While sighing with emotion, Huode also grew increasingly impressed by Gu Qingfeng.
However.
What he admired was not Gu Qingfeng's cultivation base, nor his virtue, but that kind of unruly, free-spirited, and utterly eccentric temperament.
This kid could drink fine wine heartily with insignificant nobodies of humble backgrounds, and also share joyful toasts with great figures of immense status and influence.
He could seduce ordinary girls from modest families, and also tease the Destiny Empresses who ruled over vast heavens and earth as overlords of the Great Dao.
He could visit brothels, listen to folk tunes, and seek simple pleasures, and also play tricks on the Three Thousand Great Daos, running rampant across the heavens and earth to find grand entertainment.
He could shoulder the awe-inspiring reputation of the Nine Nethers Emperor that shook the Great Desolate, and also bear the infamous name of the Original Sin Person who triggered the Great Cataclysm.
In the past, Huode didn't understand.
He didn't know what truly counted as having seen the world.
Now he understood.
Someone like Gu Qingfeng, who could both enjoy the best and endure the worst—that was truly having seen the world.
In the past, Gu Qingfeng didn't understand.
He didn't know what kind of life could be considered the most brilliant.
Now he understood too.
Someone like Gu Qingfeng, who could shoulder the legendary fame of eternity and also bear the infamous curse of primordial sin—that was the most brilliant life.
Gu Qingfeng had not lived his life in vain.
Absolutely not.
At least, in Huode's mind, he felt Gu Qingfeng's life had been worth it.
In the past, Huode didn't understand.
He didn't understand why Gu Qingfeng didn't care about anything, feared nothing, and did whatever he wanted.
Now he finally understood.
It wasn't because Gu Qingfeng's state of mind had transcended.
It was because this guy had experienced everything—what he should have, what he shouldn't have, played with what he should, played with what he shouldn't, possessed what he should, and possessed what he shouldn't…
This guy's life had no regrets left; calling it a perfectly fulfilled life was not an exaggeration.
What else did he have to fear?
What else did he have to care about?
What else was there to mind?
The answer was certain.
He feared nothing, cared about nothing, minded nothing, and was indifferent to everything.
Thinking of this.
Huode felt genuinely happy for Gu Qingfeng from the bottom of his heart, and also proud and honored—one could even say he took pride in Gu Qingfeng.
"Gu kid, when do you plan to make your move?"
"Make a move? What move?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to scare the Three Thousand Great Daos a bit to find some fun?"
"We'll see if fate allows."
"What? What?"
Huode thought he had misheard. After a moment of stunned silence, he asked, "What do you mean, 'see if fate allows'? This old man has lived for most of his life and this is the first time I've heard that finding fun depends on fate."
"Don't understand?"
"No."
"'See if fate allows' means to let things take their natural course."
"Let things take their natural course? This… Forget it, this old man won't ask anymore."
Huode sighed again. He found the current Gu Qingfeng increasingly unfathomable, his words growing more profound and cryptic, often incomprehensible. He also knew Gu Qingfeng's existence had long surpassed his imagination, so he couldn't be bothered to ask further.
"Does the sect have any delicious delicacies?"
Gu Qingfeng rubbed his stomach and said, "This lord suddenly has a craving and wants to eat something tasty to satisfy it."
"Yes, quite a few. What do you want to eat, kid? We have all kinds of spirit fruits available…"
"Forget fruits. This lord wants something meaty. Is there any?"
"Our Yunxia Sect is, after all, a cultivation sect. What kind of meat would we have?"
"None elsewhere in the world either?"
"Food Immortal Town, of course."
"Food Immortal Town?"
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng asked curiously, "The Food Immortal Town at the foot of Shangqing Sect?"
"Correct."
"After ten thousand years in the Present Era, Food Immortal Town is still there?"
"Shangqing Sect has always remained, so Food Immortal Town is definitely still there. And… Gu kid, you probably don't know this, but Food Immortal Town's reputation is extraordinary now. It's famous throughout the Lingluo Heavenly Domain. Every day, many people come seeking its fame to taste the town's delicacies."
"That's wonderful."
Back when Gu Qingfeng was cultivating at Shangqing Sect, he would make a trip to Food Immortal Town every few days. Even now, he still vividly remembered a place in Food Immortal Town called Luo Xuan's Old Broth. The memory of its deliciousness made him salivate.
"Food Immortal Town is still in the same old place, right?"
"Still at the foot of Shangqing Sect. What, you want to go now, kid?"
"I'm considering it."
"Well… Gu kid, this old man estimates he can't accompany you to Food Immortal Town. There's quite a bit of troublesome business in the sect. In a bit, I still have to meet a wave of guests."
"This lord never said I wanted you to accompany me."
"This… Alright then. How about this old man asks Feiyue to accompany you?"
"No need."
Just as Gu Qingfeng was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "What's the current situation over at Shangqing Sect?"
"Shangqing Sect is still the same as always. In the Ancient Era, it was the number one sect in this world. Even after ten thousand years in the Present Era, it remains the world's number one sect. Shangqing Sect's background is too powerful. It has the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens backing it, and I've heard it's even connected to the Nine Heavens. As long as the Immortal Dao doesn't perish, Shangqing Sect won't fall."
Exaggerated?
Not at all.
In the past, Huode only knew Shangqing Sect's background was very powerful. Only after roaming the Great Desolate for many years did he realize Shangqing Sect's backing was far more formidable than imagined. Its patron was Shangqing Cave of the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens, and even among the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens, Shangqing Cave was a top-tier existence. It was said Shangqing Cave's background was even more terrifying, being one of the Nine Heavens—Shangqing Heaven, where Great Dao Ancestors resided.
It was precisely because of this that the secular Shangqing Sect could be passed down through generations, standing firm and unshakable.
Don't think only this world has a Shangqing Sect. Throughout the Myriad Heavens and Worlds, Shangqing Sects are countless. While not quite spread across every world, it's close. The vastness of its influence is simply beyond ordinary imagination.
"Whether Shangqing Sect perishes or not, this lord has no interest in knowing. I'm asking if my master, the old man, is still at Shangqing Sect?"
"This…" Huode shook his head. "Gu kid, I'm afraid this old man can't answer that. Anyway, all these years I haven't heard any news about Elder Zhenjue. Whether the old master is still at Shangqing Sect or not, this old man isn't too clear either."
Gu Qingfeng nodded, pondered for a moment, then asked again, "What about Ye Tianlan? Is she still at Shangqing Sect?"
"The Female Sect Empress probably isn't there anymore, right? At least, she hasn't appeared or been heard from throughout the ten thousand years of the Present Era. But… Gu kid, I've heard the Female Sect Empress is the Ancestral Empress of Shangqing Cave. Is that true?"
"Perhaps. I never investigated that matter."
Huode continued, "Currently, Shangqing Sect has always been under the stewardship of her disciple, Yun Wan. Sect Master Yun Wan, you should remember her, right? The one who received the Heavenly Dao's decree."
"I have a vague impression, not too clear."
"When this old man founded the sect and established the school, Yun Wan also came to offer congratulations…" Before Huode could finish, Gu Qingfeng seemed to have lost interest in listening further. He casually bid farewell and left directly.