"Wait — one move?"
"Are you saying that during that battle back then, Chu Xuanyuan, who wasn't even thirty years old yet, defeated your Master with a single move?"
Hearing those words, the cloth-robed old monk's eyes widened in shock. Even his aged body began to tremble slightly, and the hair on his skin stood on end.
It wasn't fear. It was disbelief — utter astonishment.
"Mm."
Golden Crane True Immortal let out a deep sigh in response. His current state was very strange, as if he had been transported back to that scene from all those years ago, witnessing that battle once more.
"That's impossible. No matter how powerful Chu Xuanyuan was, there's no way he could have defeated your Master with a single move."
"Your Master was the strongest Palace Master that the Dao Palace had ever produced across all its generations. Even you and I, after cultivating for so long, have been unable to catch up — and in all likelihood, never will catch up in our lifetimes."
"How could he possibly have been beaten by Chu Xuanyuan in a single—"
"It was one move. I witnessed it with my own eyes. There is absolutely no mistake," Golden Crane True Immortal said, his eyes filled with solemn gravity.
"Chu Xuanyuan wasn't even thirty years old, yet he defeated my renowned Master with a single move."
"In my eyes, his strength at that time was enough to stand on equal footing with the Clan Chief of the Chu Heavenly Clan. And as for what he became later... I fear that no one in the entire Chu Heavenly Clan could have matched him."
"But then why was he killed by his own clansmen? It must have been because he chose to die willingly. Otherwise, if he had resisted, who could have possibly killed him?"
"I hated him because he was utterly domineering toward outsiders, possessing the absolute bearing of a king."
"But... when it came to his own clansmen, he was that cowardly — even willing to give up his life."
"I once admired him, but after his death, I despised him."
"Because I had witnessed his power with my own eyes, I placed such great hope in him."
"I even believed back then that he could make the Great Thousand World into a ruler of the Star Domain, and lead our Star Domain to conquer that vast, boundless cosmos."
"But he... destroyed himself at the hands of his own clan, dying just like that for nothing."
"I don't hate him because he defeated my Master, which led to my Master's death from sorrow and depression."
"I hate him because I had placed so many expectations on him, and yet he... threw away his own future just like that."
At this point, Golden Crane True Immortal's aged fists were clenched tightly, but in his eyes there was no longer a trace of anger. They were instead filled entirely with sorrow.
It was as if this was something he could never come to terms with — a regret that would haunt him for the rest of his life, a knot in his heart that could never be untied.
The cloth-robed old monk walked over to Golden Crane True Immortal and gently patted his shoulder. "We've been friends for so many years. How could I not understand you?"
"All these years, every time Chu Xuanyuan is mentioned, you lose your temper."
"Others think it's because your Master was defeated by Chu Xuanyuan, and that's why you hold a grudge against him."
"But I always felt there was something more to it. I just never expected that your feelings toward Chu Xuanyuan stemmed from having placed such deep hope in him, which eventually turned into equally deep disappointment."
"But Golden Crane, after all these years — has any of us ever actually seen Chu Xuanyuan's corpse? It's only ever been rumors that he was imprisoned by the Chu Heavenly Clan and then killed by his own people."
"But is he really dead? Could the Chu Heavenly Clan truly bring themselves to kill someone like Chu Xuanyuan? Could they even succeed in killing him?"
The cloth-robed old monk looked at Golden Crane True Immortal with a probing gaze. Yet his questioning seemed directed not only at Golden Crane True Immortal — it felt more as though he were questioning himself.
"Old monster, let it go. Don't harbor any more hope. We all know what the Chu Heavenly Clan is — they were always a cold-blooded race that spares no sentiment. Besides, Chu Xuanyuan did kill so many people. He truly did commit a grave wrong."