I Have a Sword

After leaving Abyssal Hell, Ye Guan glanced at Tian Qing beside him and smiled.

"Senior, which way do we go?" he asked. He could not wait to see the treasures of the Old Dao. Considering that the Old Dao was once the most formidable individual in the universe, how could his collection be ordinary?

I'm going to be rich! Ye Guan couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

Tian Qing looked around before saying, "Please give me a moment, Young Master Ye."

With that, Tian Qing closed his eyes, and the spacetime around him trembled slightly. Having been confined for so long, he had become a bit unfamiliar with the world, and he needed a bit of time to adjust.

After a while, Tian Qing opened his eyes and said, "Young Master Ye, please follow me."

With that, he took a step forward, crossing millions of starry regions in a single stride.

Ye Guan chased after him.

***

Thanks to the laws of the Great Dao, the Ascension World was restored in no time, and it was bustling with activity. The experts on each Heaven had been taken away by Ye Guan, so everyone was free to explore the Nine Heavens.

Path Creation Realm experts swarmed the Nine Heavens, and even those weaker had decided to try their luck, hoping to earn some money.

The Existing Dao did nothing, and his silence meant that more and more people visited the Ascension World every day.

Many obtained fortunes, as each Heaven contained its own era. Although there were no peerless treasures, there were ancient relics that were overlooked by the previous visitors. Those relics fell into the hands of those fortunate enough to stumble upon them, attracting even more people to the Ascension World.

One day, a man arrived in the Ascension World. The man wore a loose white robe and had long hair draped over his shoulders. Overall, he looked like a scholar.

The white-robed man was looking up at the Nine Heavens up above when someone nearby suddenly said, "Young Master Ye is truly remarkable."

The white-robed man immediately withdrew his gaze from the Nine Heavens and turned to see two people standing nearby—one young, one old.

The young man sounded excited as he said, "It is said that Young Master Ye single-handedly fought over a hundred Path Creation Realm cultivators. In the end, he slew Dao Emperor Zhaowu with a single sword strike and..."

The young man raised his right hand and pressed it down lightly. "He made the Third Hall Master of the Evil Dao Alliance kneel with just a gesture of his hand."

"He really is incredible!" the young man exclaimed.

The old man beside him seemed skeptical. "Are you sure Young Master Ye can take on a hundred Path Creation Realm elites by himself?"

Seeing the old man's doubt, the young man looked somewhat displeased. "Old man, why would I lie to you? I saw it with my own eyes. With just one sword, Young Master Ye pinned Dao Emperor Zhaowu right there and humiliated him.

"Dao Emperor Zhaowu committed suicide by hitting his own head. As for the Third Hall Master, she foolishly tried to summon the Tianxing Civilization. When the Tianxing Flame appeared, Young Master Ye grabbed it casually, and the Tianxing Flame was subdued."

The old man’s expression grew serious, but he still appeared somewhat doubtful. "Is Young Master Ye really that powerful?"

The young man nodded earnestly. "Absolutely, he’s beyond compare—unprecedented and unparalleled. Invincible in this era..."

At this, he suddenly took out a piece of paper and handed it to the old man, "Old man, take this."

The old man looked puzzled. "What’s this?"

"The Guanxuan Academy has established a branch in our universe region. The branch is now recruiting top-tier elites. Old man, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If you join now, you’ll be among the founding members.

"Even the Existing Dao and the Tianxing Civilization will have to show our academy some respect..."

The old man looked at the young man, a realization dawning on him. "You’re from the Guanxuan Academy?"

"Yes."

The old man stared deeply at him without saying anything.

The young man solemnly said, "Old man, opportunities like this don’t come often. If you join the academy, not only will you have its protection, but you can even meet Young Master Ye in the future.

"With just a bit of his guidance, you can ascend from the Path Creation Realm to the Path Annihilation Realm.”

The old man hesitated. "Really?"

"Why not give it a try? You’ve got nothing to lose. If you join the academy now, you’ll even receive an Ancestral Vein as a free gift. Of course, this is only available for those in the Path Creation Realm.”

The old man took the paper. After seeing the conditions, he was instantly tempted. After some time, he looked at the young man and asked, "How do I join?"

The young man took out a token and handed it to the old man."Go to the Guanxuan Academy and give this to the head of the Li Clan. He’ll take care of everything."

"All right!" The old man accepted the token and turned around to leave. After just a few steps, however, he looked back at the young man and asked, "Young man, did you reach the Path Creation Realm at such a young age because of Young Master Ye’s guidance?"

"Yes!"

"Young Master Ye is a divine being!" the old man exclaimed, looking moved.

"Young man, what’s your name?" asked the old man.

“My name is Li Han."

The old man cupped his fist. "Li Han, we’re friends from now on. Please take care of me in the future."

Li Han returned the gesture. "Of course."

The old man nodded and said no more, disappearing into the distance.

Once the old man could no longer be seen, Li Han smiled. "That was another strong newbie!"

