Chapter 537: Plain-Skirt Aunt
The group departed the grand hall under Qin Guan's lead.
Roughly half an hour later, they arrived in an uncharted star field using a teleportation array. Moments later, Ye Guan found himself in an unknown world. He sensed something peculiar about the world, prompting a slight change in his face.
Time in this world flowed at a different rate compared to the world outside...
Qin Guan chuckled and asked, "Have you noticed something?"
Ye Guan's expression was serious as he replied, "The flow of time here..."
"This place is my attempt to replicate the tiny pagoda. Three years here equals a single day outside. It falls short of your tiny pagoda, but it's still pretty useful."
"You're imitating the tiny pagoda, Mother?" Ye Guan asked in astonishment.
Qin Guan nodded.
Ye Guan was truly surprised. The tiny pagoda's capabilities were extraordinary, and the fact that his mother could replicate it was quite impressive.
After all, the tiny pagoda had received its ability from his plain-skirt aunt.
"We're still in the middle of research. Progress is slow but steady."
Ye Guan nodded in understanding. Surveying his surroundings, he couldn't help but acknowledge the extraordinariness of this world.
Qin Guan said, "Someone's here."
Boom!
The spacetime before Qin Guan was torn open, and a middle-aged man clad in battle armor covered in flames walked out of the spacetime rift. The armor exuded a fearsome, fiery power, and the surrounding spacetime seemed to melt under its heat.
Two hundred figures in similar armor appeared behind the middle-aged man, and their appearance made the world become illusory.
Ye Guan was stupefied, and he looked questioningly at Qin Guan.
Qin Guan smiled and said, "They're the Flame Emperor Guards, and they were trained especially for you!"
"The Flame Emperor Guards?"
Qin Guan explained, "They're all Time Reversers, so the majority of them were at the end of their lives. I've extended their lifespan; I also provide them with equipment and cultivation resources. In return, they've pledged allegiance to me."
Intrigued, Ye Guan asked, "Mother, you can extend their lifespans?"
Qin Guan nodded. "Indeed."
"How?"
Qin Guan smiled and opened her palm, revealing a thumb-sized pill.
The curious Ye Guan asked, "A pill?"
"This is an Ancestral Origin Pill, and as its name suggests, it's made out of a strand of Ancestral Origin. A strand of Ancestral Origin is enough to produce around a hundred of these pills.
"Each pill will add a decade to a supreme elite's lifespan. It's not a lot of time, yes, but it is a priceless treasure in the eyes of Time Reversers."
"Wait, Mother..." Ye Guan trailed off in surprise before asking, "You have strands of Ancestral Origin?"
“Indeed."
Ye Guan grew curious. "Where did you get them?"
Qin Guan shook her head and explained, "Your dad got them for me. I asked for his help, but Ancestral Origin is getting scarce these days. They're nearly extinct in the Time River, and they can only be found billions of years ago."
Ye Guan frowned and questioned, "Billions of years ago?"
"The Time River's recorded history spans a hundred billion years. Anything before that is a blank slate; in other words, we have no idea what happened at the time. We haven't been able to gather any data before that.
"However, I think the Clan Leader of the Past Clan knows quite a few things."
"A hundred billion years?!" Ye Guan exclaimed, "Father traveled a hundred billion years back in time?"
"Yes, but due to special circumstances, he couldn't delve deeper."
Intrigued, Ye Guan inquired, "What circumstances?"
"It's for your plain-skirt aunt's sake."
Ye Guan went silent. He knew his father and his plain-skirt aunt had decided to reincarnate.
Qin Guan whispered, "Your plain-skirt aunt might be up to something."
Puzzled, Ye Guan asked, "What could it be?"
"I don't know. I just know that your father is the only thing she's reluctant to leave behind. Your father is also hoping to stop her from going too far."
"Could it be that Plain-Skirt Aunt wants to—" Ye Guan cut himself off.
Qin Guan nodded slightly and said, "Perhaps. I guess that's why your dad is trying to find a way to prevent her from going too far. Things could become catastrophic if she becomes too reckless."
Ye Guan fell into deep thought. Indeed, the consequences will be catastrophic if Plain-Skirt Aunt goes too far.
Ye Guan recalled something just then and said, "A strand of Ancestral Origin can craft over a hundred Ancestral Origins Pills? How many strands of Ancestral Origin do you have with you, Mother?"
Qin Guan instantly saw through Ye Guan's thoughts and smiled. She gave him a storage ring and explained, "There are five strands of Ancestral Origin in this storage ring, and I purposely stored them for you.
"The rest are with Ling'er, and her task is to transform them into pills. It's wasteful to directly consume a strand of Ancestral Origin; you'd be able to squeeze everything out of just a strand by turning it into pills."
