In the starry sky, a group of Great Chu powerhouses charged toward War Desolation City with unstoppable momentum.
As they approached, a black-robed man appeared on the city walls, glaring at the incoming Great Chu forces and snarling, “Defend!”
With his command, countless warriors materialized atop the walls. Simultaneously, terrifying formations activated, unleashing waves of destructive energy that surged from the city, blasting toward the charging Great Chu warriors!
The Great Chu forces showed no trace of fear!
Their leader, Chu Tianxing, roared, “Kill!”
His figure flickered, appearing instantly above War Desolation City. At that moment, the black-robed man blocked his path.
Chu Tianxing stared at him, “War Desolation, today we settle life or death!”
The man named War Desolation sneered, “As you wish!”
*Boom!*
Both vanished from their spots, and the next moment, a deafening explosion echoed above the city.
Meanwhile, the Great Chu warriors clashed with the city’s defenders!
In an instant, the entire endless starry river boiled with chaos!
Elsewhere, Divinity watched the battle, her expression grave, “So strong!”
Monk Wu nodded.
Compared to this, the battles in the Boundless Universe seemed like child’s play!
The warriors, whether from Great Chu or War Desolation City, were terrifyingly powerful!
At that moment, Boundless Lord scoffed, “This is nothing. You haven’t seen a real war!”
Monk Wu and Divinity turned to him. Boundless Lord chuckled, “Back then, over a hundred superpowers fought for the Holy City. That was a spectacle! That war was brutal, corpses strewn everywhere, as devastating as it gets!”
Monk Wu asked gravely, “Who holds the Holy City now?”
Boundless Lord smiled, “No one. That’s why the Ancient Desolation has been at war for countless years!”
Divinity looked at the bloody battle, “Is Great Chu also vying for the Holy City?”
Boundless Lord laughed, “With what ability do they dare dream of it? Their goal is to break into the Ancient Desolation, to establish a foothold here. Once they do, they’ll have more opportunities. Usually, they’d align with a superpower to gain more resources.”
Divinity asked gravely, “Great Chu is this strong, and they still need to align with others?”
Boundless Lord smiled, “Once you learn more about the Ancient Desolation, you’ll see what level Great Chu is at here! Come, let’s go see the real world!”
With that, he drifted off into the distance.
Divinity and Monk Wu exchanged a glance and quickly followed.
Meanwhile, the battle raged on.
…
Kyoto.
Though only a day had passed outside, ten years had elapsed inside the Little Pagoda!
For ten years, Qin Guan had been helping Ye Xuan break through to the Clear Mind stage of the Void Realm!
Her efforts bore fruit!
After all, Ye Xuan’s talent and comprehension were exceptional. All he lacked was time and resources—both of which he now had!
Cultivation knows no time!
Another ten years passed!
Over twenty years, the two spent every day together. Beyond cultivating, Ye Xuan discussed martial arts with Qin Guan!
Qin Guan’s knowledge was vast, surpassing most, and she often had brilliant ideas. For instance, she suggested that in the moment of using *Momentary Invincibility*, Ye Xuan could simultaneously activate the Dao Law Formation and the Three Lives Formation to unleash his strongest attack!
Ye Xuan tried it!
After countless attempts, it proved entirely feasible!
In that moment, *Momentary Invincibility*’s unique nature allowed him to completely avoid the backlash of both formations.
From then on, he could use *Momentary Invincibility* to evade all kinds of backlash.
With Qin Guan’s guidance, his swordsmanship soared!
He was now half a step into the Clear Mind stage of the Void Realm!
Just half a step away!
By the lake, Qin Guan and Ye Xuan stood together.
Qin Guan said softly, “You’re missing one final catalyst!”
Ye Xuan nodded.
He was half a step from Clear Mind, but a barrier still blocked him from true attainment!
Just a little more!
Qin Guan smiled, “Do you know why this realm is called the Void Realm?”
Ye Xuan shook his head.
Qin Guan’s lips curved, “It’s about emptying yourself completely, embracing the cosmic starry sky, embracing all things in the universe, and then seeing through the cosmos and all its myriad beings!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Qin Guan looked at him, “Over this time, I’ve noticed something. Do you know what it is?”
Ye Xuan was curious, “What?”
Qin Guan smiled faintly, “You work hard and endure hardship well! Your talent and comprehension are top-notch. But these years, you’ve been beaten down repeatedly… Do you know why?”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “The Master of the Great Dao Pen isn’t human!”
Master of the Great Dao Pen, “…”
Qin Guan laughed, “That’s part of it! But it’s also because of you!”
Ye Xuan asked, “How so?”
