Chapter 1651: One Epiphany Leads to Invincibility

The young man in black robes was Tuogu Yuan. In truth, he had long since given up on Ye Guan. Over the years, many young people had come through, but none of them were named Ye Guan.

As a result, he gradually forgot about the matter. After all, it would be foolish to place all his hopes for the future on someone who probably didn't even exist.

The only reason he asked was that Ye Guan's demeanor was extraordinary; he didn't seem like an ordinary person, which was why he asked.

Ye Guan immediately shook his head. "No, my surname is Yang. My name is Yang Guan."

Although he didn't know why this young man was asking if he was Ye Guan, it was best to be cautious. What if it was another one of the Great Daoist Brush Master's tricks?

He was strong, but caution was still necessary. After all, the Great Daoist Brush Master wasn't dead, just sealed.

Only when that man was dead could Ye Guan truly be at peace.

Tuogu Yuan was briefly disappointed. "Ten thousand Ancestral Spiritual Crystals."

Ten thousand...

Ye Guan had to admit he felt a twinge of pain. Although Little White had given him some Ancestral Spiritual Crystals back then, it wasn't much, just a little over a hundred thousand. His Aunt Ye Qingqing had given him some as well, but in total, he only had around two hundred thousand.

Over the years, he had spent over a hundred thousand, between rebuilding the Divine Civilization and his own cultivation. Now, he had just over sixty thousand left.

It stung a little, but Ye Guan still handed over a storage ring to Tuogu Yuan. Tuogu Yuan accepted it and looked at him. "Is this your first time here?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."

Tuogu Yuan was puzzled. "Usually, first-timers are accompanied by elders. Why are you alone?"

Ye Guan smiled. "If the elders came along, how would others even get a chance to play?"

Tuogu Yuan was taken aback, and then he understood what Ye Guan meant.

"Brother, that's not the right mindset here. I've guarded this boundary for many years and seen countless geniuses from top civilizations across the multiverse.

"In their own worlds, they were peerless. However, the Origin Universe is beyond us. The prouder they are when they arrive, the more miserable they are when they leave. Some were even ambushed and killed.

"In this place, it's better to stay humble and low-key."

"I understand." Ye Guan nodded. "Thank you for the advice. I will keep a low profile and be humble."

Then he changed the subject, "Earlier, you asked if I was Ye Guan. Why is that?"

Tuogu Yuan calmly replied, "It's nothing. Ye Guan is a brother of mine, and we've shared many hardships together."

What the hell?

Ye Guan's eyes widened.

He couldn't remember ever gaining such a sworn brother!

Tuogu Yuan added, "Though we've never met, our connection is deep. We are brothers in spirit."

Ye Guan was speechless.

Tuogu Yuan looked at him. "A spiritual connection... you get it? It means we've never met, but we'd still take a knife for each other."

Ye Guan hesitated before asking, "Brother, this Ye Guan you're talking about, who is he...

exactly?

"

Tuogu Yuan sized him up. "Which back alley are you from? Ye Guan... of course, I mean Ye Guan, the Young Pavilion Master of the Immortal Treasure Pavilion. Who else could it be?"

Ye Guan fell silent. He truly had no idea when he got himself a brother.

Suddenly, Tuogu Yuan handed him a scroll. "This is the 'Origin Universe Safety Map' published by the Immortal Treasure Pavilion. It usually costs over three hundred Ancestral Spiritual Crystals... but seeing how poor you look, I'll give it to you for free."

Ye Guan looked at the scroll curiously. "Origin Universe Safety Map?"

Tuogu Yuan nodded. "It contains the details about the major worlds and powers of the Origin Universe, including an analysis of their strength. It'll help you understand the lay of the land.

"Most importantly, it analyzes the top geniuses and monsters of each faction and how dangerous they are. Basically, after reading it, you'll know who you can and can't afford to mess with."

"When you're out in the world, the last thing you want is to offend someone with a terrifying backer. Mess with them, and not only will an elder come after you, but a whole bunch of elders will show up. Worse, you might bring disaster on your entire family or civilization.

