Chapter 824: Great Daoist Brush Master

Without any further chatter, Ye Guan went straight into the Hongyuan Universe on his sword, disappearing into the distance with Zhou Yuan and the others.

As Ye Guan and his companions vanished into the boundary, the tall man muttered to himself, “What a monstrous talent.”

Although the rules stated that outsiders were forbidden from entering the universe boundary, he wasn't exactly a stickler for rules. In addition, since he couldn't defeat them. He could call for reinforcements, but there was no need to do so. It would take time for reinforcements to arrive, and he'd most likely end up dying before his reinforcements could help him. It wasn't worth risking his life at all. It was better to turn a blind eye to ensure peace for both sides.

***

After crossing the universe boundary with his companions, Ye Guan was met with a storm of spacetime turbulence.

Ye Guan frowned and slashed out with his sword.

Swoosh!

A streak of sword energy shattered a large swath of spacetime turbulence, but his expression changed upon realizing that there seemed to be no end to this spacetime storm.

“Let me handle this,” Zhou Yuan said. He took a step forward and punched out. An overwhelming fist force shot out, clearing a clear path through the turbulent storm.

“Young Master Ye, let’s go,” he urged.

Ye Guan nodded and took off with his sword, leading the seven blood corpses into the distance.

Soon, Ye Guan’s expression turned grim. He had entered a spacetime storm, surrounded by endless streams of chaotic spacetime. Some of these streams were as powerful as tribulation lightning and were incredibly dangerous even for him.

Even Zhou Yuan was struggling. The remaining blood corpses took action as well, helping to fend off the streams of chaotic spacetime.

Ye Guan didn't idle around either. He unleashed his Invincible Sword Intent, transforming it into streams of sword energy that flew out and cleared the way ahead.

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Guan and the others finally emerged from the spacetime storm.

Standing in the midst of a starry sky, Ye Guan turned back to look at where they had just come from. He saw the spacetime storm rolling like a tide.

He was already tens of thousands of kilometers away from it, but he could still feel its overwhelming pressure.

Ye Guan gazed at the stormy region, silent and contemplative. If he had relied solely on his own strength, he wouldn't have been able to walk out of the spacetime storm.

Just then, Ye Guan was reminded of something, and he opened his palm, revealing the mysterious ancient character.

“Zhou Yuan, we need a large amount of spiritual energy to awaken this ancient character, right?”

Zhou Yuan nodded. “Yes.”

Ye Guan fell silent. He had several hundred Ancestral Veins, but the Ancestral Veins he had obtained from the Arcanist Civilization and the Saber Master's gift meant that Ye Guan's Ancestral Veins numbered a staggering one thousand and five hundred Ancestral Veins.

"How many Ancestral Veins do you think we would need to awaken this thing?" Ye Guan asked.

Zhou Yuan hesitated for a moment before replying, “Ancestral Veins aren't enough. We'd need the spiritual energy and essence of at least several dozen civilizations.”

"Are you sure they're not enough?" Ye Guan asked again, just in case.

Zhou Yuan nodded quietly.

Ye Guan felt helpless and sighed.

“If Young Master Ye doesn’t want to plunder the spiritual energy of other civilizations, then there are two other methods to awaken that ancient character. The first method is to make a Spirit Progenitor restore its essence. The Spirit Progenitor has to be a high-level one.”

"Actually, I have a Spirit Progenitor as a family member, but I have no way of contacting her right now," Ye Guan said, shaking his head.

Zhou Yuan was stunned. “You have a Spirit Progenitor in your family? Is it a high-level one?”

"She should be at the peak among Spirit Progenitors." Ye Guan nodded.

“Are her pupils golden?”

“They're deep purple.”

“D-deep... purple?”

“There's another color, but I can’t remember it off the top of my head. Why do you ask?”

“Young Master Ye, our Arcanist Civilization once had a Spirit Progenitor. It's a high-level Spirit Progenitor with golden pupils, which is incredibly rare even in a Tier Four civilization. As for a Spirit Progenitor with deep purple pupils... they exist only in legends. I’ve never even heard that a Spirit Progenitor can actually have deep purple pupils.”

“You’ve never heard of it?”

“Yes, even Spirit Progenitors with golden pupils are extremely rare.”

“Well, a high-level Spirit Progenitor has been with me since I was born.”

Zhou Yuan’s expression froze.

Little Pagoda had no idea what to say.

Ye Guan added, “We also have an Evil Beast at home. Did the Arcanist Civilization have one?”

Zhou Yuan’s face twitched, and he forced a smile as he stammered, “N-no...”

Ye Guan nodded and asked, “What's the second method?”

Zhou Yuan stared deeply at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan's calm expression meant that he was probably not bragging at all, and it was impressive how he could show off without actually showing off.

