I Have A Sword

Ye Guan was ecstatic.

Just then, the Great Daoist Brush Master burst out into a peal of laughter.

Ye Guan looked at him warily. Having dealt with this man multiple times, he knew that the Great Daoist Brush Master was not someone who could be easily defeated; he probably still had hidden cards to play.

Ye Guan dared not lower his guard. He shifted closer to the black-robed man and whispered, "My lord, he's a sinister and cunning man. He likely still has some backup plan. You must be extremely careful..."

The black-robed man glanced at him. "Is it me who should be careful, or you?"

Ye Guan was speechless.

The Great Daoist Brush Master suddenly chuckled. "Ye Guan, Ye Guan... I have to admit, you're quite clever. To come up with such a move in this desperate situation..."

He flicked his sleeve, calm and composed. "But do you really think that's enough to win?"

Ye Guan stared at him. "Great Daoist Brush Master, are you still not going to surrender? Are you going to watch your followers die miserably before your eyes?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master understood what Ye Guan meant. If he surrendered, neither Ye Guan nor he would fear the Temple of the Gods.

The Great Daoist Brush Master smiled. "Do you think you're the only one who's cultivating here?"

Ye Guan narrowed his eyes.

The Great Daoist Brush Master opened his palm, and a Dao seal suddenly formed in it. In the next instant, the Dao seal shot into the sky and entered the pillar of flames.

Boom!

The pillar of flames trembled violently.

"You're trying to extinguish the fire?" The black-robed man stared at the Great Daoist Brush Master. "You're trying to deal with the Purifying Flames, which are capable of cleansing impure Divine Wills. You can't—"

Before he could finish, he froze because the flames in the pillar were actually disappearing. He stared at the Great Daoist Brush Master in disbelief. "You..."

Ye Guan had unknowingly moved to the black-robed man's side and said gravely, "My lord, this man is no ordinary blasphemer. I suggest you notify the Temple of the Gods and have them send more top-tier experts, just in case..."

The black-robed man turned to Ye Guan. "Did you forget? You're a blasphemer, too."

Ye Guan solemnly said, "Under your guidance, I am willing to repent and change."

The black-robed man looked at Ye Guan, and then he stared at the Great Daoist Brush Master. For the first time, his expression turned serious. The man's Dao seal actually suppressed the Purifying Flames.

The Purifying Flames contained divine laws. For someone's Dao seal to suppress it... was simply unbelievable.

The Great Daoist Brush Master was no ordinary blasphemer.

Soon, the flames in the pillar were completely extinguished. The power of the gods present was restored. They were in disbelief and were terrified. They had never imagined that their Divine Will could be taken away so easily.

At the same time, they felt a bit pathetic. It turned out that the power they thought belonged to them had never been theirs to begin with. Anyone could take it away at will...

Even the mighty Vast God and King Yan felt their faith crumble.

They finally realized that they were nothing but slaves.

Even the Demon God beside Ye Guan revealed a complicated expression. Although the flames hadn't targeted him, he had sensed the same thing.

Power that wasn't cultivated by oneself was like raising someone else's child; no matter how hard one tried, it'd be meaningless.

Ye Guan ignored the devastated gods. His focus remained on the Great Daoist Brush Master, whose aura had grown vastly stronger. He was at least on the ninth level of the True Dao!

Of course, his combat prowess couldn't be judged using the conventional realms.

The Great Daoist Brush Master looked at Ye Guan. "Didn't you say earlier that you wanted to fight me? Come on, let's fight!"

Ye Guan shook his head. "There's no need."

The Great Daoist Brush Master sneered, "Afraid?"

Ye Guan smiled. "Provocation won't work. I simply won't fight you."

The Great Daoist Brush Master glared. "Ye Guan, even if you win with such schemes, I'm going to look down on you!"

Ye Guan laughed. "Schemes? Coming from you? How many tricks and traps have you used against me along the way? And now that someone is scheming against you, you suddenly can't take it?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master closed his eyes. "Ye Guan, let's settle this with a duel."

"There's really no need... You should just accept divine judgement."

He then stepped aside. He wasn't afraid of the Great Daoist Brush Master, but there was no need to fight.

The Great Daoist Brush Master stared intently at Ye Guan, and then he laughed. "I truly didn't expect you to pull this off, using the Temple of the Gods against me. Impressive. But it was my own carelessness... I walked into your trap."

He finally realized that Ye Guan's words earlier were meant to bait him into a trap.

And he hadn't seen through it...

Of course, he had never expected Ye Guan to be so devious.

The Great Daoist Brush Master turned to the black-robed man. "You can tell, can't you? He's trying to use you to kill me."

The black-robed man stayed silent, but his calm gaze said it all. He had indeed seen through Ye Guan's intentions.

The Great Daoist Brush Master smiled. "How about this, you stay out of it and let me fight him. If I lose, I'll surrender. If I die, even better for you. What do you say?"

The black-robed man shook his head. "No."

