I Have A Sword-Chapter 1164: A Blade

The little girl, Zang Gang, sensed something and glanced at Ye Guan. Then, she sheathed her blade and walked away.

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After watching her disappear into the distance, Ye Guan quickly approached Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang. He said, "Brother Tao, Aunt Jiang, why are you here?"

Zhu Tao hurriedly asked, "Ye Guan, have you seen Little Xing?"

Ye Guan replied, "Come on, I'll take you to her."

He then led them into the Academy, which had become a chaotic mess.

Zhu Tao gripped his hoe tightly, and a look of fierce determination formed on his face. Although kind, he knew that being soft in such times meant death.

Along the way, they saw numerous corpses.

Zhu Tao sighed deeply and muttered, "What has become of this world?"

Soon, Ye Guan brought them to the bamboo forest where Zhu Xingran was cultivating. Seeing her parents, Zhu Xingran's face darkened slightly.

Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang heaved a sigh of relief upon confirming she was safe.

Ye Guan noticed Zhu Xingran's unhappy expression but chose not to say anything.

"Let's grab a meal first," he suggested.

With the outside world in turmoil, going out was dangerous. Ye Guan guided them to the canteen, which was now in shambles. After clearing a spot, he went inside the kitchen to cook some simple food.

Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang devoured the food hungrily, clearly having gone without for some time.

Zhu Xingran, however, sat quietly on the side, clearly lost in thought.

After finishing the meal, Zhu Tao wiped his mouth and looked at Ye Guan. "Brother Ye, is what they're saying true? That our world is going to be destroyed?"

Ye Guan nodded. "It seems so."

Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang's faces instantly turned pale.

Ye Guan added, "Get some rest first. We'll see what happens tomorrow."

When Ye Guan returned to the library, Zhu Tao followed him closely.

Ye Guan noticed that and turned around. "Brother Tao?"

Suddenly, Zhu Tao dropped to his knees.

Ye Guan quickly helped him up. "Brother Tao, what are you doing?"

Zhu Tao shook his head. "Brother Ye, my wife and I are nobodies. Our lives are worthless. We're not afraid of dying, and death doesn't matter to us, b-b-but Little Xing is still young.

"She can't die here. I-I really don't know what else to do! I—"

Ye Guan suddenly took out the Tianxuan Token that Long Dai had given to him and said, "Brother Tao, take this with you."

Zhu Tao was bewildered. "This...?"

Ye Guan explained, "This is the so-called Tianxuan Token. With this token, you can board the cloud ship and leave."

Zhu Tao froze and dropped to his knees once again, bowing repeatedly to Ye Guan as tears streamed down his face.

After watching Zhu Tao leave, Ye Guan let out a quiet sigh.

"What's wrong?" Little Pagoda asked.

Ye Guan shook his head slightly. "I was just reflecting. A single thought from those in power above can decide the life and death of countless people below. And most of them... will never even know how or why they died."

Little Pagoda was silent.

Just then, Zhu Xingran walked up to Ye Guan with a Tianxuan Token in hand.

Ye Guan glanced at her but said nothing.

Zhu Xingran stared at him. "You gave this to him?"

"Yes," Ye Guan replied, "I gave it to your father."

After a long silence, she said, "I owe you. I'll repay you someday."

With that, she turned around to leave.

"Wait," Ye Guan called out.

Zhu Xingran turned around, looking wary.

Ye Guan met her gaze. "You don't owe me anything, but you owe your parents a lot."

Zhu Xingran's eyes narrowed. "What? Are you trying to lecture me?"

Ye Guan frowned.

With reddened eyes, Zhu Xingran retorted, "From the moment I understood how the world worked, I've always wanted to escape my family. I worked hard to break free from my shameful background.

"I simply want to live with dignity. Is there something wrong with that?"

Ye Guan fixed his gaze on her and replied, "Do you really think having parents like yours is shameful?"

Zhu Xingran snapped, "Isn't it?"

Without warning, Ye Guan stepped forward and slapped her face.

Smack!

Zhu Xingran's right cheek instantly turned red.

Zhu Xingran glared fiercely at Ye Guan.

Meanwhile, Ye Guan's eyes remained calm as he explained, "Your parents are poor, but they are not malicious. They're kind. True, they can't give you a wealthy life, but they gave you everything they had.

"Without them, you wouldn't have the life you have now."

Zhu Xingran shouted angrily, "Then why did they give birth to me?! I—"

Ye Guan drew the sword from her waist. "Since you think your birth is the reason behind your suffering, then go ahead. End it! If you die, you won't have to endure anything anymore."

Zhu Xingran glared at him, her eyes brimming with tears.

Ye Guan tossed the sword back into her hands and walked away.

Clutching the sword tightly, Zhu Xingran closed her eyes. "I owe you. I will repay you and them. I swear."

