Qianshan had asked many times, and Su Hua had answered many times. That day, she had not only personally witnessed Gu Qingfeng achieving the Taiji Golden Core, but also personally witnessed the Taiji Golden Core dispersing bit by bit.
A Golden Core is nurtured by one's own essence, energy, spirit, and spiritual power, and it complements the Purple Mansion, foundation, and True Body.
When anyone's Golden Core disperses, their Purple Mansion, foundation, True Body, spirit, and mind will all be affected.
This is a law, a principle.
No one can be an exception.
Moreover, the more powerful the Golden Core, the more intense the impact on the True Body after its dispersion.
If an ordinary Golden Core disperses, the cultivator still faces the danger of sudden death.
If it's an extraordinary Golden Core, the danger is even greater.
If a Color Spirit Golden Core disperses, very few people can survive.
If it's an even greater Creation Golden Core, the chance of survival is even lower.
And what Gu Qingfeng achieved was the Taiji Golden Core.
Hailed as the supreme among cores, the king of kings, it not only possesses the qualification to inherit the True Mandate but also the qualification to contend for the Human King throne.
For such a Golden Core to disperse, and for Gu Qingfeng not to have died on the spot, was something Su Hua couldn't comprehend.
She had thought that after the Taiji Golden Core dispersed, even if Gu Qingfeng didn't die on the spot, he probably wouldn't live much longer.
At the time, she had searched desperately, wondering if she could help in any way.
Not only did she not find him, but now she had actually heard that Gu Qingfeng had killed the Ten Little Hidden Dragons and the Thirty-Six Huage Young Masters at the Yunxia Sect.
Upon hearing this news, Su Hua's first reaction was disbelief.
In her mind, no matter how powerful Gu Qingfeng's True Body was, it absolutely could not withstand the impact brought by the dispersion of the Taiji Golden Core. If he didn't die on the spot, his Purple Mansion, foundation, True Body, mind, and so on would inevitably rapidly wither, and it would be irreversible. The chance of survival was almost zero. Even if he miraculously survived, he would be a living corpse without consciousness. At best, even if he had accumulated immense merit in his past life, he would merely be a cripple.
But now?
She heard that not only had Gu Qingfeng survived,
but he was alive and well.
Not only alive and well, he could speak, walk, and drink wine in great gulps.
Not only drink, he could take action.
Not only take action, he had killed dozens of heir-apparents in one go.
Although Su Hua had not seen it with her own eyes, she had heard Lan Feier and the others recount the process in detail.
She believed what Lan Feier said was true.
But it was only belief.
Emotionally, she simply couldn't accept it.
Because this completely defied the laws of cultivation and completely contradicted the principles of the Immortal Dao.
It was like a human heart. When the heart is gone, the organs in the human body will fail in a short time, leading to death. Everyone knows this principle. Yet Gu Qingfeng's heart was gone, but not only did he not die, he was alive and kicking.
How could anyone accept that?
For several days, Su Hua had been pondering this question.
Alas, no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't understand. Instead, the more she thought about it, the more confused she became, the more muddled her thoughts grew.
"Young Lady, could it be that Gu Qingfeng is already at the end of his rope, knowing he won't live long, and that's why he dares to act so recklessly?"
Hearing this,
Su Hua sighed and said, "Only that possibility can explain it. Otherwise, his existence would truly be too..." She stopped halfway, not because she didn't want to continue, but because she didn't know how to continue.
If Gu Qingfeng truly wasn't at the end of his rope, then what exactly was his existence? She didn't dare to think about it, nor could she imagine it.
Suddenly.
Su Hua seemed to remember something and asked, "Qianshan, that day at the Yunxia Sect ruins, everyone who wanted to surround and attack Gu Qingfeng was killed by him, except for Ma Zhengtian, right?"
"Yes. According to what Miss Feier and the others said, Gu Qingfeng ultimately didn't kill Ma Zhengtian. It seems that just as he was about to strike, the Chixiao Dragon-Elephant that Ma Zhengtian inherited manifested. However, it didn't devour Gu Qingfeng, nor did it protect Ma Zhengtian. They said it transformed into a human form, and even kowtowed to Gu Qingfeng nine times, and finally...
finally soared into the clouds and self-destructed, turning to ashes and vanishing completely."
"The Dragon-Elephant totem on every Chixiao person is fused with their own soul. They have all drunk the Dragon-Elephant's blood and followed the Chixiao Monarch in campaigns for many years. Their own souls have long since merged with the Dragon-Elephant spirit, becoming inseparable. Even if their True Body is shattered and their soul destroyed, as long as the Dragon-Elephant spirit remains, their will and spirit still endure."
Su Hua murmured softly, "In other words, the Chixiao Dragon-Elephant that Ma Zhengtian inherited from his grandfather must contain his grandfather's spiritual will. If I'm not mistaken, the final transformation of the Chixiao Dragon-Elephant into human form was likely the doing of Ma Zhengtian's grandfather's spiritual will. But why would he kowtow to Gu Qingfeng nine times?
And then self-destruct?"
Qianshan speculated, "Young Lady, could it be that the spiritual will of Ma Zhengtian's grandfather pleaded for mercy on his behalf, dying in Ma Zhengtian's place, and that's why Gu Qingfeng didn't kill him?"
Su Hua shook her head slightly. "Plead?
In the life dictionary of the Chixiao Monarch, the word 'plead' never existed. He was like that, and so were the Chixiao people who followed him. In the life dictionary of any Chixiao person, there is no word for 'plead.'"
"This...
Young Lady, Ma Zhengtian's grandfather was willing to sacrifice himself to pass his Dragon-Elephant to Ma Zhengtian. One can imagine how much he loved his grandson. For the sake of his grandson, it's not impossible that he would open his mouth to plead."
"No!
You don't understand."
Su Hua shook her head in denial. "The Chixiao Dragon-Elephant fears no heavenly or earthly might. It shakes demons above and terrifies ghosts below. Its might is domineering and peerless, its nature ruthless and savage, its power sinister and frenzied. Especially after drinking blood, its killing intent soars to the heavens. In other words, if Ma Zhengtian's grandfather's spiritual will truly wanted to protect Ma Zhengtian, there would be no need to plead. Relying on the Chixiao Dragon-Elephant alone, it could absolutely ensure Ma Zhengtian's survival."
"Young Lady, is the Chixiao Dragon-Elephant really that powerful?"
"Very powerful. Unbelievably powerful. There may be many experts in the world who can shake the Chixiao Dragon-Elephant, and perhaps there are also quite a few who can obliterate it. But those who truly dare to take action and obliterate it are absolutely few and far between."
"Why?"
"The Chixiao Dragon-Elephant contains an extremely savage and terrifying killing intent. I don't know if that killing intent is innate to the Chixiao Dragon-Elephant or bestowed by the Chixiao Monarch, but it is truly terrifying to the extreme. Faced with that savage killing intent, no matter how powerful one's mind is, it will be affected, giving rise to fear. At least, that's how it is for me."
"How is that possible!"
Qianshan was greatly shocked and said in astonishment, "Over the years, I've seen quite a few Chixiao Dragon-Elephants, but I never felt the killing intent you speak of, Young Lady."
"Just because you don't feel it doesn't mean it isn't there. When a Chixiao person faces life-threatening danger, that savage killing intent of the Chixiao Dragon-Elephant will reveal itself."
Su Hua closed her eyes, her brow slightly moved, and she murmured, "The terror of that savage killing intent is absolutely enough to shatter anyone's courage!"