Chapter 441 - 220: The Shangguan Family’s Secret
On the side of the Purple Heaven Jade Mansion, Gu Haitang had, of course, already embarked on the return journey with her mother and fellow disciples.
They sat on a luxurious five-colored treasure ship, flying at an extremely fast speed, already nearing the inland.
After the previous great battle ended, people from the Shangguan family had come to persuade her and her mother to return, but Gu Haitang firmly refused.
With the support of the Purple Heaven Jade Mansion behind them, they couldn’t force it, so Shangguan He could only sigh and urge her to reconsider, saying that family is forever family, and as long as she was willing to return, past events could be forgiven.
But Gu Haitang remained silent, while Gu Jianjia on the surface said she would try to persuade her daughter more, but in fact had no intention of returning at all.
Despite seeing with her own eyes that Chu Xuan had safely escaped the Grotto Heaven, Gu Haitang had been somewhat absent-minded these days, often turning back to gaze into the distance, dreaming that Chu Xuan might suddenly come looking for her.
Even if it was to question her, or to scold her, she just wanted to see him once more, to tell him her true feelings, to say she didn’t betray him, that it was all Shangguan He’s nonsense.
But Gu Haitang was very clear that with the situation developing to this point, it became more and more difficult for them to come together.
This time, the Shangguan family also suffered heavy casualties. Although Gu Haitang had not been cultivating within the clan for many years, knowing and being close to only a few elders, and she couldn’t even name most of the deceased, they were people related to her by blood, with only a few being Honored Guests.
Moreover, Third Uncle was so seriously injured... Although Second Uncle and Third Uncle had been targeting Chu Xuan this time, they were elders who had placed many expectations on her since she was young, caring much for her, always fulfilling her needs for cultivation resources, never refusing her.
During the last wedding, it was also the two of them who attended together...
Gu Haitang didn’t know whether Chu Xuan had held back or was it unintentional, she only felt full of pain and confusion about the future.
Unlike Gu Haitang, Gu Jianjia showed indifference to the deaths in the Shangguan family. Although she bore the surname Gu and was married into the Shangguan family, having lived in the clan for many years, she seemed to have no emotional attachment to this family.
This made Gu Haitang somewhat surprised, as in her impression, her mother didn’t seem to be the kind of person with a cold nature.
She kept this question inside for a few days, always wanting to ask but not daring to.
Until today, when Gu Jianjia was sitting by the window, gazing at the sea of clouds outside, she softly said, "Do you think I’m cold-blooded?"
Gu Haitang, sitting across from her, was startled and quickly shook her head, "No, mother, I’ve never thought that."
Gu Jianjia’s face showed a slight sarcastic smile, "You’ve grown up, and some secrets should be revealed to you."
"Last time when you specifically took me out of the clan, I thought you had realized something, but it turned out not."
"At that time, I thought you were not mature enough, so I would tell you later."
"I didn’t expect that this delay would actually cause such trouble, almost leading to Chu Xuan’s death in the Grotto Heaven."
"I have given you ample time these past few days to think about what happened before, but unfortunately, you haven’t figured out much, just trapped in pain and self-pity."
"Enough, I’ll just say it directly, don’t you find the hatred of the Shangguan family somewhat unfathomable?"
Gu Haitang was initially a bit ashamed by her mother’s words. She was originally a clever girl, but had indeed been weighed down by matters of affection, and with this reminder, she vaguely began to understand.
"Indeed... it’s not normal, there shouldn’t be such hatred, the time gap is too long."
Gu Jianjia sneered, "What if I told you there’s a person who has lived from the third righteous and evil war till now?"
"For many years, the Shangguan family has been secretly controlled by him. This person despises the Celestial Evil Demon Venerable to the extreme. With the power to mobilize the entire family, this blood feud lasted six to seven hundred years under his hand and has never ended."
Gu Haitang was shocked to hear this, "This, this cannot be, could you mean..."
"That’s right, it is Shangguan Yu." When Gu Jianjia uttered these three words, her expression grew colder.
Gu Haitang was so shocked that she could hardly speak. [Profound Silence True Monarch] Shangguan Yu, this was the immortal ancestor revered through generations by the Shangguan family, wasn’t he supposed to have long ascended?
"Mother, do you mean to say that the ancestor stayed in the mortal world just to eradicate the Celestial Evil Demon Venerable?" Gu Haitang’s tone carried disbelief.
Gu Jianjia shook her head, "No, after winning the final battle, Shangguan Yu was enjoying infinite glory. He was a determined seeker of the Dao, and once the knot in his heart was resolved, it only took him half a year to return to peak condition and attempt the tribulation to ascend."
"He was indeed a prodigy; with the Nine Heavens Tribulation descending, he overcame the first eight with ease."
"But when the ninth heaven’s tribulation descended, a terrible thing happened, Shangguan Yu suffered a fatal curse kill."
Gu Haitang was both shocked and suspicious, "A curse kill? But wasn’t the Celestial Evil already dead by then?"
Gu Jianjia nodded, "According to post-event analysis, Shangguan Yu wasn’t cursed during the tribulation, it likely happened during the third righteous and evil war."
"However, the curse didn’t manifest during the battle, possibly because the Celestial Evil believed a direct outbreak might not kill him. Even if Shangguan Yu died, others would still besiege, not changing the outcome."
"Hence the Celestial Evil let the curse lay dormant in Shangguan Yu’s body, bursting forth at his weakest, coinciding with the descending tribulation to completely claim his life. It’s a strategy of perishing together by the Demon Venerable."