At Qiu Wuji's question, the Gu God chuckled softly. The laughter sounded as though it came from another dimension, distant, hoarse, and utterly mysterious.
"Sect Master Qiu is known as Shenzhou's uncrowned empress. Your might shakes the world, and all its heroes bow before you. Yet meeting you today, I find that you do not truly have an emperor's heart."
Qiu Wuji said, "What makes you say that?"
The Gu God laughed. "An emperor needs no reason at all. A simple 'How could I let someone else sleep beside my bed?' would be enough to bring these Ten Thousand Great Mountains under control. Yet you actually ask what enmity there is between us..."
Qiu Wuji said mildly, "It is hardly that extreme."
The Gu God said, "Enmity may be difficult to speak of, but as for offenses I have committed, there are plenty. Sheltering Yan Qianlie, joining forces with the Demon Tribe of Overseas, plotting to oppose Shenzhou's alliance-which of these is not an act of monumental defiance? It is hard to believe Sect Master Qiu has come here for anything other than to deliver a declaration of war."
Qiu Wuji gave a slight nod instead. "Even a declaration of war calls for courtesy before force. Our two sides have never exchanged envoys. How can there be any talk of defiance?"
The Gu God said, "So Sect Master Qiu has come in person as an envoy?"
"Correct," Qiu Wuji said. "At the very least, I must ask why you have done these things. The people of Shenzhou never enter the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. For ten thousand years, we have left each other alone. What is the reason for this outright opposition?"
The Gu God gave another low, hoarse chuckle. "Why must everything in the world have a reason...? Why