Qin Guan chuckled, “Why are powerful sword cultivators so rare? Because sword cultivators are too straightforward, rarely flexible. Without a strong backing, they easily fall! Haven’t you noticed? All along, your enemies have been far stronger than you, unnaturally so. But from another perspective, haven’t you provoked these enemies yourself?”
Ye Xuan shook his head, “I object!”
Qin Guan blinked, “Go on!”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “I think it’s the Master of the Great Dao Pen messing with me!”
Master of the Great Dao Pen, “…”
Qin Guan laughed, “Alright, let’s drop this topic!”
She glanced into the distance, then said, “Meditate and cultivate here, enter a state of emptiness. I’ll wait for you outside!”
Ye Xuan nodded, “Okay!”
Qin Guan smiled and left the Little Pagoda!
In the field, Ye Xuan turned to the distant sea. After a long while, he slowly closed his eyes!
Calm his breath!
Focus his spirit!
Gradually, Ye Xuan began to empty himself.
…
Outside the Little Pagoda, Kyoto.
Qin Guan arrived at the seaside, where Xiao Ai was waiting!
Qin Guan looked at her, “Ready?”
Xiao Ai nodded, “Everything is prepared, awaiting Master’s orders!”
Qin Guan nodded.
At that moment, An You appeared before her, saying gravely, “Pavilion Master, a group of Great Chu powerhouses is heading to the Guanxuan Universe!”
Qin Guan frowned, “To the Guanxuan Universe?”
An You nodded, “My investigation shows Great Chu wants to seize the Guanxuan Universe because Boundless Lord left it. They’re targeting our Immortal Treasure Pavilion to plunder its wealth!”
Qin Guan asked, “How many came?”
An You said gravely, “Only ten. The leader is a Void Realm cultivator, and the other nine are Tribulation-Free Realm!”
Qin Guan shook her head with a smile.
An You bowed slightly and stepped aside.
Going to the Guanxuan Universe!
Who was guarding it now?
Qingqiu!
With Qingqiu in Ye Xuan’s backyard, who in the heavens or earth could destroy the Guanxuan Universe?
Qin Guan said, “Ignore them!”
With that, she turned to leave, “Xiao Ai, follow me!”
Xiao Ai hurried after her.
An You quietly vanished.
…
Guanxuan Universe.
Though Ye Xuan had left, the Guanxuan Universe was developing rapidly, growing ever more prosperous!
In a courtyard, Qingqiu sat reading a book, with An Lanxiu meditating nearby.
Since Ye Xuan’s departure, An Lanxiu trained daily with Qingqiu, making tremendous progress under her guidance!
At that moment, Mu Niannian approached.
Seeing her, Qingqiu set down her book, smiled, and said, “Miss Niannian, everything arranged?”
Mu Niannian nodded!
As the Master of the Heavenly Dao, she oversaw all the Heavenly Daos in the Guanxuan Universe, assigning them their roles.
Each world had a Heavenly Dao supervising—not the beings, but the Guanxuan Academy!
The academy was growing massively, and Qingqiu and Ye Xuan’s greatest fear was internal corruption. Thus, they established an Inspectorate early on to oversee the academy, but it wasn’t enough!
So, Qingqiu created the Heavenly Dao Academy, with Mu Niannian as its head. Unlike other academies, it was independent, overseeing all of Guanxuan Academy’s branches without participating in their operations!
Mu Niannian sat before Qingqiu, smiling, “Miss Qingqiu, the Guanxuan Universe is developing rapidly. Soon, a new order will form, making it unique in the vast cosmos!”
Qingqiu nodded, “I hope so!”
Mu Niannian smiled, “My tasks are done. I’m leaving!”
Qingqiu looked at her, “Leaving?”
Mu Niannian nodded, “The outside world is vast. I want to explore!”
Qingqiu nodded slightly, “Fair enough! Take care, Miss Niannian!”
Mu Niannian stood, smiling, “You too, Miss Qingqiu!”
As she prepared to leave, a dozen powerful auras swept in from above the Guanxuan Academy!
Mu Niannian frowned, looking up.
In the sky, a dozen powerhouses appeared, led by a black-robed elder.
Great Chu!
The elder looked down, “Call the person in charge of the Guanxuan Academy!”
Below, Qingqiu smiled faintly, “That’s me!”
The elder stared at her, “Surrender or die. Choose!”
Qingqiu was silent for a moment before saying, “If you talk like that, I’ll have to make you speechless!”
As her voice fell—
*Rip!*
Without warning, the elder’s head flew off…
Below, Qingqiu’s expression was calm, “Except for my brother, no one can show off in front of me!”
Everyone, “…”
