Aid

As dawn breaks, June is not yet over.

Outside the octagonal pavilion on Golden Ao Mountain, the osmanthus trees are at their most lush and verdant, their dense green canopy covering most of the pavilion's eaves. Occasionally, a breeze will pass by, but only the rustling of leaves can be heard, without a trace of fragrance.

Su Yao and Zilin sat facing each other across the table.

A chessboard sits on the stone table, black and white pieces intertwined, indicating the game is in its middle stages.

Su Yao, playing white, held a chess piece between his fingers for a long time, hesitating to place it. His gaze was not on the chessboard, but rather beyond the eaves of the pavilion, looking into the far distance.

There, in the direction of Jiankang, a powerful and unstoppable aura of Human Dao stood like a pillar of heaven, clearly perceptible despite the thousands of mountains and rivers separating them. The aura was as thick as a mountain and as radiant as the sun, dyeing half of the sky with a very faint layer of crimson gold.

Zilin also put down the black chess piece in her hand and followed his gaze.

"The Human Dao Attainment Position... This aura is far stronger than what I recorded when Renzong ascended the throne." Her voice was not loud, and her brows were slightly furrowed.

Su Yao did not reply. He slowly stood up, straightened his robes, faced the direction of Jiankang, and bowed deeply. The bow was not deep, but it was extremely solemn. Zilin also stood up and bowed in return.

Regardless of their scheming and wariness towards the court, the ascension of a new emperor and the return of the Emperor Position to the throne, with a new ruler in the name of Great Qing, is a major event in the world.

Regardless of their status as Mysterious Gate cultivators, the two at least respected Taizu Emperor Gao, and since the other party was Taizu Emperor Gao, they rose and bowed respectfully, as was customary.

After the ceremony, the two sat down again.

Su Yao picked up a cup of tea, took a sip, placed the cup on the table, and then asked:

How is Yang Xiu doing in Green Nuo?

Upon hearing this, Zilin replied softly:

"While you were in seclusion for a year, he wasn't idle at Green Nuo. Lu Daoyuan, Gong Shouzhuo, Jing Xuanpu all broke through to the Purple Mansion realm one after another, so he's no longer alone. Although Qingnuo Mountain is just one peak, with him in charge, plus the three newly promoted Purple Mansion protectors, things are alright."

Su Yao nodded slightly.

Yang Xiu has cultivated the Divine Sha Dharma Body of True Martial Mountain and has broken through the second Divine Ability, "Karma Enshrouds the Body." With the addition of three Purple Mansion Guardians, he is capable of standing alone.

Qingnuo Mountain is a natural barrier, with its steep terrain making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

"What about Mo Li and Ying Qi?" he asked again.

"While you were in seclusion for a year, those two, along with their respective protectors, guarded the gates of the secluded mountain they and Xuan Yan had established years ago." Zilin paused. "Those three places, though not as grand as Golden Ao or Green Nuo, are strategically important locations at the border between Nanzhao and Miao Frontier. Mo Li's Mystic Body technique excels at defense, Ying Qi's Wu Earth technique is adept at deployment. Together, they guarded the area flawlessly."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao was puzzled and asked:

Where is Xuan Yan?

"Xuan Yan is stationed at the Red Rock Zhao Household's residence in the northeast of Golden Ao Mountain." Zilin paused, her tone slightly somber, before continuing, "After you killed the Kuiwu True Person, the Zhao Household has remained secluded. However, last year, some members of the Zhao Household defected, intending to join Proclaiming Earth. Fortunately, Xuan Yan Xuan Yan had been keeping watch, so he led his men to intercept and kill the defectors. Since then, he has been stationed at the Zhao Household and has never returned to the Wisdom Light Dao Lineage's villa in Nanzhao."

Upon hearing this, Su Yao's gaze shifted slightly.

Zhao Household.

Red Rock Zhao Household.

The Kuiwu True Person of yesteryear came from the Zhao Household and cultivated the Heavenly Chaos Dao.

The Wisdom Light Dao Lineage, which is the lineage to which Ying Qi belongs, also cultivates the Dao of Heavenly Chaos. The patriarch of the Wisdom Light Dao Lineage had his Body Divine Ability scattered by the Thunder Bureau Heavenly Venerable's decree during the Investiture of the Gods. After that, the Wisdom Light Dao Lineage casually placed its pieces in Nanzhao.

