"Just confirming something?"
The Taohua Old Daoist pointed at Gu Qingfeng, shouting angrily, "What the hell are you doing confirming my Taohua Eye for if you've got nothing better to do, you brat!"
The Taohua Old Daoist was indeed panicked.
Because this well was indeed the source eye of the Peach Blossom Secret Realm. Although it was filled with profound mysteries, containing not only many defenses he had set up but also divine and mystical arrangements by the Empress, facing the mysterious, bizarre, and unfathomable Gu Qingfeng, the Taohua Old Daoist truly had no idea just how powerful this young man's abilities were.
Watching Gu Qingfeng move away from the side of the Taohua Eye, the stone hanging in the Taohua Old Daoist's heart gradually settled, and he couldn't help but let out a soft sigh of relief. But soon, when Gu Qingfeng's next words came, his heart began to race wildly again.
"I've seen her."
"Who? Who have you seen?"
Gu Qingfeng walked up to the portrait and looked at the woman in the painting. Seeing this, the Taohua Old Daoist's already racing heart grew excited. He hurriedly asked, "When and where did you see the Empress, you brat?"
"Empress?" Gu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow, turned around, and looked at the Taohua Old Daoist. "What Empress?"
The Taohua Old Daoist met his gaze. For some reason, he didn't answer the question but instead asked, "What exactly do you want from me, you brat?"
Gu Qingfeng didn't answer his question either. Instead, he continued to gaze at the woman in the painting, closed his eyes as if reminiscing, and said, "Old Daoist, I haven't lived long in this life—a mere five hundred years. Probably not even a fraction of your age. But in this life, I've encountered many, many strange and bizarre things and met many inexplicable people."
"Before, I didn't understand, didn't comprehend, and didn't have time to ponder this question. It was only after I luckily survived the great calamity this time and began to reflect on my life that I realized the so-called strange and bizarre people and things I encountered weren't inexplicable—they were karma."
The Taohua Old Daoist didn't know why Gu Qingfeng was suddenly talking about this. He didn't interrupt, just frowned and listened.
"I won't talk about those strange and bizarre things. Let's talk about those inexplicable people I met. There were many, many of them, and...
It's strange to say, but the minds of these people I met weren't very clear, and their consciousness was the same—each one more insane than the last."
When he heard about unclear minds and blurred consciousness, the Taohua Old Daoist's pupils contracted sharply. He wanted to say something, but the words stopped at his lips, and he ultimately didn't speak.
"The Empress you mentioned is one of them. Her mind isn't very clear either, and her consciousness is blurred. I met her three times in total, and each time she would ask me some strange questions."
"The first time I met her, she asked me if I was that person. I asked her which person, but she herself didn't know."
"The second time I met her, she asked me if I remembered her. I asked her who she was, and she still didn't know."
"The third time I met her, she told me that regardless of whether I was that person or not, I should wait for her. Where to wait, she didn't say. She only said her name was Taohua."
*Thump.*
The Taohua Old Daoist's body and mind couldn't help but tremble. His expression changed repeatedly. He opened his mouth, wanting to speak but hesitating. After much deliberation, he finally spoke. "You brat...
You've really seen Empress Taohua!"
The Taohua Old Daoist looked very excited. He ran up to Gu Qingfeng and pressed, "Where is the Empress now?"
"I don't know."
"Didn't the Empress tell you to wait for her?"
"I just said, she only told me to wait. She didn't say where to wait or when."
"This..." The Taohua Old Daoist raised his head and stared at the portrait on the wall, gazing at it in bewilderment.
"Old Daoist, you must know some things I don't, especially things from when I was an infant with incomplete consciousness. You should tell me about them."
The Taohua Old Daoist asked, "What do you want to know?"
"Whatever you know, tell me."
Gu Qingfeng's voice came, but the Taohua Old Daoist didn't respond. He seemed hesitant.
Gu Qingfeng walked back and sat down beside the well that was the Taohua Eye. "Today, I came to you to get some answers. Whether you want to talk or not, you will talk. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless and destroying the source eye of the Peach Blossom Secret Realm!"
"You!"
The Taohua Old Daoist glared at Gu Qingfeng, furious. "You dare threaten me, you brat?"
"What else do you think I'm doing?"
The Taohua Old Daoist's face flushed red with anger, his eyes wide. "You little bastard! I was just wondering why you were asking me about the source eye. So it was to threaten me! I'm telling you, brat, if you dare touch the Taohua Eye today, I'll definitely..." Before he could finish, Gu Qingfeng raised a palm and struck the Taohua Eye. A series of crisp cracking sounds immediately came from within.
Instantly, *rumble rumble!*
The cave abode shook violently.
"You damn little bastard!"
The Taohua Old Daoist flew into a rage. With a wave of his hand, light shimmered, space changed, and a black hole suddenly appeared, trying to swallow Gu Qingfeng.
But no matter how the black hole tried to devour him, Gu Qingfeng remained sitting beside the Taohua Eye, unmoving.
"Last time I let you drag me into the Peach Blossom Secret Realm, I was just playing with you. Did you really think this broken thing could shake me?"
"You damn...
You..." The Taohua Old Daoist kept trying to pull Gu Qingfeng into the Peach Blossom Secret Realm, but no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't budge Gu Qingfeng an inch.
"You went to the Heavenly Realm once, and you've really become a monster, you brat!"
Unable to drag Gu Qingfeng into the secret realm, the Taohua Old Daoist wanted to dash over. But he had just moved when he suddenly stopped. Because on Gu Qingfeng's opposite palm, a black-and-white intertwined radiance was flickering. The radiance seemed endless and inexhaustible, like light yet also darkness, like evil yet also vast and righteous, violent and cruel. Even more terrifying was that this radiance completely enveloped the Taohua Eye.
"Old Daoist, you probably don't know what this power is, right? Let me tell you, not only do you not know, I don't know either. And not only do I not know what this power is, I can't even control it. If you want to figure it out, I don't mind, but your Taohua Eye will probably..."
"You!
You!
You..." The Taohua Old Daoist was filled with hatred! He gritted his teeth until they itched, his face pale with rage. He glared furiously at Gu Qingfeng, wishing he could chop this brat into pieces.
*Whoosh!*
The hand Gu Qingfeng had placed on the mouth of the Taohua Eye well erupted with radiance again. That black-and-white intertwined, light-and-dark, yin-and-yang, evil-yet-vast rolling spiritual power burst forth, rushing straight to the bottom of the well!
Another series of crisp cracking sounds.
*Rumble rumble—* The Taohua Temple shook even more violently.
"Stop!
Stop!
I'll talk!
I'll talk, alright? You damn brat, stop now!"
Finally, the Taohua Old Daoist could bear it no longer. He raised his hands in surrender and admitted defeat.