Chapter 282: Severing Ties
"He likes water?" Ye Guan was slightly puzzled by Little Pagoda’s words, and he shook his head with a smile. Little Pagoda's words definitely had a different meaning, but Ye Guan didn't dwell on it too much. He looked ahead at a dense forest with many gourd trees. Each gourd tree had gourds hanging like dolls.
There was a massive mountain a few kilometers from the forest of gourd trees. It was majestic, and half the mountain was peeking out of the clouds. Ye Guan also saw the silhouette of an ancient temple from beyond the mist.
It was most likely the Divine Dao Hall, and he walked slowly toward it while carefully looking around. He couldn't sense any creatures around him, but he wanted to remain as careful as possible.
“Senior, is there any danger?”
The mysterious voice replied, "There shouldn't be any danger here."
Ye Guan nodded and picked up the pace.
Before long, Ye Guan passed through the forest and arrived in front of Divine Dao Hall. The passage of time had marred the ancient temple, and it was hard to discern its original appearance. The passage of time was indeed ruthless.
The ancient temple was surrounded by wild grass, and a deafening silence prevailed.
Ye Guan looked up and saw a plaque with words that were so weathered that it was barely discernible—Divine Dao Bloodline.
Ye Guan remarked, "How desolate."
The mysterious voice explained, "The Divine Dao Bloodline has long since been consigned to the ruthless passage of time, but when it was at its peak, it was much more glorious than the present-day True Universe.
"The owners of the Divine Dao Bloodline were rulers of the vast expanse. The Great Daoist Brush Master wielded the Dao to expand the Divine Dao Bloodline's territory, and it was then when he discovered the Guanxuan Universe."
"Truly?" Ye Guan frowned and asked, “He was the one who discovered the Guanxuan Universe?”
"Yes, and he has been keeping a low profile since then. I think he suffered some injuries, and he is still recovering from them," the mysterious voice replied.
Ye Guan was a bit puzzled, and he asked, "He's injured?"
The mysterious voice continued. "Yes, my big sister mentioned that he's injured and that she didn't want to take advantage of his injuries by fighting him."
"Did the True Universe overwhelm those with the Divine Dao Bloodline after that?" Ye Guan asked.
"The True Universe's name at the time wasn't the True Universe but the Stone Village," the mysterious voice explained.
"The Stone Village!" Ye Guan gasped and asked, "It must have been a brutal battle."
The mysterious voice replied, "It's more brutal than you can imagine. Those with the Divine Dao Bloodline running through their veins were massacred, and the Great Daoist Brush Master was chased out of the True Universe.
"He was never allowed to enter it again. The supreme elites with the Divine Dao Bloodline in their veins were either killed or suppressed. The massacre at the time was so thorough that the Divine Dao Bloodline has faded into obscurity."
Ye Guan nodded slightly. He had never really heard of the Divine Dao Bloodline until it was mentioned to him for the first time by the mysterious senior.
Ye Guan soon reached the entrance of the Divine Dao Hall. Upon closer inspection, the hall had truly been eroded by time. It was covered in rust, and the air was filled with the strong smell of decay.
Ye Guan sighed and remarked, "Decline comes after the pinnacle."
Ye Guan raised his right foot and stepped into the hall. A cloud of dust rose from beneath his feet. Ye Guan flicked his sleeve, and a wave of energy swept away the dust in the hall.
Ye Guan looked toward the depths of the hall and found two statues. The statue on the left was holding a brush. Ye Guan had seen it before. It was the same brush Ye An had wielded in battle.
The statue obviously depicted the Great Daoist Brush Master's figure.
There was a statue of a woman on the right. The woman was smiling with a calm demeanor, and she was holding an ancient scroll. Both statues were covered in spiderwebs and dust, and there was a desolate aura about them.
Ye Guan waved his hand gently, and the thick dust that had accumulated on both statues vanished in an instant. Ye Guan's gaze landed on the statue of the Great Daoist Brush Master.
“Senior, how can I call him?” he asked.
The mysterious voice replied, "I don't know.”
