"In the Ancient Era, the number of sinners who faced Great Dao Judgment was not large, and those who survived under such Judgment were even fewer. As for those who simultaneously faced judgment from immortals, Buddhas, demons, monsters, and the Heavenly Dao—and lived—you could count them on one hand!"
Qingqing's beautiful face was flushed, her expression extraordinarily agitated as she stared at Lixin Xianzi and continued, "Senior Aunt, have you ever heard this saying? 'When the Five-Phase Swords are unsheathed, Yin and Yang transform endlessly. The Celestial Awe shakes the firmament, the Earthly Fiend daunts all directions!'"
"This saying..." Lixin Xianzi responded dazedly, her lovely face pale, her expression tense, her eyes filled with panic. "It speaks of the Five-Phase Swords forged by You Di when he first entered the Great Desolate."
"Senior Aunt, do you know the names of You Di's Five-Phase Swords?"
"The Violet-Gold Sword, the Vine-Wood Sword, the Cloud-Water Sword..." When she reached 'Cloud-Water Sword,' Lixin Xianzi's eyes snapped wide open. "You mean... this Cloud-Water Sword is... is the Cloud-Water Sword from You Di's Five-Phase Swords?"
"Correct!"
"Impossible! How could you know? Just based on the traces of Great Dao Judgment within this sword's spirit world? Isn't that a bit too far-fetched?"
"Senior Aunt, this isn't just my wild guess," Qingqing said solemnly. "The sword spirit of the Cloud-Water Sword told me itself. It said it still has five siblings: Violet-Gold, Vine-Wood, Crimson-Fire, and Life-Earth."
"This... this... how could this be!"
Lixin Xianzi's mind was in chaos at this moment, and she felt a sense of vertigo. Her breathing became heavy and rapid. Pressing a hand to her forehead, she said, "Wait a moment, I'm feeling dizzy. Let me think carefully..." After a moment, instead of improving, her thoughts grew even more tangled. She turned and stared at Qingqing. "Do you think this could just be a coincidence?"
"A coincidence? My dear Senior Aunt! In the Ancient Era, sinners who faced Great Dao Judgment and survived might not have been limited to You Di. Those who forged Five-Phase Swords might not have been limited to You Di either. Even those who faced Great Dao Judgment within the Tidal Secret Realm back then might not have been limited to You Di. However!"
Qingqing's tone shifted. "Among the sinners who survived Great Dao Judgment in the Ancient Era, only You Di forged the Five-Phase Swords. And only You Di faced Great Dao Judgment within the Tidal Secret Realm. If all of this is merely coincidence, then aren't there far too many coincidences?"
"Stop! My head aches terribly, and my heart is pounding fiercely!"
Lixin pressed one hand to her forehead and the other to her chest. She took several deep breaths in succession but still couldn't suppress her wildly beating heart, shocked as it was. Her calves trembled as if she could barely stand. Groping for a chair, she slowly sat down.
"Senior Aunt, are you alright?"
"Qingqing, tell your Senior Aunt honestly. You're sure you're not joking with me, right?"
"Senior Aunt, how could I joke with you about something so serious!"
"And you're not deliberately trying to scare your Senior Aunt either, are you?"
"Senior Aunt, I'm really not trying to scare you!"
"Heavens! Could he truly be You Di?"
Lixin Xianzi thought and thought. "But that fellow, no matter how you look at him, doesn't resemble You Di in the slightest!"
"We've never seen You Di in person. How do you know he doesn't resemble him?"
"You haven't seen him, but I have! To this day, I clearly remember how terrifyingly powerful the aura emanating from You Di was. With each step he took, the entire Great Desolate trembled. Even standing at the edge of the heavens, you could feel it. And... the solitary pride in You Di that looked down upon heaven and earth, that domineering arrogance that held the firmament in contempt, that unruly wildness that defied all laws, that untamed heroic spirit, those cold and merciless eyes... Qingqing, you didn't witness it personally. You could never possibly understand. If you had seen it once, you would never forget it for the rest of your life."
Lixin Xianzi continued, "Now look at that Great Old Master. Tell me, in what way does he resemble You Di?"
"Senior Aunt, is your impression of You Di still stuck in the Ancient Era? Don't forget, the number of Judgments You Di has faced in his lifetime exceeds all that we have seen or heard! In the legends, he has experienced life and death countless times. And... it is said that after the Present-Ancient Era began, when You Di returned to his hometown in the mortal world, he had already lost the domineering aura of those past years. He no longer had the Imperial Seal or the King's Throne. He didn't even have any cultivation left... He was just an ordinary mortal."
When she reached this point, not only Lixin Xianzi, but Qingqing herself was suddenly stunned.
Although she had been trying to convince Lixin Xianzi, to make her Senior Aunt believe that the Great Old Master was You Di, deep down, Qingqing had always hoped that Lixin Xianzi would convince her, make her believe that the Great Old Master was not You Di.
Even though all signs indicated that the Great Old Master was You Di himself, Qingqing still did not want to, was unwilling to, or more precisely, dared not believe it was true. A sliver of hope remained in her heart, hoping all this was just coincidence, hoping that Great Old Master was not You Di.
However.
When she mentioned that after the Present-Ancient Era began, You Di returned to his hometown, having lost his former domineering aura, lost the Imperial Seal and the King's Throne, lost his cultivation, and was just an ordinary mortal, she suddenly remembered: that Great Old Master was also an ordinary mortal who possessed nothing.
In that instant, the last shred of hope in Qingqing's heart vanished like mist.
The feeling was like watching the last lifeline drift away with the wind. She felt the light disappear, the world turn utterly dark, as if life had suddenly terminated. Qingqing could no longer stand either. She collapsed onto the chair, eyes wide, as if frightened out of her wits.
She was like this.
And Lixin Xianzi's condition appeared even worse.
She was an Immortal from the Ancient Era. She had lived through that mad era belonging to You Di. Not only had she lived through it, she had witnessed it firsthand, and even participated in it. Precisely because of this, the weight of the name 'You Di' in her heart was far heavier and more profound than it was in Qingqing's.
Initially, when she heard Qingqing suspect that the Great Old Master was You Di, Lixin Xianzi thought it was the funniest joke in the world. Especially when Qingqing spoke of it with such solemn seriousness, she even wondered if Qingqing had damaged her mind through cultivation.
Only after hearing Qingqing's words did she realize that the world's funniest joke was not funny at all. Not only was it not funny, it was terrifying. Calling it the world's most terrifying joke would not be an exaggeration.
Though she didn't want to, she had to admit that the evidence Qingqing presented was factual, at least to the point where she couldn't refute it.
She understood clearly: if what Qingqing said was true, then that Great Old Master surnamed Gu might truly be the legendary You Di.