The Desolate Ancient Era, Original Sin, and the Daoless Age.
These were the three great opportunities, and also the three great storms.
The existence of Original Sin was like a link connecting the mysterious Desolate Ancient Era with the unknown Daoless Age, akin to karma itself.
Although Changfeng Great Emperor was not one of Those with Original Sin, he was a Great Emperor of the Immortal Dao who had received the Heavenly Mandate. Ordinary people might be able to avoid the three great storms, but he could not. Not only could he not avoid them, but as he experienced more and more events and his comprehension of the Great Dao deepened, he increasingly felt that whether it was the Heavenly Destiny Star Lords of the Present Era, the Heavenly Destiny Thrones of the Ancient Era, the Heavenly Destiny Imperial Seals of the Primal Era, or even the Heavenly Destiny Imperial Authority of the Grand Primordial Era—all had descended for the sake of the impending Original Sin storm.
He had always believed before that this might be the arrangement of Fate, that Fate had arranged for them to deal with Original Sin.
After all, the Book of Fate recorded that when Original Sin finds its True Lord, the Great Dao will fall, the Present Era will end, Heaven and Earth will be reborn, and the Daoless Age will begin...
Fate arranged for them to prevent the birth of the True Lord of Original Sin, thereby protecting the Three Thousand Great Daos and all living beings of Heaven and Earth.
But later, upon further reflection, he felt this was not right.
If the Book of Fate truly recorded it this way, in other words, the birth of the True Lord of Original Sin, the fall of the Great Dao, the end of the Present Era, the rebirth of Heaven and Earth, the opening of the Daoless Age, and so on—all were in accordance with Fate...
Since they were in accordance with Fate, why would Fate arrange for them, these Heavenly Destinies, to prevent the birth of the True Lord of Original Sin?
Wasn't this a contradiction?
What truly constituted following Fate? To this day, Changfeng Great Emperor was still unclear. The only thing he knew was that now, the Great Wasteland Magnates, the Cavern Heavens and Blessed Lands, the Forbidden Lands and Sacred Grounds, the Nine Heavens and the Nine Netherworlds were all vying for Original Sin, all wanting to become the True Lord of Original Sin and unlock the secrets of the Daoless Age.
One word.
Chaos.
Above and below, within and without Heaven and Earth, everything was in utter chaos.
Just as he was sighing with emotion, he suddenly heard someone call his name. Turning around, he saw it was none other than Lieyin Patriarch of the Purple Cloud Immortal Realm.
"Is there something else, Old Senior?"
"It's like this...
We have decided to follow your advice, Great Emperor, and wait here for them. We hope it truly is as you said, that all the Desolate Ancient ruins will merge together."
"I was merely speculating. Whether it will truly be so, I dare not guarantee one hundred percent. I hope you, Senior, will consider carefully before deciding."
"This old man believes in your judgment, Great Emperor."
Changfeng Great Emperor knew that Lieyin Patriarch's visit this time was definitely not just to say these words; he likely had something else on his mind.
Sure enough, not long after, Lieyin Patriarch wore a hesitant expression and said, "There is a matter this old man has pondered for a long time, hesitating whether or not to tell you."
"Oh?"
Changfeng Great Emperor asked, "What matter?"
"The matter is like this..." After much deliberation, Lieyin Patriarch ultimately recounted the incident of encountering Gu Qingfeng earlier within this Desolate Ancient ruin.
His words were no small matter, truly shocking Changfeng Great Emperor, Qianye Immortal King, and the others. Upon hearing this, Lian'er appeared very excited and asked, "Which You Emperor? Is it the legendary Nine Heavens Emperor who burned the Nine Heavens and slaughtered the Nine Netherworlds, Gu Tianlang?"
Lieyin Patriarch nodded, his voice grave. "Exactly!"
"Senior,"
Qianye Immortal King asked with some uncertainty, "Can you be sure it was truly the You Emperor?"