The next day, the rumors proved true. A second cloud ship appeared at the Academy gates. As expected, many students rushed forward, but they were forced to retreat by the three Martial Masters guarding the ship.

The oppressive auras from the three Martial Masters easily subdued the crowd.

An old man stepped forward, scanning the gathered masses. "Five hundred spiritual crystals for one Tianxuan Token. Only those with the token may board. Anyone approaching the cloud ship without one will be killed on the spot."

Five hundred spiritual crystals?!

The crowd stirred restlessly. After a few moments, a few people cautiously approached to purchase tokens. Slowly, some of them began boarding the cloud ship.

Ye Guan noticed a familiar figure—Zhu Xingran.

Sword in hand, she approached the old man and handed over her Tianxuan Token. After inspecting it, the old man nodded and replied, "Enter."

Zhu Xingran walked towards the cloud ship's entrance but paused at the threshold. She glanced back. Below, Zhu Tao and Aunt Jiang were waving frantically at her while yelling, "Little Xing... Little Xing!"

Zhu Xingran stood still for a moment, and her gaze shifted towards Ye Guan, but he was no longer looking at her. Taking one last deep look at him, she turned around and disappeared into the cloud ship.

Meanwhile, more people boarded the cloud ship one after another.

The crowd grew increasingly restless. They wanted to rush forward, but they were afraid of the three Martial Masters guarding the ship.

"Charge!" someone shouted, and a man broke into a sprint toward the cloud ship, but before he could get close, one of the Martial Masters struck him dead with a single punch.

Despite the deadly warning, others still charged ahead, driven by desperation.

However, with all three Martial Masters taking action, more than twenty people were killed in just a few seconds. Their ruthless efficiency struck terror into the hearts of the crowd, silencing any further attempts.

Onboard the cloud ship, the old man glanced at the crowd and calmly said, "We're leaving."

He then led the passengers inside.

The crowd fell into despair at the sight. They knew that this was their only chance to leave this doomed continent. In a frenzy, many of them dashed toward the ship, but as the cloud ship powered up, a surge of energy erupted from its engines, instantly killing several desperate souls.

Soon, the cloud ship rose into the sky and vanished into the horizon.

Not far away, Zhu Tao gently pulled Aunt Jiang aside. He helped her sit down, and he carefully retrieved a meat bun from his coat. Then, he placed it in her hand.

Aunt Jiang stared at the bun in surprise. "You old fool, where did you get this?"

Zhu Tao grinned. "Eat."

Aunt Jiang didn't move and remained silent.

Zhu Tao grabbed her hand tightly and whispered, "All these years... you've suffered a lot with me."

Aunt Jiang shook her head. "Suffer? What do you mean? It's not like I'm some heavenly beauty. Getting someone like you... if anything, I actually got lucky."

Zhu Tao chuckled awkwardly.

Aunt Jiang gently held Zhu Tao's hand. Then, she looked up with her eyes full of worry, saying, "I'm not afraid of dying... Honestly, death might be a relief for us.

"But I just can't stop worrying about Little Xing. That girl has too much pride. I'm afraid she won't have an easy life up there..."

Zhu Tao looked up as well and murmured, "I just hope that she can find some happiness in that place."

Just then, countless beams of light descended from the sky. Massive structures plummeted straight down from the light columns. They were cloudship mining carts!

These were mining machines developed by the Immortal Treasures Pavilion. With just a hundred of those machines, an entire planet's mineral resources could be extracted within a month.

When the mining carts struck the ground, they created enormous chasms, drilling deep into the planet's core.

The ores they extracted were automatically refined into high-quality materials.

Eventually, the planet would be destroyed by their drilling, causing molten lava and toxic substances to erupt violently from the depths of the core.

It was a brutal way of exploitation.

In truth, the Immortal Treasures Pavilion used these mining carts with great caution, only deploying them on lifeless, barren planets due to their extreme destructiveness.

They were so destructive that enough of them could annihilate a planet in a month.

Ye Guan gazed coldly at the sky. "It seems what happened in Qingzhou was not enough to deter all parties from doing malicious deeds."

Destroying a planet still inhabited by living beings was strictly forbidden by the Guanxuan Laws. However, someone actually dared to violate it openly, which was a clear defiance of his authority.

Little Pagoda said, "The dark side of the world can never be completely eradicated. Don't dwell on it."

Ye Guan nodded slightly. "I know."

He wouldn't let such matters shake his resolve.

Little Pagoda was correct—the world could never be composed of good people alone. He truly couldn't wait to see the materialization of the Guanxuan Laws.

Once he was done here, he would focus on it.

Little Pagoda added, "But this isn't a small matter either. The Guanxuan Universe has grown too vast, with many remote worlds falling under its jurisdiction. Such places often fall under the radar."

A cold glint of killing intent flashed in Ye Guan's eyes. "The Academy hasn't been ruthless enough. It needs a blade that can make everyone tremble in fear."