood frozen. They had intended to resist, but their leader was obliterated in the blink of an eye, so what were they supposed to do?

The deputy commander didn't hesitate. "This isn't the time to fight, retreat!"

He quickly led the remaining Jin Guards in a hasty withdrawal.

Nun Shepherd didn't bother chasing them. She simply walked up to Ye Guan and said, "The Divine Seal."

Clearly, she wanted to verify his identity.

Ye Guan took out the Divine Seal and handed it to her.

As she examined it, the Divinity's aura emanated from the seal. She retrieved a violet-gold jade pendant from inside her collar, with the word "Mu" inscribed on it.

The jade pendant trembled faintly, clearly responding.

A complicated light crossed her eyes. But beneath it, excitement surged. She put the jade pendant away and slowly bent her knees.

She was going to kneel.

Just as her knees were about to touch the ground, she looked up at Ye Guan. Without saying a word, her fist clenched tightly.

Ye Guan understood her instantly. He quickly stepped forward to lift her up. "Nun Shepherd, we're on the same side. There's no need for formalities."

She released her fist, glanced at Ye Guan, and then she turned to the distance where Divine Realm cultivators had surrounded Nun Sickle. The next instant, she surged forward.

Boom!

One of the Divine Realm cultivators attacking Nun Sickle was sent flying hundreds of thousands of meters away. When he finally stopped, the spacetime behind him collapsed into a pitch-black void.

Everyone was dumbfounded.

Even Ye Guan was stunned. Nun Shepherd's strength was simply absurd.

Tian Ya and the Divine Realm cultivators turned pale. They hurriedly retreated to put distance between themselves and the two terrifying nuns. Their eyes were filled with dread.

Nun Sickle walked over to Nun Shepherd with her sickle in hand and grinned. "Shepherd..."

Nun Shepherd shot her a glance. "I told you to train properly. But no, you just had to keep playing. Now look, you ended up getting bullied."

Bullied?

The Divine Realm cultivators around them wore ugly expressions. They had ganged up on Nun Sickle and still couldn't gain the upper hand. Some of them were even injured. Bullied? That stung.

Nun Sickle giggled and whispered something while motioning toward Ye Guan with her chin.

Ye Guan was puzzled.

Nun Shepherd glanced at him, then whispered something back.

Nun Sickle nodded furiously, like a chicken pecking rice.

Ye Guan had no idea what to say.

Tian Ya stepped forward. With wary eyes, he asked, "Nun Shepherd, as a Divine Nun, are you really going to aid a blasphemer?"

Nun Shepherd looked at him without a word.

Tian Ya pointed at Ye Guan, shouting, "He is a blasphemer, someone who established his own Order. He—"

Smack!

He hadn't finished before Nun Shepherd slapped him so hard he flew tens of thousands of meters and hit the ground bleeding, his body cracking.

He was stunned.

Nun Shepherd looked at him coolly. "Your intelligence is beneath mine. Don't talk to me, okay?"

Everyone was speechless.

Tian Ya's face darkened. "Nun Shepherd, the Divine Continent will not let you get away with this!"

It was clear to him now, no one here could reason with her.

Nun Shepherd ignored him and looked skyward, where Jun You and the black-robed man were standing.

Jun You's gaze remained serene.

Nun Shepherd looked at her coldly, and then she turned back to Ye Guan. "We're going to the Divine Continent."

Divine Continent!

Xi Zhong was shocked. "Nun Shepherd, we're going to the Divine Continent?"

Nun Shepherd nodded.

Xi Zhong hesitated. Clearly wary of her explosive temper, he carefully asked, "You must have a reason for this... May I ask what it is?"

Nun Shepherd turned to Ye Guan. "We're going to awaken the long-slumbering Divine Blood Guards."

Divine Blood Guard!

Xi Zhong gasped. "They're real?"

Nun Shepherd gave a small nod.

Ye Guan was curious. "Divine Blood Guard?"

Xi Zhong explained solemnly, "Divine Emissary, you may not know this, but legend says the Divine Blood Guards were the personal elite guards of the Divinity. There were only twenty-six in total.

"They fought alongside the Divinity and were invincible, cutting through entire universes. But then they disappeared, and no records of them exist anymore in the Divine Continent. Most assumed they were straight out of a myth."

He turned to look at Nun Shepherd.

Ye Guan did the same; clearly, she knew more.

Nun Shepherd said, "It's not a myth. They followed Master into countless wars, not just across one universe, but many civilizations. Each one forged a killing heart and walked the path of slaughter.

