Ye Xuan gazed at the Gate of Ten Thousand Tribulations in the sky, silent.
Were they trying to outdo him with equipment?
At that moment, the Dao God suddenly spoke. “You should leave first!”
Ye Xuan shook his head.
The three women looked at him. He said, “Since they’re targeting me, they’ve surely prepared contingencies. If I flee, I might end up in a worse situation. It’s better to stay with you and wait for the seven division leaders to arrive!”
Boom!
Just then, countless black lightning bolts surged in the starry sky, rolling like a tide, with terrifying pressure sweeping down!
The entire heavens trembled at that moment!
Suddenly, a middle-aged man appeared atop the Gate of Ten Thousand Tribulations. Standing on it, hands behind his back, he looked down at Ye Xuan and the others with an impassive expression.
Seeing him, the three women’s faces turned grave.
Mu Sheng turned to Ye Xuan. “Are you sure you’re not running?”
Ye Xuan smiled. “I’m sure.”
Mu Sheng said softly, “Then we might run!”
With that, the three women turned and vanished into the depths of the starry sky!
“What the—?”
Ye Xuan was dumbfounded. *You three are actually running?*
At that moment, a blue light appeared beneath his feet, and the next instant, he vanished.
Above, the middle-aged man coldly glanced at the edge of the starry sky. With a wave of his sleeve, the Gate of Ten Thousand Tribulations trembled violently. All the black lightning converged into the gate, and a dazzling thunderbolt, hundreds of thousands of feet long, erupted from it, disappearing in an instant!
Millions of miles away, Mu Sheng and the others stopped. Ye Xuan was by their side.
Of course, they hadn’t abandoned him—he was, after all, the nominal leader of the Dao Sect!
As they stopped, Mu Sheng turned. In the distance, the sky split open, and a thunderbolt hundreds of thousands of feet long roared toward them!
The star river boiled and disintegrated!
Seeing the terrifying thunderbolt, Ye Xuan’s expression turned grave.
He finally understood why the three women chose to retreat!
The power within this thunderbolt was too overwhelming. Even with his current physical strength, he had no confidence in withstanding it!
Ye Xuan felt helpless.
*As I level up, so do my enemies!*
*When will this end?*
Mu Sheng stepped forward, clenching her right fist. Under their gaze, she charged and threw a punch.
To be honest, her petite frame seemed insignificant against the thunderbolt.
Yet, with that small body, her punch forced the terrifying thunderbolt to halt a hundred feet away!
Boom!
The star river ignited, turning to ash!
But the thunderbolt didn’t vanish!
A fierce glint flashed in Mu Sheng’s eyes. She charged again, throwing another punch. “Annihilate!”
Boom!
A surge of fist energy roared from her hand. The thunderbolt shattered, scattering countless sparks across the already-destroyed starry sky!
Ye Xuan’s eyes twitched. Mu Sheng hadn’t reached beyond the Ancient Dao Realm, but her strength far surpassed typical Ancient Dao experts!
She shook her hand and looked into the distance, where the middle-aged man stood beside the Gate of Ten Thousand Tribulations.
Staring at him, a savage grin curled her lips. “Do you think the Dao Sect is empty without my master?”
The man looked at her without a word, lightly tapping the gate. A new thunderbolt surged out.
Mu Sheng clenched her fist and threw another punch!
With this punch, everything in front of her warped. The thunderbolt twisted into a bizarre arc. She followed with another punch!
Boom!
The thunderbolt turned to nothing!
But then, the Gate of Ten Thousand Tribulations transformed into a golden divine thunder and struck!
Mu Sheng’s pupils shrank. She threw another punch!
Boom!
Her fist met the golden thunder, which trembled violently. Her right arm split open, blood spraying. From the gate, countless ancient, mysterious voices echoed, and her body began to burn, slowly fading away!
Jiang Lian said gravely, “This is the Ten Thousand Tribulations Technique. Mu Sheng hasn’t reached the Third Knowledge Realm—she can’t resist this curse!”
Ye Xuan vanished. A sword light slashed at the golden thunder.
Boom!
A burst of thunder scattered as Ye Xuan’s sword forced the golden thunder back.
He opened his palm, and the Qingxuan Sword transformed into armor, enveloping Mu Sheng.
Boom!
As the sword-armor covered her, the mysterious Ten Thousand Tribulations Technique was completely blocked.
Mu Sheng looked at the armor, then at Ye Xuan. “You…”
Ye Xuan said, “Rest for now.”
She shook her head. “You can’t beat him.”
He asked, “How long until our people arrive?”
