I Have a Sword

When the Tianwu Clan had gathered all their experts to head to the Ascension World, Tianwu Xin left the Tianwu Clan as well, but instead of going to the Ascension World, she made her way to the Wuma Clan.

Her mission was to convince them to join the Dao Emperor's side.

Tianwu Xin didn't want to do this at all. She wanted the Tianwu Clan to monopolize the golden opportunity, but she had no choice.

The Dao Emperor had commanded her to reach out to the Nine Clans of Zhaowu, and she did not dare to disobey him.

When she arrived at the Wuma Clan, the clan leader, Wuma Luo, welcomed her personally.

The Nine Clans of Zhaowu clashed frequently in the past, and some were even bitter enemies.

However, the Wuma Clan and the Tianwu Clan had always been relatively friendly to each other, even after the Wuma Clan's decline.

Tianwu Xin explained the reason for her visit, rendering Wuma Luo speechless and in disbelief.

"Elder Xin, is it really the Dao Emperor?" Wuma Luo asked.

"I had no idea that the Dao Emperor is still alive," Wuma Luo said solemnly, "I'm also caught off guard by the news that he became the Fourth Hall Master of the Evil Dao Alliance."

Tianwu Xin picked up a cup of spiritual tea from the nearby table and took a sip of it before saying, "Now that the Dao Emperor has returned, this is undoubtedly a golden opportunity for us to rise again. You understand what I mean, right? Clan Leader Luo?"

Wuma Luo remained silent.

Tianwu Xin asked, "Are you worried about Ye Guan?"

Wuma Luo nodded. "He's still alive despite standing up against the Evil Dao Alliance. He's certainly not an ordinary person."

"He does have powerful backers, but they can't be that formidable."

"How can you be so sure?"

"It's my intuition."

Wuma Luo cast a strange gaze at Tianwu Xin. What nonsense is she spouting?

Tianwu Xin continued, "Clan Leader Luo, the Dao Emperor's return is an unprecedented opportunity for our clans. If we miss this chance, we may never encounter another chance like it."

Wuma Luo pondered for a long while before asking, "Did the Dao Emperor say anything else?"

Tianwu Xin put down her teacup and smiled. "If we are willing to serve him, he will share the Zhaowu Scripture with us."

"The Zhaowu Scripture?!" Wuma Luo exclaimed. His composure instantly faltered as he stared at Tianwu Xin in shock. "Is that true?"

Tianwu Xin nodded. "Of course."

Wuma Luo clenched his fists tightly as waves of tumultuous emotions swept across his heart.

The Zhaowu Scripture was a top cultivation method during the era of the Zhaowu Civilization, and it allowed one to make a breakthrough beyond the Path Creation Realm.

The ancestors of the Nine Clans of Zhaowu had been able to reach this realm largely due to the fragments of the Zhaowu Scripture in their hands. However, even the fragments of the Zhaowu Scripture were top secrets among the clans.

Thus, none of the nine clans managed to go past the Path Creation Realm after their decline. It was all because they lost the cultivation method that was supposed to lead them to higher heights.

And the Zhaowu Scripture had resurfaced, and by the looks of it, it was the complete scripture.

Suppressing his shock, Wuma Luo asked, "Can he really be trusted?"

Tianwu Xin said, "Given the Dao Emperor's status, do you think really he'll resort to lying?"

"Indeed, I was not looking at the big picture," Wuma Luo said.

"Clan Leader Luo," Tianwu Xin said, standing up. "Despite the Dao Emperor's power and status, he's only the Fourth Hall Master of the Evil Dao Alliance. Let that sink in. Imagine the depths of the Evil Dao Alliance's murky waters."

Wuma Luo's eyes narrowed into slights.

"Think it over," Tianwu Xin said before leaving.

A few minutes later, a man entered from a side hall. It was Wuma Xiao, the Grand Elder of the Wuma Clan. He had been out earlier with four Path Creation Realm cultivators and had just returned to the clan.

Wuma Luo asked, "What do you think?"

Wuma Xiao replied, "I'm surprised. The Dao Emperor is still alive? That really is a surprise."

"I'm surprised, too."

"Have you made your decision?"

Wuma Luo nodded. "This is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our Wuma Clan. We cannot afford to miss it."

Wuma Xiao remained silent.

Wuma Luo asked, "And what about you?"

Wuma Xiao replied, "If we choose to help, we must go all in."

"Exactly what I was thinking…" Wuma Luo said with a smile. With that, he stood up and called out, "Summon all of our Path Creation Realm cultivators! We will depart for the Ascension World in one hour."

If we're going to gamble, we might as well go all in—with everything on the line!

***

Tianwu Xin headed to the Jimo Clan. She only had two more places to go—the Jimo Clan and the Li Clan.

The most active clans of the Nine Clans of Zhaowu were the Jimo Clan, the Tianwu Clan, the Wuma Clan, and the Li Clan. The other clans were much more low-profile. For example, the whereabouts of the Shui Clan were unknown, even to the Tianwu Clan.

The Clan Leader of the Jimo Clan, Jimo Feng, greeted Tianwu Xin personally.

Jimo Feng sat on the highest seat in the middle of the hall, and Tianwu Xin was sitting next to him. An elderly man with a bed of white hair was sitting in front of them.

