“Haha!”
Hearing Ye Xuan’s words, Seventh Young Master burst into laughter.
Seeing him laugh, Ye Xuan remained calm, sipping the spiritual tea Qingqiu had brought him.
Kill him outright?
He could certainly do that!
But that would be too dull!
Killing Seventh Young Master directly wouldn’t make the clan back off. On the contrary, it would provoke them to send even stronger foes.
In that case, he could take his time with this one, buying himself more time to lie low and avoid another “looking cool for only three days” scenario.
Seventh Young Master shook his head, smiling, “Young Master Ye, are you looking down on me?”
Ye Xuan said earnestly, “No, quite the opposite. I deeply respect you, Seventh Young Master!”
Seventh Young Master looked at him, “Why’s that?”
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then smiled, “Because you have the demeanor of a great clan’s young master. Your clan’s strength is a hundred times greater than mine, yet you show no trace of arrogance. Unlike Ninth Young Master, whose every move reeks of superiority. You’re different—refined, approachable, the ideal great clan young master in my eyes. Even if I were to die by your hand, I, Ye Xuan, would have no complaints or regrets.”
Seventh Young Master laughed heartily, “Ye Xuan, your strength may be lacking, but you’re honest. Pity you’ve offended my clan’s divine authority. Otherwise, I’d take you as a retainer and bring you to my clan!”
Ye Xuan sighed softly, “If I’d met you that day, I wouldn’t have ‘kept making mistakes’!”
His expression suddenly turned angry, “Seventh Young Master, tell me, if you’d met someone like Ninth Young Master, would you kill him? Would you?”
Seventh Young Master nodded slightly, “My ninth brother was indeed a rotten sort!”
Ninth Young Master: “…”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Seventh Young Master, though I killed Ninth Young Master, I bear no ill will toward your clan. Your clan is a mighty power—give me ten lifetimes of courage, and I still wouldn’t dare cross you! If Ninth Young Master hadn’t pushed me too far, would I, Ye Xuan, have ever thought to kill?”
Seventh Young Master sighed, “Ye Xuan, I sympathize with your plight. My ninth brother was no good, no question. Even in the clan, I wanted to kill him! You might not know, but in the clan, aside from my second sister, he respected no one. He’d humiliate me to my face, calling me a pig-brained fool…”
A flash of ruthlessness crossed his eyes, “That kind of person isn’t worth pitying in death!”
Ye Xuan nodded eagerly, “Not worth pitying!”
Seventh Young Master looked at Ye Xuan, “This time, the clan tasked me with killing you and wiping out your ten clans.”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Seventh Young Master added, “That was my plan, but after meeting you, I find you honest, a decent sort. So, I’ll show mercy. I want to take you back to the clan. I can complete my task, and you can avoid the destruction of your ten clans. What do you think?”
Ye Xuan pondered, then asked, “If I go with you, will the clan kill me?”
Seventh Young Master nodded, “Probably!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Seventh Young Master stared at him, “You can’t fathom my clan’s strength. If you don’t come with me, my clan will slaughter this realm and everyone tied to you. When that happens, it won’t just be you who dies, but every living soul in this universe!”
Ye Xuan was quiet for a moment, then said, “I’ll go with you!”
Seventh Young Master nodded, “Let’s go, then!”
And off they went.
Ye Xuan followed Seventh Young Master into a starry expanse. There, he saw thirty-six Ancient God Realm powerhouses!
Thirty-six!
Ye Xuan shook his head, smiling. This clan had the capital to be arrogant!
Seeing Ye Xuan, the thirty-six were stunned.
Seventh Young Master said calmly, “Let’s move!”
With that, they began traversing space-time.
The clan had teleportation arrays across various universes, but this place was too far, so they had to travel through space-time first.
On the way, Seventh Young Master glanced at Ye Xuan, a slight smirk on his lips.
He had his own reasons for not killing Ye Xuan!
Ninth Young Master failed to eliminate Ye Xuan and got killed instead, but he could bring Ye Xuan back to face justice with just a few words. That would surely impress the clan leader and elders!
Beside him, Ye Xuan closed his eyes slightly.
He agreed to go to the clan to keep the battlefield away from the Gods’ Universe. A fight there would doom the entire cosmos.
So, he chose to go to the clan.
Ye Xuan sighed softly. This trip to the clan would likely mean more fighting and killing!
Truth be told, he was tired of all this bloodshed.
Couldn’t everyone just develop peacefully?
But life was never that smooth, was it?
Seventh Young Master suddenly asked, “Young Master Ye, what are you sighing about?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “I’m afraid of dying!”
