I Have a Sword

The middle-aged man in black robes frowned. "Why did you bring us here, then?"

"It's because we're still going to make some profit out of this," the man in luxurious robes replied.

"What do you mean?"

The man in luxurious robes merely smiled.

The middle-aged man in black robes was dumbfounded, but he remained silent. The years he had spent following his big brother had proven that his big brother was capable of smelling profits.

The man in luxurious robes unleashed a wave of spiritual energy.

Rumble!

A spacetime rift manifested in the distance, and a lady in a light yellow dragon robe slowly walked out of it.

The lady was none other than Zhou Fan.

The man in luxurious robes greeted, "We're from the Ascension World, and we're here to meet Young Master Ye. Is he available?"

Zhou Fan looked at the man in luxurious robes and remained quiet.

"We mean no harm. We just want to meet Young Master Ye."

Zhou Fan calmly replied, "He's cultivating at the moment."

The man in luxurious robes quickly said, "Then we'll wait here. Please inform us when he's available."

"Sure." Zhou Fan nodded. Then, she turned around and left.

The middle-aged man in black robes sneered, "Are we really going to wait? The Great Zhou is really—"

"Shut up!" The lady in white snapped. She glared at the middle-aged man in black robes and chastised, "Those dumb should stay quiet. That way, people won't know how stupid you are."

The middle-aged man in black robes' expression stiffened. He snorted but stayed silent. He knew that the lady in white had a bad temper. If provoked, she'd chase him down for decades and slice him up into a hundred pieces.

The man in luxurious robes explained, "Second Brother, you need to think outside the box. We're far stronger than that lady, but she showed no fear before us. Why do you think so? When I mentioned that we're from the Ascension World, she didn't even flinch. She's either incredibly naive or she's not afraid of us at all."

The middle-aged man in black robes pondered briefly before saying, "She's not afraid of us?"

"Indeed. I did an investigation, and the Tenth Hall of the Evil Dao Alliance was apparently annihilated upon visiting the Great Zhou. The Great Zhou's founder is powerful, but he couldn't have annihilated the Tenth Hall of the Evil Dao Alliance by himself. In other words, there's a top-tier figure backing the Great Zhou, or more specifically, Young Master Ye."

The middle-aged man in black robes was surprised, "You investigated them?"

"A reward of a hundred Eternal Crystals is massive. How can I not investigate what's going on?" the man in luxurious robes replied. He then looked at the Great Zhou Imperial City in the distance and said softly, "Over the years, we've killed and robbed many, making a lot of ill-gotten gains. Things have been smooth sailing for us all this while, but that is exactly why we must be cautious. Remember, there's always someone stronger out there. Some risks are worth taking, but there are risks that should not be taken at all."

The lady in white nodded without saying anything.

The middle-aged man in black robes hesitated before saying, "Caution is good, but as they all say, 'fortune favors the bold.'"

“The bold will end up getting destroyed if they keep on following that saying. There are many people like us on the path to the summit of cultivation, so we must learn to read people. We have to know who we can provoke and who we cannot afford to provoke," said the man in luxurious robes. He stared at the Great Zhou Imperial City below and added, "Once we meet Young Master Ye, we'll whether we can afford to provoke him or not."

"But we're not the only ones trying to kill him," the middle-aged man in black robes said seriously, "What if someone else gets to him first?"

"That would actually be a great thing," replied the man in luxurious robes.

The middle-aged man in black robes frowned, but he soon understood. If someone else went to fight Young Master Ye first, they'd be able to gauge his strength.

However, would anyone be foolish enough to become everyone else's borrowed knife?

The middle-aged man in black robes looked around, convinced that there wouldn't be anyone that dumb.

***

Zhou Fan didn't return to the main hall but returned to the pool of lightning up above. She looked uneasy as she guided Dao Jun and the other elites to where Ye Guan was cultivating.

To ensure Ye Guan's safety, she summoned all the Path Creation Realm elites of the Great Zhou.

Dao Jun suddenly said, "More and more top-tier elites are appearing around the Great Zhou."

"I know." Zhou Fan nodded.

"They haven't made a move, and it's probably out of caution."

Zhou Fan calmly explained, "The Evil Dao Alliance has offered a massive bounty of a hundred Eternal Crystals. It is an irresistible temptation, but no one has made a move yet, as they're unsure if the Evil Dao Alliance is serious. They're also wary of the Great Zhou and Ye Guan."