Ye Guan froze and went silent.
The mysterious voice continued. “I'm not familiar with him.”
Ye Guan's expression fell, and he asked, “Master Pagoda?”
Little Pagoda's reply came a bit late, “I'm not familiar with him either.”
Ye Guan was at a loss for words. What are these two trying to do here?
Little Pagoda said, “Just try and speak to him.”
“Speak about what?” Ye Guan frowned slightly.
Little Pagoda replied, “Anything!”
Ye Guan truly had no idea what to say. I'm not familiar with him either!
Little Pagoda instructed, “Think about Lady Ba Wan!”
Ba Wan! Determination fleeted across Ye Guan's eyes. After a while, he walked up to the statue of the Great Daoist Brush Master and asked, “Senior, can we talk?”
The statue remained silent.
Ye Guan pondered briefly before whipping out the tiny pagoda.
"I know you don't care about me, but how about my Master Pagoda?"
The tiny pagoda quickly turned into a beam of golden light that melted into Ye Guan.
Ye Guan was astonished.
Little Pagoda explained, “You have to stop relying on me. You have to rely on yourself more. In addition, you're asking for a favor here, and I don't want to owe the Great Daoist Brush Master anything.”
Bullshit! Ye Guan inwardly lampooned, but he didn't say anything in response. He actually felt that the Great Daoist Brush Master didn't really care about Little Pagoda.
Ye Guan shook his head with a sigh before looking up at the statue of the Great Daoist Brush Master.
After a long silence, he took out the Path Sword. If Little Pagoda was nothing in the Great Daoist Brush Master's eyes, he could only rely on his aunt. He would have to leave if even his aunt were insignificant in the eyes of the Great Daoist Brush Master.
As soon as the Path Sword appeared, the statue of the Great Daoist Brush Master trembled, and an illusory figure slowly floated out of it.
Ye Guan was in awe. His aunt was amazing.
The illusory figure was too blurry, but Ye Guan was sure that it was the Great Daoist Brush Master.
Ye Guan cupped his fist and said, "Senior!"
The illusory figure smiled, and it gradually solidified into the figure of a man. The man stared deeply at Ye Guan before walking past Ye Guan.
"Follow me!" he said.
Ye Guan nodded and followed him outside.
The man looked around outside the great hall, and there was a complicated light in his eyes upon seeing the desolate scene outside. Evidently, the Divine Dao Hall had to have been lively, but now, it was empty.
Ye Guan cast a curious gaze at the man. He was the Great Daoist Brush Master, and those lucky enough to get chosen by him would become the Chosen One of the Guanxuan Universe, and it was all thanks to the Great Dao Destiny.
Many people thought that Lu Tian was the Chosen One because they had been fooled into believing that the Great Daoist Brush Master had chosen him.
The man smiled and turned to Ye Guan.
"Why did you come here?" he asked.
Ye Guan hurriedly explained Ba Wan's situation. Once Ye Guan was done, the man didn't say anything, but he started walking away. Ye Guan hesitated for a moment before following him.
"I can't find Ba Wan for you," the man said.
Ye Guan frowned.
However, the man smiled and explained, "I govern the three thousand Great Daos, but she has established her own Dao beyond the three thousand Great Daos. She's not under my jurisdiction, so I cannot find her."
Ye Guan went silent, and he clenched his fists.
"However..." the man said, trailing off.
Ye Guan abruptly looked up at the man.
The man smiled and continued. "You can use the Time Mirror to find her."
Ye Guan asked, "The Time Mirror?”
The man nodded and explained, "Yes, it's a divine artifact that depicts the passage of time, and it's the strongest divine artifact related to time.”
Ye Guan asked, "Where can I find it?"
The man chuckled and replied, "It's in the Time World. You have to pick up the pace if you want to obtain it, as you're not the only one looking for it."
Ye Guan cupped his fist and said, "Thank you."
With that, he turned around and left.
The man suddenly cried out, "Wait!"
Ye Guan stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the man.
The man stared deeply at Ye Guan and warned, "Be careful."
