Chapter 1601: Just Rebel

An unknown amount of time later, Nan Xiao slowly opened his eyes.

His first thought was.

I'm still alive?

He sat up and found that he was on a bed.

What's going on?

Nan Xiao was utterly confused.

Not far away, Little Ran was still brewing some medicine. She gently fanned the fire and occasionally blew at the hot steam rising from the medicine pot.

Just then, Sang Mei walked into the stone hut and stared at Nan Xiao.

"Get up; let's take a walk."

Nan Xiao remained silent.

"If after this walk you still want to die, be my guest," Sang Mei said. Then, she looked at Little Ran and smiled, "Little Ran, you come, too."

Little Ran quickly put down the fan. "Alright!"

Sang Mei led Little Ran outside. After a brief silence, Nan Xiao also got up and followed them.

Sang Mei walked with the two of them along the street. Although this place was now worth its weight in gold, the environment had not changed; it was still dirty and messy. Those who hadn't sold their land still lived in poverty.

Little Ran held tightly onto Sang Mei and stayed close.

Behind them, Nan Xiao followed at a steady pace, silent and feeling numb.

Suddenly, Sang Mei turned to look at a stone hut in the distance. In front of it sat a man, around thirty years old, dressed in rags, devouring food from a broken bowl.

Sang Mei looked at the man and asked, "Do you know what his name is?"

Little Ran quickly answered, "His name is Er Gou... I heard from my father that his parents died when he was six. He survived by scavenging for food. When he grew up, he married a mentally challenged lady, but later, she died during childbirth, along with the baby..."

Little Ran's face became gloomy.

Sang Mei looked at Nan Xiao and asked, "You've suffered. But have you suffered more than him?"

Nan Xiao stayed silent.

Sang Mei gently rubbed Little Ran's little head. "Little Ran's mother passed away early... Do you know how she died? She starved to death..."

Little Ran felt a sharp pain in her heart. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

Sang Mei looked around. "You think you've had it hard. But everyone here has had it harder than you."

Nan Xiao remained silent.

Sang Mei's gaze gradually turned cold. "Who said the cycle of fate is fair and impartial? The way of heaven is the greatest injustice in this world. Why are some born into noble families, while others are born as commoners?

"Why do some have powerful innate physiques and progress rapidly in cultivation, while others are born with no talent and can never cultivate?"

Sang Mei glanced at Nan Xiao and asked, "Can you answer me?"

Nan Xiao said nothing.

Sang Mei withdrew her gaze. "Do you know the origin of the word 'God'?"

Nan Xiao looked at her, and Sang Mei said, "The word God is not a self-proclaimed title—it is earned from the reverence of all beings. A ruler who sincerely works for the people will be revered like a god.

"The so-called gods in the Temple of the Gods, how many truly care for the people? They sit in their temples, claiming to serve the masses, but in reality, they see themselves as masters of the masses..."

Sang Mei looked at Nan Xiao, and her words were as sharp as arrows as she said, "Why do the slums even exist? Half of the suffering of the people is due to fate, the other half is man-made. You, Nan Xiao, as a high-ranking god of the Temple of the Gods, do you understand the suffering of the people?

"Have you ever acted on their behalf? No! Not just you, but the entire Temple of the Gods, everyone there only thinks of their own future... They distort the words of the Divinity for the sake of gaining more power.

"They flatter those above and oppress those below. The more powerful they are, the more corrupt they are..."

Nan Xiao's face paled slightly...

Little Ran had never seen Sang Mei so stern before and became a little frightened, clinging tightly to Sang Mei's sleeve.

Sang Mei looked around and said, "The entire Temple of the Gods is not even worth a single blasphemer. An outsider labeled a blasphemer by the temple was willing to stand up for people unrelated to him, sacrificing his precious pagoda—not for fame and not for his own benefit.

"Now, he's being hunted by the so-called gods of the temple... What use is the Temple of the Gods?"

Nan Xiao's heart trembled. He stared at Sang Mei in disbelief. Her words... were treasonous.

Sang Mei looked at Er Gou sitting by the doorway in the distance and said, "Nan Xiao, look at these people here. They finally found a sliver of hope because of someone the Temple of the Gods calls a 'blasphemer.'

"The Temple of the Gods has suddenly changed its policies. They've begun purchasing land from the commoners here at low prices. How are these people supposed to survive?"

Sang Mei gently shook her head. "They are angry, but they still submit."

Nan Xiao's hands trembled slightly.

Sang Mei continued, "To live is to have your own belief. Nan Xiao, if you were an ordinary person, you wouldn't care about the masses because it's not your responsibility.

"But the problem is, you're not an ordinary person. Since you enjoy the blessings granted by the masses, you should contribute to them. A true divine seed cannot be extinguished by the so-called Purifying Flames.

