Not only did everyone present find the matter somewhat laughable, even Golden Flower Granny and Li Xin felt this sense of absurdity.
Yes.
Laughable.
This laughter wasn't directed at Huode, nor at the fellow who claimed to be Chixiao Shangren.
Rather, they felt themselves laughable.
Because Li Xin suddenly realized that when she heard Gu Qingfeng's Dao title was Chixiao and that he had spent time in the Nine Netherworld, her first reaction had been shock, fear, panic, and terror. She hadn't even considered whether this guy was truly You Di.
Moreover.
This fear was a completely instinctive reaction, utterly beyond her control. Even now, her heart was still pounding rapidly.
She was like this, and Golden Flower Granny was no exception, her complexion also somewhat unpleasant. Similarly, many of the senior cultivators present who had practiced for years looked as if they had survived a catastrophe, their hearts still filled with lingering fear.
Because they were all seniors from the Ancient Era who had personally witnessed and experienced how utterly terrifying the existence of You Di was.
So terrifying that the two words 'You Di' had become an indelible shadow in their hearts. Even now, hearing those two words would involuntarily stir panic within them.
As members of the Eternal Life Pavilion, Golden Flower Granny and Li Xin hadn't merely witnessed or experienced it back then—they had even participated in and lived through it. They knew better than anyone present that You Di's existence was far more terrifying than the legends suggested.
Especially that scene from back then when You Di, holding a slaughtering blade, cleaved the Great Desolate Heaven and Earth with a single strike. Even now, recalling it made Golden Flower Granny and Li Xin's hearts tremble uncontrollably.
Fortunately.
The fellow before them was not You Di.
And they were grateful that the fellow before them was not You Di.
They were members of the Eternal Life Pavilion and knew far more secrets than others. They not only knew of the Era of No Dao but also of the existence of the Original Sin Dharmakaya. They understood even more clearly what it meant for You Di to ignite the Original Sin Karmic Fire.
If You Di had simply died, then so be it. It would have been beneficial for the Myriad Heavens and Worlds and all living beings.
But if You Di were to die and be reborn... then the You Di of that time would be more than just an Original Sin Dharmakaya. This Present Era, which seemed calm on the surface but was secretly turbulent, would inevitably be swept up by You Di's death and rebirth into unimaginably terrifying waves. The Myriad Heavens and Worlds and all living beings would surely fall into the Present Era Cataclysm because of You Di's death and rebirth. Even the fate of this heaven and earth might become mysterious, unknown, and perplexing with You Di's death and rebirth...
Exaggerated?
No.
Not at all.
At the very least, whether it was Golden Flower Granny or Li Xin, they both knew how terrifying a thing it would be if You Di were to die and be reborn...
Therefore, they were not only grateful that the fellow before them was not You Di, but they even felt somewhat thankful that he wasn't.
Otherwise, it would have been far, far too terrifying...
Thinking of this.
Li Xin felt as if a great burden had been lifted, finally letting out a deep sigh of relief. Her panicked heart gradually calmed.
Only, she didn't understand.
Why did the fellow before them claim his Dao title was Chixiao?
And why did he say he had spent time in the Nine Netherworld? What did he mean?
Did he want to impersonate You Di?
Or was it just a case of sharing the same name?
When she inquired, Huode explained.
"Li Xin, didn't I just tell you? This kid Gu, he likes to boast and scare people for fun."
"He also shares the surname Gu?" Li Xin asked. "Don't tell me his Dao title is the same as You Di's, and even his name is the same as You Di's."
"Well..." Huode scratched his head, steeling himself to say, "The thing is, this guy...
has admired You Di since he was little, and admired him immensely. So he gave himself the Dao title Chixiao too. Don't laugh, but for this, the kid even changed his name to be the same as You Di's—also Gu Qingfeng. Isn't that laughable?"
"So, all these years, he's been swaggering about under You Di's name?"
At this moment.
Li Xin stared at Gu Qingfeng. When she first saw him, her heart had been quite appreciative, even fantasizing that perhaps this time she had finally met her destined one. But after this incident, Li Xin's favorable impression of Gu Qingfeng plummeted. Her initial appreciation had turned into a degree of dislike.
"Impersonate You Di and swagger about?
Oh, Li Xin, you think too highly of him. He doesn't have the guts for that! Throughout the Myriad Heavens and Worlds, who would dare impersonate You Di!"
Huode laughed. "You know how men are. Have a few drinks, like to boast a bit, joke around, find some amusement, that's all."
"I can understand men having a few drinks and boasting a little. Joking is normal too. However, in the Great Desolate, you can joke about anyone, even joke about the Heavenly King himself, and no one would say anything. But you absolutely cannot joke about You Di!"
To the side.
Gu Qingfeng still lay reclined in his chair, legs crossed, taking occasional sips of his wine.
From beginning to end, he hadn't spoken.
It wasn't that he didn't want to say anything, but Huode, afraid Gu Qingfeng would reveal his identity, hadn't given him a chance to speak.
Actually.
Huode didn't know that Gu Qingfeng's original intention wasn't to reveal his identity.
He was a lazy person, and someone who disliked trouble.
He had been before, he was now, and he would be in the future.
He wasn't unaware that if news of his death and rebirth spread, setting aside whether it would trigger some cataclysm, it would definitely bring a lot of trouble—big trouble at that. This was certain.
For someone like Gu Qingfeng, who would rather lie down than sit, and sit rather than stand, why would he actively announce his identity and invite trouble upon himself?
This kind of trouble-seeking behavior was something Gu Qingfeng had never engaged in.
He was indeed idle, idle to the point of having nothing to do, but not so idle that he would go looking for trouble for no reason.
When he said earlier that he wanted to find some amusement, he wasn't joking. He really did want to find some fun. However, it wasn't about amusing himself at these people's expense, but rather amusing himself at the expense of those lurking in the shadows who were watching him.
Ever since Gu Qingfeng's nirvanic rebirth and awakening, he had sensed someone constantly watching him from the shadows.
As for who, or what kind of person, Gu Qingfeng didn't know.
Because the other party hid themselves far too deeply, and their method of watching him was especially sophisticated. They weren't using their eyes to see, nor their divine sense to probe, but were using the Great Natural Order itself to monitor him.
The Great Natural Order belonged to one of the Three Thousand Great Daos, and moreover, it was the most unique among them.
The Three Thousand Great Daos had always been divided into the sacred and luminous, and the evil and dark.
For example, Immortals, Buddhas, Humans, and Spirits represented the sacred and luminous, while Demons, Monsters, Ghosts, and Fiends represented the evil and dark.
However.
The Great Natural Order belonged neither to the sacred and luminous, nor to the evil and dark. At the same time, it belonged to both the sacred and luminous and the evil and dark.
If one had to say what the Great Natural Order belonged to, then it belonged to chaos.
Because within the Great Natural Order, all things were encompassed. Whether it was the Daos of Immortals, Buddhas, Humans, Spirits, or Demons, Monsters, Ghosts, Fiends, and so on, they were all within the Great Natural Order. Not only were they within it, but the Three Thousand Great Daos also could not exist apart from the Great Natural Order and relied upon it. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say the Great Natural Order contained the Three Thousand Great Daos.
One must know that the sun, symbolizing sacred light, and the moon, symbolizing evil darkness, were both nurtured and born from the Great Natural Order.