I Have A Sword

Gu Pan walked up to his true body.

The two stood face to face.

The true body said, "Let's merge..."

Gu Pan smiled. "Wait a moment. Let me break this seal first."

With that, he waved his sleeve, and a terrifying power surged out from within him.

"No!"

The true body was shocked and pale with fear, but it was already too late.

Thud!

Before Gu Pan could even react, a mysterious force suppressed him, forcing him to kneel on the ground.

Gu Pan was stunned.

He clenched his fists tightly, trying to resist, but his strength vanished without a trace...

Gu Pan was completely bewildered. He trembled and asked, "Why has that monk's seal become so strong?"

The true body was furious. "Quit the crap and merge our memories!"

He had the avatar's memories, but the avatar didn't have the true body's memories. Gu Pan nodded in a daze. Once their memories were merged, Gu Pan finally understood everything...

The true body said, "Go and look for Brother Ye!"

Brother Ye...The avatar hesitated. "I told him I don't need his help, so it's a bit embarrassing to go there and ask for his help."

The true body barked, "Is this the time to worry about pride?! Besides Brother Ye, no one can undo this seal. Go!"

Gu Pan was still reluctant. "Give me a hundred years, I'll definitely break it!"

The true body was dumbfounded.

He wanted to curse, but then he realized that wouldn't he be cursing himself? He forced down his rage and said, "This seal was placed by Brother Ye's aunt. Without him, no one can break it. Stop talking nonsense and go!"

At last, Gu Pan finally set off to find Ye Guan...

***

The powerful members of the Celestial Clan were brimming with excitement.

They had obtained over a hundred Immortal artifacts! Over a hundred! The overall strength of their entire clan had risen by several levels!

Furthermore, Tian Lian and Tian Yan had each obtained Emperor artifacts, divine objects far beyond the scope of their civilization.

In a rear garden, Ye Guan was walking side by side with Tian Lian.

Tian Lian wore a long gown of soft ink-grey. Her figure was graceful, and her presence was both elegant and serene.

"You're leaving?" Tian Lian suddenly asked.

Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."

Tian Lian turned to look at him. "You're the leader of the Celestial Clan."

Ye Guan opened his palm, and the Celestial Clan's Clan Leader Token floated over to Tian Lian. "From now on, you are the Clan Leader."

Tian Lian remained silent.

Ye Guan smiled. "Lady Tian Lian, I truly appreciate the help your clan has given me. If the Celestial Clan ever needs my help in the future, just say the word."

Tian Lian suddenly asked, "I heard from You Lian that you plan to open an academy?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Yes."

Tian Lian looked at him. "Why not open it in the Celestial World?"

Ye Guan shook his head.

Tian Lian asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Ye Guan thought for a moment before saying, "Lady Lian, my academy is meant to establish a new Order. If I build it here, it will inevitably conflict with the Celestial World in the future, and that's something I don't want to see."

Tian Lian was silent.

Ye Guan added, "Of course, I hope that one day, all members of the Celestial Clan will willingly join the Guanxuan Academy."

Tian Lian looked at him.

Ye Guan smiled. "I mean it."

He believed that if Guanxuan Academy became strong enough, outside forces would go to great lengths to join it. To enemies, the mindset was either yield or be destroyed, but to allies, he would never use force.

If the Celestial World truly refused to join, he would respect their choice.

Tian Lian asked, "Will we meet again?"

Ye Guan smiled. "Definitely. Lady Lian, until we meet again."

With that, he hopped onto his sword and disappeared into the starry skies.

Tian Lian gazed into the distance for a long time without speaking.

Just then, Tian Yan walked up.

He said softly, "Girl, he..."

Tian Lian shook her head. "His ambition is the universe. The Celestial Clan could never hold him."

Tian Yan nodded. "True."

Tian Lian asked, "Elder, what do you think of the Guanxuan Academy?"

Tian Yan thought for a moment. "It's clear that soon, the Guanxuan Academy will become the strongest force in this universe. If we join now, it's the best time. But the clan will surely resist..."

Tian Lian nodded. "Joining now means we must obey their rules. Many in the clan won't accept that. That's why he refused my offer. He didn't want to cause discord between us."

Tian Yan said, "You're the clan leader now. You decide."

Tian Lian's eyes narrowed. "Joining now, voluntarily, is different from being forced to join later. If we join now, we can gain influence and say in the academy. If we're forced to join in the future, we'll get nothing.

"The clansmen don't see this, but as leaders, we must be able to see it. Pain now is better than regret later."

