Soon enough, everyone understood why the mysterious figure had cursed.

The entire Arcanist Civilization was melting beneath the Tianxing Flame.

The Arcanist Civilization wasn't idle. Their experts took to the sky in the form of divine lights, charging at the Tianxing Flame in hopes of extinguishing it, but they were reduced to ashes before they could even approach it.

Just then, the crystal pagoda trembled violently. An oppressive aura spread throughout the entire civilization as beams of crystal-like light took to the sky from the crystal pagoda, heading straight for the Tianxing Flame.

The crystal-like beams of light were formidable, but they shattered into nothingness just as they reached a mere one thousand meters away from the Tianxing Flame.

Dozens of powerful figures clad in the signature robes of the Arcanist Civilization rushed to the sky. Every single one of them held an ancient tome of divine spells and were chanting the incantations within.

A mysterious energy reminiscent of the Dao manifested and enveloped them like a tide. When the energy reached its peak, it transformed into a magical Daoist saber that slashed at the Tianxing Flame.

A Great Dao Spell! Moreover, it was the most powerful Great Dao Spell throughout the Arcanist Civilization, and it was cast by Divine Mages that had opened their own unique paths.

Dozens of them joined forces to unleash the Great Dao Spell. Beneath its overwhelming power, the entire civilization seemed to become illusory.

However, the Daoist saber burned as soon as it reached the sky. The next moment, it was reduced to ashes, scattering all over the place.

The faces of the Divine Mages instantly paled, and their eyes filled with despair at the sight.

The Arcanist Civilization remained unyielding, activating countless arrays and casting a variety of spells, but none of them could do anything to the Tianxing Flame. The experts of an entire civilization had put their heads together to come up with a solution, but none of them could stop the flame. More and more people felt hopeless, and the Arcanist Civilization's society collapsed as everyone gave up on resisting and started fleeing for their lives.

Eventually, the Tianxing Flame descended, melting away the Arcanist Civilization.

Everyone present was both horrified and shocked. Many had never heard of the Tianxing Civilization before, so the Tianxing Flame's onslaught had deeply shaken them.

Ye Guan revealed a complex expression. He was suddenly reminded of his plain-skirt aunt.

When the Tianxing Flame arrived at the Guanxuan Universe on that day, his Plain Skirt Aunt reached out and grabbed it casually.

The civilization-ending Tianxing Flame was like an obedient kitten in her hand.

Right now, Ye Guan really wanted to shout, “Plain-Skirt Aunt, you will forever be a goddess in my heart!”

Meanwhile, a confused Yi Nian was staring at the Tianxing Flame in the light screen with a frown. There was a hint of confusion in her eyes, as she couldn't recall when the Arcanist Civilization was annihilated. She couldn't remember it at all.

In the end, Yi Nian lost all interest and returned to the tiny pagoda to study the spacetime there.

As the Arcanist Civilization began to disintegrate. The ancient tree sensed the threat and quivered violently. Beams of mysterious light soared, creating barriers made out of the same mysterious light.

Just when everyone thought that those barriers would shatter like pieces of paper, they actually managed to withstand the Tianxing Flame.

Ye Guan was a bit surprised. He looked at the ancient tree and saw that the mysterious ancient character was emitting waves of powerful energy, reinforcing the barriers.

The Tianxing Flame was stopped!

The experts of the Arcanist Civilization immediately became hopeful, but the barriers started melting just a few seconds later, dragging the experts into the abyss of despair once again.

Just then, dozens of people transformed into beams of light, merging with the ancient tree. Immediately afterward, the Tianxing Flame continued its descent.

Boom!

The Arcanist Civilization was reduced to ashes along with the ancient tree that nurtured it. However, the mysterious ancient character didn't disappear. It remained in the void but was lacking its original luster.

The mysterious figure waved his right hand and the light screen disappeared.

Everyone present came back to their senses.

Ye Guan glanced at the mysterious figure, feeling quite curious about the ancient character. After all, it managed to withstand the Tianxing Flame despite being just a character.

The mysterious figure swept his gaze across everyone in the crowd. He was no longer furious like earlier. He had regained his composure, and a gentle smile tugged at his lips as he asked, “Are you guys familiar with that flame?”

Many people shook their heads.

“That was the Tianxing Flame, and it's from a Tier Five civilization.”

A Tier Five civilization?!

Everyone was shocked.

The mysterious figure chuckled. “Do you all know why I showed you this?”

"Is it because you want us to know the Arcanist Civilization's history so that we'd be able to revive the civilization and restore it to its previous glory?" someone replied.

“

Hahaha!

” The mysterious figure laughed.

