Gu Qingfeng had no interest whatsoever in Tian Kui's destiny or fortune—not even the slightest bit. He had originally thought that since they'd run into each other, he might as well help the Black Pig Monster King settle his score. What he hadn't expected was that the old boar would actually give up.
In Gu Qingfeng's memory, the Black Pig Monster King had always been one to repay every slight, no matter how small. Moreover, this fellow was most adept at exploiting every resource at his disposal. Now that Gu Qingfeng had explicitly stated he would back him up, clearly offering himself as a tool to be used, who would have thought the boar would hesitate and ultimately back down?
Of course, Gu Qingfeng knew the Black Pig Monster King's hesitation stemmed from fear that the Purple Cloud Immortal Realm would come after him for revenge.
Yes.
That was right.
If he were in the Black Pig Monster King's place, he'd be worried too.
The problem was, the Black Pig Monster King of the past would never have considered things this way. If there was a chance for revenge, he'd naturally make the most of it. As for what came after? He'd deal with that later.
As the saying goes, drink today's wine today, and let tomorrow worry about itself.
Back in the day, the most important reason he and the Black Pig Monster King had teamed up to venture into the Nine Abysses was precisely because they were birds of a feather—both the type who cared only about filling their bellies today, with no thought for tomorrow.
Now, after ten thousand years of the Present Era, Gu Qingfeng had changed. He no longer lived solely in the present; he also had to consider the past and live for the future.
It seemed the Black Pig Monster King was the same now.
Ten thousand years of the Present Era wasn't particularly long, but it wasn't short either.
For many cultivators, ten thousand years was just the time for a single seclusion.
But for the Black Pig Monster King, these ten thousand years of the Present Era had been filled with far too many experiences, and his state of mind had gradually transformed.
As for Gu Qingfeng, he had slept through most of these ten thousand years. Though his experiences were few, each one had left him feeling lost and adrift, yet they had also helped him mature considerably.
Tilting his head back, he took a swig of wine, then shook his head slightly and sighed inwardly. Patting the Black Pig Monster King on the shoulder, he said, "Alright then. Since you don't want revenge now, you can settle it yourself later. Let's go."
With that, Gu Qingfeng sighed once more and turned to leave.
Seeing this, the Black Pig Monster King hurriedly followed.
Though he didn't want revenge now, he certainly didn't want to stay here waiting to die either.
In the distance, Lieyin Patriarch had been on tenterhooks the whole time, terrified that Gu Qingfeng would stand up for the Black Pig Monster King. If that happened, none of them would leave this place alive today.
Fortunately, for some reason, Gu Qingfeng had simply left. This finally allowed the stone weighing on Lieyin Patriarch and the others' hearts to drop, and they all exhaled deeply as if a great burden had been lifted.
"Tian Kui, do you understand now why I forbade you from entering?" Lieyin Patriarch said earnestly. "This isn't the Great Desolate; it's the mysterious and perilous ruins of the Primordial Black Hole. If something unforeseen happens in the Great Desolate, we still have the Purple Cloud Immortal Realm to rely on. But if something goes wrong here, we'd truly be crying out to heaven with no answer, and to earth with no relief!"
"That's right! Tian Kui, you really shouldn't have come here, much less confronted the Black Pig Monster King," the other Ancestral Patriarchs chimed in with their own admonishments.
Tian Kui still stood with his hands clasped behind his back. Facing the reproach of the patriarchs, he neither refuted nor grew angry. He merely watched Gu Qingfeng's receding figure in the desert and said, "I didn't know You Di was here beforehand, nor did I know the Black Pig Monster King was acquainted with him."
"It's fortunate You Di didn't intervene on the Black Pig Monster King's behalf just now. Otherwise, today we might have..."
"Hah!" A trace of defiant cold laughter curled at the corner of Tian Kui's mouth. "I admit I'm no match for You Di. But if he thinks killing me, Tian Kui, will be easy, I'm afraid he's mistaken."
"Regardless, since the matter is over, let it be," Lieyin Patriarch said. He understood Tian Kui's temperament well—knew that Tian Kui's pride was exceptionally strong. This was both his strength and his weakness.
A powerful sense of pride was a good thing, but sometimes an excessively strong pride could be one's own undoing.
Fortunately, Lieyin Patriarch knew that while Tian Kui was arrogant, he wasn't conceited. Moreover, he was a relatively rational person, not easily swayed by emotion.
"With You Di here, it's not wise for us to linger. We should leave this place as soon as possible," Immortal King Yuyang suggested. "To avoid complications."
Lieyin Patriarch nodded. "Correct. We must regroup with the others quickly."
Earlier, in order to search for Tian Kui, the various Ancestral Patriarchs of the Purple Cloud Immortal Realm had split into small groups of three to five. Now that Tian Kui had been found, they needed to notify the others immediately. After all, this was the mysterious and bizarre Primordial Black Hole. No one knew what might happen here. In such circumstances, splitting up was the most taboo course of action.
Moreover, now that Gu Qingfeng had also arrived here, this news was absolutely momentous for their Purple Cloud Immortal Realm. And not just for them—it was momentous for the other major powers of the Great Desolate, and for the Ancestral Patriarchs of the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands as well.
"Patriarch, what do you think... You Di appearing here signifies?" Immortal King Yuyang suddenly asked.
"Hard to say," Lieyin Patriarch mused for a moment before adding, "Really hard to say."
"If the Feather Transformation Immortal Realm and the others, including those patriarchs from the Cave Heavens and Blessed Lands... all knew that You Di was also here..."
Hearing this, Lieyin Patriarch suddenly halted. He glanced at Immortal King Yuyang, and after a long while, finally spoke. "This is a major event. We must deliberate on it carefully."
"Heh heh." Tian Kui suddenly laughed. "It seems I really came at the right time this time."
"Tian Kui, don't act rashly. This matter isn't as simple as you think."
"It's not that simple, but it's not that complicated either," Tian Kui said with a faint smile. "As long as we spread the news that You Di is here, I believe both the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands will share our line of thinking. They desire the Original Sin upon him even more than we do. And..." He took a deep breath, his expression tinged with apprehension. "And I've always felt that those who entered the Primordial Black Hole this time are far more than just us. The Nine Heavens, the Nine Abysses, the Forbidden Lands, the Sacred Lands, the experts from the Guixu and the Desolate Ruins... I'm afraid they've all come as well."
This time, Lieyin Patriarch did not rebuke Tian Kui, because he knew Tian Kui spoke the truth. Leaving aside everything else, since entering the Primordial Black Hole, they had already encountered several powerful figures from the Nine Heavens and Nine Abysses. Although he hadn't seen any experts from the Forbidden Lands or Sacred Lands to this day, he was certain they had come too.
No one would miss such a great opportunity from the Primordial Era.
Whether it was the Nine Heavens, the Nine Abysses, the Forbidden Lands and Sacred Lands, or the experts from the Guixu and Desolate Ruins—none were exceptions.
"Back in the Lingluo Heavenly Domain, everyone missed one chance to eradicate You Di," Tian Kui said, now appearing somewhat inscrutable. "Opportunities aren't always there for the taking. Having missed one chance, I think... no one will miss a second opportunity."
Lieyin Patriarch gazed at the slowly rotating vortex of chaotic currents in the sky and murmured, "The Primordial Black Hole has already manifested... The opportunity has already appeared. In my opinion, if we miss this chance, in the future... there won't be a third opportunity either!"