I Have A Sword-Chapter 1373: Villain

When Diyi Jingzhao left the courtyard, she was still a little dazed.

Just then, Diyi You approached her and said, "Sister."

Diyi Jingzhao collected herself and turned to look at her. "What is it?"

Diyi You lowered her voice as she said, "Sister, I don't think Supreme Emperor Guan is as simple as he seems."

"Oh? How so?"

"Everything that comes out of his mouth is laced with honey. You ought to be careful."

She had just arrived and had overheard everything Diyi Jingzhao and Ye Guan had discussed in the courtyard.

Diyi Jingzhao's expression remained calm. "Are you saying he's trying to deceive me?"

"I'm not sure, but everything he says feels like sugar-coated poison. You need to be cautious."

Without a word, Diyi Jingzhao opened her palm, revealing a wisp of Supreme Emperor Origin Essence. She held it up for Diyi You to see. "Do you know what this is?"

Diyi You nodded. "That's a wisp of Supreme Emperor Origin Essence."

"Do you realize how precious this is? You could gather every Emperor-grade weapon in the Ten Desolate Universe, and they still wouldn't be worth even one percent of this thing.

"Despite that, he gave it to me without a second thought."

Diyi You fell silent.

"The Ten Desolate Universe is on the verge of unification, and he wants me to oversee it. He has entrusted me with absolute power. Do you have any idea what people are willing to do in exchange for such power?"

Diyi Jingzhao let out a soft sigh and patted Diyi You's shoulder. "I know you mean well, but you must understand one thing—don't judge a man by his words but by his actions.

"You think he's just playing mind games with me, but you're overlooking what he has actually done. He's given me Pure-grade emperor crystals, Bronze War Generals, infinite authority, and even a wisp of Supreme Emperor Origin Essence."

Diyi You stayed silent. It was true. Ye Guan was frighteningly generous.

Diyi Jingzhao continued, "If he were merely after a woman's companionship, he wouldn't need to offer a wisp of Supreme Emperor Origin Essence or Bronze War Generals.

"Just a handful of emperor crystals is enough for him to obtain the endless companionship of a woman. And with his status and appearance, he wouldn't even need to spend anything; women would throw themselves at him."

"I know, but I still feel like he's deliberately trying to charm you."

Diyi Jingzhao chuckled and said, "If that were the case, shouldn't he charm Mu Shuo instead of me?"

Diyi You frowned, thinking it over. Then, her eyes widened. "Could it be that... he actually likes you?"

Diyi Jingzhao's face reddened slightly, but she remained composed. "That's between me and him. You're still young, stay out of it. And one more thing, don't assume the worst of your future brother-in-law.

"He's not some lust-driven man."

With that, she turned around and walked away.

Diyi You pouted, and then she froze. Wait, brother-in-law?

***

In the courtyard, Ye Guan was still studying the map of the Ten Desolate Universe. His gaze lingered on the region marked as the Forbidden Wildlands.

At this point, the remaining clans in the Ten Desolate Universe posed no real threat. Once he unified the land and spread the Guanxuan Laws, it would only be a matter of time before everything fell into place.

Now, his main target was the Forbidden Wildlands.

When he sent his divine sense to explore it, the powerful beings he encountered there were evidently stronger than those in the Ten Desolate Universe. However, none of them were Supreme Emperors.

As long as that remained the case, he would have nothing to fear.

"Master Pagoda, if you were the Great Daoist Brush Master or Fan Zhaodi, what would you do right now?"

Little Pagoda coolly replied, "Obviously, I'd be thinking of ways to take you down."

Ye Guan nodded. He had made steady progress, accomplished many things, and improved his strength, but he knew that once Fan Zhaodi and the Great Daoist Brush Master had decided to make their move, they would go all-out.

To forget the dangers of war is to invite disaster.

Everything he was doing now was in preparation for the inevitable battle.

He refused to be defeated once again. After all, he had already suffered three humiliating defeats at Fan Zhaodi's hands. And as the saying went, "three strikes, and you're out."

Ye Guan had to ensure that there wouldn't be a fourth defeat.

Just then, Diyi You approached him.

Seeing her, Ye Guan smiled. "Miss You."

Diyi You stepped closer and hesitated before saying, "Brother-in-law..."

Ye Guan was momentarily stunned.

"I know you're a good person, but I want to ask you one thing. Please... don't hurt my sister."

Ye Guan blinked and chuckled. "I would never hurt her."

"My sister has suffered a lot. My father was a violent man. He killed my mother with his own hands. As the remnant soul of our clan's ancestor grew weaker and weaker, he became increasingly paranoid of the future.

"In the end, his mind collapsed, and he actually tried to sacrifice the people of the Diyi World to become a Supreme Emperor."

Ye Guan asked softly, "So you had to kill him?"

Diyi You shook her head. "No, it wasn't my sister, it was the remnant soul of our ancestor. He intervened and suppressed him. Of course, the outside world believes that my sister killed him."

Ye Guan fell silent.

