Chapter 197: I'll Give Up on Living

A state of war emergency!

A state of war emergency meant that the entire Guanxuan Universe was under threat. In other words, the declaration affected the entire Guanxuan Universe.

The moment the declaration spread, the Guanxuan Academies of the many worlds throughout the Guanxuan Universe sent their powerhouses to the Main Guanxuan Academy.

Every teleportation array was used around the clock, and every Immortal Treasures Pavillion branch gathered all their resources to send powerhouses to the Main Guanxuan Academy.

The aristocratic families and the clan factions also had to send their top cultivators to the Main Guanxuan Academy within two days; the weaker members of their clan would have to be prepared to be mobilized as the second line of defense.

Every Dao Soldier, Immortal Soldier, and Guanxuan Guard was ordered to return to the Main Guanxuan Academy as quickly as possible. In summary, regardless of one’s affiliation or even if one were a rogue cultivator, one had to go.

If the Guanxuan Universe failed to repel its enemies, its destruction would follow.

The state of war emergency had only been declared twice since the Guanxuan Universe’s foundation. The first declaration happened thirty million years ago, while the second one happened today.

Li Banzhi’s expression was grim.

Li Banzhi knew that Lu Tian had a mysterious backer who wanted him to infiltrate the Main Guanxuan Academy and become its next Academy Master. However, it was unfortunate that she truly didn’t expect Lu Tian’s backer to be a Divine Spirit.

In addition, so many Divine Spirits actually managed to escape the Xuzhen Battlefield and reach the Main Guanxuan Academy.

Something untoward had to have happened at the Xuzhen Battlefield.

To make matters worse, it was obvious that the Divine Spirits had a backer in the Guanxuan Committee. Otherwise, these Divine Spirits wouldn’t have managed to infiltrate the Main Guanxuan Academy without anyone’s knowledge.

However, Li Banzhi couldn’t be bothered with the root of the problem right now.

Her main concern was to protect Ye Guan.

Ye Guan suddenly asked, “Aunt Zhi, can we summon the Sword Master?”

Li Banzhi’s expression was heavy as she said, “If these Divine Spirits weren’t here, we could summon the Sword Master.”

Ye Guan was confused, and he asked, “Why do they have to be absent?”

“I don’t know the specifics, but…” Li Banzhi explained, “I know that after your father went to the True World, he seemed to have reached an agreement with the True God there.”

The True God?

Ye Guan asked inwardly, “Master Pagoda, how strong is the True God?” Little Pagoda answered, “Unimaginably strong.”

Unimaginably strong…

Ye Guan went silent.

Li Banzhi looked up and saw roughly eight hundred Divine Generals and twelve Divine Kings. Their numbers were tiny compared to the powerhouses of the Guanxuan Universe, but the Divine Spirits were simply too strong.

Even the Guanxuan Soldiers who had participated in close to a hundred battles in the Xuzhen World were being overwhelmed by the Divine Generals.

Meanwhile, more than half of the ancestors that the aristocratic families and the clan factions had summoned had already perished at the hands of the twelve Divine Kings.

The ancestors of the aristocratic families and clan factions were greater in numbers, but the twelve Divine Kings were suppressing the former rather than the other way around.

However, it wasn’t really a strange outcome. Those from the True World were elites among elites, while the elites of the Guanxuan Academy were still stuck in the Xuzhen Battlefield. In other words, the Guanxuan Universe only had a handful of cultivators capable of standing their ground against these Divine Kings at the moment.

Li Banzhi’s expression was dark as she stared at the calm and composed Lu Tian in the distance. Lu Tian hadn’t moved at all, and he was obviously the most dangerous person here.

Just then, An You suddenly said, “Young Master, Committee Head Li, the spacetime tunnels of the Xiaoguan Continent have been sealed. Our men also discovered traces of powerful auras around the spacetime tunnels.”

Li Banzhi maintained a straight face as she asked, “Can we contact the Xuzhen Battlefield?”

