I Have A Sword

Unity of self and the vast expanse...In the void, Ye Guan fell into deep contemplation.State of mind...

A person's mental state was like a blade. Over time, it would rust and had to be sharpened again. Without the occasional sharpening, it'd become dull.

The conventional realms...Ye Guan always believed that he wasn't cultivating the realms. However, the words of the ancient expert from the Ancient God Nation made him realize that his 'not cultivating realms' was different from his family's.

His family wasn't cultivating the realms because they were already invincible; no realm could define them.

But what about himself? Clearly, he hadn't reached that level yet.

The heart is the domain of right and wrong, where delusions dwell.

He had to avoid getting caught up in the debate of whether to pursue cultivation realms or not. What he ought to care about was learning from all civilized cultivation systems to refine his own Dao.

In simple terms, he had to learn from the strengths of others to make up for his own shortcomings.

Thinking of that, Ye Guan suddenly smiled.

"Congratulations!" the expert of the Ancient God Nation exclaimed, "You have transcended duality!"

The expert gradually faded away.

Ye Guan bowed deeply. "Thank you, Senior."

To reach the Dao, one had to cultivate one's heart. A swordsman like him needed a sharp heart. Hence, an improvement in his mental state was also an advancement in his Sword Dao.

From this discussion, his greatest gain wasn't just a rise in strength, but also a deepening of his mental state, which would help him on the path ahead.

Ye Guan didn't leave the Ancient Ruins. Instead, he continued his cultivation there. He planned to study the Daos of all the experts of the Ancient God Nation, but of course, only those that were useful to him.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Because it was a true inheritance. All the Daos of the experts of the Ancient God Nation entered directly into his sea of consciousness.

In short, it was an inheritance.

The fastest path in this world—an inheritance.

In the Ancient God Martial Repository, Gu Pan was laughing maniacally as if he were insane. Of course, no one knew what he was up to.

***

Elsewhere, the Great Daoist Brush Master arrived at a certain point in the void. Deep in this void, a man was floating. His arms were stretched outward, and he was wrapped tightly in golden light that bound him in place.

He was the Vast God!

The one who initiated that great war back then.

The Vast God had disheveled hair, and his head was drooping; he was radiating not even a tinge of aura.

The Great Daoist Brush Master looked at the golden light. Upon closer inspection, the light radiated countless laws and a single will.

When he saw that will, the Great Daoist Brush Master's expression changed drastically. "So it's that..."

"You know it?" The Vast God suddenly raised his head and stared at the Great Daoist Brush Master. His eyes were as deep as the starry sky.

The Great Daoist Brush Master said, "So it'sthat...No wonder you couldn't break it."

The Vast God stared at him silently.

The Great Daoist Brush Master said, "I can help you break the barrier."

"You sure?" the Vast God asked, squinting.

The Great Daoist Brush Master nodded.

"What's your goal?" the Vast God asked.

The Great Daoist Brush Master replied, "We have a common enemy."

The Vast God was silent for a moment and asked, "How do you know about it?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master calmly remarked, "Heard of it during my travels across the vast expanse. Never expected it had extended its reach here."

After a moment's pause, the Vast God said, "Let's cooperate."

"You are straightforward," said the Great Daoist Brush Master.

"The seal will naturally lift in ten years," the Vast God added.

"No need to wait," said the Great Daoist Brush Master. "I can help now."

The Vast God squinted. "That's great."

The Great Daoist Brush Master stared at the golden light with narrowed eyes. He was astonished. He hadn't expected that will to arrive here.

What's going on? Damn it!His face darkened.I've spent too long playing in the low-tier games with that traitor. I've completely lost touch with the high-tier players.That bastard has done real harm to me!

Clearing his thoughts, the Great Daoist Brush Master flicked his finger. A Dao seal shot from his fingertip and landed on Vast God's head.

"Can your Dao counter its will?" the Vast God asked.

"Under the Three Swords, I am invincible," said the Great Daoist Brush Master.

The Vast God was dumbfounded.

***

Back in the Ancient Ruins, Ye Guan opened his palm, and a sword appeared. It was his own Sword Intent. With a thought, the sword trembled violently and countless Daos manifested.

While receiving the inheritance of the Ancient God Nation, he had studied the myriad Daos, so his sword now contained a myriad Daos.

