"You! You! You!"
Demon Emperor Blood River's words truly infuriated Da Xing the Mad Monk, making his face flush crimson with rage, his beard bristling as he glared furiously at Demon Emperor Blood River, pointing a finger and stammering "you" for a long while without managing to say anything coherent.
The previously imposing monk suddenly deflated like a punctured ball, his vigor completely gone.
After calming down, Da Xing the Mad Monk couldn't help but laugh.
Though it was called laughter, it looked uglier than crying.
Because he suddenly realized he'd been so angry earlier that he'd lost his mind—how could he have run to Demon Emperor Blood River and said he was going to settle accounts with his woman, Cang Yan?
This was as foolish as telling Genggu Wuming to her face that he was going to defy heaven and change fate.
Who was Genggu Wuming? She was the embodiment of fate itself—would she allow you to defy heaven and change fate?
Who was Cang Yan? She was Demon Emperor Blood River's most beloved woman—would he allow you to settle accounts with Cang Yan?
The answer was definite.
Genggu Wuming would absolutely never let you defy heaven and change fate.
Demon Emperor Blood River would absolutely never allow you to settle accounts with Cang Yan.
Moreover, Demon Emperor Blood River had made his position perfectly clear.
He didn't care why Cang Yan wanted to harm you.
He didn't care why you wanted to settle accounts with Cang Yan.
Cang Yan's matters were his matters. If Cang Yan harmed you, it was as if he harmed you. If you wanted to settle accounts with Cang Yan, you had to settle accounts with him first.
This was Demon Emperor Blood River.
For Cang Yan, he could do anything.
Back then, for Cang Yan's sake, Xuehe had abandoned his sect, abandoned his cultivation, and even abandoned his celestial imperial mandate.
Let alone Da Xing the Mad Monk, who wasn't even a real friend to him.
Thinking of this, Da Xing the Mad Monk couldn't help but sigh deeply. This sigh expelled all the anger in his heart, all the resentment, and all the helplessness.
If earlier Da Xing the Mad Monk had been imposing and determined to settle accounts with Cang Yan, that thought had now completely vanished.
Settle accounts with Cang Yan?
Leaving aside whether he could even find her, what if he did?
Da Xing the Mad Monk had rarely suffered losses in his life, but with Cang Yan alone, he'd suffered several consecutive defeats—each more humiliating and frustrating than the last, the kind of silent grievances where you couldn't even find a place to argue your case.
There was no way around it.
Facing Cang Yan, Da Xing the Mad Monk could only endure humiliation after humiliation. He simply couldn't do anything to her. Whether it was scheming or direct combat, he was no match for Cang Yan.
Da Xing the Mad Monk could even imagine that if he really went to settle accounts with Cang Yan, it would likely be just like last time—not only failing to settle accounts or get revenge, but suffering another round of humiliating frustration.
Most importantly, to settle accounts with Cang Yan, he'd have to get past Xuehe first.
Now that he'd already declared he was going to settle accounts with Cang Yan, even if he gave up and decided not to, based on his understanding of Xuehe, Demon Emperor Blood River probably wouldn't let him leave even if he wanted to.
Damn it all!
This was truly humiliating!
What to do?
Nothing to do.
Da Xing the Mad Monk could only accept his fate.
The blame for slaughtering the Three Thousand Great Daos—he'd have to bear it whether he wanted to or not.
This was probably his destiny.
Sigh.
However, on the other hand.
This incident had made Da Xing the Mad Monk understand many things.
When he'd met Cang Yan earlier, she had warned him that by bringing Gu Qingfeng in, the blame for slaughtering the Three Thousand Great Daos would fall on him whether he wanted it or not.
At the time, Da Xing the Mad Monk hadn't fully understood and couldn't comprehend why Cang Yan was so certain he'd bear this blame. Now he roughly understood.
He'd been tricked.
Tricked again by that madwoman Cang Yan.
He felt Cang Yan had set a trap for him from the very beginning.
First came various scare tactics, warnings, and threats.
Saying things like it wasn't too late for him to leave the Desolate Ancient Black Hole now, but if he stubbornly remained, he'd definitely regret it, even threatening to forcibly send him into reincarnation.
In Da Xing the Mad Monk's view, Cang Yan's threat about sending him to reincarnation was fake—making him regret it was the real goal.
It was all a scheme!
Cang Yan must have anticipated he wouldn't leave the Desolate Ancient Black Hole, giving her reason and excuse to spread the news that he'd brought Gu Qingfeng inside.
If he went to argue with her now.
Cang Yan would definitely turn the tables, saying she'd already warned him to leave the Desolate Ancient Black Hole, and if he didn't, he'd have to bear the consequences—this blame would fall on him.
What the hell was this if not a scheme?
What was it if not a trap?
Another silent grievance, as humiliating and frustrating as could be.
Da Xing the Mad Monk knew that madwoman Cang Yan was cunning and skilled, so when meeting her, he'd repeatedly reminded himself to be careful and cautious, to never fall for Cang Yan's tricks or suffer silent grievances again.
And the result?
In the end, he'd still fallen for Cang Yan's trap.
Humiliating!
Truly humiliating.
Besides Cang Yan, there was another person who had warned Da Xing the Mad Monk that bringing Gu Qingfeng in might make him bear the blame for slaughtering the Three Thousand Great Daos.
That person was the Witch Empress.
Da Xing the Mad Monk had met the Witch Empress before seeing Cang Yan.
At the time, Da Xing the Mad Monk similarly couldn't understand how he could possibly bear the blame for slaughtering the Three Thousand Great Daos.
Looking at it now, the Witch Empress must have deduced that his act of bringing Gu Qingfeng in would become known to everyone.
Though the Witch Empress wasn't like Genggu Wuming—an embodiment of causality and messenger of fate—she had intricate connections with Genggu Wuming, causality, and even fate itself.
As for what those connections were, Da Xing the Mad Monk didn't know.
Moreover, he knew that according to legend, Genggu Wuming knew past and future, controlled fate and causality, could deduce the cosmos and primordial chaos, and comprehend the mysteries of heaven and earth...
Even if the Witch Empress couldn't know past and future or control fate and causality, she could absolutely deduce the cosmos and primordial chaos and comprehend the mysteries of heaven and earth.
Saying he didn't regret it would be a lie.
He regretted both bringing in a troublemaker like Gu Qingfeng and not heeding the Witch Empress's advice.
But now the wood was already carved into a boat—it was too late to say anything, and regret was useless.
"Did you come out just to find Cang Yan?"
Demon Emperor Blood River's voice came again. Da Xing the Mad Monk shook his head like a rattle drum, forcing a bitter smile. "Brother Xuehe, please don't misunderstand. This old monk was just joking with you earlier. I never intended to settle accounts with your woman."
"You didn't seem like you were joking earlier."
Da Xing the Mad Monk felt like crying but had no tears, knowing he couldn't hide the truth from Xuehe. With a mournful face, he said, "This old monk was just so angry earlier that I lost my mind and spoke nonsense. Don't take it seriously. I do have some issues with your woman, but finding her isn't about settling accounts—I just want to clarify some matters."
"Besides, with Brother Xuehe here, even if this old monk really wanted to settle accounts with Cang Yan—which I don't—I wouldn't have the courage, and even if I had the courage, I wouldn't have the strength. Isn't that right?"