"I fought alone to the ends of the world, a hero all my life. I lost..."
Motes of radiant rain flew from Gu Sheng's hand and sank into the old man's skull, dispelling his rage and hostility and gradually restoring his calm. Confusion and release mingled in his eyes, a complicated look as he briefly settled into peace.
Gu Xin'ao's name had once shaken the universe, his fearsome reputation forged in battle. He had suffered only one defeat in his life. He was the sole rival of the Azure Emperor, Wan Qing, on the path to emperorship, and had blazed with unmatched brilliance across the skies of history ten or twenty thousand years ago.
Among all the pinnacle figures from the age of myths to the present Desolate Antiquity, the Azure Emperor was an insurmountable barrier. He was a Heavenly Emperor-level powerhouse whose name stood alongside the Ruthless One and Wushi. He had once entered the Divine Ruins and slain two Great Perfection Saint Spirits in succession, an unparalleled figure of overwhelming might.
His origins were extraordinary. He was an undying lotus reborn from an Immortal King's remains, effectively the reincarnation of an Immortal King. His power astounded past and present alike. Undefeated throughout his life, he had always swept aside every opponent. Gu Xin'ao alone had stood in his way and fought him in a great battle.
Like Gai Jiuyou, Gu Xin'ao had lost his chance to attain the Dao because of the Azure Emperor. Yet compared with Gai Jiuyou, he was either more fortunate or more unfortunate. Born in the same generation as the Azure Emperor, he had fought him for years and briefly glimpsed a chance to attain the Dao and become an emperor. In the end, however, he had lost.
His life was steeped in legend.