Li Qi's unexpected gesture left everyone in the area astonished, especially the elite members of the Star River Clan standing behind him. Many felt the urge to intervene, knowing the value of fifty strands of Ancestral Origin to their clan.

Ye Guan was taken aback, too. He glanced at Li Qi but remained silent.

Without hesitation, Li Qi handed the fifty strands of Ancestral Origin to Wang Junru, saying, "Take them."

Wang Junru hesitated, and she glanced at Ye Guan, seemingly asking for approval.

Ye Guan nodded, and she finally accepted the gift.

Seeing Wang Junru accept the gift of Ancestral Origin, a smile spread across Li Qi's face. Turning to Ye Guan, he said earnestly, "Young Master Ye, now that Junru is safe, I can rest assured. We'll meet again."

With that, he led his group of Star River Clan members away.

Wang Junru's expression was complicated as she stared at their departing figures.

Ye Guan approached her and said, "Let's go."

Wang Junru nodded, and the two of them left.

***

As Li Qi led his companions back to the Star River Clan, an elder couldn't help but voice his confusion. "Clan Leader, why did you give that disciple from the inner courtyard so many strands of Ancestral Origin?"

The remaining elders cast a doubtful gaze at Li Qi.

Fifty strands of Ancestral Origin!

It was a significant sum for the Star River Clan, and they could use it to achieve many things.

Li Qi sighed softly before asking, "What do you make of that young man?"

An elder responded solemnly, "He seems to have an extraordinary background."

"Indeed. Anyone who can casually produce fifty strands of Ancestral Origin must be powerful. And his strength... he repelled the Ancient Sovereign with a single sword, forcing the Ancient Sovereign to retreat temporarily. Such prowess is truly remarkable." Glancing at the group, Li Qi added, "Junru's future alongside him is boundless. We may earn her gratitude by giving away fifty strands of Ancestral Origin. Who knows? That gratitude may change the fate of our Star River Clan in the future."

The elder hesitated before asking, "But what if she doesn't appreciate the favor?"

Li Qi chuckled. "If she does appreciate it, then it's great. If not, then it's fine, too. After all, she owes us nothing. Elder Mu, we must be clear about certain things."

With that, Li Qi transformed into a beam of light, disappearing into the distance.

The elder sighed softly.

The Clan Leader means well, but his kindness and assumptions are troublesome.

Favor?

Holding onto those fifty strands of Ancestral Origin might be the wiser choice right now, considering the current situation.

With a sigh, the elder followed the others, vanishing into the horizon.

***

Dao Market.

Ye Guan returned to the Dao Market with Wang Junru. It was their only passage back to the First God Universe. This Dao Market was akin to a teleportation hub, linking all other universes to each other.

When they arrived, Ye Guan couldn't help but notice how deserted the city had become. Only a handful of shops were still open.

Approaching the Zhou Family's store, the shopkeeper was initially surprised to see Ye Guan before greeting the latter warmly.

Ye Guan asked, “What happened to the Dao Market?”

The shopkeeper remained silent until Ye Guan placed ten strands of Ancestral Origins on the counter. Without hesitation, the shopkeeper accepted them.

"The Dao Market won't let you off," replied the shopkeeper.

Ye Guan nodded knowingly. "As expected."

"It is best not to return to the First God Universe for now," the shopkeeper advised. "The Qi Family and the Gods are keeping an eye on you. Returning might not be in your best interest."

Ye Guan thanked the shopkeeper and left.

The shopkeeper couldn't help but feel curious about Ye Guan's identity as he stared at the latter's departing figure. However, the shopkeeper didn't dare investigate Ye Guan.

Leaving the Zhou Family's store, Ye Guan headed to the teleportation array leading to the Mountain Sea World. After the exchange of a strand of Ancestral Origin, he entered the array and soon arrived at his destination.

He wanted to find that war beast.

Closing his eyes briefly, Ye Guan asked, "Qianqian, can you sense the presence of that war beast?"

After a moment of silence, Ao Qianqian replied, "Go to the right."

Ye Guan nodded and transformed into a beam of sword light, soaring into the sky. As he ascended, countless demonic beasts roared around him, but their intimidating auras dispersed with just a wave of his hand.

