Ye Xuan suddenly stopped speaking!
Showing off?
Better not do that!
Stay low-key!
Low-key!
Unbeknownst to Ye Xuan, Gu’s lips curled into a sly smile, like a little fox.
Gu led Ye Xuan to the gates of Ancient Desolate City, where a guard abruptly blocked their path.
Gu glanced at Ye Xuan. “Ten ancient crystals!”
Ten!
Ye Xuan nodded slightly, opened his palm, and sent ten ancient crystals to the guard.
The guard glanced at Ye Xuan and Gu, then said, “Twenty!”
Twenty!
Gu frowned slightly. After a moment, she said, “It’s been years; maybe the price went up!”
With that, she looked at Ye Xuan, who took out another ten ancient crystals and handed them to the guard.
Seeing Ye Xuan’s generosity, greed flashed in the guard’s eyes. “I meant twenty per person!”
Twenty per person!
Gu’s brows furrowed tightly, and she pointed at herself. “Do I not look like a powerhouse?”
The guard’s face darkened. “This is Ancient Desolate City. Everyone must follow its rules, or face death!”
Gu’s gaze turned icy.
Ye Xuan suddenly said, “Forget it! We’ll pay!”
Gu looked at Ye Xuan, who pulled out another twenty ancient crystals and handed them to the guard.
The guard sneered, pocketing the crystals. “I know you’re big shots in your own universes, but here in Ancient Desolate City, I’ll give you some advice: dragons must coil, tigers must crouch!”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Duly noted!”
With that, he pulled Gu and walked off.
Inside the city, Gu glanced at Ye Xuan. “Why are you being so low-key now?”
Ye Xuan turned his head, spotting three figures approaching in the distance.
It was Wu Bian Zhu and his group!
Ye Xuan looked at Wu Bian Zhu. “Did you see them?”
Gu glanced at Wu Bian Zhu and said, “I saw them. So what?”
Ye Xuan grinned. “You’ll see soon enough!”
At the city gate, the guard blocked Wu Bian Zhu’s group. He glanced at Wu Bian Zhu, unable to gauge his realm, but he could see Seng Wu and Shen Ming’s realms.
Seng Wu and Shen Ming, following Wu Bian Zhu, had both reached the Wu Dao realm!
But in this place, Wu Dao was far from impressive.
Seeing their modest realms, the guard frowned. “This weak?”
Very blunt!
Seng Wu’s brows furrowed at the guard’s words. “How dare you speak like that?”
The guard glanced at Seng Wu. “Monk, not a single good one among you!”
Seng Wu’s face darkened.
The guard suddenly said, “Enough talk! Thirty ancient crystals per person! Hurry up!”
Wu Bian Zhu spoke up. “I recall entry here costs ten ancient crystals. Why thirty?”
The guard glared at him. “I said thirty, so it’s thirty! Got a problem?”
Wu Bian Zhu stared back. “Do you have to be so arrogant?”
The guard sneered, “Now it’s sixty per person!”
Sixty!
Wu Bian Zhu frowned. “What’s your deal?”
The guard upped it again. “Seventy per person!”
Wu Bian Zhu suddenly slapped him!
*Smack!*
The guard’s physical body disintegrated, leaving only his soul!
The guard was stunned!
The next moment, he glared at Wu Bian Zhu. “You dare attack in Ancient Desolate City? You—”
He crushed a transmission talisman.
Soon, several powerful auras appeared above the gate!
Wu Bian Zhu casually waved his hand.
*Boom!*
A terrifying force swept upward, instantly erasing those auras!
The guard froze in place.
Wu Bian Zhu glanced at the soul-bound guard. “Even the Backing Mountain King isn’t as arrogant as you!”
With that, he strode into the city.
Seng Wu looked at the guard. “Amitabha! Go in peace; I’ll perform a rite for you!”
He threw a punch!
The guard’s soul was obliterated!
Seng Wu bowed slightly. “Amitabha!”
Then he walked into the city.
Shen Ming hurried after him, saying, “Why did you kill him?”
Seng Wu glanced at Shen Ming. “I was delivering him. Delivering, understand?”
Shen Ming: “…”
At this moment, Wu Bian Zhu spotted Ye Xuan and Gu!
He approached them, and Ye Xuan grinned. “Wu Bian, we meet again!”
Wu Bian said flatly, “Backing Mountain King, here to train?”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Yes!”
Wu Bian shook his head. “Shameless!”
With that, he turned and walked off.
Ye Xuan’s face darkened.
Seng Wu bowed slightly. “Young Master Ye, we meet again!”
Ye Xuan smiled. “Greetings, Master!”
Seng Wu smiled back. “Until we meet again!”
Then he left.
Watching them go, Ye Xuan frowned. He hadn’t expected Wu Bian Zhu to come to the Ancient Desolate War Realm!
That guy was like a drifter, always wandering!
Gu glanced at Wu Bian Zhu in the distance and smiled. “Let’s go!”
Ye Xuan nodded.
They left.
Just then, a woman appeared in the scene!
It was the Law God of the Law Realm!
