Several dozen meters away to the right, an elderly man wearing a large robe approached with a staff in hand. He had snow-white hair and an intimidating icy gaze.

"Young Master Ye, that's Gu Su, the second Palace Master of the Dao Market," Old Zhao explained.

Ye Guan's brows furrowed. "How many Palace Masters does the Dao Market have?"

"Just three."

"Not too many, then." Ye Guan chuckled.

As Gu Su drew nearer, he looked at the Qingxuan Sword. The danger he could sense coming from it made him wary.

"Who are you?" Gu Su asked.

"Shouldn't you know who I am? The Dao Market wants to kill me, after all."

With a deep frown, Gu Su turned to Dao Ran. "This man has a deep grudge against the Dao Market. What is the issue?"

"He openly killed in the Dao Market and slaughtered four of our Dao Generals."

Gu Su's gaze grew colder as he looked back at Ye Guan.

Before Gu Su could speak, Ye Guan waved his hand dismissively. He couldn’t be bothered to explain the situation to this old man.

"I'm not in the mood to debate right and wrong with you. Erya!"

Upon hearing her name, Erya emerged from the tiny pagoda. Clad in her usual attire, she licked the hawthorn candy in her hand.

Erya initially seemed harmless. However, the next moment, she charged at Gu Su.

In that instant, Gu Su's expression changed drastically. He could sense an overwhelming force bearing down on him, making it hard to breathe. Reacting swiftly, he clenched his fist and struck Erya.

Boom!

The thunderous roar threw Gu Su hundreds of meters away.

A massive black hole had materialized in front of Erya.

Everyone was dumbfounded, especially Dao Ren. After all, Gu Su was an elite Divine Dao Realm cultivator with fifty percent divinity, yet he had been sent flying with a single blow.

What on earth just happened?

Gu Su himself was bewildered. He didn't expect the girl before him to overpower him.

Impossible!

Shock filled Gu Su's eyes.

As Erya prepared to strike again, Little White suddenly flew to her side, her small paw moving rapidly.

Erya licked her hawthorn candy once more, nodded, and unclenched her fist.

At that moment, Little White waved her paw, and the array spirit beside her sprang into action. Soon, the black vortex's terrifying power surged toward Gu Su.

Gu Su's expression shifted drastically. Why would the Dao Slaughter Array turn against its own people?

He had been in seclusion since he had stepped down from his position. Hence, he had been oblivious to the Dao Market's current affairs.

With a wave of his sleeve, Gu Su summoned an energy shield in front of him.

Boom!

However, the attack easily shattered his defenses and blasted him backward.

Dao Ran's face darkened. Unfortunately, just as he tried to retreat, a sword light loomed over him. Alarmed, he quickly threw a punch and unleashed terrifying soul energy.

His efforts proved futile. The moment his soul energy touched the Qingxuan Sword, it dissipated like snow dropped in boiling oil. Now, Dao Ran could only stand frozen in place.

Hiss!

The Qingxuan Sword pierced in between Dao Ran's brows, pinning him in place.

"Stop!" Gu Su roared in anger.

Ye Guan swung his sword, and Dao Ran's soul was absorbed into the Qingxuan Sword. He then silently pocketed Dao Ran's storage ring and turned to Gu Su. "Who do you think you are?"

"You!" Gu Su erupted in fury. He was once the master of the Dao Market. No one dared disrespect him.

I will not allow a young sword cultivator to openly insult me in public!

Stepping forward, Gu Su summoned a colossal statue of a god behind him, which seemingly made the entire galaxy boil.

Ye Guan turned to Erya. "Your turn."

Erya licked her hawthorn candy and confidently jumped ahead. She dashed to the front of the statue and punched it.

Gu Su roared in anger, making the statue meet Erya's attack with a punch of its own.

Boom!

A terrifying shockwave spread. The divine statue was continuously pushed back by the impact.

Gu Su's eyes widened in disbelief. "This..."

