Gu Qingfeng thought it over. Between him and Man Tu Fan, aside from inexplicably losing one of her Karmic Flowers, there didn't seem to be anything else. As for why Empress Longque said he owed Man Tu Fan more than just a Karmic Flower, Gu Qingfeng didn't know. He didn't press the issue further. Looking around and not seeing any sign of Man Tu Fan, he asked, "Where is Man Tu Fan?"
"I don't know."
"Wasn't she with you before?"
Empress Longque turned away, gazing at the chaotic vortex in the sky that resembled both a setting sun and a waning moon, and said something cryptic: "Do you know why she came to the Primordial Black Hole this time?"
"Why?"
"She came to find her true self."
Gu Qingfeng pondered this, murmuring, "Find her true self?"
"The Karmic Flower she painstakingly nurtured through countless reincarnations was refined by you. The only thing she can do now is to reclaim her true self..." Empress Longque drew a deep breath, closed her eyes as if sighing over something, and said, "It's fated... Everything is fated. It cannot be severed, cannot be avoided, cannot be shaken off..." Gu Qingfeng could tell Empress Longque's words carried deeper meaning, but he couldn't immediately grasp what she meant by 'reclaiming her true self'.
Could it be that Man Tu Fan, like Jun Xuanji, had also lost herself?
Had she come to this Primordial ruin to find herself?
Or was 'finding herself' about finding her past self?
Since Man Tu Fan had used countless reincarnations to nurture a Karmic Flower, that meant she had many, many past lives. If she was seeking a past life, which one was she looking for?
Another thing gave Gu Qingfeng a faintly ominous feeling.
Although Empress Longque said she didn't know when he asked about Man Tu Fan's whereabouts, Gu Qingfeng felt she definitely knew, and it was highly likely Man Tu Fan was right here inside Canyang Valley.
Which meant Man Tu Fan had come to Canyang Valley to find her true self?
What kind of existence would her 'true self' be?
Why did Empress Longque also say he owed Man Tu Fan more than just the Karmic Flower? Could it be related to the 'true self' Man Tu Fan was trying to reclaim?
"Something's wrong!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk seemed to have discovered something. Gu Qingfeng, lost in thought, snapped back to attention and also noticed the situation was amiss. The spiritual energy within Canyang Valley was changing. At the same time, the chaotic vortex in the sky that resembled both a setting sun and a waning moon was also gradually transforming.
Whoosh!
The chaotic vortex began to rotate like a giant wheel.
Immediately after, a terrifying demonic aura erupted, enveloping the entire Canyang Valley in an instant.
No!
This wasn't just a demonic aura; it was more like a Buddhist aura.
There was demon within the Buddha, and Buddha within the demon.
Whether it was demonic aura or Buddhist aura, no one could clearly distinguish.
Gu Qingfeng didn't know.
Even Da Xing the Mad Monk didn't know.
The only thing known was that this aura, both Buddha-like and demon-like, was devouring the entire ruin. And as the chaotic vortex in the sky spun faster and faster, this bizarre aura grew increasingly terrifying.
Even Gu Qingfeng felt extremely uncomfortable. This discomfort didn't come from any kind of pressure or might, but was a discomfort of the mind and spirit. It felt like suddenly plunging into the scorching, freezing depths of hell, yet also like being bathed in Buddha's light as if being liberated, while simultaneously being shrouded in demonic light as if being corroded.
Like endless demonic howls roaring in hell, like endless Buddhas chanting sutras in heaven.
Gu Qingfeng felt a sense of disarray, as if his mind was collapsing, or as if he was suffering a cultivation deviation.
He immediately expelled distracting thoughts and fortified his mind and spirit.
Beside him, Da Xing the Mad Monk also pressed his palms together, chanting scriptures, and even Empress Longque pressed her palms together at this moment, murmuring something under her breath.
Canyang Valley was a Primordial ruin, and it had only recently emerged. While not many people had entered, there were still quite a few. This bizarre Buddha-demon aura appeared too suddenly, so suddenly that no one was psychologically prepared. When this bizarre aura erupted, some people didn't even know what was happening and died on the spot.
Yes!
Died on the spot.
Their physical bodies were unharmed, but their souls had already turned to dust and vanished.
Their minds, their spirits, could not withstand the Buddha-demon aura, causing their souls to disperse.
Others, while not dead, had gone mad, their minds collapsed, losing their self-awareness as if suffering a cultivation deviation.
Among them were even veteran Profound Immortals who had reached profound mastery.
Even the Buddhist cultivators from the Western Paradise Pure Land Sect were not faring well.
Although they were either Golden-Body Arhats or eminent monks from the Western Paradise, they were all now sitting cross-legged, palms pressed together, silently chanting scriptures. Yet even so, their faces were pale, and their spirits teetered on the brink of collapse.
Fortunately, the leader of their group was the renowned Pure Robe Bodhisattva. He placed his hands before him, forming what seemed like a lotus seal. Using some unknown wondrous technique, he single-handedly protected everyone from the Pure Land Sect.
Boom!
In the sky.
The chaotic vortex no longer looked like a chaotic vortex. It resembled a setting sun, a waning moon, just like the Buddhist and demonic auras enveloping this place—impossible to distinguish clearly.
Gu Qingfeng kept staring at the endlessly changing sun and moon. The more he looked, the more bewildered he became; the more he looked, the stronger the feeling of déjà vu grew within him.
As he watched, he seemed to sink into it. Soon, it was as if he was lost in the chaos of shifting yin and yang.
Ethereal and elusive.
Like a dream, like an illusion.
It truly felt like dreaming, and in this dream, it was as if he had returned to his youth in the Ancient Era.
In his youth.
Because of his lowly status and weak cultivation, after winning Hongxiu's affection, he was expelled from Yunxia Sect. When leaving, he told Hongxiu to wait for him, that he would definitely achieve something in cultivation and return to become her Dao companion. Later, he devoted himself to cultivation and finally achieved some success. But when he returned to Yunxia Sect, Hongxiu was long gone.
From then on, Gu Qingfeng embarked on a path of no return—a path where he was either drinking or killing, until he had made enemies all across the Great Northwest.
A single encirclement left him severely injured, his cultivation dissipated like smoke.
Although he eventually escaped, he didn't know where he passed out.
When he woke again, he learned he had been saved by a woman.
That woman was none other than the direct disciple of the Great Northwest's Yao Yue Palace at that time, Feng Zhuyue.
She was also the later renowned Frontier Queen, and the second woman Gu Qingfeng encountered in his life.
To recuperate, he went incognito at Yao Yue Palace, serving as a disciple attendant by Feng Zhuyue's side for many years.
During his time at Yao Yue Palace, Gu Qingfeng was happy. It gradually helped him move past the pain of losing Hongxiu, and he also developed feelings for Feng Zhuyue.
Perhaps they were feelings.
Gu Qingfeng couldn't articulate that feeling back then, and he still couldn't now.
He only knew he owed Feng Zhuyue a great, great deal.
Back then, news of his presence at Yao Yue Palace somehow leaked. Many families and sects from the Great Northwest who held grudges against him learned of it and besieged Yao Yue Palace.
Yao Yue Palace would not offend the major powers of the Great Northwest for Gu Qingfeng's sake. They captured him, intending to hand him over. In the end, it was Feng Zhuyue who secretly helped him escape.
However.
Later, Gu Qingfeng still returned.
If he didn't return, Feng Zhuyue would die.
He already owed Feng Zhuyue too much. He didn't want to owe her a life. So, he returned.