I Have a Sword

Hearing the lady's words, Ye Guan's face darkened instantly.

The lady hesitated for a moment and then spoke cautiously, "Young Master, you're standing before the Immortal Treasures Pavilion. This is a very dangerous place to rob. Perhaps you should reconsider?"

Ye Guan stepped forward, and his expression was serious as he asked, "Do you not recognize me at all?"

The lady blushed slightly as she glanced at him. Her heart fluttered, and she shyly twirled her fingers. "You... romantic relationships are not allowed during work hours. I... still have an hour before my shift ends..."

Ye Guan was speechless.

Just then, a plump man approached them. Upon seeing the plump man, the lady straightened up and bowed respectfully, "Manager Qin."

"You may leave," instructed the plump man.

The lady quickly retreated.

The plump man looked at Ye Guan, and Ye Guan gazed back at him. After a few moments, they suddenly embraced each other, and the man laughed heartily, saying, "Brother Ye, it's been a long time!"

This man was Qin Feng. He had helped Ye Guan during his time in the lower realms. Later, Qin Feng had been personally promoted by Ye Guan's mother to the position of an elder of the Immortal Treasures Pavilion.

A little while later, the two made their way to the top floor of the pavilion, a place reserved for only the most prestigious guests. From here, they had a view of nearly half of the Imperial City of Great Zhou.

Qin Feng poured Ye Guan a cup of wine and chuckled. "Hahaha. It's been several years since we last saw each other, hasn't it?"

"Indeed."

"Brother Ye, your strength has become unfathomable over these years. Come, let's drink to that!" Qin Feng raised his cup.

Ye Guan lifted his own cup and clinked cups with Qin Feng. Then, they downed their drink together.

Afterward, Ye Guan curiously asked, "Brother Qin, what brings you to the Great Zhou?"

Qin Feng explained, "The Great Zhou Universe is a very important place. Both the Elder Council and Lady Ai take it seriously, so they sent me here personally."

Ye Guan nodded. "I see."

"I was wondering whether I'd run into you, but to think that it would actually happen!" Qin Feng exclaimed and raised his cup again.

Ye Guan smiled and lifted his cup as well. They clinked glasses and drank once more.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Qin Feng spoke, "Brother Ye, there's something I'm not sure whether I should tell you or not..."

Ye Guan replied, "Go ahead."

Qin Feng asked, "Do you still remember Lady Ji Xuan?"

Ye Guan froze, and a lady wielding daggers appeared in his mind. He hadn't forgotten her. Back in Qingzhou, she had nearly died protecting him at the Guanxuan Academy of Qingzhou

When he traveled to the Milky Way, he thought she'd be there, but she wasn't there at all. Ye Guan realized just then that she was deliberately avoiding him.

Ye Guan looked at Qin Feng, "How is she now?"

"I saw her once at the Guanxuan Academy in the Xiaoguan Universe, but she seems to have lost her memories."

Ye Guan frowned.

Qin Feng hurriedly added, "I'm not sure of the details."

A complex light flickered in Ye Guan's eyes. "Once I've finished my business here, I'll go find her myself."

"I see." Qin Feng smiled. "Come, let's drink! Meeting you like this is truly rare."

"Hahaha." Ye Guan chuckled. "All right, let's drink!"

The two had much to catch up on, and their conversation continued well into the night.

Late at night, Qin Feng was alone in the pavilion. A storage ring containing over ten thousand Eternal Crystals, as well as other treasures, was in front of him.

Qin Feng's expression was complicated, and the sight filled him with nostalgia.

He hadn't expected that the young swordsman from Nanzhou, whom no one had thought highly of, would turn out to be the son of the Pavilion Master of Immortal Treasures Pavilion. Qin Feng had also never imagined that the kindness he had shown to him back then would elevate him to such heights.

Now, Qin Feng wielded significant power within the pavilion, even though his strength wasn't extraordinary.

He could command countless top-tier experts to do his bidding. He wasn't just an elder of an Immortal Treasures Pavilion branch; he was an elder of the Main Guanxuan Academy.

However, he knew well that he reached his heights not because of his own talents. There were people more capable than him within the pavilion. His success was simply because he had made one correct choice back then.

Qin Feng smiled and shook his head. Then, he raised his cup to drink.

***

Ye Guan didn't head to Guanxuan Academy but made his way to the Great Zhou's Imperial Palace.

Zhou Fan was sitting on her throne in the throne room.

There were mountains of documents before her. Since her ascension, she launched numerous reforms, and her responsibilities multiplied exponentially since then, especially when they started the integration with the Guanxuan Universe.

Just then, Zhou Fan's hand froze.

She looked up to see a man standing not far away.

The man was Ye Guan.

A smile bloomed on Zhou Fan's beautiful face. "You're back?"

Ye Guan nodded. He walked over to her and sat next to her. He wrapped his arm around her slender waist and praised her, "You've worked hard."

Leaning onto his shoulder, Zhou Fan smiled blissfully. "What's hard about these? Plenty of people would love to be in my position."

"Anyway, a group of mysterious elites came here not too long ago."

"They're from the Tianxing Civilization," Ye Guan said.

