"If this old monk's guess is correct, Yun Nishang must have deduced the karma between you and her long ago. That's why she began her preparations three thousand years ago. As for the Bing Xuan Heart and the Yanyang Heart, this old monk does not know what they truly are, nor do I know by what means Yun Nishang grafted the karma between you and her onto them."
The Old Monk's voice was forever ethereal, as if from ancient times, yet also carrying a crushing weight that seemed to make one experience countless ages.
"How can you be sure she grafted the karma between me and her onto the Yanyang Heart and the Bing Xuan Heart?"
The Old Monk's voice drifted slowly, continuing.
"If it is truly as Venerable Gu said, that Yun Nishang founded the Bing Xuan Sect, then the Bing Xuan Heart must be her first branch of karma. Venerable Gu later entered the Yunxia Sect and, by chance, fused with the Yanyang Heart, making it your first branch of karma. In this old monk's view, this is the karma Yun Nishang used the Yanyang Heart and Bing Xuan Heart to mend."
Gu Qingfeng seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to. He asked, "You mean, all of this was a scheme Yun Nishang laid out from the very beginning? My fusion with the Yanyang Heart as well? Could she really have deduced something like that?"
"Perhaps yes, perhaps not. This old monk does not know."
Changing the subject, the Old Monk said, "However, that is no longer important. What matters is that the Yanyang Heart has become a branch of karma for Venerable Gu, while the Bing Xuan Heart is a branch of karma for Yun Nishang. Karma inherently exists between the two. As this old monk said earlier, the karma between you and Yun Nishang is precisely the Bing Xuan Heart and the Yanyang Heart."
Having said that, the Old Monk sighed and said,
"Yun Nishang likely intended from the very start to transform the karma between you and her into the Bing Xuan Heart and the Yanyang Heart, and then graft that karma onto other people. Otherwise, she wouldn't have undergone bloodline reincarnation time and again... The Bing Xuan Sect is part of it, the Yanyang Sect is part of it, everything was probably to graft your karma..."
Listening carefully, Gu Qingfeng's originally chaotic thoughts gradually became clearer. After hearing the Old Monk's speculation, he sorted through it all again.
He pondered: that woman Yun Nishang deduced she had karma with him.
Therefore, three thousand years ago, she began laying her schemes. The Bing Xuan Sect and the Yanyang Sect were both part of her plan, aiming to transform the karma between him and her into the Bing Xuan Heart and the Yanyang Heart.
Then, through bloodline reincarnation, she gradually detached herself from the Bing Xuan Heart, ridding herself of the so-called karma.
Thus, in the future, whoever inherits the Bing Xuan Heart in the Bing Xuan Sect would simultaneously inherit this branch of karma?
Suddenly.
Gu Qingfeng remembered what Huo De had said. Huo De said the founding ancestors of both the Bing Xuan Sect and the Yanyang Sect had left behind testaments: the sect masters of both sects must fuse with the Yanyang Heart and the Bing Xuan Heart and then undergo dual cultivation.
Thinking of this, Gu Qingfeng was beginning to understand.
It might truly be as the Old Monk speculated. Yun Nishang had been grafting karma from the very beginning. She transformed her own karma into the Bing Xuan Heart. In the future, whoever in the Bing Xuan Sect fused with the Bing Xuan Heart would inherit this karma.
Wasn't this just too damn complicated?
It's just karma, right?
Was it worth all this trouble?
Grafting, bloodline reincarnation, and in the end, even sealing herself away?
Why!
Was karma really that terrifying?
When Gu Qingfeng asked, the Old Monk sighed once more. "It seems Yun Nishang must have deduced that there is terrifying karma between you and her, forcing her to resort to such extreme measures."
Gu Qingfeng truly couldn't imagine what kind of karma could drive Yun Nishang to such a state. He then asked, "Can karma really be grafted like that? Now that Leng Yanqiu has fused with the Bing Xuan Heart, does that mean the karma between me and Yun Nishang has become karma between me and Leng Yanqiu?"
