"Hey there, big sis, long time no see. Hope you've been well."
Gu Qingfeng thought to himself that, at the very least, he and Man Tu Fan were acquainted. If they hadn't run into each other, that would be one thing, but since they had, he might as well go over and say hello.
Unfortunately, this was just his own wishful thinking. Man Tu Fan paid him no mind, merely staring at him intently. If looks could kill, Gu Qingfeng would have been torn to shreds long ago.
"What's the matter? Still mad about what happened last time?"
Gu Qingfeng walked over cheerfully, as if he were flirting with an old flame.
Not far away,
watching this scene, the Black Pig Monster King felt nothing but utter contempt for Gu Qingfeng.
He had once roamed the Nine Nethers with Gu Qingfeng and was well aware of his old, bad habit. No matter the situation, whether there was trouble or not, or how dangerous the circumstances were, whenever Gu Qingfeng spotted a beauty—even one who clearly looked like trouble, even one who might want to kill him—this guy would still go up and tease her. Back in the day, the Lady of the Netherworld had been seduced by Gu Qingfeng even as they were fighting.
He had thought that after all these years, Gu Qingfeng might have kicked this bad habit, or at least toned it down a bit. But seeing Gu Qingfeng shamelessly go over to greet her now, the Black Pig Monster King realized he had hoped for too much. This fellow hadn't changed at all. Not only had he not changed, he seemed even more brazen than he had been in ancient times.
This was the goddamn perilous Desolate Ancient Era ruins!
And with this sky full of Blood Mist and the eerie Bloody Spring Eye, even a fool could tell this place was no ordinary spot.
Even so, this guy still went over to chat her up.
Actually,
the Black Pig Monster King had misunderstood Gu Qingfeng.
Yes,
he had loved teasing girls and flirting with women since he was a kid. It was his only hobby. Not only was it something he couldn't change, but even if he could, Gu Qingfeng had no intention of changing.
Of course,
this time he wasn't going over to tease Man Tu Fan, but to sincerely greet her.
Toward Man Tu Fan,
Gu Qingfeng felt somewhat apologetic.
After encountering Man Tu Fan in the illusion of the Daoless Age last time, he had learned that the Conjoined Flower he had snatched from her back then was actually a Karma Flower—one that Man Tu Fan had spent who knows how many reincarnations and lifetimes nurturing.
Man Tu Fan's purpose in nurturing the Karma Flower was simple: to change her own fate and sever her own Karma.
Legend had it that if one could nurture a Karma Flower, one could sever Karma and thereby alter destiny.
But legends were just legends.
Whether it was true or not, Gu Qingfeng didn't know.
That wasn't the important part. What mattered was that he had inadvertently refined the Karma Flower that Man Tu Fan had painstakingly nurtured. Not only had the Karma Flower, born from countless cycles of reincarnation, vanished, but Man Tu Fan might now be bound to Gu Qingfeng by Karma.
Putting himself in her shoes, if Gu Qingfeng had painstakingly nurtured a Karma Flower only for someone to inexplicably refine it, he wouldn't just be angry. He might fly into a rage, go berserk, and destroy heaven and earth.
So, he could understand Man Tu Fan's feelings very well, and that was precisely why he felt deeply sorry.
"What happened last time was truly my fault. If possible..." Gu Qingfeng was about to apologize, but before he could finish, Man Tu Fan snapped coldly, "Stay away from me!"
Hearing this,
Gu Qingfeng shook his head with a bitter smile but didn't press further, turning around to leave.
"Since it's already happened, and so much time has passed, why let it continue to trouble you?"
Beside her, the Monster-Demon Woman remained standing calmly with her arms crossed. Watching Gu Qingfeng turn to leave, she sent a secret voice transmission: "I can tell he genuinely wants to apologize to you."
Man Tu Fan replied, "I don't need an apology, especially not from him."
The Monster-Demon Woman's face maintained its sinisterly charming smile from start to finish. "You should accept his apology."
"Why?"
"If you don't accept it this time, I'm afraid you won't get another chance..." Hearing this, Man Tu Fan's heart stirred slightly. "You mean he..." "If he hadn't appeared, that would be one thing. But since he's here in the Desolate Ancient Era ruins..." The Monster-Demon Woman shook her head. "I'm afraid he's come only to meet his end, with nine deaths for every slim chance of life."
"When the Desolate Ancient appears, Original Sin is sure to change!"
The Monster-Demon Woman continued, "The great powers of the Vast Wild can deduce this, the blessed realms can deduce it, the Nine Heavens and Nine Nethers, the holy lands and forbidden lands, all existences in the Abyss and the Desolate Ruins—they can all deduce it. And they have been preparing for this, waiting for this day to come."
"Back in the Lingluo Heaven Domain, those existences above and below didn't make a move because the timing wasn't right. But now that the Primordial Black Hole has appeared, it means the time has come...
This is also the only opportunity to change the Original Sin True Lord. Even if the True Lord of Original Sin cannot be born this time, a true Child of Original Sin will surely emerge."
Man Tu Fan's expression grew heavy. "You said before that he might not be the true Child of Original Sin, nor the True Lord chosen by Original Sin."
"Whether he is the Child of Original Sin is no longer important. Whether he is the True Lord chosen by Original Sin is also unimportant. What matters is that he once ignited the Original Sin Karmic Flames on Mount Daoless and awakened Original Sin. What matters is that all existences above and below suspect he is the Child of Original Sin, the True Lord chosen by Original Sin."
"So..." Man Tu Fan said, "No matter what, they won't let him leave alive, right?"
The Monster-Demon Woman nodded.
"You too?"
Man Tu Fan's questioning voice came through. The Monster-Demon Woman glanced at her, the smile on her lips growing even more sinister as she nodded again, then immediately shook her head.
"What does that mean?"
"I haven't decided yet. I'll see when the time comes."
"Are there many existences like you who haven't decided yet?"
"Not many, but definitely not few either."
"What's making you hesitate?"
"Too many things, far too many to explain in a sentence or two. This guy's existence is complicated...
Complicated enough to implicate many, many existences. Exactly how many, no one knows. And..." As she spoke, her tone turned helpless. "And if I'm not mistaken, by now quite a few existences have placed heavy bets on this guy. Some have even staked everything."
"Placing bets on him?"
Man Tu Fan asked in surprise, "Betting on what?"
"That's the key question. Who has placed bets on him, and what exactly are they betting on? Who knows?"
The Monster-Demon Woman let out a slight sigh. "No one knows..."