Su Hua left.
She left, carrying with her a multitude of doubts, suspicions, and resentment.
Since she left, Ouyang Feiyue, Ouyang Ye, Master Wenzhu, and Little Jin'er all followed suit and departed. After all, they had come to Yunxia Sect because of Su Hua. With Su Hua gone, there was no reason for them to stay any longer.
Inside the Spirit Seclusion Garden.
Gu Qingfeng lay reclined on a chair, resting with his eyes closed.
Only after watching Su Hua walk far into the distance did Huode finally speak up and ask, "Kid Gu, did you... do that to Fairy Su Hua's Divine Sense?"
"Do what?"
"That... you know what I mean."
"Get lost."
"If you didn't pull that kind of stunt, how could Fairy Su Hua have been burning with... lust? You must have violated her Divine Sense within your Heart-Mind."
"I say, Huode, do you really think so little of me? A lousy Divine Sense? Would I even bother violating that? If I were to violate anything, it'd be her person. What's the point of violating a Divine Sense?"
"If you didn't violate her Divine Sense, then how did Fairy Su Hua end up like that?"
"Originally, I was planning to obliterate her Divine Sense and scatter her Heart-Mind..." Before Gu Qingfeng could finish, Huode exclaimed, "I say, kid, you're too ruthless! Fairy Su Hua didn't do anything to you, was that really necessary? Besides, she once saved this old man's life..." "Precisely because she saved your life, I didn't go that far. I just used a bit of Harmonious Bliss to give her a small lesson, to make her remember not to recklessly probe others in the future."
"Fairy Su Hua is, after all, a young lady. What you did wasn't quite proper. I say, kid Gu, when did you become so shameless?"
"I've never had much fondness for people like her. Today, I only gave her a minor punishment out of respect for you. Otherwise, I would have crippled her first."
"I just don't get it. How exactly did Fairy Su Hua offend you? Even if she was once an Immortal from the Nine Heavens, you didn't need to go that far."
"She's not just some Immortal from the Nine Heavens. It's more complicated than that."
"What do you mean?"
"Ah, Huode, there are some matters you haven't been exposed to. It's hard to explain." Gu Qingfeng seemed somewhat tired, yawning repeatedly. "Her existence is complex. It might involve several Great Daos behind her—there's the Immortal Dao, the Buddhist Dao, and possibly some other ancient Great Daos. It might even be more complicated than that. People like her, I've always kept my distance from."
"Well, I'll be!" Huode sneered. "Is there anyone in this world you, kid, can't afford to mess with?"
"It's not that I can't afford to, it's just too troublesome."
"Troublesome? How troublesome?"
"Let me put it this way. If I killed her right now, heavenly judgments would immediately descend from the skies—and not just one, at least three different kinds. On top of that, all sorts of terrifying obliteration methods would pierce through the world's barriers and come straight for me."
Huode's heart jumped with fright. He clicked his tongue in secret awe, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitching uncontrollably. "Is it really that exaggerated?"
"Not exaggerated in the least."
By evening, as night fell, Gu Qingfeng opened his eyes and gazed at the dim sky. "There are Three Thousand Great Daos, and the laws are endless. Since ancient times, the Three Thousand Great Daos have been locked in open and covert struggles. After the Great Calamity, the Primal Origins were reborn, and so were the Three Thousand Great Daos. Various Great Daos had already begun making preparations and arrangements before the calamity, selecting those destined to face the tribulation. After the calamity, these people would emerge according to fate. All the heavenly blessings and edicts stem from this."
"Are you saying Fairy Su Hua is one of those destined to face the tribulation?"
"She's not. Her identity is even more complex than that. As for how complex, don't ask me, I don't know either. However... the Buddhist aura on her is quite peculiar."
"How so?"
"The Buddhist Dao, they like to engage in acts of relieving suffering and saving all living beings."
Hearing this, Huode's heart skipped a beat. "Kid, you're not saying this world is headed for disaster, are you?"
"That's hard to say. After all, the Primal Origins of heaven and earth are being reborn, the Three Thousand Great Daos are evolving, and all manner of laws are unstable. The Heavenly Mandate hasn't appeared yet. Once it does, absolute chaos will ensue. Then, winds will rise and clouds will surge. All sorts of edict-bearers, all kinds of fortunes, plus a whole bunch of reincarnated individuals, and countless geniuses will come out to compete. By then, not just this world, but the entire cosmos, billions of worlds, will be thrown into utter chaos."
"The end of one era and the beginning of a new one inevitably involves a baptism. This has been true throughout history."
"Then... what do we do?"
"What do we do?" Gu Qingfeng opened his eyes and glanced at him, smiling. "You should go ask Su Hua that question. Her existence is probably meant to deal with such matters."
Huode opened his mouth, then closed it, unsure what to say. Although he was aware of these concepts Gu Qingfeng mentioned—Great Daos, laws—he only knew them in name. What they actually entailed, he was completely clueless about.
"Don't worry. None of the Three Thousand Great Daos are pushovers. They all understand the importance of the world, and even more so, the importance of people. Without the world, without people, they're nothing. Haven't you heard the saying? Old Heaven has its own arrangements. They've long been preparing for the tribulation."
Standing up, Gu Qingfeng stretched lazily. "The sky won't collapse. And even if it does, there are taller people to hold it up. So, just rest easy. Nothing major will happen."
"This old man isn't afraid! I've got a worthless life, what's there to fear?" Huode scratched his head, then asked again, "But, kid Gu, does any of this have anything to do with you?"
"I'm a sinner. What could it possibly have to do with me?"
"Then... you're not planning to snatch any Heavenly Mandate, are you?"
"That worthless thing? Even if someone threw it right in front of me, I wouldn't give it a second glance. However..." Gu Qingfeng's tone shifted as he scratched his forehead. "However, I can't stop someone from really trying to shove it into my hands..."
"Damn, kid, aren't you getting a bit too cocky? Who would be that stupid? To shove the Heavenly Mandate into your hands? Besides, you've already been judged by Old Heaven, haven't you? Your sin isn't small, is it? That's a heavenly sin! Shoving it to you would be like opposing Old Heaven itself. Who would dare oppose Old Heaven?"
"Don't say that. That bastard Old Heaven has more enemies than you can count. He's always boasted about being the overlord of the Great Daos. The other Great Daos definitely aren't happy about that. They've waited all these years, finally getting the chance with the Primal Origins of heaven and earth being reborn. With such a good opportunity, who wouldn't want to stab Old Heaven in the back? If someone manages to stab through, they'd become the Great Dao overlord of this era."
"That makes sense too." Huode asked, "Kid Gu, I remember you saying you've already been targeted by someone, and they tried to shove something into your hands. Really?"
Gu Qingfeng nodded.
"Then what are you planning to do?"
"What to do? Play it by ear. Watch and see. I've decided to wash my hands of it all, I don't want to stir up any more trouble. But if someone insists on pushing me onto a pirate ship, then I'll just have to capsize the damn boat. Whoever pushes me, I'll capsize their boat. If they really piss me off, I'll shove them overboard and become the captain myself!"