Yun Nishang's residual consciousness ultimately dissipated.
High in the clouds, Gu Qingfeng held the Stillness-and-Forgetting Self Scroll, simply standing there in a daze. Yun Nishang's voice echoed endlessly in his mind.
'If you don't kill, you will regret it...'
He didn't understand.
No matter how hard he tried, Gu Qingfeng couldn't fathom why Yun Nishang wanted him to kill Ouyang Ye, nor why he would regret not doing so...
Could it also be because of karma?
He didn't know.
Closing his eyes, he carefully recalled every word Yun Nishang had said. The more he thought, the more his head ached; the more he pondered, the more confused he became.
The only thing he could be certain of was that his own karma might be connected to the enigmatic Mysterious Era.
Beyond that, he knew nothing.
Opening his eyes, he gazed at the Stillness-and-Forgetting Self Scroll in his hand, at the desolate Wudao Mountain depicted on it. Gradually, a sense of déjà vu washed over him, but that was all—nothing more came to him.
Originally, Gu Qingfeng had no particular feelings about his own karma; he simply wanted to seek it out, to know the truth.
However, first it was Jun Xuanji, and now Yun Nishang.
Two people connected to him by karma: Jun Xuanji had lost herself, and Yun Nishang had directly performed a Blood-Sacrifice Soul Burial...
This, to some extent, left Gu Qingfeng feeling uneasy, even a little apprehensive.
He didn't know whether he should continue his pursuit.
If he continued, how should he even go about it?
Did he really have to go and find Wudao Mountain from the Mysterious Era?
Where the hell was he supposed to look for that?
Would the Mysterious Era truly reappear in the current era?
When that time came, would those with karma from the Mysterious Era really meet their past-life selves?
And who was his own past-life self?
What kind of cause had he planted back then?
Gu Qingfeng had far too many doubts and far too much curiosity in his heart. Alas, karma was ultimately karma. This thing wasn't the Great Dao; it couldn't be comprehended through meditation.
"To hell with it!
This damn karma, I'm not seeking it anymore!"
In a fit of anger, Gu Qingfeng stored away the Stillness-and-Forgetting Self Scroll, cursed loudly, and vanished in a flash.
...
Four Directions Great Domain, Yunxia Mountain.
The mountain had once been home to the somewhat renowned Yunxia Sect, but that was only in the past. Ever since the Yunxia Sect turned to ruins three years ago, the name 'Yunxia Sect' had gradually faded from memory. By now, Yunxia Mountain had long become a desolate, uninhabited wilderness that no one paid any attention to.
Nowadays, when people mentioned the Yunxia Sect, it was mostly because of that mysterious disciple who blazed like a meteor with brief brilliance three years ago: Gu Qingfeng.
He played 'Drunken Chant of the Azure Sea' on an empty zither, astonishing everyone present.
On the day the Yunxia Sect established its heir, he single-handedly turned the tide, challenged a host of direct disciples alone, and slew a Yunxia Elder with a single palm.
At Chixu Manor, he overawed the various experts of the Yanyang Great Domain.
At the foot of Bingxuan Mountain, he flicked his fingers and obliterated a Cai Ling genius, frightening off a body-snatching expert.
On Liuren Mountain, he single-handedly challenged hundreds of geniuses; the might of his voice alone repelled the number one sect and paralyzed Patriarch Jiangzhu.
At the Tai Xuan Platform, his peerless mastery of music was unmatched; his unmoving true body looked down upon all heroes.
At the Fengyun Branch, with absolute force, he crushed all living beings; with an aloof demeanor, he dominated the world.
No one knew Gu Qingfeng's background or where he came from. They only knew his existence was mysterious and bizarre. In less than a year, he swept through all the sects of the Four Directions Great Domain, and even the Nine-Hua Alliance, which had dominated the domain, was wiped out by a flick of his fingers.
Such a prodigy had inexplicably died...
No one knew how he died. They only knew many had witnessed his true body turn to ashes and scatter...
