Chapter 962: I Promised You

The Tianxing Life World could be said to be the most important place in the Tianxing Civilization. After all, all life within the Tianxing Civilization originated from the Tianxing Life World.

It was a vast and boundless world, and a lone Tianxing Life Tree was standing in the middle of it. The tree was millions of meters high, its top extending deep into the starry skies.

From a distance, its massive canopy looked like a giant umbrella.

On the tree, numerous fruits hung from its branches. Most of these fruits were greenish-blue, varying in size—some as small as a fist, others as large as a watermelon.

There were a few fruits that were red, but these were exceedingly uncommon, with perhaps only one in tens of thousands. These were known as the Life Fruits.

The Tianxing Life Tree was the foundation of the Tianxing Civilization. Without it, there would be no Tianxing Civilization. Thus, this place was the most important place of their civilization.

Upon storming into the sacred Tianxing Life World, Ye Guan came to an immediate halt. A middle-aged man dressed in a white robe with a golden ancient scroll in his hand stood not too far away from him.

The middle-aged man had a scholarly and refined demeanor.

Tens of thousands of meters behind the middle-aged man were a thousand warriors clad in golden armor. They were members of the Imperial Guard, the Tianxing Ruler's personal army!

Each Imperial Guard exuded immense power, and each of them wielded a powerful Tianxing Flame.

Their entire existence revolved around two duties—the first was to protect the Tianxing Ruler, but the Tianxing Ruler was so strong that this duty seemed unnecessary.

With that in mind, their second duty, which had long become their primary duty, was to protect the Tianxing Life Tree.

They fixed their gaze on Ye Guan in the distance, and their eyes were devoid of any emotion. These guards were carefully selected from the civilization's armed forces, and they had all experienced countless battles.

As elite guards, they were trained to remain composed, even when faced with powerful enemies.

Ye Guan's aura was growing stronger. His killing intent had reached terrifying levels, yet he was still suppressing it somehow. He couldn't go mad just yet; there was still something he had yet to accomplish.

Just then, Duo Yan, the Mirror Goddess, and the others entered the Tianxing Life World. They stared at Ye Guan in the distance, no longer underestimating him. Their expressions were filled with seriousness and, most of all, curiosity.

Ye Guan's sword techniques and bloodlines were far beyond what a being from a low-tier civilization could possess. His divine sword was particularly strong.

The Mirror Goddess turned to the middle-aged man in the white robe and said, "Divine Officer, be careful of the sword in his hand."

Divine Officer?

Ye Guan mused.

In the Tianxing Civilization, the Tianxing Ruler was, of course, the most powerful figure with the highest authority.

There were several key institutions beneath him—a Cabinet, a Bureau, two Academies, and three Halls.

The Cabinet was led by the Prime Minister, who handled the internal affairs of the civilizations. The Bureau, also known as the Divine Bureau, was similar to a military council, responsible for external affairs and military matters.

The two Academies were the Tianyun Academy and the Tianxuan Academy, and they were managed by the two High Goddesses. The former focused on knowledge and research, while the latter focused on martial training.

Lastly, the three Halls were the Hall of Guards, Hall of Enforcement, and Hall of Justice.

These were the primary administrative institutions of the Tianxing Civilization, and there were many other minor organizations. Of course, none of them carried as much importance as these organizations.

The Divine Officer was named Jie Ye, and he was from the Divine Bureau. The Divine Bureau had three Divine Officers and one Bureau Chief.

Upon hearing the Mirror Goddess' warning, Jie Ye's gaze fell on the Qingxuan Sword in Ye Guan's hand. A hint of surprise and curiosity flickered in his eyes.

Just then, Ye Guan slowly raised his head, and his eyes locked onto the distant Tianxing Life Tree. There were many fruits hanging from it.

Ye Guan's blood-red finally shifted slightly at the sight of it.

Noticing his gaze on the Tianxing Life Tree, the expressions of the Tianxing Civilization's experts darkened. The Tianxing Life Tree was the most sacred object of their civilization, and just a glance at it alone could be considered blasphemy.

Just then, Ye Guan looked back at Yi Nian. Her soul was intact and was no longer in danger, but her injuries were still severe.

When the Tianxing Flame entered her earlier, it almost wiped out her life force. If it weren't for Master Pagoda's protection, her soul would have been completely eradicated.

Ye Guan retracted his gaze and turned to look at the Tianxing Life Tree again. After a brief pause, he slowly opened his left hand.

Jie Ye narrowed his eyes. He did not dare to underestimate this young swordsman.

Why did the Hall Master of the Hall of Enforcement die?

It was all because he was careless and had underestimated his opponent.

All of a sudden, Ye Guan clenched his left fist.

Ka-cha!

The spacetime around him ruptured, and in an instant, they transformed into tiny, hand-sized grids. Seeing that, the expressions of everyone changed drastically.

Ye Guan stepped forward, letting out a roar as a mysterious force enveloped the space around him. A sword domain had just fused with spacetime itself!

It was a technique Ye Guan had learned upon accepting his inheritance, and he had spent nearly thirty years learning it.

Suddenly, countless sword intent erupted like a torrential downpour, but there was something different to them. Every sword made out of sword intent was boasting the power of a sword technique!

Lifespan Severance!

Divine Officer Jie Ye's eyes narrowed. "Retreat!"

The Imperial Guards immediately retreated at his order.

Meanwhile, the Mirror Goddess and the Talisman God had already retreated when they saw that Ye Guan was about to make a move, as they knew that he was about to unleash a powerful technique.