She coldly watched Ye Xuan in the distance. A middle-aged man appeared beside her, glanced at Ye Xuan and Gu, and smiled. “Venerable Law God, is that the Backing Mountain King, Ye Xuan?”
The Law God nodded.
The man looked into the distance. “He’s weak, but the woman beside him is strong. I can’t see through her depths!”
The Law God said calmly, “She’s Gu, the number one of the ancient era!”
Gu!
The man’s pupils shrank, shocked. “It’s her! Wasn’t she killed or imprisoned? How is she free?”
The Law God said lightly, “That’s not important. What matters is that the Backing Mountain King has her protection now!”
The man said gravely, “With her protecting him, it won’t be easy to kill him!”
The Law God looked at him. “The Backing Mountain King is here to climb the ranks. On the arena, it’s a fair fight. Gu won’t interfere then, as it would damage his dao heart. That’s our chance!”
The man hesitated.
The Law God’s eyes narrowed. “What, scared?”
The man said solemnly, “With Gu here, this is too big for me to decide alone! I need to consult Master Yuan!”
The Law God said calmly, “Go then! And tell him the favor he owes me—it’s time to repay it!”
Favor!
The man glanced at her, then turned and left.
Alone, the Law God closed her eyes slowly. “Master… this man is someone you once abandoned. Why didn’t you eliminate him completely? Are you leaving it to us?”
The Master of the Great Dao Pen: “…”
…
Gu led Ye Xuan to the city center, where a massive arena stood, thousands of feet long and wide, surrounded by a mysterious barrier.
The arena was crowded with onlookers!
Beside it was a hundred-foot-tall stone tablet.
Gu pointed at it. “That’s the Ancient Desolate War Ranking! It lists a hundred names, all genius prodigies!”
Ye Xuan looked at Gu. “What’s the reward for reaching first?”
Gu smiled. “Fame!”
Ye Xuan frowned. “Just fame?”
Gu said, “Don’t you want more genius prodigies joining your academy?”
Ye Xuan nodded. “Of course!”
Gu smiled at him. “Take first, and not only you but your academy will become renowned across the four universes. Many will flock to join! Plus, you might get recruited by a mysterious force!”
Ye Xuan was curious. “Mysterious force?”
Gu smiled. “The Dao Sect!”
The Dao Sect!
Ye Xuan said gravely, “The force of the Master of the Great Dao Pen!”
Gu nodded. “In the four universes, the Dao Sect is the strongest. The Law God you met is nothing special! The Good and Evil God and the Dao God are the true powerhouses! The Dao Sect recruits prodigies from this ranking. Joining them is like a fish leaping into the dragon’s gate!”
Ye Xuan looked at Gu. “Do I care about joining the Dao Sect?”
Gu fell silent.
Ye Xuan smiled. “You refused them back then, didn’t you?”
Gu nodded.
Ye Xuan looked at the arena, murmuring, “Have you ever left the four universes?”
Gu shook her head. “No!”
Ye Xuan was puzzled. “Why not?”
Gu laughed. “I haven’t even dominated the four universes. Why go out to get crushed?”
Ye Xuan shook his head with a smile.
Gu suddenly said, “There’s an ancient cultivation method. Want to try it?”
Ye Xuan looked at her. “What method?”
Gu smiled. “Naked cultivation!”
Ye Xuan froze. “Naked cultivation?”
Gu nodded. “Naked cultivation is pure cultivation! Pure means using no external aids, including your bloodline power and divine artifacts.”
Ye Xuan said gravely, “You mean I should abandon all external boosts?”
Gu nodded slightly. “Your bloodline power, your sword, and the ancient god’s power—these are external.”
Ye Xuan said, “Even bloodline power counts?”
Gu smiled. “It doesn’t, but I suggest you don’t use it! It boosts your combat strength too much, as does your sword intent, amplified by your bloodline. It’s too overpowered!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
Gu smiled. “Try being a pure sword cultivator! It’s just my suggestion! Right now, you’re not much of a sword cultivator—you’re a jack-of-all-trades, dabbling in everything but mastering none. Against average foes, you’re invincible, but against true powerhouses of the same level, your odds aren’t great!”
She paused, then added, “One more thing, and you might not like hearing it! You’ve had too many cheats on your journey, making cultivation too easy. You lack depth and stability. Frankly, you’re like a drifter—flashy but not truly strong…”
Ye Xuan looked at Gu. “When you were at the Heavenly Dao realm, could you defeat someone at the Good and Evil realm?”
Gu nodded. “Yes!”
Ye Xuan’s expression froze.
Gu continued, “Not only could I beat the Good and Evil realm, I once killed someone three realms higher in the Order realm!”
Ye Xuan was silent for a moment, then said, “I understand!”
With that, he turned and walked toward the arena!
At that moment, a voice suddenly rang in Gu’s mind. “Gu, I recall you couldn’t kill someone in the Order realm three realms above you when you were at Heavenly Dao, could you?”
Gu’s expression remained calm. “Is it a crime to show off a little?”
The voice fell silent.
…
