Beside them, Su Hua watched Da Xing the Mad Monk as he unleashed a torrent of scolding, her heart filled with confusion.
What did he mean by 'forgetting the pain once the wound heals'? And what about that broken stele of the Immortal Dao? Which broken stele?
Could Da Xing the Mad Monk be referring to the Nine Heavens Ancestral Stele of the Immortal Dao?
In her memory, the 'Immortal Dao broken stele' referred precisely to the Nine Heavens Ancestral Stele. This ancestral stele had always been a symbol of the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao, but it was later severed by the Nine Nethers Emperor, becoming a shame the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao was unwilling to mention. But what did that have to do with Gu Qingfeng?
Su Hua did not understand, and at this moment, she had no mind to ponder this question.
Because just then, a reprimanding voice echoed from the sky.
"Da Xing, do not be discourteous to the envoys of the Immortal Dao!"
A sacred golden radiance bloomed like a lotus flower. Within the light, Buddhist aura was vast and majestic, its Buddha-light illuminating the earth. Over a dozen eminent monks manifested within the blossoming radiance.
At their head was an elderly-looking eminent monk, draped in kasaya robes, exuding immense dignity—especially his two white eyebrows, which hung like long whiskers on either side.
Seeing this White-Browed Saint Monk, even Su Hua was startled. She never expected that even the White-Browed Saint Monk, renowned in the Western Heaven Buddhist Path and even in the Great Desolate Heavenly Realm, would descend.
"Seems they still don't trust us, huh? They even dragged you, White Brows, who hasn't shown your face for ages, out here."
Da Xing the Mad Monk and the White-Browed Saint Monk were old acquaintances. Not only did they know each other, but they both belonged to the Chan Sect, one of the eight major schools of Buddhism, and were even fellow disciples from the same lineage.
"Has Junior Brother ever given anyone reason to be at ease?"
Faced with the White-Browed Saint Monk's reprimand, Da Xing the Mad Monk shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.
"Venerable Gu, it has been a while."
Gu Qingfeng glanced at the White-Browed Saint Monk and responded indifferently, "I'm still the same old me, muddling along, not dead yet for the time being."
"Amitabha. Venerable Gu, you defy the destiny of the Heavenly Dao above and seek the karma of the Daoless below, traversing hardships beyond the reach of ordinary men, treading a path no predecessor has walked, yet you remain so carefree and unrestrained. Truly rare. Excellent, excellent."
Su Hua looked at the White-Browed Saint Monk, then at Gu Qingfeng.
Earlier, Da Xing the Mad Monk addressing Gu Qingfeng as a sworn brother had already shocked her greatly.
How was it that now even the White-Browed Saint Monk, renowned in the Great Desolate Heavenly Realm, seemed to share a deep friendship with Gu Qingfeng?
If Da Xing the Mad Monk's brotherly rapport with Gu Qingfeng could still be understood, the profound friendship between the White-Browed Saint Monk and Gu Qingfeng left Su Hua utterly baffled. Da Xing the Mad Monk wandered constantly, making friends from all walks of life, but the White-Browed Saint Monk was a saint monk of the Western Heaven! Moreover, he had resided in the Chan Sect for so long, not venturing out for nearly ten thousand years. How did Gu Qingfeng come to know him?
She did not know.
But Su Hua faintly sensed that Gu Qingfeng seemed to harbor many, many inconceivable secrets.
"Alright, is everyone here now?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk waved the tattered fan in his hand, craning his neck to look around, then asked, "Where are the envoys of the Demonic Dao and the Monster Dao?"
As soon as his words fell, an ethereal and indistinct figure appeared in the sky. Vaguely, one could see a woman clad in black robes standing in the air, speaking coldly, "In my capacity as the ruler of the Demonic Dao in this world, I proclaim to all under heaven: regarding the Daoless Calamity Star descended in the Present-Ancient Era, my Demonic Dao has never interfered in the slightest. Not in the past, not now, and never will in the future."
