Chapter 18 Frankly Speaking About Life and Death

Speaking frankly about life and death, his tone was light and slow.

"Please."

Gu Changfeng raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

"Good."

An Qisheng also raised his glass and finished it in one go.

He was a human form condensed from spiritual will, and this wine was not a physical substance either. As soon as it entered his stomach, it transformed into a stream of pure energy, invigorating An Qisheng's spirit.

He couldn't help but exclaim:

"Good wine!"

"It's been aged for so many years, naturally it's good wine."

Gu Changfeng seemed very happy, and poured himself two more glasses, saying softly:

"Originally, there was no wine in this world that Yin Gods could drink. I put in a lot of effort to brew this wine back then."

"Your effort was not in vain."

An Qisheng held his glass, not drinking too much.

After another cup of wine, Gu Changfeng suddenly asked:

"Have you driven out the Tartars and restored my Central Plains?"

Suddenly hearing Gu Changfeng's question, An Qisheng was somewhat stunned, then solemnly replied:

"Just as you wished, sir."

"Good!"

Gu Changfeng's chest rose and fell for a moment, and his gaze towards An Qisheng became much softer:

"Very good..."

He died in the flames of war, his soul returning to this world, but his homeland was still a tie that bound him. Hearing this now, even though he himself was dead, he was still quite gratified.

Speaking of Xuanxing, the atmosphere seemed to undergo some subtle change.

An Qisheng seemed to sense something, but he didn't mind it. Instead, he turned to ask:

"Mr. Gu, how did you know I would come?"

"I knew someone would come, but I didn't know who it would be."

Gu Changfeng seemed to be in a very good mood, pouring and drinking for himself, downing three or four glasses of wine in a row before slowly speaking:

"You should also have an unknown ancient scroll, right?"

Unknown ancient scroll?

An Qisheng's heart stirred. He already knew that Gu Changfeng was talking about the fragments of the Daoyi Chart.

He had only been in this world for a short time when he sensed the fluctuations of the Daoyi Chart fragments.

However, Gu Changfeng didn't know the origin or information of the chart?

"That's right."

With thoughts swirling in his mind, An Qisheng nodded slightly.

"This ancient scroll is incomparably miraculous. Even if it is broken, it will eventually return to its origin. Since the ancient scroll is in this world, naturally someone will come sooner or later. I just didn't expect it to be a fellow乡党 (xiāng dǎng, fellow countryman) from the same world as me..."

Gu Changfeng paused at this point, drank a glass of wine, and then sighed:

"Unfortunately, you came a little late."

"I would like to hear the details."

An Qisheng remained unmoved.

He knew that the Huangtian Ten Fiends would be born in the near future, and there would be an even greater cataclysm that would destroy the world, but he didn't believe that death was inevitable.

However, he didn't refute it, wanting to hear what Gu Changfeng had to say.

"More than ten thousand years ago, when I died, I had a fortuitous encounter and came to this world. At that time, all living beings were sinking, and all spirits were food for demons and ghosts. The Xuanxing tribulation was insignificant compared to this world..."

Gu Changfeng held his wine glass, seemingly recalling something:

"The moment I came to this world, I was already contaminated by the Yin Sha (陰煞, yin energy) and resentment. That day, I had already become a demon and ghost. Fortunately, I still had some Daoist skill, and with the help of a skeleton, I preserved a glimmer of spiritual light..."

"In this way, I spent ten years in a daze before re-growing flesh on the bones, bringing the dead back to life, and refining my muscles, bones, and skin. After another three years, I formed my Dharma Body..."

Listening to Gu Changfeng's story, and comparing it to various legends, An Qisheng gradually understood.

Gu Changfeng must have gone to his death alone on Xuanxing, buried in the flames of war. Under the baptism of overwhelming artillery fire, he had no chance of survival.

Between life and death, the fragment of the Daoyi Chart he had obtained must have awakened, or he encountered a cosmic shift, and thus came to the Huangtian Realm.

He came at the end of ancient times.

