Beyond the Rules?
To be beyond the rules is to be like Big Brother Xiaoyaozi!
Big Brother—that’s true invincibility!
Ye Xuan remained silent, not underestimating this Shitian. He had already encountered Dao Ling and experienced his strength firsthand. Even now, Ye Xuan wasn’t confident he could defeat him.
At that moment, Old Zhang spoke again, “Young Master Ye, you need to be careful. He seems to be coming to kill you!”
Ye Xuan frowned slightly. “Kill me? Why?”
Old Zhang gave a bitter smile. “He says you and Dao Ling aren’t worthy to stand on equal footing with him, so he wants to kill both of you.”
Ye Xuan asked, “Just for that?”
Old Zhang said gravely, “Young Master Ye, do you think this reasoning is childish?”
Ye Xuan nodded. “A bit!”
Old Zhang shook his head. “It’s not that simple. His intent to kill you may seem like a matter of pride, but it’s actually a battle for fate. You, Dao Ling, and he each hold a portion of the universe’s fate. Without this fate, none of you could have reached your current heights, including him. He’s fighting for fate—for the chance to be the eternal, unrivaled master of the Great Dao.”
“Fate?”
Ye Xuan was puzzled. “Senior, is this fate you speak of just luck?”
Old Zhang shook his head with a smile. “In a way, you could say that. But strictly speaking, it’s the fate of the Great Dao. The so-called fate of the Great Dao is the destiny written by the pen of the Dao itself. Whoever it favors is blessed with this fate!”
He paused, then continued, “These words were instructed by the Pavilion Master to relay to you. She urges you to be extremely cautious and not to underestimate this battle for fate. You may not die, but if you lose, the consequences will be something you can never bear.”
Ye Xuan frowned. “What consequences?”
Old Zhang said solemnly, “A similar event happened years ago, involving your father, your dad, and that carefree sword cultivator… As for what happened back then, the Pavilion Master said you could ask Little Tower.”
Little Tower!
Suddenly, Little Tower let out a low sigh.
Ye Xuan asked gravely, “Little Tower, why the sigh?”
Little Tower’s voice was heavy. “Little Master, if it’s as Sister Qin Guan says, this is truly, *truly* serious. You absolutely cannot lose!”
Ye Xuan asked, “Why’s that?”
Little Tower’s tone grew somber. “Do you know how many died in that battle back then? The Master’s loved ones—two Destiny Sisters fell, Sister Tianxiu fell, Sister Bitian was slain, Erya and Little White nearly perished… Not just them, even the Master himself almost died. Though he survived, nearly everyone around him was wiped out. And there was a unique factor: the Destiny Sister had already broken through and had no desire to keep killing. Her goal was to find you, otherwise…”
It trailed off.
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Little Tower continued, “Little Master, this time is different from before. You must treat it with utmost caution! The battle for fate—I understand what Sister Qin Guan means. You *must* fight for it. If you don’t, you’ll lose far too much. And if you don’t fight, you’ll die, because others won’t spare you. Often, there’s no right or wrong—you’re simply in their way, so they’ll come for you. It’s that simple!”
Ye Xuan nodded slightly. “I understand.”
He turned to Old Zhang. “Senior, can you pass a message to Shitian for me?”
Old Zhang hesitated, then asked, “A harsh one?”
Ye Xuan shook his head. “Tell him I deeply admire Dao Ling, the Dao Clan leader—truly, profoundly admire him. I believe he’s the greatest genius prodigy in all of eternity! If Shitian thinks he can compete with my brother Dao Ling for fate, he’s daydreaming! He’s not even worthy to carry Dao Ling’s shoes.”
Old Zhang’s expression froze.
Ye Xuan said earnestly, “Make sure you deliver it!”
With that, he turned and left.
Old Zhang: “…”
…
In the distance, Little Tower said gravely, “Little Master, didn’t you say you were done with being flashy?”
Ye Xuan stopped, sighing softly. “Little Tower, do you know what intelligence is?”
Little Tower hesitated, then said, “I’m just a tower!”
Ye Xuan: “…”
Moments later, Ye Xuan said seriously, “Little Tower, I don’t want to rely on Qing’er or Dad anymore. In that case, if I provoke Shitian and the Shi Clan too soon, what happens? I’ll get crushed. Then I’ll fight desperately, burn my soul, self-destruct… and in the end, I’ll have to call Qing’er to clean up the mess, and she’ll slaughter everyone…”
He shook his head slightly. “Aren’t you tired of that pattern?”
Little Tower: “…”
Ye Xuan continued, “If I can’t beat someone, why provoke them? Isn’t it better to grow stronger quietly?”
Little Tower hesitated, then said, “True powerhouses disdain schemes!”
Ye Xuan asked, “Then what do they rely on?”
Little Tower answered, “Their lives!”
Ye Xuan smiled. “That’s how Dad was, right?”
Little Tower confirmed, “Yes!”
