Little Pagoda said gravely, “You carry it yourself! I can’t shoulder that!”
Ye Guan shook his head with a smile. He glanced at Si Qing, who was still wary beside him, his expression complicated.
Conscience!
Killing Si Qing would eliminate all future trouble.
But it went against his conscience.
Si Qing had never shown any hostility towards him or Nalan Jia, and she had even given them two fire spirit fruits.
If he killed her now just because he feared his sword cultivator identity being exposed, what would that make him?
He could not do such a thing!
A person should have a bottom line.
Without a bottom line, how was one different from a beast?
Little Pagoda said nothing more.
Ye Guan took out another storage ring and walked to Nalan Jia. She looked at him without speaking.
Ye Guan handed her the storage ring.
Nalan Jia did not take it.
Ye Guan said softly, “Ask whatever you want. I will answer everything.”
Nalan Jia stared straight at him. “You’re a sword cultivator?”
Ye Guan nodded.
Nalan Jia was silent for a moment, then asked, “You had some kind of fateful encounter?”
Ye Guan nodded again.
Nalan Jia nodded. “So it turns out I was the one reaching above my station!”
Ye Guan shook his head. “Why say it like that?”
Nalan Jia looked at him. Ye Guan said seriously, “Can’t a man and woman simply like each other? Regardless of status, background, or wealth!”
The corners of Nalan Jia’s mouth lifted slightly. “Then what do you like about me?”
Ye Guan replied earnestly, “You’re beautiful!”
Nalan Jia’s smile gradually widened.
Ye Guan smiled too, placed the storage ring in her hand, and said, “This is what you deserve!”
Nalan Jia did not refuse and accepted it.
As if suddenly remembering something, she glanced at the two corpses in the distance. “What do we do next?”
Ye Guan fell silent.
Two top geniuses from great aristocratic families had died here. This was a major incident!
At that moment, Si Qing suddenly spoke. “I can say they died at the hands of demonic beasts in here!”
Ye Guan and Nalan Jia turned to her. Si Qing said solemnly, “If I testify, their families will have no public justification to target you. However, they certainly won’t let it go easily. I have the Si family behind me, so I’ll be fine. Miss Nalan Jia has Mentor Fei backing her, so she’ll be safe too…”
She looked at Ye Guan. “But you will definitely be in trouble!”
Ye Guan remained silent.
Big trouble!
Si Qing continued, “You have two options. First, as a sword cultivator, there must be some mysterious power or expert behind you. If they’re willing to step in, you should be alright!”
In his mind, Ye Guan hurriedly asked, “Tower Master, are you afraid of the two great families of Nanzhou?”
Little Pagoda replied, “Afraid. Scared to death!”
Ye Guan’s face darkened. “I thought you were really powerful! You’re afraid too?”
Little Pagoda said calmly, “I’m injured, after all!”
Ye Guan sighed softly, then looked at Si Qing. “Tell me the second option!”
Si Qing said gravely, “Join the Guanxuan Academy and receive its protection!”
Guanxuan Academy!
Ye Guan fell silent.
Si Qing added, “If you want to join the Guanxuan Academy, it would be very easy for you. But ordinary enrolment won’t do. You need to find a big shot like Mentor Fei. Only someone of their level isn’t afraid of the Nan family or the Zheng family!”
Ye Guan nodded slightly. “I understand!”
Si Qing looked at Ye Guan, her expression complicated.
She had never expected that this low-key fellow was actually a sword cultivator who could even use the legendary sword-controlling technique!
Terrifying!
She had completely misjudged him!
Ye Guan suddenly said, “Shall we continue deeper?”
The two women looked at him. Ye Guan said solemnly, “There’s not only a spirit vein here, but an earth vein too. If we keep going, we should be able to gain even more!”
The two women exchanged a glance, both clearly tempted!
Ye Guan smiled. “Let’s go!”
With that, the three continued forward!
Along the way, they harvested many more purple spirit crystals, all supreme-grade!
Besides that, they also obtained a lot of gold crystals.
A bountiful haul!
At this point, Ye Guan suddenly stopped. He looked at the two women beside him. “Stay a bit further back!”
They looked at him. Ye Guan said gravely, “This place is too quiet. I think there might be danger!”
With that, he took out the Path Sword and walked at the front.
Nalan Jia glanced at Ye Guan, smiled faintly, and followed.
Si Qing also glanced at him, said nothing, and quickly followed.
After walking for about a quarter of an hour, Ye Guan suddenly stopped. He stabbed his sword into the ground and slashed hard.
Rip!
The ground was torn open. Deep in the fissure, Ye Guan saw a white river about several dozen zhang wide.
Everyone’s expressions changed!
A supreme-grade spirit vein!
Do not underestimate this small white river. It was a supreme-grade spirit vein, enough to move even a great power like the Guanxuan Academy!
Ye Guan asked, “How do we split it?”
The two women looked at each other, then at Ye Guan.
Ye Guan said, “This is hard to divide! If we try to sell it, we’ll invite disaster. If we convert it to crystals, none of us have that many purple spirit crystals!”
He looked at the two women. “Any ideas?”
Si Qing thought for a moment, then said, “Keeping this spirit vein would be a catastrophe for you two. If your families had it, it would bring annihilation upon your clans. If you’re willing to let me have it, I’m prepared to give you all my supreme-grade purple crystals and gold crystals. Moreover, I can share the three volumes of earth-tier cultivation methods from my Si family with you for free!”
