Inside the Purple Mansion, chaos reigned supreme.
The mysterious heart swelled violently, as evil as a primordial demon.
Meanwhile, the ever-renewing Great Nature Seed, the deathly silent Lonely Star Tear, and the all-consuming Nine Underworlds Fire—whether influenced by the mysterious heart or all sensing its threat—had all erupted into a frenzy. None would submit to another, each fiercely contending against the others.
When Gu Qingfeng unleashed his Vicious Asura Killing Intent, it instantly enveloped the entire Purple Mansion, its tyrannical might rolling forth to crush everything in its path.
After all, this was the Vicious Asura Killing Intent, peerlessly overbearing, looking down upon all living beings, disdainful of heaven and earth. Under its enveloping suppression, whether it was the Great Nature Seed, the Lonely Star Tear, or that mysterious heart, they all became much more docile in that moment.
Seizing this opportunity, Gu Qingfeng channeled the Vicious Asura Killing Intent into the Nine Underworlds Fire, using it to burn the Great Nature Seed, the Lonely Star Tear, and the mysterious heart.
The Nine Underworlds Fire was the most mysterious and bizarre Primordial Fire between heaven and earth, bar none. Legend held it could incinerate all things in creation.
Back in the day, Gu Qingfeng had relied on the Nine Underworlds Fire to scorch the Nine Heavens.
Alas, during the Great Calamity, he faced judgment from the Great Dao, which left the Nine Underworlds Fire severely weakened. Otherwise, Gu Qingfeng wouldn't be in such a passive position now.
However, after merging the Vicious Asura Killing Intent with the Nine Underworlds Fire, the two combined into one, and their might was naturally no small matter. They suppressed the Great Nature Seed, the deathly Lonely Star Tear, and the mysterious heart, forcing them to become increasingly subdued.
But subdued was all they were.
Whether it was the Great Nature Seed, the deathly Lonely Star Tear, or the mysterious heart, all three existences were exceptionally powerful—so powerful that even with Gu Qingfeng merging the Vicious Asura Killing Intent and the Nine Underworlds Fire, he still couldn't achieve absolute suppression.
This couldn't help but make his heart tremble with apprehension.
Suppressed, that myriad-hued Great Nature Seed exuded a breath of life so pure it was simply incomparable, almost like a fountainhead of life itself, utterly miraculous.
Since the Natural Order had long since collapsed by the end of the Ancient Era, Gu Qingfeng's understanding of the Dao of Nature wasn't extensive. He only knew this thing was closely related to life. But even so, wasn't the life breath of this Great Nature Seed a bit too pure?
Gu Qingfeng might not understand the Great Nature well, but he had seen countless breaths of life in his time. Never before had he encountered a life breath so pure, so sacred, and so endlessly abundant. It was a Great Nature Seed, yet it seemed more like a Great Nature Life Seed.
However.
This Great Nature Life Seed wasn't what shocked him the most. What truly astounded him was that deathly silent Lonely Star Tear.
That thing was profoundly sinister.
At times brimming with vibrant life, at times sunk in deathly stillness, life and death interwoven and tangled chaotically. Life was death, death was life; life contained death, death contained life. Life, death, death, life—it was impossible to distinguish clearly.
Gu Qingfeng had witnessed the brightest life in the Nine Heavens and the darkest death in the Nine Underworlds.
But this kind of ambiguous, intertwined state of life and death was a first for him.
What puzzled him even more was that this Lonely Star Tear, for some reason, always felt strangely familiar to him. It was a sense of déjà vu, especially now as the Lonely Star Tear alternated between life and death—the feeling of familiarity grew even stronger.
The strange thing was, Gu Qingfeng didn't even know what this thing was, so he truly couldn't understand why he had this sense of déjà vu.
Without dwelling on it, Gu Qingfeng continued observing the mysterious heart.
Compared to the Great Nature Life Seed and the life-and-death Lonely Star Tear, Gu Qingfeng was still most worried about this mysterious heart.
After all, when this thing gestated, it fused the power of his Nine Underworlds Fire, the life force of the Great Nature Seed, and the life-and-death power of the Lonely Star Tear. These three existences were already terrifying enough on their own, and this mysterious heart was gestated from their fusion. Gu Qingfeng truly couldn't imagine just how terrifying this thing might be.
Time passed bit by bit, and Gu Qingfeng suppressed them bit by bit.
All three existences were too mysterious and bizarre. Gu Qingfeng didn't dare blindly and frantically suppress them. If he pushed a dog into a corner, the gains might not outweigh the losses.
Having cultivated for five hundred years and achieved all sorts of strange and wondrous fortunes, he clearly understood that with such mysterious, unknown existences, one shouldn't blindly try to control or dominate them. That would only backfire. The only thing to do was to suppress them while gradually coming to understand them.
As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
Only after fully understanding them could one achieve absolute mastery.
Gu Qingfeng wasn't in a hurry.
Not in the slightest.
Of course, he also wasn't afraid of anything.
With many debts, one stops worrying; with many lice, one stops itching. Playing with one was playing, playing with two was still playing. Even if a few more came, he'd still dare to play.
Back when he was cultivating, his body had harbored over thirty mysterious, unknown things at most. Some he eventually figured out and could control and master, while others he never understood even when he faced judgment from the many Great Daos.
So, he was long accustomed to it.
Once you're used to it, it's just how things are.
...
In the sky above.
Fire Virtue looked at the Yunxia Sect, now reduced to a pile of ruins, his expression grim and his mood complex.
It wasn't that he pitied the Yunxia Sect, but rather that he worried for Gu Qingfeng's safety.
Earlier, when Gu Qingfeng's body trembled, causing the earth to shake violently, Fire Virtue had been anxiously pacing in circles. After waiting a while and seeing that Gu Qingfeng's body had stopped trembling, he finally dared to cautiously ask, "Kid Gu... you... how are you?"
"Nothing serious. I'll be fine after regulating my breathing for a bit."
Hearing that Gu Qingfeng was unharmed, the stone in Fire Virtue's heart finally landed. He let out a deep sigh of relief, as if a great burden had been lifted. "Do you need me to do anything?"
"I'm running low on wine in my pouch. Go figure out a way to get some. After all this commotion, my mouth is parched and my throat is dry. I'll need to drink a few extra cups later to replenish myself, and also to steady my nerves. Damn it, I almost couldn't hold on just now. Gave me quite a scare."
"You kid, really... how can you still be thinking about drinking at a time like this!"
"Can't be helped. The wine addiction is strong!"
Fire Virtue curled his lip but said nothing more.
He knew Gu Qingfeng had a wine addiction, and a serious one at that. Otherwise, he wouldn't drink the moment he opened his eyes.
Fire Virtue also knew full well that Gu Qingfeng's wine addiction wasn't a recent development. He'd picked up this habit ever since he started cultivating in his youth.
Back then, because of his body full of bizarre fortunes, Gu Qingfeng was seen as a demonic cultivator. Coupled with his unrestrained, wild personality and his ruthless, violent methods when he fought, he was practically public enemy number one. He bore injuries large and small almost every day, both external and internal wounds aplenty. The pain he endured was unimaginable to ordinary people. To survive, to live, Gu Qingfeng could only drink frantically, using alcohol to numb his nerves and forget the agony of his battered body. And he drank the heavy, strong liquors. Over time, the addiction took hold.