Gu Qingfeng left.
Only his ancient, domineering laughter continued to reverberate within the ethereal world of the Bone Jade of Annihilation.
It echoed for a long, long time, shaking the ethereal world as if it were trembling.
An unknown amount of time passed. When his great laughter finally ceased its reverberation, the ethereal world also finally stopped trembling.
"Old Monk."
Suddenly.
A woman's voice came, as if asking something: "Do you truly believe him?"
"I believe."
"What a joke! Didn't you hear what he just said? He doesn't even dare to believe in himself. On what grounds do you believe him?"
"This old monk believes in Layman Gu based on Layman Gu's character."
"Character? Hahaha!"
The woman laughed heartily as if she had heard the funniest joke between Heaven and Earth. "He has merged the six forbidden Daos into his body. Below, the Avici-Wicked Asura Soul commands Purgatory; above, the Primordial Ancestor of Humanity's Taboo Incarnation, which reaches the highest heavens and the deepest hells, commands Life and Death. He has clearly set his stance to sever the Great Dao and destroy this Heaven and Earth. And you still talk about believing in his character?"
"Layman Gu has merely prepared for what needs to be done. But preparation alone does not mean he will necessarily act."
"Fine, even if that were truly the case, do not forget he has also refined the Wu Dao Blood Moon and awakened the Blood of Original Sin. You say that fellow might just be preparing. But once the Blood of Original Sin completely merges with him, he will no longer be himself. He might just be preparing, but what if he is no longer 'him'?"
Faced with the woman's questioning, the Old Monk did not respond.
"You really should have eliminated him from the start. I didn't realize earlier how crucial his existence was. Had I known his existence might awaken the Wu Dao Black Hole and the Karmic Curse, I would have shown no mercy in erasing him."
"May this old monk ask, Female Benefactor, are you confident in your ability to erase Layman Gu?"
The Female Benefactor was momentarily speechless. "I..." "This Bone Jade of Annihilation has long since merged with Layman Gu, and you reside within this bone jade. How then could you kill Layman Gu?"
"I admit I lack that capability. However, my inability to kill him does not mean you, Old Monk, lack it!"
The Old Monk merely chanted a low "Amitabha" and did not answer.
After a moment, the Female Benefactor asked again: "Earlier, you said that the appearance of the Bone Jade of Annihilation, and the entanglements of love and hate between him and those Wu Dao individuals like Yun Nichang and Jun Xuanji... all of this was a setup by Fate?"
The Old Monk responded: "Perhaps it was a setup by Fate. Or perhaps Karma was simply thus."
"If Karma was simply thus, that would be much better."
"Not so."
The woman asked: "Why?"
"If it was a setup by Fate, it might still be considered good. If Karma was simply thus, then it is far too terrible..." "And why is that!"
"If Fate set the stage, it means Fate can still arrange everything. But if Karma was simply thus, it can only mean that even Fate is helpless. We all wish to end this. Fate is no exception. Karma likely is as well. Fate might be able to end, but if Karma could end, would it still be called Karma?"
Hearing the Old Monk's words, the Female Benefactor felt particularly uneasy and extremely anxious. "What on earth do you mean? The more I listen, the more confused I become!"
"Confusion is good, confusion is very good! Rare is the blessing of confusion..." The Old Monk's answer was baffling!
"Nonsense!" The Female Benefactor seemed exasperated and demanded: "Then tell me, will he awaken the Wu Dao Black Hole or not? Will he awaken the Karmic Curse or not?"
"I do not know."
"Can Heaven and Earth stop him? Can Fate stop him?"
"I do not know!"
"You must at least know whether killing him can end all of this, right?"
"I do not know!"
The Old Monk knew nothing of the three questions, which infuriated the Female Benefactor, nearly driving her mad. She roared: "You don't know this, you don't know that! Then what exactly do you know?"
"Layman Gu is a variable, moreover a variable of the Wu Dao Era. As a variable, Heaven and Earth cannot know him, Fate cannot determine him, Karma cannot follow him. The only one who can know, determine, and follow is the variable himself."
Ruins!
Endless ruins, boundless ruins.
Gu Qingfeng strolled amidst the all-encompassing Fengsha and the chaotic void. His snow-white robes fluttered over his aloof figure, his ink-black hair danced wildly across his cold stern face. He carried a jar of wine, taking occasional sips.
Where was this? He did not know.
It should be a spatial secret realm, and moreover, one within this World.
Gu Qingfeng clearly remembered that earlier, when he was confronting the Immortal Dao and Buddhist Dao, someone had used some great means to silently perform a Grand Spatial Shift, replacing the space.
As for who it was.
Gu Qingfeng also did not know.
After wandering in this spatial secret realm for a while, just as he was about to leave, suddenly, a radiant orb slowly rose amidst the all-encompassing Fengsha.
The radiance resembled a Yin Moon, yet also a Yang Sun.
It resembled light, yet also darkness; the light was changing, the darkness transforming.
It resembled holiness, yet also evil.
That radiant orb was like a bloody sun-moon. Upon its appearance, half the sky was dyed blood-red. The blood-red color seethed as if burning, accompanied by an utterly terrifying aura—an aura that seemed capable of melting Heaven and Earth.
From within the bloody sun-moon, a woman was flashing towards this direction.
Three thousand strands of white hair.
A blood-red garment.
A woman of peerless elegance, stunning beauty, and matchless grace, yet also one who appeared incomparably poignant and beautiful.
Her beauty was so radiant it seemed to dare compete with the sun and moon for brilliance, so beautiful it made all things in the world pale in comparison before her.
As she appeared, her stunningly beautiful face, which seemed not to belong to this mortal world, showed signs of agitation. Gazing at Gu Qingfeng, her expression held longing, entanglement, resentment, and self-reproach...
Numerous emotions mingled chaotically, exceedingly complex, dominated more by hesitation, confusion, and loss.
Blood dyed the sun and moon.
Filling the sky.
World-Honored Lady, Jun Xuanji.
This was a woman as enigmatic as a mystery.
Whether in the Great Wasteland Heavenly Realm or in this World, it was so.
She had once been a Mystic Maiden of the Nine Heavens, and also a Demoness of the Nine Nethers. She had stormed the Nine Heavens to kill immortals, and stormed the Nine Nethers to slaughter demons. She had fallen into demonhood and also attained Buddhahood. She had once represented the existence of light, and also represented the existence of darkness. She had been enveloped in holiness, and also enveloped in evil.
She was the most mysterious woman between Heaven and Earth, so mysterious that no one knew where she came from, where she belonged, or where she was going.
Gazing at the slowly rising bloody sun-moon, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but frown, as if sinking into deep thought.
"You have... after all... awakened that drop of living Blood of Original Sin..." Jun Xuanji still appeared somewhat deranged. Staring at Gu Qingfeng, she murmured: "What was destined to come... has after all come..."