At that moment, Gu Changqing was clearly still immersed in an indescribably profound and mysterious state.
Within his open eyes, the ages of eternity seemed no more than a speck of dust, and the three thousand great Daos were merely lines upon his palm.
Chaos unfolded within them, galaxies were born and perished, and a supreme clarity that transcended all things and looked down upon the reincarnation of all living beings spread from him.
Even a Sage standing there would surely have been astonished.
There was no other reason!
Gu Changqing's state was simply more miraculous and more elusive than an epiphany that might come only once in countless ages.
Yet this clarity, enough to drain heaven and earth of their splendor, lasted only an instant.
The next moment, the vast galaxies in his eyes swiftly dimmed, the vision of heaven and earth being created dissolved into nothingness, and the unfathomable chaos was shrouded in thick mist.
Gu Changqing swayed. His straight back slumped once more, and he sagged against the bluestone, every trace of the bearing with which he had looked down upon eternity gone.
He smacked his lips, let out an indistinct mumble deep in his throat, and raised a hand to scratch his disheveled hair, looking utterly exhausted, as though his hangover had yet to pass.
His eyes grew unfocused and vacant again, as if even bringing them into focus had become an extraordinarily difficult task.
He groped about, patting haphazardly at his side, seemingly searching for something.
At last, his hand touched the cool, familiar Wine God Gourd.
Like a man clutching a lifesaving straw, Gu Changqing scooped the Wine God Gourd into his arms, laboriously pulled out the stopper, then tilted his head back and poured the wine into his mouth.
Glug... glug...
The fiery,