Chapter 377: Like An Orphan

Ye Guan walked slowly down the boundless wasteland with a sword gripped tightly in his right hand. It was the sword that Cijing had crafted for him.

Cirou's words made him understand that weakness was a sin. He had been working hard to become even stronger, but he was still too weak in the grand scheme of things, which meant his hard work so far had been meaningless.

Ye Guan revealed a self-deprecating smile and closed his eyes. He couldn't help but feel like a failure after realizing something so obvious so late.

He had always been hoping to stay true to his principles, and he believed that he had been managing to do so, but was it really the case? Did he really not grow complacent after hearing about his powerful father, grandfather, and aunt?

He had definitely grown complacent! He had never really thought of the Eternal Sovereign as someone of great importance. Why? It was all because he knew that he had people to count on. He knew that once he was pushed into a corner, his relatives would come and help him. Hence, he had never been afraid of the Eternal Sovereign.

However, Cirou was right, and she had made him realize that he was nothing without his family. He wasn't even worthy of becoming someone else's knife.

Ye Guan chuckled, and he suddenly felt relaxed. He relaxed upon seeing where he was standing at the moment.

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Boom!

A puppet landed not too far away from Ye Guan. The puppet was several meters tall, and it seemed to have been made from a special gold iron. A giant axe was in its right hand, and the axe itself emitted a terrifying aura.

Ye Guan wasted no words as he rushed toward the puppet in front of him.

The puppet swung its giant axe, and Ye Guan's sword light shattered.

The remnant forces blasted Ye Guan a few kilometers away. He came to a halt and looked up. His pupils constricted upon seeing the puppet plummeting toward him with its giant axe raised above its head.

The puppet swung its axe toward Ye Guan. The attack had yet to reach Ye Guan, but everything between heaven and earth was thrown into an upheaval. The fabric of spacetime quivered slightly, but it remained unscathed.

Despite that, the tyrannical might of the puppet's attack made Ye Guan feel suffocated.

Ye Guan didn't dare to be careless. He stomped with his right foot and shot toward the puppet, leaving behind a dazzling trail of light.

Boom!

The destructive power of the axe sent Ye Guan flying back to the ground, and a deafening explosion echoed the moment he collided with the ground.

A violent tremor ran through the ground.

However, Ye Guan remained undeterred. He stood up and charged at the puppet. Ye Guan was far weaker than the puppet, but he fought with reckless abandon. In no time, Ye Guan's fleshly body was soon riddled with cracks, and blood poured incessantly out of his wounds.

Ye Guan became ferocious rather than afraid as the battle went on. It seemed like he had gone mad as he would charge at the puppet as soon as he recovered from its attacks.

Just like that, the wasteland became filled with a cacophony of noises.

The grand battle lasted for a long time. Both Ye Guan and the puppet were riddled with wounds, creating a pitiful sight reminiscent of mad dogs fighting each other for supremacy.

Ye Guan looked especially horrifying with all of his wounds. His fleshly body was covered in cracks, and it looked as though his fleshly body would explode into a bloody mist any time soon.

Boom!

A loud noise echoed as both Ye Guan and the puppet were sent flying away.

They crashed to the ground, and the earth shook violently beneath them.

This time, neither Ye Guan nor the puppet managed to stand up immediately.

The injuries they had suffered were far too severe for them to make quick movements.

However, Ye Guan's grit proved much better than the puppet. He slowly stood up and staggered his way over to the puppet with a sword in hand. His footsteps were heavy and unsteady, and blood seeped from his wounds without any signs of stopping.

From afar, Cirou clenched her fists as she stared intently at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan soon reached the puppet, and he thrust his sword into the puppet’s throat.

The puppet exploded, and a crimson strand of inscrutable energy burst out of it.

Great Dao Origin!

There wasn't anything more special in the world than the Great Dao Origin.

Ye Guan opened his palm, and the strand of Great Dao Origin flew to his hand. The strand of Great Dao Origin melted in his palm and instantly patched him up.

Boom!

A tremor ran through Ye Guan, and he began to spasm—Dao Origin Physique Transformation!

Ye Guan sprawled on the ground and closed his eyes, allowing the Great Dao Origin to transform his physique.

After an unknown amount of time, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted from Ye Guan. A dark cloud appeared above him, and it contained terrifying arcs of lightning.

Ye Guan was about to make a breakthrough into the Time Immortal! He just had to withstand the oncoming lightning tribulation, and he would become an official Time Immortal Realm cultivator.

Crackle!

A thunderous boom echoed as a bolt of lightning rushed out of the clouds and went straight for Ye Guan.

Ye Guan's eyes shot open.

He stood up and took to the skies in one fluid motion.

Boom!

The lightning bolt was blasted away into pieces—no, the entire Time Immortal tribulation was obliterated in one move. Ye Guan was now strong enough to contend with Great Destiny Sovereigns, which meant tribulations were no longer of concern to him.

Cirou walked up to Ye Guan. She examined him from top to bottom and saw that he was emitting a faint purple mist. In addition, his aura was still surging wildly, which Cirou found a bit strange.

"Are you suppressing your cultivation base?" Cirou asked.

Ye Guan shook his head without saying anything. Suppress his cultivation base? He no longer wanted to do that—to hell with a stable foundation!

"Is that so?" Cirou sneered, "So you want to become a Great Sovereign as soon as possible to take your revenge on the Eternal Sovereign?"

Ye Guan's eyes narrowed at the remark.

Cirou’s eyes turned cold, and she coldly spat, "Come at me."

Ye Guan turned to look at Cirou.

"Attack me," said Cirou.

Ye Guan was silent. However, Cirou flipped her wrist and pushed her palms toward Ye Guan.

