An Incarnation of Original Sin was terrifying enough!
But what if this Incarnation of Original Sin also achieved Sagehood? How terrifying would that be?
Who knew?
No one knew.
What Cang Yan found even more incomprehensible was how Gu Qingfeng—this Incarnation of Original Sin who fundamentally cared nothing for all living beings, for the Great Dao, or even for Heaven and Earth—could have comprehended the Great Compassion.
It was like a demonic fiend who slaughtered indiscriminately and treated life as worthless suddenly, one day, inexplicably becoming a Buddha. It was unbelievable.
Had he laid down his butcher's knife?
Achieved Buddhahood in a single thought?
Cang Yan could not make sense of it.
At that moment, Genggu Wuming beside her spoke: "There was never a butcher's knife in his hand to begin with. What is there to lay down?"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you saying his original nature is inherently good, that he cares about all living beings, the Great Dao, and Heaven and Earth?"
Genggu Wuming shook her head and replied, "He comprehended the Great Cessation and transcended life and death; he comprehended the Great Illusion and saw through truth and falsehood; he comprehended the Great Freedom and leaped beyond the Great Dao. The Great Compassion in his heart fundamentally requires no care for all living beings, no care for the Great Dao, and no care for Heaven and Earth!"
Perhaps the events of this day had been too shocking, to the point that Cang Yan's mind was somewhat unsettled. Only with Genggu Wuming's guidance did she gain some understanding, realizing that each person's state of mind differed, and thus their comprehension of Great Compassion also differed.
For some, saving lives and aiding the wounded was Great Compassion.
For others, repaying hatred with virtue was Great Compassion.
For still others, the equality of all sentient beings was Great Compassion.
As for what Great Compassion meant in Gu Qingfeng's mind, Cang Yan did not know, because Gu Qingfeng's state of mind was already beyond her reach.
Thinking of this, she murmured, "Seeing a mountain as a mountain, seeing water as water; seeing a mountain not as a mountain, seeing water not as water; seeing a mountain still as a mountain, seeing water still as water…"
Cang Yan gazed at Gu Qingfeng in this place and asked again, "Will he… achieve Sagehood?"
Genggu Wuming did not answer this question, because she did not know either.
Suddenly.
*Dong!*
A bell toll sounded.
This bell seemed to come from the heavens, yet also from the earth, even more as if from the Primordial Chaos.
*Dong!*
Another bell toll rang out.
This bell seemed to come from the past, yet also from the future, even more as if from Eternity!
*Dong!*
Yet another bell toll rang out.
This bell seemed to come from Karma, yet also from Fate, even more as if from the Sacred!
*Dong!*
*Dong!*
*Dong!*—Bell tolls rang out one after another, chaotic and disorderly.
"What bell tolls are these?"
Even Cang Yan, master of the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, faced with these chaotic, disorderly bell tolls, wore an expression of utter bewilderment.
Not to mention her; even Genggu Wuming, hearing these bell tolls, was filled with myriad confusions.
In an instant, Gu Qingfeng's solitary, arrogant, and utterly domineering roar echoed through the air.
"This fleshly body is Gu Qingfeng's fleshly body! This soul is Gu Tianlang's soul! Everything of this fleshly body and this soul is mine, and no one will take it away!
No one!"
Suddenly, raging flames erupted from his entire being.
These flames were like the fires of Karma, like the fires of Fate, even more like Sacred fires, burning Gu Qingfeng's fleshly body, burning Gu Qingfeng's soul, burning everything of him!
"What fire is this?"
Cang Yan asked again, aghast. "Could it be… Sage Fire?"
"No!"
"This is not Sage Fire!"
"This is Karmic Fire."
At this moment, Genggu Wuming's ordinary and placid face became one of shock, of disbelief, as she murmured, "He actually… actually ignited Karmic Fire using the Buddhist Great Freedom, Great Cessation, Great Illusion, and Great Compassion."
"Karmic Fire? Whose Karmic Fire has he ignited?"
"The Karmic Fire of Original Sin!"
Upon hearing this.
Cang Yan's face paled with terror.
The so-called Karmic Fire was also called the Fire of Karma.
For every evil cause you sowed, you would reap an evil effect; for every evil effect you reaped, you would attract Karmic Fire.