He turned his head to the right and saw a white-robed man. As far as he could remember, the white-robed man had been watching him the entire time.

Li Han took a closer look at the white-robed man, and his heart skipped a beat; he couldn’t see through the white-robed man at all.

This guy is a powerhouse! Li Han thought. However, Li Han was puzzled because the white-robed man seemed familiar.

Setting aside that thought, Li Han walked up to the white-robed man with a smile. "How may I address you, brother?"

The white-robed man replied, "Qiu Baiyi."

"Brother Qiu, are you interested in joining the Guanxuan Academy?"

Qiu Baiyi said, "I’m a bit interested."

Li Han took out a recruitment flier and handed it to Qiu Baiyi. "Brother Qiu, have a look."

Qiu Baiyi glanced at the flier and smiled. "The benefits are quite nice."

"Of course. The Guanxuan Academy will eventually unify the vast expanse, establishing a new order. If you join now, you’ll witness the creation of a new era."

"Unifying the vast expanse... how ambitious. But alas, I’ve already joined another faction."

Li Han was curious. "Which faction?"

Qiu Baiyi earnestly replied, "The Evil Dao Alliance."

Li Han was stunned, and his expression changed dramatically upon recalling something. "You..."

Qiu Baiyi smiled. "Ninth Hall Master, do you really not recognize me?"

Li Han stared at Qiu Baiyi for a moment before his eyes widened in shock.

"You’re the Second Hall Master…!" Li Han exclaimed.

Qiu Baiyi burst out into a peal of laughter. "Long time no see!"

Li Han's face was immediately covered with beaded, cold sweat.

The Second Hall Master was Li Han's recruiter, but he had only seen a blurry, virtual image of the Second Hall Master, which was why he couldn't recognize the latter when he appeared before him.

However, Li Han truly did not expect that the Second Hall Master would appear in the flesh.

Li Han turned around and ran.

The next moment, a mysterious force immobilized him.

Li Han’s expression froze.

"Hahaha." Qiu Baiyi laughed. "Li Han, is this how you greet an old friend? Running away at the first sight?"

Li Han remained silent. He knew that he was in big trouble. He truly did not expect that the legendary Second Hall Master would appear here.

Qiu Baiyi appeared in front of Li Han and glanced at the recruitment flier before smiling. "Don’t worry, I’m not unreasonable. As the saying goes, 'the wise adapts to the times.'

"Back then, you chose to follow Ye Guan, and it was not a strange decision. If you hadn’t made that choice, you and your Li Clan would have been as dead by now like the Third Hall Master."

Li Han asked in a low voice, "What do you want?"

Qiu Baiyi smiled. "I came here to investigate the strength of that lady in a plain skirt. I was planning to use time reversal, but I'm afraid she'd sense that. I didn’t expect to run into you here. Since you’re here, could you tell me what happened?"

Li Han stared deeply at Qiu Baiyi and nodded. "Alright."

With that, he recounted the recent great battle in the Ascension World.

Qiu Baiyi muttered, "Instant kill, huh?"

"Yes."

“I understand,” Qiu Baiyi said. Then, he turned around to leave.

"Are you still planning to kill Brother Ye?" Li Han asked.

"The conflict between us and them is unavoidable."

Li Han asked gravely, "The Universe Tribulation of the True Universe?"

"Yes, the Universe Tribulation of the True Universe is no ordinary tribulation. And it's not the tribulation that's wrong—it was born from the evil thoughts of all beings in the True Universe, so how could it be at fault?"

Qiu Baiyi looked around and softly remarked, "The Heavenly Dao is supposed to destroy the world once enough evil thoughts have been accumulated, or it would be going against the Dao.

"In addition, people have always been the most immoral of beings in the vast expanse."

A complex light flashed across Li Han's eyes. "Are you going to kill him now?"

Qiu Baiyi shook his head. "No."

Li Han was puzzled.

Qiu Baiyi explained seriously, "In theory, I can't defeat that lady in a plain skirt.”

Li Han said nothing but remained on guard.

"No need to be wary. I'm not going to kill you. On the contrary, I admire you. At critical junctures, you are capable of staying calm. That is exactly why I chose you back then.

"Although it's unfortunate that we've become enemies, it's not your fault; it's the problem of our Evil Dao Alliance. If they hadn't underestimated their opponents and stubbornly fought to the death..." Qiu Baiyi trailed off.

Qiu Baiyi shook his head slightly and said, "Of course, you can't really blame them. Who could have predicted that such a powerful swordsman would appear in this universe region?"

Li Han sighed softly and said, "Second Hall Master, please don't oppose Young Master Ye."

Qiu Baiyi smiled faintly and asked, "Tell me, what wrong has the Evil Dao of the True Universe done?"

Li Han fell silent.

Qiu Baiyi turned around to leave. "Ninth Hall Master, we'll be enemies the next time we meet, and I will not go easy on you."

With that, Qiu Baiyi disappeared into thin air.