Jiang Lian said solemnly, “A quarter of an hour at most!”
A quarter of an hour!
Ye Xuan nodded. “I’ll stall.”
He walked toward the middle-aged man.
The man looked at him, calm as still water.
Ye Xuan was about to speak when the man pointed at him. The space before Ye Xuan split, and a devastating force surged out!
Ye Xuan’s pupils shrank. He opened his palm, and countless Human Swords flew out.
*One Thought, Ten Thousand Swords!*
Boom!
A burst of sword light erupted, and Ye Xuan was thrown back tens of thousands of feet!
When he stopped, blood trickled from his mouth!
He looked at his body—it had cracked!
*Ancient Body!*
This was his first real battle since cultivating the Ancient Body, yet it had been broken in the first fight!
*Damn it!*
The Dao God suddenly said gravely, “He’s in the Third Knowledge Realm!”
Third Knowledge Realm!
Ye Xuan looked at the man. Just then, the Gate of Ten Thousand Tribulations trembled, and blood-red talismans flew out, radiating destructive power. Ye Xuan’s expression changed again!
Mu Sheng stepped in front of him, staring at the talismans. “These are Tribulation Techniques! Stand back!”
She stepped forward, clenching her fist. A brilliant white light erupted from her, drawing mysterious forces from the heavens. A hundred-thousand-foot-tall dharma image appeared behind her, mimicking her as she threw a punch!
Boom!
Her punch ignited the space before her. The clashing forces unleashed a terrifying energy, forcing Ye Xuan and the others back!
Yet the blood-red talismans remained, nearly a million of them, pulsing with energy that battered Mu Sheng’s dharma image, causing it to fade.
Seeing this, Ye Xuan and the others’ faces darkened.
Mu Sheng suddenly said, “The seven division leaders probably can’t come!”
Ye Xuan’s expression turned grim.
With their strength, reaching here shouldn’t be an issue. If they hadn’t arrived, there was only one explanation—they’d been intercepted!
He looked at the Dao God, who said gravely, “They’re not just targeting you—they’re targeting the Dao Sect!”
Just then, the starry sky split, and a voice echoed, “Danger in the Land of Return to Ruin! Seven division leaders, aid it now!”
The spatial rift closed.
Hearing this, Mu Sheng and the others’ faces changed drastically!
Mu Sheng turned to Ye Xuan. “Go to the Land of Return to Ruin! You must stop them from breaking it!”
The Dao God also looked at him, her expression tinged with fear. “Go to the Land of Return to Ruin!”
Ye Xuan asked gravely, “What happens if it’s broken?”
The Dao God’s face was ashen. “If the Land of Return to Ruin is breached, countless beings will be resurrected… the universe’s order will collapse instantly. The consequences…”
Mu Sheng cut in, “No time to waste! Their real target is the Land of Return to Ruin. You three go! I’ll hold him off!”
She roared, slamming her arms forward.
Her dharma image mirrored her, smashing downward.
Boom!
Terrifying energy erupted like a volcano, but the blood-red talismans held. Her dharma image grew completely faint!
Ye Xuan and the others vanished into the starry sky!
The middle-aged man glanced at them but didn’t pursue.
Far away, Ye Xuan looked at the Dao God. “Isn’t your master guarding the Land of Return to Ruin?”
Her face was grim. “Our master’s been gone for ages. We haven’t been able to contact him!”
She looked at Ye Xuan. “You’re the Dao Sect’s leader now!”
Ye Xuan fell silent.
The Great Dao Pen sighed softly. “I understand our master’s intent now. You’ve always talked about building a new order. Now, he’s giving you the chance. By establishing a new order, you become this universe’s guardian. He likely wants to see if you can protect it—or show you how hard it is to do so. Creating an order isn’t child’s play; it’s a responsibility to safeguard countless beings!”
Ye Xuan remained silent.
The Great Dao Pen continued, “I suspect you can’t call for help this time.”
Ye Xuan frowned. “Why not?”
It said, “Try it.”
He opened his palm, and the Qingxuan Sword appeared.
He reached out with his senses. “Qing’er!”
No response.
Ye Xuan froze.
The Great Dao Pen said gravely, “This isn’t just our master’s test—it’s theirs too. If you overcome this, they’ll believe you can build a new order. If you fail… congratulations, you’ll truly be the King of Backers. No more talk of standing on your own or building an order. You’ll always rely on your sister…”
It paused, then added, “This is your chance to prove yourself. Win, and you’re the Human Sword Master. Lose, and you’re just the King of Backers!”
