Chapter 278: Long Time No See!

Ye Guan was truly speechless. He was well aware of his current prowess, and he knew that the Adjudication Sword Master wasn't someone he could handle with his current prowess.

Just then, a rift in spacetime manifested, and a woman slowly walked out of it. Her gaze was ice-cold, and even though they were separated by hundreds of meters, Ye Guan could still feel the bone-chilling aura she was exuding.

Ye Guan was silent. He knew that any tricks were useless against her.

Ba Wan frowned deeply while staring at the Adjudication Sword Master.

Ye Guan turned to Ba Wan and asked, "Do you know her?"

Ba Wan nodded slightly but remained silent. However, her grip around his arm tightened. Seeing this, Ye Guan couldn't help but smile wryly. It was clear that Ba Wan knew the Adjudication Sword Master, but how come?

Ye Guan shook his head. He didn't dare to think that Ba Wan could be the True God.

As the Adjudication Sword Master approached Ye Guan, a powerful aura abruptly swept across the world. Ye Guan was taken aback by the advent of the powerful aura, and even the Adjudication Sword Master's eyes narrowed.

A powerful will pervaded both the heavens and the earth, making the entire world appear as though it was illusory. Ye Guan's expression grew extremely grave. It was a terrifying will, even more terrifying than the Unyielding Will Ye Guan had to face before.

It had to be Sovereign Qing's legendary will.

The Adjudication Sword Master's gaze was transfixed on Sovereign Qing's will, but she remained both calm and composed. Soon, Sovereign Qing's will converged and transformed into the figure of a man wearing a cyan robe.

The cyan-robed man stood tall before the Adjudication Sword Master, and his hands were behind his back, making him exude an authoritative aura. He was smiling lightly as he stared at the Adjudication Sword Master.

The cyan-robed man was none other than Sovereign Qing.

Ye Guan flinched and noticed the arrival of quite a few powerful but inscrutable auras. He looked around and noticed that more and more supreme elites were rushing toward where they were. Ye Guan reckoned that they were the survivors of the clans Sovereign Qing had led to battle against the True God.

Each and every single one of them was a powerful cultivator in their own right!

Many clans were annihilated post-war, but quite a few clan members of those clans had survived the massacre and had united as one since then. Overall, they were a formidable force.

Sovereign Qing's gaze landed on the Adjudication Sword Master.

"It has been a long time since a formidable figure like yourself has set foot in any of the Wujian Universe's worlds," said Sovereign Qing with a smile.

The Adjudication Sword Master met Sovereign Qing's gaze in mid-air and replied, "I'm here to pursue someone."

Sovereign Qing made a sidelong glance at Ye Guan. His gaze was dyed with surprise. Ye Guan noticed Sovereign Qing's gaze, and he hurriedly cupped his fist and greeted, “My name's Ye Guan, and it is my honor to meet you today.”

Sovereign Qing chuckled. "It seems that the current era is full of talents."

Ye Guan replied, "Senior, I apologize for causing you trouble."

Sovereign Qing shook his head and said, "The fact that you've made this young woman, the Adjudication Sword Master, personally come after you suggests that your background is quite extraordinary."

Ye Guan glanced at the Adjudication Sword Master but remained silent.

He felt bitter deep inside. His enemies had scampered away when his grandfather arrived, but they all came running back for him the moment his grandfather left for somewhere else.

Sovereign Qing smiled wordlessly at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan pondered briefly before saying, "I should leave now, Senior."

He believed it was best to take the initiative and leave. He didn't want to trouble them any further.

Sovereign Qing suddenly cried out, "Wait!"

Ye Guan turned to Sovereign Qing.

Sovereign Qing explained, "Young man, you've misunderstood me. It seems that you're from the Guanxuan Universe. Your universe has been in conflict with the True Universe, so I'm willing to lend you a helping hand."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, after all, right?"

Ye Guan was truly surprised. He didn't expect that Sovereign Qing would be willing to assist him for such a reason.

Just then, the Adjudication Sword Master stepped forward and unleashed a powerful sword strike. Sovereign Qing's presence had failed to deter her.

Sovereign Qing burst into laughter. He stuck a finger out and pointed, causing a surge of bright light to fly toward the oncoming sword light. In response, the Adjudication Sword Master stepped forward and rushed toward Sovereign Qing, bringing with her an incredibly powerful sword might.

Boom!

The Adjudication Sword Master and Sovereign Qing found themselves in a boundless patch of spacetime. The Adjudication Sword Master's figure turned blurry as she moved at breakneck speeds in the boundless spacetime.

Sovereign Qing laughed heartily, and his figure turned into a cyan beam of light that rushed toward the Adjudication Sword Master.

Boom!

The powerful collision generated enough force and immense pressure to make it seem as though an entire patch of boundless spacetime was boiling. The terrifying forces born from their exchange of moves sent shockwaves rolling in all directions.

Ye Guan's expression was solemn as he stared intently at the ongoing battle.

Despite the great distance separating both parties from him, he could still feel an overwhelming pressure on his shoulders. The pressure was heavy—as if there were a thousand mountains boring down on him. To make matters worse, it was just a fraction of pressure seeping through the countless layers of spacetime.

So strong!

Ye Guan clenched his fists tightly. It was the first time he was struck with this feeling, but it had just become more pronounced. Ye Guan felt weaker the stronger he became, as every step he took would expand his horizons.

Ba Wan suddenly said, "He can't defeat her."

Ye Guan looked at her.

Ba Wan repeated, "He can't defeat her."