He was currently holding the Qingxuan Sword, so the auras of these beasts were nothing in front of him. He could easily kill the true forms of these demonic beasts with a single swing of his sword.

When Ye Guan arrived in the depths of an unassuming mountain range, a terrifying battle intent suddenly surged, forcing Ye Guan to a stop.

Looking up, Ye Guan saw a spacetime rift. A monstrous demonic beast emerged from within the rift. It had a towering humanoid form and a dragon's tail. Its arms were as thick as pillars, and it exuded a formidable Battle Intent.

A Divine Dao Realm demonic beast... The war beast stared at Ye Guan with indifference.

Ye Guan clasped his hands together and said, "Respected war beast, I come here without malicious intent. I merely wish to make a transaction with you."

The war beast fixed its gaze on Ye Guan. "Transaction?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Exactly. I wish to purchase some scales from you."

He decided to cut to the chase. After all, sneaking around wasn't an option, especially with such a formidable opponent as the war beast. So, he opted for a straightforward approach to their transaction.

The war beast stared at Ye Guan, saying nothing. Yet, an invisible aura of dominance drifted towards Ye Guan. Ye Guan remained composed, patiently awaiting the beast's response.

After a prolonged silence, the war beast glanced at the Qingxuan Sword in Ye Guan's hand and inquired, "What's your offer?"

Ye Guan extended his palm, revealing a strand of Ancestral Origin. "How about this?"

"How many do you have?"

"What's your price?"

"One scale for two hundred strands of Ancestral Origin," the war beast stated firmly.

Ye Guan frowned. The war beast's demand was outrageous.

Ye Guan stared deeply at the war beast and said, "I'll take my leave."

With that, he turned and walked away. Despite having many strands of Ancestral Origin, he couldn't justify such an extravagant purchase.

A glint of killing intent flickered in the war beast's eyes as it stared at Ye Guan's back. It sensed many divine treasures in Ye Guan, especially Ancestral Veins, and it could tell that Ye Guan had more than one Ancestral Veins.

However, it hesitated to make a move. It'd be unwise to act rashly in this place where there were so many lurking enemies. Nevertheless, it had no intention of giving up. It would strike once Ye Guan had left the Mountain Sea World.

***

Just as Ye Guan was about to leave the Mountain Sea World, he suddenly came to a halt and turned to see a middle-aged man standing nearby.

Ye Guan was intrigued.

The middle-aged man smiled. "Care to talk, young friend?"

"Who are you?"

The middle-aged man opened his palm, revealing a scale. "Interested in acquiring a scale from the war beast?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."

"Shall we find a more private place to discuss?" the man suggested.

"Agreed."

The middle-aged man led Ye Guan to a secluded area deep within the mountains. Soon, they arrived at a colossal ancient tree, surrounded by numerous powerful and hidden auras.

Glancing at the man, Ye Guan noticed a beastly aura emanating from him, despite his human appearance.

The man sat down on a table below the tree and smiled at Ye Guan. "In this Mountain Sea World, there are currently two supreme beasts: me and the war beast. We are the most powerful beings here. One mountain cannot accommodate two tigers, so we've clashed countless times, but unfortunately, neither of us can gain the upper hand."

Ye Guan nodded in understanding.

"The main reason I can't defeat it is because of its formidable physical defense. My strength alone isn't enough to penetrate it," the man continued, his gaze shifting to the Qingxuan Sword in Ye Guan's hand.

"You want me to help you?"

The middle-aged man smiled. "May I examine your sword?"

Ye Guan nodded and sent the Qingxuan Sword flying into the man's hand.

The middle-aged man picked up the sword and slashed it at his palm.

Shockingly, blood immediately flowed from the wound.

The middle-aged man was stunned at the sight, and then he sighed. "What an incredibly sharp sword... what a fearsome weapon..."

The middle-aged man then looked at Ye Guan and asked, "If you're willing to lend me this sword, I'll give you that war beast's carcass."

Ye Guan pondered for a moment before suggesting, "Senior, how about we discuss a

significantly

larger deal?"