Chapter 249: Declare War on the Guanxuan Universe
Upon igniting his fleshly body and soul, Zhuge Haoyue’s aura surged wildly. He roared and got ready to unleash his divine spells.
However, Ye Guan had disappeared.
Swoosh!
Ye Guan moved even quicker than ever.
Zhuge Haoyue narrowed his eyes, and he clenched his fists as he chanted an ancient spell. A dark blue flame gushed out of his glabella.
Ye Guan’s sword appeared in front of Zhuge Haoyue.
Schwing!
The sword split the dark blue flame and made a beeline for Zhuge Haoyue’s glabella.
Bang!
The surrounding space trembled violently as Ye Guan’s sword froze in mid-air.
Swoosh!
However, two swords came from Zhuge Haoyue’s flank, and they buried themselves into Zhuge Haoyue’s chest and right arm.
Zhuge Haoyue was immobilized.
The nearby Divine Spirits frowned at the sight.
Zhuge Haoyue had lost!
Just then, a powerful aura burst out of the golden spacetime tunnel, and a mysterious energy wrapped around the immobilized Zhuge Haoyue.
Ye Guan’s eyes narrowed, and a cold glint fleeted across his eyes.
Someone was trying to save Zhuge Haoyue!
Chen Guanzi and the rest stared coldly at the scene.
An Nanjing remained calm, but a spear appeared in her hand.
Ruler An was silent, and she didn’t make a move.
An old man stood beside Zhuge Haoyue. The old man was wearing a long robe, and he had a whole head of gray hair. A green wooden staff was in his hand, and a strange-looking orb was floating behind him.
The old man was about to forcefully suppress the violent undulations coming from Zhuge Haoyue’s soul, but Zhuge Haoyue suddenly raised his right hand and said, “Master, it’s okay.”
The old man wanted to say something, but Zhuge Haoyue smiled wryly and said, “They are unafraid of death, so shouldn’t we be as courageous as them? Master, please take good care of my younger sister…”
Zhuge Haoyue’s wry smile turned determined as he clenched his fists and forced as much divine light out of his body. A powerful energy sent Ye Guan’s swords flying away, and Zhuge Haoyue turned into a ray of divine light that flew toward Ye Guan.
Zhuge Haoyue’s aura surged drastically. He was about to perform his final attack!
During critical junctures or whenever someone had resolved to die fighting would often become drastically stronger as if their souls and fleshly body were about to go beyond their limits, culminating in a glorious afterglow.
Zhuge Haoyue’s aura became more and more terrifying. Eventually, his aura went through a qualitative change and reached a new peak.
Zhuge Haoyue broke through, becoming an Ancient Holy Sorcerer!
The expression of the gray-haired old man changed drastically. A ferocious light flashed past his eyes. He was prepared to save Zhuge Haoyue. An Ancient Holy Sorcerer! How could he let such a young Ancient Holy Sorcerer die here?
It would be a major loss for the True Universe!
Right when he was about to take action, a voice suddenly echoed in his head.
“I’ll kill you if you dare to try anything,” said the mysterious voice. However, the gray-haired old man recognized that voice. It was none other than Ruler An’s voice!
The gray-haired old man was shocked. He abruptly lifted his head.
He saw Ruler An glaring at him coldly from above.
The Guanxuan Universe’s denizens were courageous even in the face of death, so how come the denizens of the True Universe couldn’t do the same?
Meanwhile, Ye Guan thrust his sword to meet Zhuge Haoyue’s attack. He unleashed thirty swords and his Invincible Sword Intent at the same time.
Boom!
The collision was so powerful that the surrounding spacetime was obliterated. Ye Guan was sent flying at least a hundred meters away.
Zhuge Haoyue’s self-destruction resulted in the annihilation within a kilometer of ground zero, and it also created a shockwave that fractured the spacetime more than a kilometer away.
From above, the Xuzhen Battlefield was like a cracked mirror.
It was a terrifying sight!
Ye Guan eventually managed to recover in mid-air, and he discovered cracks on his skin. Fortunately, he only suffered superficial injuries.
“No!” a miserable wail echoed.
Everyone turned and saw that the gray-haired old man was furious. The spacetime around him quivered incessantly as a testament to his fury as he stood there while staring at where Zhuge Haoyue had been with constricted pupils.
Meanwhile, the Divine Spirits were silent.
Zhuge Haoyue was dead.
The monstrous talent who had just become an Ancient Holy Sorcerer had fallen just like that. If he were still alive, he could have reached the top ten of the True Martial List or perhaps even five.
What did reaching the top five of the True Martial List mean? It meant that one was a cream of the crop among heavenly-defying monstrous talents!
What a pity…
The gray-haired old man turned to look at Ye Guan. He didn’t even bother concealing the powerful killing intent in his eyes.
