Chapter 1684: Ye Guan's Dharma Protector

The moment Ye Guan stepped through the gate, he was swallowed by a boundless darkness.

Almost immediately, a voice echoed in his mind. "You are not allowed to use your cultivation base."

Ye Guan nodded and kept moving forward.

Without access to his cultivation, he had no way of sensing what lay around him. There was only darkness, and he had to walk forward.

At first, he wasn't particularly troubled. In fact, he was somewhat eager; he'd heard countless stories about how unique the Gate of Suffering was. Most people wouldn't even dare attempt it. But Ye Guan? He'd suffered more than his share over the years.

He had always wanted to try the Gate of Suffering's "bitter cultivation."

He walked in a straight line through the endless dark. There was nothing, just emptiness.

Still, he remained calm. Maybe this was a trial of will.

And so he walked. For how long, he didn't know. It was still pitch black in all directions.

He kept going. At first, he had a sense of time. But gradually, even that faded. He wasn't allowed to use any cultivation, after all.

Soon, he noticed something alarming—his hair was turning white, and his body was aging rapidly.

Without cultivation, his body had reverted to that of an ordinary human. And still, ahead, there was only silence, cold, and infinite darkness. Loneliness, too... An endless, soul-crushing loneliness.

The worst part? He could end it at any time. Just call on his cultivation and walk out. However, Ye Guan didn't even consider that. His will was unyielding and eternal.

However, the loneliness didn't weaken because of his determination. On the contrary, it intensified. An invisible swarm of biting ants gnawed at his mind and will.

Yes, he could feel it. That overwhelming, corrosive loneliness was eating away at his will. And worse, his so-called unbreakable will... was starting to crack.

It was a creeping irritation that was barely noticeable, but it was there.

Still, he pressed on. The ruthless passage of time continued, but he had long forgotten it. His hair was falling out, and his hands were shriveling. His body felt ancient, and it felt as if he had lived an entire lifetime, but he wouldn't give up.

He started thinking back on the people he had met in his journey from the Ancient Desolate City to the Origin Universe, and countless faces filled his mind—Nalan Jia, Ye Xiao, Ye Qing, Ji Xuan, Nalan Yiyi, Qianqian, Sister Zhen, Ci Jing, and Ci Shu.

Upon recalling them, the suffocating loneliness faded slightly. A small smile even appeared on his face.

Now, he had hope and life. He thought of them again, and of his past self—his joy, his pain, his regrets... and most of all, his attachments.

He finally realized just how much they meant to him. He hoped they were all doing well. The ones he loved, and the ones who loved him. With that thought, his will began to solidify, and the dazed look in his eyes began to clear.

He picked up his pace, wanting to get out of this darkness. Out of this endless, soul-numbing void. Not just for himself but for everyone he cared about.

However, even that wasn't enough.

Decades passed; perhaps even centuries. Who could tell?

He felt numb, and even his thoughts dulled. He tried to hold on to those memories, but the tide of loneliness crashed over him, burying them one by one.

Time would erode all things.

Eventually, the faces of those people became blurry in his mind. He couldn't even remember what they looked like anymore.

Loneliness. He had never known such profound, absolute loneliness.

What's the point of living?

That mere thought alone shattered his solid will. A flood of negative emotions surged through his soul until all those feelings compressed into three simple words—it was meaningless.

At that moment, he hadn't noticed it, but his once-mighty Invincible Sword Intent and Order Sword Intent were unraveling and vanishing into nothingness.

Ye Guan's eyes dulled.

In the end, no one could ever escape from... loneliness.

The higher one stood, the lonelier they were.

Loneliness transcended time and space. It had been with the vast expanse since it was born, and it would persist forever. No one could escape it, and few could defeat it.

As Ye Guan walked, he started dissolving into nothingness. His will was decaying, and his fleshly body started crumbling. Even his Mad Demon Bloodline and Mortal Bloodline within him began to dry up.

The darkness in this spacetime was a Great Dao. And on this Great Dao, what awaited its cultivator was nothing but unrelenting loneliness. Some people vanished halfway due to unforeseen events. Others choose to stop walking because they simply couldn't take it anymore.

As time went on, Ye Guan's consciousness began to fade. His memories, his self, and his very existence all blurred into obscurity. His Invincible Sword Intent and Order Sword Intent were just moments from completely disappearing.

And when that happened, he would vanish as well.

Just then, a single image flickered amidst his foggy mind—a lady in a plain skirt!

Aunt!

A flicker of light emanated from Ye Guan's lifeless eyes.

He remembered something.

Yes. Aunt!

Was she lonely? She's powerful; she's invincible... She must be lonely. Then how did she overcome it?

𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Ye Guan straightened his back, and light returned to his eyes. Excitement surged through him. He had a hunch, a vague one, but it was there.

He thought harder. Then, he remembered someone else.

Father! How did Aunt defeat her loneliness? What gave her life meaning? It was Father.

Love.

As long as one loved someone or was beloved. Then, one's life had meaning, and loneliness could never triumph.

And with that single thought...

Boom!

The nearly extinguished flames of his Invincible Sword Intent and Order Sword Intent erupted back to life. His dying bloodlines, both the Mad Demon Bloodline and the Mortal Bloodline awakened, surging like tidal waves to obliterate the darkness.

In truth, he had never moved. He had been standing still the whole time.

And now, his sword intents and bloodlines didn't just recover, they took to the skies, breaking past old limits and crossing into an entirely new realm.

They continued to grow stronger, rising without end.

In a wooden house on a distant mountain somewhere, a lady in a plain skirt withdrew her gaze.

"I thought you said he had grown up and that you wouldn't interfere anymore?"

The lady in a plain skirt glanced at the speaker and calmly replied, "Do you know what a Dharma Protector is?"

The voice fell silent. He had forgotten. This lady was Ye Guan's Dharma Protector.