"After that, she took over the clan. Since then, she has been doing everything she could to ensure that the Diyi Clan wouldn't fall into decline, and she has been suffering in ways no one could ever imagine.

"Many powerful clans wanted to marry her, but she rejected them all..."

Diyi You's voice trembled as she looked up at Ye Guan with her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I know you're powerful and smart. If you ever wanted to hurt my sister, she wouldn't stand a chance at all.

"And right now, I don't think she has realized it just yet, but she's starting to rely on you."

"You're afraid I'll play with her emotions?"

Diyi You looked at him but said nothing.

Ye Guan shook his head with a laugh. "Miss You, you're underestimating your sister."

Diyi You frowned in confusion.

Ye Guan gently said, "Your sister is a Quasi Emperor. She also took over the Diyi Clan and has been ruling it with remarkable skills. Do you really think someone like her will let emotions cloud her judgment?

"Do you really think that she can be deceived with just a few words?"

"Think about it," Ye Guan said, "If she were the type to get blinded by love, would she become a Quasi Emperor? And considering the way she grew up, watching her own mother die at her father's hands, do you really think she'll ever trust a man?

"In her eyes, only strength is truly reliable."

Diyi You sighed quietly and left.

Meanwhile, Ye Guan returned to the tiny pagoda. His top priority was to train the swordsmen under him.

***

Under Diyi Jingzhao's command, the combined forces of the Diyi Clan, the Di Clan, the Dao Clan, and the Emperor Sword Clan obliterated the Qin Clan.

When word spread that even the Qin Clan's ancestor couldn't prevent their destruction, the remaining Supreme Emperor Clans and Immortal Clans were utterly terrified.

The key to the Qin Clan's downfall was the three Bronze War Generals that Ye Guan had gifted to Diyi Jingzhao. These three Bronze War Generals single-handedly shattered the Qin Clan's Supreme Emperor remnant soul.

A Supreme Emperor's remnant soul, but it was still just a soul in the end. Had it been a real Supreme Emperor, even the Bronze War Generals wouldn't have stood a chance against it.

Regardless, the Bronze War Generals were truly powerful.

The Qin Clan chose to surrender upon witnessing the destruction of their ancestor's remnant soul. However, Diyi Jingzhao refused to accept their surrender and massacred every single member of the Qin Clan, annihilating them.

Fear gripped the hearts of the Divine Clan, the Yuan Clan, the Mu Clan, and the Royal Clan.

Diyi Jingzhao led her forces straight into the Mu Clan overnight.

The Mu Clan was in chaos, but what could they do?

Even Mu Zhen himself was at a loss for words.

Upon arriving, Diyi Jingzhao wasted no words and immediately commanded two Bronze War Generals to charge into the Mu Clan. With their unstoppable might, the two war generals shattered the clan's grand array and reached its depths, heading straight for Mu Zhen.

Mu Zhen turned pale with terror. Even a Supreme Emperor's remnant soul was powerless against the war generals, so how could he possibly resist them? In desperation, he shouted, "Clan Leader Jingzhao! My Mu Clan is willing to—"

The two war generals attacked, sending him flying away.

The Mu Clan elites immediately rushed to intervene, but before they could make a move, Diyi Jingzhao's men had already charged into the clan.

A brutal slaughter unfolded.

The Mu Clan experts were horrified, and their faces filled with despair.

"Stop!" someone shouted.

Diyi Jingzhao raised her right hand, and the men instantly came to a halt.

Everyone turned toward the sky and saw Mu Shuo. She walked up to Diyi Jingzhao and bowed deeply. "Clan Leader Jingzhao, my Mu Clan has decided to surrender. Please give us the chance to make amends."

Diyi Jingzhao stared at her for a moment, and then she casually waved her hand. The two Bronze War Generals turned and charged at Mu Zhen.

Mu Zhen's expression changed drastically, and he tried to fight back, but the war generals were too strong. Within moments, he was subdued.

The Mu Clan members were shocked, but they dared not move. The elites standing beside Diyi Jingzhao had already locked onto them. If they were to make a wrong move, death would be certain for them.

Diyi Jingzhao turned to Mu Shuo. "Can you speak for the Mu Clan?"

Mu Shuo looked at the Mu Clan members.

Mu Xiao suddenly stepped forward and shouted, "She can!"

The others quickly snapped back to their senses. Clearly, Clan Leader Jingzhao was willing to negotiate with Mu Shuo. One after another, they stepped forward and shouted along with Mu Xiao.

"All right." Diyi Jingzhao nodded slightly. "From this moment on, Mu Shuo is the Mu Clan's clan leader."

With that, she turned around and left with Mu Zhen as their prisoner.

The Mu Clan members let out a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Diyi Jingzhao turned to her subordinates and said, "Send word to the Yuan Clan, the Divine Clan, and the Royal Clan. If they do not surrender by sunrise tomorrow, they will not live to see the sunset."

One of her subordinates hesitated before speaking. "Clan Leader, if we push them this hard... they may unite and fight to the death. That's going to be dangerous even for us."

Diyi Jingzhao closed her eyes. "He doesn't have much time left... and someone has to play the villain."