The younger brother of the sibling duo excitedly said, “Big Sister, the Arcanist Civilization is so strong! If I got their inheritance…”

The younger brother's expression darkened upon realizing something. “I probably don’t stand a chance here.”

The older sister of the sibling duo did not reply. She was becoming more and more uneasy as time went on, and she decided to pull her brother closer to Ye Guan and his companions.

Ye Guan glanced at her. She was a young beauty dressed in a dark green dress.

The young woman put on a friendly smile upon sensing Ye Guan's gaze.

Ye Guan asked, “Do we know each other?”

The woman shook her head, looking a bit apprehensive and nervous.

Ye Guan was about to say something when the mysterious figure opened his hands and began chanting an ancient incantation.

The eight blood-red coffins behind him trembled violently.

Everyone was puzzled.

However, they'd soon have their answer as the lids of the coffins opened and seven blood corpses emerged from them. Out of the eight coffins, only seven were awakened. One of the coffins remained still.

The seven blood corpses had grotesque faces. They were drenched in blood, and they looked incredibly ferocious.

A malevolent aura pervaded the air as soon as they appeared.

The crowd became uneasy at the sight.

Meanwhile, the mysterious figure swept his gaze across the sea of people below him and declared, “Begin your feast!”

The seven blood corpses stepped forward, and a mysterious domain enveloped everyone present.

Everyone was immediately terrified!

Before they could react, the seven blood corpses opened their mouths and inhaled. The people in front collapsed into chunks of blood that flowed toward the corpses in a stream.

“

Ah!

” Everyone turned around and fled in panic.

However, the stone gate was closed, so there was nowhere for them to escape.

Actually, their fate was sealed the moment they were enveloped by that mysterious domain. In other words, they could no longer flee, even if they wanted to flee.

Ye Guan opened his palm, and the Qingxuan Sword flew out.

Schwing!

The mysterious domain was forcibly torn apart. Then, with a single thought on his end, the Qingxuan Sword sliced open the stone gate.

The crowd immediately saw a glimmer of hope, but they couldn't move at all beneath the mysterious domain's influence.

To make matters worse, more and more people were turning into chunks of blood before being absorbed by those blood corpses.

Dai Zong glanced at Ye Guan and said, “Brother Ye, there are experts hidden nearby. I suggest we retreat.”

Dai Zong did not even wait for Ye Guan's reply as he turned around and fled.

After a few moments of hesitation, Ye Guan urged the Qingxuan Sword to transform into a beam of sword light, forcibly tearing a huge opening in the mysterious domain. The people near Ye Guan seized that opportunity to rush out.

Ye Guan was about to hop onto his sword and fly away when the mysterious figure pressed his right hand down.

A mysterious restriction engulfed everyone, suppressing those about to escape.

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

In the proverbial blink of an eye, half of the crowd had already been devoured by the blood corpses.

Ye Guan’s expression changed. He was instantly immobilized by the mysterious restriction.

Damn it! I underestimated that mysterious figure!

Ye Guan summoned the Qingxuan Sword. When the sword appeared in his hand, he thrust it forward, tearing apart the mysterious restriction.

Ye Guan was about to fly away once again when someone grabbed his sleeve. He turned and saw the young woman in a dark green dress. She was holding the hand of her bewildered younger brother and Ye Guan’s sleeve with the other.

The young woman cast a pleading look at Ye Guan and begged, "Please save—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Ye Guan grabbed her hand and flew away, taking the siblings with him.

The mysterious figure saw that and raised his right hand. Then, he pressed down slowly.

Boom!

Ye Guan and the siblings instantly felt an invisible pressure boring down on them. The invisible pressure felt like tens of thousands of mountains were pressing down on them.

The siblings’ faces paled, and their bodies became illusory, clearly on the brink of being obliterated.

A cold glint flashed in Ye Guan’s eyes. The Qingxuan Sword flew out, forcefully tearing apart the invisible pressure acting on them.

Not daring to linger any longer, Ye Guan transformed into a streak of sword light and disappeared into the horizon with the siblings in tow.

The mysterious figure was slightly surprised by Ye Guan's escape. “That sword…”

He didn't expect Ye Guan's sword to be so powerful—powerful enough to break his restriction. In the end, he brushed off his surprise with a chuckle and no longer thought much of it. He turned to look around and saw that eighty percent of the crowd had already been devoured. He closed his eyes and raised it. Immediately afterward, mysterious statues appeared in the starry sky above the ruins, and there were tens of thousands of them!

"

Hahaha!

" The mysterious figure burst into a peal of maniacal laughter and exclaimed, “Gentlemen! Our time has come…”