Chapter 321: You Scheming Scoundrel!
He had ignited his fleshly body in exchange for power!
Ye Guan was well aware that under normal circumstances, he stood no chance against the opponents before him. Thus, he decisively ignited his own fleshy body.
Igniting his fleshly body in exchange for the power that would allow him to stand toe-to-toe against his opponents was a great trade.
Ye Guan's aura surged crazily as his fleshly body burned. At the same time, a figure suddenly flew out from within him and headed straight for Xue Feng. The figure was the Ancient Divine Puppet that he had obtained from the Shangqing Secret Realm.
Xue Feng's face changed drastically upon seeing the Ancient Divine Puppet.
Boom!
Caught off guard, Xue Feng was blasted hundreds of meters away by a single sword strike. When he came to a halt, he looked down at his arm in shock.
Meanwhile, Ye Guan had transformed into a streak of sword light and rushed toward the nearby Divine Sovereigns.
He slashed out with his sword—Heavenrend Quickdraw[1]!
Ye Guan became much more powerful upon igniting his fleshly body. His sword strike contained the combined power of forty sword moves, and a terrifying conflagration erupted from Ye Guan's sword as he slashed out.
Boom!
The Divine Sovereign at the helm was obliterated. His fleshy body and soul crumbled into ashes—an instant kill!
The Xue Clan Divine Sovereigns were also forced back hundreds of meters away by Ye Guan's mighty slash. As they came to a stop, astonishment filled their hearts, and their faces contorted with incredulity as they looked at Ye Guan.
Did he just instantly kill a Divine Sovereign?
They couldn't believe it at all, and they felt like their worldview had been turned upside down. After all, Ye Guan was merely a True Immortal Realm cultivator.
His cultivation base meant that this group of Divine Sovereigns would never take him seriously. Thus, they had never imagined, even in their wildest dreams, that Ye Guan would be capable of killing a Divine Sovereign with one sword move.
The Divine Sovereigns stood frozen in disbelief.
Xue Feng noticed that and bellowed, "What are you doing standing there and just looking at him?! Kill him!"
With that, the Xue Clan members set any reservations aside and rushed toward Ye Guan at the same time. However, Ye Guan welcomed their charge. In fact, he stomped with his right foot and harnessed the power of space to propel himself right in the middle of the Divine Sovereigns.
Hum!
A resonant hum filled the air, and a symphony of swords dancing in harmony with the elements soon pervaded the skies. Ye Guan raised his sword and sent a Divine Sovereign flying into the distance, and he twisted in mid-air to send a sweeping slash toward the oncoming Divine Sovereigns behind him, sending them staggering backward.
Ye Guan's sword was enveloped by mighty flames that were burning using his fleshly body as a wick. Ye Guan wasn't wielding the Path Sword at the moment, but his every sword move was like a natural disaster—incredibly powerful.
The Divine Sovereigns caught up in the flames of his fleshly body were either seriously injured or had their fleshly bodies reduced to ashes.
Ye Guan was fighting against a dozen Divine Sovereigns by himself!
The Divine Sovereigns were horrified as the flames around Ye Guan rose to the skies. The sheer might of Ye Guan's sword was incredulous, especially whenever he used the Heavenrend Quickdraw. None dared to meet his sword head-on.
Soon, a deafening silence descended upon the battlefield. Ye Guan didn't make another move, as his objective was cut and dried. He just had to buy time until Nangong Xue had received the woman in white's complete inheritance.
Meanwhile, Xue Feng was still fighting against the Ancient Divine Puppet. He saw the stalemate and roared, “Why are you guys afraid of him?! He has ignited his fleshly body in exchange for power!
"He's incredibly strong at the moment, but it's just a fleeting burst of power. Keep on fighting him, and he'll soon be exhausted! He'll be a sitting duck by then!"
The Divine Sovereigns exchanged glances, and their eyes flashed with determination. They bent their knees slightly in preparation to rush toward Ye Guan once again.