"This...
It should be him. In all the Myriad Heavens, aside from the You Emperor, there is probably no other mortal who could come to this Desolate Ancient ruin. Moreover...
He himself personally admitted he was the You Emperor."
After speaking of this matter, Lieyin Patriarch did not linger for long. He bid farewell and departed.
Within the area.
The expressions of Qianye Immortal King and the others were not good, each one more solemn than the last. After all, they all knew that Changfeng Great Emperor and the Nine Heavens Emperor had once been mortal enemies. As the saying goes, when enemies meet, their eyes blaze with fury. If they were to truly encounter the Nine Heavens Emperor within this Desolate Ancient ruin, that would be...
Truly terrible.
In contrast, when Changfeng Great Emperor himself heard that the You Emperor was also in this Desolate Ancient ruin, although he was greatly shocked, that was all. Beyond the shock, there was nothing else—no worry, no fear. Not only that, he even seemed to have a hint of happiness about him.
"Heh... I never expected...
Truly never expected...
To think the You Emperor has also come..." Qianye Immortal King said, utterly speechless, "And you can still laugh at a time like this."
"Why shouldn't I laugh? Since the end of the Ancient Era, I have never seen the You Emperor again. In the Present Era, hearing news that he was still alive, I always wanted to go see him. Unfortunately, Heaven did not grant my wish, and I never had the chance. To think he is also in this Desolate Ancient ruin... This is perfect. I can finally meet him."
"What? What?"
Qianye Immortal King wondered if she had misheard. She questioned, "You still want to go see him?"
"Of course. Since we've run into each other, how could there be a reason not to meet?"
"I say, Changfeng, after all this time, how can you still be so stubborn? Even if you don't consider yourself, you should consider the rest of us. Moreover, Lian'er is still so young..." "Wait."
Changfeng Great Emperor interrupted her, saying, "You think I'm going to see him to fight him?"
"What else could it be?
Haven't you often said you still want to battle the You Emperor for three hundred rounds?"
"Qianye, I've told you many times, there is no personal grudge between me and the You Emperor, not even a tiny bit. I might not call him a friend, but we are definitely not enemies, and there is certainly no hatred."
Yes.
Changfeng Great Emperor had said this many times, and Qianye Immortal King had heard it many times. Hearing it sometimes made her suspect whether her husband had a certain proclivity, otherwise why would he be so constantly preoccupied with the You Emperor?
This was no exaggeration at all.
Throughout the ten thousand years of the Present Era, she had heard Changfeng Great Emperor mention the You Emperor's name countless times. Almost every so often, especially when he wanted to find someone to fight but couldn't find a worthy opponent, Changfeng Great Emperor would always bring up the You Emperor's name.
Qianye Immortal King and Changfeng Great Emperor were fellow disciples. She also knew that Changfeng Great Emperor had been very fond of fighting in his youth, like a martial arts fanatic. He would feel uncomfortable all over if he didn't fight for a day, and even more uncomfortable if the fight wasn't satisfying.
Fortunately, in recent years, as Changfeng Great Emperor's state of mind changed, he was no longer as belligerent as before. However, he would occasionally still yearn for a truly exhilarating battle.
If it were between friends, a little sparring would be harmless, not a big deal, and no one would get hurt.
The key was that Changfeng Great Emperor himself said he and the You Emperor were not friends.
Not only were they not friends—others might not know, but as Changfeng Great Emperor's Immortal-Fated Dao Companion, Qianye Immortal King clearly knew that back then, the You Emperor had almost killed Changfeng Great Emperor. Yet Changfeng Great Emperor had not taken this matter to heart at all. Instead, he had said things like the You Emperor was a respectable opponent, and that if he weren't a Great Emperor of the Immortal Dao, he and the You Emperor might have become bosom friends who shared life and death.
This was something Qianye Immortal King simply could not understand. She always felt Changfeng Great Emperor must be missing a screw in his head.