Tian Yan's eyes held admiration. "Don't worry. Whoever dares oppose you, I'll be the first to deal with them!"

Then he hesitated. "Should we make use of Young Master Ye's identity? Like, let the clan know that you and he—no offense, just that it might help solidify your authority and make other forces wary..."

Tian Lian shook her head. "No need."

Tian Yan wanted to say more.

However, Tian Lian cut him off. "Our Celestial Clan must not let him look down on us!"

Then, she turned around and left.

Tian Yan sighed softly and stayed silent.

***

Thanks to the war between the Empire and the Celestial Clan, the Empire was on high alert. The Qin Clan was living through extreme hardship in Yongrong City, as someone had leaked their connection to Ye Guan.

As a result, the Qin Clan had become a public enemy.

Their Guanxuan Academy project was forced to halt. Even worse, the surrounding industries were blatantly taken over by major forces, especially the Jun Clan, the strongest in Yongrong.

Inside the Qin Clan's grand hall, Qin Yun sat in a chair. He looked like he had aged hundreds of years, and his head was a bed of snow-white hair.

He thought the war would end soon; he never expected it to drag on this long.

He had gone all-in with his bet and left himself with no room for retreat.

All of the Qin Clan's industries were divided up by the powerful clans led by the Jun Clan, and the Qin Clan members had fled or gone their separate ways. The once-grand clan had fallen apart in a short time.

And Qin Yun had become the family's sinner.

Just then, a woman walked into the grand hall. The woman was Qin Xue.

She stepped up to him and lowered her head. "Grandfather..."

Qin Yun slowly looked at her. "You're leaving too?"

Qin Xue nodded.

The Qin Clan was now a hollow shell and a dangerous hot potato. If the Empire ended up winning the war, those associated with the Qin Clan would surely be executed.

The Empire would not tolerate traitors. She had to cut ties as soon as possible.

Qin Yun wasn't surprised. As a businessman, he knew that friendship and family ties were fragile before interests. Still, his heart ached upon realizing that the successor he had raised had chosen to leave the clan.

Qin Xue looked at the aged Qin Yun, feeling some guilt. "Grandfather..."

Qin Yun shook his head and said, "Go. I bet and lost. I accept it."

"If we had backed out sooner, we wouldn't have been in this state. But now..." Qin Xue muttered, sighing, "Take care, Grandfather."

Then, she turned around and left. She had gambled once with him and lost. She wouldn't make that mistake again. Leaving now meant survival. If she stayed and the war ended... the Qin Clan would be utterly destroyed.

Qin Xue refused to be sacrificed.

She had recently learned that the Empire had obtained support from the Zhou Clan, the Taigu Clan, and the Wu Clan. The Wu Clan once supported the Celestial Clan, but now, it had taken the Empire's side.

In other words, the Celestial Clan's fall was just a matter of time.

With Qin Xue gone, only Qin Yun remained in the Qin Clan's Estate.

He stood up slowly and entered the family's ancestral shrine. Gazing at the memorial tablets, he knelt and muttered, "Unworthy descendant Qin Yun... has brought shame upon the ancestors..."

"Qin Yun!" A voice called out from behind.

It was Jun Qin, the Jun Clan's young master. He was beaming with smug satisfaction.

Jun Qin entered the ancestral hall, looked at the aged Qin Yun, and laughed. "I didn't expect that you'd bet everything on Ye Guan. How unbelievable."

Qin Yun expressionlessly asked, "You've already taken all our family's property. What more do you want?"

Jun Qin looked around and laughed. "I just took a concubine, but she has nowhere to live. This ancestral hall would suit her nicely..."

Qin Yun stared at him. "So, you want to wipe us out completely?"

Jun Qin laughed. "Bingo! I wasn't going to do so, but my father said, 'Since we're enemies, might as well finish them, or we'll regret it later.' Hence, I came to see you off to the afterlife today."

Qin Yun sat down nearby and closed his eyes. "Are you sure that Young Master Ye will lose?"

"Hahaha!" Jun Qin laughed. "Still clinging to hope? Let me tell you, the founding ancestor of the Empire has made his appearance. Even if Ye Guan is strong, can he beat the esteemed ancestor? He must be in the afterlife by now.Hahaha!"

Qin Yun said no more.

With everyone gone, he had nothing left.

For him, death was a relief. He clenched his fists. Moments later, his fleshly body and soul began to burn.

Before he could make his move, he froze. A young swordsman was standing at the door. The young swordsman was none other than Ye Guan.