Ye Guan decisively drew his sword and slashed out—a hundred stacks of Heavenrend[1]!

Boom!

Ye Guan's dazzling sword light dimmed in an instant, and he was blasted several tens of kilometers away. When he came to a stop, a drop of blood dripped down the corner of his mouth.

Cirou appeared in front of him and asked, "Do you really think that you'll become invincible once you've become a Great Sovereign."

Ye Guan clenched his fists but remained silent.

Cirou sneered, "You're still not the Eternal Sovereign's match, even if you reach that realm. In fact, you'll still be too weak to defeat even his powerful subordinates."

Ye Guan's head drooped. He stared at the ground for quite a while before saying, "I understand."

Cirou's expression was complex. She tapped Ye Guan's shoulder with her right hand.

Boom!

A fizzling noise echoed as Ye Guan’s aura was suppressed. His cultivation base plummeted until it stabilized at the Time Immortal Realm.

Cirou took a moment to examine Ye Guan's physique. Indeed, his physique had been transformed, and he was now the proud owner of a Great Dao Physique.

Cirou stared at Ye Guan and said, "Show me that Heavenrend of yours. Use all your strength."

Ye Guan nodded and took a stance. Moments later, he drew his sword and slashed out—a hundred and ten stacks of Heavenrend!

The power that Ye Guan had on display was so tyrannical that it astonished Cirou. Still, she quickly got a hold of her wits and stepped to the side, dodging the attack.

Ye Guan's sword struck empty air, and it sent ripples throughout the fabric of spacetime. Incredibly, the spacetime of this place had remained unscathed despite the terrifying sword slash.

Cirou stared quietly at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan was silent as well.

Cirou eventually smirked and asked, "Did you want to kill me with that slash?"

Ye Guan calmly replied, "You asked me to use all of my strength."

Cirou asked blandly, "I told you to show it to me, not attack me."

"I misunderstood," Ye Guan replied, "Sorry."

Cirou suddenly swung his fist toward Ye Guan.

Boom!

Ye Guan didn't get the chance to react. He was sent flying at least several kilometers away before he crashed to the ground. Fortunately, Ye Guan's physique had undergone a transformation, so he managed to withstand Cirou's punch.

However, he still felt his organs shake. Ye Guan endured the pain and stood up. He wiped away the blood at the corner of his mouth.

Cirou calmly explained, "Sorry, my hand slipped."

Ye Guan didn't say anything in response.

"Follow me!" Cirou said. She turned around and started walking away.

Ye Guan spat the blood in his mouth before following closely behind her.

Cirou remained silent as they walked toward somewhere.

Of course, Ye Guan was quiet as well.

Eventually, Cirou shattered the ice and asked, "Calm down. How are you going to fight the Eternal Sovereign at this rate? How are you going to fight my True Universe?"

"How am I supposed to fight your True Universe?" Ye Guan calmly asked, "How am I supposed to resist the desperate scheme you've been looking for millions of years? You even resorted to seduction. How am I supposed to compete?"

"You were the one who fell for it, so it's your fault." Cirou said, "Did I force you to take action? Did I give you an aphrodisiac or something? You shouldn't blame others for your inferiority."

"Your schemes run deep, so why did you scheme against me rather than against my father or my aunt?" Ye Guan asked.

"Why else?" Cirou chuckled. "It's all because you're the easiest target."

Ye Guan went silent at that.

Fuck! Damn it!

Ye Guan’s face darkened.

Cirou grinned and added, "You're the weakest member of your family. I would be a fool if I hadn't decided to target you."

Ye Guan hesitated briefly before saying, "Cijing—"

"I told you she's dead." Cirou’s expression turned cold.

Ye Guan frowned.

"Young Master Ye," Cirou said, "Do you really think that you would have a happy ever after with her, even if she was still alive?"

Ye Guan didn't respond.

Cirou sneered, "Will you give up the Guanxuan Universe for her? Definitely not. And she won't betray our big sister as well. However, she doesn't want to become your enemy, so she decided to embrace death.

"Do you know why? Because she was in pain—she was in so much pain that she decided to end it all. Can you even understand the pain she felt while standing before such a difficult dilemma?"

"I never thought that she liked me all this while..." Ye Guan muttered and sighed.

"Do you like her, too?" Cirou asked.

Ye Guan nodded without any hesitation.

"What about Ba Wan?" asked Cirou.

Ye Guan nodded as well. He liked Ba Wan, not Cishu.

Cirou stared deeply at Ye Guan. "Even if Ba Wan and Cijing were around, do you really think that anything good would happen between you three? Do you really think that you can resolve the animosity between the True Universe and the Guanxuan Universe? Have you ever thought of that?"

Ye Guan had no idea what to say.

"You've never considered it, right?" Cirou sighed and said, "It's not your fault entirely. Your father gave you too many responsibilities to bear too early, and the enemies whom they had all left behind were now yours to handle.

"Moreover, their expectations for you are exceedingly high as well. They're hoping that you won't rely on the achievements of the past generations; they want you to become a true supreme elite like your father and aunt.

"It must be burdensome, right? It must be like climbing up a steep hill."

Ye Guan stiffened like a stone statue.

"You like Cijing, but you've been hesitating to acknowledge it because of her identity. I don't think you're indecisive. You're just confused. You're struggling beneath the weight of the Guanxuan Universe. You've been living a fast-paced life since you went to the Upper Realm, and it's so fast-paced that you can't even catch your breath."

"I truly find you pitiful," Cirou stared deeply at Ye Guan and said, "You're like an orphan!"

Ye Guan stared dumbstruck at Cirou.

1. A bit of a miscommunication. It seems that the stacks here is just Ye Guan stacking multiple Heavenrends in one sword move rather than Sword Dao. ?