Gu Qingfeng stopped asking questions and simply drank his wine in silence.
He tried to piece things together.
If Empress Wuyou truly presided over the Liúshā Small Secret Realm, and if Jun Xuanji, the Mad Old Man, and Genggu Wuming had indeed torn through space to barge in here back then... what exactly were they fighting over?
What had descended upon this secret realm, or what had been born within it?
Did any of this have anything to do with him?
If it did, what could it be?
What exactly had happened back then, after he ignited the Original Sin's Karmic Flames on the Mountain of Daoless Delusion?
Or perhaps, after igniting those flames, he hadn't been utterly annihilated, but had instead lost his self-awareness and become an incarnation of Original Sin.
But even if he had truly lost his self-awareness and become an incarnation of Original Sin back then, why would he have ended up in this small secret realm?
Remembering that Empress Wuyou presided over this small secret realm, could it be that she had dragged him in here?
Then, together with Jun Xuanji, Genggu Wuming, and the others, she had erased him.
If that were truly the case, it could explain why he had undergone Nirvana Silence and rebirth within this small secret realm.
Could that be it?
Probably not.
Gu Qingfeng pondered that if he had truly lost his self-awareness and become an incarnation of Original Sin back then, those hunting him down would absolutely not have been limited to just Genggu Wuming or Jun Xuanji and her group. The Three Thousand Great Daos would have certainly followed as well. Even if they had wanted to keep it secret, such a matter could not have been hidden.
Furthermore, after erasing him, that bunch definitely wouldn't have just left. Even if Jun Xuanji might have left, the Three Thousand Great Daos would not have. Even if the Three Thousand Great Daos might have left, Genggu Wuming absolutely would not have. They all knew he had comprehended the Great Nirvana Silence. They would have certainly taken measures to prevent his Nirvana Silence rebirth, sealing and suppressing this small secret realm. They wouldn't have allowed the Liúshā Small Secret Realm to remain freely open within the Great Wasteland.
There was another point. Earlier, when he entered the Land of Delusion, Gu Qingfeng had met Bai Chou. Bai Chou had personally stated that Gu Qingfeng had been utterly annihilated back then, and that no one had known back then whether he could undergo Nirvana Silence rebirth.
Although Gu Qingfeng hadn't known Bai Chou for long, he could see and sense that Bai Chou wouldn't deceive him. After all, they had both fused with the Blood of Original Sin, and it was the Blood of Original Sin belonging to the Daoless Venerable One at that. They were grasshoppers on the same string. Bai Chou had no reason to deceive him.
That wasn't the important part.
The important part was that back then, as the Blood of Original Sin gradually merged with him, Gu Qingfeng had also come to understand that blood more and more. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to ignite the Original Sin's Karmic Flames. Precisely because he understood Original Sin, he clearly knew that once the Original Sin's Karmic Flames were ignited, both the self and Original Sin would inevitably be utterly annihilated. As for whether Nirvana Silence rebirth was possible, even he himself hadn't known, let alone anyone else.
On this point,
Gu Qingfeng was still confident.
But if he hadn't become an incarnation of Original Sin back then, then what the hell had descended upon this secret realm, causing Jun Xuanji and Genggu Wuming to tear through space and barge in to fight over it?
Could it be related to Empress Wuyou?
If it really was related to her, then what was the connection?
Wasn't this woman sealed in slumber within the Valley of the Setting Sun?
How the hell did she end up presiding over the Liúshā Small Secret Realm out of the blue?
And if he hadn't become an incarnation of Original Sin back then, why the hell did he undergo Nirvana Silence rebirth in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm, which Empress Wuyou presides over?
Just why the hell was that!
Gu Qingfeng shook his head.
The more he thought, the messier his mind became. After draining a jar of fine wine, he sighed and said, "Old Gu, you've cultivated in this Liúshā Small Secret Realm for tens of thousands of years. Have you never once seen that Empress Wuyou?"
"No."
"Then how did you come to know that Empress Wuyou presides over the origin here?"
"I heard it mentioned by some seniors here."
"Seniors?
You mean in this place?
Are they Demons like you?"
"There are Demons, there are Monsters, there are Immortals, there are Wu, and there are some... this humble one does not know what kind of existences they are."
"Now that's a rare thing. This godforsaken place has nothing to offer. Why are so many lofty individuals secluding themselves here?
Although the turbid qi here is passable and suitable for Demons, Monsters, ghosts, and weirdos to cultivate, it's only suitable. Without the essence of moonlight, relying solely on absorbing this bit of turbid qi, I'm afraid one can't achieve anything great. Moreover, how can there be Immortals and Wu here?
What shady business are they up to here?"
"This...
This humble one isn't too clear either. These seniors have been secluding themselves here since a very, very long time ago. As for how long, this humble one does not know."
"Is that so..." Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin in thought, then asked, "Has this secret realm always been like this?"
"When this humble one first entered this small secret realm tens of thousands of years ago, it was already like this. However, I've heard that during the Ancient Era, this place was still a minor world among the Myriad Heavens and Worlds. Back then, the spiritual energy here was rich, and the natural environment was also very good. Later, as the Ancient Era ended, this place was affected. The spiritual energy also began to turn turbid, the natural environment gradually deteriorated, and space became very unstable, often disappearing within the Great Wasteland."
Gu Qingfeng pondered that this Liúshā Small Secret Realm must be hiding some secret, and it was highly likely related to the Daoless Era as well.
Otherwise, those so-called Demons, Monsters, Immortals, and Wu wouldn't be secluding themselves in this godforsaken place where birds don't even shit.
Empress Wuyou also wouldn't preside over such a wretched place.
He just didn't know if Empress Wuyou was still here or not.
This question, Gu Qingfeng truly didn't know.
In his current weakened state, he also couldn't unleash his divine sense to conduct a full-scale investigation of this Liúshā Small Secret Realm.
He had wanted to ask more, but unfortunately, he could see that this old monster Guntong probably only knew this much.
"Where are those senior experts you mentioned earlier secluding themselves?"
"Worthy One, this humble one is merely a minor Monster."
Guntong said with a look of wanting to cry but having no tears, "How could I possibly know where those seniors are secluding themselves? Those seniors come and go without a trace, each one like a dragon whose head is seen but tail is not. This humble one truly does not know."
"Heh heh..." Gu Qingfeng chuckled without speaking, just looking at Guntong while drinking his wine.
Being stared at like this by Gu Qingfeng, Guntong felt extremely uneasy inside. His old face also changed expression repeatedly, looking very troubled. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but when he raised his head and met Gu Qingfeng's deep, dark eyes, he forcefully swallowed his words back down.
Gu Qingfeng stood up and poured him a cup of wine, startling Guntong into hastily standing up as well. Gu Qingfeng patted his shoulder again, motioning for him to sit down, and comforted him, "Don't worry. I just want to inquire about some matters, nothing more. I'm not looking for a fight. Besides, as you just said, those are all senior experts. Even if I wanted to fight, I couldn't beat them."
"Worthy One, this humble one doesn't mean that, but..." Halfway through his sentence, Guntong sighed and said, "Alright. If the Worthy One wishes to meet that senior, this humble one is willing to take you there."