Earth-tier methods!
Ye Guan and Nalan Jia exchanged a glance. Nalan Jia smiled faintly. “Up to you!”
She already cultivated an earth-tier method because she was Mentor Fei’s personal disciple!
Ye Guan was tempted.
Naturally, the value of this spirit vein far exceeded three volumes of earth-tier methods. But even if he took it, he could not give it to the Ye family. As Si Qing said, if the Ye family suddenly had a supreme-grade spirit vein, they would be wiped out the very next day!
Three volumes of earth-tier methods, however, would be of enormous help to the Ye family!
Methods were divided into human-tier, spirit-tier, king-tier, earth-tier, heaven-tier, saint-tier, and divine-tier.
Earth-tier methods were considered extremely precious even in the Guanxuan Academy!
If the Ye family obtained such methods, it would greatly boost the overall strength of the clan! And he would also receive all of Si Qing’s supreme-grade purple spirit crystals and gold crystals!
Ye Guan looked at Si Qing. “Miss Si Qing, you can have the spirit vein! But I have one more condition. If we find any more spirit veins further in, they belong to us!”
Si Qing nodded. “Agreed!”
A single supreme-grade spirit vein would drive the Si family mad if she brought it back!
Ye Guan directly placed the spirit vein into a storage ring and handed it to Si Qing.
Si Qing accepted the ring, then immediately took out three ancient black scrolls and gave them to Ye Guan. At the same time, she hurriedly handed over all her purple spirit crystals and gold crystals!
Ye Guan did not stand on ceremony. He accepted them, then gave half to Nalan Jia!
The three looked at each other and all revealed satisfied smiles.
They continued forward.
From then on, everything they obtained was gold crystals.
And there were more and more of them.
Eventually, Ye Guan saw how many gold crystals there were, so he took the initiative to hand one thousand gold crystals to Si Qing. “For you!”
Si Qing looked at him. “We agreed earlier that everything from here on is yours. I want none of it!”
Ye Guan smiled. “I never expected there would be so much further in. Take them! Consider it forming another good connection!”
Good connection!
Si Qing glanced at Ye Guan, then accepted them.
Nalan Jia glanced at Si Qing, then at Ye Guan, but said nothing.
The three pressed on. After another quarter of an hour, Ye Guan, who was leading, suddenly stopped. He cleaved the ground with one sword strike. Looking down through the crack, several zhang below was a golden river dozens of zhang long!
An earth vein!
All three were stunned!
There really was an earth vein!
And right at that moment, the sound of footsteps suddenly came from not far away!
The three faces changed dramatically!
Ye Guan instantly pulled Nalan Jia behind him, his expression extremely wary.
In their sight, a demonic beast slowly walked out.
The beast resembled a dog, with two horns, its entire body covered in thick, glossy scales. Its tail was like an ancient blade, sharp enough to send chills down the spine.
Seeing this demonic beast, the three faces turned gravely serious!
The beast glanced at the three of them.
Boom!
In an instant, the three felt as though struck by lightning. Blood poured from all seven orifices!
Ye Guan cried out in shock, “You… you’re a king-tier demonic beast!”
The beast looked at Ye Guan with disdain. “King-tier? What rubbish is that? This emperor is emperor-tier!”
Emperor-tier!
At those words, the three faces turned deathly pale!
Demonic beast tiers were different from human ones. Beasts were divided from first to ninth tier, then spirit-tier, king-tier, earth-tier, heaven-tier, and finally emperor-tier after heaven-tier!
The strongest known demonic beast in the whole of Nanzhou was king-tier!
Yet this one before them was emperor-tier?
Emperor-tier?
Ye Guan’s mind went completely blank!
Si Qing’s face was ashen!
It was over!
Completely done for!
In his heart, Ye Guan said with a trembling voice, “Tower Master, didn’t you say there was no danger?”
Little Pagoda replied, “Mm!”
Ye Guan’s voice shook even more. “Emperor-tier! Emperor-tier! You think this isn’t dangerous?”
Little Pagoda said, “Mm… oh, dangerous. Very dangerous!”
Ye Guan: “……”
At this moment, Ye Guan was utterly numb!
This Tower Master was really not reliable!
Nalan Jia and Si Qing also turned deathly pale. They had never expected to encounter an emperor-tier demonic beast here!
Emperor-tier!
That belonged only in ancient legends!
The strongest currently known in Nanzhou was king-tier!
Yet an emperor-tier demonic beast had appeared here!
It was as absurd as finding a true dragon in a tiny stream!
At that moment, the beast coldly stared at the three of them. “A bunch of ants daring to disturb this emperor’s sleep!”
With that, it opened its huge maw, about to swallow them whole.
But right then, Ye Guan suddenly pulled Nalan Jia behind him and drew the Path Sword!
Waiting for death without resisting?
That was not his style!
Even if there was no chance of victory, he would fight to the death!
Just as Ye Guan was about to strike, the demonic beast suddenly leapt back as if it had seen a ghost. “Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Ah… you… how do you have that sword? Holy shit… how do you have that sword…”
In the stunned gazes of the three, it rushed up to Ye Guan, trembling uncontrollably. “Big brother, this is all a misunderstanding… a misunderstanding… I didn’t know you were her person. Let me kowtow to you first!”
With a thud, it dropped to its knees, body shaking nonstop.
The three: “……”