Jie Ye had no way to retreat, as Ye Guan's sword domain was suppressing him. He felt a deep sense of foreboding, and he could practically see Death staring at him.

Gripping the ancient golden scroll tightly, he gave it a fierce shake. The next moment, a myriad of golden characters flew out, numbering in the billions.

Each character emitted a terrifying golden light. He was trying to destroy Ye Guan's sword domain and the mysterious spacetime around him!

However, Ye Guan held the Qingxuan Sword with both hands and slashed forward. An invisible force spread out, and time in its path seemed to freeze. In the blink of an eye, the billions of golden lights disintegrated into nothingness.

From afar, Jie Ye stood frozen. His appearance rapidly aged before everyone's eyes. In just a second, his hair turned white, and there were wrinkles all over his face. A foul stench of decay and death began to emanate from him.

Jie Ye tried to speak, but his figure disintegrated. A few moments later, he vanished from the world. His lifespan had been exhausted, and he perished on the spot!

The expressions of the Mirror Goddess and the Talisman God changed drastically. They were genuinely afraid of Ye Guan at this point. Ye Guan's attack had taken at least two hundred million years of Jie Ye's lifespan, and it could be more than that.

After all, Jie Ye had less than two hundred million years of lifespan left.

The Tianxing Civilization had techniques similar to Ye Guan's sword technique, but none of them were as outrageous as Ye Guan's. Ye Guan's attack had exhausted Jie Ye's remaining lifespan in an instant.

It was simply ridiculous.

However, Ye Guan was in an extremely weakened state as a result of his attack.

The combination of his sword domain, the special spacetime, and his sword intent had consumed a tremendous amount of energy.

He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed his discomfort. He raised his head to look at the distant Tianxing Divine Tree. Moments later, he transformed into a beam of sword light that shot into the sky.

A wave of blood-red light swept across the heavens!

The Imperial Guards stepped forward in unison. In the blink of an eye, a Tianxing Flame emerged from each of their figures. A thousand Tianxing Flames took to the sky, transforming into a colossal spear that hurtled toward Ye Guan.

Boom!

As soon as the flaming spear clashed with the Qingxuan Sword, it trembled violently and exploded. However, the impact of the collision forced Ye Guan to retreat tens of thousands of kilometers away.

When he came to a stop, the Imperial Guards stepped forward again. A thousand pillars of flame shot up from their figures, instantly pervading the world.

One of the guards roared, "Kill him!"

At his command, the thousand pillars of flame surged upward, making a beeline for Ye Guan.

The flames had yet to reach Ye Guan, but he was already being forced to retreat.

The Mirror Goddess and the Talisman God were astonished. Neither of them had expected these Imperial Guards to be so fearsome. They were the main gods of the Tianxing Civilization, but they had never seen these guards in action.

The two were taken aback by the Imperial Guards' prowess.

The guards disappeared from their original positions, and a thousand flame pillars surged mightily toward Ye Guan. From afar, Ye Guan held his Qingxuan Sword in both hands and slashed forward.

With a single slash of his sword, the pillars of flame were torn apart, but the terrifying force within them staggered him, and blood spilled from his mouth immediately afterward. He was still in a weakened state; even with the Qingxuan Sword in hand, he struggled to fend off the Imperial Guards.

When Ye Guan was on the verge of being forced out of the Tianxing Life World, the exhausted Yi Nian finally opened her eyes. Her gaze landed on the blood-soaked Ye Guan, and she was stunned.

"Husband..." she muttered.

Ye Guan trembled slightly, and for the first time, a trace of humanity suffused his eyes.

Yi Nian wrapped her arms around his neck, and tears welled up in her eyes as she said, "I no longer want the Tianxing Fruit."

Ye Guan shook his head.

The group of Imperial Guards charged toward them once again.

Ye Guan lifted his head and gazed at the distant Tianxing Life Tree.

"I promised you, and I will fulfill it today!" Ye Guan roared and clenched his fist.

Crack!

The spacetime around them fragmented into mysterious grids. The faces of the Imperial Guards changed drastically. They attempted to retreat, but it was too late. A mysterious force had quietly enveloped them.

Lifespan Severance!

Seeing that Ye Guan was unleashing that terrifying sword technique once again, the Imperial Guards were struck with fear, and they began to retreat hastily.

However, it was too late.

Ye Guan's sword descended, and the guards froze in place. The Tianxing Flames within them, along with their very essence, faded at terrifying speeds.

They were reduced to dust in just a few moments.

A thousand Imperial Guards had fallen just like that!

Using the final vestiges of his strength, Ye Guan carried Yi Nian to the Tianxing Life Tree. His trembling right hand opened, and the Qingxuan Sword shot into the sky.

Rumble!

A terrifying aura suddenly rushed at Ye Guan from behind.

Ye Guan's eyes narrowed sharply, but he had no strength left to resist.

Mustering the final vestiges of his energy, he turned and protected Yi Nian.

A spear pierced his abdomen, impaling both him and Yi Nian. The spear dragged them a thousand meters through the air before violently pinning them to a distant stone wall.

Blood flowed from Ye Guan's lips as he struggled. His shattered right hand opened again, and the Qingxuan Sword fell into his hand.

A single green fruit from the Tianxing Life Tree was at the tip of the Qingxuan Sword. With great difficulty, he plucked the fruit with his left hand and brought it to Yi Nian's lips.

"Try it..." he muttered gently.