Chapter 1599: Path to Salvation

Executive Main God Chu Ling entered a large hall. The vast hall had only a single chair and was very quiet.

Chu Ling bowed deeply to the seat, his expression full of reverence.

At that moment, an elder wearing a divine robe slowly emerged from a side chamber, holding a little pagoda in his hand.

The man was Zhan Zong, the Temple God of the South Gods Temple.

Chu Ling turned and bowed deeply to Zhan Zong, even lower than the previous bow, respectfully saying, "Temple God, as you predicted, he chose to let Ye Guan go."

Zhan Zong walked to a nearby table, placed the small pagoda on it, and then picked up a brush and began to draw.

Chu Ling remained bowed without speaking.

Zhan Zong suddenly said, "Tell me what you think."

Chu Ling respectfully replied, "Everything the Temple God does is correct."

Zhan Zong glanced at him and smiled. "That's not a good attitude."

After a moment of thought, Chu Ling said, "This major move by the Central Gods Temple appears to target Ye Guan on the surface, but in reality, it's aimed at our South Gods Temple. They want to devour us."

Zhan Zong nodded. "Go on."

Chu Ling continued, "They've always lacked a justified reason to do. What I don't understand is... why did we give them one?"

Zhan Zong replied, "You're mistaken."

Chu Ling looked puzzled.

Zhan Zong, his brush hand moving swiftly, stared at the drawing in front of him. "Whether or not they have a justified reason to do so, they will still target us."

Chu Ling still seemed uncertain.

Zhan Zong went on, "Before I was injured, they wouldn't dare to act openly. But after I was wounded, they decided to abandon caution. Even if Ye Guan weren't around, they'd find another excuse to act against our South Gods Temple."

"But by letting Ye Guan go, we've given them a perfectly justified reason."

Zhan Zong asked suddenly, "What do you think about the matter in the slums?"

Chu Ling froze.

Zhan Zong smiled. "Do you really think the policy change in the slums was Nan Xiao's idea?"

Chu Ling frowned. "You mean someone guided him?"

Zhan Zong nodded. "Nan Xiao is brave and somewhat clever, but his schemes are limited. He couldn't have come up with such a brilliant plan himself, and most importantly, he couldn't have had this pagoda."

As he spoke, he glanced at the tiny pagoda beside him.

Chu Ling narrowed his eyes. "Ye Guan."

Zhan Zong put down the brush. "Take a look."

Chu Ling stepped forward to examine the drawing in front of Zhan Zong. It seemed to depict a river, turbulent and ever-changing.

Zhan Zong spoke softly, "Time... time inside the pagoda. This is a completely new form of time."

Chu Ling looked at him.

Zhan Zong said, "You must look at problems from multiple angles. Why would that young swordsman want to change the slums? What would he gain from it? Why would he go so far as to offer up such a divine item as this pagoda just to change that place?"

Chu Ling looked confused.

"Let's think about this possibility. What if that swordsman is truly acting under the Divine Will?"

Chu Ling's pupils suddenly constricted. "That..."

Zhan Zong glanced at him and smiled. "You think that's unlikely?"

"This..." Chu Ling muttered.

Zhan Zong smiled. "Then, let's try another one. Suppose he has no connection to the Divinity. Then where did he get this pagoda? And what kind of being can create something like this?"

Chu Ling's expression grew grave.

Zhan Zong picked up the tiny pagoda and looked at it. He said softly, "If the first hypothesis is true, and he was truly acting under Divine Will, what would happen if he ended up dying in our South Gods Temple?"

Chu Ling solemnly replied, "The entire temple will be executed!"

"And if the second hypothesis is true, what then?" Zhan Zong asked.

Chu Ling said, "A powerful, unknown karma will descend, bringing disaster upon our temple."

Zhan Zong nodded.

Chu Ling asked, confused, "Temple Master, if that's the case, why not protect him at all costs?"

Zhan Zong replied softly, "There's also a third hypothesis... that an unknown force is backing him, and he really is a blasphemer. That everything he's done is meant to undermine the Temple."

Chu Ling was stunned.

Zhan Zong said, "If that's the case, then our entire South Gods Temple has truly betrayed the gods and will be sentenced to suffer under the Purifying Flames."

Chu Ling fell silent, waiting.

"Hence, this arrangement is best. Letting the swordsman go. No matter which hypothesis is true, the karma will fall upon the Central Gods Temple. Now, you should understand why I allowed Nan Xiao to release him, and why I didn't execute him."

Chu Ling nodded. "I understand it now."

Zhan Zong said, "If Ye Guan really turns out to be a Divine Emissary, keeping Nan Xiao alive is preserving a line of goodwill. He will be our bargaining chip for a turnaround. But if Ye Guan is truly a blasphemer with only limited backing, then we can immediately execute Nan Xiao to cut all ties."

He set down his brush. "Advance if we must, retreat if we must."