At that time, the Huangtian Ten Fiends roamed the four seas and five continents, all living beings in the world were sinking, all spirits were wailing, and the human realm was like hell.

His Yin soul was instantly contaminated by Yin Sha Qi (陰煞氣, yin energy) that was thousands of times stronger than it was now.

If it hadn't been for relying on a skeleton, he would have fallen into a demon and ghost without any intelligence at that time.

And this should be the only tribulation that Gu Changfeng had experienced.

After that, it was his life that was like an open cheat.

In ten years, he transformed from a skeleton into a human being. In another three years, he achieved the Dharma Body. In another six years, he deduced and embarked on the path of purity on a path that no one had ever taken before.

After that, there were the long three hundred years.

During those three hundred years, he traveled the four seas and five continents, slaying demons and eliminating evil, helping those in need, and finally faced the Huangtian Ten Fiends.

This battle lasted for an unknown amount of time, until all of the Huangtian Ten Fiends were suppressed by him, and the ancient era came to an end.

His era, the medieval era, arrived.

"The foundation for the existence of demons and ghosts is the seven emotions of people, the five poisons of heaven, and the Yin Sha Qi (陰煞氣, yin energy) of resentment. At that time, the resentment in the world was too strong, people had no ethics, and there were no laws at all. Hundreds of ghosts roamed during the day, and people were used as food..."

"In the vast world, the four seas and five continents, there were only a little over a million people left, and all of them lived under the protection of some Yuanshen (元神, primordial spirit) True Men..."

"And the reason why those Yuanshen (元神, primordial spirit) True Men could survive was not because they were strong enough, but because the Huangtian Ten Fiends needed them to cultivate 'ingredients'."

Gu Changfeng said casually:

"Those ten old demons loved to eat the Yuanshen (元神, primordial spirit) and brains of cultivators."

An Qisheng could feel the cruelty within. The density of the Yin Sha Qi (陰煞氣, yin energy) would create a terrifying situation where Yin ghosts could not be killed, and would be reborn even if they were killed.

"Yin ghosts cannot be killed, the Huangtian Ten Fiends are immortal. I killed them for three hundred years, killing them from the Central Continent to all five continents, killing them all over the four seas..."

"Finally, I understood that the method of devouring ghosts cannot save the world, so I created Kui Xing..."

Gu Changfeng pointed to the shadow of the burly, ugly man opposite him.

This was his first attempt.

And this was the origin of the Kui Xing Dao (魁星道, Kui Xing Path).

An Qisheng nodded.

Kui Xing, the civil and military judge, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, Black and White Impermanence. These should be the seven different paths that Gu Changfeng took to save the world before the establishment of the Infernal Court system.

Needless to say, he failed seven times.

"Enlightenment, transcendence, judgment, slaughter... I tried too many times, but unfortunately, in the end, it was impossible. It was like a fish falling into the sea, wanting to drink up the four seas, so laughable. Demons and ghosts could not be killed, and even if they were killed, they would be reborn..."

Gu Changfeng's face softened at this point:

"Fortunately, seven younger brothers followed me, and in the end, it wasn't completely useless."

"The last attempt was the Netherworld Infernal Court?"

An Qisheng asked.

"That's right."

Gu Changfeng nodded: "The seven failures, although without success, also incidentally suppressed the ten old demon ghosts of the Huangtian Ten Fiends, and also became the foundation for me to open up the Infernal Court."

"But in a way, the Infernal Court also failed."

An Qisheng also sighed.

A system that would collapse without the Netherworld Monarch to suppress it couldn't be considered a success, not to mention that the Huangtian Ten Fiends would also break free.

"I have reached the end of the Dao of Man, but unfortunately, even so, I cannot bear all the Yin Sha Qi (陰煞氣, yin energy) and resentment from the past, present, and even the future..."

"My inner world was destroyed by the Yin Sha (陰煞, yin energy). Although it became the Netherworld, it was not completely successful after all. As time passed, Yin Sha (陰煞, yin energy) will eventually be born, treating the symptoms but not the root cause..."

