Chapter 716: I Was Wrong

The arena was deathly silent. The members of the Primordial Spirit Clan stared out into space.

The Primordial Spirit Imprint, one of their three greatest treasures, was destroyed by a single sword strike right in front of their eyes.

How was that even possible?

The minds of the Primordial Spirit Clan members went blank.

Qing Wu was also in shock. He hadn't expected the Primordial Spirit Imprint, empowered by his own strength, to be obliterated so easily. It was so surreal that it was like a dream.

The Grand Elder stared sternly at Ye Guan but said nothing.

Ye Guan sheathed the Qingxuan Sword and asked, “Is it over now?”

The Grand Elder's face darkened.

The Wise Master appeared in the arena and stared at Ye Guan. “You’ve won.”

The faces of the Primordial Spirit Clan members grew somber.

Ye Guan won, and we lost?

The majority of them couldn't accept the outcome, and some of the more radical individuals chose to charge at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan frowned at the sight, but before he could make a move, Qing Zhi appeared beside him. She regarded her clan members coldly and said, “Is our Primordial Spirit Clan full of nothing but a bunch of sore losers?”

Qing Zhi's words stopped them in their tracks. The Primordial Spirit Clan member standing at the helm of the charging group glared at Qing Zhi and said, “Qing Zhi, don’t forget, you’re one of us.”

Qing Zhi’s expression remained indifferent. “It's exactly because I'm one of you that I must stop you. If you attack Ye Guan after losing, our clan will become a laughingstock.”

Qing Hai was the name of the man at the helm of the charging group. A light of hesitation flashed in his eyes as he said, “So what if he ends up dying here? Will the world know about it?”

Qing Zhi was stunned by the remark, and then anger flashed past her face as she retorted, “Qing Hai, do you have no shame at all?”

Qing Hai was furious as well. “Qing Zhi, don’t forget that you’re from the Primordial Spirit Clan! Why are you helping this outsider? Is it because you like him?”

Qing Hai's accusation made the crowd reel in disbelief. They glared at Qing Zhi as if she had betrayed them, and they looked like they wanted to tear her apart.

Qing Zhi felt a mix of shame and anger. She hadn’t expected her clan to resort to such shameless tactics.

It was so shocking that she had no idea how to respond.

Qing Hai sneered and mocked, “So it’s true. Qing Zhi, you actually like an outsider? What a disgraceful—”

Slap!

Before Qing Hai could finish his sentence, a crisp noise reverberated as Qing Hai went flying away.

The Primordial Spirit Clan members turned to look at Ye Guan in shock. Ye Guan had just slapped Qing Hai in the face.

Ye Guan turned to the Grand Elder and the Wise Master with a smile. “I was waiting for you both to stop this farce, but since you did not do anything, I decided to handle it myself.”

“Young Master Ye—” the Wise Master began.

Ye Guan cut him off, “Shut up.”

The Wise Master was stunned.

Ye Guan stared deeply at the Wise Master, “I thought you were wise, but it seems that you’re just as foolish as the rest of the Primordial Spirit Clan.”

The Wise Master’s expression turned sour.

Ignoring him, Ye Guan swept his gaze across the Primordial Spirit Clan members and chuckled coldly. “So the Primordial Spirit Clan is full of nothing but a bunch of sore losers? How pathetic.”

The Grand Elder sternly asked, “Ye Guan, are you insulting our clan?”

Ye Guan raised his sword and pointed it at the Grand Elder, “Does your clan need my insults? Old man, tell me, was my duel with your Saint fair? Yes or no?”

The Grand Elder glared at Ye Guan and said, “Young Master Ye, mind your words, or else...”

“It's a good thing that I have a contingency plan,” Ye Guan said. He opened his palm and revealed a crystal ball.

It was a Cloud Recorder.

Ye Guan stared at the Grand Elder and said, “I’ve recorded everything that just happened. If this crystal ball is released...”

The Grand Elder’s eyes narrowed, and he started exuding a thick, killing intent.

Ye Guan noticed the killing intent and laughed. “Oh? You're thinking of killing me?”

“I thought you were smart, but it seems that I was mistaken," said the Grand Elder.

Ye Guan laughed even louder. “I also thought that the Primordial Spirit Clan is a clan of integrity, but it seems that I was mistaken.”

"Come!" the Grand Elder exclaimed.

Swoosh!

Two black-robed figures appeared in the arena.

“The Primordial Spirit Guards!” Qing Zhi exclaimed in shock.

The Primordial Spirit Guards were the elite armed forces of the Primordial Spirit Clan. Clearly, the Grand Elder was planning on killing Ye Guan to silence him.

“Grand Elder, are you sure about this?” Qing Zhi asked solemnly.

The Grand Elder waved his hand and said, “Everyone here is dismissed.”

The nearby Primordial Spirit Clan members retreated like a tide.

The Grand Elder turned to Qing Zhi and said, “Keep in mind that you're a member of the Primordial Spirit Clan.”

