Staring at Gu Qingfeng, Plum Blossom Old Daoist also rose to his feet, his expression complex as he said, "This old man believes the Empress would not misjudge a person."
"That's not necessarily true. Everyone can misjudge others at times. Even the heavens can doze off, let alone Jun Xuanji. Nothing in this world is absolute, and I firmly believe fate is no exception."
Plum Blossom Old Daoist's expression suddenly stiffened, as if he had caught the hidden meaning in Gu Qingfeng's words. He asked, "Does the Imperial Venerable still wish to break free from Original Sin?"
"Although it seems rather hopeless, I've thought it over and over, and I'd be truly unwilling to just give up like this."
Gu Qingfeng reached out and plucked a plum blossom petal, placing it in his palm. "As the saying goes, a person must have a dream to live for, right? What if, by chance, it actually comes true? Who can say for sure about such things."
Plum Blossom Old Daoist's expression grew somewhat agitated. "This old man truly cannot understand why the Imperial Venerable does not wish to become the True Lord of Original Sin!"
"The reason is simple."
Gu Qingfeng crushed the plum blossom in his hand and scattered the fragments on the ground. "I have never believed in fate. I didn't believe in it before, I don't believe in it now, I won't believe in it in the future, and I will never believe in it."
"Ah!"
Plum Blossom Old Daoist let out another sigh, this one laden with the helplessness in his heart. He shook his head and asked despondently, "May this old man ask when the Imperial Venerable plans to break free from Original Sin, and how you intend to do so?"
"Such matters are not urgent. Rushing won't help, and besides..." Gu Qingfeng looked up at the vast sky. "I should at least ask them whether they are willing to give me this chance to break free from Original Sin."
"And if they are unwilling to give the Imperial Venerable this chance?"
Hearing this, Plum Blossom Old Daoist asked hopefully, "Does that mean the Imperial Venerable will not break free from Original Sin?"
"Of course not. If they are unwilling to give me the chance, then I'll just have to fight until they give it to me!"
"This..." Plum Blossom Old Daoist shook his head, caught between a bitter laugh and speechlessness, both helpless and exasperated. He sighed, "No wonder the Imperial Venerable, clearly knowing someone is stirring the waters behind this incident, still has not left. It seems... the Imperial Venerable already has plans in mind."
"Alright, let's leave it at that."
Gu Qingfeng clapped his hands, brushing off the remaining petal fragments, then stretched lazily. "I'll handle the matter you entrusted to me as I see fit. If I can see Jun Xuanji, I'll give her the Token of the Ancestral Realm and advise her to fuse with her Lifebound Soul. If anyone tries to take this opportunity to erase Jun Xuanji, I'll do my best as well. Consider it repaying a favor I owe her."
Just as Gu Qingfeng was about to turn and leave, Plum Blossom Old Daoist's voice came from behind again.
"Imperial Venerable, please wait."
"What? Is there something else? If you're still trying to persuade me to seek the secrets of the Daoless Age, don't bother. I've already made myself very clear just now."
"No! That's not what this old man wishes to say."
"Then what is it?"
"Actually, there is one matter this old man has always wanted to tell you. It's just that over all these years, there has never been an opportunity. If I don't speak of it today, I fear there will never be another chance to inform the Imperial Venerable of this."
Gu Qingfeng looked at him, saying nothing, waiting for him to continue.
"Whether the Empress reincarnated into the Primordial World to sever Karma or to graft Karma, this old man may not know for sure. But... back then, the Empress truly developed feelings for the Imperial Venerable."
Gu Qingfeng smiled faintly. "I say, Old Senior, that's really not necessary. Since I've said I'll help Jun Xuanji, I will definitely help her. Why bother saying such things?"
"No! This old man says these words not to make the Imperial Venerable help the Empress through this tribulation. Even if the Empress faced no such calamity, this old man has always wanted to tell the Imperial Venerable this. It's just that over all these years, I never had the chance to see you. If I don't speak of it today, I would die with regrets."
Pausing briefly, Plum Blossom Old Daoist continued, "Whether the Empress reincarnated in the Primordial World to sever Karma or graft Karma, after her Reincarnation, she had no memory of her past life. Everything was a completely new beginning. Back then, the Empress truly developed feelings for the Imperial Venerable. After being rejected by you, her heartbreak and despair were not an act put on for your benefit. Her fall into the demonic path was not a pretense either. It was all real. If it had been an act, the memories of her past life would never have awakened... nor would she have become lost."
"Is that so?"
Gu Qingfeng showed little emotional change on his face, his ordinary features still as calm and indifferent as ever. "Alright, I understand. Farewell for now."
With that, Gu Qingfeng vanished in a flash.
On the way, Gu Qingfeng kept pondering the words Plum Blossom Old Daoist had spoken.
To be honest, in the past, Gu Qingfeng had indeed doubted whether Jun Xuanji's feelings for him were genuine or just part of some elaborate trap she had set for him.
However, that was only in the past.
Now, he didn't care about the matter at all. As for whether Jun Xuanji had truly developed feelings for him back then, he didn't know, nor did he want to know.
It wasn't that he had become detached or indifferent. The issue that troubled him was not whether Jun Xuanji had feelings for him, but whether he himself had developed feelings for Jun Xuanji.
That was the root of his constant inner conflict.
He couldn't distinguish whether his feelings for Jun Xuanji were genuine, or a problem of Original Sin, or a matter of Karma, or some damned issue of Fate.
And now, he couldn't be bothered to think about such a headache-inducing matter.
His mind was occupied with how to break free from Original Sin.
What he had said to Plum Blossom Old Daoist earlier wasn't a lie.
Originally, after failing to break free from Original Sin when he ignited the Original Sin Karmic Flames on Mount Wudao all those years ago, Gu Qingfeng had been considering whether to accept his fate.
But not accepting fate was no solution either. He truly didn't know how to break free from Original Sin. More importantly, he was really too lazy to struggle anymore. He thought of letting things take their natural course, submitting to the will of heaven, letting whatever happen, happen.
Since his awakening, all the way from the Twin-Polar Celestial Domain, he had been finding various reasons to comfort himself, avoiding worldly affairs, paying no heed to anyone or anything related to the Daoless Age, engaging in self-hypnosis.
All to numb himself, to convince his heart to accept fate, to accept the arrangements of destiny.
Truly.
Gu Qingfeng very much wanted to just accept his fate like that. But in the end, he discovered that no matter how he hypnotized himself, how he comforted himself, or how he numbed himself, he could never truly convince his inner self. The solitary pride in his heart simply would not allow him to accept fate. His self-respect would not permit him to accept destiny's arrangements. Moreover, if he were to just accept fate like that, he would be truly unwilling.
In the end, he decided to break free from Original Sin, defy heaven and change his fate, fighting to the death without surrender, never admitting defeat.
Although he still didn't know how to break free from Original Sin, he wasn't in a hurry now. Since his heart had made the decision, he would only persist stubbornly on this path until the very end.
And now, there was one problem before him that he had to resolve: to make the Three Thousand Great Daos, the Cave-Heaven Blessed Lands, the Gui Xu forbidden lands and sacred grounds, and everyone else understand his stance.