"The Wisdom Light Dao Lineage has a scheme against the Zhao Household," Su Yao said slowly. "It seems Xuan Yan intends to thoroughly purge the Zhao Household this time."

Zilin nodded without saying anything more.

These words, though light, were a devastating blow to the Zhao Household, one that could kill countless people...

At that moment, the communication talisman at Su Yao's waist trembled slightly.

He took out the talisman, and with a touch of his Law Power, a line of characters appeared, consisting of only four words:

"The Zhao Household is in dire need of help."

Upon seeing this, Su Yao's gaze sharpened, and he immediately stood up.

"Xuan Yan needs help." He handed the communication talisman to Zilin, glanced at it, and quickly said, "Something has happened to the Zhao Household. I'm going."

Zilin took the communication talisman, glanced at it, and without asking any further questions, simply said:

"Go ahead, I'll be there for you in Golden Ao, and you'll find your way."

Su Yao nodded upon hearing this, then took out another communication talisman, infused it with his Law Power, and sent two messages.

The first order is to summon Liu Yunhe and Li Siyi to the Octagonal Pavilion immediately.

The second message was sent to Han Ziyi, who was stationed at White Sand Mountain, Zhang Ziyan, Zhu Xuejie, and Yang Nan at the Cibi Lake Water Palace Secret Realm, instructing them not to act rashly and to guard their respective posts.

Moments later, two streaks of light swept in from the direction of the back of Golden Ao Mountain.

Liu Yunhe landed first, dressed in a green robe, his aura steady, with the He Wood surrounding him like spring vines, indicating he had already reached the Purple Mansion cultivation level. Behind him followed Li Siyi, wearing a yellow-brown robe, her Wu Earth Qi as thick as a mountain, she had also broken through to the Purple Mansion.

"Abbot," the two bowed in unison.

Su Yao glanced at the two of them and said:

"I need to go to the Zhao Household; something has happened to Xuan Yan."

He paused slightly:

"You two will remain at Golden Ao to assist Zilin in guarding the mountain. Proclaiming Earth and those demons have recently gained considerable power; they should not be underestimated."

Liu Yunhe and Li Siyi agreed at the same time.

Su Yao then turned to Zilin, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment.

"Golden Ao is now in your hands."

Zilin met his gaze, nodded, and uttered only one word:

"Good."

Su Yao said no more. With a swift movement, golden light appeared Golden Light Across the Land, transforming it into a streak of pure white light that shot towards the northeast.

In just a few breaths, it had vanished.

Zilin stood in the pavilion, watching the departing streak of light. After a moment of silence, she turned to look at Liu Yunhe and Li Siyi.

"Fellow Daoist Liu, guard the east gate; Fellow Daoist Li, guard the west gate. Send word immediately if there is any unusual activity."

The two agreed in unison, each riding their own escape light towards the wings of the Golden Ao.

In the octagonal pavilion, only Zilin remained.

She walked to the stone table, picked up the white chess piece that Su Yao had casually dropped, and examined it.

The chess piece landed on the edge and corner, insignificant, but her gaze lingered on that spot for a long time before she gently placed it back into the chess box.

Then she raised her head and looked in the direction of Jiankang.

There, the spirit of Human Dao still surges, as vibrant as the midday sun.

She frowned again, then relaxed, and muttered to herself:

"The first year of the Xuande reign... June 12th, that's an easy date to remember."

After saying that, she turned around and walked to the pavilion pillar, leaning against it.

From the northeast, in the direction where Su Yao had just disappeared, a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy emanated.

There is a word cloud:

The pavilion is covered with laurel leaves in June, and the chessboard remains unfinished.

The Human Dao to Jiankang is paved with clouds.

Bowing is not out of fear of power; courtesy remains constant throughout history.

A message urged them to hurry, and a golden light raced across the land.

The old site of the Zhao Household awaits clearing.

The three sons of Green Nuo guarded the place, while the Golden Ao supported them.

The wind rustles through the cassia branches, but the beacon fires in the south have not yet died down.

Herbal tea and gray hair are both a regret.

Who says the path to immortality is far? Looking back, it's just another dusty road.