Sacred Ground.
A place both ancient and legendary.
It was said to be a place where the Sages of antiquity once dwelled, and thus, some also called it the Sage's Legacy.
The Sacred Ground held an exceedingly lofty position between heaven and earth, especially in the Great Wild Celestial Realm. Its status was so high that even the Three Thousand Great Daos had to show it some face.
And indeed, that was the case.
At the very least.
After Xuanyuan Wan spoke out to reprimand the Great Daos, the Daos beyond the firmament all chose silence. Moreover, when Xuanyuan Wan descended, the Great Daos that had been seizing the chance to move against Gu Qingfeng also halted one after another. The slowly rising Celestial Great Sun, the Purification Sun, and the Salvation Sun all ceased their flickering. The rolling, surging majestic might of the Great Daos all retracted.
Obviously.
Whether it was the Immortal Dao, the Buddha Dao, or the Heavenly Dao, they all seemed to be giving Xuanyuan Wan this face.
And Xuanyuan Wan did not continue to reprimand the Great Daos either. She merely glanced at the increasingly sinister and malevolent Blood Moon hanging in the sky, her brow furrowing slightly as if worried about something. Then, she looked at Gu Qingfeng again, her gaze profoundly complex.
There was wariness, helplessness, sympathy, admiration, bewilderment, and hesitation…
A single look like this was as if it had spanned a thousand autumns and ten thousand ages, or as if they had met again after several cycles of reincarnation. It was as complex as it could possibly be.
"Gu…" Xuanyuan Wan tried to speak, but after uttering just one word, for some reason, she stopped, looking as if she wished to speak but hesitated. After a moment, she secretly took a deep breath and then continued, "Young Master Gu, I know you will not listen to my persuasion, but I…
still wish to say a few words to you."
Gu Qingfeng paid no attention. He hadn't even glanced at Xuanyuan Wan since her arrival. From beginning to end, he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, staring fixedly at the Blood Moon in the sky. The bloody smoke rising from his body grew more intense, his left arm trembled even more violently, and his pair of dark eyes were gradually turning crimson and sinister.
"The Great Daos have realized the mistake they made…
I think they deeply regret it as well, regret threatening you with Xiao Jinr's life. I have not come here to plead for the Great Daos. Their actions, the mistakes they made, are simply not worthy of forgiveness."
"I only…
only hope you can hand over Xiao Jinr for the time being."
Perhaps worried that Gu Qingfeng would misunderstand, Xuanyuan Wan immediately explained, "Don't misunderstand, I have no other intentions. I will neither harm Xiao Jinr nor use her to threaten you. I only…
wish to help Xiao Jinr, and to help you as well."
"I know you fused Xiao Jinr's Blood Spirit into yourself to save her, but by doing so, you must bear the influence of the Blood Moon."
"This Blood Moon is not only the Blood Moon of the Daoless Age, but also a terrifying curse from that era. I believe I don't need to tell you, you should already be feeling it. If you bear the influence of the Blood Moon, your mental fortitude, your spiritual will, your consciousness, and even your soul will all be affected…" "That's not even the most terrifying part. The most terrifying part is that the Blood of Original Sin within your body will likely also…" Watching Gu Qingfeng's left hand behind his back tremble increasingly, Xuanyuan Wan said cautiously, "You sealed the Blood of Original Sin in your left arm. It seems to have been dormant all this time, and now, influenced by the Blood Moon, it is very likely to awaken…" "Once the Blood of Original Sin awakens, it will break through the seal and completely fuse with you. At that time…" What would happen then? Xuanyuan Wan did not continue. She didn't know what would become of Gu Qingfeng if the Blood of Original Sin fused with his entire body.
Gazing at the silent Gu Qingfeng, Xuanyuan Wan continued to persuade him, "Can you give Xiao Jinr's Blood Spirit to me first?
I have a way to save her. Please don't worry, I absolutely will not leave, nor will I hand her over to anyone else. If you don't trust me, I can swear a Heaven Oath right now."
A Heaven Oath.