After a pause, she added, "Furthermore, here, in my personal capacity, I declare that concerning the Daoless Calamity Star descended in the Present-Ancient Era, I fully defer to Young Master... Young Master Gu's opinion."
Immediately after, another figure flashed into existence, equally vague and illusory. One could faintly discern an exceedingly enchanting woman who spoke, "In my capacity as the ruler of the Monster Dao in this world, I proclaim to all under heaven: regarding the Daoless Calamity Star descended in the Present-Ancient Era, my Monster Dao likewise has never interfered. Not in the past, and never will in the future."
The words of the Monster Dao ruler were identical to those of the Demonic Dao ruler, with the only difference being that the Demonic Dao's tone was colder, while the Monster Dao's was more seductively sinister.
"Similarly, in my personal capacity, I declare unconditional support for all decisions made by Elder Gu!"
Good heavens!
As soon as these words were uttered, they instantly caused an uproar.
Amidst the commotion, there was also immense shock—shock that Gu Qingfeng's face was truly enormous. So enormous that the rulers of the Demonic Dao and Monster Dao in this world had actually stepped forward one after another to publicly declare they would defer to his opinion and unconditionally support all his decisions?
The Demonic Dao ruler addressed him respectfully as 'Young Master Gu,' while the Monster Dao ruler affectionately called him 'Elder Gu'?
What was going on?
Although the reputation of the Demonic Dao among the Three Thousand Great Daos wasn't great, belonging to the evil and dark Daos, this was, after all, the descent of a Calamity Star—a Calamity Star from the Daoless Age at that—one that could potentially endanger all Daos, even heaven and earth.
You, Demonic Dao and Monster Dao, might not care about the lives of all living beings, but could it be you don't even care if your own Dao is threatened?
Not only were the onlookers bewildered, even Da Xing the Mad Monk was no exception. Others might not know, but Da Xing the Mad Monk knew perfectly clearly: after the Daoless Age's Calamity Star descended in the Present-Ancient Era, the Immortal Dao was the first to advocate its eradication. The second to step forward was the Demonic Dao, and the third was the Monster Dao.
During later discussions, the Immortal Dao insisted that if Gu Qingfeng stubbornly refused to hand over the Calamity Star, they would spare no cost to eliminate Gu Qingfeng.
The Demonic Dao and Monster Dao both nodded in agreement.
To this end, they had also begun making preparations, even bringing out the Judgment Source of their respective Daos, preparing to deliver judgment from afar.
So why had the Demonic Dao and Monster Dao suddenly changed their minds now?
Not only changed their minds, but they had the gall to turn around and say something about unconditionally supporting Gu Qingfeng?
Da Xing the Mad Monk looked up and immediately widened his eyes. Sure enough, the Judgment Sources prepared by the Monster Dao and Demonic Dao had long since vanished without a trace, damn it all.
What the hell kind of game were they playing now?
Were the Demonic Dao and Monster Dao just watching the show, not afraid of making things bigger?
Or were they, after careful consideration, all afraid that this kid Gu Qingfeng would settle scores with them later?
Or were they all trying to seize this opportunity to gamble—to make a huge bet?
If they won, heaven and earth would be thrown into chaos. If they lost?
It seemed there wasn't much loss either.
Here, Da Xing the Mad Monk scratched his head, speculating about what schemes the Demonic Dao and Monster Dao were plotting. The more he thought, the more he felt the Demonic Dao and Monster Dao had stabbed the Immortal Dao in the back, egging the Immortal Dao to step forward and chew on the tough bone that was Gu Qingfeng. Once the Immortal Dao stepped forward, they had the nerve to quietly retreat.
Over there, upon hearing the Demonic Dao and Monster Dao's proclamations to all under heaven, the dozens of Immortal Dao envoys were furious. Their leader, Wu Yuan, angrily rebuked, "The likes of the Demonic Dao and Monster Dao are indeed a bunch of treacherous, petty villains! My Nine Heavens Immortal Dao disdains to associate with your kind. Since you are so cowardly and afraid of death, then get the hell out of this world!"