At that moment, Gu Chou smiled and said, “Young Master Ye, as long as you agree, everything in this storage ring will be yours!”
Yet Ye Xuan didn’t consent.
Agreeing to Gu Chou would mean making enemies of the ten Life-Knowing Saints!
Though the man before him was incredibly strong, Mo Keqi, whom he’d just killed, was only the bottom-tier one—the weakest!
There were still ten more!
And most crucially, there was the invincible Snow Mountain King, a figure the Evil Clan couldn’t defeat even with their full might back then!
This was a terrifying vortex!
But he knew that if he refused, there was no guarantee Gu Chou wouldn’t resort to force.
With his current strength, he absolutely couldn’t withstand Gu Chou!
This guy was ridiculously powerful too!
Ye Xuan felt a headache coming on.
Gu Chou spoke again, “I understand Young Master Ye’s feelings and your concerns. To be frank, I need to borrow the sword in your hand. If you refuse, I’ll have to find another way, because I have no other choice!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “Your strength is so formidable, why do you still need my sword?”
Gu Chou smiled faintly, “Because your sword is the bane of spacetime!”
He pointed to the layer where Mo Keqi had been, “Though I killed Mo Keqi, I didn’t break the spacetime within that layer! These spacetime arrays weren’t particularly strong initially, but over countless years, they’ve been continuously reinforced. Of course, I could break the spacetime array in this layer, but it would cost me greatly. Right now, I can’t afford such a drain, because there are still ten Life-Knowing Saints above!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
The Great Heavenly Venerable beside him said solemnly, “Hall Master, think carefully!”
Ye Xuan gave a wry smile.
Of course he knew to think carefully. Gu Chou was strong, but were the remaining ten Life-Knowing Saints weak?
Especially that invincible Snow Mountain King!
Helping Gu Chou would mean opposing those ten Saints. But if he didn’t help, Gu Chou would surely resort to other means!
As if struck by a thought, Ye Xuan handed the Qingxuan Sword to Gu Chou, “This sword was forged by my sister. How about you hold it, sense her, and negotiate with her instead?”
Gu Chou looked at Ye Xuan, then after a moment, shook his head with a smile, “No!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Gu Chou laughed, “Young Master Ye, I’ll only deal with you!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “If my sister agrees, I’ll help you immediately!”
Gu Chou stared at Ye Xuan, “Young Master Ye, I’m a Life-Knowing Realm expert—not just any Life-Knowing expert, but also a Star Diviner! It’s an ancient profession in my clan, capable of foreseeing fortune and calamity. When you handed me the sword and suggested I find your sister, I felt that danger again. So, I used my Star Divination to calculate it nineteen hundred times in my mind. Do you know the results?”
He smiled faintly, “Every single outcome was death, nineteen hundred calculations, not a shred of hope.”
He paused, then added, “Young Master Ye, you’re trying to dig a pit for me to jump into… I understand, of course, but I won’t jump. How about you suggest another way?”
Ye Xuan: “…”
The Great Heavenly Venerable spoke gravely, “Since you can sense this, why drag our Hall Master into this mess?”
A flicker of apology crossed Gu Chou’s eyes, “I’m sorry, I’ve no intention of pulling Young Master Ye into this vortex, but I have no choice. My clan has been suppressed for countless millennia, I’m their only hope. To save them, I’d use any method, even if it costs my life.”
Ye Xuan said solemnly, “Do you realize that if I help you, I’d be making enemies of ten Life-Knowing Saints?”
Gu Chou smiled faintly, “Young Master Ye, you wouldn’t need to face them. Just lend me your sword, and I’ll handle them myself!”
Xue Linglong suddenly grabbed Ye Xuan’s arm, her eyes full of pleading.
She knew how terrifying his sword was. If it fell into Gu Chou’s hands, the power it could unleash would be unimaginable!
At that moment, Gu Chou said, “Young Master Ye, how about this: we make a bet. If I lose, I won’t ask to borrow your sword again. But if you lose, you must lend it to me!”
He paused, then added, “No calling for help!”
Ye Xuan laughed, “Your strength far exceeds mine, and you want to bet with me? Do you think that’s fair?”
Gu Chou smiled faintly, “This world has never been about fairness!”
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then said, “We can bet, but I set the terms!”
Gu Chou nodded, “Fine!”
Ye Xuan grinned, “Simple. I’ll take you into a mysterious spacetime. If you can get out, I lose. How’s that?”
Gu Chou considered it, then nodded, “Alright!”
Ye Xuan suddenly tapped Gu Chou lightly with the Qingxuan Sword, and the next moment, both vanished into the mysterious spacetime abyss!
Upon entering, Gu Chou’s expression shifted!
A trace of gravity appeared in his eyes.
Ye Xuan smiled, “You can start!”
With that, he exited the spacetime abyss himself.
Inside, Gu Chou kept falling, but the spacetime forces within didn’t harm him—he just kept descending!
Seeing this, Ye Xuan’s face grew serious.
