He hoped You Di had indeed returned from death.
He truly did want to see the spectacle between You Di and the Three Thousand Great Daos.
But he absolutely did not want You Di to resurrect within the Lingluo Heavenly Domain.
Even less did he want the spectacle between You Di and the Three Thousand Great Daos to unfold within the Lingluo Heavenly Domain.
To put it bluntly,
Sha Xiang was fine with watching this spectacle, but if it meant participating in it, he was utterly unwilling no matter what.
He understood clearly that behind this spectacle lay something utterly terrifying and dreadful. These waters were far too deep. From the Nine Heavens above to the Nine Underworlds below, the Three Thousand Great Daos, all sorts of tribulation-bearers, all kinds of Primal Sin individuals, including those Ancestral Patriarchs who had returned from the Guixu, and even Heaven and Earth, nay, Fate itself—all were entangled within these murky waters. Once you got dragged in, the consequences were unimaginable; you might not even know how you died when the time came.
Over the years, Sha Xiang had always kept his head down, maintaining a low profile so low it couldn't get any lower, precisely because he feared being sucked into these murky waters.
But fate just loved to play tricks. Whatever you feared most was exactly what came your way.
The more he thought about it, the more he regretted it. Back then, why on earth did he have to go to the Nine Heavens to repay that favor?
He clearly knew that Empress Celestial Secrets would never have him come to the Lingluo Heavenly Domain to be the Domain Lord for no reason. Why had he muddle-headedly agreed?
Back then,
if he had hardened his heart, acted shamelessly, and just brazenly refused outright, wouldn't everything have been fine?
Every time he remembered this, Sha Xiang wished he could chop his own hand off.
"Master, back then, you didn't agree to anything else with Empress Celestial Secrets, did you?"
"Anything else?
No. She just said for me to come be the Domain Lord of the Lingluo Heavenly Domain. She didn't say anything else."
The old man asked, "She didn't say what you were to do here?"
"No!"
Sha Xiang shook his head. "I'm not a fool. I knew Empress Celestial Secrets sending me here couldn't be for anything good. So, I made it clear right then: I could be the Domain Lord, but I'd just be a figurehead. I wouldn't manage a thing. Even if everyone in the Heavenly Domain died, I wouldn't so much as glance their way. Empress Celestial Secrets agreed to that condition, and only then did I come."
"So, Empress Celestial Secrets only asked you to be the Domain Lord. She made no other demands whatsoever, correct?"
"None!
If Empress Celestial Secrets had made demands, I wouldn't have come."
"Empress Celestial Secrets is hailed as the incarnation of Karma, the envoy of Fate. She knows the past and future, holds command over Fate and Karma, deduces the cosmos, and perceives the mysteries of Heaven and Earth..." The old man frowned, speaking with worry. "She must have known long ago that after You Di's resurrection, he would appear in the Lingluo Heavenly Domain. Empress Celestial Secrets having you come be the Domain Lord of Lingluo Heavenly Domain... I'm afraid nine times out of ten, it's for You Di's sake."
"I've thought about that too. But the problem is, I didn't agree to any demands! She had me come be this Domain Lord; she can't possibly be expecting me to deal with You Di, can she?
That's just nonsense. I, for one, have some history with You Di. Forget about me helping the Nine Heavens against him; even if I had the mind to, I couldn't beat him."
Sha Xiang said, "I wasn't a match for that bastard back in the day, let alone now. You have no idea how monstrous You Di is. His strength changes day by day, his fortunes each more terrifying than the last. Even if you could defeat him yesterday, that doesn't mean you can defeat him today. A casual slap from him could scare the piss and shit out of you. Not to mention back then he even awakened the Primal Sin. Even if he isn't the true master the Primal Sin seeks now, he's probably not far off. Who the hell knows how terrifying he is now."
Sha Xiang walked over and picked up a jar of wine. "To be perfectly honest, I've never been afraid of anyone in my life. Except for You Di. I'm terrified of him from the bottom of my heart. I'd rather go fight those turtle-spawns from the Nine Heavens, even offend Empress Celestial Secrets, than make an enemy of You Di."
The old man said, "If Empress Celestial Secrets truly wanted you to deal with You Di, she probably wouldn't have had you come here to be Domain Lord."
Sha Xiang didn't understand. "Old Zong, what do you mean by that?"
The old man called Old Zong didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Master, how deep is your friendship with You Di?"
"How deep?
Well, let's see. It's not that deep, I suppose. At best, we were just drinking buddies. We dug up people's ancestral graves together, stole fine wine together, visited brothels together, played with the courtesans together. When we ventured into the Nine Underworlds back then, I went with You Di. We agreed to go have some fun in the Nine Underworlds together."
"Only...
That bastard You Di...
He was just too damn...
Bold. Dared to do anything, dared to hit anyone. What gave me the biggest headache was that bastard had this habit of casually flirting with women. And not just any women—he wouldn't bother with the ordinary ones. He specialized in flirting with those formidable Empresses. You know Empress Netherworld, right?
Back when You Di was flirting with Empress Netherworld, I was there too. Just because You Di flirted with Empress Netherworld, he managed to offend the entire demonic and fiendish paths."
Remembering those days with You Di in the Nine Underworlds, Sha Xiang's heart felt both excitement and thrill, along with endless palpitations. He continued,
"When that bastard You Di started a fight, he never considered the consequences. Didn't give a damn who you were, what your background was. If you pissed him off, he'd kill you first and ask questions later. You have no idea what kind of life I led following You Di, trailing behind him. Either being chased by some Great Dao Monarch, or hunted by some Great Dao Emperor, with a few Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs popping up now and then. Following that bastard You Di all the way through the Nine Underworlds, I came close to being killed several times. Thinking back on it now, it really wasn't easy, damn it."
Sha Xiang sighed. "Luckily, I had the foresight and ran fast. Otherwise, who knows if I could have left the Nine Underworlds in one piece."
After listening to Sha Xiang, Old Zong's expression turned serious, his voice grave. "So it seems your friendship with You Di isn't shallow at all. This counts as a life-and-death bond, doesn't it?"
"I suppose so. Although You Di saved my ass from the fire pit several times back then, I saved him too when he was besieged. And not just once, many times. Not to mention other things, just take Empress Netherworld. After that bastard You Di played around with Empress Netherworld, he just ran off. Vanished without a trace. That infuriated Empress Netherworld. She couldn't find You Di, so she found me. She almost stewed me alive, you know?
Even then, I didn't leak You Di's whereabouts."
Speaking of this, Sha Xiang seemed to hold some grievance. "Back then, You Di said he'd compensate me properly. Never saw him compensate me with anything later. If I see that bastard You Di this time, I'll definitely make him compensate me for the humiliation I suffered for his sake back then."