Ye Xuan said, “When you and I went to the Three-Dimensional Universe, you told me a lot. I remember one thing: the warriors of the Xuanzhe Continent, led by Qin Guan’s father, self-destructed against the Holy Land’s Heavenly Dao. Dad fought alongside them, and countless defiant warriors fell, but Dad survived. Why?”
Little Tower hesitated, then said, “Because the Master’s father, Yang the Invincible, saved him!”
Ye Xuan pressed, “If Dad didn’t have such a powerful father, what would’ve happened? If he didn’t have you, Little White, or Elder Mu back then…”
Little Tower: “…”
Ye Xuan said no more and turned to leave.
He saw everything clearly but didn’t want to dwell on it. He only wanted to change himself—that was all.
Without relying on Qing’er or Dad for confidence, he had to adapt!
He needed to discern which enemies he could provoke and which he couldn’t, and avoid recklessly making enemies.
Until his strength reached the pinnacle of this world, like Qing’er’s, intelligence was absolutely crucial.
What was being flashy?
Provoking someone you couldn’t beat—that was flashy.
If strength was lacking, use your brain.
Was there anything wrong with that?
…
Ye Xuan returned to the Immortal Treasure Pavilion, where the twelfth floor became his residence. In his free time, he read books or relaxed, living quite freely.
One day, the Lord of Time suddenly arrived at the pavilion.
Seeing Ye Xuan, the Lord of Time hurried forward, trembling. “Young Master Ye… save my Divine Court!”
Ye Xuan asked, “What’s wrong?”
The Lord of Time, pale, said, “The Dao Clan wants to destroy my Time Divine Court!”
Ye Xuan frowned. “Destroy your Time Divine Court?”
The Lord of Time nodded. “Yes!”
He bowed deeply. “Please, Young Master Ye, help us!”
Ye Xuan said, “As far as I know, the major forces of the Xuanguan Universe once destroyed the Dao Ancestor. You…”
The Lord of Time quickly shook his head. “My Time Divine Court didn’t participate in that battle. I hadn’t fully risen back then—it was the Dao Master who took part!”
Ye Xuan, puzzled, asked, “If you didn’t participate, why do they want to destroy you?”
The Lord of Time gave a bitter smile. “They want to dominate the Xuanguan Universe!”
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then set down his ancient book. “Let’s go to your Time Divine Court.”
The Lord of Time was stunned, then trembled. “Young Master Ye, you’re willing to help?”
Ye Xuan nodded. “You’ve helped me a lot in the past. Now that you’re in trouble, how could I stand by? Let’s go!”
With that, he stood and left.
The Lord of Time, after a moment’s silence, smiled faintly. The kindness he showed back then bore fruit today.
…
Soon, Ye Xuan and the Lord of Time arrived at Time Divine City.
By now, several Dao Clan experts had gathered, though Dao Ling was absent. Clearly, a mere Time Divine Court was beneath the Dao Clan’s notice.
In the sky, Ye Xuan faced the Dao Clan experts, his gaze settling on their leader, an old man.
The old man looked at Ye Xuan calmly.
Ye Xuan smiled faintly. “The Dao Clan wants to destroy the Time Divine Court?”
The old man nodded. “Yes.”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Then let’s fight.”
As he spoke, he opened his palm, and a sword appeared in his hand.
The old man frowned. “Man of Destiny, why interfere in this?”
Ye Xuan smiled. “The Lord of Time has helped me greatly. One shouldn’t forget kindness, right?”
The old man stared at Ye Xuan. “You’re truly set on interfering?”
Clearly, he was wary of Ye Xuan, the Man of Destiny.
Ye Xuan smiled. “Yes.”
The old man’s eyes narrowed. “Then let’s spar!”
He stepped forward, and the starry sky twisted, countless forces surging from all directions.
At that moment, Ye Xuan slashed down with a simple strike.
*Slash!*
The heavens and earth split, along with the twisted starry sky around them.
Destroying matter!
In the distance, the old man’s right hand slowly clenched, a trace of gravity in his eyes. “Contemplation Realm!”
Ye Xuan walked slowly toward the old man, his expression calm, his pace deliberate. But an invisible sword aura enveloped the old man.
The old man’s eyes narrowed, about to act, when his brows suddenly furrowed. The next moment, he looked at Ye Xuan. “I’ll give you this face.”
With that, he turned and led the Dao Clan experts away, vanishing.
Ye Xuan frowned. Why did they leave so suddenly?
After a moment’s thought, still puzzled, he didn’t dwell on it and turned to leave.
…
Elsewhere, in the starry sky, the old man and the Dao Clan experts bowed slightly to a figure ahead.
It was Dao Ling.
The old man hesitated, then asked, “Clan Leader, giving face to the Man of Destiny—does it have deeper meaning?”
Dao Ling looked into the distant starry depths and said softly, “I’ve located the Shi Clan. Go on my behalf and tell them: the Man of Destiny is someone I, Dao Ling, admire. If Shitian dares trouble him, I’ll haunt him even as a ghost.”
The old man: “…”