"The smart ones will watch and wait. I'm more worried about the idiots among them."

"Those daring enough to make a move in the Great Zhou will die."

They weren't being arrogant here. The lady in a plain skirt was protecting the Great Zhou, and her sword energy was still protecting the Great Zhou Imperial City.

Those daring enough to make a move would certainly die.

Dao Jun nodded slightly; he wasn't too worried. After all, the Great Zhou had a powerful backer, and he felt great to have such a mighty backer.

Boom!

Deafening explosions erupted from the pool of lightning.

Everyone turned and saw Ye Guan's figure emitting a dazzling golden light. He was trying to comprehend the Diamond Body!

Ci Tian's expression turned complex at the sight.

The Diamond Body was the Burning Heavens Temple's ultimate physique cultivation method.

Due to a poor decision by the former abbot, the Great Zhou seized it, and Burning Heavens Temple was almost annihilated.

Thankfully, Zhou Fan had returned everything that once belonged to the Burning Heavens Temple.

Ci Tian sighed inwardly, feeling that choices truly mattered. Had he not supported Zhou Fan, the Burning Heavens Temple would have been driven out of the Great Zhou.

They would also have no choice but to leave, as the Dao Clan would never tolerate the Burning Heavens Temple's existence.

Even the Great Zhou wouldn't allow the Burning Heavens Temple to stay in the Great Zhou by then.

How could those cowardly enough to face the enemies be allowed to share the spoils of victory?

The Great Zhou had recently purged the clans that had chosen not to help.

Ci Tian cast a complex glance at Zhou Fan. The Empress of the Great Zhou was decisive and ruthless, and she was a master when it came to wielding the stick and the carrot.

Those who had stayed loyal to the Great Zhou through the tough times earned the carrot, including the Burning Heavens Temple.

Ci Tian put his hands together, feeling emotional. If he hadn't been the abbot, the Burning Heavens Temple would have been in decline by now.

Ci Tian felt like he had to change the names in the temple's ancestral records upon his return to the temple, and he couldn't help but smile at the thought.

Dao Jun noticed that and teased, "What's up with that lecherous smile?"

Ci Tian had no idea what to say.

Zhou Fan said, "He's about to succeed."

Everyone turned and saw that the golden light around Ye Guan was becoming more and more dazzling.

Ci Tian put his hands together and said, "After so many years, someone else has finally mastered our Burning Heavens Temple's Diamond Body."

The others turned to look at Ci Tian.

Ci Tian calmly remarked, "He has decided to cultivate our Diamond Body, so he's one of us."

Dao Jun gave a thumbs-up. "I knew you were shameless, but I didn't know you were this shameless."

Prime Minister Yuan nodded slightly. "Your face is as thick as a city wall. I can't compare to you at all."

Meanwhile, everyone else was speechless.

***

The Eighth Hall Master was sitting down on the stone steps leading to his main hall with his legs crossed. He was busy reading a book.

Just then, a thin old man appeared.

The thin old man respectfully reported, "Hall Master, many people have gone to the Great Zhou, including some from the Ascension World, but none of them have made a move yet."

Eighth Hall Master chuckled. "Of course, they won't make a move. They're all Path Creation Realm elites. Having lived for so many years, there is no way they can be taken advantage of that easily..."

The thin old man hesitated.

Eighth Hall Master opened his palm, and a scroll floated over to the thin old man. The thin old man opened it and saw detailed information about Ye Guan, specifically his treasures.

A mysterious little pagoda and a divine sword. He also had three special bloodlines and countless Ancestral Veins.

The thin old man looked up at the Eighth Hall Master.

The Eighth Hall Master grinned. "Add a few more items. Announce that he has several thousand Eternal Crystals or something; you can also say that he has the Primal War Wap, the Dao Wheel, and other extremely powerful treasures."

"H-H-Hall Master, I don't think they're going to believe that..." the thin old man stammered.

"Can't you make it a bit more realistic?" The Eighth Hall Master said indifferently, "He has a mysterious background, right? Say that he obtained the inheritance of a Tier Five civilization, and his divine items, as well as his extraordinary talent, are all because of that inheritance. Oh, and he has that lady in a plain skirt as his backer, right? Say that she was once a powerful figure of a Tier Five civilization, but she's currently severely injured. Her strength is not even a thousandth of her peak, and she can only make a move twice every one hundred years. She's already made a move, so she can only make one last move."

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