After all, rumors are just rumors.
Whether they are true or false, no one really knows.
Such things shouldn't be fully believed, but neither should they be completely dismissed. If one must believe, believing two or three parts out of ten is enough; the rest can be treated as jokes to listen to.
In Gu Qingfeng's thoughts,
The Great Natural Order forcing a seed upon him back then was definitely no coincidence or accident. There was certainly some hidden scheme he was unaware of.
The purpose behind it likely fell into one of three possibilities.
First, it could be to use him.
If the rumors were true that the Immortal Dao and the Heavenly Dao conspired to suppress the Human Dao and the Great Natural Order, then with the Great Natural Order reviving in the Present Era, it would inevitably clash with the Heavenly Dao and the Immortal Dao. In that case, it would certainly need to utilize certain individuals to contain and deal with the Heavenly Dao and the Immortal Dao.
That was the first possibility.
Second.
Another purpose might be to set a trap for him.
The Great Natural Order had probably long known that he was a person of Original Sin, possessed the Illusory Self, and was the greatest variable of the Present Era, potentially triggering a great calamity. For the sake of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth and all living beings, the Great Natural Order might have set some trap for him early on to contain and deal with him, just in case.
If it wasn't the first or second possibility, then there was only the third.
That was Karma.
Karma is something inexplicable and indefinable, connected to past lives, the present life, and even future lives. It could be said to involve the past, present, and future.
Even if you tried to guess, you couldn't fathom the meaning contained within the word 'Karma'.
Besides the seed the Great Natural Order had forced upon him back then, that Great Dao Seed that had crashed into him amidst the Great Dao Turbulence also gave Gu Qingfeng a feeling of terror upon deep thought.
To this day, he still clearly remembered that he had been cultivating when suddenly he noticed the appearance of the Great Dao Turbulence.
The Great Dao Turbulence wasn't something one could encounter just by wanting to; it only appeared when the Great Dao collapsed or perished.
That wasn't the important part.
What was important was that when the Great Dao Turbulence appeared, a Great Dao Seed just happened to crash into Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng knew the Great Natural Order wouldn't force a seed upon him for no reason.
Nor would a Great Dao Seed fall from the sky and crash into him for no reason.
He didn't know what the seed the Great Natural Order forced upon him was.
Similarly, he didn't know what that Great Dao Seed that fell from the sky was.
The only thing he knew was that after that falling Great Dao Seed crashed into him, it inexplicably fused with him. It felt as if it had always belonged to him, like a raindrop falling from the sky into the sea, indistinguishable from each other.
Moreover, after fusing with that Great Dao Seed, Gu Qingfeng had once inexplicably sensed someone transmitting information to him.
To this day, he still clearly remembered.
That Great Dao Seed said they had discovered him and are still looking for him.
It told him to beware the Vasu clan, to beware the Kasyapa clan.
It told him not to believe in Karma, saying it was their trap.
It said not to believe in past lives, even not to believe in himself.
It said he had as many past lives as he had Karma.
Finally, it told him to find a woman, saying that woman's back held himself, and repeatedly emphasized that he must find that woman.
To this day, Gu Qingfeng still hadn't figured out what all this meant.
Who the so-called 'they' referred to in the Great Dao Seed's words, Gu Qingfeng did not know.
Who the Vasu clan or the Kasyapa clan were, Gu Qingfeng also did not know; he had never even heard of them.
What 'he had as many past lives as he had Karma' meant, Gu Qingfeng didn't quite understand either.
What frustrated Gu Qingfeng even more was that the Great Dao Seed told him to find a woman. What woman?
Why would that woman's back hold himself?
Gu Qingfeng racked his brains but couldn't figure it out.
He had originally hoped to pry some clues from the Old Monk of Extinction. Unfortunately, when Gu Qingfeng brought up this matter, the Old Monk of Extinction remained tight-lipped.
He knew the Old Monk of Extinction must know what the Vasu clan and the Kasyapa clan were, but he simply didn't want to say.
To be precise, it wasn't that he didn't want to say.
At the time, the old monk had clearly told Gu Qingfeng that there were some things he wasn't unwilling to say, nor was he unable to say, but rather dared not say.
As for why he dared not, the old monk didn't elaborate.
Nor did he know why he dared not.
Gu Qingfeng thought that the so-called Kasyapa clan and that damned Vasu clan were most likely related to the Era of Non-Dao.
But what their relationship with the Era of Non-Dao was, that remained unknown.
This matter had been weighing on Gu Qingfeng's mind for a very long time. He had always wanted to find the answer to this riddle, but unfortunately, he had no starting point, no clues whatsoever. Even if he wanted to search, he had nowhere to look.
Moreover,
to be honest, even if he knew where to search, Gu Qingfeng might not go.
Because he had struggled for most of his life and was truly tired of struggling, too tired to struggle anymore. He carried too many burdens on his shoulders. If he started struggling again, it would never end, and he would inevitably sink deep into it. By then, even if he wanted to relax and have a drink, he probably wouldn't be able to.
A human life isn't particularly long, but it's not short either. Gu Qingfeng had already struggled for most of his life just to survive. For the latter half of his life, he didn't want to foolishly struggle again over messy, bothersome matters like Karma. Never mind whether he could eventually make sense of it all through struggle; even if he really unraveled all the doubts in his heart and figured out Karma through struggle, so what?
Wouldn't it be utterly meaningless to spend his whole life pointlessly struggling over some damn matters?
And that's only if he figured it out through struggle. If he struggled to the end without figuring it out, that would be even more damn frustrating, even more damn infuriating.
Gu Qingfeng lived not to struggle pointlessly, but to enjoy life. Back then, for survival, he had already squandered his youth in struggle. Now that he had finally managed to live a little more freely, no longer needing to run around for survival, he didn't want to squander his precious life like that again.
Right now, he didn't want to do anything. He just wanted to drift along idly and leisurely, taking each day as it comes.
"You two ladies, tell me, what is the purpose of living this one life?"
Gu Qingfeng suddenly asked this question, startling both Lixin Immortal and Qingqing Supreme Immortal. Perhaps neither had expected that the Nine Nethers Emperor Sovereign, who just moments ago had been so aloof, domineering, and cold and merciless, would ask such a strange question.
Qingqing Supreme Immortal pondered for a moment, then shook her head and said, "Replying to Old Master, I...
have never thought about this question, and also...
don't know what the purpose of living truly is."
"You're still young; indeed, you shouldn't be thinking about such abstract questions."
Gu Qingfeng glanced at Lixin Immortal and asked, "How about you, Elder Sister Lixin? Have you ever thought about this question?"
"I..." Lixin Immortal hesitated for a moment, then cautiously replied, "I think people should live to pursue their dreams."
"That's a standard answer."
Gu Qingfeng asked again, "What is your dream?"
"My...
dream is very small."
"Dreams don't come in sizes. Speak up, maybe I'll help you achieve it."
"My...
dream is to find a suitable husband, retreat into seclusion, and live a plain, uneventful life."
Having said that, Lixin Immortal added somewhat shyly, "I'm sorry, Old Master must find this laughable."
"What's there to laugh about? It's just...
our dreams are quite similar. Look at me, what do you think? If you fancy me, how about we make do and spend our lives together?"