After listening to Gu Qingfeng's analysis, Da Xing the Mad Monk was stunned for a very long time. Only after a good while did he finally speak: "I must say, kid, you're something else. Ever since I first met you, I've known nothing about you. And you, after not seeing you for so many years, can still see right through me."
Da Xing the Mad Monk sighed in admiration: "No wonder you were able to comprehend our Buddhist school's Four Great Mental States. I have to admit, I'm impressed."
Impressed he was.
Da Xing the Mad Monk was utterly convinced.
He had always held Gu Qingfeng in particularly high regard, but today, ten thousand years later, his admiration had deepened to the point of complete awe.
"You're absolutely right, kid. Right after the Ancient Cataclysm ended, not long after the Present Era began, I met Genggu Wuming. No!
It wasn't that I went to see her; it was as if she came looking for me on purpose, just as you said. She told me all about how terrifying the Present-Era Cataclysm was, and how important the Tribulation-Bearer was."
"As you've probably guessed, Bu'er here is no ordinary Tribulation-Bearer; he's a Tribulation-Bearer who carries a True Mandate. Otherwise, Genggu Wuming wouldn't have come looking for me specifically."
"She said this kid Bu'er has a karmic connection to Buddhism, destined to become a Buddha after his reincarnation. Genggu Wuming also seemed to know that if Bu'er caught the attention of those bald donkeys in the Western Heaven, they would definitely use him to vie for the position of Head of the Great Dao. As for the Chan Sect and the Esoteric Sect, my masters and the others... well, you know them. To put it nicely, they're too traditional; to put it bluntly, they're too rigid."
"Genggu Wuming gave me a whole spiel, and what could I do? I had to accept the job and take in this kid."
Da Xing the Mad Monk motioned for Monk Bu'er to pour more wine, then raised his cup and clinked it with Gu Qingfeng's before continuing: "I've been holed up with him in this godforsaken place ever since. One reason is to hide from the Western Heaven, the other is to properly teach this kid."
"Why are you hiding from the Western Heaven?" Gu Qingfeng asked. "What happened?
Did they discover that Bu'er is a Tribulation-Bearer carrying a True Mandate?"
"What do you think?
Those bald donkeys in the Western Heaven have been eyeing my dumb disciple for years. When soft tactics didn't work, they tried hard ones. They even had the gall to try and snatch him! If I hadn't run fast enough last time, I would've been suppressed by those bald donkeys."
"Come on, with your abilities, you think the Western Heaven crowd could suppress you?"
Gu Qingfeng had just exchanged blows with Da Xing the Mad Monk. Although they had traded three hard punches, leaving Da Xing spitting blood, that was all it was—just spitting blood, with no real harm done. Others might not know, but Gu Qingfeng was well aware that Da Xing the Mad Monk possessed a truly indestructible golden body. He was the only person Gu Qingfeng had ever met who was truly ageless, deathless, indestructible, and imperishable.
Back in the day, he had sparred with Da Xing the Mad Monk.
Despite exhausting all his methods, he had been unable to erase Da Xing. This old fellow's indestructible golden body meant that no matter how severe the injury, he would not die, not be destroyed, and not perish. It was downright bizarre.
One must remember that this old fellow Da Xing was the only Living Buddha in all the heavens and earth. Those two words were no mere boast. His true abilities were not limited to the Great Compassionate Life-and-Death Fan bestowed by the Ancient Lamp Buddha that hung at his waist.
"The Western Heaven is mighty impressive these days. All the great Arhats, great Bodhisattvas, and great Ancient Buddha Patriarchs have awakened one after another. Even the Five Great Wisdom Kings stand on their side. Who am I in comparison? Think about it, kid. If the Western Heaven didn't have that kind of confidence, would they dare compete with the Immortal Dao for the position of Head of the Great Dao?"
Monk Bu'er stood to the side, dutifully pouring wine for the two, not daring to breathe too loudly.