Ye Guan was also somewhat shocked by Erya's astonishing strength. At that moment, he realized that no matter how strong he became, Erya remained just as powerful.

Has she been hiding her strength all this time?

The statue came to a halt. It was now somewhat illusory, which made Gu Su panic. Erya's strength was unbelievably overwhelming.

Having realized that the strength of these people before them was extraordinarily powerful, the Dao Market's elites also wore extremely ugly expressions now. They had thought that they were only dealing with easy targets; they had never expected their opponents to be so tough.

After pushing back the divine statue, Erya charged and threw another punch at Gu Su.

Boom!

As the statue crumbled, Gu Su suddenly turned to Shen Ye. "Shen Ye, do you remember me?"

Shen Ye's brows furrowed.

Meanwhile, Ye Guan signaled Erya to stop. He then gazed at Shen Ye.

Shen Ye sighed. "We were acquaintances, but we never established deep relations."

Understanding Ye Guan's temperament, Shen Ye knew that if Gu Su had approached without hostility, perhaps there would have been room for reconciliation.

"You're siding with these people? What did my Dao Market do to offend you?"

"Your Dao Market didn't offend me, Gu Su."

Gu Su's expression darkened. It seemed it was his own Dao Market's greed that had caused this disaster.

After a moment's hesitation, Gu Su turned to Ye Guan. He had to swallow his pride and acknowledge their superior strength.

"Young Master Ye, can we settle this matter amicably?"

However, Ye Guan glanced at Shen Ye and smiled. "You were once a friend of Senior Shen Ye, so I can let you off. However, I must clean the Dao Market up."

After a moment of silence, Shen Ye stepped beside Ye Guan. "Leave, Gu Su."

Although their friendship had faded over the years, Shen Ye still chose to help Gu Su. After all, one should always lend a hand when possible, be it when dealing with humans or monsters. Sometimes, being too pragmatic wasn't ideal.

Gu Su's expression soured.

"Go!" Shen Ye shouted.

After a brief silence, Gu Su remarked, "Shen Ye, you should understand that there's more to the Dao Market than meets the eye."

Shen Ye remained silent.

Gu Su glanced at Ye Guan. "Your goal is probably to swallow up all the assets of the Dao Market, Young Master Ye. Forgive me for being blunt, but you will probably fail to swallow it all. Behind the Dao Market—"

"Are you leaving or not?" Ye Guan interrupted.

Gu Su froze.

After a moment's hesitation, Shen Ye suggested, "Ye Guan, perhaps it's wise to hear what he has to say about the forces behind the Dao Market. It'll give us a better understanding of our enemy and prevent any surprises."

Ye Guan pondered for a moment. He then nodded. "Alright. I'm all ears."

Shen Ye smiled subtly, acknowledging Ye Guan's respect.

In the distance, Gu Su continued, "Behind the Dao Market are the Demon Clan of the Ancient Wilderness and the Zhen Clan..."

He looked at Ye Guan.

Ye Guan's brows furrowed slightly. "Is that all?"

"Isn't that enough?"

"Understood. You may leave."

Demon Clan and Zhen Clan were two of the strongest superpowers.

Gu Su cleared his throat. "Again, Young Master Ye, the Dao Market is backed by the Demon Clan of the Ancient Wilderness and the Zhen Clan—”

"Yes, you've already told me that."

Gu Su's expression stiffened.

He remains indifferent even after learning about that?

Shen Ye glanced at Ye Guan with a grave expression, realizing that Ye Guan might truly not care.

Previously, he had concerns, but now...

With a glance at Erya and Little White in the distance, a complex expression flashed in Shen Ye's eyes. These two clearly stood behind Ye Guan.

A Spirit Progenitor and an Evil Beast.

What sort of family could raise such powerful individuals?

No, what kind of family could allow such beings to follow Ye Guan?

T/N's: I am wondering how Gu Su would have a chance to reconcile when Ye Guan called Erya out to fight him. If I was an old man, I would be very offended if a young man said he wasn't in the mood to talk to me.

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