Seventh Young Master blinked, then laughed, “Young Master Ye, you’re quite something. If we weren’t enemies, I’d genuinely want to be friends.”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Seventh Young Master shook his head, “Pity you killed my clan’s people. The clan won’t let you off. But rest assured, I can’t promise much, but I can guarantee the clan won’t harm that universe or your kin.”
Ye Xuan glanced at him, smiling, “Good!”
Seventh Young Master looked into the distance, slowly closing his eyes.
He didn’t know what his words today would bring.
Just then, a woman appeared before them. The moment she did, a terrifying force suppressed everyone present.
Ye Xuan frowned, looking at her. She wore a long white dress, her hair flowing over her shoulders, her gaze clear as water, holding an ancient tome in her hand.
Seeing her, Seventh Young Master froze, his face darkening, “Second Sister!”
Second Young Lady of the Clan: Zong Bai!
Zong Bai glanced at Ye Xuan, then said, “Hand him over to me!”
Seventh Young Master hesitated, “Second Sister, he’s my…”
“Hm?”
Zong Bai looked at him, “Got a problem?”
Seventh Young Master’s face changed, and he quickly said, “Second Sister… I, I don’t have a problem!”
Zong Bai nodded slightly, “Go report back. Tell them I took him. I’ll explain later!”
Seventh Young Master wavered.
Zong Bai said calmly, “Little Seven, it’s been a while since I’ve given you pointers! Shall we do it now…”
Seventh Young Master cut in, “No! Sister, I’ll report back now!”
With that, he and the thirty-six others vanished into the distance.
He fled fast!
Zong Bai approached Ye Xuan, looking at him, “Shall we talk somewhere else?”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Sure!”
Zong Bai waved her right hand, and they vanished.
When they reappeared, they stood atop a mountain. From there, mountains stretched endlessly to the horizon, their peaks wreathed in clouds, like a fairyland.
Zong Bai suddenly said, “With your strength, killing them would be child’s play, yet you chose to go with them to the clan…”
She turned to Ye Xuan, “Is it because you don’t want the battlefield in the Gods’ Universe, or do you plan to destroy the clan outright? Or perhaps both?”
Ye Xuan smiled, “How may I address you, miss?”
Zong Bai looked at him, “Zong Bai!”
Ye Xuan shook his head, smiling, “Miss Zong Bai, I’m just at the Ancient God Realm. I’m not as formidable as you think.”
Zong Bai shook her head, “Young Master Ye, you’re likely even more formidable than I think.”
Ye Xuan grinned, “Miss Zong Bai, did you bring me here just to chat?”
Zong Bai looked at him, “I’m here to stop you from going to the clan!”
Ye Xuan frowned, “Why?”
Zong Bai stared at him, “If you go, it’ll be a fight to the death. If my clan kills you, it’ll bring calamity upon us.”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Zong Bai continued, “Someone my clan can’t investigate must far surpass our strength. Moreover, you have the Great Dao Pen following you. Two possibilities: either you’ve earned its approval, or it’s forced to follow you. Either way, my clan can’t afford to provoke you. A mere avatar of the Great Dao Pen? We’re not afraid. But its true form? That’s beyond us. And if the Great Dao Pen is forced to follow you, then someone behind you is even mightier than it, and my clan can’t afford that either!”
Ye Xuan glanced at Zong Bai, saying nothing.
Zong Bai turned to the distance, murmuring, “Young Master Ye, I was born into the clan, but as a woman, I can’t inherit the leadership. Truthfully, I’ve never wanted it. I’d left, intending to stay out of clan affairs, but I couldn’t let go. The clan raised me; I can’t resent them for not making me leader. But I also know the clan’s at its peak, looking down on everyone…”
She turned to Ye Xuan, earnest, “Young Master Ye, my clan controls hundreds of universes, large and small. Billions of beings depend on us. But the clan’s grown arrogant. One wrong move could doom countless lives. I boldly ask—please give me time to mediate the grudge between you and my clan!”
She bowed deeply.
Ye Xuan remained silent.
Zong Bai added, “This conflict is my clan’s fault. This calamity stems from us. But those billions of beings are innocent. The folly of those in power brings suffering to the masses. If you go to the clan today, it’ll be wiped out, and all the beings under it will perish.”
She bowed again, “Please give me a chance, give my clan a chance, give those countless beings a chance.”
Ye Xuan was quiet for a moment, then said, “Alright!”
Boom!
As his voice fell, a surge of sword intent erupted from him, soaring into the sky!
Human Sword Intent!
The intent pierced the clouds, making the entire star river tremble!
His sword intent reached the Ancient God Realm!
And within it was another intent.
Goodness!
Human Sword Intent, infused with the way of goodness.
One thought of kindness could span a thousand mountains and rivers.
…
