"Did they all come to kill Jin'er?"
Gu Qingfeng swept his gaze indifferently over the Grand Luo Golden Immortals standing upon the cloud platforms and those from the Immortal Court, then at Pudu and the other Buddhas from the Western Heaven. He also looked toward the Dao Envoys hidden in the shadows, the various mysterious figures, and the Three Thousand Great Daos lying dormant in the firmament.
"They all say Jin'er is the Calamity Star of the Daoless Age. They are all afraid, so none of them wish for Jin'er to live."
Perhaps Gu Qingfeng's arrival had gradually calmed Su Hua's heart, but she couldn't help starting to worry again. She realized an even more severe problem: Gu Qingfeng's very existence was already intolerable to the heavens and earth, and the Immortal Dao hated him to the bone. If Gu Qingfeng clashed with the Immortal Dao today to protect Jin'er, the consequences would be simply unimaginable.
Did she regret it?
Perhaps.
Su Hua didn't know whether calling for Gu Qingfeng had been the right thing to do.
But what was done was done; regret was useless now.
The pressing matter now was how to take Xiao Jinr away without further conflict.
However.
Would the Cloud Platform, the Immortal Court, and the Three Thousand Great Daos allow Gu Qingfeng to simply take Jin'er away?
It would likely be very, very difficult.
One could even say it was almost impossible.
Other Great Daos might relent.
But the Immortal Dao absolutely would not.
A single bearer of Original Sin from the Daoless Age was already giving the Immortal Dao a headache.
Xiao Jinr's existence as the Calamity Star of the Daoless Age made her even more dangerous than Gu Qingfeng, if not more so. How could the Three Thousand Great Daos allow Gu Qingfeng to take Jin'er away?
Moreover, besides the Immortal Dao, the Western Heaven Buddha Dao had now also intervened. They would be even less likely to let Gu Qingfeng take Xiao Jinr away.
Force their way out?
Easier said than done.
Su Hua might not know the full extent of Gu Qingfeng's capabilities, but she understood the hegemony of the Immortal Dao perfectly clearly.
The fact that the Three Thousand Great Daos couldn't do anything to Gu Qingfeng over twenty years ago didn't mean they couldn't deal with him today.
Twenty-plus years might not seem like a long time.
However, for the Immortal Dao, twenty-plus years was enough for earth-shattering changes.
And indeed, that was the case.
After the Present Era began, although the Immortal Dao's origin had not yet fully re-evolved, it changed every day, growing stronger with each passing day. Coupled with the gradual awakening and return of the Immortal Dao's top figures, the Immortal Dao of today was no longer comparable to what it was over twenty years ago.
Most importantly, over twenty years ago, the authority to rule this world was still in the hands of the World Honored Lady, Jun Xuanji. Today, that authority rested with the Immortal Dao.
Trying to contend with the Immortal Dao in this world was undoubtedly like an egg striking a stone.
This wasn't a matter of cultivation level, nor was it a matter of raw power. It was a matter of order and Law.
Gu Qingfeng could shatter a World Judgment with a single punch, but that was just a World Judgment. The most terrifying aspect of a World Sovereign wasn't the Judgments, but the Laws.
Within the Laws, all beings were like ants, and they governed the life and fate of all things in the world.
In other words.
Whoever ruled this world was its god.
No matter how high your cultivation, how great your strength, regardless of your identity or background, it was all the same.
Within the Laws, you could not resist, could not block, could not run, could not escape, and had nowhere to hide.
Hmm?
As she pondered, Su Hua suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, "Can you take Jin'er away first?"
Others might have nowhere to hide within the World Laws, but that didn't mean Gu Qingfeng couldn't.
At the very least, during the over ten years Gu Qingfeng had disappeared previously, the Cloud Platform had found no trace of him in this world.
Although Su Hua didn't know how Gu Qingfeng managed it, that wasn't important. What mattered was that Gu Qingfeng had done it.
However.
To her surprise, Gu Qingfeng actually shook his head.
"You... can't take Jin'er away?"
