"Tianlan, you should know there are two True Mandate Bearers in this world. One is Immortal Su Hua, and the other, I suspect, is either the Heir Apparent of Shangqing Sect, the Third Prince of the Immortal Dynasty, or the Purple Firmament King of the Crimson-Letter Manor."
Ye Tianlan, of course, knew there were two True Mandate Bearers in this world.
She also knew one of them was Immortal Su Hua.
As for who the other was,
it remained a mystery to this day.
Whether it was one of the three—the Heir Apparent, the Third Prince, or the Purple Firmament King—she wasn't entirely sure either.
Throughout the heavens and earth, especially in the Great Desolate Celestial Realm, a saying had always circulated:
Immortal Mandates are hard to defy.
Heavenly Destinies are hard to violate.
True Mandates are hard to extinguish.
Immortal Mandates receive their mandate from the Immortals, Heavenly Destinies receive their mandate from Heaven, while True Mandates receive their mandate from Fate itself.
What is Fate?
Fortune.
Fate is not a Great Dao, yet it stands above the Great Daos.
What exactly Fate is, looking across ancient and modern times, within the heavens and earth, no one has ever been able to explain clearly.
The so-called True Mandate Bearers
are also the embodiments of the Present Era's Fate. In other words, they determine the destiny of the Present Era.
Su Hua bore the title of Emissary of the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao, yet she stubbornly mingled with Gu Qingfeng, a man the world recognized as a sinner of the Immortal Dao. Why did the Immortal Dao choose to remain silent?
Su Hua clearly knew Gu Qingfeng's existence was intolerable to heaven and earth, yet she still dared to step forward, attempting to resolve the conflict between Gu Qingfeng and the Three Thousand Great Daos.
What gave her the confidence?
It was precisely her identity as a True Mandate Bearer.
She was the one who determined the fate of the Present Era.
Whether it was the Immortal Dao or the Demonic Dao, even the Heavenly Dao had to give her some face.
Not only did they have to give her face, they also had to protect the True Mandate Bearer.
After all, Su Hua's existence was tied to the fate of the Present Era.
And the reason the Three Thousand Great Daos wanted to eradicate Gu Qingfeng nine years ago, aside from fearing his fusion with the Blood of Original Sin, was also because they wanted to seize this opportunity to kill Gu Qingfeng, thereby severing the karmic ties between Su Hua and him.
A True Mandate Bearer who determined the fate of the Present Era having karmic ties with a being of Original Sin who threatened heaven and earth—
this in itself was already a terrifying matter.
The Three Thousand Great Daos' eagerness to act this time also had this reason.
Ye Tianlan deduced that the Three Thousand Great Daos would spare no cost to eradicate Gu Qingfeng when the Wudao Mountain manifested, precisely based on this. Because she knew the Three Thousand Great Daos all feared that the karmic ties between Gu Qingfeng, a being of Original Sin, and Su Hua, a True Mandate Bearer, might change when Wudao Mountain manifested, thereby affecting the Karmic Black Hole. Hence, Wudao Mountain was their only opportunity.
"The Present Era is truly a mad era..." Perhaps thinking of the impending chaos, Ye Tianlan sighed with such emotion, saying, "In the Ancient Era, Heavenly Destinies were exceedingly rare, let alone True Mandates. I had never seen one before. I never expected that after the Present Era began, Heavenly Destinies would descend in such numbers, and there would even be two True Mandates...
And this is just one Great Thousand World. Within the heavens and earth, there are countless Great Thousand Worlds. Who knows how many Heavenly Destinies there truly are, or how many True Mandates?
It's truly chaotic."
"Karma is conserved, and Fate is no exception."
Grandmother murmured, "If Heavenly Destiny is born in response to fortune, then True Mandate is born in response to calamity. If the Present Era had no great calamity, True Mandates would not be born. It is precisely because the Present Era has a great calamity that True Mandates are born in response to it."
"Can I understand it as: precisely because of the appearance of Gu Tianlang, a being of Original Sin, that this world gave birth to so many Heavenly Destinies in response to fortune, and two True Mandates in response to calamity?"
"It should be so. The world often says 'in the unseen, there is predetermined fate.' This is the principle."
"The world often says 'in the unseen, there is predetermined fate,' heh..." Hearing this phrase, Ye Tianlan laughed for some reason, saying, "I wonder if Grandmother has heard another saying?"
"What saying?"
"Beyond predetermined fate, there is variable fate. I think Gu Tianlang should be a variable fate of the Present Era."
"Why do you say that?"
"A guess."
"Whether that surnamed Gu kid is predetermined fate or variable fate, under the vast heavens, I'm afraid only Lady Wuyou knows. No one knows what her purpose was back then when she used the Blood of Original Sin to gestate a being of Original Sin. And no one knows whether the existence of that surnamed Gu kid was something Lady Wuyou deliberately arranged or happened unintentionally?"
"A pity, she fell into slumber..." "She personally created a threat to heaven and earth like that surnamed Gu, yet she herself fell into slumber...
Truly...
makes one..." Grandmother shook her head, "Madmen, people of the Daoless Age...
are all madmen, not a single normal one. That Jun Xuanji was, that Lady Wuyou is too, all of them. I truly don't know what games these Daoless people are playing."
"Who knows."
Ye Tianlan was composed, and also indifferent. She had always been.
Whether discussing the True Mandate concerning the fate of the Present Era, or mentioning Jun Xuanji and Lady Wuyou of the Daoless Age, there wasn't much emotional fluctuation on her peerlessly beautiful face. It was as if she didn't care much about any of this, or as if she had a perfect grasp of it all.
"The Heir Apparent and the other two will likely make a move before Wudao Mountain manifests."
Grandmother's voice came. Ye Tianlan turned and returned to the pavilion, picked up the wine pot, poured herself a cup of Heart Wine, brought it to her lips, took a sip, and said, "Not likely, but definitely."
"How so?"
"Because Gu Tianlang possesses the very fortune they most desire."
"Tianlan, are you talking about the mysterious fortune gestated by that surnamed Gu kid using his body's endless number of Taiji Golden Cores?"
"All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda."
Ye Tianlan drained the cup in one go, slightly closed her eyes, as if recalling the scene when Gu Qingfeng manifested the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda. The originally indifferent expression on her stunningly beautiful face seemed to stir. Only after a long while did she speak, "Truly remarkable. Calling it the greatest of ancient and modern times would not be an overstatement."
"Yes, it truly is remarkable."
Grandmother also sighed with emotion. Earlier, when Gu Qingfeng manifested the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda at Shangqing Sect, although they weren't present at the scene, they had observed from afar, witnessing the entire process of Gu Qingfeng's manifestation. It was truly earth-shattering and soul-stirring, more magnificent and majestic than celestial phenomena. The mysteries contained within were endless, breathtaking to behold.
Like divine hymns.
Like demonic howls.
Like countless Immortals and Buddhas, yet also like countless Monster-Demon.
Like the light of life blooming, like the gestation of all things in heaven and earth, more like all beings paying homage.
Even now, thinking back, both Ye Tianlan and Grandmother couldn't help but tremble deep in their hearts.
What exactly was the so-called All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda fortune?
Neither of them knew.
But one thing both of them could affirm was that Gu Qingfeng, possessing the All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda, already stood at the peak of the Human Dao. If he wished to contend for the position of Human King, no one could rival him.
Apology!!!
Apology!
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! My train of thought has been a bit blocked lately, writing hasn't been smooth. I've been stuck for several days in a row, sitting in front of the computer for hours without writing a single word. I won't update today, need to sort out my thoughts. Will update tomorrow!
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