Chapter 367: Rather Die Than Submit
Ye Guan noticed Mu Niannian's expression, and he hesitated before asking, "Is it too much?"
Mu Niannian smiled lightly and asked, "What do you think?"
Ye Guan awkwardly chuckled and said, "I'm just going to follow your lead, Aunt Mu."
"Then get ready to face the consequences!" Mu Niannian teased.
Ye Guan's expression stiffened.
The doors of the grand hall swung wide open. A sword emerged from beyond the doors, and it made a beeline for Ye Guan. The powerful aura of the sword suppressed Ye Guan, sealing off any escape routes.
Ye Guan was taken aback. The sword was incredibly powerful, and it radiated fluctuations comparable to a Great Destiny Sovereign! Not daring to underestimate the sword, Ye Guan stepped forward and thrust his own sword forward.
It was a sword thrust emblazoned with a brand-new Invincible Sword Intent derived from three distinct intents.
Bang!
The clash of the two swords resulted in a dazzling display of light. Ye Guan was forced to retreat, and he ended up a few hundred meters away.
As he stopped, Ye Guan glanced at his slightly numb right hand.
Raising his head, he saw an elderly figure slowly approaching him. The old man wore a simple robe, and he had a head full of white hair. Despite his aged appearance, his eyes gleamed with vitality, exuding a sharp and compelling aura.
He was a swordsman at the Great Destiny Sovereign Realm!
The old man walked up and opened his palm. A sword gracefully landed in his hand. He fixed his gaze on Ye Guan and asked, "You're invincible?"
Ye Guan glanced at Mu Niannian, but she looked away. Ye Guan couldn't help but smile wryly. He had walked right into a trap. The old man continued walking toward Ye Guan, and each of his steps was accompanied by a powerful sword force that came crashing down toward Ye Guan.
Ye Guan furrowed his brow.
Taking a step forward, a surge of sword intent burst out of him.
Kaboom!
When Ye Guan's sword intent came into contact with the old man's sword force, his sword intent vibrated violently, but it didn't shatter.
The old man was momentarily stunned, and there was a hint of surprise in his eyes. He lightly tapped the ground with his right foot and turned into a streak of sword light that rushed toward Ye Guan.
Ye Guan's sword intent was instantly dispersed, and the old man's sword reached Ye Guan in the blink of an eye.
Ye Guan decisively slashed out—Beheading Heavens Sword Art[1]!
Hum!
The resonant hum of a sword echoed throughout the heavens!
Bang!
Both Ye Guan and the old man were forced to retreat. Ye Guan retreated for a few kilometers before coming to a stop, while the old man didn't go farther than the entrance of the great hall.
The old man was shocked. He hadn't expected that the young swordsman would be so strong. To think that Ye Guan had managed to force him back despite the massive gap between their cultivation realms.
Were cultivators of this era all monsters like him?
Ye Guan's expression was grim. He glanced at his right arm and saw that it had cracked. He sighed to himself and was convinced that there was still a huge gap between himself and a Great Destiny Sovereign.
"Young man, take another move from me!" said the white-haired old man.
As his words fell, he transformed into a streak of sword light that took to the sky. A hundred-meter-long sword energy seemed to tear the world apart as it descended toward Ye Guan.
Mu Niannian frowned. The old man had gone all out.
Ye Guan's expression became incredibly grim. The fluctuations of the oncoming colossal sword energy were terrifying, but he didn't retreat. Instead, he turned into a streak of sword light that rushed toward the colossal sword energy.
Boom!
Sword energy suddenly erupted from up above. Ye Guan plummeted and landed harshly on the ground.
Bang! The ground caved in from the impact.
However, the old man didn't make another move.
He flew back to the entrance of the grand hall, holding a sword in his hand. He watched Ye Guan in the distance with eyes full of admiration. "The Invincible Sword Dao... Ephemeral Transcendence Realm... how incredible!"
In the distance, Ye Guan slowly walked out from a pile of debris. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and then looked toward the white-haired old man in the distance. He cupped his fist and said, "Thank you for sparing me, senior."
The white-haired old man smiled. "I did not spare you, young man. Your swordsmanship is incredible.
Ye Guan smiled as well and asked, "Senior, was that your sword technique?"
"Indeed." The white-haired old man chuckled and explained, "I created it myself, and it's called Heavensunder Pinnacle. What do you think of it?"
"That was incredible, senior..." Ye Guan muttered in awe. He suddenly bowed and said, "Senior, I have an earnest request."
The white-haired old man looked somewhat surprised. "Oh?"
Ye Guan said seriously, "I wish to learn that sword technique from you."
The white-haired old man raised an eyebrow. "You want to learn my sword technique?"
Ye Guan nodded and said, "Would you be willing to teach me?"
The white-haired old man was visibly delighted. He grinned and said, "My sword technique pales in comparison to yours, so why do you want to learn mine?"
"I want to learn it to understand your will," said Ye Guan.
"My will?" The white-haired old man suddenly became intrigued.
Ye Guan smiled and explained, "Yes, your move just now contained a rebellious spirit of incomparable sharpness. It contained a will wishing to challenge those invincible... You've made me realize that this is how a swordsman should be!"
The white-haired old man burst into uproarious laughter and said, "You've piqued my interest, young man. All right, let's bring this inside. Come with me."
