"Oh, still don't want it?"
Gu Qingfeng caught the Taiji Golden Core that Su Hua had pushed back, smiling as he said, "Seeing you staring at me, I thought you were interested in the Taiji Golden Core."
Su Hua could never have imagined that Gu Qingfeng would actually give away the Taiji Golden Core, let alone that it would end up in her hands. It scared her so much that not only did her spirit collapse, but her very mind trembled uncontrollably. It wasn't that her endurance was weak; it was simply that this scene was too horrifying, too insane.
"I'll ask one more time, does anyone want it?"
Gu Qingfeng scanned his surroundings. No one responded. After a long while, he said, "Since no one wants it, then I'll just destroy this thing!"
As his words fell, the many Divine Senses of the great powers around him grew agitated, as if none had expected Gu Qingfeng to say such a thing.
This was a Taiji Golden Core with the qualification to inherit the True Mandate! Was he really planning to destroy it with his own hands?
Impossible!
Just as everyone was shocked and suspicious, without any visible movement from Gu Qingfeng, the Taiji Golden Core in his hand suddenly began to rotate, then started burning wildly like a fireball. Vast and violent Spiritual Power, mixed with countless Taiji mysteries, burned and dissipated within the flames.
Witnessing this scene, the Divine Senses of the surrounding great powers all fell into chaos. Clearly, their minds were so startled that their Divine Senses became disordered.
Indeed.
They were startled.
Because they all saw clearly—Gu Qingfeng had destroyed the Taiji Golden Core. And he had used the most direct, most ruthless method, directly igniting the Taiji Golden Core, leaving no chance for recovery.
These great powers were old monsters who had cultivated for who knew how many years. They had seen all sorts of great fortunes and rare events between Heaven and Earth and were no longer surprised by them. But as for what was happening at this very moment, none of them had ever seen or heard of it before.
Watching the burning Taiji Golden Core, the hearts of the great powers bled as if their own Golden Cores were burning. They felt immense regret and remorse—regret for hesitating, remorse for not making a move to seize it. Now, even if they wanted to snatch it, it was too late. An ignited Golden Core, even if retrieved, could only be watched as it burned to ashes.
Destroyed.
Just like that, destroyed.
A perfectly good Taiji Golden Core, one that hadn't appeared for millennia, was destroyed by this fellow with his own hands.
This wasn't just a waste of a heavenly treasure!
It was simply a sin!
Even great powers who had cultivated for tens of millions of years couldn't believe it, nor could they accept the fact that Gu Qingfeng had personally destroyed the Taiji Golden Core, let alone anyone else.
Su Hua stared at the burning Taiji Golden Core, utterly stupefied. She stood on the cloud like a frightened statue, the terror and shock in her beautiful eyes a hundred times stronger than if she had witnessed a divine miracle.
This was the Taiji Golden Core!
The king among Golden Cores, the Taiji Golden Core that could inherit the True Mandate, the one that might one day allow its bearer to become the Human King.
Even in the Celestial Realm, Immortals and Demons would fight tooth and nail for it, willing to abandon their cultivation, defy the heavens, and undergo reincarnation without hesitation for the sake of the Taiji Golden Core.
And him?
He had clearly obtained a heaven-defying fortune, achieved the Taiji Golden Core, and now he destroyed it with his own hands.
Why?
Why on earth!
Are you afraid of failing the tribulation crossing?
You haven't even tried! How do you know you'll definitely fail?
Even with a 0.1% chance, you should gamble!
But he didn't.
He didn't even have the courage to gamble, directly giving up.
This was the most shocking, most regrettable, most infuriating thing Su Hua had ever seen. Without exception!
Yes.
Without!
Nothing in this world could compare to the regret of witnessing someone ignite a Taiji Golden Core with their own eyes.
This feeling was like two people fighting over a heaven-and-earth treasure, only for it to be snatched by some lucky bastard, and then that bastard, afraid of the crime of harboring such a treasure, personally destroyed it.
How could one not regret it? How could one not lament it?
The lament was so intense one wished to roar at the sky, sighing at the injustice of the Heavenly Dao and the tricks of fate, wondering why they themselves didn't have such great fortune.
What made Su Hua even more unable to accept was that Gu Qingfeng was still pouring himself wine at this moment. Looking at the burning Taiji Golden Core, his face showed no extra expression—only indifference, as if what was burning wasn't the Taiji Golden Core he had achieved, but a worthless stone. He didn't look the least bit pained, regretful, or remorseful.
"If I kept this Taiji Golden Core, I'm afraid all of you would have trouble sleeping from now on, right?
Of course, including myself as well. Since that's the case, I might as well destroy the Taiji Golden Core. Let's just pretend this never happened. That way, I can sleep well, and all of you can rest easy too."
As time passed bit by bit, the Taiji Golden Core grew weaker and weaker until it was completely burned away.
Gu Qingfeng stopped drinking, waving away the residual smoke from the Taiji Golden Core as he said lightly, "My heart has long returned to tranquility. At least, that's how it is now, and that's how I plan to keep it. However, you should understand that matters of Heaven and Earth are not always as you wish. Often, things go contrary to one's desires."
"Like this Taiji Golden Core. I didn't want it, yet it was born nonetheless. I don't know if it's true fortune or some other reason, and I can't be bothered to think about it. But one thing I can tell you with absolute certainty: I'm tired. I don't want to cause any more trouble. Any fortune or matter between Heaven and Earth has nothing to do with me. I don't want to participate, nor will I participate."
"Believe it or not, I don't care."
Gu Qingfeng's expression had unknowingly turned serious, his voice the same. Drinking his wine, he continued, "Today, destroying this Taiji Golden Core counts as giving all of you face. At the same time, I hope you'll give me some face too—don't come to disturb me in the future."
"I've said what needed to be said, and even what didn't need to be said. Let's lay our cards on the table: if you make me lose sleep, I'll absolutely make sure you lose sleep too. If you make my life difficult, I'll absolutely make sure your lives are difficult too."
"As for the matters of the past, I've forgotten what should be forgotten, and I try not to recall what shouldn't be. At least, I have no intention of recalling them for now."
"My words end here. I advise you all to tread carefully."
In the clouds, neither Su Hua nor the Divine Senses of the surrounding great powers knew who Gu Qingfeng was speaking to. Upon careful investigation, there didn't seem to be anyone else. Could he be speaking to the Five-Direction Dao Tribulation Sources?
Using these tribulation sources to speak to the Five-Direction Great Dao?
Was that possible?
Forget impossible—even if it were possible, what gave him the right to speak to the Five-Direction Great Dao like that?
Who did he think he was?
Throughout Heaven and Earth, who would dare speak to the Great Dao in such a manner?
What gave him the right?
Su Hua and the great powers might not know.
However, whether it was the Daughter of Heaven, the Daughter of Demons, or the Daughter of Original Sin, they all knew: others might not have this qualification, but the Nine Nethers Emperor who once trod upon the Nine Nethers, burned the Nine Heavens, and blotted out the firmament with a single hand absolutely had this qualification.