Ye Guan was surprised. "Why?"
The man smiled, but he didn't explain. His figure turned blurry, and it was clear that he was about to disappear.
"I heard that you can control the destinies of countless beings. Is it true?" Ye Guan asked.
"Who told you that?" the man chuckled and asked back, "Was it the young woman inside you?"
Ye Guan didn't respond.
The man said, "The world is complex. Everyone has their own perspective when it comes to which is right and which is wrong. Everyone also has their own faiths and beliefs. The True Universe is your enemy, and I am your enemy as well.
"We're standing opposite from each other, and our beliefs are different.”
Ye Guan fell silent. The man went on to say, "Good and evil is just a matter of perspective. What do you think about Ba Wan? She's a Divine Spirit, so do you think she's evil?"
Ye Guan's gaze was transfixed on the man, but he remained silent.
The man was about to continue when Ye Guan said, "I understand what you're talking about. The True Universe is an enemy in my eyes, and it's a fact that won't change just because I like Ba Wan.
"If a universe invades another but is not considered evil, what is evil? I know the True God is good in the eyes of the True Universe's denizens because her actions are in line with the Divine Spirits' vested interests.
"It's complicated, yes, so why don't we just simplify it? The winner shall decide which is right and wrong.”
The man chuckled and said, "What a great phrase—the winner shall decide which is right and wrong. In the end, it comes down to strength. You are just like your aunt. Do you know that your aunt never argues with others? Now you know, and it's all because she believes that her sword can resolve every issue out there."
Ye Guan nodded slightly and replied, "I think that's a good way to go about it."
They were living in a world where strength was supreme.
He could use reason with some, but he would inevitably have to use force.
After all, not everyone could be reasoned with.
The man examined Ye Guan from top to bottom before saying, "Your path will be even more challenging than the path that your father and grandfather had taken. All the best!"
With that, the man's illusory figure began to turn even more illusory.
Ye Guan's face turned grim, and he hurriedly pleaded, "Please, I've come a long way, and it's been a tough journey. Please don't make it harder for me."
The man shrugged and said, "You belong to her, and you're not my concern. But it seems that she's not too concerned about you either. In other words, you have no choice but to take care of your matters yourself."
Ye Guan's expression darkened.
"Be careful!” said the man once more before disappearing.
The confused Ye Guan muttered to himself, "Be careful? What does that mean?"
The mysterious voice didn't reply to him, but Little Pagoda said, “You're walking down an extremely difficult path. I'm sure you already know how your father and grandfather had suffered, and your suffering will be worse than theirs."
Ye Guan's face turned even darker.
After a moment of silence, he asked, "Little Pagoda, can I cultivate in your world?"
Little Pagoda responded, "Yes, you can."
"All right." Ye Guan nodded and entered the world inside the tiny pagoda.
The mysterious voice asked, "You're not going to seek the Time Mirror?"
Ye Guan shook his head and said, "I'll focus on cultivating. Without strength, I won't be able to do much even if I find Ba Wan. It'll only make things harder for her.”
He hadn't been able to do anything to rescue Ba Wan from the clutches of death, and Ye Guan no longer wanted to feel that kind of despair.
"My aunt is the reason the Great Daoist Brush Master emerged to see me, and it got me thinking. What am I without my aunt, my father, and my grandfather?"
The mysterious voice didn't speak.
“Yes, I'm worthless. Without my identity, I'm sure that I'm also nothing in your eyes. Am I right, Master Pagoda? Senior?" Ye Guan chuckled and shook his head before adding, "Reality is that cruel. If it weren't for my ancestors, I would have just been a talented cultivator, nothing more, nothing less."
“What's up with the negative thoughts?" the mysterious voice asked.
“I realized it when I was confronted by the Adjudication Sword Master. I'm too weak to do anything other than call my grandfather, my father, or my aunt for help." Ye Guan clenched his fists and muttered, “So, I'm going to—”
Little Pagoda interrupted with a trembling voice. “You can’t possibly be thinking of severing ties with your father, right? T-that's a bit too much!”
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