The moment the black-robed man realized that his own Great Dao couldn't suppress Ye Guan's, a flicker of seriousness finally flashed across his eyes. Until now, he had underestimated this young swordsman. But now, it was clear that the Great Dao Dao cultivated by Ye Guan was on par with, if not equal to, his own. He had met his match. Abandoning all thoughts of contempt, the black-robed man took a single step forward and in that instant, his figure vanished from sight. The very moment he disappeared, the spacetime surrounding Ye Guan split open with a deafening crack. From the rift, chains engraved with ancient runes surged forth, charging toward Ye Guan with terrifying speed. Seeing this, Ye Guan remained calm. With a flick of his wrist, sword light erupted as the two forces collided, resulting in a deafening explosion. Not far off, beside Jun You, Jun Yan muttered gravely, "In a while, Nan Xiao and the others will return. We can't afford to waste any more time..." Jun You narrowed his eyes. "Then we strike all at once." At his command, the elites of the Jun Clan and those brought by the black-robed man surged forward, charging towards Ye GUan. It was a full-scale gang fight. Yet, in the distance, Ye Guan roared with laughter. "What's there to fear even if you come at me together?" With one dazzling stroke, he knocked back the Main God Realm Elites. Then, with a sudden horizontal sweep, sword light flashed, and the group of Jun Clan Elites was flung into the air like rag dolls, the foremost of them slain on the spot. Panic gripped the elites, and s the realization hit them all at once. A swordsman, and his strength was comparable to a Main God, at that. Ye Guan stood tall amidst the chaos, sword in hand, like a jade tree in the wind - graceful, unyielding, commanding. He turned toward the black-robed man still watching from afar, his eyes glowing with excitement. "Why are you holding back? Come, give it everything you've got! Let me feel that sense of 'danger' again. I've missed it for far too long." Zong Xin remained silent. The black-robed man glared at Ye Guan. "I've truly underestimated you. Using invincibility to your benefit and going to such extremes, you truly are..." Ye Guan said nothing. He simply took a deep breath and murmured softly to himself. "Sang Mei was right... Life must be a constant challenge. We need to keep pushing ourselves through the pain. This feeling of invincibility, it's exhilarating, yes, but it still feels like something's missing..." Zong Xin suddenly interjected, "Hey, I heard from Little Pagoda that you used to only stay suave for three days. Is that true?" Before Ye Guan could even glare at him, the black-robed man raised his hand as a black talisman slowly took shape in the middle of his palm. It was a Supreme Dao artifact! The black-robed man slowly closed his eyes as the talisman ignited, and in the same moment, the spacetime around Ye Guan warped grotesquely, transforming into a blazing inferno of hellish fire. But Ye Guan didn't flinch. He leveled his sword, and with a smooth motion, brilliant sword light surged out in a protective arc. "Extinguish it!" the black-robed man roared from a distance. The burning talisman erupted, transforming into a ferocious firestorm that howled through the heavens, bearing down on Ye Guan. Wherever the fire passed, spacetime unraveled, unable to withstand its destructive force. Ye Guan met it head-on, thrusting his sword forward directly into the heart of the oncoming fire. At that moment, the flaming talisman erupted with a powerful Dao force. Combined with the black-robed man's own Dao, the two merged, forming a dual-layered Dao force. Man and the Supreme Dao artifact had become one! The power released by this fusion far surpassed that of an ordinary Main God Realm Elite. Waves of terrifying Dao energy surged forth like an unstoppable tsunami, crashing toward Ye Guan. His sword light, radiant and resolute, began to flicker, then started to disintegrate bit by bit under the relentless pressure. A divine item, like a Supreme Dao artifact, was, in essence, akin to a Main God. And when wielded by the very person who had refined it, its true might was fully unleashed. At that moment, even Ye Guan's indomitable sword intent began to buckle. But then, his eyes closed. In that stillness, something changed. The black-robed man's face twisted in horror. Ye Guan's sword had slipped through his Supreme Dao artifact like a ghost, appearing directly before him, deadly and unstoppable. His Supreme Dao artifact had been frozen in place, as if bound by an unseen force, completely unable to react. Before anyone could react, the black-robed man staggered backward, again and again. Each step he took was soaked in disbelief. On his chest, a thin, gleaming line of sword light flickered ominously. The Jun Clan elites stood frozen, eyes wide with shock. Did... did he just get killed? Only Jun You, the leader of the Jun Clan elites, remained calm. Her composure acted like an anchor as the other Jun Clan elites saw her unshaken, they too forced themselves to steady, resisting panic. Not far away, Ye Guan looked up at the black-robed man. Beneath the man's torn robes gleamed a suit of golden armor, and etched across its surface was a deep, unmistakable sword scar. It was a Supreme Dao artifact! Ye Guan's brows furrowed slightly. "This