"I did hate her, of course. But she is the Great Emperor of this age—what could I possibly do? Hate is hate..."
As she spoke, she raised her eyes to Gu Qingying, her expression impossibly complicated.
"Daoist friend, whatever state you were in back then, you did have quite a few dealings with that woman.
There are all kinds of rumors outside now, every version imaginable. But what truly happened... I fear only by going there in person and investigating can one learn what one wishes to know..."
Gu Qingying's melancholy eyes rippled at those words.
She did indeed know that Great Emperor of the current age rather well.
But that had been before she attained Dao and completely fell into demonhood. Back then, she had been the Devouring Heaven Woman spoken of by outsiders. Now, she was the Devouring Heaven Great Emperor, who had reigned over the Myriad Heavens and Ten Thousand Domains for thousands of years.
People changed...
"So he is alive, and he may indeed still be beneath Scarlet Glow River?"
Gu Qingying's voice sank slightly.
Chi Xuan slowly nodded, then slowly shook her head.
"It is possible that he is there, but... no one knows what his condition is.
That surge of Nirvana vitality I sensed years ago, flashing out from the forbidden ground for an instant, could not have been false. He should have successfully completed Nirvana thousands of years ago.
Yet to this day, he has never appeared in the outside world even once. Those rumors may not be impossible..."
She looked at Gu Qingying, a trace of probing appearing on her pale face.
"Judging by your manner, you... no, I should say all of you. There should be more than one of you... You are going to Scarlet Glow River, aren't you?"
"Yes."