"When a person is trapped in a sea of suffering, seeking liberation, they will try even the most impossible methods. However...
Sigh...
I'm afraid even Yun Nishang had no confidence. Otherwise, why would she seal her own soul when she was clearly on the verge of awakening?"
The Old Monk advised, "Venerable Gu, Yun Nishang has already reached this state. Must you remain stubborn and continue seeking this karma?"
"I don't even know what the hell karma is yet!"
Gu Qingfeng's mood was also quite complex at the moment.
Indeed.
He had only wanted to investigate his own karma. Before he could even find it, he learned that a woman, to escape karma with him, had spent three thousand years laying schemes—mending karma, severing karma, and now playing at grafting karma. Perhaps lacking confidence in the grafting, or for some other reason, she ended up sealing herself away.
This left a very unpleasant taste in Gu Qingfeng's heart. Nothing had even happened yet; he had no idea what was going on, and yet the other party was willing to incur a lifetime of sin just to sever karma with him.
The feeling was like a woman who, by some unknown means, learned she had a connection with him. Then that woman went to all lengths to sever that connection, even offending everyone, using every method possible. Failing to sever it, she passed it on to someone else, and still fearing it might not be severed, finally decided to just kill herself.
Yes.
That was exactly the feeling.
Gu Qingfeng was baffled. Was he some kind of plague god or something?
Was having karma with him really that unbearable?
So unbearable that she would offend the heavens themselves and ultimately seal herself away?
Damn it!
Gu Qingfeng felt like cursing.
...
That night.
The Bing Xuan territory was ablaze with lights, appearing exceptionally lively.
Although the grand ceremony held by the Bing Xuan Sect during the day had concluded, many had not left. Instead, they went to the Bing Xuan Sect to offer congratulations. Now that Leng Yanqiu had fused with the Bing Xuan Heart, a single thought from her could move nature itself, causing snow to fall from the sky. This not only delighted everyone in the Bing Xuan Sect but also brought joy to the surrounding territories and other sects.
After all, the hundred-year period was approaching. They had long hoped for a sect to stand up and contend with the Nine-Hua Alliance.
In the minds of many, the Bing Xuan Sect of today absolutely had the qualifications and ability to rival the Nine-Hua Alliance.
At this very moment, in an underground stone chamber within the Bing Xuan Sect.
Wei Qing, Liu Piaopiao, Wan Wei, and others stood there. They were all the Seven-Color Envoys of Yun Nishang. Their purpose in coming was simple: to question Zhu Xia about what exactly was going on.
Previously, they had suspected Zhu Xia wanted to use Leng Yanqiu and the Bing Xuan Heart in an attempt to replace the Empress.
But now, Leng Yanqiu had only fused with the Bing Xuan Heart and had not fused with the Empress's seven soul fragments at all.
Where the Empress's seven soul fragments had gone was the answer Wei Qing and the others most wanted to know.
However, when they questioned her, Zhu Xia did not respond directly. Instead, she said solemnly,
"This old woman has said from the very beginning that I, Zhu Xia, would absolutely never do anything to betray the Empress. I have also told you more than once that everything I do is according to the Empress's will."
Zhu Xia appeared rather agitated. Sitting upright in her chair, her breathing was also heavy. "Over these years, this old woman has hidden within the Bing Xuan Sect, waiting for a successor capable of fusing with the Bing Xuan Heart. This was the Empress's wish. Now, we have finally waited. Although that girl Yanqiu is proud and arrogant, she ultimately succeeded in fusing with the Bing Xuan Heart."
Zhu Xia closed her eyes to calm her heart. After a moment, she said, "With Yanqiu fused with the Bing Xuan Heart, this old woman can now take her to the Yunxia Sect to fulfill the agreement, to form a dual cultivation partnership with that person from the Yunxia Sect...
This is the Empress's wish. This is the only way the Empress can find liberation..."