Chapter 1675: Ling'er

Ye Guan expressed his will to fight, and the Qingxuan Sword hummed with excitement in response.

The Boundless Master didn't say anything else. He fixed his eyes on the deep void ahead, silently lit a cigar, and puffs of smoke floated into the air.

Both of them were fully prepared for an all-out battle.

But just then, for some unknown reason, the three terrifying auras in the depths of the void suddenly receded like a tide.

Both the Boundless Master and Ye Guan were momentarily stunned at the sight. They looked at each other, confused.

Why had the enemy retreated so suddenly?

The Boundless Master glanced toward a hidden place in the darkness, frowning slightly, but soon withdrew his gaze. "We need to leave here as soon as possible. We must not interfere any further."

Ye Guan nodded. "Give me a moment."

After speaking, he turned and descended back to the earth. Not far away, the little girl was still lying on the ground, crying her heart out.

Ye Guan sighed softly. He picked up a cloth doll from a basket nearby. The doll wore the same clothes as the little girl, with similar hair and features—it was clearly handmade by her parents for her.

He paused for a moment, then walked over and gently pulled her up. Her eyes were already swollen from crying.

Ye Guan placed the doll into her arms and gently said, "Stop crying."

The little girl looked at him; her eyes were red, and her voice was hoarse as she asked, "W-why... why did this happen?"

Ye Guan looked up at the sky and replied gently, "It's probably what people call 'order.' Everything is predetermined. When people live, when they die...it's all fixed, and it can't be changed..."

The little girl stared blankly at him. After a while, she whispered, "So... I should have died too, right?"

Ye Guan gently rubbed her little head. "But now, you need to live."

The little girl clenched her fists tightly and murmured, "Order..."

There was deep resentment in her voice.

Ye Guan said, "I cultivate Order Dao too."

The girl looked up at him, and Ye Guan smiled. "Order can be good or bad. My Order is good."

"What about in the future?"

Ye Guan thought for a moment and said, "I'll do my best to make sure it stays good."

The little girl didn't reply, just looked at him quietly.

Ye Guan helped her build two graves in the clearing. He didn't leave anything of his own behind, not even a token, because this encounter had shown him just how terrifying supreme karmic forces were. He feared that even a small gift might bring her further disaster.

However, he scavenged all the corpses of the bandits and gave all their possessions to the little girl.

Ye Guan said, "I'm leaving."

The little girl kept her head down and said nothing.

But Ye Guan didn't move. He could tell that she no longer wanted to live.

He paused, then crouched down and held her hand. "Do you want revenge?"

She looked at him, and for the first time, a flicker of emotion returned to her eyes.

Ye Guan said, "Live. Train hard. One day, overthrow all the bad Orders in this world. Can you do that?"

The little girl nodded hard.

Ye Guan smiled faintly. Then, he turned and mounted his sword before disappearing into the distance.

At the entrance to the small town, the little girl looked up at the fading streak of sword light in the sky and stood there dazed for a long, long time...

In a shadowed place, a woman in white silently withdrew her gaze and left.

***

Ye Guan and the Boundless Master once again traveled upstream through the Time Reversal. Along the way, both wore grave expressions, especially Ye Guan. What had just happened made him realize how terrifying supreme karma truly was.

Before, changing fate felt almost easy.

But this time, he'd learned that Supreme Karma cannot be reversed.

If he hadn't forcibly transferred the girl's karma onto himself, she would have certainly died.

Suddenly remembering something, Ye Guan asked, "Senior, do you think those three surpassed the ninth level of the Circle-breaking realm?"

The Boundless Master shook his head. "I don't know. But what I do know is that they were at least at the peak of the ninth-stage Circle-breaking realm."

Ye Guan fell silent.

The Boundless Master added, "We don't know why they suddenly withdrew, but one thing is certain. You've caught their attention. And now you carry karma on your body too... Originally, I wanted to return immediately, but thinking about it again... we've come all this way. Leaving like cowards would be embarrassing."

He looked at Ye Guan. "This time, we must not enter another Era World. When we reach the Ancient Era, we take one look and leave."

Ye Guan nodded. "Understood."

The Boundless Master nodded as well.

After what just happened, both had grown serious. There was no more joking around.

Soon, they encountered another region filled with tribulation lightning. This was entirely black divine lightning. Even from afar, they could feel the terrifying pressure emanating from it.

As they approached, their expressions darkened. Within the region, black divine lightning rolled violently. If it struck them, they'd be reduced to ash.