Tianwu Xin explained the purpose of her visit, and Jimo Feng was stupefied. He hadn't expected that the legendary Dao Emperor Zhaowu was still alive and had even become the Fourth Hall Master of the Evil Dao Alliance. It was a shocking revelation indeed.

It was important to note that even during the peak of the Nine Clans of Zhaowu, the Dao Emperor was still regarded as a legendary figure.

Tianwu Xin asked, "What do you think, Clan Leader Feng?"

"This is a serious matter," Jimo Feng said after a moment of pondering, "I must be cautious, so I need to discuss this further with my clan members."

Tianwu Xin glanced at Jimo Feng with a polite smile, but she found Jimo Feng to be quite cowardly. It was no wonder the Jimo Clan declined so quickly over the years.

They were too scared of taking risks, and how could one achieve anything significant without taking any risks? Fortune favored the bold! And the golden opportunity before them was basically a guaranteed win! How come he was still hesitating?

"Very well," Tianwu Xin said, chuckling, "However, I must remind you of something. As far as I know, your clan member Jimo Lan has made contact with Ye Guan in the Ascension World and has even helped him deceive other people.

"Clan Leader Feng, you should discipline her properly. If she brings disaster upon the Jimo Clan, it will be too late for regrets."

With that, Tianwu Xin stood up and left.

Jimo Feng's brows were furrowed deeply.

The white-haired elderly man asked, "Clan Leader, what do you think?"

"On the surface, this appears to be a golden opportunity, but I sense something unusual about it. And you know Jimo Lan's nature—she's not someone who acts impulsively. Since she has chosen Young Master Ye, there must be a deeper behind it.

"Call her back as soon as possible; I need to ask her some questions," Jimo Feng said.

"Understood!" The white-haired elder nodded. Then, he got up and left.

Half an hour later, Jimo Lan returned to the Jimo Clan, and she frowned upon hearing about Tianwu Xin's proposal.

"The Dao Emperor?" asked Jimo Lan.

"Yes." Jimo Feng nodded. "You've had contact with Young Master Ye. What kind of person is he?"

"He's quite handsome and—" Jimo Lan blurted out, but she managed to stop herself in time.

Jimo Feng was taken aback.

Jimo Lan's expression remained unchanged as she continued, "He is far from ordinary."

"How so?"

"Our interaction was fleeting, so I don't know much about the forces behind him, but I'm certain that they are extraordinary."

"In what way?"

"Intuition."

Intuition? Jimo Feng was at a loss for words. That wasn't exactly convincing.

"I mean, just think about it, Father," Jimo Lan said, "The Evil Dao Alliance has sent the Fourth Hall Master to kill him. What do you think that means?"

"But this is a massive, golden opportunity," Jimo Feng retorted, "The Dao Emperor has expressed his willingness to share the Zhaowu Scripture with us. If our Jimo Clan does not participate, and we miss that chance, we'll never return to our glory days."

"Why don't we take the opposite approach?"

"The opposite approach?"

"We can still take a gamble, but we don't have to bet everything; we also don't have to take the Evil Dao Alliance's side."

"Explain."

"I have a bit of a connection with Young Master Ye. I can maintain a good relationship with him and provide him with some information, but it would have to be done in my personal capacity, and it must be kept a secret.

"If my involvement gets exposed, the clan can just disown me to ensure that the clan won't get affected by my decisions"

"Why bet on him?"

"There are two reasons. First of all, he's a pretty good person. Despite being a swordsman, he's not arrogant or overbearing at all. He's generous and sincere—he's very easy to get along with. Secondly, I know everyone is underestimating him, but if our Jimo Clan places our bet on him, and we somehow win that bed… we stand to profit a ton."

Jimo Feng fell silent. He understood what Jimo Lan was talking about. It was like gambling.

The smaller the odds, the higher the payout.

If one were to guess right, one would profit immensely.

Of course, it was really risky. However, Jimo Lan knew how to handle the matter by herself. If things went south, the Jimo Clan could easily disown her and distance itself from her to avoid any fallout.

In other words, it wasn't really a risky endeavor for the Jimo Clan. It was a safe bet for a chance at the jackpot.

With that in mind, Jimo Feng no longer hesitated. "All right, let's do that."

Jimo Feng opened her palm, and a mysterious talisman flew over to Jimo Lan."That is the Jimo Clan's sacred talisman. It contains a trace of our ancestor's spirit. Take it, and it is going to protect you."

Jimo Lan accepted the talisman.

"Little Lan," Jimo Feng said, "You'll always be a member of the Jimo Clan."

"Of course," Jimo Lan replied.

Jimo Feng nodded and went silent.

After leaving the main hall, Jimo Lan looked up at the sky.

There were several clouds up above, and the sky was blue and clear.

Jimo Lan closed her eyes. She wasn't just gambling for her family—she was gambling for herself as well. If she won, the position of clan leader would be within her grasp. Of course, she sought more than to just be the clan leader. She had bigger plans.

Ye Guan!

Jimo Lan smiled faintly. Ye Guan was a naive, generous, and straightforward man. Jimo Lan was confident that she would be able to make him submit to her wholeheartedly with just a bit of maneuvering, and by then, she'd get to use Ye Guan in whatever way she wanted.

In Jimo Lan's eyes, men were meant to be conquered, and Ye Guan was no exception.

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