Chu Ling bowed deeply. "Understood."

Zhan Zong suddenly said, "The ideas for the slums can proceed, but with some modifications."

Chu Ling looked at him.

Zhan Zong said, "Don't let those merchants make any profit. Our South Gods Temple will pay to buy the land cheaply, and then we'll sell it to the merchants at high prices."

Chu Ling hesitated. "The merchants have already driven the prices quite high. If we buy low now, I'm afraid the people in the slums won't agree..."

"If they won't..."

Zhan Zong suddenly made a bold stroke on the paper, writing one large word, "Dissidents."

Chu Ling instantly understood.

***

When Nan Xiao woke up, he sat up abruptly, looking around in confusion.

I'm alive?

He looked around. He was in a small stone hut, and outside, it was raining heavily.

Not far away, a little girl was sitting on a table, and there was medicine simmering nearby.

Nan Xiao said softly, "Little Ran..."

He recognized the little girl. Ye Guan had asked him in the past to take good care of her.

At that moment, Little Ran woke up to the sound of his voice. Seeing Nan Xiao awake, she rushed over excitedly. "Lord Nan Xiao, you're awake!"

Nan Xiao asked, "Why am I here?"

Just as Little Ran was about to answer, a young woman walked in; she was Sang Mei.

Nan Xiao was stunned. "Miss Sang?"

Sang Mei was holding a medicine pouch. She walked over to Little Ran and handed it to her, smiling. "It's all brewed."

Little Ran said, "Got it!"

She took the medicine pouch and walked to the side.

Nan Xiao asked, "Miss Sang, did you save me?"

Sang Mei replied, "You saved yourself."

Nan Xiao was puzzled.

Sang Mei smiled. "Do you still believe in the Divinity?"

After a pause, Nan Xiao said, "My divine seed has been removed. I no longer have the right to believe in them."

Sang Mei said, "Losing your divine seed might not be a bad thing."

Nan Xiao looked confused.

Sang Mei walked to a window and looked outside, where it was raining cats and dogs.

Nan Xiao sternly said, "Miss Sang, I know you're not an ordinary person. The Central Gods Temple is targeting Brother Ye. He's in extreme danger, and you—"

Sang Mei replied, "The path to salvation lies within himself."

Nan Xiao was confused.

Sang Mei looked into the downpour and said softly, "It should rain even harder... only then can it cleanse this world."

***

In an unknown starry sky, a spacetime rift manifested.

A young man stepped out of it; it was Ye Guan.

He looked around and was about to leave when a divine sense locked onto him across countless starfields. At the same time, a sword light shot toward him through spacetime.

The sword light was so fast that by the time Ye Guan saw it, it was already upon him.

He didn't retreat. He thrust forward with the sword in hand.

The sword was made from his sword intent.

Boom!

A burst of sword light erupted like a volcano, shaking Ye Guan and forcing him to retreat repeatedly. The surrounding starfield shattered into darkness.

Ye Guan stopped and looked ahead. From the darkness emerged a man. Guan Jian, the swordsman with a sword case on his back.

Guan Jian looked at him and smiled. "You're a swordsman too."

Ye Guan summoned a sword made out of sword intent.

Guan Jian glanced at it and grinned. "Invincibility. How interesting. Such a grand will... can you carry it?"

Ye Guan replied calmly, "That's none of your concern."

With that, he vanished into thin air.

Slash!

In the darkness, a streak of sword light ripped through space like a lightning bolt, covering ten thousand meters in an instant.

Guan Jian laughed, raised his fingers, and from the sword case on his back, a sword flew skyward, slashing down hard to meet Ye Guan's sword.

As it descended, it seemed to tear reality itself, generating a shrill noise.

Boom!

The moment the swords met, a terrifying sword shockwave erupted, obliterating the starry river around them. None of the Central Gods Temple experts dared to approach. They stopped hundreds of thousands of meters away.

Jun You was among them.

When they saw Ye Guan holding his own against Guan Jian, they were all stunned. After all, Guan Jian was ranked third among all Main Gods, and he was a swordsman at that.

His strength was monstrous, but Ye Guan was actually fighting him evenly?

Where had he come from?

Jun You, however, remained calm and unsurprised.

"

Haha!

" Guan Jian's laughter echoed across the void. He stared at Ye Guan, eyes full of the intent to fight. "Excellent! A powerful swordsman is hard to find. Come, take my next strike!"

With that, he pointed forward.

Hum!

A resonant sword hum echoed as a sword soared from his case and flew toward Ye Guan.

A ten-thousand-meter-long sword energy manifested and made a beeline for Ye Guan. Ye Guan slowly closed his eyes. In his palm, a sword made out of sword intent formed again. This time, it contained his Order as well.

Faith power and the Invincible Sword Dao! The two types of power merged, and Ye Guan's energy exploded like a volcano, sweeping across the starry skies.