Just then, Ye Guan opened his palm, and a stone flew out.
It was the Tribulation Avoiding Stone in his possession!
The Xue Clan members were astonished. What was he trying to do here?
Ye Guan swept his gaze across them and said, “Consider that stone my gift to you.”
The strongest among the Divine Sovereigns snatched the Tribulation Avoiding Stone out of mid-air. The rest of the Divine Sovereigns stared at him with a hint of distrust. The Tribulation Avoiding Stone could be sold for a hundred million spiritual cores at the very least, so who wouldn't be tempted before such a spiritual treasure?
Xue Feng saw that and bellowed, "He's buying time! This foolish brat wants to make you fight each other! Hurry up and kill him!"
Ye Guan stared at the strongest Divine Sovereign and said, "Will you even need the Xue Clan with that stone in your hand? Can you amass over a hundred million spiritual cores even if you were to toil away for the Xue Clan for your entire life?"
The Divine Sovereign in question fell into deep contemplation.
Ye Guan continued. "With a Tribulation Avoiding Stone in hand, I'm sure all of you will be able to explore quite a few secret realms together. You people are talented enough to become Great Sovereigns; you simply need resources to do so. How can you afford those resources with your meager stipends in the Xue Clan?
"Do you really think that you'll become a Great Sovereign with the Xue Clan's help, considering just how burdensome it is to raise a Great Sovereign?"
“Fuck you!” Xue Feng roared. He was still fighting the Ancient Divine Puppet, but he widened the distance between him and the puppet to roar at Ye Guan, "You scheming scoundrel! How dare you sow discord in my Xue Clan!"
Ye Guan paid no mind to the enraged Xue Feng.
His eyes were fixed on the strongest Divine Sovereign among the Divine Sovereigns here, "He's not a threat to you at the moment since his hands are full. This means that you can leave; no one can stop you from leaving.
"You have to decide quickly. Once he defeats my puppet, he'll tell you to give him the Tribulation Avoiding Stone. What will you do by then?”
The Divine Sovereign clenched his hands tightly, seemingly in turmoil.
He could leave, but it meant betraying the clan!
Ye Guan was about to say something, but the Divine Sovereign beat him to the chase and said, "Young Master Ye, I really have to admit that your words almost swayed me."
Ye Guan narrowed his eyes, and the profound energy within him surged. He got ready to make a move at any moment. The Divine Sovereign stared intently at Ye Guan and said, "If I take this stone with me and leave with the others, we'll inevitably turn on each other for the sake of this stone.
"Moreover, I'm sure you'll retrieve your puppet at the right moment, allowing Elder Xue Feng to chase after us..."
The Divine Sovereign shook his head and smiled. "Young Master Ye, you truly have a brilliant mind. If I had fallen for your words, we would have all perished due to internal strife. I genuinely admire your wits. It is rare among people of your age."
Ye Guan was silent. It seemed that he had underestimated them.
The Divine Sovereign suddenly said, "Everyone, I'll keep this stone for now. Once we've killed this young man, we'll return the stone to the Xue Clan and let the Clan Leader decide its disposition."
The other Xue Clan members nodded one after another. Originally, they had some ideas of their own, but they broke out into cold sweat after the strongest Divine Sovereign had revealed the details behind the young man's words.
Ye Guan was indeed cunning and scheming; they had almost fallen for his words.
Boom!
A loud noise echoed as the strongest Divine Sovereign among the group of Divine Sovereigns rushed toward Ye Guan. The remaining Divine Sovereigns followed closely behind their leader.
Ye Guan's scheme had infuriated these Xue Clan members, and their killing intent became so towering that it seemed capable of inundating everything between heaven and earth.
Facing the oncoming group of Divine Sovereigns, Ye Guan didn't waste any words.