"Both Jin'er's flesh body and her soul are inextricably linked to that mysterious blood moon in the night sky."
Gu Qingfeng gazed at the blood moon in the night sky and said, "If I forcibly take Jin'er away, not only will she not survive, she will likely have her soul utterly destroyed..."
Hearing this, Su Hua was immediately alarmed and asked, "Wasn't the blood moon already sealed by the Buddhist Swastika Seal?"
"It's only temporarily suppressing the blood moon; it can't be called a seal. If the blood moon were truly sealed, Jin'er would probably never wake up again in this lifetime."
"Then... what should we do?"
What should they do?
Gu Qingfeng shook his head; he didn't know what to do either. This situation was too unique; it was his first time encountering it. Moreover, it involved the Daoless Age and concerned Xiao Jinr's life. Gu Qingfeng didn't dare make a rash decision.
Looking down at the unconscious Xiao Jinr in his arms, Gu Qingfeng's heart ached with pity. Especially seeing Xiao Jinr's originally sweet and lovely face now deathly pale, devoid of any color. Even while unconscious, she still clenched her fists tightly, biting her lips fiercely. Her small hands were clenched so hard they bled, and her lips were bitten until they were a bloody mess. It was unimaginable what kind of painful struggle Xiao Jinr had endured before losing consciousness.
Gu Qingfeng was not a kind man, nor did he possess a merciful heart or a compassionate nature.
But for Xiao Jinr alone, he felt genuine affection from the depths of his heart, a born-and-bred doting love.
It was truly so.
Even Gu Qingfeng himself didn't know why.
From the first time he saw Xiao Jinr, he had felt a special connection to the little girl. That feeling was marvelous yet complex, like a sense of déjà vu, or a bond of blood kinship, or perhaps a debt from a past life too great to count—countless indescribable feelings.
What exactly it was.
Gu Qingfeng didn't know.
Nor did he care.
He only knew Xiao Jinr was very important to him, and that was enough.
He would not allow anyone to harm Xiao Jinr in the slightest.
Yes.
Anyone.
Whether you were an Immortal or a demon, a monster or a Buddha, whether you were a Great Dao, the Heavenly Dao, the King of Heaven, or even the Old Man Heaven himself—even a true god would not be allowed!
"Amitabha!"
Saint Monk Pudu chanted a Buddhist mantra and walked over. He pressed his palms together, bowed his head in greeting, and said, "This humble monk Pudu pays his respects to Venerable Gu."
Good heavens!
Pudu's act of paying respects truly shocked everyone present.
One must know that Pudu was the Buddhist sovereign of this world, a Buddha from the Western Heaven. The Buddha Dao was hailed as the leader of the Great Daos, making his status and position extraordinary. When he descended earlier, Pudu had not paid respects to anyone. Not only that, but Lie Shan—the law enforcer of this world, backed by the Cloud Platform and supported by the Immortal Dao—had proactively stepped forward to welcome him.
Now, Pudu was actually paying respects to Gu Qingfeng in front of everyone, and it was a formal greeting of 'paying respects' at that. He didn't even dare refer to himself as 'this old monk,' humbly using 'this humble monk' instead.
This couldn't help but raise doubts.
Gu Qingfeng's cultivation and power might be formidable, but at the end of the day, he had merely ascended to the Unparalleled Immortal Monster King's throne once, and that was only in the past. In the present day, he possessed no Creation, no Heavenly Mandate, was neither Immortal nor demon, but merely a human.
Most importantly, Gu Qingfeng's existence was that of a sinner, a bearer of Original Sin at that, intolerable to heaven and earth.
By reason, by principle, by law, Pudu should not have paid respects to Gu Qingfeng.
Yet Pudu had done exactly that.
What was even more unbelievable and unacceptable was that, in the face of Pudu's greeting and respects, Gu Qingfeng turned a deaf ear, as if he hadn't heard at all. Not only did he not respond, he didn't even lift his head, merely holding Xiao Jinr, gently stroking her hair with one hand.