I Have a Sword

Deep within a remote void, Ye Qingqing stood, sword in hand. Her face, as cold as ice, warned strangers to stay away. Her skirt fluttered despite the lack of wind, and her sword emitted a faint hum.

Opposite her stood Ji Xiaojian and Cang Wu; she was fighting against two opponents by herself.

Ji Xiaojian and Cang Wu looked serious. Moments earlier, they had exchanged dozens of blows with her but still couldn't gain the upper hand against her.

Something was off...

They were unmatched outside the Ascension World. They often fought in Ascension Battles, constantly putting their lives on the line. Those risky battles had honed their skills and Dao beyond the average cultivator in the Path Creation Realm.

However, the strength of Ye Qingqing was astonishing. The crucial point was that she had not fought an Ascension Battle before. With her strength, she would have been famous if she had.

Cang Wu suddenly said, "She hasn't used her full strength yet."

Ji Xiaojian remained silent. They had used all their strength and still couldn't force the lady in a black skirt to go all out.

Have independent cultivators outside become this powerful?

At this moment, Cang Wu stepped forward, "Let me see how strong you really are."

With that, he clenched his right hand and punched towards Ye Qingqing from a distance.

Boom!

A giant fist imprint shot towards Ye Qingqing like thunder, the powerful energy shattering the surrounding spacetime.

Cang Wu was a Physique Cultivator, so every punch and move that he made contained the Great Dao that he had created.

Faced with Cang Wu's terrifying punch, Ye Qingqing's expression remained as calm as water. She raised her hand and slashed out with her sword.

Bang!

The sword slash stopped the fist imprint in mid-air, cracking it like a spider web.

But at that moment, Cang Wu suddenly charged towards Ye Qingqing like lightning, punching straight at her face.

Ye Qingqing raised her hand and slashed again in a simple and straightforward manner.

Bang!

With this sword strike, fist light shattered, and Cang Wu was thrown back kilometers. As he stopped, his body suddenly became illusory. In an instant, a shadow flashed through the field, followed by a devastating force charging at Ye Qingqing.

Ye Qingqing's eyes flashed with disdain. She moved her wrist and slashed fiercely with her sword.

Boom!

Another fist light shattered, and Cang Wu was thrown back kilometers again.

After stopping, Cang Wu looked at Ye Qingqing in the distance, full of shock.

Ye Qingqing glanced lightly at Cang Wu and Ji Xiaojian, "Both of you, come at me together!"

With that, her figure trembled and she turned into a flash of sword light, charging towards them.

Cang Wu and Ji Xiaojian exchanged glances before disappearing simultaneously.

And just like that, the battle resumed...

***

A black palace hovered like a colossal beast in the starry sky of an unknown star field.

The black palace was one of the Evil Dao Alliance's Evil Dao Halls.

There were ten Evil Dao Halls; the first hall was the strongest and most mysterious, as it was the headquarters of the Evil Dao Alliance. Only a few top elites of the alliance were aware of its location.

The hall before them was the Tenth Hall, and it was being protected by Path Creation Realm elites.

Master Yue and the Evil Granny stood respectfully inside the hall.

In the first seat sat a middle-aged man in a dark ink-colored robe, long hair draped over his shoulders. His pupils were dark red, with a drop of blood between his brows. He was the Tenth Hall Master

He was looking at a scroll before him, occasionally making notes with a brush.

Master Yue and the others dared not speak, waiting silently.

After some time, the Tenth Hall Master put down the scroll and said, "Five Path Creation Realm elites failed to kill one in the Divine Dao Realm.”

He glanced at Master Yue and the others and sighed, "You really surprised me."

Master Yue's face darkened, and the others dared not speak. Master Yue hesitated and said, "Tenth Hall Master, the person behind Ye Guan is extraordinary."

The Tenth Hall Master said calmly, "When five of you attacked him, did the person behind him make a move?"

Master Yue remained silent.

Honestly, he was also shocked because he did not expect Ye Guan's combat power to be so terrifying, being able to fight against the five of them for so long.

The Tenth Hall Master picked up a scroll and opened it. "Tell me more about that lady in a black skirt," he said.

Master Yue quickly replied, "We don't know her real name, but we do know she's one of Ye Guan's aunts..."

