Chapter 503: Qingqiu, Ye Ling
Nanming Realm.
Ye Guan looked around the moment he emerged from the teleportation array. He found himself standing before a grand ancient-looking divine hall. The divine hall was massive and tall, reaching thousands of kilometers in height. The majestic structure was crafted from some form of golden stone, and it exuded a timeless brilliance capable of withstanding the passage of time.
They were also gargantuan pyramids with steps as high as the heavens itself.
It was a truly awe-inspiring scenery.
Ye Guan was filled with a sense of awe and was struck by an epiphany at the same time. This place had definitely been the center of a brilliant civilization, but now, it was desolate and abandoned.
Ye Guan realized just then that prosperity would inevitably lead to decline. Any civilization, no matter how magnificent, would eventually fade into insignificance under the ruthless passage of time.
Ye Qingqing looked around, slightly surprised. She had seen many sights after traversing the vast expanse by herself for many years.
Sovereign Nan Zhu appeared next to Ye Guan just then, and his gaze was a mixture of complex emotions upon seeing the scenery before them.
Ye Guan couldn't help but ask, "Senior, was this once your home?"
Sovereign Nan Zhu nodded and replied, "Once upon a time, this was a realm that enjoyed unparalleled prosperity."
"What happened?"
"The Evil Dao," Sovereign Nan Zhu answered.
“The Universe Tribulation?" Ye Guan asked.
Sovereign Nan Zhu nodded. "Many civilizations had ended up vanishing beneath mankind's greed, but many civilizations had also succumbed to the Universe Tribulation's onslaught. It wasn't until the arrival of the Great Daoist Brush Master and the True God that the Universe Tribulation disappeared.
"However, the Universe Tribulation's constraint on us had never disappeared.”
Sovereign Nan Zhu shook his head and added, "Be it the Virtuous Dao or the Evil Dao, neither extended a friendly hand to us."
Ye Guan fell silent.
Sovereign Nan Zhu turned toward Ye Guan and asked, "Once you've established a brand-new order, how would you handle those like us? Those who'd inevitably disrupt the delicate balance of the vast expanse?"
Ye Guan answered, "Those on my side will live forever, but they must adhere to my order."
Sovereign Nan Zhu was silent.
Ye Guan added, "Order is imperative, Senior. Without it, many beings will appear like mere ants in front of supreme elites like you. The more powerful you are, the more indifferent you become to others.
"And without order as a constraint, the vast expanse will be a terrifying place to live in.”
Sovereign Nan Zhu nodded lightly. "I'll follow your lead."
Sovereign Nan Zhu chose to stand by Ye Guan's side rather than jump onto the Past Clan's ship. Those two elite swordsmen had left an indelible mark on his heart when he met them on that fateful day.
The memory of that encounter still sent shivers down his spine, and he could still remember feeling as insignificant as a mere ant before those two swordsmen.
Ye Guan nodded. His resolve to establish a brand-new order had remained unchanged. However, he knew that he couldn't achieve that by himself—he needed allies to do so.
Ye Guan had to offer incentives to gather supporters.
Why would anyone assist without receiving something in return?
Faith? Nonsense. Pragmatism rules.
However, the only incentive Ye Guan could provide the supreme elites was immortality. They'd live forever only if they adhered to the brand-new order that Ye Guan was planning to establish.
Order was necessary. Ye Guan still had no idea what his order would be like. In addition, toppling the Past Clan took precedence over everything else.
Ye Guan recalled something just then and turned to Ye Qingqing.
"Aunt, how long do you think it'll take for them to catch up to us?"
Ye Qingqing pondered briefly before responding, "At most, half an hour."
"That should be enough."
Ye Qingqing looked at Ye Guan and asked, "What's your plan?"
Sovereign Nan Zhu also directed his curious gaze toward Ye Guan.
Ye Guan's eyes narrowed as he muttered, "Running away is not going to work. We need to strike back."
"Strike back?" Sovereign Nan Zhu asked, stunned.
"Yes."
Sovereign Nan Zhu hesitated at that and asked once more, "Don't we need reinforcements for that?"
Ye Qingqing stared quietly at Ye Guan. The time they had spent together, albeit short, had revealed to Ye Qingqing that Ye Guan wasn't just brave; he was very smart and resourceful as well, catching Ye Qingqing by surprise multiple times.
Ye Guan explained, "Senior, do you think they'll think that we'd strike back?"
Sovereign Nan Zhu fell into contemplation. Indeed, their enemies wouldn’t expect them to strike back, considering their numbers. However, it was still a risky move.
"They're still waiting for reinforcements. However, their reinforcements will soon arrive. If we eliminate some of their supreme elites before that happens, the tides might turn in our favor.
"On the flip side, if their reinforcements ended up arriving sooner than expected, we'll have no choice but to keep fleeing," Ye Guan said, turning to Sovereign Nan Zhu.
Sovereign Nan Zhu had agreed to follow Ye Guan, but it didn't mean that he had complete trust in the latter. Therefore, Ye Guan felt the need to explain his plan. A gamble might bestow upon them a glimmer of hope.
If they simply ran away, they'd eventually lose all chances of fighting back.
Sovereign Nan Zhu was silent for a while. Moments later, he said, "I'll follow your lead."
Ye Guan nodded and turned to Ye Qingqing.
Ye Qingqing said, "Tell us your plan.”