Zhou Fan's expression changed drastically. She turned to Ye Guan, her eyes filled with worry. Gently stroking her hair, Ye Guan reassured her, saying, "Don't worry. I'll handle them."

"Another powerful elite arrived later, but I don't think they're from Tianxing."

Ye Guan explained, "They're from the Heaven of Parting Sorrows. This is all orchestrated by the Second Hall Master of the Evil Dao Alliance. He's trying to gather powerful experts in an effort to kill me."

Worry clouded Zhou Fan's eyes once again, and she gripped Ye Guan's hand tightly.

Ye Guan said, "For now, don't leave the Great Zhou."

"I understand, but you..."

"It's time for me to strike back."

Yi Nian had almost died in the Tianxing Civilization, so there was no way he'd let that slide.

A blood debt had to be paid in blood!

Moreover, the Evil Dao Alliance wouldn't stop, and he had no intention of sitting back and letting them attack him without retaliating.

It was time to act.

Ye Guan didn't linger long in the Great Zho. After taking care of the matters he needed to handle, he left once again.

Ye Guan called out, "Jing An."

Jing An appeared at his side, holding a skewer of hawthorn candy.

Ye Guan said, "Help me locate the Second Hall Master of the Evil Dao Alliance."

Jing An nodded and snapped her fingers.

The space around her rippled slightly, and a flaming shadow emerged.

Jing An ordered, "Find the Second Hall Master of the Evil Dao Alliance."

The flaming shadow bowed respectfully before disappearing.

Jing An turned to Ye Guan, hesitating briefly before asking, "Teacher says that the Evil Dao Alliance is not as simple as it appears. Should we call Aunt for help?"

Ye Guan shook his head, leaving Jing An puzzled.

Ye Guan calmly replied, "They're just a bunch of thugs. Aunt doesn't need to get involved."

Jing An blinked, and her eyes sparkled with admiration.

***

Spacetime was suddenly torn apart somewhere in the vast expanse, and a figure shot out of the spacetime rift. The figure was none other than the Second Hall Master of the Evil Dao Alliance, Qiu Baiyi!

Qiu Baiyi patted his chest and gasped for breath.

High Goddess Tianxuan had chased him across multiple universe regions.

It was simply absurd!

Wiping away the cold sweat from his forehead, he glanced at the starry space behind him. Seeing no signs of movement, he let out a heavy sigh of relief. That lady was too relentless. It had taken all of his tricks just to shake her off.

Rumble!

Just then, the spacetime ahead of him rippled. Moments later, it split open, and a white-haired elder emerged from it, followed by dozens of cultivators.

Qiu Baiyi's face lit up at the sight of him, but his smile faded quickly.

The white-haired elder approached Qiu Baiyi and stared deeply at him.

"How did Shen Ze die?" he asked.

"It's Ye Guan." Qiu Baiyi sighed softly. "He's too powerful."

The white-haired elder's expression darkened, and a terrifying killing intent surged out of him. Qiu Baiyi blinked and backed away with eyes full of dread and astonishment.

The white-haired elder closed his eyes and said, "Shen Ze had no enmity with Ye Guan. Why did Ye Guan kill him?"

Qiu Baiyi remained silent.

The white-haired elder, Shen Zong, looked deeply at Qiu Baiyi.

Qiu Baiyi sighed softly and said, "It's all my fault. The Evil Dao Alliance and Ye Guan have a blood feud. That day, he saw me with Shen Ze, and—sigh, this is all my fault."

Shen Zong remained silent and stared intently at Qiu Baiyi, seemingly trying to see whether the latter was lying or not.

Qiu Baiyi sighed again. "The people backing Ye Guan do not have any regard for any power…"

Shen Zong stared at Qiu Baiyi and asked, "Where is he?"

Qiu Baiyi quickly said, "Shen Zong, don't be rash. Ye Guan is strong, and his backers are mighty as well. If you confront him head-on, you're going to die."

Shen Zong's expression darkened. "Then what do you propose we do?"

"To be honest, my Evil Dao Alliance is planning to deal with him soon. However, we still haven't gathered enough people. Shen Zong, can you wait a few more days? We can strike together and eliminate him for good."

Shen Zong clenched his fists, and his hands quivered slightly.

Qiu Baiyi said earnestly, "Shen Zong, you must remain calm. Stay calm."

Shen Zong was silent for a long moment before unclenching his fists. "Second Hall Master, I have a small request."

"Go ahead."

Shen Zong said, "That Scroll of Parting Sorrows... can it be returned to us?"

Qiu Baiyi hesitated.

Shen Zong added, "Since Ye Guan's backers are so strong, we need that scroll to feel confident against him."

"Fine," Qiu Baiyi replied. He handed the Scroll of Parting Sorrows to Shen Zong.

Shen Zong took it and inspected it with a complicated expression. He then stared at Qiu Baiyi and said, "I'll wait for your signal."

With that, he turned around and led his people away, disappearing into the distant sky.

After a while, an elder standing beside Shen Zong gravely asked, "Shen Zong, do you really believe his words."

Shen Zong's gaze turned cold. "No way I'm going to believe his nonsense. I've lived for over a billion years, do you really think I'll let him use me as a pawn? He's dreaming if he wants to make use of me!"