I Have a Sword

The newcomers were none other than Ye Guan and Zhou Fan.

Upon seeing Ye Guan, Long Chen's eyes narrowed, and his right hand slowly clenched into a fist.

Meanwhile, Long Dai was stunned. "Master?"

Ye Guan smiled gently. "I came to check on you."

"Well, well, well…" Long Chen sneered. "I never expected that you'd dare to walk into this trap yourself."

Ye Guan glanced at Long Chen, who immediately unleashed a powerful aura and glared at him. "You dare provoke the Great Zhou? You're simply courting death!"

Ye Guan calmly replied, "Even the Great Zhou Empire must follow the Guanxuan Laws."

"Ridiculous!" someone shouted outside the hall. Moments later, a middle-aged man dressed in a luxurious brocade robe strode in. Overall, the middle-aged man exuded an air of wealth and power.

Upon seeing the middle-aged man, Long Chen's cold face revealed a fawning smile. He hurried over and respectfully said, "Lord Zhou Long, welcome."

In their eyes, the Great Zhou was a divine place.

Zhou Fan glanced at Zhou Long but remained silent.

Zhou Long walked into the hall and glared at Ye Guan. "The Guanxuan Laws? What a joke! The Guanxuan Universe is nothing more than a Tier One Civilization, while the Great Zhou is a Tier Five Civilization.

"Expecting a Tier Five Civilization to follow the laws of a Tier One Civilization, don't you think that's absurd?"

Ye Guan asked, "Are you from the Great Zhou Empire?"

Zhou Long replied, "You may call me Lord Zhou. I'm worthy of the title."

Ye Guan was utterly speechless.

Zhou Long eyed him up and down. "So you're the one causing trouble?"

Ye Guan glanced at Zhou Fan.

Zhou Fan shook her head, indicating that she didn't recognize the man.

Ye Guan nodded slightly in understanding. After all, Zhou Fan was at the peak of the Great Zhou's power hierarchy. Why would she know someone on the bottom?

Just as Ye Guan was about to respond, Zhou Long exclaimed, "Guards!"

Four armored warriors rushed in from outside the hall.

Zhou Long stared at Ye Guan with a smirk. "I didn't expect you to walk right into our trap. The heavens have blessed me! Catch him!"

Long Chen hurriedly stepped forward, eager to prove his loyalty. "The Long Clan is willing to assist Lord Zhou Long!"

With that, he unleashed a powerful aura and rushed toward Ye Guan.

Before he could get any nearer, Zhou Fan raised her hand and pressed down lightly. The four Great Zhou guards were forcibly suppressed where they stood; they couldn't move at all.

Seeing this, both Zhou Long and Long Chen were visibly stunned.

Zhou Long shifted his gaze to Zhou Fan and noticed her imposing aura. His expression faltered as he remarked, "It seems I've misjudged the situation."

Zhou Fan stared at Zhou Long coldly and asked, "Who's your superior?"

Zhou Long chuckled mockingly. "If I were to tell you, you'd be scared out of your mind."

Ye Guan burst out into a peal of hearty laughter.

Meanwhile, Zhou Fan's gaze turned icy.

Zhou Long took a decisive step forward, releasing a crushing force aimed at Zhou Fan. Before it got anywhere near her, it vanished without a trace.

Zhou Long's expression grew serious. He glared at Ye Guan and snarled, "No wonder you dared to walk into this trap. You actually brought a capable accomplice with you."

Ye Guan smiled faintly. "She is indeed my accomplice."

Zhou Fan glanced at him, and her gaze was filled with both charm and strength.

Realizing that he was outmatched, Zhou Long no longer dared to underestimate his opponents. He opened his palm and crushed a talisman. He was calling for reinforcements!

Zhou Fan didn't interfere. Instead, he turned to the tear-stricken Long Dai and smiled. "Is she your new apprentice?"

"Yeah." Ye Guan nodded. "I survived because of her generosity. Without her, I couldn't have afforded even a steamed bun."

With that, he beckoned to Long Dai. "Come here."

Long Dai wiped away her tears and walked over hesitantly, feeling a bit wronged. "Master."

Ye Guan said, "This is my wife."

Long Dai looked at Zhou Fan, mesmerized by her stunning beauty. "Mistress, you're so beautiful! Master really hit the jackpot by becoming your husband!."

Zhou Fan was overjoyed upon hearing that. She held Long Dai's hand and smiled. "You're beautiful, too."

Ye Guan shook his head and chuckled.

"Fool!" Long Chen exclaimed, glaring at Long Dai from a distance. "Come over here right now!"

Long Dai was startled by Long Chen's fury. After all, he was still her ancestor.

Zhou Fan patted the back of her head and remarked, "Don't be afraid."

Long Chen glanced coldly at Zhou Fan, and then he turned toward Zhou Long, saying, "Senior, Long Dai has already been expelled from the Long Clan. She has no ties to us anymore. My clan is willing to serve the Great Zhou with unwavering loyalty, no matter the cost!"

Zhou Long glanced at Long Chen with thinly veiled contempt.

