Recalling the Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord who once turned the Celestial Realm upside down, Su Hua's heart stirred slightly, for she suddenly felt that Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord bore a striking resemblance to Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng was solitary, cold, arrogant, and wild; that Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord was the same.
Gu Qingfeng was free-spirited and unrestrained; that Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord also seemed utterly boundless in his ways.
Gu Qingfeng possessed profound fortunes and had the audacity to overthrow the Immortal Court, while that Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord similarly possessed heaven-defying fortunes and even greater boldness—burning the Nine Heavens, severing the Heavenly Dao, and annihilating the Three Thousand Great Daos.
Moreover, that Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord had appeared out of nowhere back then. No one knew where he came from, nor what his true identity or background was. It was only known that he had emerged abruptly over three hundred years ago, turning the Great Desolate Celestial Realm upside down.
Su Hua clearly knew that when Gu Qingfeng faked his death in this world, it was also over three hundred years ago.
Wait.
Could he be…
At this thought, Su Hua stopped walking and stared at Gu Qingfeng with an incredulous yet solemn gaze, asking in astonishment, "You couldn't possibly be…
Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord, could you?"
Hmm?
Gu Qingfeng's brows furrowed slightly as he asked impassively in return, "What Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord?"
"The one who turned the Great Desolate Celestial Realm upside down back then!"
"Hahaha!"
Gu Qingfeng laughed heartily. "I say, big sister, your imagination is far too rich, isn't it?
Do you think I resemble that so-called Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord?"
"Yes!"
"I say, big sister, which part of me looks like some Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord?"
Su Hua looked Gu Qingfeng up and down and said, "I think every part of you resembles him. Although your appearances differ, appearances can be changed at will. Moreover, upon careful consideration, your personalities are truly too similar—it's as if you're the same person!"
"That works too?
Why don't you just say I'm the Lord of Heaven himself."
Su Hua stared at Gu Qingfeng, trying to discern the truth, yet she could read nothing from his face. She asked suspiciously, "You're truly not Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord?"
"Nonsense!
I'd like to be some Imperial Lord, but speaking of which, who is this Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord anyway?"
"You don't even know who Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord is?"
"Sister, didn't I tell you before? I only wandered around the Celestial Realm back then, and to avoid drawing attention, I spent most of my time in secluded cultivation. I knew little of the Celestial Realm's affairs. Later, when the Ancient Cataclysm occurred and I saw the Celestial Realm in turmoil, I simply returned."
"True or false?"
Su Hua was somewhat skeptical.
But it was only skepticism; she truly couldn't determine whether Gu Qingfeng's words were true or false.
As for that Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord, aside from sharing a similar temperament with Gu Qingfeng, there seemed to be no further connection. Most importantly, Su Hua knew that during the Ancient Cataclysm, Heaven and Earth judged all sins, and Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord was the chief sinner between Heaven and Earth. During the Cataclysm, he had already been annihilated by Heaven and Earth.
Moreover, in Su Hua's view, Gu Qingfeng couldn't possibly be Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord. That Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord was the chief sinner, bearing countless Judgments upon his person. If Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord were still alive, he would be subjected to Heaven and Earth's sanctions at every moment, with endless Judgments continuously pouring down until he was utterly reduced to ashes.
"My apologies, it seems I truly overthought things."
"It's of no consequence."
Gu Qingfeng was inwardly curious. He had just noticed that when Su Hua mentioned Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord, the look in her eyes was rather complex. He couldn't help but ask, "What? Do you have some grudge with that so-called Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord?"
"You could say so."
"You could say so? How so?"
"This matter is somewhat complicated to explain. How should I put it? Actually, back then, Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord wasn't as evil as the outside world made him out to be. At the very least, when I first met him, he gave me the impression of a man of sentiment and righteousness, one who stood firm between Heaven and Earth. He would rather risk himself than implicate his friends. Speaking of which, when I first encountered Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord, he even helped me."
"There's such a thing?"
Since Su Hua didn't specify what exactly had happened, Gu Qingfeng couldn't immediately recall whether he had met Su Hua during his time roaming the Celestial Realm.
"Since that Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord helped you, why do you say there's a grudge?"
"He nearly burned down the Nine Heavens with a single fire back then."
"Just because of that?"
"I was, after all, a Mysterious Maiden of the Nine Heavens back then. Shouldn't I have regarded him as an enemy? Of course, that matter actually couldn't be blamed on Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord either. The blame lies solely with the Nine Heavens themselves for weaving their own trap. Back then, if the Nine Heavens hadn't used the Imperial Lord's friends to threaten him, he wouldn't have so spectacularly burned the Nine Heavens."
Even now, recalling the events of that time, Su Hua still felt a lingering fear. She would never forget how utterly mad Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord had been back then. To save his friends, he had charged alone into the Nine Heavens, severed the Great Dao Immortal Stele, overturned the Great Dao Altar, slaughtered countless Great Dao Immortal Lords, and even used the Nine Underworlds Ancestral Fire to burn the Great Dao Nine Heavens. If the Western Heaven Buddhist Dao hadn't intervened to assist back then, the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao might have vanished from between Heaven and Earth.
"Actually, you know what? Back then, I was even kidnapped by Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord."
"Kidnapped? You?"
Gu Qingfeng thought back and forth but couldn't remember kidnapping anyone. Even when the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao had threatened him using his friends, he hadn't resorted to kidnapping anyone from the Immortal Dao to threaten the Nine Heavens in return. He said, "That so-called Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord also engaged in such acts as kidnapping and threats?"
"He didn't kidnap me to threaten anyone."
"Then why did he kidnap you? Out of sheer boredom?"
"To be precise, it should be said that I actively requested him to kidnap me."
"There's such a thing?"
Gu Qingfeng racked his brains but simply couldn't recall kidnapping anyone, much less someone who had actively requested it? Was that even possible? Back in his days in the Celestial Realm, he had been notorious, regarded as a thorn in the side by the Three Thousand Great Daos. When would he have had the idle time to bother with a woman who actively requested to be kidnapped?
"That's why I say regarding the Imperial Lord, I don't know whether I should regard him as an enemy or a benefactor. In terms of public duty, he is my enemy; in terms of personal matters, he could be considered my benefactor."
"How so?"
"Back then, due to a marriage arrangement made by my ancestors, I had no choice but to form a Dao partnership with an Immortal Lord from the Nine Heavens. I didn't like him at all; in fact, I found him utterly detestable. But this marriage had been arranged by my ancestors. Even if I had ten thousand objections in my heart, I couldn't defy it. Back then, to refuse this marriage, I even ran away. But later, I heard that my parents and my master had all been implicated because of it. So, in the end, I had no choice but to return. You know? Back then, I was utterly despairing; I even had thoughts of death."
At this point, Su Hua smiled and said, "Perhaps the Lord of Heaven heard my prayers, or maybe my luck was truly good. On the very day of the wedding and union ceremony, Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord descended from the heavens and killed the patriarch of that family. I later learned that family had offended Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord before; he had come for revenge."
"You know? At that time, I was utterly terrified. When I saw Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord, I instinctively said, 'Take me away.' I hadn't held out much hope, but as it turned out, Nine Underworlds Imperial Lord really did take me away…"