Gu Changfeng's expression became less casual and more serious at this point.

"So, you want to cut off the source of all this?"

An Qisheng took over his words.

The collapse of the Netherworld, the collapse of the Infernal Court, the disappearance of reincarnation, and the disorder of the heavenly secrets all lay in Gu Changfeng's thought.

However, if he were Gu Changfeng, this step would be inevitable.

Treating the symptoms but not the root cause, suppressing it day by day, would eventually lead to a more terrifying outbreak.

Only by cutting off the hidden dangers from the source could there be a chance for a permanent solution.

"That's right."

Gu Changfeng nodded:

"I can suppress those ten old demons for ten thousand years, one hundred thousand years, but I cannot exist forever after all. If I die, who can suppress the world?"

His gaze swept over the two children beside him, the ancient books on the table, the big man opposite him, the cattle and horses outside the door, the cart, and he sighed for a long time:

"Unfortunately, I failed. I'm sorry to my seven younger brothers, and I'm also sorry to Little Jiu... He should have inherited my Dao and become the Netherworld Monarch..."

The price of failure was high.

The closure of the Netherworld, the collapse of reincarnation, the shutdown of the Infernal Court, the loss of control of the City Gods, and even his own fall.

An Qisheng was also silent.

Gu Changfeng was undeniably strong. From a lonely soul and a skeleton, he climbed to the top of the world step by step, suppressed the world, suppressed the Huangtian Ten Fiends, swept away the demonic aura, and opened up the Netherworld to accommodate all the Yin Sha Qi (陰煞氣, yin energy) and resentment in the world.

He opened up reincarnation to reduce the sins of the world, established the Infernal Court City Gods to dispatch the ghosts and gods of the world, supported the Dragon Court, and unified the Central Continent.

How could it be anything less than immeasurable merit?

Anyone who could accomplish even one of these things could already be famous for eternity, not to mention that he had accomplished all of them alone.

He was only one step away. If he had cut off the source of all disasters and chaos from the root,

he would have become the number one person in this world from ancient times to the future.

He would have become an immortal monument.

But even if he didn't accomplish the last step, his practice of the Dao in this world had already made him a sage, a saint, and a perfect man.

"One wrong move, and the whole game is lost!"

Gu Changfeng poured and drank for himself, emptied the wine pot, finished the appetizers, and looked at An Qisheng, a complicated expression on his face:

"You are stronger than me."

Meeting Gu Changfeng's gaze, An Qisheng already knew the reason for his failure, and couldn't help but shake his head and sigh: "The spiritual energy is poisonous..."

At this time, how could he not know

where Gu Changfeng had failed?

He also felt some emotion.

He had already done his best in everything he could do. Who would have thought that he would fall on this most ordinary and insignificant spiritual energy?

He said that he was stronger than him, not because he was stronger than him now, but because he was not poisoned by this 'spiritual energy'.

"Spiritual energy is poisonous... This description is indeed very appropriate."

Gu Changfeng was somewhat silent.

When he refined his muscles, bones, and skin, he already knew that 'spiritual energy was poisonous'. Unfortunately, his Yin soul entered the world without a physical shell or dwelling. He spent ten years in a daze and had no choice at all.

He had already been completely contaminated.

Even if he immediately realized that something was wrong afterwards, there was no room for recovery. After ten years of contamination, the poison of spiritual energy had already been imprinted in his original true light.

Even if he cultivated the Dharma Body, cultivated purity, and even achieved great Dao,

he could not recover.

"This is not a crime of war."

An Qisheng also felt somewhat complicated in his heart.

Gu Changfeng was a genius. In a land of spiritual energy deprivation, he had already achieved Seeing God and Not Being Corrupted at the age of twenty. In the Huangtian Realm, he was also invincible, but alas...

If he were in his position at the time, he was afraid that he would not be able to do better.

Gu Changfeng just shook his head:

"It's a pity that I died, but it has dragged down the Heavenly Duke..."