"Moreover, this old man can also tell you that the Canyang Sage is still alive to this day. Not only is he alive, but he has been guarding the forbidden secret of the Northwest Lifeline."
Taohua Old Daoist said with a serious expression, "Young Gu, whether you truly wish to settle that old score with the Setting-Sun Mountain Nine Elders Cave Dwelling, or you want to know the reason they tried to kill you back then, or for any other reason, this old man advises you: it's better to avoid trouble than to invite it. Sometimes, curiosity not only kills the cat but can also plunge a person into eternal damnation."
Gu Qingfeng looked at Taohua Old Daoist for a long while before speaking lightly, "You seem to be implying something."
"Sigh... This old man has said all that should be said, and even things that shouldn't have been said. I hope you will consider this carefully, young man."
"No problem. I will definitely consider it carefully."
Gu Qingfeng raised his cup and drank with Taohua Old Daoist.
They drank three cups in a row.
Gu Qingfeng stood up, glanced at the sky—it was already sunset—yawned, stretched, and said, "Alright, it's getting late. I should be going. We'll meet again if fate allows."
"Where are you going, kid?"
Hearing that Gu Qingfeng was leaving, Taohua Old Daoist looked both flustered and worried.
"Listening to you spout nonsense for so long has truly tired me out. I'm going to find a place to rest for a bit."
As he spoke, Gu Qingfeng yawned again. Taohua Old Daoist invited him to stay a few more days, but Gu Qingfeng had no intention of remaining. He waved his hand and was about to leave when he seemed to remember something. "Old Daoist, you know, when I was wandering in the Great Desolate Celestial Realm, I once met someone just like you."
Hearing this, Taohua Old Daoist's heart skipped a beat, though his expression remained unchanged. "Just like this old man?"
"That's right. Just like you. At the very least, they gave me the same feeling. That person also possessed Ancient Zen True Power, but theirs was far more formidable than yours."
Upon hearing this, Taohua Old Daoist's eyes flickered with complex emotions. He pressed, "Who was that person? What was their name?"
"Who they are, I don't know. As for their name..." Gu Qingfeng walked forward, plucked a peach blossom from the tree, turned around, a strange, wicked smile curling at the corner of his mouth as he looked at the blossom in his hand. "It's quite a coincidence, really. She called herself the Peach Blossom Heir."
"Peach Blossom Heir?"
Despite Taohua Old Daoist's best efforts to conceal it, his eyes betrayed him. And from his eyes, Gu Qingfeng confirmed some things.
"Was the Peach Blossom Heir you met a woman? Where did you meet her? What did she say to you?" Taohua Old Daoist seemed somewhat agitated, firing off several questions in succession.
Gu Qingfeng merely shrugged, shaking his head with an air of boredom. "It was too long ago... I really can't remember clearly... We'll talk about it another time. I'm off now..."
Just as Taohua Old Daoist wanted to ask more, Gu Qingfeng vanished without a trace, leaving no sign behind.
"Peach Blossom Heir? The Great Desolate Celestial Realm... That kid Gu..." Taohua Old Daoist stared in the direction Gu Qingfeng had disappeared, his eyes filled with confusion as he muttered to himself, "The Empress never had any heir... Could that kid be deliberately bluffing this old man? It doesn't seem like it either. And Ancient Zen True Power? What in the world is going on?"
That night.
Taohua Temple.
Inside a stone chamber.
Taohua Old Daoist stood quietly. Before him was a wall, upon which hung a portrait. The portrait depicted an ethereal, cloud-like woman.
Taohua Old Daoist first knelt and performed nine kowtows. After rising, he gazed at the woman in the portrait, sighed deeply, and spoke to himself, "Empress, that kid surnamed Gu really isn't dead. Not only is he not dead, but he has also returned..."
"This old servant could never see through that kid before, and now it's even more impossible. That kid neither reincarnated nor underwent rebirth, yet he's still alive. And by the looks of it, he's living better than anyone else. This is truly bizarre... That kid once ascended to the Peerless Throne of Immortals and Demons, but now it's gone. Not only is the Peerless Throne gone, but he doesn't even have a trace of Sinful Turbid Aura on him. This doesn't make sense!"
"Back when he was in this world, that kid defied the Immortal Dao, defied the Demonic Dao, and even defied the Heavenly Dao. He was judged by the Great Dao countless times. By all logic, the Sinful Turbid Aura on him should be terrifying... How could there not be a single trace?"
"What's even more frightening is, somehow, that kid's physical body has become incomparably powerful, and his strength is immense. It's truly hard for this old servant to believe. And then there's that Golden Core of his. That thing is even more terrifying. The evil of its power is unparalleled, truly frightening."
Recalling his earlier fight with Gu Qingfeng in the void still made Taohua Old Daoist's heart tremble with lingering fear—the indestructible, rock-solid body; the unstoppable physical strength; the extremely evil, violent, and savage power of the Golden Core.
Taohua Old Daoist knew that Gu Qingfeng had definitely not used his full strength back then. No! Forget full strength—his casual, almost careless attitude during the fight was simply... Taohua Old Daoist couldn't even imagine how terrifying it would be if that kid truly went all out.
"That kid said he just took a stroll around the Celestial Realm. This old servant can only scoff..." Taohua Old Daoist sighed again. This sigh carried much helplessness from his heart, a deep sense of powerlessness, and countless curses directed at Gu Qingfeng. He sighed, "Who knows what terrifying deeds that damned kid committed in the Great Desolate Celestial Realm... Otherwise, with the sins against the Great Dao he committed in this world, he never would have made it past the Cataclysm."
"Sigh... Regardless, he's back now... And he wants to confront the Setting-Sun Mountain Nine Elders Cave Dwelling. Although that kid didn't say it outright, this old servant is certain his motives are not as simple as settling that old score. There's probably another reason."
"That kid mentioned the Mysterious Era, Empress... Is the truth hidden within the Northwest Lifeline truly related to the mysterious Daoless Age?"
"And then there's Wu Dao Mountain. What kind of mountain is it? You mentioned Wu Dao Mountain back in the day, Empress. Why is that kid bringing it up now..." Another sigh escaped him. Taohua Old Daoist continued, "Empress, if that kid insists on seeking the Lifeline guarded by the Setting-Sun Mountain Nine Elders Cave Dwelling, what should this old servant do? That kid's strength is now unfathomable. Even if this old servant exhausts every means at his disposal, I don't know if I can stop him. And as for the Setting-Sun Mountain Nine Elders Cave Dwelling, if they learn that kid is still alive, they will spare no effort to erase him."
"Back then, you intervened to stop the Canyang Sage, Empress. If the Canyang Sage were to act again this time..."
"Sigh... The situation in the Northwest is getting more and more chaotic... The decree-bearers sent down by the Immortal Dynasty, the profound reincarnated experts, the strange and unknown mysterious figures, plus the destined individuals of the Setting-Sun Mountain Nine Elders Cave Dwelling. I don't know if the Mandate of Heaven will descend upon the Northwest. If it truly descends upon the Northwest... that would truly be a catastrophe..."