"I don't know whether Jin'er is a calamity star descended upon the present era or a calamity star from the Daoless Age... I don't know...
And I don't care. I only know she is an innocent little girl. She was before, she will be after, and she will be forever."
Su Hua guarded Xiao Jinr, who was growing weaker and more indistinct within the crimson light column, shaking her head and murmuring, "I won't allow anyone to harm Xiao Jinr... won't allow...
Anyone...
No one."
"Hua'er, when did you become so willful!"
In Aunt Mei's memory, Su Hua had always been a woman who understood the greater picture, knew the overall situation, and was deeply aware of righteousness. She didn't know why Su Hua, who had been perfectly fine, had become like this today. What worried her even more was that she could see Su Hua was somewhat losing her senses at this moment. She truly feared Su Hua might do something foolish, and so she said,
"Hua'er, if it were possible, none of us would want to kill such a lovely little girl as Jin'er. But...
Her existence is, after all, a calamity star of the Daoless Age. It is highly likely she will endanger the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and even all sentient beings. We have no choice but to erase her."
"Aunt Mei, you said 'highly likely,' didn't you?
You also cannot be certain that Jin'er's existence will definitely endanger the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth and all sentient beings, right?"
"Yes, I admit it. None of us dare to assert that the little girl's existence will definitely endanger the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. But...
None of us dare to gamble on it. None of us can afford to lose that gamble. None of us can bear the consequences, the responsibility. Do you understand?"
Faced with Aunt Mei's earnest persuasion, Su Hua smiled, a very complex smile. She bit her lip, shaking her head, and said, "I don't understand. I truly don't understand. Why are you people of the Great Dao always like this? Always standing on the moral high ground to judge a person's life or death."
"Gu Qingfeng was one, Xiao Jinr is another."
"You keep saying Gu Qingfeng is a person of Original Sin, that his existence threatens Heaven and Earth and endangers all sentient beings. But...
When has he ever threatened Heaven and Earth? When has he ever endangered all sentient beings?
Never...
Never from the start. From the very beginning, it was you who considered him a threat. No matter what he did, you considered it a threat...
He couldn't advance, nor could he retreat...
Whether he defied or didn't defy, it was defiance. He could neither advance nor retreat. If he became a threat, it was because you forced him into becoming one."
Su Hua spoke these words as if addressing Aunt Mei, yet also as if speaking to Lie Shan, who was both an Immortal Dao Arbiter and a World Enforcer, and even more as if speaking to the Three Thousand Great Daos secretly observing this place.
"Now it's the same with Xiao Jinr. You cannot determine at all that her existence will definitely threaten the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. Why must you erase her?
Is it simply because you dare not gamble, that Xiao Jinr must die?
Don't you think doing this is terribly unfair to Xiao Jinr?"
"Be it karma or fate, no one is born a demon, and no one is born a Buddha. A Buddha can become a demon in a single thought, and a demon can become a Buddha in a single thought. I do not hope you will treat Jin'er kindly, nor do I hope you will treat her fairly. I only beg you to give Jin'er a chance, a chance to live. If in the future, she truly threatens Heaven and Earth and endangers all sentient beings, I, Su Hua, will spare no effort to kill her with my own hands, and will bear all responsibility for this matter through countless reincarnations across endless lifetimes."
Having said this.
Su Hua immediately knelt in mid-air, kowtowing to Heaven Above, begging the Three Thousand Great Daos, begging the Heavens, begging Heaven Above to give Xiao Jinr a chance, to give herself a chance.
It was a pity.
The Three Thousand Great Daos gave no response. The Heavens gave no response. Heaven Above likewise gave no response whatsoever.
"Enough!
You simply cannot bear that responsibility, and do not hope Heaven Above will give you this chance!
It is utterly impossible!"
A stern shout came. It was Lie Shan, the World Enforcer. Pointing at Su Hua kneeling and kowtowing to Heaven Above in mid-air, he rebuked, "Su Hua, you grow more and more presumptuous. In your past life, you were the Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens. In this life, you are an Emissary of the Nine Heavens, and moreover a Bearer of True Mandate destined for the tribulation. You could be said to be showered with countless favors, uniquely blessed by Heaven and Earth. Yet you fail to value yourself properly. Associating with that Daoless person of Original Sin, Gu Qingfeng, without authorization was bad enough. Now you actually dare to be so presumptuous, publicly pleading for a Daoless calamity star."
"This Venerable One, considering you are a Bearer of True Mandate destined for the tribulation and also the Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens, has already shown you leniency beyond the law. Do not be ungrateful. I advise you to leave swiftly. Otherwise, do not blame this Venerable One for being impolite!"
Although Lie Shan's cultivation was only at the Grand Luo Golden Immortal level, his status was terrifyingly high. He was both the Immortal Dao Arbiter of this world and its World Enforcer. Whether as an Immortal Dao Arbiter or a World Enforcer, these were identities with real authority. Above, he could mobilize the power of the Immortal Dao; below, he could wield the law power of this world. It was no exaggeration to say that in this world, he was the absolute authority. No matter how high your cultivation, how strong your power, whether you held a Mandate from the Great Dao, bore a Heavenly Mandate, or were some great power revived from ancient or primordial times—even if you were a person of the Heavenly Dao—he would not regard you with any respect.
Therefore.
If it were anyone else today, Lie Shan wouldn't have wasted so many words. He would have directly acted to erase them.
But the person happened to be Su Hua.
He had no choice but to be cautious.
Because Su Hua's existence was too special. She was a Bearer of True Mandate.
If she were merely a Destined Talent like Shangguan Yu, a Tai Chi Prodigy born in response to fortune bearing the True Mandate, Lie Shan wouldn't regard her with any respect either.
But Su Hua was not a Destined Talent bearing the True Mandate. She was a Bearer of True Mandate destined for the tribulation.
One was destined for fortune, the other for tribulation. Though differing by a single character, the distinction was as vast as Heaven and Earth.
A Destined Talent bearing the True Mandate was born due to karma, arranged by fate, conforming to the Heavenly Dao's fortune. The birth of such a person was a blessing for all sentient beings, for the Three Thousand Great Daos, for Heaven, Earth, and Heaven Above. But it was merely a blessing. Having one more such person was a blessing for Heaven, Earth, and all beings. Lacking one such person was no great loss.
To put it plainly, with such a Destined Talent bearing the True Mandate, everyone could eat meat during the New Year. Without such a person, it would just mean not eating meat and continuing to drink soup.
But a Bearer of True Mandate destined for the tribulation was different.
Although such a person was also born due to karma, arranged by fate, conforming to the Heavenly Dao, they were not born for fortune but for calamity.
If lacking a Destined Talent bearing the True Mandate meant eating one less meal of meat during the New Year, then lacking a Bearer of True Mandate destined for the tribulation was not a matter of eating one less meal of meat. Forget one meal of meat; one might not even get to drink the usual soup, and might even starve to death.
Su Hua was such a person. Therefore, she was placed with great hopes by the Three Thousand Great Daos and by Heaven, Earth, and Heaven Above. It was precisely for this reason that Lie Shan chose to tolerate Su Hua's presumptuous behavior here again and again.
Of course.
It was only tolerance.
He might not dare to kill Su Hua, but that did not mean he did not dare to move against her.