Original Sin could be said to be the source of all evil, having sown evil causes and effects too numerous to count, too endless to fathom.
Cang Yan did not know, nor could she imagine, how terrifying the Karmic Fire of Original Sin must be.
She did not know.
Genggu Wuming likewise did not know either. She simply gazed at Gu Qingfeng in this place, just gazing, her eyes as complex as they could be, murmuring, "He had a chance to achieve Sagehood… but he did not… instead, he ignited the Karmic Fire of Original Sin…" Genggu Wuming shook her head as if lost in thought, murmuring, "Earlier, he told Jun Xuanji that he would do everything in his power to end all this. So… so he had long since planned this in his heart. He knew he fundamentally could not prevent himself from becoming an Incarnation of Original Sin. He also knew no one else could stop it either. So… so he ignited the Karmic Fire of Original Sin, intending to use this Karmic Fire to burn away the Blood of Original Sin…"
"How did he do it? That's the Karmic Fire of Original Sin… How did he ignite it?"
Gazing at the chaotic, disorderly bell tolls filling the sky, Genggu Wuming exclaimed in astonishment, "What exactly did he achieve with the Buddhist Great Freedom, Great Cessation, Great Illusion, and Great Compassion? Why are there so many Primordial Chaos bells tolling!"
She did not know.
Genggu Wuming truly did not know.
Suddenly!
She seemed to realize something, looking around, and was shocked to discover that the Karmic Fire of Original Sin was not only burning Gu Qingfeng in this place, but simultaneously burning Wudao Mountain, burning this World Without Dao. Without further thought, she immediately shouted, "Cang Yan, you cannot withstand the Karmic Fire of Original Sin! Leave quickly!"
With that, before Cang Yan could react, Genggu Wuming waved her hand, sending Cang Yan, Su Hua, and the others out, including Yun Nishang and Canyang Wuyou, without exception.
Only Jun Xuanji remained standing there, not leaving.
"Jun Xuanji, you should leave too!"
"I want to die… I only want to die…" Not only did Jun Xuanji not leave, she instead threw herself directly toward the burning Karmic Fire of Original Sin.
"He was right. Your death will not end anything; on the contrary, it will only sink you deeper. At the very least, the Karma belonging to you will still reincarnate, the curses belonging to you will still repeat. And you clearly know this… why are you still so intent on seeking death! You have forgotten—you yourself wanted to forget. You are lost… it was also your own choice to become lost… What exactly are you seeking? Are you seeking liberation, or the sea of suffering?"
"You don't understand! You don't understand…" Jun Xuanji stood there, allowing the Karmic Fire of Original Sin to burn her.
And this time, Genggu Wuming did not try to persuade her, nor did she stop her again. She turned her gaze to Gu Qingfeng in this place.
Gu Qingfeng was enduring the burning of the Karmic Fire of Original Sin, becoming ethereal, blurred, flickering—his fleshly body was, his soul was, everything was.
Genggu Wuming could see, and she could also sense, that Gu Qingfeng was disappearing…
Not dispersing.
Not shattering.
He was truly disappearing, this disappearance as if eternal.
So it was for Gu Qingfeng.
And so it was for Original Sin.
"Why are you doing this?"
Genggu Wuming asked a question for which she already knew the answer, but not the reason.
Yes.
She had known long ago.
Because she was an emissary of Fate, and also an Incarnation of Karma. She could sense that Gu Qingfeng would definitely spare no effort to prevent himself from becoming the true Incarnation of Original Sin.
But.
She did not know exactly how Gu Qingfeng would prevent it, nor did she know if Gu Qingfeng could succeed.
She did not even know why Gu Qingfeng wanted to prevent himself from becoming an Incarnation of Original Sin.
Suddenly.
Gu Qingfeng's voice came from within the Karmic Fire of Original Sin: "I don't know…"
"What exactly did you achieve with the Buddhist Great Freedom, Great Cessation, Great Illusion, and Great Compassion!"
"I don't know."
"Will all this end?"
"I don't know."
"Will you… ever return?"
"I don't know."
Genggu Wuming poured out all the doubts in her heart in a series of questions, yet, to all of them, Gu Qingfeng uniformly answered that he did not know.