The news of You Di's death and resurrection returning could cause such an uproar; the reason so many were urgently seeking to know whether he was alive or dead had an extremely important cause.
It was a legend.
A legend whose origins were unknown, yet had somehow spread throughout the myriad realms.
In the legend, the Book of Fate recorded: 'When Original Sin finds its true master, the Great Dao will fall, the Present Era will end, Heaven and Earth will be reborn, and the Age of No Dao will begin...'
This was a cataclysm.
A cataclysm for the Present Era.
It was said that You Di's existence was that of an Original Sin being, his body flowing with the Blood of Original Sin, and after igniting the Original Sin Karmic Fire, he had awakened Original Sin. There had always been those who said that You Di might be the true master Original Sin sought.
In other words, You Di might be the Original Sin True Master recorded in the Book of Fate, the one who would trigger the Present Era cataclysm, end the Present Era, and cause Heaven and Earth to be reborn.
Whether the records of the Book of Fate were true, no one knew.
Whether You Di was the true master Original Sin sought, likewise, no one knew.
For many people, they didn't even know what Original Sin was.
However.
Legends, if they had nothing to do with oneself, no one cared whether they were true.
The problem was, the legend now circulating concerned the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, the survival of all living beings.
As the saying goes, it's better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't.
Even if the legend was false, the threat had to be strangled in its cradle.
Thus.
Ever since the news of You Di's death and resurrection spread, it immediately caused a tremendous stir in the Great Desolation, even affecting the myriad realms. Now, almost everyone was talking about this matter, also speculating whether You Di had truly died and resurrected.
Many people came to the Lingluo Heavenly Domain, searching everywhere for You Di's whereabouts.
However.
Search as they might, no one could find any trace of You Di.
Unable to find You Di, everyone turned their attention to Upper Immortal Qingqing.
In the minds of many, the key now was not to find You Di's whereabouts, but to verify the accuracy and truthfulness of the news with Upper Immortal Qingqing.
Everyone knew Upper Immortal Qingqing was in the Lingluo Heavenly Domain.
Not only that, they also knew Upper Immortal Qingqing resided in the Plum Blossom Immortal Realm.
Since the news spread, the front of the Immortal Realm gate of the Plum Blossom Immortal Realm had been crowded with people. Looking out, a dark, dense mass of people stretched as far as the eye could see, a sea of humanity too numerous to count, and their numbers grew day by day.
These people all wanted to ask Upper Immortal Qingqing for clarity.
Unfortunately.
The Immortal Realm gate of the Plum Blossom Immortal Realm had long been closed, and these people couldn't enter. Helpless, they could only stand at the entrance and wait.
The Plum Blossom Immortal Realm was not a major power realm within the Lingluo Heavenly Domain, but it was the most ancient, deepest in heritage, and oldest Immortal Realm in Lingluo.
How ancient was it?
It was said that the founding ancestor of the Plum Blossom Immortal Realm was once a servant by the side of Lingluo Domain's ancestor, Emperor Lingluo. To guard Emperor Lingluo, who slumbered within the Ancestral Realm, the Plum Blossom Ancestor established the Plum Blossom Immortal Realm here.
The Plum Blossom Immortal Realm had always been reclusive and detached from worldly affairs. Ordinarily, its Immortal Realm gate was also sealed. Only during the once-in-a-millennium opening of the Ancestral Realm would the gates of the Plum Blossom Immortal Realm open.
At this moment.
Within a villa in the Plum Blossom Immortal Realm.
A woman dressed in red, arms folded, paced back and forth within the villa. Her beautiful face looked haggard, her expression incomparably complex, tinged with regret, worry, anxiety, fear, and far too many other emotions.
And in the pavilion.
A woman in white sat on the steps. Her originally clear and beautiful face now looked especially weary, her complexion pale and bloodless, her expression even more complex than the red-clad woman's.
The two women were none other than Immortal Lixin and Upper Immortal Qingqing.
The past few days had been absolute torture for the two of them, each day feeling like a year. They had never imagined they would have such a utterly wretched day—so wretched they dared not see anyone, like criminals wanted by the Nine Heavens, hiding here in a daze, enduring psychological torment and immense mental pressure. They were on the verge of collapse.
Truly on the verge of collapse.
Especially Upper Immortal Qingqing. She had come to the Lingluo Heavenly Domain this time representing the Eternal Life Pavilion to participate in the once-in-a-millennium ancestor worship ceremony.
Everything had been fine originally; she never could have imagined encountering such an incident on the journey.
That the Immortal Artifact she had nurtured for centuries was actually You Di's Five Elements Cloud-Water Sword from back then was one thing, but to actually run into You Di, who had died and resurrected and returned, on the road was another.
Upper Immortal Qingqing didn't know whether encountering You Di was fortunate or unfortunate.
She didn't know.
Nor did she want to know.
The only thing she knew was that because of this matter, she had become entangled in a huge trouble. She also knew that many people outside, the entire Lingluo Heavenly Domain, even people from the myriad realms, were looking for her. She knew better than anyone what they wanted from her.
Recalling the events on the Xuantian Vessel, Upper Immortal Qingqing had a feeling, a feeling as unreal as a dream.
She wasn't unaware that once this matter spread, it would inevitably cause an uproar.
She knew.
She just hadn't expected the news to spread so fast, reaching every corner of the myriad realms in just over ten days. She also hadn't expected the matter to cause such a massive sensation, one that filled the entire Lingluo Heavenly Domain with a sea of people and threw the entire Great Desolation into utter chaos.
If possible.
She truly wished this was just a dream.
Unfortunately.
In this world, there was never any 'if'.
Such was Upper Immortal Qingqing's state, and Immortal Lixin wasn't faring any better. She kept pacing back and forth in the courtyard. She was already exhausted, utterly weary, both physically and mentally, but she still kept walking.
She didn't dare stop. She feared that if she stopped, she would break down, go mad.
"Why!
Just why!
How on earth did things end up like this!"
Immortal Lixin said with extreme regret, "Tell me, why on earth did I have to accompany you to this damned Lingluo Heavenly Domain? Wouldn't it have been better if I'd just stayed properly in the Eternal Life Pavilion?
What screw came loose in my head? How did I so muddle-headedly come with you to this damn Lingluo Heavenly Domain!"
Immortal Lixin was now so regretful she wished she could break her own legs. Then she pointed at Upper Immortal Qingqing and said, "And you, you silly girl! Tell me, why did you have to pick up that broken sword back then!
If you hadn't picked it up, wouldn't there be none of today's troubles?"
Yes.
If she hadn't picked up the Cloud-Water Sword back then, wouldn't there be none of this incident?
Upper Immortal Qingqing also regretted it deeply, regretted that she shouldn't have gone to pick up that broken Cloud-Water Sword that year.
She didn't know why she had gone to pick up that Cloud-Water Sword back then either.
"My master once told me I would have a tribulation in my fate. I suppose the tribulation Master spoke of was this matter."
Upper Immortal Qingqing closed her eyes and murmured, "This is probably my fate."