Ye Guan asked, "Why?"

Ba Wan stared at Sovereign Qing in the distance and calmly replied, "If his true body were here, he could have defeated her. However, he's just a will. A mere will cannot stop her, as her sword has already stepped into the realm of a Great Dao."

Before Ye Guan could ask any more questions, Ba Wan shouted, "Run!"

Run?! Ye Guan looked down at his hand.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Ba Wan's grip on his hand was tighter than ever.

Ye Guan inwardly asked, "Senior?"

"I'm sorry…" the mysterious voice whispered, "I truly didn't expect that the Adjudication Sword Master had already become so powerful.”

"Senior, please take me back to the Guanxuan Universe," Ye Guan said. He had no choice other than to pray that Senior An was strong enough to fight the Adjudication Sword Master.

The mysterious voice whispered, "I think it's already too late. Don't worry, Ba Wan's here, so you won't die. However, you'll definitely take a beating."

Ye Guan was at a loss for words.

Just then, there was a deafening explosion in the boundless patch of spacetime overhead. A myriad of sword lights dissipated, and each sword light effortlessly split a section of spacetime into two. The spacetime near Ye Guan turned illusory from the pressure.

Every single sword light soon dissipated, revealing Sovereign Qing's blurry figure.

Ye Guan turned and found the Adjudication Sword Master walking slowly toward him with an icy gaze.

Ye Guan's expression darkened.

Sovereign Qing's will was indeed too weak to compare to the Adjudication Sword Master in the flesh. The Adjudication Sword Master made a sidelong glance at Sovereign Qing. Then, she turned and vanished with a step.

Sovereign Qing vanished along with her, and they reappeared not too far away from Ye Guan.

The Adjudication Sword Master looked down at Sovereign Qing and asked coldly, "If you're going to die anyway, you should have just accepted your death and left not even a single trace here. What's the point of leaving a will? Is it to show off?”

Sovereign Qing smiled wordlessly at the Adjudication Sword Master's remark.

He turned to Ye Guan and said, "Young man, I apologize."

"It's my fault, Sovereign Qing." Ye Guan shook his head and said, "I brought you trouble."

Sovereign Qing broke out into a grin and asked, "Young man, are you willing to accept my inheritance?"

Ye Guan was taken aback.

Sovereign Qing spoke once more before Ye Guan could reply.

"Are you willing?" he asked.

Ye Guan stared deeply at Sovereign Qing and replied, "I'm willing."

Sovereign Qing laughed boisterously and pointed his finger at Ye Guan.

A streak of cyan light melted into Ye Guan's glabella.

Boom!

Ye Guan's aura skyrocketed, and the illusory figure of a tree appeared above him.

The Divine Tree of Nature!

The elites of the clans here felt conflicted at the sight.

The Divine Tree of Nature was the best divine artifact of the Wujian Universe, and it was once worshiped by the clans. Sovereign Qing had just passed it on to an outsider, so they understandably felt bitter about the arrangement.

Boom.

Ye Guan's aura crazily, and he quickly made a breakthrough into the Pinnacle Realm. However, Ye Guan's aura showed no signs of abating, and he soon reached the Ultimate Realm.

Ye Guan started to panic, and he hurriedly shouted, “Senior, please help me suppress my cultivation base!"

He broke through too quickly; Ye Guan was afraid that his foundation would become unstable if he didn't suppress his cultivation base.

Swoosh!

A radiant white light enveloped him and forcibly suppressed his surging aura.

Ye Guan heaved a sigh of relief.

The Adjudication Sword Master didn't make a move; her gaze was unwittingly transfixed on Ba Wan. No, it wasn't just the Adjudication Sword Master. Ba Wan was also staring at the Adjudication Sword Master.

Ye Guan's aura soon stabilized, and the imprint of a tree appeared on his glabella.

The imprint was dark blue in color, and it exuded an inscrutable, mysterious energy, but it wasn't anything harmful. In fact, the aura made Ye Guan feel comfortable all over.

Ye Guan's curious gaze landed on Sovereign Qing.

"What was that, Senior?" he asked.

Sovereign Qing smiled and explained, "I just gave you the Divine Tree of Nature. It was a tree that was born together with the Wujian Universe, and every living being here is under its protection. It decided to follow me on its own, and now, it has a new master to serve. I hope that you'll treat it kindly."

Ye Guan nodded. "I will."

Sovereign Qing glanced into the distance with a complex expression and said in a low voice, "The clans are no longer as numerous as those distant days, and the people whom I shared fond memories with are no longer here. I can't force them to follow you, but if you can, please look after them in the future."

Ye Guan replied, "Of course."

Sovereign Qing smiled. He cupped his fist and said, "Farewell, young man."

With that, Sovereign Qing's figure faded into nothingness. His will was no more, which meant the definitive end of Sovereign Qing's life.

Even supreme elites like Sovereign Qing would inevitably die, and their Dao would inevitably fade away beneath the erosion of time. How strong did Ye Guan have to become for him to be invincible?

Ye Guan clenched his fists. He finally realized just how difficult his journey would be.

Just then, a thought came to Ye Guan. He turned to Ba Wan and found that she was still staring at the Adjudication Sword Master.

Ye Guan felt nervous.

Ba Wan was clearly familiar with the Adjudication Sword Master. Could she really be the True God?

No, there's no way! Ye Guan was about to say when Ba Wan suddenly said, “Cijing, long time no see!”

"Long time no see," the Adjudication Sword Master replied.

Ye Guan was rendered utterly speechless at the incongruous sight.