He transformed into a streak of sword light and slashed out. Although his plan hadn't succeeded entirely, it wasn't completely useless. He had consumed a spiritual pill moments ago, so his strength had recovered significantly.
Ye Guan couldn't afford to hold back. He raised his sword for a swift and decisive slash—Forty-one Heavenrends as one!
The Heavenrend Quickdraw using the power of forty-one swords at once was Ye Guan's current limit. His fleshy body was too weak to withstand forty-two swords and more at once.
A dazzling conflagration erupted, and the expressions of the Divine Sovereigns changed drastically. The sword move had yet to arrive, but its overwhelming aura had already descended upon them like mountains pressing down on their shoulders, briefly stifling their breathing.
Rumble!
The sword move tore even the spacetime in front of Ye Guan apart as the strongest Divine Sovereign was sent flying away. The Divine Sovereigns behind the strongest Divine Sovereign retreated like a tide.
However, Ye Guan decisively chased after them.
Rip!
A ripping noise echoed as a sword light flew across the air and rushed toward the retreating Divine Sovereigns while tearing apart every inch of spacetime in the way.
Ye Guan was facing more than ten Divine Sovereigns, but he showed no signs of falling behind. Horrifyingly enough, his aura was growing even stronger with each passing moment.
All of a sudden, Xue Feng flinched after seemingly sensing something. He whipped around to stare at Nangong Xue. Nangong Xue's aura was undergoing a qualitative change, and the sight made Xue Feng roar, "Kill that woman first! Hurry up!"
The Divine Sovereigns immediately abandoned Ye Guan and rushed toward Nangong Xue. However, a streak of sword light landed not too far away from Nangong Xue. Staring at the oncoming group of Divine Sovereigns, Ye Guan grinned sinisterly and rushed toward them to unleash a sword strike.
Forty-one Heavenrends as one!
The strongest Divine Sovereign was horrified. Without a second thought, he turned around and fled at incredible speeds. He was already a few hundred meters in just a blink of an eye, leaving his companions behind. The Divine Sovereigns whom the strongest Divine Sovereign had left behind couldn't react in time.
A grotesque noise echoed as they were torn apart, and blood haphazardly splattered in all directions.
The sword move had left Ye Guan exhausted, and the ephemeral power he had obtained was waning as his fleshly body sloughed off in chunks.
The strongest Divine Sovereign stared deeply at Ye Guan. Ignoring the gory sight, he said, "You must be tired. We won't stop you if you choose to leave."
The tables had turned—the strongest Divine Sovereign was now the one buying time. He knew that he just had to wait, and Ye Guan's fleshly body would eventually perish. He decided not to make a move because even a cornered rat would bite a cat, and Ye Guan's attack just now had filled his heart with dread.
He would have died if he hadn't retreated in time.
In addition, Ye Guan had handed over a Tribulation Avoiding Stone to him, so he decided to let Ye Guan leave if the latter decided to leave.
After all, a mere Ye Guan couldn't compare to the Starry Sea Sect's inheritance and a Tribulation Avoiding Stone.
Ye Guan was silent, and he gripped his sword tightly.
The strongest Divine Sovereign spoke once again, "You're still young, and you have a bright future ahead of you. Leave, and you'll face a bountiful future along with a myriad of women waiting on you. Why fight to the death here for one woman?"
Ye Guan stared deeply at the Divine Sovereign and said, "I'll think about it."
The strongest Divine Sovereign’s expression turned malicious.
"You're just trying to buy time." He pointed out and roared, "Now die!"
Ye Guan opened his left palm and clenched it forcefully.
Boom!
A powerful conflagration erupted from within him—he had chosen to ignite his soul!
1. Veela: Previously translated as Beheading Heavens Sword Art. This term has been retconned for consistency purposes. I'm changing the terms manually in over a dozen chapters, so I might miss some. Please do tag me in our discord channel if you see a stray Beheading Heavens Sword Art somewhere. Thank you so much. ☜
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