As Su Hua's voice fell, everyone present was struck dumb with astonishment.
What did she mean by 'ignited and destroyed his own Golden Core'?
Who would be so foolish as to ignite and destroy a Golden Core the moment it was just formed?
Was he an idiot?
Or had something gone wrong during the condensation of the Golden Core, forcing him to ignite it to preserve his life?
That situation wasn't impossible. Condensing a Golden Core was, after all, an extremely dangerous undertaking. If something went awry, the lightest consequence would be the collapse of the Purple Mansion and the destruction of one's foundation; the worst would be immediate bodily explosion and death.
Recalling how Gu Qingfeng's spiritual power had been in extreme chaos back at the Taixuan Platform, condensing a Golden Core under such circumstances was already a major taboo. Now, hearing Fairy Su Hua say that Gu Qingfeng had condensed a Golden Core only to be forced to ignite and destroy it, they assumed this was the reason. Realizing this, the several women present were at a loss for words, feeling a certain sympathy for Gu Qingfeng's plight.
Su Hua did not offer further explanation. Her mind was still somewhat chaotic, unable to comprehend why Gu Qingfeng hadn't even dared to gamble.
A coward?
Gu Qingfeng didn't seem like a coward in the slightest.
Afraid of death?
For the sake of a Taiji Golden Core, it was absolutely worth taking the risk. Even death would be worth it. Anyone else would regret it for a lifetime otherwise.
So why had he given up?
It wasn't just Su Hua pondering this question.
Far above in the clouds, the Daughter of the Heavenly Dao and the Daughter of the Demonic Dao were also contemplating this very issue.
A coward?
What a joke. If the Nine Nethers Emperor, who once shook the Celestial Realm, was a coward, then there were no courageous souls left between heaven and earth.
Afraid of death?
Back then, even the combined judgment of the myriad Great Daos had failed to erase him.
Now, with just the Five-Direction Great Daos—and merely their tribulation sources at that—forget about erasing him, it was unknown whether they could even shake his state of mind.
If that was the case,
then why had he still given up the Taiji Golden Core?
Could it truly be as this fellow said, that he was tired and didn't want to struggle anymore?
So he personally destroyed the Taiji Golden Core to show the myriad Great Daos his determination to retire?
Was that really it?
The Daughter of the Heavenly Dao and the Daughter of the Demonic Dao might not know, but the Daughter of Original Sin, who had been silently watching from another vantage point, knew that this matter was likely somewhat peculiar and definitely not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
In her view, Gu Qingfeng might truly be tired, and he might truly not want to struggle anymore.
But this fellow would absolutely not personally destroy a Taiji Golden Core to demonstrate his resolve to the myriad Great Daos.
Others might do such a thing, but the Nine Nethers Emperor alone would not. Between heaven and earth, anyone might bow their head to the Great Dao, but the Nine Nethers Emperor would not.
This was something a friend of hers had told her, and that friend was a close confidant of Gu Qingfeng.
She believed her friend's words.
Moreover, upon careful consideration, the words Gu Qingfeng had spoken at the end, which initially sounded like submission and weakness, were actually not. They were more like a threat—especially that line: 'What needed to be said has been said, and what shouldn't have been said has also been said. If you lot don't let me sleep well, I absolutely won't let you sleep well either. If you make my life difficult, I will absolutely make yours difficult too.'
This was clearly a threat to the Sovereigns of the various Great Daos!
Him destroying a single Taiji Golden Core was in no way a demonstration of resolve, nor was it submission or weakness. It was a warning, a threat.
Yes!
It was absolutely a warning.
The Daughter of Original Sin carefully recalled, remembering that Gu Qingfeng had also said something else: that his heart had long since returned to tranquility, at least for now. He then said that matters of heaven and earth were not something one could achieve just by wishing; often, things went contrary to one's desires. Like this Taiji Golden Core—he hadn't wanted it, yet it had condensed regardless. He didn't know if it was true Fortune or some other reason, and he couldn't be bothered to think about it. However, one thing he was absolutely certain of: any Fortune or any matter between heaven and earth had nothing to do with him. He did not wish to participate, nor would he participate.