"Speaking of the Head of the Great Dao..." Gu Qingfeng thought for a moment and asked, "What has the Heavenly Dao been up to?
How could it just let the Immortal Dao and the Buddhist Dao jump around like this?"
"It's all because of you, kid!"
"What does that have to do with me?"
"How is it unrelated? Have you forgotten?
Back then, you killed the Heavenly Mandate right in front of the Heavenly Dao, making the Heavenly Dao lose all face before the Three Thousand Great Daos. When Mount Wudao descended, you beat the incarnations of the Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother into a pile of shit. How could the Heavenly Dao have the nerve to continue as the Head of the Great Dao after that?"
Recalling the events in the Mortal Realm back then, Da Xing the Mad Monk couldn't help but add a few words: "Speaking of which, you were way too arrogant back then, kid. The Heavenly Dao is, after all, the master of the Daos. The Old Heaven is still the Old Heaven. You could've at least left them a little face. How could you not give them any face at all? Besides, the Heavenly Dao didn't do anything to you. You killed the Heavenly Mandate right in front of them, and they didn't even let out a peep. To make the Heavenly Dao swallow their anger and endure humiliation—from ancient times to the present, across all heavens and earths—you, kid, are definitely the first."
"Da Xing, do you know the difference between a wolf and a dog?"
"What wolf and dog?
What are you talking about?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk was somewhat baffled. They were just talking about the Heavenly Dao, and now Gu Qingfeng had brought up wolves and dogs.
"A dog will only bark at you, while a wolf will watch you from a distance, waiting for you to let your guard down before charging forward and biting through your neck. To me, the Immortal Dao is like a dog, while the Heavenly Dao is like a wolf. No matter how high the Immortal Dao jumps or how loudly it barks, I'm not afraid. But the Heavenly Dao is different."
After a pause, Gu Qingfeng continued: "When I erased the Heavenly Mandate in the Mortal Realm back then, it wasn't that I didn't want to give the Old Heaven face. It wasn't a matter of face at all; it was a matter of attitude. Do you think that Heavenly Mandate appeared by chance back then?
That was a move by the damn Old Heaven, meant to test my attitude. Since the Heavenly Dao wanted to know my attitude, I simply told them: this is my attitude."
Da Xing the Mad Monk followed up: "It's true that the Old Heaven wanted to test your attitude, but there was no helping it. Who told you to fuse with the Blood of Original Sin? But, speaking of which, why did the Old Heaven want to test your attitude?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head: "The Old Heaven has always been hiding in the shadows. Who knows what tricks they're playing? The methods of the Heavenly Dao have always been profound and unfathomable. The Old Heaven is the ancestor of playing the role of a ruler; their schemes are so deep we simply can't understand them. In the chess game of the Present Era, even if the Old Heaven isn't the player, they are definitely a piece on the board that can influence the entire game."
"That's true."
Da Xing the Mad Monk nodded in strong agreement: "Don't be fooled just because the Immortal Dao is barking the loudest and jumping the highest right now, calling itself the Head of the Great Dao of the Present Era. That's just a self-proclaimed title. The origin of this heaven and earth is still in the hands of the Old Heaven. I even suspect the Heavenly Dao deliberately yielded the position of Head of the Great Dao to the Immortal Dao. After all, the Present Era is anything but ordinary. Putting aside everything else, the patriarchs of the Three Thousand Great Daos have all damn well awakened. Even the Gui Xu has collapsed. It's easy to imagine that there will inevitably be a great war among the Three Thousand Great Daos in the near future. The Old Heaven tossed this mess to the Immortal Dao, while they themselves hid in the shadows to watch the show."
"The Heavenly Dao is the Heavenly Dao, truly brilliant!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk sighed with admiration: "What's that phrase you often say?
Your uncle will always be your uncle, and the Old Heaven will always be the Old Heaven. You have to admit it."