The Tenth Hall Master raised an eyebrow. "One of them?"

Master Yue nodded. "Ye Guan has quite a few aunts, around five or six."

"Are they all as strong as that lady in a black skirt?"

Master Yue responded seriously, "Actually, the situation is a bit odd."

The Tenth Hall Master paused his writing and looked at Master Yue, who continued, "I've done some digging. This swordsman once fought numerous forces in the Time River to protect Ye Guan. The opponents she faced back then were much weaker, below the Divine Dao Realm. But now, her strength has skyrocketed to the point where she can contend with Supreme Daoists. The speed of her power growth is rather shocking."

The Tenth Hall Master resumed writing. "She must have been hiding her true strength."

"I suspect the same, though I don't know why she would do that."

The Tenth Hall Master suddenly stopped and said, "The Time River... As far as I know, isn't Clan Leader Jing there as well?"

Master Yue nodded slightly. "Yes."

The Tenth Hall Master's expression turned thoughtful. "Is Clan Leader Jing the one backing Ye Guan?"

"No, actually, they've had conflicts in the past."

The Tenth Hall Master's tension eased, and he nodded slightly. "Good, it's better that way."

"Wait," the Tenth Hall Master noticed a certain keyword and asked, "They had conflicts in the past?"

Master Yue explained, "Yes, but Clan Leader Jing suddenly stopped targeting Ye Guan later on."

The Tenth Hall Master pondered this for a moment. "As long as she doesn't ally with Ye Guan, that's all that matters."

Master Yue hesitated before asking, "Tenth Hall Master, who exactly is Clan Leader Jing?"

The Tenth Hall Master replied, "She uses her humanity to suppress her divinity.”

Master Yue's eyes widened in shock.

The Tenth Hall Master spoke softly, "Years ago, our alliance sent the Second Hall Master to the Time River to invite her to join us, but she refused. They even fought, and eventually, the Second Hall Master left and ordered all Hall Masters to give way if they encountered her."

Master Yue was astounded. Second Hall Master! Even Ninth Hall Master was a legendary figure to him. Damn!Are there really that many powerful beings in the Time River? No wonder Ye Guan is so extraordinary.

The Tenth Hall Master suddenly said, "Tell me more about Ye Guan."

Master Yue gathered his thoughts and continued, "From what we know, the most powerful person behind Ye Guan is not that lady in a black skirt, but a mysterious lady in a plain skirt."

"Oh?” The Tenth Hall Master showed some interest. "Are you saying that she's stronger than that lady in a black skirt?"

Master Yue nodded. "I believe so."

"You believe?"

Master Yue nodded again. "The lady in a plain skirt rarely appears, but whenever she does, she never needs a second. She sometimes asks her victims something like this, 'Where do you live? Point it out.'”

The Tenth Hall Master paused and asked, "And then?"

Master Yue replied, "Then, she'll destroy their home."

The Tenth Hall Master was momentarily stunned, and then he laughed. "Interesting, very interesting... Now I'm eager to meet her myself."

Master Yue hesitated before saying, "She's not someone to be taken lightly...”

"From what you've said, she does seem quite capable." The Tenth Hall Master chuckled before resuming his writing.

Seeing that, Master Yue hesitated and then added, "We shouldn't underestimate the lady in a plain skirt..."

The Tenth Hall Master calmly said, "Did I underestimate her? I just said I wanted to meet her. Do you think I'm not qualified to fight her?"

Master Yue quickly responded, "I didn't mean that..."

The Tenth Hall Master picked up his pen and wrote something, then said, "The lady in a plain skirt?"

He placed his pen on the table and chuckled. "Master Yue, I understand your caution. After all, you haven't seen the broader world and universe. It's normal to have a sense of reverence. But you don't understand. Swordsmen from lower universes are nothing but a joke to me."

Master Yue kept his head down, saying nothing.

"It's not arrogance. In my life, I've experienced countless life-and-death battles. The number of swordsmen I've encountered is in the millions..." said the Tenth Hall Master with a smile. He clenched his right hand into a fist and gently raised it, smiling. "Swordsman like that plain-skirt lady? I could kill three with one punch!"

Coca and Corlumbus's Thoughts

Just another idiot waiting to be killed.