Then, Gu Chou slowly opened his right hand, and the next moment, the spacetime abyss began to boil!
Ye Xuan’s eyes narrowed. Gu Chou was trying to forcefully break this spacetime abyss!
Gradually, the mysterious spacetime churned like boiling water, roiling violently, yet it didn’t break!
At that moment, Gu Chou opened his palm, and the silver thread shot out!
Rip!
A sharp tearing sound echoed within the abyss, but the silver thread still couldn’t shatter it, though it warped the spacetime significantly.
Just as Ye Xuan thought Gu Chou would try again, Gu Chou looked at him and smiled, “Young Master Ye, I lose!”
He conceded!
With a thought, Ye Xuan made the spacetime abyss vanish.
Gu Chou walked up to him, praising, “That mysterious spacetime you just used, Young Master Ye, was truly profound! Eye-opening!”
Ye Xuan smiled, “You keep your word, right?”
Gu Chou nodded, “Of course! Young Master Ye, you’re free to leave anytime!”
Ye Xuan glanced at him, then turned to go.
At that moment, Gu Chou called out, “Young Master Ye, I’d like to invite you to visit my clan, just as a guest. If you don’t want to, that’s fine too!”
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then said, “Alright, I’ll take a look!”
Gu Chou smiled, “Please!”
Ye Xuan suddenly pointed at the tower, “Clan Leader Gu Chou, why aren’t they coming out to stop you now?”
Gu Chou laughed, “They’re cultivating inside. Unless I disturb them, they won’t care about the outside world, provided I don’t break those spacetime arrays!”
Ye Xuan nodded slightly, “Got it!”
Gu Chou said, “Let’s go!”
He turned and headed toward an entrance beneath the tower, a small one.
Gu Chou led Ye Xuan inside. The Great Heavenly Venerable and Xue Linglong didn’t follow—the surface was covered in powerful spacetime arrays, and even with Gu Chou’s strength, he could only barely take Ye Xuan along!
Descending the stone steps, the deeper they went, the darker it grew. After half an hour, Ye Xuan was surrounded by pitch blackness. Worse, he felt countless spacetime forces around him!
Gu Chou said softly, “This passage was carved out by my clan’s ancestors with their blood!”
Ye Xuan stayed silent.
He didn’t want to judge the past too much—he wasn’t exactly a saint himself.
About an hour later, Ye Xuan suddenly saw firelight. Peering ahead, he spotted a city in the distance. Though lit by flames, it still looked dim in this deep underground!
Then, someone shouted from the city walls, “The Clan Leader’s back!”
The Clan Leader’s back!
The city erupted, countless Evil Clan members surging out.
Gu Chou smiled faintly and walked toward the city. In the distance, the Evil Clan members knelt, prostrating themselves, chanting, “Clan Leader…”
Gu Chou turned to Ye Xuan, smiling, “Young Master Ye, let’s enter the city!”
Ye Xuan nodded and joined him, walking side by side into the city.
Inside, Ye Xuan noticed the Evil Clan population was substantial, and more strikingly, their auras were terrifying!
How terrifying?
From the gates onward, he realized most of them were at the Life-Destiny Realm!
There were plenty of Life-Body and Life-Soul Realm experts too, and even Yuan Spirit Realm cultivators weren’t rare—he counted at least hundreds at a glance!
What kind of monstrous race was this?
Ye Xuan’s heart shook.
Gu Chou led him to a grand hall. As they entered, two elders appeared silently before Gu Chou, bowing deeply before stepping aside.
Ye Xuan glanced at the elders!
Unfathomable!
That was his impression of them!
Gu Chou sat down and gestured to Ye Xuan, “Young Master Ye, please sit!”
Ye Xuan took a seat across from him. Gu Chou smiled, “My clan hasn’t seen the sun in countless years! And because we’re suppressed here, we can’t intermarry with outsiders. In a century at most, we’ll have to resort to inbreeding, and then, without their intervention, my clan will face extinction.”
Ye Xuan remained silent.
Gu Chou continued, “I’m not trying to drag you into this vortex, nor am I asking you to aid my clan or forcibly take your divine sword. My sole purpose is for you to know the truth of this history.”
He opened his palm and swept it lightly. Instantly, a massive silver screen appeared before Ye Xuan. On it, a middle-aged man with long hair cascading over his shoulders stood with hands behind his back, exuding an aura as if he ruled the heavens and earth, untouchable and awe-inspiring.
Ye Xuan had already guessed his identity—this was the invincible Snow Mountain King!
Behind him stood eleven others, one of whom Ye Xuan recognized: Ku Xiu, positioned to the Snow Mountain King’s left.
Across from the Snow Mountain King stood an elder, glaring at him, “Snow Mountain King, my Evil Clan has no grudge with you, why target us?”
The Snow Mountain King’s expression was calm, “I’ve taken a liking to all your clan’s resources. If you won’t give them, I’ll take them. It’s that simple!”
