Defiance

In the opposite direction from the two, Su Yao was leading Yang Nan, Li Chaoxue, and Ni Polu towards Golden Ao Mountain.

After traveling only a little over a thousand miles, Su Yao slowly stopped.

Ahead, a figure in a blue robe stood with his hands behind his back, blocking their path.

The man simply stood there quietly, yet a heavy, abyss-like aura emanated from him, as if the entire Great Void was slowly sinking around him.

Yang Nan's pupils constricted sharply, and he exclaimed:

"Cang Lan... Senior."

Li Chaoxue and Ni Polu exchanged a glance, their expressions turning cold simultaneously.

Su Yao didn't speak immediately, but instead thoughtfully observed the figure's back.

Cang Lan.

He had indeed heard of that name.

Although there are many cultivators on the path of Human Dao, those who can reach the Purple Mansion are already rare, and those who can go further and become Great True Person are extremely rare, even in the whole world.

Several of them emerged from the Nanzhao alone.

It is said that the youngest of them is the most talented and also the most extreme in temperament.

This is Cang Lan, standing right before me.

As for the other two of the "Three Heroes of Nanzhao," Mo Yan and Zhao Shouzhi, Su Yao had only heard of them and knew their names, but had never met them.

He grew up in Qixia Mountain and has only been in Nanzhao for a little over twenty years. He spends his days either cultivating or handling various affairs, and has never had a deep relationship with the local Nanzhao cultivators. He knows very little about the deeds and personalities of these people.

Unexpectedly, today, the youngest Great True Person of Human Dao of Nanzhao has come to find me in person.

Su Yao withdrew his thoughts, remained motionless, and said loudly:

"Senior Cang Lan, you've blocked my way. May I ask what brings you here?"

Upon hearing this, the man in the blue robe slowly turned around.

He was a young man who looked to be no more than twenty years old, with a handsome face, slender eyebrows and eyes, and a pair of pupils that were a very pale amber color, like aged tea that had been thoroughly exposed to the sun.

He was extremely handsome, yet he had no feminine features whatsoever; instead, his brows revealed a sharp and piercing edge, like a knife poised to strike.

He looked at Su Yao, then glanced at Yang Nan and the other two behind Su Yao, and suddenly smiled slightly:

"Abbot, please don't worry. I've come here simply to speak with you."

Su Yao remained noncommittal.

"Please speak, senior."

Cang Lan did not speak immediately, but instead focused his gaze on Yang Nan and the other two, his smile gentle, but his tone leaving no room for doubt:

"Yang Nan, Li Chaoxue, Ni Polu, the three of you, you can go ahead first."

The three of them paused, but did not move.

Cang Lan continued:

"Considering we are all cultivators from Nanzhao, I will not make things difficult for you. Just remember what I said today: if you still have the ability when Nanzhao is in turmoil in the future, then help save the millions of people of Nanzhao."

He paused, his tone calm:

"In that case, my decision to let you go today will not have been in vain."

Yang Nan and the other two were slightly shaken, but they still did not move.

It's not that they don't want to leave, it's that they're afraid to leave.

Su Yao didn't speak, and they didn't dare to leave without permission.

After all, they were already on Su Yao's ship, which meant that they could not leave without Su Yao's permission.

Su Yao had already weighed the options in his mind: if a fight really broke out, he had a trump card to escape, but he couldn't take the three of them with him.

Rather than letting them remain here and increase casualties, it's better to get them away from danger first.

He turned around, glanced at the three of them, and said calmly:

"Go, go back to Golden Ao and wait for me."

The three felt as if they had been granted a pardon. They bowed to Su Yao and then to Cang Lan before transforming into three streaks of light and fleeing swiftly.

After the three had gone far away, the smile on Cang Lan's face slowly faded, and his expression became serious.

He stared directly at Su Yao, his gaze sharp as a knife.

"The abbot is a wise man, so I will speak frankly."

Su Yao nodded:

"Please speak frankly, senior."

Cang Lan stood with his hands behind his back, his voice clear and cold:

"The abbot has become too deeply involved in this game of Nanzhao. I don't care whether the abbot is genuinely concerned about Proclaiming Earth or has other motives, but now, Geng Wood has perished, Radiant Fire and Geng Metal are both seeking gold. Nanzhao's earth veins are in disarray, and its spiritual atmosphere is turbid. If this continues, the first to die will not be those of you who are playing this game, but the people of Nanzhao."