The next moment, the sword trembled again, and the myriad Daos merged into one.

The Invincible Sword Dao!

Hum!

A sword's hum echoed throughout the Ancient Ruins.

"Congratulations!" The white-robed elder appeared, smiling. "To integrate the myriad Daos in such a short time. How remarkable."

Ye Guan smiled, "It's thanks to the generous teachings of the experts of the Ancient God Nation."

Indeed, his rapid advancement came from the complete and selfless teachings of those sages.

The white-robed elder said, "Let's go meet the Emperor."

"Alright." Then, he glanced around. "Brother Gu...?"

The white-robed elder smiled, "I asked him earlier. He's not interested. He's focused on studying here."

Ye Guan smiled. "Alright then!"

The white-robed elder brought Ye Guan into a spacetime tunnel. Soon, they arrived in a strange void.

Ye Guan's brow furrowed.

They were no longer in the original spacetime. He looked at the elder, surprised. "Senior, is this the Boundary of Truth and Illusion?"

"More precisely, the entrance to it," the white-robed elder replied.

"Is the Emperor here?" Ye Guan asked.

The white-robed elder nodded.

Ye Guan looked ahead. Not far away stood a man surrounded by strange golden light. His eyes were golden. Above his head, high in the air, floated a golden law seal that blocked the entrance to the Boundary of Truth and Illusion.

He was none other than Gu Daotian!

The white-robed elder bowed deeply. "Greetings, Your Majesty."

Ye Guan stared at the man, surprised. He was that expert from the Ancient Ruins.

Gu Daotian looked at Ye Guan and smiled. "Congratulations. Your combat power has reached the eighth level of the True Dao. With your bloodline, you can challenge even those on the ninth level.

"It's thanks to you all," Ye Guan said.

Gu Daotian shook his head. "Your talent is terrifying. You reached a bottleneck and only needed an opportunity."

He looked up at the seal at the boundary's entrance, and a golden seal appeared in his palm. Golden light poured from the seal into his body, and then golden light rushed out of his body into the sealing array.

Ye Guan was puzzled.

Gu Daotian explained, "I activated this seal to lock the boundary, so the so-called 'gods' inside can't return, and the ones above can't descend..."

Ye Guan was stunned. "Senior, you sealed the boundary?"

"With this seal, the gods can't descend. Weaker beings are unaffected." Gu Daotian nodded. Then, he looked seriously at Ye Guan. "I've utterly exhausted my strength by maintaining this seal. I can't keep it up anymore..."

Ye Guan was speechless.

Gu Daotian looked at the seal. "Everyone wants it, but no one knows it's actually the greatest disaster."

Ye Guan asked, "Senior, is that it...?"

"The Divine Seal." Gu Daotian said, "It's called the Divine Seal. It came from beyond the Boundary of Truth and Illusion. I'm not sure, but it contains a will—the will of a true god.

"Using it grants great power, but you must believe in it, and let its will become your own... In short, to gain its power, you must submit to it."

Then, he turned to Ye Guan and smiled. "Somewhat similar to your Order Dao, except yours isn't as coercive."

"Was its master also a practitioner of the Order Dao?" Ye Guan asked.

"I don't know," Gu Daotian said. Then, he looked at the seal. "I could've lasted ten more years, but I can feel that the Great Daoist Brush Master is actively breaking the seal. He's strong; he can even break the Divine Seal's array..."

Ye Guan muttered. "Senior—"

"Young Master Ye!" Gu Daotian interrupted, with a solemn expression. "Don't let the gods descend..."

Then, he suddenly erupted into flames.

From afar, the white-robed elder's face turned pale, and he dropped to his knees.

"Your Majesty!"

Gu Daotian said, "Young Master Ye, I bestow upon you the Divine Seal and the fate of the Ancient God Nation... This world, and that young lady... I entrust them all to you."

With that, golden light surged from him, and a current of golden energy flooded into Ye Guan.

At the same time, the golden seal floated before Ye Guan.

Gu Daotian's burning form transformed into a streak of golden light that merged with the array.

He had sacrificed himself to sustain the seal.

When he chose Ye Guan, he already knew that Ye Guan only had one chance to win, and it depended on the seal. The seal had to be maintained to prevent the gods from descending and to ensure that their power remained sealed.