I Have A Sword-Chapter 1687: Burn

The moment the power of all living beings surged forth, the gate of hell shattered. However, this wasn't even one-tenth of the full force of all living beings. Despite that, this hell could no longer endure it.

Outside, Qin Guan broke into a smile. Her tightly clenched fists slowly relaxed, and her face lit up once again.

Beside her, Apo's expression had never been more solemn.

The karmic power of all living beings... that kind of power...

Thanks to Ye Guan's feat of becoming a Quadruple Circle Breaker as well as his terrifying attainments in the Sword Dao, Apo had actually forgotten one crucial thing. Ye Guan cultivated Order, and Order was tied to all living beings.

He could draw upon the faith of the masses.

Less than one-tenth of that faith power destroyed the gate of hell that their ancestor had painstakingly crafted a long time ago.

Apo stared at Ye Guan with a deep gaze. He finally understood that this man would most likely become the master of this era.

Beside him, Qin Guan was still smiling, but her heart felt heavy. All growth is forged through suffering. She wanted Ye Guan to grow strong, but she also wished he could live a happy, carefree life...

That was just how parents are. They wanted their children to suffer less, even though they knew suffering was inevitable.

Ye Guan waved his right hand, and all the faith power vanished.

He closed his eyes. Beside him, Fu Wu quietly withdrew her hand.

Moments later, Ye Guan opened his eyes. Within them, billions of souls flashed by in an instant.

Responsibility!

He finally understood that he was bound to have a heavy responsibility on his shoulders the moment he decided to walk down the path of Order. There was no escape and only commitment.

Ye Guan reined in his thoughts and turned to Fu Wu with a smile. "Thank you."

Fu Wu nodded, saying nothing.

Looking at the now-ruined hell world, Ye Guan said, "Miss Fu Wu, let's go."

This place was now broken and no longer fit for cultivation.

The two left and returned to face Qin Guan and Apo. Ye Guan looked at Qin Guan and said, "Mother, I want to take a look at Ascension Battles Road."

Qin Guan smiled. "It's about time. Coincidentally, there's a competition going on over there... full of young talents."

Ye Guan waved his hands quickly. "I'm not participating."

Qin Guan chuckled. "Don't you want to see the most monstrous young prodigies of the Origin Universe?"

Ye Guan smiled. "I'm happy to spectate, but I'll leave the fighting to them."

Qin Guan nodded. "Alright."

Ye Guan turned to Fu Wu. "Would you like to come with me, Miss Fu Wu?"

Fu Wu nodded.

After they left, Qin Guan said, "Men."

A black-robed figure appeared behind her.

Qin Guan said, "Start it."

The figure silently withdrew.

***

The Ascension Battles Road stretched out like a vast celestial road through the starry region. It was tens of thousands of feet wide and extended straight to the edge of the universe.

Powerful cultivators from countless civilizations were gathered around it.

Today marked the once-a-decade "Ascension Battles Road" contest of the Origin Universe. The so-called Ascension Battles Road wasn't just a martial competition; it was a battle of Great Daos.

The Ascension Battles Road was said to be the end of the vast expanse and the peak of martial cultivation. Whoever could walk the farthest on this path was deemed to have the strongest Great Dao. Every decade, the Origin Universe held a grand competition here, with the participants being the most terrifying young talents from every major civilization.

To walk the Ascension Battles Road was to walk the ultimate path of martial cultivation.

Who wouldn't want to take a few more steps down that path, maybe even reach the end?

The Ascension Battles Road contest had no strict entry limits, so anyone from the younger generation could participate. As a result, each Ascension Battles Road contest was incredibly lively. Every civilization, large or small, would send its finest. Even those who hadn't yet reached the Divine Spirit Civilization rank came, hoping to gain fortune through performance.

This time, the event was even more spectacular, as the Immortal Treasures Pavilion hosted it. The one who would walk the farthest would be awarded three Supreme artifacts, a million Star Core Crystals, and the title of Number One Young Cultivator.

Every prize was unimaginably tempting.

In addition, anyone who made it into the top thousand would also receive generous rewards from Immortal Treasures Pavilion. The lowest reward? An Ancestral Civilization Weapon, and this was unheard of in past tournaments.

So this year's event had become the most competitive in history. Every young cultivator with any power had shown up. They didn't expect to win first place, but top thousand? That seemed doable. Everyone thought they had a shot.

When Ye Guan and Fu Wu arrived, they were stunned by the massive crowds. Ye Guan hadn't expected it to be this grand.

