From Da Xing the Mad Monk, Gu Qingfeng learned that the reason Genggu Wuming, Jun Xuanji, and the others had barged into the Liúshā Small Secret Realm back then was because a new Original Sin Incarnation had appeared here—and it happened at the exact same time he himself had ignited the Original Sin Karmic Fire.
In Gu Qingfeng's mind, this couldn't be a coincidence, nor could it be accidental.
There had to be some connection.
But what that connection was, Gu Qingfeng couldn't figure out.
Thinking it over, there were only a few possibilities.
The first was human intervention—someone was pulling strings behind the scenes, like Canyang Wuyou.
After all, that drop of Blood of Original Sin had been in her possession before. Not only had she nurtured Original Sin humans in the Great Northwest, but she'd also nurtured one here in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm.
Even though Canyang Wuyou had vehemently denied it, and like Jun Xuanji, had become lost and also wanted to end all this...
Gu Qingfeng didn't know her well enough to be sure whether she was the one scheming behind the scenes.
If it wasn't Canyang Wuyou pulling the strings, then it might truly be as Da Xing the Mad Monk said: all of this, everything, was Original Sin's doing, creating many Original Sin humans in its search for a True Lord.
There was another possibility: it was the arrangement of fate, the result of karma.
Which possibility it was, Gu Qingfeng didn't know.
Originally, Gu Qingfeng had wanted to figure out why he had undergone Silent Extinction Rebirth in the Liúshā Small Secret Realm. But upon careful thought, he realized it wasn't necessary. It would still boil down to these three possibilities: either human intervention, Original Sin's dominance, or Karmic Fate.
Even if he figured it out, so what?
Could he break free from Original Sin?
The answer was definitely no.
Since that was the case...
He couldn't be bothered to struggle with it anymore.
"Kid Gu, after this Silent Extinction Rebirth of yours, what are your plans?"
"Plans?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head. "No plans. Take one step at a time."
"What do you mean 'take one step at a time'? I remember you saying before that your greatest dream was to find a quiet place to live in seclusion, basking in the sun every day, drinking a little wine, living a leisurely, carefree life."
"That's right, I did say that."
"Back then, you had Original Sin clinging to you, and heaven and earth wouldn't tolerate you. Now you've shaken off Original Sin, so what are you still messing around for?"
"Who told you I've shaken off Original Sin?"
"What do you mean? Don't tell me you haven't shaken it off?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk's heart skipped a beat, and he exclaimed in shock, "Didn't you ignite the Original Sin Karmic Fire?"
"I did."
"Since you ignited the Original Sin Karmic Fire, you should be free of Original Sin! And besides, I can't sense any trace of Original Sin on you at all."
"That's just because you can't sense it."
Gu Qingfeng sighed mournfully, raised his cup, and drank. "I can tell you very responsibly, this master has not shaken off Original Sin. Not only have I not shaken it off, it's even possible that..."
"Possible what?"
"It's possible that this master is now an Original Sin Incarnation!"
"What!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk was instantly greatly alarmed. He shot to his feet, staring at Gu Qingfeng in disbelief.
"Why are you reacting so strongly? I only said it's possible, not that it's definite. What are you scared of?"
"This old monk isn't scared! This old monk just..." Da Xing the Mad Monk scrutinized Gu Qingfeng carefully, then seemed to remember something. "You're trying to scare me, aren't you?"
"Why would I bother scaring you for no reason?"
"Don't think I don't know! If you were really an Original Sin Incarnation, then you wouldn't be you anymore! Wait!"
As he spoke, Da Xing the Mad Monk's heart lurched. He stared at Gu Qingfeng with a suspicious look, his eyes seeming to doubt Gu Qingfeng's authenticity.
"I say, Da Xing, is it necessary to look at me like that? If I were really an Original Sin Incarnation, my ego consciousness would have long since vanished, right? Would I still be sitting here shooting the breeze with you?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk grew serious. "That's hard to say. After becoming an Original Sin Incarnation, some ego consciousnesses might disappear, leading to mental derangement like madness. But some ego consciousnesses might be devoured by Original Sin. There are even some that might fuse with Original Sin. How would I know if the current you is still the you from before? Maybe your ego consciousness was devoured by Original Sin long ago, and the current you is just Original Sin impersonating you!"
"Alright, you've seen through me. This master is indeed Original Sin impersonating someone."
Gu Qingfeng said with a smile, "You can't beat me in a fight anyway, so what can you do about it?"
"You kid!"
Although Da Xing the Mad Monk didn't want to admit it, he had to acknowledge that Gu Qingfeng spoke the truth. If the Gu Qingfeng before him right now was really Original Sin impersonating someone, he truly had no recourse whatsoever. He had already experienced Gu Qingfeng's power earlier and clearly knew how utterly bizarre this guy was.
"Tell me honestly, what exactly is going on with you right now?"
"You're asking me? Who should I ask?"
"You don't know either?"
"I don't know."
"Could it be that you've already fused with Original Sin, but you just don't know it yourself?"
"Hard to say."
Gu Qingfeng pondered for a moment, then added, "It's hard to say. Maybe that really is the case."
"Wait! Something's not right! I can't speak for other things, but if you've really turned into an Original Sin Incarnation now, I should definitely be able to sense it. Yet I can't sense anything from you at all! Are you just teasing me? In reality, you've already shaken off Original Sin, haven't you?"
"If you were a beautiful woman, this master might have some interest in teasing you. But take a look at yourself—why would I bother teasing you? Do you really think this master has nothing better to do?"
"Then why can't I sense any trace of Original Sin on you?"
"Probably because the Original Sin on me hasn't woken up yet."
"Hasn't woken up yet? What kind of explanation is that?"
Gu Qingfeng didn't hide it. He explained the situation after his awakening. "Don't say you can't sense Original Sin on me; I can't sense its existence either. But I just know I haven't shaken it off, and I'm very sure of it."
"You just said your current physical body is in a state of decay?"
"It's already starting to recover now."
"Let this old monk take a look."
Da Xing the Mad Monk reached out and grasped Gu Qingfeng's wrist, sending a thread of divine sense into Gu Qingfeng's body to carefully investigate.
When he had heard Gu Qingfeng say his physical body was decayed and chaotic earlier, Da Xing the Mad Monk hadn't fully understood. He couldn't even imagine what a decayed physical body would look like. But now, after probing Gu Qingfeng's body, he finally understood what 'decayed and chaotic' meant.
Whether it was the acupoints or the bones and sinews, whether it was the meridians or the internal organs—they were all tangled and intertwined together, as chaotic as could be. What was more serious was that the acupoints, bones, sinews, and meridians were all like rusted scrap iron. The inside of his body was filled with turbid impurities, everywhere, densely packed, and completely clogged.
Even though Da Xing the Mad Monk had cultivated for countless years, capable of reaching heaven and earth, with unparalleled experience and knowledge, probing Gu Qingfeng's physical body at this moment still gave him a feeling that made his scalp tingle.