"If you fight for the people, the Purifying Flames will only make your divine seed shine brighter..."

Sang Mei pulled Little Ran and walked away. "If you never understood the people's suffering before, then now is your best chance to do so. You've only suffered a few days, and you already want to die.

"Have you ever thought that some people have suffered their entire lives?"

Standing there, Nan Xiao looked around. His chest felt as if it were stuffed with cotton. He couldn't breath at all.

***

In the distance, Little Ran suddenly looked up at Sang Mei. "Sister Sang Mei, was it because of that older brother's help that things here changed?"

Sang Mei nodded. "Yes."

Little Ran blinked. "Is it also thanks to him that I get to go to school?"

Sang Mei smiled. "That's right."

Little Ran immediately became worried. "Then he must be in danger now... right?"

Sang Mei shook her head. "The Temple of Gods is what's dangerous."

Little Ran was confused.

Sang Mei gently rubbed her little head and smiled. "Don't worry. What you need to do now is study hard and train well. Since you've risen from suffering, I hope that you won't forget today's hardship and pain. Do more for those at the bottom."

Little Ran said seriously, "I will."

Sang Mei smiled. "Good."

***

At the edge of the starry sky, Ye Guan was on his sword. Thanks to the Qingxuan Sword, he moved extremely fast and quickly left the pursuing powerhouses far behind him.

That sword technique had consumed too much stamina, which was why he didn't want to fight them for now.

"Senior Zong Xin, can you help conceal my aura?"

Although he had left the pursuers behind, his aura wasn't hidden, so they were still tracking him.

Zong Xin replied,

"I'll try."

A mysterious aura enveloped Ye Guan. Very soon, Ye Guan's presence was concealed.

Ye Guan felt a bit relieved. "Thank you."

Zong Xin said,

"Don't be happy too soon. The Central Gods Temple is far more formidable than you think."

"I really can't live in peace for more than three days!" Ye Guan revealed a wry smile. Then, he changed the subject. "Senior, do you know about the Central Gods Temple?"

But Zong Xin fell silent.

Ye Guan was about to ask again when Zong Xin said, "What's your plan now?"

Seeing that Zong Xin didn't want to talk about the Central Gods Temple, Ye Guan dropped the subject and looked around. "First, I'll find a place to rest and recover."

With that, his figure trembled, and in a flash of sword light, he vanished into the starry skies.

About fifteen minutes later, the powerhouses of the Central Gods Temple arrived at the scene. The Main God powerhouse at the helm looked around, his face darkening as he said, "His aura has vanished."

An old man beside him said solemnly, "He's hidden his aura!"

The Main God immediately decided, "We can't give him time. I'll contact the Left Main God right away..."

He took out a communication talisman, and the space in front of him trembled slightly. Soon, he froze.

The expert next to him asked, "What is it?"

The Main God replied, "The higher-ups already know what happened here. We've been ordered to retreat."

The other cultivator was confused. "But what about Ye Guan...?"

The Main God looked at the distant end of the starry sky. "Someone else will take care of him. Let's go."

With that, he turned around and vanished into the distance with his groop.

...

Elsewhere, Ye Guan arrived at an endless mountain range. He found a pond and sat cross-legged beside it. He took out Guan Jian's storage ring, which held more than one hundred million True Spirit Crystals.

Seeing so many crystals, Ye Guan couldn't help but sigh. "Being an official really is lucrative."

Then, he looked at a sword case containing three swords. They were all top-tier Dao artifacts, quite impressive. There were also several divine artifacts in the ring, all highly valuable.

He estimated that if sold, they'd fetch at least over a hundred million True Spirit Crystals.

For now, money was no concern.

What a huge haul!

A moment later, he took out some healing pills from Guan Jian's ring, consumed one, and a mysterious energy began rapidly repairing his fleshly body.

Zong Xin suddenly asked,

"What's your plan?"

Ye Guan thought for a moment and asked,

"Do you have any suggestions, senior?"

Zong Xin replied,

"Just rebel."

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Ye Guan was speechless.

"At this point, reconciliation is impossible. Don't you agree?"

Ye Guan nodded. "Makes sense."

He then closed his eyes and began to focus on healing.

Zong Xin said nothing more. The young man before him was very opinionated. Saying too much would only backfire. An unknown amount of time later, Ye Guan was mostly recovered.

Ye Guan suddenly frowned and said, "Since you're already here, why not show yourself?"

"

Huh?

"

A voice came from his right. "How did you detect me?"

Ye Guan's expression darkened.

Zong Xin was also surprised.

"How did you know?"

Ye Guan replied to Zong Xin,

"I just guessed."

Zong Xin was dumbfounded.

From the right, a peal of laughter echoed. "Hahaha, when I arrived and saw that you were busy healing yourself, I decided not to come out. Killing an injured swordsman isn't much fun."