Surrounding the Ascension Battles Road, the Immortal Treasures Pavilion had constructed luxurious viewing halls for spectators.

Among them, two halls stood out. They were towering, magnificent, and positioned far above the others.

They were the Immortal Treasures Hall and the Guanxuan Hall.

Some observant individuals were confused. The prominence of the Immortal Treasures Hall was understandable; they were the event's sponsors. But why did Guanxuan Domain receive such special treatment when the other three Supreme Divine Civilizations certainly hadn't received anything like that?

Could there be some... unusual relationship between the Immortal Treasures Pavilion and the Guanxuan Domain?

Since the competition wouldn't begin until the next day, Ye Guan took Fu Wu to browse the marketplace established by Immortal Treasures Pavilion. This marketplace was recently established. Though profit wasn't the only goal, it served as a massive hub for inter-civilization trade.

Here, you could buy and sell anything. If you had money, you could even purchase Supreme Grade artifacts.

The marketplace had twelve levels, each able to accommodate tens of thousands of figures.

As Ye Guan and Fu Wu entered, a middle-aged man quickly approached and bowed. "Young Pavilion Master, Miss Fu Wu, I'm Li Shang, head of this trading hall. If there's anything you need..."

Ye Guan smiled. "We're just looking around."

Li Shang bowed again and quietly stepped back, but he didn't leave. Instead, he respectfully followed from a hidden distance, staying out of sight.

Li Shang.

Ye Guan and Fu Wu didn't think much of him, but if someone else were here, they would be shocked. Li Shang wasn't just an elder of the inner circle in Immortal Treasures Pavilion; he managed nearly one-tenth of its entire commerce network.

His personal strength wasn't overwhelming, but his authority was terrifying. Just one signature from him had once approved a major loan to the Stellar Civilization back then.

As for Qin Guan... She wouldn't even be informed about deals below a hundred million star core crystals. The threshold was that high.

Very few knew what it meant when Qin Guan personally visited the Stellar Civilization. All that mattered was the fact that the Stellar Civilization's value skyrocketed afterward. After all, everything from that civilization was automatically greenlit by the Immortal Treasures Pavilion.

Li Shang followed respectfully behind Ye Guan and Fu Wu, never speaking, never interfering, and always bowing. However, the two never acknowledged him.

This world was cruel. Many "great figures" who looked glamorous on the surface were, in truth, incredibly cautious and almost servile in the presence of truly powerful people.

Right now, Li Shang knew that Ye Guan was kind and approachable, a genuinely good person. However, he also knew that a single casual remark from this "approachable" young master could ruin him forever.

So what could he do? Be humble. Even more humble.

Ye Guan had noticed Li Shang's attitude. He remained silent.

Change? He knew it couldn't be changed.

This culture was etched in the people's bones, and it wouldn't vanish.

Was that wrong? Not exactly. Everyone just wanted to survive. To live a little better. However, he was worried about what was going to happen to the future generations of the Yang Family if they were born into this environment.

If they grew up surrounded by people treating them like this, would they come to see it as wrong and unnatural? Or... would they see it as normal? Would they believe the world ought to treat them that way?

Ye Guan shook his head. No point thinking about that now. He had bigger worries, like whether he'd survive the battle ahead.

"Stellar Civilization!"

Suddenly, a shocked cry echoed through the hall.

Everyone turned toward the entrance.

There, a man and a woman entered, surrounded by a crowd.

Ye Guan looked over and froze.

It was Mu Xingchen and Mu Xinghe.

People surrounded them, many of them top-tier talents from Divine Spirit Civilizations.

The Stellar Civilization was in its golden age. With the support of the Immortal Treasures Pavilion, they were now on the verge of breaking through the limits of their entire civilization.

But more importantly, everyone knew Mu Xingchen and Mu Xinghe were life-and-death companions of Ye Guan.

And that meant... endless opportunity. If you could so much as get a meeting with Ye Guan through them...

In this world, even the tiniest connection could change your fate.

Just then, Mu Xingchen suddenly exploded. Her fists clenched. She stomped down hard, cracking the floor, and roared, "You people are the worst! When our Stellar Civilization was so poor we couldn't even afford food, you didn't help us, you mocked us!

"But now that we've found an amazing big brother, you're all flocking to us again... Y-you all...!"

She pointed at the crowd, trembling with rage. "If Big Brother finds out we're using his name to gain favors, he's gonna hate us... And if he hates us, we'll have to take out loans again just to train... Aaaaarghhh... Stellar Civilization... can just burn?!"

Boom!

Just then, countless stars streaked toward the hall.

Everyone was at a loss for words.