Whether he was truly the successor of the Scarlet Sky Sovereign remained an unsolved mystery to this day.
However, that no longer mattered.
The man was already dead.
Did it matter whether he was the Scarlet Sky Sovereign's successor or not?
The answer was definite.
It didn't.
No one cared about the identity of a dead man.
It held no value, no meaning.
Time flowed on, years slipped by.
After three years of quiet, the Four Directions Great Domain gradually regained its former liveliness. With the threat of the Nine-Hua Alliance gone, the various sects grew more prosperous and powerful with each passing day.
Three years wasn't long, but it wasn't short either, especially in this current era of universal revival and abundant talent.
Every day, geniuses rose to prominence; every day, geniuses fell from grace.
People had long grown accustomed to it.
The meteoric brilliance of Gu Qingfeng from three years ago had long been forgotten, no longer mentioned by anyone.
On this day.
The sun set behind the mountains, the evening glow once again painting the western sky.
At the foot of Yunxia Mountain stood a solitary wooden hut.
The hut was very simple, barely more than a place to shelter from wind and rain. Forget about protective arrays, there weren't even many plants or trees around.
Beneath the evening glow, in front of the hut, there was an old, worn-out armchair.
In the armchair sat a somewhat unkempt, slovenly old man. Dressed in a gray robe, he lay back, sipping wine and puffing on a long-stemmed pipe. He'd take a sip of wine, then a puff of smoke, gazing at the sunset clouds while shaking his head and sighing.
"Ai, Gu kid, Gu kid... did you die or not? If you died, you could at least say something. If you didn't die, you could at least send word... It's been three damn years...
How come there's not a single bit of news from you?"
The old man was none other than Huode.
Everyone believed Gu Qingfeng was dead. Only Huode firmly believed Gu Qingfeng was not.
Even having witnessed Gu Qingfeng turn to ashes, he believed Gu Qingfeng wouldn't die.
Even knowing it was Jun Xuanji inside the Tai Xuan Stele, even knowing how much Jun Xuanji hated Gu Qingfeng and wanted to kill him, Huode still believed Gu Qingfeng wouldn't die.
The World-Venerable Lady was certainly terrifying, but no matter how terrifying, could she be more terrifying than the Judgment of the Immortal Dao?
Could she be more terrifying than the Heavens themselves?
Back then, the Judgment of the Immortal Dao failed to judge Gu kid to death. Back then, the Heavens themselves couldn't finish him off. Jun Xuanji probably didn't have that capability either, right?
Yes.
Huode refused to believe Gu Qingfeng would die.
However, disbelief was one thing. With three years passing without any news, Huode's heart gradually grew less certain.
He had waited at the Tai Xuan Stele for over a year, waiting and waiting, but Gu Qingfeng never came. Later, he returned to Yunxia Mountain, thinking that if Gu Qingfeng hadn't died, he would definitely come find him. At the very least, he absolutely wouldn't leave without a word.
And so he waited another two years. The longer he waited, the less confident Huode felt. Yet, aside from waiting idly, he had no other recourse.
"Ai!"
Huode tilted his head back and gulped down several mouthfuls of strong liquor, then sighed mournfully again. "Gu kid, Gu kid... you finally managed to survive the Heavens' grasp. Why couldn't you just live peacefully? What were you doing, perfectly fine, chasing after karma? You chased and chased, and ended up summoning Jun Xuanji, didn't you?"
"How many times did I warn you? Don't go messing around with people for no reason. But you never listened! Flirting everywhere, leaving feelings everywhere. If you're going to flirt, fine! At least treat them right!
Play with someone today, pat your butt and leave. Flirt with another tomorrow, play around again, then pat your butt and leave again...
You kid, deceiving people's feelings like that—who wouldn't want to kill you?
If I were a woman, I wouldn't let you off either!"
Just as Huode was enumerating Gu Qingfeng's misdeeds, a teasing laugh suddenly sounded in his ears.
"Huode, if you were a woman, even if you stripped naked, spread your legs, and stood before me without a stitch on, this master wouldn't even glance your way!"