"Ah!"
Startled, Lixin Xianzi looked up sharply, but when her eyes met Gu Qingfeng's, she hastily lowered her head again. Her voice was a mixture of trepidation and bashfulness. "Great Master... you jest..." Though she knew Gu Qingfeng was teasing her, Lixin Xianzi's heart was in turmoil, as if a bottle of mixed flavors had been overturned.
"Hahahaha!"
Gu Qingfeng laughed heartily.
Beside them, High Immortal Qingqing watched silently, unable to comprehend why Gu Qingfeng's demeanor could shift so dramatically.
Earlier, he had been the picture of leisurely ease, lazily casual, even somewhat rakish.
Yet, the moment his temper flared, all that leisure and laziness vanished without a trace, replaced by an aloof, domineering arrogance and ruthless coldness.
When his anger subsided, that aloof arrogance and ruthless coldness evaporated instantly, and the previous leisurely ease and lazy casualness returned once more.
What Qingqing found incomprehensible wasn't Gu Qingfeng's mood swings, but the feeling he gave her—as if he were the Heavens themselves.
It truly was so.
When he was in a good mood, it was like a clear day, a bright, cloudless, radiantly sunny day. But when his mood soured, it became overcast, a sky thick with dark clouds and suffocating gloom.
The changes of the world seemed to follow the shifts in his mood.
If that wasn't the Heavens, what was it?
Could this be the true You Di?
Yes.
It must be.
The legends of You Di were all related to his destruction of the Immortal Court, burning the Nine Heavens, slaughtering the Great Dao, and cleaving the firmament, actions that bathed the myriad realms in rivers of blood and turned the Great Desolate upside down.
That You Di was the You Di in his wrath, leaving behind an impression of arrogance, unruliness, and contempt for Heaven and Earth.
Yet,
who could have imagined that the ordinary You Di was so... common, common as a mortal in the secular world, neither ostentatious nor high-profile.
His plain, unassuming demeanor was like the big brother next door, neither arrogant nor overbearing.
His leisurely ease resembled that of a playful, frivolous young master, neither cruel nor bloodthirsty.
His lazy casualness was more like a wandering vagabond, neither cold nor heartless.
This was probably the true You Di.
Before,
High Immortal Qingqing hadn't understood why a sacred woman like the Holy Maiden would be infatuated with the legendary You Di.
At this moment,
she understood.
Perhaps what the Holy Maiden was infatuated with wasn't the legendary You Di, but the You Di behind the legend—one who laughed, scolded, and conversed with Heaven and Earth, ordinary yet extraordinary, common yet uncommon.
Just then, a loud crash came from within the ship's hold, followed by a *bang* as a figure shot through the hull and leaped out.
The man wore gray robes, a gourd of wine hanging at his waist, and a peachwood sword slung across his back. It was none other than Huode.
The difference was, this Huode was disheveled, his face extremely pale, his expression dazed, and his eyes wandering and unfocused.
"Huode!"
Sensing something wrong, Gu Qingfeng flashed over instantly. "What's happened to you?"
"Gu... Gu kid! This old man! I... I can't hold on much longer! I'm about to collapse..."
"What do you mean!"
Gu Qingfeng knew Huode had been in seclusion lately after eating too many Spirit Fruits. While such a large intake might be dangerous for an ordinary person, based on Gu Qingfeng's understanding of Huode, consuming that many Spirit Fruits would at most require a few days of seclusion; it shouldn't cause any harm, let alone a life-threatening situation.
Seeing Huode's state now, something was clearly wrong. Had he misjudged?
Without overthinking, Gu Qingfeng immediately extended his divine sense to investigate. Strangely, Huode wasn't injured. Most of the Spirit Fruits he'd consumed had already been refined, and there was nothing amiss about his entire body.
For a moment, Gu Qingfeng couldn't figure out what was wrong with Huode. Just as he was about to inquire further, he suddenly noticed an extremely bizarre force spreading like flame across Huode's body.
What exactly this force was,
Gu Qingfeng didn't know either. He only knew it was powerful, incredibly powerful. It felt like a Primordial Ancient Power breaking free from a seal and erupting suddenly. Moreover, he could see that Huode had absolutely no control over this force!
"What's going on with you!"
Not knowing the specifics, Gu Qingfeng dared not act blindly. He quickly asked, "What is this powerful force on you?"
"Gu kid! Do you remember... remember the old man telling you about that dream of a previous life..."
Of course Gu Qingfeng remembered. The so-called dream of a previous life Huode spoke of seemed connected to the Daoless Era. He just didn't know what relation Huode's current situation had to that dream.
"The old man said sometimes I can't tell if it's a dream... or reality anymore. I can't tell... if I'm myself... or my previous life..." Huode clutched his head, his entire body trembling violently, his expression one of extreme agony. He seemed to be desperately restraining himself, speaking with difficulty. "Do you remember that phrase? 'The Primal Calamity births Heaven and Earth, endless cycles of reincarnation manifest, karma of past and present appears, whose fate is whose depends on Heaven!'"
Hearing this,
Gu Qingfeng's heart lurched. He exclaimed in shock, "Are you saying... your previous life has come knocking?"
"I'm... afraid... so!"
As the terrifying force within Huode grew stronger and stronger, his body trembled more violently, his expression grew more pained, and his consciousness grew increasingly blurred. Thinking of this, Gu Qingfeng shouted, "Let me help suppress it!"
"No! Absolutely not! You kid... you don't know your own strength when you act! What if you kill me!"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting at a time like this, you old coot? Don't worry, I'll measure my strength!"
Gu Qingfeng didn't allow Huode any chance to refuse. He immediately grabbed Huode's wrist with one hand and clamped his other hand on the crown of Huode's head. Focusing his mind, he began suppressing the Primordial Ancient Power within Huode.
This Primordial Ancient Power within Huode was truly formidable, even more powerful than Gu Qingfeng had imagined. Moreover, it was exceptionally fierce. When Gu Qingfeng tried to suppress it, it raged like a vicious dragon.
"Gu kid! Damn it, don't interfere... alright! If you keep this up, you'll kill me... I... I can't hold on!!"
The Primordial Ancient Power within Huode wanted to spread, while Gu Qingfeng's released power sought to suppress it. The clash of these two forces inside Huode's body caused his physical form to instantly contort. He roared frantically, "Gu kid, get away! My self-awareness is fading fast! In a moment, I might not even recognize you! Just go, alright! Leave me be!!"
"Relax, with me here, you won't die! If your previous life dares to show itself, I'll reduce it to ashes!"
"Don't! Please don't! That's exactly what I'm afraid of! If you turn my previous life to ashes, how can my present life survive? Can't you just stay out of it! This old man has his own way to deal with it!!"