Clans like the Long Clan were a dime a dozen. There were at least a million more of them in the Great Zhou, and none of them were worthy of any attention. Still, having a clan eager to curry favor had its advantages as well.

Zhou Long nodded and asked, "Would you like to officially join the Great Zhou?"

Long Chen was stunned, and he soon trembled with joy. "Lord Zhou Long! Can my clan… truly join the Great Zhou?"

"Of course." Zhou Long nodded calmly. "All it takes is a nod from Her Majesty. Actually, I can speak directly to her."

Zhou Fan felt a bit of a headache coming on.

Zhou Long added, "However, I'm sure you know that I will have to make some arrangements for this matter. Her Majesty has a special fondness for rare treasures. Your Long Clan…"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Long Chen quickly nodded. "Over the years, our Long Clan has managed to save up a little wealth. We'll present it all to Her Majesty when the time comes."

Zhou Long nodded slightly without speaking any further.

At this point, Ye Guan couldn't hold back anymore and burst into laughter.

Zhou Fan glared at him, but it only made him laugh even harder.

Suddenly, an elder from the Long Clan suggested hesitantly, "Ancestor, the Great Zhou is still part of the Guanxuan Academy, and the Academy Master is the real boss. Why don't we—"

"Boss, my foot!" Zhou Long scoffed. "The Academy Master is just a figurehead. He knows absolutely nothing!"

The smile on Ye Guan's face faded away.

The Long Clan elder hesitated but pressed on, saying, "But the Academy Master established the Guanxuan Laws, and everyone is supposed to follow them."

"Hahaha!" Zhou Long chuckled and said, "Fine! If the Long Clan wants to join the Guanxuan Universe, that can be arranged as well. I can personally secure you a spot in the Committee. That Ye Guan still has to give me some face."

Ye Guan's smile vanished completely.

Zhou Fan glanced at him and could barely hold back a smile.

Long Chen quickly exclaimed, "Our Long Clan has no interest in joining the Guanxuan Committee! Even dogs wouldn't want to become a part of it. We want to join the Great Zhou Empire!"

Ye Guan was at a loss for words.

Just then, footsteps echoed from outside the hall. Moments later, an elderly man slowly walked in. He was clad in a black robe, and he was exuding an imposing presence as he quietly approached the crowd.

Upon seeing the elderly man, Zhou Long hurried forward and greeted, "Lord Chen Qiu."

Chen Qiu nodded slightly before turning his gaze toward Ye Guan and Zhou Fan. "Are these the ones planning to go against the Great Zhou?"

Zhou Long quickly responded, "Yes, that man is the one who killed Academy Chief Zhou earlier. He's currently a wanted criminal. Who could have thought that he would dare walk right into our hands…"

Then, he pointed at Zhou Fan and added, "And her! She's an accomplice."

Chen Qiu shifted his attention to Ye Guan and Zhou Fan. Seeing how composed they were, he frowned. Few could stay so calm when faced with such a formidable force.

Perhaps they have powerful backers… With that thought in mind, he became cautious as he turned to Ye Guan and asked, "You killed Academy Chief Zhou?"

Ye Guan nodded calmly.

'How bold." Chen Qiu's gaze sharpened. "You actually killed someone from the Great Zhou."

Ye Guan glanced at him and turned to Zhou Fan.

Zhou Fan's face darkened as she asked, "What rank are you?"

Chen Qiu frowned. "Rank?"

Zhou Fan's eyes narrowed. The next instant, an overwhelming aura engulfed Chen Qiu, forcing him to his knees.

Everyone present went silent.

Even Long Dai's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Zhou Fan. She had no idea that her master's wife would be so powerful.

Long Chen and the Long Clan elders were equally dumbfounded, and their faces were marred with disbelief as they gazed at Zhou Fan.

Chen Qiu was stunned. He never expected that he would be utterly powerless against Zhou Fan.

She was terrifyingly strong!

Chen Qiu lifted his head, glaring at Zhou Fan. "Who are you? Do you not have any idea that I'm an Inspector of the Great Zhou?! My job is to patrol the many different regions within the Guanxuan Universe!

"I hold an official position, so attacking me is equivalent to attacking the Great Zhou!"

An Inspector? Zhou Fan's expression turned cold. She had recently established the Inspection Department; the department was meant to enforce justice throughout the Guanxuan Universe and crack down on lawbreakers.

She could have never imagined that someone from the department would behave in such an atrocious manner.

Chen Qiu took out a talisman and crushed it. Locking eyes with Zhou Fan in defiance, he remarked, "The Great Zhou Shence Army will soon be here. Once they are here, you and your clan will die."

Zhou Fan's eyes narrowed into slits. "The Great Zhou Shence Army is the private armed force of the Great Zhou Imperial Family, and they answer only to the Empress. How could a mere Inspector command them? You—"

Rumble!

A terrifying aura surged from outside the hall. The spacetime outside the Long Clan's grand hall fractured, and a powerful soldier clad in dark-gold armor emerged from the rift.

The Great Zhou Shence Army! They were really summoned!

Even Zhou Fan was stunned.