Zhou Yuan reminded himself that he needed to be more careful when talking to Ye Guan.

Zhou Yuan calmed himself down and said, “The second method is for us to go back to the ruins where this ancient character was first discovered. We might be able to awaken it there.”

Zhou Yuan then glanced at the mysterious ancient character, but he hesitated to speak further.

Ye Guan noticed that and urged, “Feel free to speak.”

“Young Master Ye, are we going to those ruins on our own?” Zhou Yuan asked.

Ye Guan frowned. “Is it dangerous?”

“I believe so. When the ruler of the Arcanist Civilization entered the ruins with a large group of powerful individuals, some of them did not return. I also can’t be sure if they managed to completely get rid of the dangers within those ruins.”

Ye Guan pondered for a moment and closed his eyes. Soon, he opened his eyes again and said, “With our current speed, we'll reach that place in no more than five days. I do feel a little unwilling to turn back at this point.”

“Young Master Ye, don’t worry too much. The ruler of the Arcanist Civilization was able to take this ancient character out of that place, so he must have dealt with the dangers in that place. Still, we have to be cautious.”

“That’s probably the best thing we can do right now.”

Ye Guan looked around and got prepared to leave when a mysterious aura locked onto him, causing his brows to furrow.

“We’re just passing through,” Ye Guan remarked.

Moments later, the mysterious aura disappeared without a trace.

Ye Guan swept his gaze across Zhou Yuan and the other blood corpses. “There’s one more thing. How can I help you all become even stronger?”

He realized that Zhou Yuan and his companions were incredibly powerful. If they became even stronger, they'd become valuable assets for him and the Guanxuan Universe.

“The fastest way for us to improve is through devouring. We have a secret method that allows us to devour living beings and the essence of civilization to become even stronger, but...” Zhou Yuan muttered in a stern voice. He glanced at Ye Guan's face before continuing, “Since we are following you, Young Master Ye, we naturally have to follow your rules. We'll follow your decision.”

Ye Guan nodded slightly and asked, “Are the fruits of the Immortal Dao Tree beneficial to all of you?”

“Yes, they are incredibly beneficial.”

“Really?”

“Yes, even during the heyday of our Arcanist Civilization back then, the fruits of the Immortal Dao Tree weren't something that ordinary people could even touch consume, much less consume. Only top-tier geniuses and prodigies can enjoy them, and it's all because they contain the legendary ‘Eternal Power’.”

“Eternal Power?”

“It is a terrifying type of power. In addition to enhancing an individual’s physique and bloodline, it also transforms their soul and significantly increases their cultivation base.”

“Then we need to find a way to make this ancient character grow the Immortal Dao Tree again. Let’s go!”

With that, Ye Guan brought Zhou Yuan and the other blood corpses back into the tiny pagoda before flying away on his sword, disappearing from sight.

***

On the peak of a certain snowy mountain, the wind and snow howled fiercely, obscuring everything from view...

A man in a black robe was sitting cross-legged on the summit, surrounded by the power of Nine Dao Laws Energy.

The man was none other than Ye Qing.

After some time, he opened his eyes and spread his palm.

A mysterious Great Dao rune appeared in his hand. He flipped his hand, and the wind and snow in the world came to an abrupt halt.

The Divine Dao Realm!

Ye Qing took a deep breath and flipped his palm again.

The wind and snow began to howl again.

A look of excitement suffused Ye Qing's face.

Just then, a man suddenly appeared not too far away from him.

The man was the Great Daoist Brush Master.

“What, are you already satisfied with this achievement?” asked the Great Daoist Brush Master with a chuckle.

Ye Qing smiled slightly and said, “Senior, I’ve reached the Divine Dao Realm.”

The Great Daoist Brush Master shook his head and said, “The Divine Dao Realm is only the beginning in some universe regions.”

“I know. I still have a long way to go.”

The Great Daoist Brush Master nodded slightly.

Ye Qing asked, “Senior, how strong is Brother Ye Guan right now?”

The Great Daoist Brush Master laughed and asked, “Why? Do you wish to spar with him?”

“Yes,” Ye Qing replied. He had been training diligently, hoping that one day he could have an exhilarating battle with Ye Guan.

The Great Daoist Brush Master said, “That punk is probably still a bit stronger than you right now. After all, his Dao Protector is that woman...”

Ye Qing asked, “That lady in a plain skirt?”

The Great Daoist Brush Master nodded.

Ye Qing hesitated briefly before asking, “If you were to fight that woman in the plain skirt, what would your chances of winning, senior?”

The Great Daoist Brush Master replied, “Eighty percent!”

Ye Qing was stunned.

“I have an eighty percent chance of dying against her,” the Great Daoist Brush Master added.

Ye Qing was at a complete loss for words.