“Scram!” someone shouted from up above.
The gray-haired old man looked up at Ruler An.
Ruler An glared coldly at him and said, “Divine Sorcerer Zhu Mo, do not embarrass your disciple in front of everyone here.”
The gray-haired man wanted to say something, but the gazes of the two old men behind Ruler An landed on him, and their auras instantly immobilized the gray-haired old man.
Zhu Mo immediately shut his mouth. He didn’t dare to speak anymore.
He glared coldly at Ye Guan one last time before turning around to leave.
Ruler An fell silent. She also wanted to save Zhuge Haoyue, but she couldn’t do it. It was a battle between the younger generation of two universes, so how could a member of the older generation interfere?
Furthermore, Martial Goddess An was keeping her in check!
Ye Guan walked up to Chen Guanzi and muttered, “First Senior Brother…”
Chen Guanzi nodded slightly and said, “It’s great to see you back.”
Ye Guan lowered his head in silence.
“Follow me,” said Chen Guanzi before turning around to leave.
…
Chen Guanzi brought Ye Guan and the rest of the Sword Sect disciples to the Sword Tomb.
Chen Guanzi looked at Ye Guan and opened his palm.
After a short moment of silence, Ye Guan handed Cao Bai’s three flying swords to Chen Guanzi.
Chen Guanzi accepted the swords and walked away. He found a boulder, and he inserted the three swords into it before carving the words—Here rests Cao Bai, who died in battle on the thirteenth of September of the Guanxuan Year.
The swordsmen behind Chen Guanzi could no longer hold back their tears, and they started sobbing. Cao Bai got along pretty well with his junior and senior disciples, and it was all thanks to his outgoing, friendly, and sunny disposition.
Unfortunately, Cao Bai was no more.
Ye Guan glanced at the three flying swords before lowering his head in silence.
Chen Guanzhi glanced at the three flying swords and muttered, “Rest in peace.”
With that, he turned around to leave.
However, Ye Guan didn’t move an inch.
Chen Guanzi suddenly said, “Let’s go meet his parents.”
Ye Guan shuddered slightly. He felt slightly afraid, but he knew that he still had to go.
…
A middle-aged man and a beautiful woman were sitting quietly in the great hall of the Cao Family.
Ye Guan followed Chen Guanzi into the great hall.
The middle-aged man’s expression remained unchanging upon seeing them, but he grabbed the corner of the table tightly. The beautiful woman next to him clutched the hem of her skirt tightly as she quivered ever so slightly.
Chen Guanzi took out a box and walked slowly toward them.
“A strand of junior disciple’s hair is in here…” he muttered.
The tears that the beautiful woman was holding back immediately fell. The middle-aged man tried his best not to cry, but he trembled uncontrollably.
Chen Guanzi put the box down and bowed deeply before dragging Ye Guan away with him.
The beautiful woman picked up the box with trembling hands and muttered, “The pride… of our Cao Family…”
The beautiful woman looked at the middle-aged man; her tears flowed down incessantly from her bloodshot eyes as she roared, “Why did my son have to defend this universe?! Why did he have to carry such a heavy burden?! He was just eighteen years old! Why?!”
The middle-aged man made a sidelong glance at the box. His eyes were filled with tears as he responded, “Well… someone had to do it…”
…
Chen Guanzi and Ye Guan stood quietly outside the great hall.
Chen Guanzi looked up at the sky, which was a bit blurry in his vision despite the clear skies. It was a surreal sight; there seemed to be a layer of mist obscuring his vision.
“The sacrifice of our seniors is the reason the Guanxuan Universe has been able to enjoy such peace. However, our seniors failed to end the war once and for all. It’s our turn to attempt to end the war. If we fail, the next generation will have to fight and try again,” said Chen Guanzi.
Ye Guan was in a daze as he stared at the starry skies. Every sword in the Sword Tomb represented a swordsman. There were more than a million swords in the Sword Tomb, so more than a million swordsmen had perished for the sake of ending the long-standing war.
However, the Sword Sect was just a part of the vast Guanxuan Universe.
Ye Guan couldn’t quite grasp the number of lives that were sacrificed for the goal of ending the war between universes once and for all. However, one thing was for sure—many people had given up their lives for the Guanxuan Universe.
Ye Guan seemed to have thought of something, so he asked softly, “Master Pagoda, my aunt is very strong, right?”
Little Pagoda’s reply was a bit late as he said, “She’s extremely strong, but she doesn’t really care about anything else apart from her relationship with your father, so do you really think that she’ll save a universe?
“Her kindness had always been exclusive to your father, and everything else is insignificant in her eyes. In her eyes, there wasn’t any difference between the Guanxuan Universe and the True Universe.
”Your father didn’t allow your Aunt to intervene, and she was so unhappy about his decision that she almost inadvertently annihilated the Guanxuan Universe.
