Seeing no one respond, Da Xing the Mad Monk hurriedly explained, "Kid Gu, don't listen to their nonsense! This old monk has never once thought of setting you up!"
Gu Qingfeng looked at Da Xing the Mad Monk with a skeptical gaze. "Is that so?"
"What?! You actually suspect this old monk too?"
"Ha!"
Gu Qingfeng chuckled, patting Da Xing the Mad Monk on the shoulder to indicate he was just joking.
Indeed.
He was only joking.
As for the idea that Da Xing the Mad Monk had been following him around to create an opportunity for those people to eliminate him—Gu Qingfeng didn't believe that.
The reason was simple.
He felt it was completely unnecessary.
Whether in the Great Desolate Myriad Heavens and Worlds, or here in the Desolate Ancient Black Hole and the Nine Palaces, Gu Qingfeng had never hidden himself away. He had always swaggered about openly. Only occasionally, when he came across some commotion and didn't want to be disturbed, would he conceal himself for a bit.
Therefore, if anyone wanted to track Gu Qingfeng, there was no need for investigation; they just had to watch from the shadows.
Moreover, even if both he and Da Xing the Mad Monk were hiding within the Void, it would be extremely difficult for the other side to locate him through Da Xing.
In the Great Desolate, trying to find someone by searching for their spiritual aura with divine sense was already like looking for a needle in a haystack. Let alone here in the ever-changing Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces. Using divine sense to search and probe here not only consumed a tremendous amount of one's own mental energy, but if one wasn't careful, they could easily become lost within the Void of the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces.
Think about it.
If the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces were truly that easy to probe, the identities of the Original Sin Ancestors and Great Dao Ancestors hiding in the Void would have long been no secret. Precisely because they all knew how difficult it was to probe the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces, they hid within the Void.
Furthermore, if the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces were truly that easy to probe, Xuan Yuan Hao earlier wouldn't have needed to rely on the Cosmic Mirror in Xuan Yuan Tong's hands to locate Old Ancestor Green Robe before he could eliminate him with a single arrow.
Earlier, when Empress Wuyue provoked Xuan Yuan Hao into a rage, losing his rationality, if he could have used divine sense to locate Empress Wuyue, Xuan Yuan Hao certainly wouldn't have shot randomly.
Empress Wuyue had been here insulting Xuantian and mocking the Sacred Ground. If they could have used divine sense to locate Empress Wuyue, they probably would have already taken action against her.
By the same logic.
Since both the Great Dao and Original Sin factions wanted to eliminate Gu Qingfeng, if they could have located him through Da Xing the Mad Monk, they would have acted long ago. They wouldn't have let Xuan Yuan Hao provoke him again and again.
After careful consideration, Gu Qingfeng felt that the reason Empress Wuyue was able to find him within the ever-changing Void of the Li Palace was most likely related to karma.
After all, Empress Wuyue had previously laid a karmic trap on him, and a karmic connection existed between the two.
As for how Empress Wuyue managed to find him through karma, that was unknown.
Since Empress Wuyue didn't want to say, he didn't press the matter further.
At that moment.
Empress Wuyue's voice came through.
"This Empress has satisfied your wish and brought You Di before you. Shouldn't you all take action now?"
The Void of the Li Palace was boundless, ever-changing, mysterious and vast. The Original Sin filling the sky surged like chaotic currents within the Desolate Ancient Black Hole.
Gu Qingfeng stood in the Void.
His white robes were purer than snow, his long black hair like ink.
He simply stood there, a jar of fine wine in one hand. His expression held no fear, no terror, not even a trace of worry. There was only a sense of speechlessness, a feeling of helplessness.
In contrast, Da Xing the Mad Monk beside him seemed more like the one being surrounded, his face solemn, eyes wide with anger, scanning all directions, his divine sense sweeping back and forth through the Void.
Time passed bit by bit. Though the Void was turbulent with wind and clouds, no one made a move.
"Elders of Xuantian! Weren't you just brimming with confidence, determined to eliminate You Di? Now that You Di has appeared, why do you not act?"
"Didn't you say that if You Di showed himself, you would make sure he died without a burial place? You Di is right here now. How will you make him die without a burial place?"
"Answer this Empress! Why do you not act?"
Empress Wuyue's voice grew increasingly intense, increasingly sharp, her powerful aura and sonic might continuously reverberating through the Void.
"Heh heh heh..." Empress Wuyue's laughter came through. Everyone could tell that this laughter was filled with disdain for the Xuantian Immortal Dao.
"Before You Di, you don't even have the courage to act, yet you dare to keep saying you'll make him die without a burial place? What a colossal joke! As fellow practitioners of the Immortal Dao, this Empress blushes for you!"
"If you lack that courage, then don't spout such arrogant words. If you lack that capability, then stay put quietly!"
She paused.
Empress Wuyue's voice came again: "The Immortal Dao doesn't dare. Could it be that the Sacred Ground doesn't dare to act either?"
"You had a Sacred Son swaggering about here, wasn't it just to force You Di out? He has come out now. Why do you not dare to act?"
"You painstakingly laid a trap within a trap in Green Robe's scheme, wasn't it precisely to eliminate You Di? Why do you not dare to act?"
After questioning the Xuantian Immortal Dao, Empress Wuyue turned her spear toward the Sacred Ground. Yet, the Sacred Ground, just like the Xuantian Immortal Dao, did not dare to act. Not to mention acting, they didn't even dare to make a sound.
"Is this the so-called Xuantian Immortal Dao?"
"Is this the so-called Sacred Ground Sage Dao?"
"Before You Di appeared, each of you was more arrogant and presumptuous than the last, either swaggering about or declaring you would make You Di die without a burial place. Why is it that after You Di has appeared, you've all turned into turtles withdrawing into their shells? Not even daring to let out a fart?"
Within the scene.
Da Xing the Mad Monk cautiously transmitted a secret message: "I say, Kid Gu, this old monk thinks the best plan among the thirty-six stratagems is still to flee. Looking at this situation, Empress Wuyue won't let up. If she keeps provoking like this, the Great Dao side will eventually be goaded into acting against you. That woman's tongue is truly venomous. Those old fellows from Xuantian and the Sacred Ground are all concerned with face. They can't withstand her provocation like this."
"What's destined to come will come sooner or later. What's the use of running?"
Gu Qingfeng, however, looked completely indifferent. "Besides, since Tang Hengxi managed to find me this time, she definitely can next time as well."
Gu Qingfeng had never had the habit of running away, not since he was young. Moreover, he couldn't be bothered to run. You can run, but the temple remains. He understood better than anyone that an existence like his could not avoid such situations. Sooner or later, he would have to face them.
"Then what should we do? Should we just wait here for them to make a move against you?"
"What else?"
Gu Qingfeng shrugged, then added, "Besides, after watching the show for so long, I feel like taking this opportunity to stretch my limbs a bit."
Da Xing the Mad Monk felt a chill run down his spine. "From the sound of it, you're actually planning to go all out?"
"Idle time is idle time anyway. Might as well find some amusement."
"What, if they don't make a move, are you planning to fight them to the death?"
"I'm not so bored that my balls ache."