Ye Guan's face turned grim. If it were just a few bolts, he was confident he could take it. But this many?

Damn it!

Ye Guan looked at the Boundless Master.

The Boundless Master muttered, "Pagoda..."

"Screw off!" Little Pagoda immediately snapped.

Ye Guan was at a loss for words.

Suddenly, the Boundless Master pulled out two pills and handed one to Ye Guan. The pill was silver colored and crackled with sparks.

Ye Guan was surprised. "What is this? It has lightning in it?"

The Boundless Master swallowed his. "Made by Little Ling'er. She says it helps avoid lightning."

Avoid lightning?!

Ye Guan froze, then looked at him. "Are you sure it works?"

The Boundless Master said, "Should be reliable."

Should be...

Ye Guan's face darkened.

The Boundless Master added, "Ling'er is the top alchemist under your mother. If she says it works, it probably does."

With no better choice, Ye Guan swallowed the pill.

As soon as he did, he felt a jolt of electricity, but that was it.

Looking at the Boundless Master, he asked, "Are you really sure this is safe? This isn't a joke."

The Boundless Master was silent.

He wasn't sure either...

But there was no other option.

He gritted his teeth. "I choose to believe in Ling'er. Let's go!"

But he didn't move.

Ye Guan didn't move either.

The Boundless Master turned to him. "Together."

Ye Guan nodded. He activated his Order laws to protect himself, followed by Invincible and Order Sword Intents. Not feeling secure, he added several layers of armor, battle spoils he'd previously collected. They were not Supreme Artifacts, but not weak either.

The Boundless Master was stunned, but then reluctantly pulled out a suit of armor and put it on, too.

After making all their preparations, the two charged into the tribulation lightning zone. The moment they entered, dozens of black lightning bolts rained down like a flood, instantly submerging them.

Ye Guan unleashed his divine laws to the fullest, frantically resisting the black lightning. At the same time, he pushed his speed to the max, trying to rush through the area.

He moved quickly, almost breaking through when suddenly, a lightning curtain appeared in front of him, entirely made of black lightning.

Damn it!

Ye Guan cursed and stopped. He didn't dare to push through recklessly. By now, his divine laws were dimming under the lightning's onslaught.

He could last ten seconds at most.

Looking at the lightning curtain, he paused briefly, then transformed into a sword light and charged forward.

Forceful breakthrough!

His sword ripped open a gap, and he pushed through, carving his way forward. But soon, his sword light dimmed. He quickly invoked his Order laws and both Sword Intents, dispersing the black lightning around him. He pushed his speed to the max.

Three seconds!

If he didn't make it out in three seconds, he was done.

Suddenly, he saw white light ahead and was overjoyed. With a roar, he unleashed a massive wave of Invincible and Order Sword Intent to blow back the surrounding lightning. Just as he was about to escape the lightning region, all the black lightning around him suddenly ignited, surging toward him again.

Ye Guan's pupils shrank. Just as he was about to use his ultimate move, "Guanxuan," he sensed something and turned to find the Boundless Master leisurely walking toward him through the blazing lightning storm.

Calm and composed, a lightning shield surrounded him, keeping all the black lightning at bay.

Ye Guan was speechless.

The Boundless Master grinned. "So brave of you."

Ye Guan's face went stiff. He retracted his divine laws and Sword Intents. The lightning surged toward him, only to be pushed away by an invisible force.

A lightning shield had appeared around him, too.

Clearly, Ling'er's Lightning Avoidance pill had worked.

Damn it...

Ye Guan felt awkward.

The Boundless Master chuckled. "Guess what Ling'er's title is now?"

Ye Guan looked at him.

The Boundless Master said proudly, "She's now called the Pill Ancestor."

Ye Guan was lost for words.

The Boundless Master was about to speak again when suddenly, the lightning shield on his body began to fade. Realizing this, his expression changed. "Crap! There's a time limit?!"

Ye Guan had already rushed out.

The Boundless Master was just about to follow, but his shield vanished completely...

Outside, Ye Guan turned to look just as a ball of fire burst out after him. It was the Boundless Master.

"Fuck!" the Boundless Master cursed while dashing out.

Ye Guan waved his sleeve, casting a divine law on the Boundless Master to clear the lingering lightning flames on him.

Ye Guan said, "We've entered the Hundred Races Era."

Just then, the sound of footsteps

echoed in the distance.

Ye Guan and the Boundless Master froze.