"Is it really that exaggerated?"
The ethereal, indistinct figure remarked, "Fairy Hua doesn't seem like that type of person."
"That's only because you don't know her well enough to say that. Once my junior sister sets her mind on something, she's more tenacious than anyone. If she falls in love with someone, she becomes more fanatical than anyone."
"You just mentioned that fellow surnamed Gu once managed to breach Fairy Hua's heart in the past. What exactly happened? Could it be they already knew each other back in the Great Desolate Heavenly Realm?"
"It's more than just knowing each other. There was a period where my junior sister was utterly infatuated with that guy surnamed Gu, completely bewitched. Fortunately, with the end of the Ancient Era, my junior sister poured all her focus into pursuing the understanding of Karma. If she were to find out that fellow surnamed Gu is actually the Nether Emperor... I truly cannot imagine how she would react..." "That fellow surnamed Gu being the Nine Nethers' Great Lord is something you probably can't keep hidden anyway. Fairy Hua will find out sooner or later."
"I'll drag it out day by day. What else can I do?"
"Does the Heavenly Dao know about this?"
"Of course. Not only does the Heavenly Dao know, but the Immortal Dao and probably all Three Thousand Great Daos know as well."
"Fairy Hua is the True Mandate bearer destined for the Tribulation of the Present Era. The Three Thousand Great Daos place immense expectations upon her. Yet that fellow surnamed Gu is the greatest threat to the Present Era. For a True Mandate bearer destined for the Tribulation to have Karmic ties with the greatest threat to the Present Era... That is truly the height of irony. However...
For so long, why haven't the Three Thousand Great Daos intervened to stop Fairy Hua?"
"How could they intervene?
My junior sister's mind is currently wholly consumed by Karma; she's stubborn and wouldn't listen to anyone's persuasion. Moreover, she bears the True Mandate for the Tribulation of the Present Era. Who would dare force her?
No one dares."
"That's true."
The ethereal figure sighed, "Actually, sometimes, when you think about it, the Three Thousand Great Daos are quite pitiful."
Nalan Qianqiu nodded in strong agreement. "They are indeed pitiful. My junior sister shoulders the fate of the Present Era; they dare not move against her. As for that fellow surnamed Gu... they want to move against him but can't. Every time they make a move, they're on tenterhooks, acting with extreme caution. Not only do they fail to achieve their goal and suffer losses, but they also fear provoking that guy and falling into eternal damnation. Truly pitiful."
"The chessboard of the Present Era's Heaven and Earth seems to have reached a stalemate. Whether it's the Heavenly Dao, the Immortal Dao, or the Three Thousand Great Daos, they're all stuck there. No one dares to move, and no one can move."
"It's not just them who can't move. Even the chess pieces on this board—those destined for Tribulation or Fortune—are also unable to move. Looking across the entire chessboard of the Present Era's Heaven and Earth, only that one chess piece surnamed Gu is moving."
"Exactly."
The ethereal figure pondered for a moment before asking, "Tell me, what exactly is that fellow surnamed Gu thinking?
How much does he truly know about the Present Era's situation?"
"From my understanding of him, he probably doesn't know much about the Present Era's situation."
"Not much?
That seems unlikely, doesn't it?"
"How should I put it... That guy has always only cared about things that concern him personally. As for other unrelated matters, he simply doesn't want to know. When he was leaving just now, you made things quite clear to him. He said he only wants to make up for the regrets he left behind in those past years. As for other matters, he doesn't want to get involved and can't be bothered to."
"He also said that after finishing his business in this world, he would go to the Great Desolate Heavenly Realm to settle accounts with the Great Dao. The meaning couldn't be clearer: he's telling the Three Thousand Great Daos outright—go ahead and stir up trouble, stir as much as you like. He'll remember every single account clearly, and after he's done, he'll settle them all at once."
The ethereal figure let out a sigh. "That fellow surnamed Gu has always held grudges over the slightest offense. And when he takes revenge, he's more ruthless and vicious than anyone."
After a moment of silence,
Nalan Qianqiu spoke slowly, "Now, our only hope lies with Wu Dao Mountain."
"Will Wu Dao Mountain truly manifest in this era?"
"It should."
"The Present Era's situation is already deadlocked. The appearance of Wu Dao Mountain will inevitably break this stalemate. Then, whether it's destined for Tribulation or Fortune, True Mandate or Heavenly Mandate, Original Sin or Accursed Sin... everything will surface."
"If I'm not mistaken, your Eldest Senior Sister descended to this world also for Wu Dao Mountain, and...
Wu Dao Mountain is also the only chance to sever the Karmic ties between Fairy Hua and that fellow surnamed Gu. I imagine your Eldest Senior Sister won't miss it."
"It's not just my Eldest Senior Sister who won't miss it; the Three Thousand Great Daos certainly won't either. That fellow surnamed Gu's existence is intricately connected to Wu Dao Mountain. If there's anything between Heaven and Earth capable of erasing him, it must be Wu Dao Mountain. Once Wu Dao Mountain manifests, the Three Thousand Great Daos will absolutely spare no cost to use it to erase that fellow surnamed Gu. Even if they can't erase him, they'll surely seal him within Wu Dao Mountain. At the very least, they must sever the Karma between him and my junior sister."
"What are the chances?"
The ethereal figure asked.
Nalan Qianqiu shrugged and calmly uttered three words: "Who knows."
"If the Three Thousand Great Daos could use Wu Dao Mountain to erase that fellow surnamed Gu, that would be for the best. Even sealing him within Wu Dao Mountain would be acceptable. What I fear is if they neither manage to erase him nor seal him. The consequences...
Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine."
"It won't come to that."
"What do you mean 'won't come to that'?
Have you forgotten the scene when that guy went berserk in his rage back then?
Burning the Nine Heavens, cleaving the firmament—have you forgotten all that?
Even now, the Nine Heavens Stele is still broken in half, and the Nine Heavens Immortal Capital remains in ruins. All these years later, there's still that crack he left in the firmament above the Great Desolate Heavenly Realm."
"How could I forget? What happened back then left a deep shadow on this lady. I had nightmares for a long time. Even now, when I see him, my mind still tenses up. Haven't you noticed that every time I go to see my junior sister, I wrap myself up tightly?
I'm terrified he might recognize me!"
"Is it really that exaggerated? This is just an incarnation, not your true form. What are you afraid of?"
"You say that lightly. Aren't you afraid?"
"What's there to be afraid of?"
"Why put on an act in front of me? If you're not afraid, why do you hide your true form and only dare to wander this world with an incarnation? At least this lady dares to show her face in front of him. You? Ever since you found out he was still alive, forget showing your face in front of him, you hide far away every time. Even from a hundred thousand miles away, you wrap yourself up layer upon layer, not even daring to fart loudly. And you have the nerve to criticize me?
Believe it or not, I'll strip you naked and throw you right in front of him."
The ethereal figure pleaded, "Alright, alright, I admit it. I'm afraid too, okay?
Really..." Seemingly unwilling to dwell on this awkward topic, the ethereal figure quickly changed the subject. "But, what did you mean by 'won't come to that' earlier?
Won't come to what?"
"Haven't you noticed that guy has changed?"
"Changed?
Changed how?"
"If it were in the past, if the Immortal Dao dared to stir up trouble like this, even if it was just a probe, that guy would never let it go. He would definitely go on a killing spree. But just now you saw for yourself...
He didn't go on a killing spree. Even with that minor Heavenly Mandate bearer, he only extracted the Star Core. Not only did he not go on a killing spree, he didn't even seem to get angry."