Live if he wants to live?
Die if he wants to die?
And even transcend life and death?
Utter nonsense.
Who does he think he is? The Lord of the Great Dao?
Even the Lord of the Great Dao couldn't possibly live or die at will.
If there was anyone between heaven and earth who could transcend life and death, that person would undoubtedly be a deity.
Could Gu Qingfeng be a deity?
The answer was certain.
Absolutely not.
"Young Lady, if you think he's just spouting nonsense, then how exactly did he come back to life after being reduced to ashes?"
Su Hua shook her head. This was a question she couldn't figure out either.
"Young Lady, I've thought it over and over. His being reduced to ashes at the Taixuan Stele and then resurrecting must be related to his Taiji Golden Cores. He achieved two Taiji Golden Cores. One was destroyed during the Great Dao Tribulation Source. At the Taixuan Stele, he probably encountered the Great Dao Tribulation Source again..."
"Although the current Gu Qingfeng is still at the Golden Core cultivation stage, he no longer possesses Taiji Golden Cores. I suspect he truly did encounter the Great Dao Tribulation Source at the Taixuan Stele, but we just don't know about it. The Great Dao Tribulation Source judged his last remaining Taiji Golden Core. Perhaps he was lucky, perhaps fate decreed he shouldn't die, or perhaps his fortune was immense. Though he lost his Taiji Golden Cores, he managed to preserve his life."
Su Hua pondered seriously. It seemed only this explanation could make sense of the fact that Gu Qingfeng was reduced to ashes and then resurrected.
"Qian Shan, back at Wuse Mountain, did he truly play Monarch's 'Wind Rising Over Great Green Mountain' and 'Youth's Journey' to the point of manifesting their artistic conception?"
Su Hua's voice came through. Though Qian Shan was reluctant, she had to admit it was true.
"Young Lady, do you truly suspect he is the Monarch's successor?"
"If he played 'Wind Rising Over Great Green Mountain' and 'Youth's Journey' to the point of manifesting their artistic conception, then he's more than just the Monarch's successor."
Su Hua murmured, "The score for 'Wind Rising Over Great Green Mountain' contains many melodies the Monarch created himself. No one else could play them. As for that song 'Youth's Journey'...
That piece was composed by Monarch Chixiao himself back then to reminisce about his youth. The various emotional journeys within it are known only to him. In other words, under the vast heavens, aside from the Monarch himself, no one could manifest the artistic conception of 'Youth's Journey'."
"Young Lady, what do you mean?
Could it be...
you suspect Gu Qingfeng isn't the Monarch's successor, but is Monarch Chixiao himself?"
Su Hua shook her head. "I don't know."
"Young Lady, don't forget. Gu Qingfeng once said he fused with a remnant wisp of the Monarch's consciousness. With that remnant consciousness, it wouldn't be strange for him to play the Monarch's 'Youth's Journey', right?
If not, why would the old Chixiao followers' Great Hidden Dragon-Elephants show him such reverence? It must be because of that remnant wisp of the Monarch's consciousness."
"Perhaps."
Su Hua let out a sigh, exhaling the myriad confusions and uncertainties in her heart.
Beside her, Qian Shan also sighed. She knew Su Hua had been searching for Monarch Chixiao's whereabouts all this time for the sake of her karma. After searching for so long with no results, Su Hua had long begun to doubt this karma. If Gu Qingfeng truly was the Monarch's successor, then it meant Monarch Chixiao was truly, utterly dead, and the so-called karma lost all meaning.
"Young Lady, do you still intend to continue seeking your karma?"
"I don't know. Monarch Chixiao is my karma. Only by finding him in person can I unravel my own karma."
Su Hua sought her karma not to change her fate, nor to sever anything, nor because she had nothing better to do. Only by finding this karma could she unravel the past-life dreams that had haunted her for years. This was extremely important to her. Otherwise, she wouldn't have abandoned everything to reincarnate into this world.
"But...
now that Monarch Chixiao is dead, how will you search..."
"Is Monarch Chixiao truly dead?"
Su Hua could never bring herself to believe it. Firstly, she had investigated Monarch Chixiao's life and deeds in detail. She felt such a remarkable figure absolutely could not have been reduced to ashes by the Immortal Dao. Moreover, she trusted her own feeling—the feeling that Monarch Chixiao would not die...
Absolutely not. More importantly, if Monarch Chixiao were truly dead, her past-life dreams would never have guided her to this world.
"I've divined using the Heart Trigram. My karma branch lies in the Great Northwest. My karma will also undergo change in the Great Northwest. I trust the Heart Trigram, and I trust myself even more."
Su Hua frowned slightly as she murmured, "As for whether Monarch Chixiao is dead or alive, I don't know for now. But I dare say Gu Qingfeng's existence is definitely related to Monarch Chixiao. As long as I find him, I will try every possible means to probe it out."
Qian Shan did not oppose this.
She knew whether Monarch Chixiao was alive or dead was of utmost importance to Su Hua.
Since all signs now pointed to Gu Qingfeng being connected to Monarch Chixiao, it was good for Su Hua to investigate and clarify matters.
Furthermore, she herself was very curious about what kind of existence Gu Qingfeng really was.
Just as she was pondering this, she suddenly remembered a serious problem and said, "Young Lady, if you want to investigate Gu Qingfeng's identity, I advise you to wait a bit longer."
"Why?"
"Gu Qingfeng killed many people earlier at Xiao Zhe Manor. The Immortal Dynasty's Twenty-Four Pride Immortals, several Grand Stewards, and quite a few reincarnated great powers were all slaughtered by him. The news has probably reached the Immortal Dynasty by now. The people the Immortal Dynasty sends will definitely not let Gu Qingfeng off. If you get entangled with him at this time...
it might not look good. After all, back in the Four Great Domains, because of the Jiuhua Alliance incident, the Immortal Dynasty already has opinions about you. This time, if you..."
"Let them think what they will. I've never cared how the Immortal Dynasty views me. Besides, right now, the Immortal Dynasty probably doesn't have the spare time to bother with my affairs."
"Why?"
Qian Shan was startled, realizing something. "Could it be because of the Heavenly Mandate?"
Seeing Su Hua nod, Qian Shan asked again, "Young Lady, will the Heavenly Mandate truly descend this year?"
"Yes. It's now basically very certain the Heavenly Mandate will descend this year. However, no one knows what form the Present-Era Heavenly Mandate will take. No one knows where it will descend either."
"What movements has the Immortal Dynasty made?"
"The Immortal Dynasty has already dispatched experts from various routes to station themselves all over the world. No matter where the Heavenly Mandate descends, the Immortal Dynasty will spare no effort to seize it this time."
"Who has come to the Great Northwest?"
"Two Edict Envoys, twenty-four Earth Immortal attendants, dozens of Immortal Dynasty nobles, hundreds of Nine-Star Immortal Officials, and over a thousand Dharma Idol Great Venerables."
Hearing this.
Qian Shan felt her scalp go numb, utterly astonished.
Two Edict Envoys?
Twenty-four Earth Immortal attendants?
Dozens of Immortal Dynasty nobles?
Hundreds of Nine-Star Immortal Officials?
Over a thousand Dharma Idol Great Venerables?
Only after a long while did Qian Shan draw a deep breath and say with shock, "Heavens! The Immortal Dynasty sent so many people? Do they predict the Heavenly Mandate will definitely appear in the Great Northwest?"
"Not entirely clear. And...
the experts stationed in the Great Northwest this time aren't limited to these. This is just the surface force. There's an even more powerful force operating in the shadows."