Chenghong held the shining white-gold staff, his robes billowing, a misty golden light radiating from him, far more potent than anyone else's.
"Liu Jiang Fusheng."
He met her calm, unruffled gaze and uttered the four words softly.
Even at his low volume, everyone present was no ordinary mortal; they all heard him clearly.
He spoke a name that was not unfamiliar to anyone present, yet they found the context of its mention somewhat bewildering.
The crowd was confused, unable to fathom his purpose in bringing up Liu Jiang Fusheng.
Gu Junshi's eyes rippled with a gentle, flowing green, a thoughtful expression crossing her face as she repeated, "Liu, Jiang, Fu, Sheng..."
Chenghong observed her expression, his gaze focused, almost pouring into her. His soul was pure, his spirit clear. "Qing Xue" settled on his shoulder, its radiant glow complementing his immaculate countenance.
A Buddha's Son, born special. Upon completing all merits, he could enter Nirvana without passing through the underworld. His merits fulfilled, he would enter the Western Paradise.
His sacrifice to save the world, achieving advancement and fulfillment, meant he could directly ascend.
Thus, this calamity, which was ruin for others, was not necessarily a bad thing for him. He did not know if Gu Junshi had known this all along, or if it was mere coincidence.
However, this was not what he desired. He could not stand by indifferently while all beings suffered. He could not be like her, free to come and go without ties.
Chenghong slightly lowered his eyelids, his Buddha-like visage filled with compassion. He spoke each word as if pleading, "Through ten lifetimes of reincarnation, you seized the opportunity, choosing to sever emotions and love. For this, in every life, he died by your hand at the most innocent and unaware age."
Gu Junshi remained silent, listening.
Gu Junshi was not surprised that he knew all this. After all, this Chenghong before her was not simply the Buddha's Son of this life. He was also the Abbot Shi Bei of the Maha Chan Temple, whose soul had transmigrated from the first life.
"Do you know that in each life, after his death, his resentment lingered, his karmic path ruined by you? He did not know why he died, why he was reborn, or when this cycle of tragic death would end. It was like an endless darkness, repeating itself..."
As Chenghong spoke, he closed his eyes, trembling as if he felt the pain himself.
As he calmly narrated the unknown side of Liu Jiang Fusheng, many were stunned into silence.
"If he was your karmic debt, then dying by your hand in life after life has cleared the debt that fate owed you. After this life, your bond will be utterly severed, and Liu Jiang Fusheng will no longer exist in this world."
When he uttered, "Liu Jiang Fusheng will no longer exist in this world," Gu Junshi's expression slightly shifted. At this moment, her numb, cold heart suddenly felt a dull ache.
"Continue," she said indifferently.
"He defied destiny, contending with the Heavenly Dao, neglecting his responsibilities and fate to assist you in breaking through dimensions and ascending. Conversely, his fate and outcome are predictable. He may not only cease to exist in this life but in all lifetimes to come. And you should not let the life of Liu Jiang Tanyue be sacrificed so meaninglessly."
Upon hearing this, many were dumbfounded, feeling that Chenghong’s words were falling on deaf ears.
Those from the Wu Shang Mansion had red-rimmed eyes, their hearts stirred by emotion.
No matter how touching and sorrowful his words were, Gu Junshi had already killed her husband to achieve enlightenment. Would she abandon the world-ending benefit to her for someone who was dead?
Not a single person present believed that Gu Junshi genuinely had feelings for Liu Jiang Fusheng.
If she truly had feelings, how could she have killed him so decisively and cruelly? Was she not mentally disturbed?
Yet, Gu Junshi, who should have dismissed this with disdain, remained silent for a long time.
This... seemed to be different from their expectations. Why was she so patient and quiet, listening to the Buddhist son's accusation?
As time passed, even Danya began to sense something different.
He was greatly puzzled by this.
Chenghong's words... had actually made her hesitate.
How laughable.
The Human Emperor remained silent, perhaps his thoughts differed from others. How to put it, twisted love always differed greatly from ordinary perception.
Now, not only Danya saw it, but everyone else also belatedly realized that something was truly wrong.
"Do you know that Liu Jiang Tanyue, influenced by ten lifetimes of resentment, was plagued by inner demons? Yet, he still approached you with a sincere, passionate heart. He appeared detached from the human world, but he was always attached to human warmth and worldly justice. You perhaps do not know how your two children with him survived, or how they were born?"
Chenghong's heart was filled with bitterness, but he showed no outward sign. To make Gu Junshi recall past events, he could only reveal Liu Jiang Fusheng's deepest secrets.
This was originally Liu Jiang Fusheng's ultimate trump card, prepared to attack Gu Junshi's heart when the time was right. Unfortunately, fate intervened, and he ultimately missed his chance to speak.
Upon hearing this, Gu Junshi’s gaze snapped towards him, sharp and piercing.
Chenghong knew this because, firstly, he understood medicine, and secondly, he had met Liu Jiang Fusheng by chance. Liu Jiang Fusheng, to deal with a love rival and eliminate all potential threats, had subtly revealed some details.
He had always been bothered by Chenghong's attempt to persuade Gu Junshi to convert to Buddhism.
When Chenghong learned these details, he was greatly shocked. Empathizing, he believed no one could listen to this without being moved.
He then told her, his voice rough, "Everything you experienced during your pregnancy was borne by him for you. This is because his spiritual power perfectly matched the sustenance of the twins. However, this does not mean nurturing them was easy. Because he was male and lacked a womb, he forcibly cut open his abdomen and used the devouring power of the Kunpeng transformation to replace the womb, creating another realm."
"He sustained both fetuses with his body and had to maintain the devouring power of the Kunpeng transformation, suffering day and night from depleted meridians. He even defied convention, carrying children for three years as a man, and giving birth to twins. Time treated him lightly, but it left him with lifelong illnesses..."
At this point, he paused slightly, then looked at her, her stunned, frozen expression reflected in his eyes.
What was she thinking?
Was it disbelief, sadness, remembrance, or... regret?
"He could do this for you. Are you willing to bear the responsibility of fate for him, to absolve his selfish desires and sins against the common folk, and give him a new life?"
None of that.
Gu Junshi merely remembered when she first met him in Fengdu, his complexion was pale and unwell, and his cultivation realm was much lower than she had anticipated.
At that time, she was fully engrossed in her plans and did not think much of it. After all, she always knew he was favored by heaven and luck, able to turn misfortune into fortune.
She admitted that during her low point, out of jealousy, she had once resented him for this.
But she never expected that he would do something so contrary to natural laws and so utterly astonishing.