“We lost contact with the men we sent out of the Xiaoguan Continent…” An You trailed off and shook his head.

Li Banzhi’s eyes slowly closed. “So the Xiaoguan Continent has been blockaded.”

“Yes.” An You nodded.

“If we’ve lost contact with the Xuzhen Battlefield…” Ye Guan trailed off before continuing. “I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until they notice that something is wrong. I’m sure they’ll soon send powerhouses over here.”

Ye Guan made a sidelong glance at Li Banzhi and said, “Aunt Zhi, I need someone to help me suppress that mysterious being inside Lu Tian.”

Ye Guan didn’t want to just stay under the protection of Li Banzhi and everyone else.

Li Banzhi glanced at Lu Tian before saying, “Chief Seng Wu, please assist him.”

Boom!

A rift in space abruptly appeared next to Ye Guan.

Seng Wu walked out. He had been hiding in a pocket of space to protect Ye Guan at a critical juncture.

Seng Wu made a sidelong glance at Lu Tian in the distance and smiled slightly.

“I really want to see just what kind of divine being you are…” muttered Seng Wu. He stepped forward and turned into a beam of light that made a beeline for Lu Tian.

Lu Tian remained unperturbed. When it was just a few inches away from his face, a finger suddenly emerged from his glabella, and it lightly tapped the air.

Boom!

The beam of light scattered, and the finger appeared right in front of Seng Wu.

Seng Wu’s pupils constricted. He brought his palms together and roared, “Buddha’s Illumination!”

Boom!

A Buddha light constructed from the Great Dao rushed out of Seng Wu to protect him. A loud explosion was born from the collision between the finger and the Buddha light, and it resulted in Seng Wu flying at least three kilometers away.

It took Seng Wu quite a while before he could finally stop.

The devastating blow had destroyed his physical body, leaving him with his divine soul. In addition, the space in a three-kilometer diameter around him had been annihilated; nothing was left aside from an empty void.

I lost in just one exchange?

Seng Wu himself was astonished.

What?

𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Seng Wu had just fought someone for the very first time over the past thirty million years, but he actually lost in just one exchange? This was unacceptable!

Li Banzhi’s expression was heavy.

Lu Tian glared at Ye Guan and sneered, “It is indeed a pleasant surprise to see the son of the Sword Master.”

Li Banzhi’s expression fell as she said, “The mysterious being in Lu Tian has taken control over Lu Tian’s body.

“Brother Ye Guan!” shouted Ye Qing.

Ye Guan turned to look at Ye Qing.

Ye Qing hurriedly said, “My teacher is willing to help. He can forcefully open a spacetime tunnel to the Xuzhen World. The people here cannot protect you anymore, so you have to go there.”

Rumble!

A low boom echoed as a powerful aura gushed out of Ye Qing.

A middle-aged man appeared in front of Ye Qing. He waved his sleeve, and a three-kilometer ray of light shot into the sky. He split spacetime, space, and the world itself to forcefully create a spacetime tunnel amidst the blockade.

The middle-aged man hurriedly said, “Hurry up and go, Young Lord Ye!”

Swoosh!

A long spear zipped across the air and struck the beam of light.

The middle-aged man’s eyes narrowed, and he turned around to find a man dressed in fiery gold armor. The man’s long hair draped over his shoulders, and there were flames in his eyes as he stared at the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man exclaimed, “A Divine Emperor!”

The cultivators of the Guanxuan Universe fell into despair upon hearing the middle-aged man’s words. A blanket of solemness covered the entire battlefield, as a Divine Emperor was only slightly weaker than a Divine Sovereign.

The Divine Emperor stared at the middle-aged man. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and thrust his spear toward the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man frowned. He waved his sleeve, and a shower of golden beams flew toward the Divine Emperor.

Boom!

A dazzling light briefly pervaded the entire Guanxuan Academy.

Shwaaa!