Qing Zhi shook her head and said, “Grand Elder, this is wrong. Even if you kill Young Master Ye today, our clan members will not be convinced. Your actions are only going to bring shame to any honorable member of our clan. Losing fairly is not shameful, but what you’re doing is a disgrace.”

The Grand Elder chuckled. “Qing Zhi, it seems that the books you've been reading have turned your brain into mush.”

Qing Zhi wanted to say more, but Ye Guan interrupted with a smile. “Qing Zhi, you’ve misunderstood something here. The Grand Elder doesn’t want to kill me just because your Saint lost to me. He wants what I have as well, which is..."

Ye Guan raised the Qingxuan Sword in his hand and continued, “This sword.”

That sword?

Qing Zhi was enlightened. Ye Guan’s sword had easily destroyed the Primordial Spirit Imprint. It was a top-tier divine artifact, but it was powerless against Ye Guan’s sword.

Qing Zhi was enlightened to the full extent of the Grand Elder's scheme.

Ye Guan's sword, the Qingxuan Sword, clearly exceeded the grade of the Primordial Spirit Imprint. In other words, the Grand Elder's true intentions were fueled by greed.

Qing Zhi's expression became complex as the realization settled in, and the Primordial Spirit Clan suddenly became an unfamiliar place to her.

The Grand Elder turned to Ye Guan and said, “Young Master Ye, it’s time for you to leave. As for today’s events, rest assured, no one outside will ever know about it.”

The Grand Elder's words had yet to finish echoing in the air when the two Primordial Spirit Guards charged at Ye Guan. However, a sword abruptly appeared before one of the guards, and it pierced him before he could react, obliterating his soul.

The other guard met a similar fate; his fleshy body and soul were torn apart by a burst of sword light.

The Qingxuan Sword bared its fangs in Ye Guan's hands.

With the Qingxuan Sword in hand, Ye Guan was invincible against cultivators whose divinity was below ninety percent; they were like ants to him.

The Grand Elder's face turned ashen upon seeing the swift demise of the two guards. He realized that he had grossly underestimated the young swordsman.

Ye Guan suddenly smiled. “Grand Elder, you aren’t at ninety percent divinity, are you?”

The Grand Elder’s face changed drastically, and a sword appeared before him in a flash of light.

He clenched his right fist and punched forward, but the force of the impact sent him flying away. When he came to a halt, he discovered that his right arm had exploded upon impact, with blood splattering everywhere.

In utter disbelief and shock, the Grand Elder exclaimed, “What sword is that?!”

Ye Guan didn't reply. He disappeared and reappeared before the Grand Elder, who hurriedly summoned his divine statue. However, it shattered instantly under the power of the Qingxuan Sword. The divine statue was no match.

With his statue shattered, the Grand Elder was sent flying thousands of meters away. Before he could recover his balance, another sword was already flying toward him. Ye Guan clearly had no intention of giving him any time to breathe.

The Wise Master was horrified at the sight. “Young Master Ye, spare...”

Woosh!

Ye Guan's sword pierced the Grand Elder's brow, pinning him in place.

The Wise Master hurriedly said, “Young Master Ye, there will be no room for reconciliation if you kill him, so—”

Ye Guan shook his head. “Wise Master, do you really think that I need your Primordial Spirit Clan's permission to save Sister Ruo? Even if you refuse to save her, I can still do it myself. I visited your clan and abided by your rules, not because I am afraid of your clan, but because I don't want to leave behind a trail of bloodshed. But it seems that my approach was wrong; people like you will only respect and be considerate to those with bigger fists. You will never take those weaker than you seriously...”

Ye Guan pointed at the Grand Elder.

Boom!

The Grand Elder's fleshly body erupted into a bloody mist. His soul was obliterated as well—obliterated by Ye Guan's sword intent.

The Wise Master’s expression darkened at the sight. He knew that there was no longer any room for negotiation between Ye Guan and the Primordial Spirit Clan.

Rumble!

Rumbling noises echoed as powerful figures began to gather above them.

Qing Zhi standing next to Ye Guan hurriedly said, “Leave.”

Ye Guan turned to look at her.

Qing Zhi added, “You have no chance here. You have to leave now. Outside, they won't be able to kill you unless they send a cultivator with ninety percent divinity after you.”

Ye Guan remained silent.

Qing Zhi urgently said, “Hurry up and leave!”

Ye Guan suggested, “Come with me.”

Qing Zhi went silent.

Ye Guan insisted, “If you stay here, I'm afraid you will meet a horrible fate.”

Qing Zhi shook her head slightly and said, “I can’t go with you.”

Before Ye Guan could argue, Qing Zhi pressed, “Leave now. Once they activate the formation, you will find it difficult to leave unscathed, even with your divine sword.”

Hearing that, Ye Guan knew that there was no room for negotiation. He hopped onto his sword and flew to the sky.

However, a mysterious power locked onto Qing Zhi just then, and a voice boomed throughout the sky. "Leave, and she's going to die. Ye Guan."

Ye Guan immediately came to a halt.