"And also, Ancestral Patriarch, there's something Qiānniǎo wants to say that might make you unhappy."
"What is it?"
"Ancestral Patriarch, you've lived for so long, tens of thousands of years. Do you think your life has been meaningful?"
Dānqīng Lǎozǔ's face stiffened. "Little girl, watch your words! How could my life not be meaningful?"
"Ancestral Patriarch, don't deceive yourself. Perhaps your life had meaning before you became an Immortal in the mortal world. But ever since achieving immortality, coming to the Great Desolate, and entering our founder's sect, you've rarely left the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, right? All these years, you've either been in seclusion, taking some elders out for training, or teaching us descendants to go out for training. Do you really think such a life is meaningful?"
"You little rascal, your words are getting more and more outrageous! If I didn't take your grandfather and father out for training, how would they grow? What if they died out there? If I didn't teach you all cultivation, what if you messed up your cultivation? Is it wrong for me to be good to you?"
"Ancestral Patriarch, I'm not saying you're wrong. I know you're doing it for the good of our Xiaoluo Secret Realm and for all of us. I just think... as a man who has lived for so many years, Ancestral Patriarch, isn't it a pity that you've never truly gone wild?"
"Hey! You little brat, who told you I've never gone wild? Back in the day... when I was in the mortal world, I was a lord who commanded respect and could summon wind and rain. When I fought, I fought without regard for my life... After coming to the Great Desolate, when someone bullied our Xiaoluo Secret Realm back then, I was the one who charged at the forefront."
"Ancestral Patriarch, how can you call that 'going wild'? At best, that's just small-time stuff."
"What?!" Dānqīng Lǎozǔ could no longer sit still. He stood up angrily, his beard bristling, and pointed at Qiānniǎo. "You little brat! So young, yet such a big mouth! You dare say what I did back then was just small-time stuff? Girl! Do you dare say that again to my face? Believe me, I'll spank you!"
"But it's true." Knowing Dānqīng Lǎozǔ had always doted on her and would never actually hit her, Qiānniǎo spoke without fear. "Ancestral Patriarch, what you did back then is indeed small-time compared to You Di."
Speaking of You Di, Qiānniǎo's face also showed worship. "You Di had no father or mother, orphaned and alone, wandering the Chiyan Ridge since childhood. After being expelled from Yunxia Sect, he worked hard and rose up. He beheaded Loose Immortals on Overlord Peak, slaughtered Earth Immortals on Demon-Subduing Ridge, exterminated Monster Immortals on Ten-Thousand Demons Mountain, killed Sword Immortals above the clouds, and annihilated True Immortals on the Cloud Ladder... What a hero!"
"His cultivation was broken and rebuilt nine times, his fate brought him to the brink of death nine times, his achievements made him both Immortal and Demon nine times over, he ascended to the peerless throne, his destiny was both rebellious and unique... What peerlessness!"
"He founded Chixiao, seized spirit altars, broke spirit springs, opened spirit veins, distributed spirit treasures, scattered spirit stones, destroyed immortal dynasties, beheaded immortal rivers, dominated Lingxiao, trod upon the Nine Halls, battled the Nine Heavens, defied the firmament... hailed as the one and only throughout the Three Thousand Boundless Great Worlds since ancient times. What madness!"
"He ventured alone into the Great Desolate, commanded the Nine Nethers, burned the Nine Heavens, slaughtered the Western Heavens, broke into forbidden lands, trampled upon holy lands... What domineering supremacy!"
"I ask you, throughout heaven and earth, past and present, who dares to oppose the Three Thousand Great Daos? Who dares to oppose Heaven and Earth? Who can annihilate all manifestations of the Three Thousand Daos? Who can erase the Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother?"
"The answer is certain. No one dares, and no one can. Throughout heaven and earth, past and present, only You Di dares, only You Di can."
"Though he was the incarnation of Original Sin, You Di would rather ignite the Karmic Flames to burn himself to ashes than bring calamity upon all living beings. Such courage, such breadth of mind, such heroic spirit... who can, who has the right to compare? No one... There was none before, there is none now, and there will be none in the future."
"You Di cultivated for only five hundred years, but those five hundred years were more brilliant and spectacular than the lives of many, many elders who have cultivated for thousands, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of years."