A crisp noise echoed as the beams of light were reduced to nothing but ashes by the flaming long spear. In the blink of an eye, the long spear reached the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man’s pupils constricted at the sight, and he hurriedly punched the spear. The spear was stopped, but the collision between the fist and the spear created a cataclysmic explosion seemingly capable of destroying the world.

The Divine Emperor vanished.

The middle-aged man frowned.

He gestured with his hand and unleashed a wave of terrifying energy.

Boom!

The skies briefly turned pitch-black as the two flew at least a hundred meters away.

Lu Tian

smirked at the sight.

Ye Guan saw that and asked, “Why is he not moving?”

Li Banzhi didn’t reply. She turned toward An You and asked, “How is it?”

An You’s voice deepened as he said, “The Immortal Treasures Pavilion has successfully opened a pathway to the Eternal World. We can go anytime."

With that, Li Banzhi turned to Ye Guan and said, “I’m sure we will encounter many Divine Spirits if we were to go to the Xuzhen Battlefield. The Academy cannot guarantee your safety if we were to choose that route.

“I’m sure there’s something wrong with the Committee members in charge of the Xuzhen Battlefield, so the journey there will undoubtedly be treacherous. I suggest you go to the Eternal World first. The Eternal World is the home of spirits, and your mother founded the Martial Court in the Eternal World.

“The Martial God Guards of the Eternal World were also personally trained by your mother, and a hundred Martial God Guards will escort you to the Eternal World.”

Ye Guan stared deeply at Li Banzhi and asked, “What happens when I leave? Are you all going to stay here?”

“We—-” Li Banzhi started.

However, Ye Guan shook his head and added, “Aunt Zhi, please don’t try to fool me by saying nonsense about keeping the bigger picture in mind.”

Ye Guan turned to the powerhouses of the Guanxuan Universe.

Each one of them fought bravely against the Divine Spirits.

“You’re all going to stay here and die.” Ye Guan pointed out.

Li Banzhi stared at Ye Guan and said, “You’re just going to die here with us if you don’t leave, and—”

“I’m the Sword Master’s son, yes, but I’m still just a human being like you people. Aren’t our lives equal?” asked Ye Guan.

Li Banzhi was stunned.

Ye Guan smiled and explained, “I really hate it when people arbitrarily place value on the lives of people as if all lives aren’t born equal. I don’t think my life is more valuable than your lives just because I’m the Sword Master’s son.

”If I leave, I will never be able to forgive myself.”

Ye Guan made a sidelong glance at the Sword Sect disciples fighting for their lives and said, “There’s no point in living if I have to sacrifice the lives of my brothers and beloved ones for it. If that’s the case, I’ll just give up on living.”

Rumble!

A spacetime rift made out of the Great Dao manifested above everyone and a thousand Divine Spirits clad in black armor walked out of the rift. Each figure clad in black armor was a Divine General.

The cultivators of the Guanxuan Universe went beyond pallid. However, it seemed that their despair could still go deeper, as the Divine Generals were accompanied by ten giants.

The giants were so formidable that every step they took created shockwaves that spread throughout the entire Xiaoguan Continent.

Each giant wielded a spear in their right hand and a shield in their left hand, and they glared fiercely at the cultivators of the Guanxuan Universe.

“Giant Divine Spirits!” Chen Guanzi cried out. He went as white as a sheet of paper at the terrifying sight, but he didn’t stop moving on the battlefield.

Giant Divine Spirits were formidable foes, and it was a fact that those who were unlucky enough to fight them knew all too well. The Giant Divine Spirits brought about a wave of despair throughout the battlefield.

Rip!

All of a sudden, the space next to Ye Guan split open, and a young girl walked out of the rift. The young girl was wearing a plain dress, and she was barefoot as she stepped onto the battlefield.

The young girl opened her palm, revealing a command token that quickly took to the skies.

Boom!

The statues of eight young girls in the Nether Palace abruptly opened their eyes, and a wave of terrifying energy burst out of the palace.