"Whether it's the Dao of Divination or the Dao of Deduction, neither can escape the two words of cause and effect. It's either the cause from a past life, or the fruit of this life. Or perhaps the cause of this life, the fruit of the next. Why must you be so fixated on this?"
Xuanze's voice drifted over. Old Monster Tang craned his neck and asked, "Then tell me, back in the Ancient Era, when that kid Gu Tianlang helped our Yanluo royal family, was that a cause or a fruit?"
"That is the karma of your Yanluo royal family. How would an outsider like me know? It might be a cause, or it might be a fruit. In the unseen workings of fate, cause and effect were long predestined. It can neither be prevented nor forced. Matters of karma begin with nature and end with nature. Everything should follow its natural course..." Xuanze stroked the white beard on his chin, explaining karma in a measured tone. After speaking, his brow furrowed slightly, as if remembering something, and he asked, "You just mentioned Tianlang. Is there still no news of him to this day?"
"You mean that kid Gu Tianlang?"
Old Monster Tang shook his head, took a swig of wine, and said, "What news could there be? Not a damn bit."
"I've heard many people in this world claim to be Gu Tianlang. Are they all fake?"
"I'm not a god, how would I know? For all I know, they're all fakes."
"A hundred years have passed since the end of the Ancient Era, and the Heavenly Mandate has already descended."
Xuanze frowned slightly. "If Tianlang hasn't reincarnated by now, I'm afraid... the outlook is grim."
"Nonsense! That kid's fortunes were mysterious and bizarre, all of them defying the heavens. Plus, that kid feared nothing, not even the heavens themselves. He overturned the damn Immortal Dynasty and killed so many immortals of the Nine Heavens. With his actions, even if the Immortal Dao showed mercy and spared his life, the Ancient Cataclysm and the judgment of heaven and earth upon all sin—with his body full of sin, how could he escape the judgment of heaven and earth?"
"Ah, what a pity, truly a pity..." Xuanze sighed, his words filled with regret.
Both he and Old Monster Tang knew Gu Tianlang.
Not only did they know him, but back when Gu Tianlang was in the Yanluo Kingdom, Xuanze had even taught him divine abilities and immortal arts. He was deeply impressed by Gu Tianlang's mysterious, bizarre, and heaven-defying fortunes.
"I've lived for so many years and can be said to have seen countless people. The various prodigies and rare talents I've encountered are beyond counting. To this day, I have yet to meet anyone who can compare to Tianlang. Although his innate talent was utterly ordinary, that mysterious and bizarre fortune of his was truly an eye-opener. Especially his comprehension—it could be called peerless. Most importantly, he possessed a fearless, soaring heart of rebellion. If Tianlang hadn't set foot on that path of no return defying the heavens, his future achievements would have been truly unimaginable."
"Him? Give me a break."
Old Monster Tang said disdainfully, "That kid Gu Tianlang was clearly someone who couldn't sit still. His temperament was damn extreme too. Usually, he seemed somewhat human, but once his temper flared up, he was a complete and utter madman. Not even the Heavenly King himself could stop him. With that temper and that nature, even if you didn't want him to defy the heavens, he'd do it anyway."
Remembering the events of those years, Old Monster Tang felt very displeased. "Have you forgotten? Back when that kid was going head-to-head with the Nine Heavens immortals, the two of us went to persuade him for his own good. Not only was that kid ungrateful, he damn well wanted to kill us along with them."
"Tianlang back then had already killed until his eyes were red, and there was no turning back."
"But that kid Gu Tianlang's courage was really something else. Not only did he damn well overthrow the Immortal Dynasty, he also damn well killed so many Nine Heavens immortals. From the looks of it back then, if the Immortal Dao hadn't descended with endless judgment, that kid was damn well prepared to slaughter his way up to the Nine Heavens."
Old Monster Tang cursed, then said, "Although I couldn't stand that kid Gu Tianlang, I have to admit, that kid really had guts. Throughout the ages, who has been like him, so spectacularly destroying the Immortal Dynasty, stubbornly enduring the endless judgment of the Immortal Dao, and battling the Nine Heavens immortals? Too damn crazy. You have to admire it!"
Not just Old Monster Tang, even a recluse like Xuanze couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement recalling that mad scene from back then. He sighed, "A prodigy of a generation, Gu Tianlang, shook the four directions beneath Chiyan Ridge. On the path of madness, he buried immortals, laughed proudly as Lord Chixiao, shaking the eight wastelands. A song of judgment brought sorrow to the world, and since then, there has been no monarch in this world."
"I say, Xuanze, am I hearing things? You're not young anymore. Why does it sound like you admire that kid Gu Tianlang?"
"Old Monster Tang, the two of us have lived our whole lives with extreme caution. Although we've seen through many things, deep in our hearts, there's always been that impulse, that obsession. An impulse to defy the heavens, an obsession to laugh proudly over the world. But it's just an impulse, just an obsession. Neither of us dared to truly act on that impulse, let alone let that obsession take flight."
"We didn't dare. Throughout the ages, how many have dared?"
"Tianlang did what we have always wanted to do but never dared. In that case, how could I not admire him?"
Xuanze said, "To this day, I still remember a sentence Tianlang once said: 'A true man would rather die standing than live kneeling. Born ordinary, but death must be spectacular. Never waste this life, never leave regrets.' Tianlang said that, and he also acted that way."
"As a true man, a real man, that kid was beyond reproach. I admire him wholeheartedly. But... as a man, that kid damn well wasn't qualified at all!"
Seeing Old Monster Tang's rising anger, Xuanze shook his head helplessly. "So many years have passed, and you're still holding a grudge over the matter between Tianlang and Hengxi?"
"Don't say 'so many years have passed.' Even if a thousand years, ten thousand years pass, I won't forget! That bastard Gu Tianlang is just too much. If it weren't for that kid, how could Hengxi have..." Remembering the affair between Gu Tianlang and Tang Hengxi back then, Old Monster Tang was furious. "You know, among all the descendants of the Yanluo royal family, Hengxi was the one I doted on the most. That little girl was well-behaved and obedient, talented and intelligent, with peerless comprehension. She might have become the most capable one in our Yanluo royal family. Of all the prodigies and rare talents in the world, she didn't fancy a single one, but she just fell for that bastard Gu Tianlang. And the result? ...Ah, now we don't even know if she's dead or alive."
"In matters between men and women, there has never been right or wrong. Why must you hold a grudge?"
Xuanze said unhurriedly, "Besides, didn't you try to persuade Hengxi back then? Didn't work either, did it?"
Indeed.
Old Monster Tang had indeed tried to persuade Tang Hengxi back then. Because from the very beginning, Old Monster Tang could tell Gu Tianlang was no good bird. He was very worried that kid Gu Tianlang would betray Hengxi's feelings. Unfortunately, no matter how he tried to persuade her, Tang Hengxi never listened. And the result was just as he predicted: Gu Tianlang really was no good bird. Not only did he reject Tang Hengxi's feelings, but in the end, he damn well patted his butt and just disappeared.
This led to Tang Hengxi becoming lovesick and ill, listless all day, nearly falling into demonic ways. Later, when she had finally recovered somewhat, because Gu Tianlang was judged by the Immortal Dao and turned to dust and smoke, Tang Hengxi was heartbroken. She even gave up the throne and vanished without a trace.