To be honest.
Gu Qingfeng hadn't initially taken the so-called Blood of Original Sin seriously. Although this thing was the blood of that Wudao Da Ye, and that Wudao Da Ye was the legendary Lord of Original Sin who buried heaven and earth and severed karma, in Gu Qingfeng's mind, it wasn't Wudao Da Ye himself after all—it was merely a drop of his blood. No matter how powerful it was, how powerful could it really be?
But ever since hearing what Jun Xuanji had said—about it being a 'living' Blood of Original Sin, that it not only contained Wudao Da Ye's spiritual will but might also harbor something even more terrifying—Gu Qingfeng felt a chill run down his spine for the first time in his life.
He had originally thought to take advantage of his physical body's slumber to enter his Sea of Consciousness and carefully investigate. Unfortunately, he couldn't find out anything. No matter how he tried to sense it, the result was the same.
Later, Gu Qingfeng considered whether he should use his own Avici-Wicked Asura Soul to try and stir up his Sea of Consciousness, forcibly provoke the Blood of Original Sin, and incidentally rouse that Ancient Taboo as well, to see if he could uncover something.
But after thinking it over carefully, he decided to forget it.
Better not to mess around recklessly.
For one thing,
Gu Qingfeng knew nothing about either the Ancient Taboo or the Blood of Original Sin. He had no idea what the consequences would be if he managed to rouse these two existences.
For another, the Avici-Wicked Asura Soul itself wasn't very stable. If he ended up failing to rouse the Blood of Original Sin and the Ancient Taboo but instead stirred up the Avici-Wicked Asura Soul, that would be a case of losing more than gaining. And if he did manage to rouse the Blood of Original Sin and the Ancient Taboo, the trouble would be even greater. Who knew if the three of them, plus the Myriad Forms Worship, would start fighting.
Once these guys started fighting, Gu Qingfeng would be completely unable to intervene—he could only watch helplessly. If they ended up making a complete mess of his Sea of Consciousness, it wouldn't just be trouble anymore.
So.
Better to forget it.
Since they all seemed content to remain asleep like this, then let them sleep.
He'd deal with it whenever they woke up.
Gu Qingfeng wasn't in a hurry.
Not in the slightest.
He wasn't afraid either.
If he were the fearful type, he wouldn't have lived this long.
He would have been scared to death long ago.
He didn't linger in his Sea of Consciousness for long before leaving.
After leaving, he didn't choose to fall asleep either.
Instead, he entered the Bone Jade of Annihilation.
In the ethereal world stood an ethereal mountain, and on that ethereal mountain was an ethereal temple. Within that ethereal temple lived an old monk Gu Qingfeng had never met.
The inside of the Bone Jade of Annihilation was still the same as before.
No changes whatsoever.
The world looked small, yet also vast. The feeling was akin to what the Buddhists described: seeing a mountain not as a mountain, yet seeing a mountain as a mountain.
It was truly marvelous.
Every time Gu Qingfeng entered the Bone Jade of Annihilation, his sensation was different.
He still remembered the first time he entered the Bone Jade of Annihilation—he felt like a blind man and a deaf man, unable to see or hear anything.
Later, whether due to his realm improving or his state of mind changing, each subsequent entry into the Bone Jade of Annihilation seemed to grant him clearer sight and hearing than before. This feeling was wondrous. And the clearer he saw and heard, the more he discovered how truly inconceivable the Bone Jade of Annihilation was. Inside, a single mountain, a single stone, even a single grain of dust was like a world unto itself. Sounds arrived as if flowers bloomed and fell, as if spring returned to the earth, as if mountains and rivers rose and fell, as if ocean waves surged...
"A single flower is a world, a single tree a bodhi, a single blade of grass a paradise, a single leaf a Tathagata, a single grain of sand a bliss, a single direction a pure land, a single smile a worldly bond, a single thought a tranquility..." Gu Qingfeng mused aloud.
As his words fell, an aged voice came: "Amitabha. Excellent, excellent. Esteemed Benefactor Gu's realm grows ever higher, his comprehension of my Buddha ever clearer, and his state of mind ever more peaceful. Truly something to celebrate."
It was the old monk's voice.
Still as before—extremely aged, each word sounding as if it had traversed a thousand years, carrying the weight of time's vicissitudes, like fleeting clouds.
"Is that so? I don't feel anything."
"Following the Natural Order is the supreme state my Buddha pursues."
"Following the Natural Order?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head. "Easier said than done. In this day and age, who can truly follow the Natural Order?
Only saints without desires or demands, without the seven emotions and six desires, can truly follow the Natural Order."
As he spoke, Gu Qingfeng chuckled. "It's not that I look down on you Buddhist practitioners, but you always shout your slogans to the heavens, yet it's just empty shouting. You spend all day proclaiming yourselves saintly Buddhas, mouths full of benevolence and morality, waving the banner of compassion high, chanting about the equality of all living beings, yet what you seek is to follow the Natural Order. Don't you find that contradictory?"
"What is the Natural Order?
Birth, aging, sickness, death, evil, and goodness are all part of it. Where there is light, there will be darkness. Where there is justice, there will be evil. Where there is enmity, there will be hatred. Where there is kindness, there will be resentment. Some seek life, others seek death. A tiger is born the king of beasts; an ant is destined to be lowly. A cat catching a mouse is right and proper, in accordance with the laws of the Natural Order. What is the Natural Order?
This is the Natural Order. What's all this talk about the equality of all living beings? In this vast universe, among all living things, where is there any equality?"
"If all living beings were truly equal, why would humans still seek immortality and inquire about the Dao?
Why still seek Buddha?
To put it bluntly, if all living beings were equal, Buddha would be demon, and demon would be Buddha."
Gu Qingfeng had never revered heaven and earth, nor gods and Buddhas. Although he'd once held a bit of goodwill toward Buddhism, that remaining bit had gradually faded with time. Especially since awakening in this world—first, the Western Heaven Buddhist Sect hid within the Tai Xu Stele to assassinate him, then nine years ago they tried to erase him. If Gu Qingfeng hadn't first kidnapped the wrathful incarnation of the Great Sun Tathagata, the Western Heaven Buddhist Sect definitely wouldn't have stood idly by.
If asked whether Gu Qingfeng revered Buddha now,
he would only answer three words: "Revere my ass."
More importantly, according to his master Zhen Jue, a long, long time ago, the Human Dao was the leader among the Great Daos, and the Three Thousand Great Daos were truly equal. The reason the Human Dao later fell was due to the joint suppression by the Three Thousand Great Daos, and among them, the Buddhist Dao certainly played its part.
So.
They're all wolves; none of them should pretend to be sheep.
The old monk remained silent for a long time, only sighing softly before speaking no more.
Perhaps realizing his words had been a bit harsh, Gu Qingfeng felt some regret. Thinking that speaking ill of Buddhism before the old monk was rather improper, he offered an apologetic tone: "Well...
Old Monk, don't take it to heart. I was just spouting nonsense. Actually, some Buddhist cultivators do deserve the title of 'Saintly Monk.'"
"Esteemed Benefactor Gu need not apologize so. The Western Heaven Buddhist Sect is no longer the Blissful Pure Land of old, and true seekers of Buddha are likely few and far between..." Gu Qingfeng didn't know about the affairs of the Western Heaven Buddhist Sect, nor did he care to bother with such idle concerns. So, he had no interest in this topic either. He asked again, "Old Monk, let me ask you something."
"What matter does Esteemed Benefactor Gu wish to inquire about?"