It was a type of covenant, a contract made with the Heavens. Once violated, one would suffer a curse.
As Xuanyuan Wan spoke, she raised her right hand and extended three fingers, ready to swear the Heaven Oath on the spot. At that moment, the silent Gu Qingfeng suddenly spoke.
"No need."
Xuanyuan Wan's heart skipped a beat. "Why?
Don't you trust me?
I can swear in the name of the Sacred Ground."
"No reason."
"But…
But if you stubbornly persist like this, not only will you fail to save Xiao Jinr, you might even implicate yourself!"
Xuanyuan Wan seemed very anxious, speaking urgently, "You clearly can feel the curse of the Blood Moon. You clearly can feel that under the curse of the Blood Moon, the Blood of Original Sin will definitely awaken…
If the Blood of Original Sin awakens and completely fuses with you, exactly what will happen, I may not know, but I know you may no longer be yourself…
You feel this too, don't you?"
"I know the actions of the Great Daos this time have already touched your reverse scale. Saying anything more is meaningless. I also know you will definitely make the Great Daos pay the price they deserve, and personally, I fully support you in doing so. But…
can you first give Xiao Jinr's Blood Spirit to me? I can save her, you won't need to endure the influence of the Blood Moon anymore, and you can avoid the awakening of the Blood of Original Sin…
This way, it's good for Xiao Jinr, good for you, and good for everyone, isn't it?"
"After saving Xiao Jinr, when you make the Great Daos pay the price, take me with you. I'll accompany you…
Alright?"
Xuanyuan Wan's words not only stunned Su Hua beside them, but also made Ye Tianlan of the Female Sect, White-Browed Holy Monk, and even Da Xing the Mad Monk doubt if they had misheard.
Xuanyuan Wan was really going all out to persuade Gu Qingfeng—not only swearing a Heaven Oath, but also preparing to accompany Gu Qingfeng in making the Great Daos pay the price?
Were these really words that should come from someone of the Sacred Ground?
And the purpose of Xuanyuan Wan doing all this was only to get Gu Qingfeng to hand over Xiao Jinr.
No!
To be precise, it was to prevent Gu Qingfeng from being further influenced by the Blood Moon. More precisely, it was to prevent Gu Qingfeng from completely fusing with the Blood of Original Sin.
This couldn't help but make them wonder: just how terrifying would Gu Qingfeng become after fusing with the Blood of Original Sin, to make Xuanyuan Wan, who came from the Sacred Ground, say such things?
At the same time, they also couldn't understand: since Xuanyuan Wan had already guaranteed she had a way to save Xiao Jinr, and even said she would accompany him in making the Great Daos pay the price, why wouldn't Gu Qingfeng agree?
Moreover, he refused even while risking the danger of completely fusing with the Blood of Original Sin.
Why exactly?
Could it be he didn't trust Xuanyuan Wan?
Probably not.
Xuanyuan Wan was, after all, from the Sacred Ground, a place even the Great Daos feared. She was even willing to swear a Heaven Oath in the name of the Sacred Ground. There was no reason not to trust her.
Why exactly was Gu Qingfeng refusing?
What was he thinking?
What did he plan to do?
Or was it that he had a way to save Xiao Jinr?
And a way to prevent the Blood of Original Sin from awakening?
Unclear.
No one knew.
They only knew that as time passed, second by second, the Blood Moon grew increasingly sinister, the bloody smoke around Gu Qingfeng grew more intense, the black smoke filling the sky even turned into bloody smoke, and Gu Qingfeng's pair of eyes grew increasingly crimson. He himself grew more sinister, and his left arm clasped behind his back trembled even more violently.
At the same time.
Xuanyuan Wan grew more anxious and worried. Just as she was about to speak again to continue persuading him, Gu Qingfeng's extremely hostile voice came.
"Go back to wherever you came from. If you dare say one more word, I'll deal with your Sacred Ground along with the rest today!"
With that, Gu Qingfeng leaped up, standing beneath the firmament, and inexplicably closed his eyes. The moment he closed his eyes, his body suddenly erupted with a chaotic, primordial radiance!