“Anyway, your aunt has never really cared about anyone else aside from your father.”
Ye Guan went silent.
Little Pagoda sighed to himself.
“Is my cousin dead?” said someone from the side.
Ye Guan retracted his thoughts. Chen Guanzi and Ye Guan turned and found a boy who looked to be only seven or eight years old. There was a wooden sword in his hand.
The boy stared alternatingly between Chen Guanzi and Ye Guan before asking once more, “Is my cousin dead?”
Chen Guanzi and Ye Guan remained silent.
The boy walked up to them. He looked them in the eyes and declared, “I want to join the Sword Sect!”
Chen Guanzi asked softly, “Why do you want to join the Sword Sect?”
The boy raised his wooden sword and exclaimed with determination, “I want to be just like my cousin and fight the Divine Spirits! I also want to protect the Guanxuan Universe!”
Ye Guan smiled. He ruffled the young boy’s hair and said, “Leave it to us.”
The boy still wanted to say something, but Ye Guan suddenly took out a storage ring and handed it over to the boy, saying, “Train well at home and take good care of your parents.”
He didn’t stop the boy from realizing his dreams of becoming a sword cultivator. The world was harsh, after all, and those who couldn’t cultivate would only become prey.
Of course, Ye Guan didn’t want the boy to join the Sword Sect.
Chen Guanzi and Ye Guan went silent and left.
The boy stared intently at the two rays of sword light streaking across the skies and yelled, “I’ll join the Sword Sect in the future! Remember my name! My name is Cao Xiu!”
…
True Universe, True God Hall.
The True God Hall was thousands of meters tall, piercing the clouds. Eight tall stone pillars stood before the hall, and eight ferocious-looking monsters were perched on top of the pillars.
Ten guards dressed in pristine white armor stood next to the pillars. The helmets of the guards were adorned with feathers, and they each had a longsword hanging by their waist.
Further down from the pillars in front of the great hall was a huge square that was about a hundred thousand meters wide. Every inch of it was paved with crystal stones, making it look extremely luxurious and a sight to behold.
Millions of Divine Spirits had gathered on the huge square, and they were all young talents of the True Universe. The gazes of the young talents were transfixed in one direction.
Soon, a young woman walked out of the great hall. The young woman appeared to be sixteen or seventeen years of age, and she was dressed in a pristine white robe. Her gaze was icy cold, and a white jade staff was in her hands.
There were four large words engraved on the white jade staff: Zhuge Haoyue.
Zhuge Haoyue’s death had already spread throughout every corner of the True Universe, and everyone was here to send him off on his final journey.
The Divine Spirits’ eyes turned cold and gloomy upon seeing Zhuge Haoyue’s white jade staff.
How did Zhuge Haoyue die? The Sword Master’s son had murdered him!
The white-robed young woman turned to face the True God Hall and looked up at it before saying, “Zhuge Haoyue died in battle against the Guanxuan Universe on October third of the Zhenxuan Year. I hereby request that his final resting be the Heroic Spirits Hall.”
Heroic Spirits Hall!
The True Universe had created the Heroic Spirits Hall in honor of the Divine Spirits who had perished in battle. The dream of every Divine Spirit out there was to rest in peace at the Heroic Spirits Hall.
The two biggest achievements that a Divine Spirit could ever achieve were the following: entering the True God Hall while they were still alive and entering the Heroic Spirits Hall once they perished.
The Divine Spirits turned to look at the True God Hall.
Moments later, a powerful booming voice declared, “Permission granted.”
A middle-aged man walked out of the True God Hall. He was wearing a crimson robe that resembled the color of blood, and his long hair fell past his shoulders. Both his hands were behind his back, and his gaze was domineering.
He was none other than the Martial Chancellor of the True God Hall—Wu Qi!
The Divine Spirits’ gaze turned respectful as they lay their eyes on him.
Wu Qi slowly walked toward the white-robed young woman.
He took the white jade staff from her as he said, “I really liked what Zhuge Haoyue said about how we should also be courageous even in the face of death… We should indeed be like what he said! I’ll escort him to the Heroic Spirits Hall!”
With that, he turned around to leave with the white jade staff in hand.
The white-robed young woman turned around to leave as well.
“To the Guanxuan Universe!” someone yelled.
The crowd erupted into chaos, and everyone hurriedly followed the white-robed young woman.
The Martial World was a special world in the True Universe. Ordinary cultivators couldn’t access the Martial World, as it was a world made for the challengers of the True Martial List.
In other words, only the monstrous talents of the True Universe could access the Martial World.
Today, a voice boomed out across the Martial World.
“We declare war on the Guanxuan Universe!”
The powerful figures throughout the Martial World took to the skies and headed straight for the Guanxuan Universe.
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