Gu Qingfeng had originally planned to stay longer at Cloud Mist Mountain. After all, once he left, he had no idea how many years or months would pass before they met again, so he intended to spend more time with Huode.
He had few friends in this world with whom he could speak from the heart, and Huode was one of them. Gu Qingfeng had always regarded him as an elder, as family. If that weren't the case, after awakening from the Calamity, he wouldn't have sought out Huode first.
The destruction of Cloud Mist Sect could also be considered a result of Gu Qingfeng's own actions. He knew that in Huode's heart, Cloud Mist Sect had always been his home. Gu Qingfeng considered rebuilding Cloud Mist Sect for Huode, but the offer was refused.
Huode said that since it was destroyed, let it be destroyed. Rebuilding Cloud Mist Sect would consume too much heart and effort; he no longer had the energy for it and couldn't be bothered to go through the hassle again.
Since Huode put it that way, Gu Qingfeng could only comply.
When he asked if Huode needed help with his cultivation, Huode simply shook his head.
Huode knew Gu Qingfeng's capabilities were vast. Helping him conceive a Nascent Soul or even a Primordial Spirit would be a trivial matter for him. Not to mention a Primordial Spirit—even becoming an Immortal wouldn't be a big deal.
However, after all these years, Huode had long lost interest in cultivation. Becoming an Immortal held no allure for him.
Ever since he personally witnessed the despicable acts of Immortals back in the day, his interest had waned.
And ever since he saw with his own eyes how easily Gu Qingfeng slaughtered Nine Heavens Immortals like dogs or pigs, he completely lost interest in becoming an Immortal.
What was so good about being an Immortal?
Sure, it granted immortality.
But that was only in terms of lifespan. Immortality did not equate to indestructibility. Facing someone like Gu Qingfeng, you wouldn't even have a chance to resist—turning to ashes was just a snap of the fingers.
If that was the case, why bother cultivating?
It wasn't that Huode hadn't encountered so-called Immortals in this world either. Those Immortals didn't live as gloriously as they appeared on the surface. They lived in constant fear every day, facing three calamities, six disasters, and twelve tribulations, their hearts filled with trepidation. One moment of carelessness, and either a demonic heart invasion or a mental collapse would strike…
Either they went mad, or they died suddenly.
That wasn't the important part. What mattered was that he had heard Gu Qingfeng say that even the Immortals above the Nine Heavens didn't live as carefree and unrestrained as the legends claimed. They too lived like dogs, surviving ignobly just to stay alive.
Huode had now seen through it all, completely.
Rather than cultivating tediously, rather than living in fear every day, rather than surviving ignobly, it was better to live joyfully, unrestrainedly.
This was a good state of mind.
At least, in Gu Qingfeng's view, it wasn't a bad thing. He had experienced much, seen much, and had considerable insights into the Dao. He clearly understood that for many things, only by letting go could one become desireless, and only by being desireless could one achieve the Great Dao.
One must know, the Great Dao is not limited to three thousand paths, but is countless.
Abandoning the Immortal Dao was just abandoning the Immortal Dao. Perhaps by abandoning it, Huode might step onto another Great Dao.
Moreover, Gu Qingfeng had performed divination for Huode. This old fellow truly had such an opportunity.
Given this, he would simply let nature take its course.
...
On this day, the sun shone brightly.
On a small country road in the Great Northwest Frontier, a man and a horse were leisurely moving forward.
The horse was a brown old horse, not only aged in physique but also slow in pace, and it seemed to lack vigor and spirit.
The person riding the horse seemed much the same.
Although he appeared young, that was merely appearance. There was none of the vitality of youth about him; his vigor and spirit were like the setting sun, as if he had already entered the twilight of life.
He rode the old horse, swaying slowly along, his expression somewhat languid. He held a jug of wine, taking a sip now and then, his body swaying with the horse's jolts.
It was none other than Gu Qingfeng.
The main purpose of this journey was to see Feng Zhuyue and repay the debt he owed from back then.
Actually, saying he was going to repay a debt…
But what debt was he repaying?
Gu Qingfeng truly did not know.
Nor did he feel he owed Feng Zhuyue anything.
If it was a debt of feelings, back then when he severed his own Cultivation Level, he had already repaid what needed repaying.
Logically speaking, he shouldn't owe anything anymore.
Yet, for some reason, Gu Qingfeng's heart always felt he was indebted to Feng Zhuyue and felt somewhat guilty towards her. Thinking carefully, perhaps it was because back when Feng Zhuyue came looking for him, he had other women pretend to be his Dao Companion, causing Feng Zhuyue's temperament to change drastically, becoming depressed and withdrawn, that gave rise to this guilt.
Ultimately, there was still an unresolved knot between him and Feng Zhuyue.
And this was the purpose of Gu Qingfeng's journey.
This knot in his heart must be resolved.
For his own sake, for Feng Zhuyue's sake, and for the so-called karma.
Thinking of karma, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but think of Jun Xuanji and Yun Nishang.
Whether the karma with Jun Xuanji was from a previous life or this life, Gu Qingfeng hadn't known before and still didn't know now.
The karma with Yun Nishang was likely from a previous life, and possibly even from that so-called mysterious era.
Gu Qingfeng couldn't understand why Jun Xuanji had become lost, nor could he understand why Yun Nishang had undergone Soul-Burial…
He didn't even know if Jun Xuanji was truly lost, or if Yun Nishang had truly Soul-Burial…
Jun Xuanji was unfathomable to him, and Yun Nishang was the same.
Closing his eyes, he took a sip of wine, recalling Yun Nishang's words, and murmured: "The Eternal Calamity originates from Heaven and Earth, the Three Revolutions of Reincarnation manifests across aeons, previous life and present life meet through karma, whose fate belongs to whom depends on heaven."
After saying this, he shook his head and laughed. "Will that riddle-like Mysterious Era truly reappear in the Present-Ancient Era?"
"Will previous life and present life meet like Yin-Yang Reversal?"
"And will they inevitably fight to the death over a single word, 'I'?"
Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but feel curious, and also somewhat moved.
He was curious about what kind of character his previous life was in that mysterious era?
Legend had it that the mysterious era was an utterly mad era, where Immortals and Demons were as common as dogs, the sun and moon of heaven and earth were incomplete, and various great powers commanding the wind and rain, omnipotent.
Gu Qingfeng pondered: if the mysterious era truly were to reappear in the Present-Ancient Era, he wondered if his previous life would fight to the death over the word 'I'.
If they did fight, who would win and who would lose?
He didn't know.
A previous life and a present life contending against each other—such a thing, not to mention hearing about it, wasn't even recorded in Ancient Times rare tale.
The sun set once more, dusk approached.
Gu Qingfeng took out a painting. On it was only a desolate mountain. The painting was titled 'Silent Extinction, Forgetting the Self'.
Yun Nishang had said that everything he wanted to know was on this painting. Alas, Gu Qingfeng had looked at it countless times but couldn't discern anything unusual about it.
At most, it gave him a sense of déjà vu.
Looking again, it was still the same.
And so, Gu Qingfeng rode the old horse all along the way, drinking his Little Tipple, gazing at this painting.
He didn't know how long he had been looking when suddenly, Gu Qingfeng felt a peculiar sensation, a feeling both very familiar and yet utterly strange.