Ye Guan nodded. Indeed, transforming strands of Ancestral Origin into pills was the best way to consume Ancestral Origin. Ye Guan would also be able to attract more supreme elites to his side.
Ye Guan finally understood why so many Time Reversers were working for his mother; they all had their ulterior motives, which were Ancestral Origin Pills. Of course, it wasn't strange at all. How could he expect others to work for him for free?
Just then, Qin Guan turned to the Flame Emperor Guards, "You can leave now."
The supreme elites bowed deeply and withdrew.
Qin Guan then turned to Ye Guan and said, "Let's go."
Ye Guan nodded and took the lead in following closely behind Qin Guan.
Meanwhile, Ao Qianqian returned to the world inside the tiny pagoda to continue absorbing Erya’s blood.
Ao Qianqian's cultivation progress had been extremely fast—faster than Ye Guan's. She had absorbed a variety of divine artifacts, and she had even obtained an unprecedented inheritance.
Of course, Ye Guan didn't really feel wronged—the stronger Ao Qianqian became, the stronger he would become.
Qin Guan soon led Ye Guan and Erya to a vast sea.
Ye Guan stared at the horizon and saw nothing but the vast sea. He cast a puzzled gaze at Qin Guan, and he saw the latter smile.
Qin Guan then snapped her fingers.
Snap!
The sea parted, revealing an underwater palace.
"Let's go," Qin Guan said and led Ye Guan toward the underwater palace.
Once submerged, Ye Guan found out that there wasn't only one palace underwater. There were thousands of peculiar structures sprawling over the vast ocean; many people were out and about, engaging in a variety of activities.
Ye Guan took particular note of hundreds of oddly shaped pillars towering thousands of meters high.
Erya and Little White were equally intrigued. Little White was especially thrilled at the sight, as she had always been a lover of novel things. In fact, she had a blast with the bombs that Qin Guan had given to her.
Qin Guan had given her more bombs, which made Ye Guan feel a bit uneasy.
Little White had a penchant for throwing out those bombs indiscriminately. To make matters worse, Ye Guan was the only one incapable of withstanding those bombs.
Qin Guan pointed at somewhere and said, "Those things can be activated at any time. A group of supreme elites had come here to attack, but they were forced to retreat."
Ye Guan's expression turned serious as he asked, "They've launched an attack here?"
"Yes, and not just once. However, I think they're underestimating me, so I'm sure they're getting ready for another attack.
Ye Guan went silent.
Just then, a black-robed elder suddenly appeared beside Qin Guan. The elder bowed slightly and said in a deep voice, "Pavillion Master, our people have lost; they're in the middle of retreat."
Ye Guan cast a puzzled gaze at the elder.
Qin Guan explained, "He's talking about the Guanxuan Guards facing the Gui Clan."
Ye Guan's face darkened.
The black-robed elder added, "More and more Gui Clan elites are popping up, and our forces can no longer hold them back."
"What about my aunt?" Ye Guan asked.
The black-robed elder replied, "Lady Ye has already chosen to retreat. Even the Clan Leader of the Gui Clan can't force her to stay if she wants to leave. Besides, she isn't their target."
Ye Guan heaved a sigh of relief.
Qin Guan commanded, "Order our people to reinforce the Guanxuan Guards."
"Understood, Pavillion Master!" said the black-robed elder with a slight bow before disappearing into thin air.
Soon, Qin Guan led Ye Guan toward a distant palace. The grand halls of the palace were bustling with activity, but everyone dropped whatever they were doing to face Qin Guan.
Qin Guan nodded and turned to Ye Guan, saying, “He's my son, and his words have the same weight as mine.”
Everyone hurriedly acknowledged Ye Guan and greeted, “Young Pavillion Master!"
“Continue with your tasks,” said Qin Guan.
Everyone promptly returned to their duties.
Qin Guan explained, “These men are part of the Guanxuan Pavilion, a crucial hub that controls the six branches and three armed forces. It can be considered the intelligence center of the Time Pavillion.”
Ye Guan noted that most of the workers weren't that strong. Clearly, this place valued brains more than brawn.
"Mother," Ye Guan called out and said, “I've been to the Milky Way.”
Mildly surprised, Qin Guan asked, “Did you visit the Qin Family?”
“I went to pay respects to Grandfather.”
“Mmhm.” Qin Guan nodded but stayed silent.
“Mother, will you ever return to the Milky Way?”
“My relatives are no longer around. In my eyes, wherever you are is my home.”
Ye Guan’s heart felt warm, and he grinned in response.
Qin Guan was about to say something when a shadowy figure appeared next to Qin Guan and whispered a few words into her ear.
Moments later, Qin Guan's eyes narrowed into slits. “That damned Clan Leader of the Past Clan.”
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