"Qiānniǎo thinks that men of the Great Desolate should be like You Di—aloof, domineering, looking down upon Heaven and Earth. Only then can they be considered truly upright and indomitable men. Only then would their lives not be in vain."
"In the future, when Qiānniǎo seeks an Immortal Fate, she wants one like You Di's. Sadly... Qiānniǎo probably won't have the chance in this lifetime. Between Heaven and Earth, there cannot be a second You Di... Even if there were a second You Di, Qiānniǎo wouldn't be the second Holy Lady..." Qiānniǎo said a lot, and as she spoke, she grew somewhat dejected.
The originally indignant Dānqīng Lǎozǔ, after hearing Qiānniǎo's words, obediently sat back down. Though he didn't want to admit it, he had to acknowledge that Qiānniǎo spoke the truth. His so-called 'wildness' back then was indeed small-time compared to You Di. Having cultivated for tens of thousands of years, his life was far less spectacular than You Di's brief five hundred years. Not to mention anything else, You Di's act of igniting the Original Sin Karmic Flames to burn himself to ashes alone was enough to leave the Great Daos of Heaven and Earth speechless and make all living beings feel they could never catch up.
Looking at the somewhat dejected Qiānniǎo, Dānqīng Lǎozǔ shook his head and sighed, advising, "Girl, I agree with everything you said. But you're still young. There are many things you don't understand yet. When you grow up, you'll know that in life, often we have no choice. We can't always live exactly as we wish. Everyone's Karma is different, and so is their Fate. You Di had his Karma and Fate, the Holy Lady had hers, and we have our own..."
"Ancestral Patriarch, then what is Qiānniǎo's Karma? What is Qiānniǎo's Fate?"
"Good deeds bring good rewards, evil deeds bring evil retribution. Karma always has its recompense. As long as Qiānniǎo acts with a clear conscience in the future, she need not worry about what her Karma or Fate might be."
Qiānniǎo tilted her little head, lost in thought.
Just then, a burst of noisy commotion came from the dojo. Curious, Qiānniǎo looked over and saw everyone else excitedly rushing outside in a swarm. Following their gaze, she was surprised to see a woman walking towards the dojo.
The woman wore a set of deep blue, profound-looking armor with a white cloak draped behind her, appearing heroic and spirited. Seeing this woman, Qiānniǎo immediately became excited too and quickly ran over, shouting, "Sister Ling'er!"
The woman was none other than Qiānlíng. She was also the descendant of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm with the best aptitude, the greatest destiny, and the highest cultivation in this generation. She had achieved Golden Immortal status at fifteen, and now in her early twenties, she already had one foot in the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm. Not to mention within the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, even among the more famous Grotto-Heavens, Blessed Lands, and Xuantian Secret Realms, she was absolutely outstanding.
Every time Qiānlíng returned from external training, she would bring back some rare treasures for everyone. This time was no exception. The little ones who received treasures were all overjoyed, fondling their new possessions with delight.
"Ling'er pays her respects to the Ancestral Patriarch." Seeing the Ancestral Patriarch, Qiānlíng walked over and proactively bowed.
"Ling'er, you've all returned safely?" Seeing Qiānlíng nod, Dānqīng Lǎozǔ stroked his beard and asked, "Did you encounter any dangers during this training trip?"
"Ancestral Patriarch, don't worry. We're always very cautious every time we go out for training. How could we encounter danger?"
Beside them, Qiānniǎo chimed in, "Sister Ling'er, did anything interesting happen during this training trip?" Compared to the treasures in hand, Qiānniǎo wanted to hear about the things that happened during Qiānlíng's external training. Since she couldn't go out herself, every time Qiānlíng returned, Qiānniǎo would ask.
"Hmm, interesting things..." Qiānlíng thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Qiānniǎo, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed this time. It seems we didn't encounter anything particularly interesting." As she spoke, she seemed to remember something and added, "However... this time, a few of the elders brought back a person from outside."
"Huh? Brought back a person? From outside?" Qiānniǎo was surprised.
Dānqīng Lǎozǔ was also puzzled. "What kind of person?"
"A strange person. I can't really describe it well."