guy's loaded... definitely not of some average background," he thought. His gaze shifted toward the still-calm Jun You. Something was off with that woman, he could not let his guard down. "How is that possible!" The black-robed man stared at Ye Guan in disbelief. "Your sword actually delayed my time... Your Dao of Time is suppressing mine?" Ye Guan looked away from Jun You and back at him, smiling faintly. "Clad in Supreme Dao artifacts from head to toe... You're filthy rich, unlike me. I've only got one pagoda and one sword." The black-robed man's tone turned cold. "Equipment is part of strength. Just because you don't have it doesn't mean others can't use it." Ye Guan nodded. "Fair point." As the black-robed man's fists slowly clenched, a terrifying aura surged from him, enveloping Ye Guan. He was just about to strike again when suddenly, the sky in the distance split open. In the next instant, a thunderous voice boomed across the battlefield. "Who the hell dares to lay a hand on my Brother Ye!" A figure ripped through the spacetime like a bolt of lightning, descending upon the scene with earth-shaking presence. A group of elites was behind him. Apart from that, Qu Jin had also brought his personal guard to the scene, followed closely by Ge Han. Together, these groups surrounded the Jun Clan's elites. Seeing the scene unfold, the expressions of the Jun Clan elites darkened. But more than anything, they were gripped by fear. They finally realized what they were doing—they were staging a rebellion... They all looked towards their leader, Jun You. But she stood there calm as ever, steady like a mountain, showing no sign of panic. Nan Xiao, having confirmed Ye Guan was unharmed, finally heaved a sigh of relief. Soon after, his face twisted with fury. Turning towards Jun You in the distance, he roared, "How dare the Jun Clan rebel!" The word crashed like thunder as panic instantly spread among the Jun Clan Elites, instantly turning pale. All except Jun You, who still stood firm, untouched by fear. At that moment, Qu Jin stepped up beside Nan Xiao, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the black-robed man in the distance. "Something's wrong." Nan Xiao fell silent. He shared the same thought. For Jun You to take such a risk, she was either insane or had a terrifying ace up her sleeve. And he didn't think that she was insane. Jun You slowly stepped forward, her gaze settling on Ye Guan beside Nan Xiao. "I knew you were strong. But I never expected you to be this strong. That... was surprising." ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩 Ye Guan met her gaze. "You're probably quite strong as well." Jun You smiled, but didn't respond to the compliment. "Ye Guan, my Jun Clan and initially had nothing against you..." But Ye Guan casually raised a hand to cut her off. "Miss Jun You, things have already come this far. Let's cut to the chase. For you to pull such a daring move, you definitely must have a trump card. So stop wasting time and show me what you have got!" "Something's wrong!" Qu Jin suddenly shouted. Everyone turned toward him. His eyes were locked on Jun You, his expression grave. "I just got word that a group of elites has forced their way into the Temple of the Gods City. They're headed straight for us." A heavy silence fell as shock rippled through the Divine Hall's elites. Elites forcefully invading the Temple of the Gods City? Could the Jun Clan truly be staging a full-scale rebellion? It didn't make sense! When did the Jun Clan become this powerful? Nan Xiao glared at Jun You. "Did you ally with another force?" He understood one thing clearly - the Jun Clan alone couldn't possibly challenge the Temple of the Gods. That could only mean that they had allied with a powerful backer. Ge Han shouted from far away. The moment he spoke, the surrounding space trembled as a group of guards appeared, sealing off the surroundings. Even those who had been in retreat appeared, rushing toward the scene with grim resolve. Qu Jin didn't hesitate either. He summoned every imperial guard under his command, including those previously in retreat or seclusion. At that moment, waves of terrifying auras suddenly descended from the sky, rolling toward them like a tidal wave. The battlefield fell into a tense hush, the crowd's eyes full of disbelief. Something wasn't right here! Among those auras, they could clearly sense the presence of at least three elites comparable to a Main God. How was that possible? Moments later, a squad of black-robed figures appeared, silently taking formation behind the black-robed man who had battled Ye Guan. Each one stood tall and motionless like spears, emanating a sharp, oppressive killing intent. Nan Xiao glared at the black-robed leader. "You dare stage an open rebellion? This is—" However, the man cut him off with a single word. "Reveal!" With a swift gesture, he and his followers ripped off their robes, revealing what lay beneath - identical suits of dark-gold battle armor. They were all Dao Artifacts. The leader stepped forward, pulling out a command token."I am Xiao Yuan, Head Commander of the Temple of the Gods' Divine Guards. By order of the Hall Master, we are conducting cross-regional enforcement. We are here to apprehend the blasphemer Ye Guan. Anyone who interferes will be executed on the spot!" The battlefield fell deathly silent.