Su Yao was silent for a moment, then said:

"So, what you mean, senior?"

Cang Lan stared at him and said, word by word:

"I demand that the abbot cease his actions here and leave Nanzhao."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao paused for a moment, then slowly said:

"Senior, some things are not something I can simply withdraw from. Since you understand this game, you should understand that a chess piece has no right to leave the table on its own."

Upon hearing Cang Lan suddenly laughed loudly:

"What a fine example of a pawn not deserving to leave the table! The abbot is certainly frank."

His laughter vanished, and his expression suddenly turned into a deep, cold sternness.

"But if a chess piece not only doesn't leave the table, but instead helps the player smash the board, then that piece is no longer a chess piece."

Su Yao frowned slightly:

What do you mean by that, senior?

Cang Lan said frankly:

"To be honest, Abbot, I have two good friends, one is Mo Yan, and the other Zhao Shouzhi. Although you have never met them, you must have heard of their names."

Su Yao nodded slightly:

"I have indeed heard of the Three Heroes of Nanzhao, but I have never met them. I wonder what brings these two seniors to our court today..."

Cang Lan picked up the conversation, his tone growing increasingly serious:

"The two of them are doing what I'm doing right now. Mo Yan went to stop Xue Min, Zhao Shouzhi went to stop Yang Xuanye."

Su Yao was taken aback at first upon hearing this, but then recovered as before, thinking to himself:

So that's how it is. Today, the three Three Heroes of Nanzhao acted simultaneously, blocking his, Xue Min's, and Yang Xuanye's paths. This was no mere impulsive act, but rather a premeditated plan.

Cang Lan continued:

"Mo Yan felt that the world was already rotten to the core, and it would be better if it were even worse. Zhao Shouzhi felt that the king owed the people of Nanzhao a debt and wanted to ask a question on behalf of the people. As for me..."

He raised his eyes, and his amber eyes shone astonishingly bright in the Great Void:

"I think that since you great sects don't take Nanzhao seriously, then we'll close the door on you. None of you will be able to come in, and none of you will be able to leave."

Su Yao's heart sank, but his face remained calm:

"I understand the positions of the three of you. But do you really think that the three of you alone can close this door?"

Cang Lan suddenly smiled, a very faint smile, yet one of extreme confidence:

"Whether we can keep them locked up or not, we'll only know after we try. After all, unless you gentlemen bully us, the three of us are not afraid of anyone."

He then continued:

"However, today, I would like to ask the abbot a question on behalf of my two friends."

"Please speak, senior."

Cang Lan's gaze was like a knife, piercing straight into Su Yao's heart:

"Master, after all this time of cultivation, do you still remember whether you are cultivating the orthodox path of the Mysterious Gate or your own path? If it is the Great Dao, then you can regard all living beings as mere weeds. In that case, what difference is there between you and the Demonic Dao?"

Su Yao fell silent.

This statement is sharper than any Divine Ability.

After a long silence, he spoke slowly, his voice low and deep:

"Senior, do you know that some paths, once embarked upon, offer no turning back?"

He paused, then continued:

"The affairs of Nanzhao are beyond my control alone. The Five Virtues Change Positions is an inevitable trend. Even if I withdraw today, someone else will stand here tomorrow. Senior, can you stop me alone, or can you stop the general trend of the world?"

Cang Lan shook his head:

"The general trend is the trend of all people, not a game played by a few individuals. If following the trend means sacrificing the people of a nation, then this trend..."

His gaze sharpened, and his blue robe fluttered without wind. A powerful aura of Human Dao surged from his body, like a vast mortal world churning forth.

So what if I rebel!

Su Yao looked at him and suddenly felt a sense of respect that he shouldn't have.

This man was completely different from those Nanzhao cultivators who only cared about protecting themselves. He knew the road ahead was difficult, yet he still went against the tide. Even if it meant being shattered to pieces, he would still go against it.

Su Yao said no more, only slowly raised his hand.

A rosy glow emanated from his body, like the rising sun, illuminating the surrounding Great Void with splendor.

He gazed at Cang Lan and said softly:

"Since that's the case, then let me see just how capable the youngest of the Three Heroes of Nanzhao, the Great True Person, truly is in defying the odds."

Cang Lan smiled, his green robe fluttering in the wind, while behind him, the vast world of mortals surged like a turbulent sea.

"Then please enlighten me, Abbot."