The Great Daoist Brush Master frowned slightly.

The black-robed man stared at him. "You're trying to stall for time until your true body arrives, aren't you?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master laughed. "With all due respect, you're not worthy of my true body."

The black-robed man suddenly turned to Ye Guan. "Want to redeem yourself?"

Ye Guan blinked and said nothing.

The black-robed man locked his gaze on the Great Daoist Brush Master. "This man is no ordinary blasphemer. I alone might not be able to restrain him. I need you to help me buy time; my people will be here in fifteen minutes."

Ye Guan immediately nodded. "Alright, I'm willing to redeem myself!"

"Hahaha!" The Great Daoist Brush Master laughed wildly. "You're a fool! Do you know who that man beside you is? He cultivates the Order Dao. If you don't make him surrender today, he will destroy your Divine Will one day.

"And you dare work with him despite that?"

The black-robed man calmly replied, "You want to get rid of him first so you can deal with me later."

The Great Daoist Brush Master's eyes narrowed.

The black-robed man added, "Yes, he's a blasphemer. But for now, he's still redeemable. The gods are merciful. If he truly repents, why can't the Temple of the Gods give him a second chance?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master paused, then said, "Then, I'm going to surrender, too. How about that?"

The black-robed man blurted, "No."

The Great Daoist Brush Master asked, "Why not?"

The black-robed man glared. "Because your actions have seriously pissed me off. On behalf of the Divine Will, I reject your surrender."

The Great Daoist Brush Master was speechless.

Ye Guan was dumbfounded.

The black-robed man turned to Ye Guan. "Hold him back. I'll deal with his fellow rebels."

Ye Guan thought for a moment. "The Great Daoist Brush Master misled them. What if we offer them a chance at redemption as long as they agree to kill him themselves?"

The black-robed man nodded. "Good idea. Let the dogs fight each other."

Ye Guan looked at the gods. "You all claim to follow the Divine Will. This man beside me represents that will. If you oppose him, you're betraying your faith. Are you sure you want to do that?"

The gods looked conflicted. Before, they wouldn't have believed it. Upon witnessing the Purifying Flames, however, they believed it now.

They had two options—follow the Divine Will and kill the Great Daoist Brush Master, or they could keep following the Great Daoist Brush Master.

It wasn't exactly a hard choice.

Many gods looked at the Great Daoist Brush Master with hostile eyes.

However, King Yan laughed. "Great Daoist Brush Master, I stand with you. Anyone who wishes to stay with me, come over. If not, I won't blame you."

All the gods near him chose to stay; no one defected.

Even the Vast God moved to the Great Daoist Brush Master's side.

Seeing that, the black-robed man's face darkened. "How bold!"

"Hahaha!" The Great Daoist Brush Master laughed. "Ye Guan, you really think you can defeat me using the Temple of the Gods? You're underestimating me!"

Swoosh!

The Great Daoist Brush Master's fleshly body erupted into flames.

Ye Guan's eyelids twitched.He's going all out.

The Great Daoist Brush Master spread his palm, and a Dao seal shot toward the heavens.

"Those willing to assist me... I will owe you a favor!"

Boom!

The cosmic starry river trembled, and countless terrifying auras moved at breakneck speeds to reach the Great Daoist Brush Master. The weakest among them were far beyond the Divine Realm.

A middle-aged man in white robes descended, and he was exuding an invincible aura.

Everyone present was shocked, including the black-robed man.

"Main God!" The black-robed man solemnly said. Then, he bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings."

The Main God was one of the highest powers in the Temple of the Gods. The black-robed man was stunned. The Great Daoist Brush Master actually knew someone like him?

He was doomed.

He had offended someone he couldn't afford to offend.

Ye Guan pointed at the Great Daoist Brush Master. "You're breaking the rules here! Father said I couldn't call family, and you couldn't call your old allies. You're actually breaking that promise?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master replied, "I never broke it. These people came on their own. I don't actually know them. If you're unhappy, you can do the same. But I doubt anyone would help you without your family ties!"

"All right." Ye Guan smiled. "You want to play? Let's play!"

"Sure, let's play!" the Great Daoist Brush Master roared, "I didn't break the agreement. As long as you don't call your family, anything goes! C'mere, let's play!"

Just then, Ye Guan looked and bowed respectfully.

"Uncle, I humbly ask for your assistance."

As soon as his words fell, a resonant sword cry pierced the skies. Moments later, a swordsman dressed in a cloud-patterned white robe tore through the air and descended upon them.

"Ye Guan!" the Great Daoist Brush Master roared, "You're breaking the rules!"

Ye Guan stared at him and replied, "My uncle, the Unfettered Swordsman, isn't surnamed Yang nor is he surnamed Ye. He has no blood relations to me whatsoever. Does he count as family, then?"

The Great Daoist Brush Master had no idea what to say.

The Main God at the side suddenly said, "A mere swordsman is no big deal. Great Daoist Brush Master, allow me to kill him for you!"