The Daughter of Original Sin murmured these words repeatedly. The more she murmured, the more she felt these words seemed to imply something else.
Clearly, Gu Qingfeng's meaning was plain: many instances of Fortune were not his deliberate doing. As for the reason, he himself did not know. But one thing was certain: no matter what Fortune appeared, he would not participate in the conflicts between heaven and earth in the future.
Fortune?
What kind of Fortune had he actually achieved?
When this fellow waved his hand to destroy the Taiji Golden Core, it was as effortless as plucking a single hair. There wasn't the slightest reaction. No matter how capable he was, it was impossible for there to be no reaction at all. After all, that was a Taiji Golden Core. Anyone else would have had some reaction, unless it was fake.
Fake?
No!
That couldn't be it either. The Daughter of Original Sin had probed it; it was indeed a genuine Taiji Golden Core.
If it was real, and he had no reaction after destroying it, then it could only mean one thing: he possessed more than one Taiji Golden Core.
At this thought, the Daughter of Original Sin suddenly couldn't help but suck in a sharp, cold breath. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and her delicate frame trembled slightly.
Because she thought of a terrifying possibility. When Gu Qingfeng was condensing his Golden Core, the pores and acupoints all over his body were as profound and wondrous as stars in the night sky. Each pore and acupoint contained the mysteries of Qian and Kun, with the interplay of Yin and Yang and the circulation of Taiji within.
Yes.
Every single pore and acupoint was like this.
Under normal circumstances, if one achieved a Taiji Golden Core, it should manifest through the interplay of Yin and Yang within the Purple Mansion.
Now, if every pore and acupoint on his entire body was like a Purple Mansion... then...
That meant every pore and acupoint had condensed a Golden Core, and all of them were Taiji Golden Cores! The number of his pores and acupoints was countless. In other words, he possessed countless Taiji Golden Cores!
Heavens above!
Realizing this, the Daughter of Original Sin's deep eyes erupted with a frenzied light—a look of shock, no!
More than that, it was fear!
Boundless fear, like the terror of witnessing heaven and earth being destroyed, despair so profound it made one lose all hope, despair that made one's soul tremble.
She didn't know how much time had passed. The Daughter of Original Sin truly didn't know.
She only felt her head splitting with pain, only felt the heavens spinning and the earth turning.
She gazed at the firmament, just gazing, and finally understood why the slumbering Sovereigns of the Great Dao had risked the chaos of their origins to interfere with the tribulation sources of the Great Dao.
An existence like Gu Qingfeng was inherently a source of apprehension for the Sovereigns of the Great Dao. Him achieving a single Taiji Golden Core was already enough of a headache. If he had achieved endless Taiji Golden Cores...
By then, it wouldn't just affect the fortunes of the Five-Direction Great Daos; the fortunes of the three thousand Great Daos would all be affected. Under such circumstances, who wouldn't be afraid?
Who would dare to bring tribulations down upon him?
Bringing down tribulations, allowing him to achieve true Taiji Golden Cores—and a whole body's worth of them at that—by then, forget about something like a Human King, even the venerable Ancestor of Humanity himself would probably be startled awake from his slumber.
At this moment, she also finally understood the true meaning behind Gu Qingfeng destroying one Taiji Golden Core. His meaning couldn't be clearer: You are all Sovereigns presiding over the Great Daos. Since you've come today, I must give you some face. So, destroying one Taiji Golden Core counts as giving these Sovereigns some face, and also as payment for their trouble—they shouldn't have come for nothing.
But it was only one Taiji Golden Core.
He had said that this Fortune was not his deliberate doing, and that he would not participate in conflicts between the Great Daos in the future, so the Sovereigns could rest assured.
But if you lot don't know your place and insist on coming to cause trouble for him, making his life difficult, he will make everyone's life difficult too.
This was a warning, a naked warning.
This was also a threat, a naked threat.