"I beat people up on the Xuantian Vessel, and they were no ordinary folks—this Upper Immortal, that Upper Immortal, even disciples from the seventy-two blessed lands. Every one of them had a formidable background, each bigger than the last. If I hadn’t admitted my identity, do you think they’d have let me off?
Sooner or later, they would’ve come looking for me in waves, tracking me down and bringing a whole heap of trouble."
"Then couldn’t you have just held back a little?
Even if you couldn’t control yourself at the time, you could’ve changed your face later. They’d never have recognized you. If that wasn’t enough, you could’ve gone into hiding. If you decided to hide, no one in all heaven and earth would be able to find you."
"Hold back?
Change my face?
Go into hiding?"
Gu Qingfeng shot a glare at Huode and cursed angrily, "Get the hell out of here! Back in the day, when I faced the heavens themselves, I neither held back nor hid. I’ve lived most of my life that way. And now you want me to hold back and hide from a bunch of little brats? What would I be living for then?
I might as well drop dead right now."
"Well… that’s true too."
Huode scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled. "Ever since you came down from Chiyan Ridge as a youngster, you’ve been defying the heavens every step of the way. You’ve never backed down or bowed your head. The words ‘compromise’ and ‘hide’ simply don’t exist in your personal dictionary. But…" Huode poured another cup of wine and handed it to Gu Qingfeng. "The key is, even though you admitted your identity outright, it didn’t intimidate them one bit. Because who the hell knows if you’re really the You Di or just a fake?"
"Exactly. So this time, I’m going to let them see for themselves whether I’m real or not."
"Then your troubles are about to get a whole lot bigger. If you hadn’t admitted it, people would’ve just been suspicious. The worst you’d face would be trouble from Changsheng Pavilion, Dan Ding Valley, and a few Immortal Realms in Lingluo Heavenly Domain. But now that you’ve claimed to be You Di, the entire Myriad Heavens and Worlds want to know if it’s true. You have no idea how chaotic the Great Desolate has become."
Huode continued, "Just in Lingluo Heavenly Domain alone, nearly ten thousand Upper Immortals have arrived. The numbers from the major Immortal Realms—the lords and patriarchs—will only be greater. From what I’ve heard, over a dozen Great Dao Star Lords have already come, along with several Great Dao Thrones. And those are just the ones we know by name. Who knows how many experts are lurking in the shadows? What’s even more terrifying is that this is only the situation in Lingluo Heavenly Domain."
"Right now, people outside don’t know you’re here with me. If they find out, experts from across the Myriad Heavens and Worlds will likely swarm this place in a frenzy."
"To solve a small problem, you’ve attracted a mountain of big ones."
Gu Qingfeng said indifferently, "Big trouble or small trouble, it’s all trouble I’ll have to face sooner or later. There’s no avoiding it. Since events have pushed things to this point, I might as well go all the way and settle all the troubles—past, present, and future—once and for all."
Hearing this,
Huode was instantly shocked, his face paling with horror. "You…
You’re going on another killing spree?"
Huode understood Gu Qingfeng.
He knew clearly that Gu Qingfeng never provoked trouble on his own initiative, but if trouble came knocking, he would never show mercy. Moreover, he knew Gu Qingfeng had a principle when it came to action: either don’t do it at all, or do it thoroughly. To be precise, either kill none, or kill them all—wipe them out completely, exterminate their entire lineage, and eliminate the root of future trouble.
One must consider that those Upper Immortals had the backing of Great Immortal Realms. And the forces behind those Great Dao Star Lords and Great Dao Thrones? Just thinking about it with one’s toes was enough to realize how terrifying they must be. Furthermore, within the Myriad Heavens and Worlds, the influences of the various Immortal Realms were deeply intertwined. As for the thirty-six cave heavens and seventy-two blessed lands, one didn’t even need to mention them—it was simply unimaginable.
If Gu Qingfeng truly intended to go on a killing spree this time, the consequences would be utterly unimaginable. At that point, even if the Three Thousand Great Daos dared not act rashly against Gu Qingfeng, they would be forced to intervene. And once the Three Thousand Great Daos made their move, all sorts of Heaven’s Mandate Bearers and Tribulation-Bearers would emerge. At the same time, various Original Sin Bearers would also surface. A great war would erupt at a touch, and the Great Cataclysm of the Present-Ancient Era would commence.
"Killing spree?
Heh."
Gu Qingfeng shook his head and laughed. "A killing spree is indeed the simplest, most brutal, most direct, and most effective way to solve problems. But… I’m old now. I lost the urge to kill long ago, and I can’t be bothered anymore…"
"Then what did you mean just now when you said you’d settle all the troubles?"
"There are many ways to solve problems. Killing is just one of them. And sometimes, solving a problem doesn’t necessarily require a bloodbath."
"Then how do you plan to solve it?"
"You’ll know when the time comes. Telling you now wouldn’t make any sense."
"Alright. But…
Kid Gu, there’s one thing I wonder if you’ve thought about carefully. Right now, the Three Thousand Great Daos are all watching you closely, wanting to know your stance. If you play around like this, and on such a grand scale, what if…
I’m just saying what if… what if the Three Thousand Great Daos think you’re demonstrating against them, or think you’re using this opportunity to declare your position? What then?"
"Huode."
Gu Qingfeng countered with a question instead of answering. "Do you know why the Three Thousand Great Daos don’t dare act rashly?"
"Because your stance is unclear. No one can figure out what you’re thinking, so of course they don’t dare act rashly."
"Why is that?"
"Because you’re in too deep with the Original Sin black hole. It’s highly likely you’re the true master the Original Sin has been seeking. They’re all afraid—afraid that if they piss you off, you’ll trigger the Great Cataclysm of the Present-Ancient Era."
"Not bad, not bad. That’s exactly it."
Gu Qingfeng continued, "Then tell me, if I were to stir up some major trouble in Lingluo Heavenly Domain this time, what would the Three Thousand Great Daos do?"
"What could they do?
If you suddenly pull a stunt like this out of nowhere, the Three Thousand Great Daos would be extremely nervous. Even if they aren’t scared half to death, they’d definitely break out in a cold sweat."
"Aha!
That’s exactly right. Didn’t you always want to know what kind of fun I’m looking for?
Well, this is the fun I’m after."
As Gu Qingfeng’s words fell, Huode was stunned, standing there dumbfounded for a good long while before gradually coming back to his senses. Pointing at Gu Qingfeng, he stammered, "You…
You kid…
You…
This is hardly looking for fun! You…
You want to scare the Three Thousand Great Daos to death!"
"Hahaha!
That’s why I said it’s great fun."
"Kid Gu, the fun you’re looking for…
isn’t it a bit too much? You’ve gone and found it right on the heads of the Three Thousand Great Daos! You’re practically toying with them, making fools of them!"
Gu Qingfeng shrugged nonchalantly. "You said it yourself earlier: I’ve always been someone who returns every grievance. Over the years, the Three Thousand Great Daos haven’t given me an easy time. I’m just giving them a little scare—consider it letting them off easy."
"Alright then."
Huode took a deep breath, calming the panic and shock in his heart. Only after a long while did he sigh with emotion. "Looking across the entire Myriad Heavens and Worlds, the only one who has the guts to find fun with the Three Thousand Great Daos is you, damn it!"