130: Covering the regrets of the Nine Netherworlds, your master will help you defy fate.

"An extraordinary person?"

Li Daoxuan turned around and smiled as he looked at the old man who, despite being blind, seemed to have a "gaze" that could pierce through one's heart.

He no longer pretended to be an ordinary person.

An ethereal and otherworldly aura, harmonizing with heaven and earth, slowly emanated from him.

He walked to the only empty table in the teahouse, sat down, and poured himself a cup of coarse tea.

"You must be joking, old gentleman."

"I am but a simple rustic from the mountains; I do not deserve the word 'extraordinary'."

Gai Jiuyou also held his Ancient Zither and slowly sat down opposite Li Daoxuan.

His hollow eye sockets "looked" in Li Daoxuan's direction, and a self-deprecating curve formed at the corner of his mouth.

"Fellow Daoist is too modest."

"To be able to see through my Dao injuries at a glance and casually produce a Spirit Stone containing a trace of 'Dao' rhyme..."

"If you are just a rustic, then the Cultivators of this world are probably all just loaches in the mud."

Li Daoxuan heard this and no longer hid his true self.

He knew that in front of such an old monster who had lived for nearly ten thousand years, any disguise would appear somewhat ridiculous.

"Since Senior has seen through it, then Junior will no longer hide anything."

Li Daoxuan put down his teacup, looked at him with burning eyes, and spoke slowly, emphasizing every word:

"Nine thousand years ago, the Azure Emperor attained the Dao, unrivaled throughout the ages."

"But everyone in the world knows that in that brilliant era, there was another person of peerless elegance and world-swallowing ambition who narrowly lost the path to emperorship by a mere half-move."

"That person suppressed the Dark Unrest for thousands of years by his own power, establishing immortal merits for the Human Race."

"His name..."

Li Daoxuan paused, a hint of respect entering his voice.

"Gai Jiuyou."

"I wonder, has this Junior spoken incorrectly?"

As soon as these words were spoken...

Gai Jiuyou's withered arm, which was holding the Ancient Zither, suddenly trembled.

For the first time, a look of emotion appeared on his old face, which had been as calm as an ancient well.

Although it was only for a split second, it was keenly captured by Li Daoxuan.

"Hehe..."

After a long time, Gai Jiuyou let out a complex, bitter smile, which was filled with endless vicissitudes and loneliness.

"It's all in the past."

"It's been nine thousand years. To think... someone still remembers this old man's name."

"What Quasi-Emperor, what Prodigy? They are all but passing clouds."

He reached out his hands, covered in age spots, and gently stroked the Ancient Zither in his arms, which was so worn that its original appearance could no longer be discerned.

"Now, I am just a... blind old man with one foot in the grave."

"Lingering on, watching the sunset."

A hero in his twilight years.

Ambitions unfulfilled.

Li Daoxuan could feel the thick, inseparable Death Qi on the old man before him, as well as the... bone-deep... resentment.

"Senior has fought for the Human Race all his life, with merits that cover a thousand autumns. This Junior admires you."

Li Daoxuan said sincerely.

This was not a polite formality.

But respect from the bottom of his heart.

"Merits that cover a thousand autumns?"

Gai Jiuyou shook his head and gave a self-deprecating smile.

"It's just barely surviving in this world, powerless to change anything."

His voice became low, as if he had fallen into distant memories.

"Back then, if I could have been just a bit stronger, perhaps I could have pacified those damned Forbidden Zones and returned eternal peace to the Human Race."

"Back then, if I could have taken that final step and attained emperorship, perhaps... I could have severed the source of that darkness, so that our Human Race... would no longer be reduced to livestock for slaughter."

In his hollow eye sockets, it was as if two flames were burning.

"What a pity..."

"There are no 'ifs'."

"Born at the wrong time, the Great Dao is flawed; this is the mandate of heaven."

"Failing to pacify the darkness, failing to attain emperorship..."

He reached out and gently exhaled a breath of turbid Death Qi.

"In this life, I have regrets."

Just four short words, yet they expressed all the resentment and desolation of a supreme hero over nine thousand years.

Listening to his words filled with regret.

Li Daoxuan fell silent.

He could feel that Gai Jiuyou's flame of life was like a candle in the wind, liable to be extinguished at any moment.

His Dao injuries were too severe.

They were caused by the Azure Emperor's Great Dao, a crushing blow at the level of Law.

Unless there was an Undying Divine Medicine, or... another Great Emperor personally took action to Heaven-Defyingly change his destiny.

Otherwise, death was certain.

Looking at the soon-to-perish guardian deity of the Human Race before him, an extremely bold thought suddenly surged in Li Daoxuan's heart.

He cherished talent.

Even more so, he didn't want to see such a hero disappear so desolately into the long river of history.

Furthermore... he looked at the faint Quasi-Emperor Luck on Gai Jiuyou.

In his heart, the thought named "fleecing the wool" uncontrollably popped up again.

If he could trick him into joining the Sect... even if only as a Guest Elder.

Then the prestige of the Kaoshan Sect would be instantly maximized, wouldn't it?

In the future, when calling for backup, he wouldn't even need to act himself.

He would just shout: "Senior Jiuyou, someone is causing trouble!"

Just thinking about that scene felt exhilarating.

"Ahem."

Li Daoxuan cleared his throat and suppressed those unrealistic thoughts in his head.

He looked at the old man opposite him, who already had a death wish, and slowly put down the teacup in his hand.

Then, in an extremely flat yet undeniably confident tone, he spoke slowly:

"The mandate of heaven?"

He sneered.

"In my view, the so-called mandate of heaven is nothing more than an excuse for the weak who are powerless."

Hearing this, Gai Jiuyou frowned slightly, and his hollow eye sockets "looked" at Li Daoxuan.

"What does Fellow Daoist mean by this?"

"What do I mean?"

Li Daoxuan smiled.

He slowly stood up, and a terrifying aura that was deliberately suppressed yet still made the surrounding space freeze flashed from him for a moment.

"I understand Senior's regrets."

"It's nothing more than... your life isn't tough enough, and your fists... aren't hard enough."

"But..."

Li Daoxuan's tone shifted, and his deep eyes sparkled with a brilliance like that of a god.

"What if I said..."

"I can help you reconnect your broken path and Heaven-Defyingly change your destiny?"

"What if I said..."

"I can let you... live a second life, and even... have the chance to personally make up for your regrets from back then?"

Boom!

As soon as these words were spoken...

It was like a bolt of thunder from the Nine Heavens, striking hard upon Gai Jiuyou's long-withered heart!

His withered arm, which was holding the Ancient Zither, suddenly trembled!

The Ancient Zither in his arms let out a mournful cry, as if it were overwhelmed!

"You... what did you say?!"

For the first time, a look of shock appeared on Gai Jiuyou's old face, which had been as calm as an ancient well.

He "looked" at the Youth in White Robes who had spoken such shocking words, his voice trembling.

"Heaven-Defyingly changing destiny?"

"Living a second life?"

"Even the Azure Emperor of back then wouldn't have dared to say such things lightly, right?!"

He instinctively thought it was a massive joke.

"A fool's dream."

"But... looking at the other's calm and confident eyes."

"Feeling that unfathomable, terrifying aura that seemed to encompass all the myriad Daos."

"His withered heart, which had been silent for nine thousand years..."

"Unexpectedly... uncontrollably... gave a violent throb."