The fate of Dan Ya was determined by the Heavenly Dao. According to the original plot, his role was to be the Heavenly Dao's favored son in the early stages, consumed by jealousy towards his junior martial brother, a villain whose constant troublemaking would lead to significant events for the favored son.
Those who have read the book know that any villain is bound to be a stepping stone for the protagonist to gain face and level up.
He was supposed to die at the hands of Liu Jiang Fusheng, the Heavenly Dao's favored son, when he was at the Da Yan Sect. Yet, she changed everything.
Now that his fate had been altered, once he broke free from his original role and gained prestige and a new social standing, even the Heavenly Dao could not easily eliminate him.
Thus, the Heavenly Dao weighed the consequences and attributed all the future karmic debts generated by this troublesome individual to her, intending for her to sever the causal link between them.
To put it plainly, the Heavenly Dao wanted her to deal with Dan Ya.
He was possessed by malevolent thoughts, essentially transforming into a demonic heretic. Given his current trajectory, the day he committed heinous crimes and acts of arson was not far off. However, the Heavenly Dao had already informed her of the consequences: if she did not intervene, the blame would fall upon her.
"I can remove the malevolent thoughts for you and return you to the complete Dan Ya."
Gu Junshi was not the Heavenly Dao's favored son; she was a major antagonist whose fate was similar to Dan Ya's. Her methods naturally differed from Liu Jiang Fusheng's.
Besides, she had no intention of following the will of the Heavenly Dao.
Golden and black Dao patterns suddenly emerged from her body. These Dao patterns, floating like mayflies, disturbed the very rules of the world. A section of the space behind her collapsed, and then three thousand Daos of the Great Laws suddenly extended from the void, forcefully attempting to drag Dan Ya away from her.
This was the Heavenly Dao intervening, refusing to allow Gu Junshi to perform any superfluous actions that violated its rules right under its nose.
Tolerating one such individual did not mean it would tolerate another Dan Ya.
However, Gu Junshi met the three thousand Great Laws chains with a cold, raised eyebrow and forcefully halted them all mid-air.
"Someone who belongs in hell should be claimed by the underworld. Heavenly Dao, by what right do you contend with me?"
Gu Junshi's fingertips exerted a subtle force, a mere rub, and sparks flew. Then, with a "snap," the chains of laws shattered.
Her divine sense transformed into a creamy, bubbling mass that rapidly expanded, and finally, she "devoured" Dan Ya in one gulp.
All the malevolent thoughts within him were "swallowed" by her.
Dan Ya's body was drawn up by an invisible force. He opened his mouth wide, and black energy was sucked out from his orifices. He was not in pain, nor was he entirely relieved; the accumulated ailments within his body for years were being ruthlessly extracted.
"Ah—"
At the same time, the void and lack within the depths of his heart were being filled with a benevolent soul.
Before long, he regained his initial elegance, the pure and refined demeanor of the Yun Xia Xian Chang. The evil that had burdened his shoulders for years was completely purged, making him even more refined and ethereal than when they first met.
Conversely, Gu Junshi's appearance now resembled that of someone possessed, as if she had fallen into demonic ways.
Her pupils were grayish-white, and black, thread-like veins appeared on her face, mirroring Dan Ya's previous state.
"How can you..." Dan Ya fell to the ground, staring in shock at his restored hands.
Suddenly, a thunderous clap of lightning echoed from the sky, faithfully manifesting the Heavenly Dao's fury at that moment.
Although Gu Junshi appeared monstrous, she was not affected by the malevolent thoughts and remained calm. "It's nothing."
Wei Li flashed over in a streak of red light and anxiously grasped her hand.
"A Yi, Junshi, how are you? Why would you dare to consume such a thing? You've become so ugly, how can I possibly help you recover?" he exclaimed frantically.
Gu Junshi glanced at him, as if seeing through his current concerns, and her eyes sparkled. "Since I'm so ugly, will you still marry me?"
Wei Li's expression froze; he truly hesitated for a moment.
But recalling all their past moments, he wrestled between his nature and his affection for a while. Finally, gritting his teeth, he nodded, "I will marry you!"
The child looked so wronged.
Gu Junshi deliberately asked, "Then would you dare to kiss me right now?"
She knew that Jiu Wei, this flirtatious fox, was always concerned with beauty and had a physiological aversion and disdain for anything unsightly. Of course, he also had many other flaws, such as favoring the strong and disdaining the weak, being arrogant, selfish, and ill-tempered.
"Kiss me?"
Wei Li was stunned.
"I might be like this forever. If you find me repulsive, I can give you a chance to go back on your word and change your requirements."
Wei Li shook his head frantically. "No—I—I can do it."
Gu Junshi watched him quietly, as if questioning whether he was deceiving her or himself.
Seeing her disbelief, Wei Li simply closed his eyes, his face tense, and leaned in.
But his neck stretched and stretched, yet he still couldn't reach.
He squinted suspiciously, then realized it wasn't that he couldn't reach, but that Gu Junshi had already moved away.
With a swish, he opened his eyes, only to find Gu Junshi had, at some point, put away her teasing demeanor. Her gaze bypassed him directly and landed behind him.
Wei Li turned his head abruptly. At this moment, he saw Dan Ya lying unconscious on the ground, trapped within a golden light barrier. Behind him stood a Buddhist disciple clad in pure white monk robes.
Cheng Hong clasped his hands together and said calmly, "Long time no see, Gu Junshi."
Gu Junshi looked at him deeply, a sense of familiarity welling up within her.
The way he looked at her was also unreserved, so she recognized him immediately.
This Cheng Hong was not the Cheng Hong of this life, but the one from her first life with whom she had a past entanglement.
She let out a light chuckle. "I thought only I had arrived in this life."
But she hadn't expected this life to be so compromised.
Liu Jiang Fusheng had been reborn, and he had followed.
"Perhaps it is because in this life, everything will be resolved. You wish to sever all worldly karma before ascending. And me, how do you plan to resolve our karma?"
Cheng Hong seemed to have foreseen everything, his clear and bright eyes gazing at her with perfect clarity.
Gu Junshi saw threads of karma on him, and they were not shallow.
These threads of karma would become the force that pulled her down as she ascended. Only by severing all of them could she successfully ascend to the immortal realm.
"Cheng Hong, what we had is long over. You should return to your first life, to your world," Gu Junshi said coldly and ruthlessly.
However, Cheng Hong suddenly revealed a look of melancholy she couldn't comprehend.
"Gu Junshi, our matters are not over. I came because of you," he said.
Gu Junshi was willing to listen.
Cheng Hong lowered his eyelids and said calmly, "Back then, you refused to hear my explanation. You said that since established facts cannot be changed, the cause and process are unimportant. But Gu Junshi, you can erase everything with a single stroke, but I cannot."