"Well, well, if it isn't the three ladies!"
After emerging from the One-Slice-of-Heaven Forbidden Zone, Gu Qingfeng looked at Bai Yanyan, Zijin, and Ziqing, who were frozen in mid-air, and teased with a playful smile, "What's the matter? Don't recognize me anymore?"
"Great Old Master, you...
You...
You really came out!"
Zijin and Ziqing were overwhelmed with excitement. They had been living in fear, terrified that Gu Qingfeng might be trapped inside while helping them. Now, witnessing him burst out with their own eyes, their hearts swelled with indescribable joy, and the stone that had been hanging in their hearts finally settled.
"Great Lord Chixiao, you...
How did you get out from there?"
Although Bai Yanyan had visited the Fengyue Small World and learned of Gu Qingfeng's mad exploits, knowing his existence was beyond her imagination, even so, seeing him emerge from the One-Slice-of-Heaven Forbidden Zone effortlessly still left her utterly astonished.
"The same way I went in, I came out."
Gu Qingfeng walked over and said to Zijin and Ziqing, "By the way, I ran into a few living people inside. They're so weak they're barely clinging to life. I don't know if they're seniors from your Yunhua Cave."
Hearing this, Zijin and Ziqing became even more agitated, unable to contain themselves. "Great Old Master, they...
where are they?"
"This damn place has too much turbid energy. If I brought them out now, they'd die on the spot. Let's go inside the grand carriage first; I'll show you."
Gu Qingfeng and the group entered the grand carriage, specifically choosing a secluded chamber. With a wave of his hand, over ten people materialized out of thin air.
These dozen or so individuals looked like skin and bones. Not only was their immortal essence gone, but even their flesh and blood had long withered. Though a faint trace of life lingered within them, it was tenuous and flickering, ready to dissipate at any moment. Just as Gu Qingfeng had said, they were hanging on by a thread, their consciousness already blurred.
"Great Old Master!
That's our master! And our martial uncles, and the grand elder of our Yunhua Cave!"
Although these dozen people were reduced to skin and bones and barely recognizable, Zijin and Ziqing identified them at a glance as their Yunhua Cave elders. Overjoyed to the point of tears, knowing their master and the others were now critically weak and their consciousness blurred, they dared not speak loudly, only weeping silently.
"Alright, let them rest here for now."
After leaving the chamber, Zijin and Ziqing immediately knelt on the ground, kowtowing to Gu Qingfeng to express their gratitude for such an immense favor.
Gu Qingfeng merely waved his hand, not saying much.
Rescuing the Yunhua Cave seniors might be a monumental favor for Zijin and Ziqing, but for Gu Qingfeng, it was just a trivial matter done in passing. Thus, he didn't give it a second thought.
Originally, he had planned to visit some reclusive senior experts living in seclusion within the Liúshā Small Secret Realm. However, after meeting Da Xing the Mad Monk inside the One-Slice-of-Heaven Forbidden Zone, he lost interest in meeting any other reclusive masters here.
Bai Yanyan very much wanted to invite such an unfathomable superior being as Gu Qingfeng to her cave abode as a guest. Unfortunately, Gu Qingfeng refused.
This left Bai Yanyan feeling somewhat dejected.
However,
Bai Yanyan wasn't the only one feeling dejected; Zijin and Ziqing shared the sentiment.
When Gu Qingfeng led them out of the Liúshā Small Secret Realm and arrived at the Shuangji Celestial Domain of the Great Wasteland, Zijin and Ziqing also wanted to invite Gu Qingfeng to Yunhua Cave, intending to properly repay his kindness. Sadly, they too were met with Gu Qingfeng's refusal. After handing over the Yunhua Cave seniors to Zijin and Ziqing, Gu Qingfeng departed directly.
Although Gu Qingfeng was an idler with nothing to do, he wasn't so idle as to specifically go and accept someone's repayment of a favor.
In his eyes, so-called repayment of kindness was just as troublesome as someone seeking revenge. This was probably the real reason he rarely did good deeds in this life—because he feared trouble, disliked trouble, and already had more than enough trouble of his own...
"Great Old Master, where are we headed?"
Horse King, clad in black scale immortal armor and holding the Fire Cloud Whip, drove the Fire Cloud Grand Carriage as it raced across the vast, boundless expanse of the Great Wasteland.
"This lord wants to make a trip to the Qianji Celestial Domain."
Sitting in that wide, comfortable chair, Gu Qingfeng leaned back, closed his eyes, as if pondering something.
Earlier, inside the One-Slice-of-Heaven Forbidden Zone, Da Xing the Mad Monk had mentioned that a Prophet had emerged in the Present Era, and this Prophet was in the Qianji Celestial Domain. Da Xing had even invited Gu Qingfeng to go together, but Gu Qingfeng hadn't agreed.
So why was he now preparing to go to the Qianji Celestial Domain alone?
It wasn't because he wanted to avoid Da Xing the Mad Monk.
Nor was it because he wanted to meet that Prophet and seek guidance.
Rather, the four words 'Prophet Buddha' reminded him of a person.
A person who was both teacher and friend, who had shown him the grace of rebirth, a person with abilities unfathomable even to ghosts and gods, and also the person Gu Qingfeng admired most in this life.
This person was Da Fuzi.
Gu Qingfeng had always believed that the reason he could live to this day wasn't because he was particularly remarkable, but because he had encountered a few benefactors.
The first benefactor was his master, Zhenjue.
During Gu Qingfeng's time at the Shangqing Sect, Zhenjue had never taught him a single cultivation technique, not even one. He only taught him two words: human nature. It wasn't until later that Gu Qingfeng realized the 'human nature' his master taught him was the 'true nature of humanity.'
And precisely because Zhenjue imparted to him the true nature of humanity, Gu Qingfeng was later able to adhere to his original nature during several descents into demonic madness, never losing himself.
The second benefactor was Da Fuzi.
Da Fuzi also never taught Gu Qingfeng any cultivation techniques. What he taught Gu Qingfeng were also just two words: Buddha's Dharma.
And precisely because of the Buddha's Dharma imparted by Da Fuzi, Gu Qingfeng was later able to form a connection with Buddhism, forge a Buddha-heart, and comprehend the Buddhist concepts of Great Freedom, Great Extinction, Great Compassion, and Great Illusion.
The third benefactor was Lao Fuzi.
Lao Fuzi similarly never taught Gu Qingfeng any cultivation techniques. He too taught Gu Qingfeng two words: principle.
Unfortunately,
Gu Qingfeng still hadn't grasped the true essence and profundity of the word 'principle' to this day.
And Lao Fuzi's existence was ethereal and elusive. Gu Qingfeng hadn't seen him for a very, very long time and had no idea of his whereabouts.
Earlier, in the mortal realm, Gu Qingfeng had already met his master, settling one wish. Originally, he learned that Da Fuzi was also living in seclusion at the Shangqing Sect and was waiting for him. But when Gu Qingfeng arrived at the Shangqing Sect, Da Fuzi had already left.
The only consolation was that before Da Fuzi departed, he had entrusted a mysterious Daoist from the Changsheng Temple to give Gu Qingfeng a string of prayer beads.
Unfortunately, when the Wudao Mountain descended and Gu Qingfeng ignited the Original Sin Karmic Fire, turning to ashes, that string of prayer beads also vanished into smoke. He was reborn from extinction, but that string of prayer beads was not.
However,
Whether the prayer beads existed or not no longer mattered to Gu Qingfeng, because he had long since comprehended the profundity within them.