As Ye Guan departed, the Sword Master smiled. "He's grown considerably stronger."
The lady in the plain skirt smiled softly but remained silent. When the Sword Master turned to her in anticipation, she gave him a gentle smile.
"Let's wait," she said.
"I sense many lurking in the shadows, plotting against him..."
"It's alright. Let's stay by his side a while longer."
Right after, the two departed.
Ye Guan approached calmly from the starry skies. Inside the tiny pagoda, Old Zhao felt a hint of anxiousness. He didn't think Ye Guan would audaciously stomp into the Dao Palace.
Shen Ye was equally surprised. After all, Ye Guan was confronting the Dao Market, a powerful force with deep roots.
Ye Guan reached the palace gates unhindered.
Soon, Dao Ran, the Palace Master of the Dao Palace, emerged.
Dao Ran regarded Ye Guan with a soft chuckle. "I underestimated you."
He didn't think Ye Guan could eliminate four Dao Generals, let alone dare intrude into the Dao Palace.
Dao Ran wore a calm smile. The Dao Market would always stand firm unless they were against one of the three major powers. Moreover, they maintained good relations with two of those three.
Ye Guan locked eyes with Dao Ran. "You want to kill me, don't you? Well, here I am. Come and try."
His words echoed with calm yet thunderous authority.
Dao Ran's smile faded. "How audacious."
Instead of wasting time with words, Ye Guan transformed into a streak of sword light and vanished. He then reappeared before Dao Ran.
Dao Ran pointed his finger at the Qingxuan Sword.
As Ye Guan was violently pushed back, Dao Ran's brows furrowed, realizing that his finger was broken.
His expression turned solemn as he looked at the Qingxuan Sword. "Did the First God leave that sword to you?"
Ye Guan didn't reply, however. He simply transformed into a streak of sword light and disappeared again.
Dao Ran didn't dare physically confront Ye Guan head-on again. With a wave of his sleeve, he made a terrifying force surge out like tidal waves. The Qingxuan Sword shattered it, but it still sent Ye Guan flying.
Ye Guan looked up at Dao Ran as he came to a halt. From what he had gathered so far, Dao Ran was definitely stronger than the four Dao Generals he had fought earlier.
Slowly, Ye Guan closed his eyes and activated his bloodline power, causing his aura to erupt in rage.
Dao Ran's brows furrowed. "Your bloodline power—"
Before he could finish, a blood-red sword light appeared before him.
Dao Ran punched the attack, the resulting impact forcing both combatants away from each other. By the time he had come to a stop, he noticed cracks on his right arm, from which blood gushed out incessantly.
Dao Ran's expression darkened. Gazing at Ye Guan, he opened his hand and made a dark golden spear materialize in his palm. It had a smooth surface that resembled jades, and streams of light flowed within it. As he tightened his grip on the spear, his presence transformed dramatically, now resembling a war deity.
Meanwhile, Ye Guan grew more determined. Once again, he turned into a streak of sword light and vanished.
The fabric of spacetime split open as the sword light surged toward Dao Ran.
Nevertheless, Dao Ran didn't block or evade. Instead, he faced it as a spear cultivator, thrusting his spear forward with a cold glint.
The spear and sword collided, creating a powerful shockwave that blasted Dao Ran and Ye Guan away. As Dao Ran steadied himself, he realized that his spear had shattered into countless fragments and scattered on the ground, which only turned his disbelief into a trace of greed.
His spear was not just any ordinary divine treasure; it was crafted with a raw material that had ten percent divinity. Nevertheless, Ye Guan had destroyed it with ease!
What an incredible weapon!
If he could get that sword, his power would skyrocket!
Now driven by desire, Dao Ran roared, "Activate the formation!"
With a thunderous roar, a black pillar of light surged from the depths of the Dao Palace and pierced the starry sky. Following closely, a massive black vortex appeared, and a divine consciousness locked onto Ye Guan.
At that moment, Ye Guan heard Old Zhao's voice in his mind. "Young Master Ye, that's the Dao Market's Dao Slaughter Array. It has the power of a hundred Divine Dao Realm experts, each with over fifty percent divinity. Don't underestimate it."
"Dao Slaughter Array?"
Quickly, Old Zhao answered, "Yes. The Dao Market makes Divine Dao Realm elites infuse their power into this array whenever they can. Many of them do it for the sake of establishing good ties with the Dao Market. Hence, over the years, it has amassed formidable power."
Ye Guan gazed into the swirling depths of the black vortex. From inside it, powerful energies surged relentlessly. It looked like a fierce tide setting the entire starry skies ablaze. Ye Guan's expression grew increasingly grave as he sensed the imminent danger. The might of this vortex was beyond what he could handle even with Ao Qianqian's support.
Seemingly struck with an idea, Ye Guan took out Little White.
Little White blinked, puzzled by the situation. Ye Guan gestured toward the black vortex and asked, "Ancestor White, can you handle this?"
Little White’s eyes gleamed at the title. Others called her ‘Little White,' which she had grown accustomed to. She had always found it boring, though. To her, ‘Ancestor White’ felt superior.
She grinned at Ye Guan, then extended her white paw.
Sweet words won't cut it. There needs to be some incentive.
Quick to respond, Ye Guan produced a hawthorn candy and placed it on Little White’s paw. Delighted, she licked the treat before turning her attention back to the black vortex, her paw moving in a flurry as if communicating.
Dao Ran's brows furrowed upon noticing Little White. He could sense an unsettling change coming. With a swift gesture, he commanded the black vortex to prepare to unleash its terrifying power, causing it to tremble. However, before it could erupt, Little White waved her paw.
As the vortex quivered, a phantom emerged, causing the tumultuous energies to immediately calm down.
Dao Ran was left dumbfounded. Little White had swayed the spirit of the Dao Slaughter Array.
The spirit danced excitedly before Little White, who then pointed at Dao Ran. Alarmed, Dao Ran quickly put his guard up. In a sudden twist, the vortex convulsed and unleashed a devastating force toward him.
In a flash, Dao Ran was hurled thousands of meters away. The Dao Palace behind him was reduced to ashes and the starry skies in the surroundings fractured.
With Little White in tow, Ye Guan retreated swiftly, stopping only after he had opened a considerable gap in between. He then watched the scene with relief.
Thank goodness I did not have to face that myself.
However, he couldn't fathom how Little White managed to sway the spirit of the array.
Neither Ye Guan nor Dao Ran could have foreseen this outcome. Dao Ran, who was just as baffled by the array spirit's betrayal, had lost his fleshy body and he was reduced to his mere soul.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Guan transformed into a streak of sword light and sped toward Dao Ran. However, as his strike neared, an icy glimmer appeared before Dao Ran.
“Stop him!” Dao Ran commanded. A dozen elites swiftly materialized around them.
In response, Ye Guan summoned Old Zhao, Shen Ye and the other Divine Generals in the tiny pagoda.
While they stopped the Dao Market's forces, Ye Guan charged onward, confronting Dao Ran head-on. Watching Ye Guan's lethal strike close in on him, Dao Ran quivered with terror.
At that moment, a cold glimmer of light suddenly shot past him and blasted Ye Guan away with a mighty force.Regaining his composure, Ye Guan turned toward the meddler. He then frowned deeply.