Mu Niannian's lips curled slightly upon seeing that. She cast a gaze full of approval at Ye Guan. She brought Ye Guan here, hoping that he would be able to seize the opportunities here. Of course, everything would still be up to him in the end.
Erya glanced at Ye Guan before turning to whisper to Little White. "This grandson is quite good at flattery. Be careful, and don't let him deceive you. Of course, it's fine to give him a few carrots once in a while. He's still our grandson, so we have to treat him right."
Little White stared at Ye Guan's departing back and nodded.
Both Erya and Little White were truly treating Ye Guan as their grandson...
Ye Guan noticed that Mu Niannian wasn't following him. He was a bit puzzled and was about to start asking questions when Mu Niannian smiled at him and urged, "Go ahead; go by yourself."
Ye Guan hesitated for a moment before nodding and walking away. Soon, he found himself in a spacious hall. The statue of a middle-aged man holding a sword was in the middle of the hall.
Ye Guan walked up to the white-haired old man and bowed. "Senior!"
The white-haired old man didn't bother beating around the bush and asked, "Are you here for the inheritance of the Supreme Sword Sect?"
"Senior, to be honest, I'm here for something else," Ye Guan confessed.
"Oh?" The white-haired old man was curious. "What did you come here for?"
Ye Guan opened his palm, and the Dao Imprint appeared in his hand. Looking at the Dao Imprint in Ye Guan's hand, the white-haired old man squinted his eyes and remarked, "The Great Daoist Brush Master's Dao Imprint..."
Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."
The white-haired old man looked at Ye Guan and pointed out. "Although you have the Dao Imprint, there's no Divine Dao Destiny Aura on you. In other words, you're not the Chosen One. How strange... how come you have the Dao Imprint when you're not the Chosen One?"
"Yes, I'm not on his side." Ye Guan nodded.
The white-haired old man asked, "What do you want to do?"
Ye Guan sounded serious as he replied, "I heard that the Great Daoist Brush Master has sealed many of your sect's supreme elites. I'm here to unseal them."
"Is that so?" The white-haired old man smiled and asked, "And the condition is to become your servants?"
Ye Guan smiled and shook his head. "You're mistaken, senior."
The white-haired old man was taken aback.
Ye Guan continued. "You don't need to serve me. I'm just hoping that you'd teach me that sword technique earlier."
The white-haired old man stared at Ye Guan and asked doubtfully, "Just that?"
Ye Guan opened his palm, and the Dao Imprint slowly floated toward the white-haired old man. "Senior, you can borrow the Dao Imprint. With this, I believe you can break the seals."
However, the white-haired old man didn't take the Dao Imprint. Instead, he stared into Ye Guan's eyes, trying to determine whether the young man was being truthful or not.
Ye Guan met his gaze confidently.
After a while, the white-haired old man burst into laughter and said, "Young man, you are truly interesting. You're much more interesting than the Eternal Sovereign. Hahaha!"
Ye Guan was a bit surprised. "The Eternal Sovereign has been here?"
The white-haired old man nodded. "He visited us not too long ago. He said that as long as our Supreme Sword Sect is willing to pledge allegiance to him, he'll help us break free."
Ye Guan pointed out. "You refused."
The white-haired old man sneered, "Our sword sect has always been unyielding. How can we become someone else's lap dogs for the sake of survival? We would rather die than submit!"
Ye Guan fell silent. He knew that most swordsmen were prideful to the extreme. It was a double-edged trait that could be admirable but also stubborn.
"Young man," the white-haired old man asked, "Are you truly willing to lend me the Dao Imprint?"
Ye Guan nodded. "Of course."
The white-haired old man stared at Ye Guan, "You're not going to ask for anything else aside from what you've mentioned?"
Ye Guan smiled and said, "I guess I also want to establish friendly ties between myself and your sect."
The white-haired old man was momentarily taken aback. He burst into laughter and exclaimed, "Hahaha... friendly ties is it, then! Young man, I'll establish friendly ties with you on behalf of the Supreme Sword Sect."
The white-haired old man snatched the Dao Imprint out of mid-air and activated it.
A mysterious force roiled from the grand hall.
Boom!
The skies outside changed colors, and the ground trembled as a Great Dao rune manifested in the dome of heaven. The Dao Imprint flew out of the great hall and merged with the Great Dao rune.
Rumble!
The Great Dao rune trembled before exploding into a myriad of light fragments.
Hum!
A resonant sword hum echoed from the depths of the earth, and every single sword throughout the entire region let out the same hum at the same time.
Ye Guan turned to look outside, and his expression stiffened upon sensing the presence of quite a few Great Destiny Sovereigns.
The Supreme Sword Sect was reborn!
The white-haired old man's figure suddenly became blurry and ethereal.
Ye Guan was stunned.
The white-haired old man smiled but remained silent. When he disappeared, Ye Guan looked up and saw the same white-haired old man standing in the dome of heaven.
Clearly, the white-haired old man up above was the true body!
The white-haired old man closed his eyes and muttered, "Supreme Sword Sect..."
Hum!
A shrill sword hum echoed from underground as powerful auras took to the skies from beneath the ground.
Ye Guan walked out of the grand hall while staring at the white-haired old man.
The white-haired old man opened his palm and stared quietly at the Dao Imprint in his palm. He looked like he had zero intentions of returning it.
Ye Guan stared quietly at the white-haired old man. He knew that he had made a gamble, and he was aware of its risks.
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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