"This map helps you avoid such disasters and helps you avoid offending certain figures."

So that's what it is!

Ye Guan stored the scroll away. "Thank you, Brother. By the way, what's your name?"

"Tuogu Yuan."

Ye Guan clasped his hands respectfully. "Brother Tuogu, until we meet again."

With that, he walked away. He had barely taken a few steps when he heard Tuogu Yuan ask, "Are you Ye Guan?"

Ye Guan was dumbfounded. As Ye Guan walked toward the Universe Battlefield, he took out the Origin Universe Safety Map and began reading it.

Once he was done, he had a much clearer understanding of the Origin Universe. There were five supreme powers here—the Divine Dao Clan, the Gate of Bitterness, the Nothingness Sect, the Guanxuan Domain, and the Immortal Treasure Pavilion.

The Divine Dao Clan originated from the Divine Dao Civilization, with a history spanning over a hundred billion years. Their ancestors created the Supreme Divine Dao, and they once used that power to defy the Heavenly Dao itself, severing the future from the present and reversing time to relive their lives.

The whole clan relived their lives. Their move allowed them to shatter their limits as a Super Divine Civilization, becoming a Supreme Divine Civilization.

What was more terrifying was that their entire clan supposedly escaped the interference of the Supreme Will and karma itself. In other words, they control their own destiny now.

As for the Gate of Bitterness, they were from the distant Sahā Civilization. Its founder, San Xiang, created a cultivation method rooted in ascetism.

No karma, and no Dao, and no destiny.

Through sheer bitterness and suffering, they created a new Dao that avoided the control of the Supreme Will. Their cultivation method was terrifying.

Even for Ye Guan, their Dao was indeed extreme. For example, burning one's own body under the scorching sun to temper their fleshly body, walking through lava on foot, and allowing evil spirits to devour their soul for the sake of tempering it. In extreme cases, they would even voluntarily reincarnate to endure all earthly hardships and temper their will.

Their Dao was bitterness, pain, and hardships.

Few walked it, as few could survive it. Those who somehow survived the hardships could no longer be considered human.

As for the Nothingness Sect, it was founded by Dao An, who developed the Prajna Zen philosophy. The philosophy focused on perfecting all historical Zen and Dao teachings. Of course, the horrifying thing about him was that he merged the teachings into a new system called the Dao of Nothingness.

The Dao of Nothingness relied on nothing, and it transcended all tangible forms. It was a brand-new Dao that emphasizes epiphany.

All truths were already within oneself. Why awaken one's true nature?

Epiphanies were divided into two kinds: minor and major. Minor enlightenment involves gradual effort, where progress would lead up to it. After reaching the climax, one would make a breakthrough and become even stronger.

A major epiphany was different. It was a deep realization with neither steps nor process. Upon having a major epiphany, one would instantly harmonize with the Dao of Nothingness.

"One Epiphany Leads to Invincibility." This was the slogan of the Nothingness Sect, and it was also their most-used recruitment line. "Brother, I see you have some potential. Want to join the Nothingness Sect? We don't care about resources or status. Just one epiphany will lead to invincibility."

Who wouldn't be tempted? As a result, the Nothingness Sect had tons of disciples. Of course, with such numbers, their quality varied wildly. Hence, the sect was split into the Inner Sect and the Outer Sect. The Inner Sect contained the elite disciples, while the Outer Sect was full of...wannabes.

The Safety Map even advised that if one was about to fight a disciple from the Nothingness Sect, one ought to always ask, "Are you from the Inner Sect or the Outer Sect?"

If they were from the Inner Sect, their danger level would be nine out of ten. A Strategic retreat was advised.

If they were from the Outer Sect, then feel free to beat them up.

Once Ye Guan was done reading the details concerning the top five supreme powers, he moved on to the other superpowers.

How about the Immortal Treasures Pavilion and the Guanxuan Domain? There was no need to study them. They belonged to him, after all, so what was there to study?

Still, he felt a bit emotional. Looking at their introductions, he thought,

So everyone else has been doing well all this time, while the outside world has been beating me up all these years...