"After they repelled the East Desolates on the Outer World Battlefield, Master sealed their murderous hearts to prevent them from losing themselves. When Master vanished, they chose to go into hibernation beneath the Divine Residence in the Divine Continent."

Nun Shepherd looked at Ye Guan. "Wake them up. No one will doubt your identity after that. And they'll be more than capable of quelling any rebellion."

Xi Zhong hesitated. "The higher-ups won't allow us to awaken them..."

Nun Shepherd stared at Ye Guan, firm. "We have to."

Ye Guan looked at her.

Nun Shepherd asked, "Think I'm strong?"

Ye Guan nodded earnestly. "Incredibly."

Nun Shepherd splashed cold water on him. "Some of those old fossils are even stronger than me."

Ye Guan's expression darkened.

Nun Shepherd said nothing more.

Ye Guan replied, "I understand. Whether I succeed in awakening them or not, just daring to go is enough to shake those hiding in the shadows. That alone will ease pressure on you all. And maybe... some elites will decide to back me early."

A flicker of admiration appeared in Nun Shepherd's eyes.

Xi Zhong asked, "But what if you can't awaken them?"

Nun Shepherd didn't respond, and neither did Ye Guan.

However, Xi Zhong understood that if Ye Guan failed to awaken them, it would mean that he was a fraud.

This was a test. Nun Shepherd herself wasn't fully convinced of Ye Guan's identity.

Would he dare go? He had to, or he would end up exposing himself.

Xi Zhong looked at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan smiled. "Then I'll be relying on you for the journey, Lady Shepherd."

He was going!

Xi Zhong exhaled heavily in relief.

Since following Ye Guan, his heart and brain had been struggling to keep up with what was going on.

Nun Shepherd stared at Ye Guan and nodded. "Relax. Anyone who wants to kill you on the road to the Divine Continent will have to step over my corpse first."

She turned and looked at the elites in the skies. She swept her sleeve, and those elites hastily tried to retreat.

Boom!

Dozens of meters away, spacetime collapsed, forming a spacetime tunnel.

Nun Shepherd turned to Ye Guan. "Let's go."

Ye Guan pointed at the Divine Edict in the sky. "Can you remove that?"

With it active, both the South Temple of Divinity City and the Origin Temple of Divinity were weakened.

Nun Shepherd looked at it and shook her head, leaving Ye Guan confused.

"It wasn't cast by that woman," she explained. "It was projected by the old geezers in the Divine Continent. It's just a projection and not the real thing."

Ye Guan was shocked. "A projection?"

Nun Shepherd nodded. "Exactly."

Ye Guan's expression turned grim.

"To the Divine Continent."

Ye Guan nodded. "Bring them with us."

She looked at him without speaking.

Clearly, she didn't want to bring the weaker Main Gods.

However, Ye Guan insisted. "It's dangerous for them here."

Nun Shepherd replied, "Even with both of us and those two old men, we can't guarantee your safety. If we bring them too... you understand what I'm saying, don't you?"

Ye Guan said, "If we leave them here, they're going to die."

She was silent, but Ye Guan stared back at her and didn't back down.

Without a Divine Realm expert's protection, they would certainly die.

Nun Shepherd said, "If we're attacked on the road, they won't survive either."

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Ye Guan didn't answer. Instead, he looked at the Main Gods. The Divine Edict weakened all of them. At this rate, they'd become as helpless as mortals.

After a moment, Ye Guan said, "I understand your concern. But these people never abandoned me. How could I abandon them now?"

He extended his palm. "Master Pagoda, enough hiding."

In the void, Zhan Zong turned pale. From his storage ring, a flash of golden light shot out. It was the tiny pagoda. He was about to stop it, but he remembered Nun Shepherd's terrifying strength and decided to flee instead.

The tiny pagoda landed in Ye Guan's hand.

"Master Pagoda." Ye Guan called.

A golden light burst from the pagoda, sweeping up all the Main Gods and storing them safely inside.

Ye Guan looked up at Jun You in the sky and smiled. "Miss Jun You, we're heading off."

Jun You gazed at him. "Go ahead."

Ye Guan asked, "You're not making a move yet?"

Jun You said, "Right now... you're not worth it."

Ye Guan grinned.

"I know you have more cards to play, maybe even more than one. That's fine. We'll see how things unfold," said Jun You.

Ye Guan nodded. "Alright."