"Of course, the most important thing is that he disdains it, and can't be bothered to put on an act. His life has already been illusory enough; to perform another illusory play on top of an already illusory life would be truly ironic."
"The reason you all believe he has accepted his fate is because he truly has accepted it, and truly wishes to end all of this. At least, that was the case before now."
"Great Nether Emperor Gu, I wonder... is what this palace says correct?"
Responding to these words, a woman appeared.
Her appearance was like standing amidst clouds and mist, giving an ethereal, intangible feeling. The spiritual aura emanating from her was exceptionally powerful, her imposing presence astonishing, akin to the personal arrival of an empress, exerting an extremely strong sense of oppression.
Moreover, all the Original Sin Patriarchs present could see and clearly sense that this woman was one who had received the Heavenly Mandate—specifically, the Heavenly Mandate of Imperial Authority. This meant she was a Great Dao Empress, one who had received the Heavenly Mandate of the Immortal Dao.
As is well known,
After the Desolate Era, those who received the Heavenly Mandate of Great Dao Imperial Authority were few, and those who received the Heavenly Mandate of Immortal Dao Imperial Authority could be counted on one hand.
There were three known Heavenly Mandate Immortal Emperors: the Great Sun Radiance Emperor was one, the Lord of Langya, Cang Yan, also counted as one, and besides them, there was one more: Empress Wuyue.
Many recognized the Great Sun Radiance Emperor, and it could be confirmed that the woman who appeared was not her.
Cang Yan's existence was not only that of a Heavenly Mandate Immortal Emperor but also a Heavenly Mandate Demon Emperor; it could also be confirmed that the woman was not Cang Yan.
After excluding these two, it could be affirmed that this woman was none other than Empress Wuyue, Tang Hengxi, known as the Misty Luo Empress.
Regarding Empress Wuyue, in the impressions of many, they only knew she had ascended to Heavenly Mandate Immortal Empress in the Primordial Era. As for other details, very little was known. Moreover, after ascending to Heavenly Mandate Immortal Empress, Empress Wuyue disappeared without a trace. It was only later that news emerged that Empress Wuyue had long since reincarnated to become a generation of empress in the secular world's Misty Luo Kingdom.
Throughout ancient and present times, nine out of ten who ascended to the Great Dao Heavenly Mandate did so by scheming with karma to seize the mandate.
Black Mountain Old Monster was one, Liao'e the Ancient Freak, Green Lamp Ghost Emperor, including Cang Yan, the Great Sun Radiance Emperor, and so on—all were. Empress Wuyue was absolutely no exception.
The only difference was:
These Great Dao Overlords like Black Mountain Old Monster schemed with karma to seize the Heavenly Mandate in order to plot for the True Lord of Original Sin, while the Great Sun Radiance Emperor and others schemed with karma to seize the Heavenly Mandate for precisely the opposite reason: to slaughter the True Lord of Original Sin and protect the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
Even,
In a certain sense, when it came to the skill of deduction and the methods of scheming, Empress Wuyue likely surpassed Great Dao Overlords like Black Mountain Old Monster.
Because Empress Wuyue not only schemed with karma to seize the Heavenly Mandate but also schemed to graft karma onto Gu Qingfeng.
This meant Empress Wuyue had deduced long, long ago that Gu Qingfeng might be the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate.
It must be said, such skill in deduction was something even master schemers like Black Mountain Old Monster and Green Robe Ancestor could not hope to match.
One must know that Gu Qingfeng's existence was hailed as the greatest variable of Original Sin, indicating he was born from a series of erroneous karmic links. To deduce in reverse relying on erroneous karma—Black Mountain Old Monster could not do it, nor could Green Robe Ancestor.
Only by deducing in advance that Gu Qingfeng would be born could one graft karma onto him.
Only by arranging karma in advance could one form a karmic link with Gu Qingfeng after his birth.
Empress Wuyue could both arrange karma to seize the Heavenly Mandate and arrange karma in advance to graft onto Gu Qingfeng. With this alone, it was enough to prove her existence was absolutely beyond imagination.
"So it's you. I was wondering who it might be."
Gu Qingfeng looked at the abruptly appearing Tang Hengxi, shook his head slightly with a faint smile, and asked, "Was it you who told him?"
"What if it was me? What if it wasn't?"
Gu Qingfeng shrugged, casually responding, "It doesn't matter. Just asking casually, that's all."
Gu Qingfeng pondered that this matter was likely secretly revealed to Ancestor Xuanming by Tang Hengxi. Earlier, in the Li Palace Void, Tang Hengxi not only managed to drag him out from the void but also accurately locate him. Gu Qingfeng suspected it might be due to some karmic connection between himself and Tang Hengxi. If that were truly the case, then it would be no surprise if Tang Hengxi deduced his attitude through so-called karma.
There was just one point he couldn't figure out: earlier, Tang Hengxi dragged him out from the void, and now she deliberately leaked the news that he hadn't accepted his fate. What exactly was her intention?
Just as he was puzzling over this, Tang Hengxi first glanced at the several Great Dao Overlords like Black Mountain Old Monster, then looked up at the myriad Creation Treasure Artifacts filling the sky, and said, "While the Li Palace Primordial Source has yet to emerge, this palace advises you all to make preparations as early as possible. I believe I need not say more; you should all understand that a Nether Emperor who has accepted his fate and a Nether Emperor who has not are two completely different concepts."
"Against a Nether Emperor who has accepted his fate, you all still have no confidence in utterly erasing him, let alone against a Nether Emperor who has not."
Empress Wuyue did not continue to pay attention to Gu Qingfeng but instead walked toward the endlessly changing Li Palace Vortex, speaking in a very strange tone: "Moreover, this palace can also tell you all that his fighting spirit has returned, his physical body has also revived, and his true self has already awakened."
Whoosh!
One mountain higher than the last.
Words that shock to the core.
Empress Wuyue's words once again caused a huge uproar.
Fighting spirit was a kind of belief. As long as fighting spirit remained unextinguished, belief would not crumble. As long as belief did not crumble, then one's spirit would not collapse. If the spirit did not collapse, then the soul would be as solid as a rock. With a soul as solid as a rock, that was equivalent to the legendary state of deathlessness and indestructibility.
All the Original Sin Patriarchs present knew that so-called deathlessness and indestructibility were not truly about the physical body being undying or the soul being indestructible, but rather about belief being undying and spirit being indestructible.
If a Gu Qingfeng who had not accepted his fate was difficult to erase, then a Gu Qingfeng whose fighting spirit had returned would likely be even harder to erase.
Even more terrifying was that Gu Qingfeng's physical body had also revived.
Throughout ancient and present times, among all those who secretly observed Gu Qingfeng, no one knew to what extent his physical body was truly powerful.
The only thing known was that after repeated probing and repeated sieges, no one had ever managed to shake Gu Qingfeng's physical body.
Yes.
To this day, no one had.
Previously, some speculated that Gu Qingfeng's physical body was likely the legendary Immortal Body.
The Immortal Body was both a legend and a taboo, accompanied also by a myth.
Because legend said the Immortal Body was an eternal existence.
If Gu Qingfeng's physical body truly was the legendary Immortal Body, if it had not awakened, it wouldn't have much impact. But once awakened, the so-called immortality would truly become the eternal existence of legend and taboo.
The return of fighting spirit meant Gu Qingfeng's spirit was indestructible.
If his physical body revived as well, it meant Gu Qingfeng's physical body was immortal.
Wasn't this the legendary form immortal, spirit indestructible?
Wasn't this the legendary mythical eternity?