Ye Guan smiled lightly and told them his plan. Soon, Sovereign Nan Zhu activated the teleportation array once again, and the three of them vanished into thin air.
...
Ye Family Residence, Qing City...
A woman was sitting on the stone steps in the courtyard of the residence, and she seemed engrossed while reading an ancient scroll. The woman was wearing a light blue silk skirt, and she had perfect facial features. She was also radiating a serene and elegant aura.
The woman was none other than Qingqiu. After parting ways with the Sword Master, Qingqiu decided to come here, curious about the Sword Master's hometown. After looking around, Qingqiu had been spending her days reading, sipping tea, and waiting patiently.
Swoosh!
Just then, a white-robed woman appeared. Her face was concealed by a veil, and she exuded no aura as if she were a ghost.
Qingqiu put down the ancient scroll and cast a calm gaze upon the white-robed woman.
The white-robed woman walked into the courtyard and quietly approached Qingqiu.
Qingqiu smiled. "Take a seat."
The white-robed woman sat quietly in front of Qingqiu; she seemed unwittingly transfixed on Qingqiu.
Qingqiu stared quietly at the white-robed woman.
After a while, the white-robed woman shattered the silence, saying, "They want to reincarnate."
"Yes."
The white-robed woman stared at Qingqiu and asked, "Are you not concerned at all?"
"Miss, are you here to sow discord?" Qingqiu asked, smiling.
The white-robed woman shook her head. "I'm not that bored, just curious."
"It's just a hundred years," Qingqiu said, chuckling. Then, she added, "He owes her."
Plain Skirt Destiny had sacrificed the most for Ye Xuan.
Therefore, it was normal for Ye Xuan to be biased toward her. Even though Ye Xuan had chosen to reincarnate, it wasn't strange that she had chosen to accompany him.
The white-robed woman observed Qingqiu’s smiling face and quietly confirmed some of her assumptions. She then stood up and said, "I thought you'd go and save his son, but it seems that you have no plans of doing so."
The white-robed woman walked away.
"Do you not believe that he'd eventually become invincible?" Qingqiu asked.
The white-robed woman came to a halt and turned around to stare at Qingqiu.
"I only believe in myself," she said before turning around once more.
Qingqiu called out, "Hey."
The white-robed woman's steps paused, and she turned to face Qingqiu once again.
Qingqiu said, "Your objectives align, so why not sit down and talk about it?"
The white-robed woman shook her head. "Our objectives differ. He chose the Virtuous Dao, and I chose the Evil Dao.”
Qingqiu frowned and questioned, "Don't you think that's too cruel?"
Choosing the Evil Dao meant allowing the Evil Dao to annihilate a myriad beings!
The white-robed woman calmly retorted, "Sword Master Qingshan became a mad demon after taking away the lives of a myriad beings. Plain Skirt Destiny also shattered the restraints of Dao through slaughter. Don't you think they're too cruel?”
Qingqiu fell silent.
The white-robed woman's expression remained indifferent as she added, "Who isn't selfish in this vast expanse? I cultivate not for the myriad beings but for myself! A world without order is the best order!”
The white-robed woman finally left.
Qingqiu remained silent for a while before she revealed a light smile. Then, she picked up the ancient scroll in front of her and resumed her reading.
Establishing a brand-new order? She genuinely couldn't care less about it. She had spent millions of years protecting an entire universe for her brother, and now, she only wanted nothing else but to stand by his side.
Reincarnation... A mysterious smile tugged at Qingqiu's lips. It was a promising idea.
Just then, a young woman emerged from a nearby room and cast a curious gaze at the gates of the courtyard.
"Sister Qingqiu, who was she?"
Qingqiu smiled. "She's from the past!”
The young woman raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is she strong?"
Qingqiu nodded quietly.
The young woman walked over to Qingqiu and teased, "Is she more powerful than you?”
Qingqiu chuckled and changed the topic. "Ling'er, is the meal ready?"
The young woman replied, "Yes, I just finished cooking. For today's meal, I made Brother's all-time favorite—egg noodles!"
Qingqiu put down the ancient scroll in her hands and smiled. "His favorite? Then, I'm definitely eating that. Let's go!"
Qingqiu held the young woman's hand as they walked toward the house.
Just then, the young woman revealed a look of worry. "Sister Qingqiu, what about Little Guan..."
Qingqiu smiled reassuringly and said, "No need to worry about him. Someone has been quietly setting things in motion for him, so he's going to be fine."
However, the young woman still appeared uneasy. "What if that woman attacked him?"
Qingqiu grinned and decided to tell the young woman a secret.
"Do you know why she's still alive?" Qingqiu asked.
The young woman looked up at Qingqiu.
Qingqiu's grin became playful as she explained, "Because we want her alive. That's the only reason she's still alive."
Ling'er looked puzzled at the reply.
Qingqiu ruffled Ling’er’s hair and said softly, "If we want to have some fun, we have to make sure that everyone gets a chance to play. That little guy and the others around him need opponents as well. Hmm, think of it as training.
"If we're no longer in the mood to play, both the Virtuous Dao and the Evil Dao—even shattering the Dao's restraints can be discussed. However, it wouldn't be that fun anymore if they had no opponents to handle.
"And that is exactly why they still exist—it's all because we want to have some fun!"
Qingqiu winked playfully and added, "Of course, we have to keep this a secret from Little Guan. We've talked about it beforehand, and we agreed to pretend like we're weak in front of him."
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