When Gu Qingfeng had met Bai Chou earlier, he had heard that there were many people with Original Sin between Heaven and Earth, and that these so-called people with Original Sin were further divided into Acquired Original Sin, Innate Original Sin, Cosmic Original Sin, and Primal Chaos Original Sin, among other messy categories—there seemed to be quite a few.
From the current situation, whether it was prophecies or omens, everything seemed to indicate that Original Sin was the root of the calamity in the Present-Ancient Era.
As for the Tribulation-Bearers, as the name implied, they were people born to respond to the calamity. Since that was the case, Tribulation-Bearers and those with Original Sin were like immortals and demons, or yin and yang—irreconcilable and incompatible.
The existence of those with Original Sin threatened not only the various Great Daos but also the myriad living beings.
And the only ones capable of stopping this calamity were the Tribulation-Bearers.
Put that way, the existence of Tribulation-Bearers was indeed a threat to those with Original Sin.
If those with Original Sin wanted to eliminate Tribulation-Bearers, it was understandable.
However.
The only thing that puzzled Gu Qingfeng was that, in his impression, not all Tribulation-Bearers were responding to the Present-Ancient calamity.
Whether they were Destiny-Bearers or Tribulation-Bearers, they almost all received their mandate from above and initiated karma below.
It was just that the destinies they received from above were different.
Some received Edict Mandates.
Some received Heavenly Mandates.
Some received True Mandates.
The destinies received were different, the fortunes they responded to were different, and the calamities they faced were also different.
Those who received Edict Mandates responded to Great Dao calamities.
Those who received Heavenly Mandates responded to Heavenly Dao calamities. Since the Heavenly Dao ruled Heaven and Earth, they also responded to Heaven-Earth calamities.
As for what calamity those who received True Mandates responded to, no one could say for sure.
Logically speaking, even if Tribulation-Bearers threatened the existence of those with Original Sin, it should be the Tribulation-Bearers who received Heavenly Mandates or True Mandates. Killing those Tribulation-Bearers who received Great Dao Edict Mandates shouldn’t be necessary, right?
Regarding Gu Qingfeng’s confusion, Da Xing the Mad Monk explained it this way: "What’s necessary or not necessary? For those with Original Sin, any Tribulation-Bearer, no matter what destiny they received from above—kill them first, then talk. Better to kill by mistake than let one go."
Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin and pondered, "Even so, it still doesn’t make sense."
"How does it not make sense?"
"If Original Sin Incarnations kill those Tribulation-Bearers, that’s completely understandable. After all, neither this Heaven and Earth nor the Great Dao can tolerate the existence of Original Sin Incarnations. Those Original Sin Incarnations, seeking self-preservation, eliminating Tribulation-Bearers is only natural. But between Heaven and Earth, there aren’t many Original Sin Incarnations, are there? Most people with Original Sin are either contaminated after birth or born innately with it. Whether Acquired Original Sin or Innate Original Sin, they haven’t fused with Original Sin blood, and are unlikely to become Original Sin Incarnations. They pose no threat to this Heaven and Earth, and certainly cannot become the root of the Present-Ancient calamity. So, they have no reason to kill those Tribulation-Bearers either, right?"
Gu Qingfeng analyzed as he spoke: "If these Acquired and Innate Original Sin bearers also go and kill Tribulation-Bearers, then there’s only one possibility: the Heaven-Earth Great Dao similarly cannot tolerate them."
He chuckled and sighed, "From my understanding of the Heaven-Earth Great Dao, they definitely cannot tolerate people with Original Sin. It doesn’t matter if it’s Acquired, Innate, Cosmic, or Primal Chaos—as long as you’re a person with Original Sin, the Heaven-Earth Great Dao won’t let you go. Just as you said earlier, old man: doesn’t matter what kind of person with Original Sin, kill them first, then talk. Better to kill by mistake than let one go."
"Da Xing, isn’t that the logic?"
Gu Qingfeng looked at Da Xing the Mad Monk with a smile on his face, while Da Xing felt a chill in his heart. Putting on a feigned angry expression, he said somewhat unhappily, "I say, kid Gu, have you truly fused with Original Sin, and your self-consciousness is now dominated by it? How can Original Sin Incarnations killing those Tribulation-Bearers be understandable? How is that only natural?"
"I said, neither this Heaven and Earth nor the Great Dao can tolerate the existence of Original Sin Incarnations."
"Nonsense! That’s because Original Sin Incarnations threaten the Heaven-Earth Great Dao."
"How do they threaten? How do they pose a threat?"
"Kid Gu, don’t you find it laughable coming from your mouth? Have you forgotten how the hell you threatened the Heaven-Earth Great Dao back in the day?"
"I threatened the Heaven-Earth Great Dao because the Heaven-Earth Great Dao couldn’t tolerate me."
Da Xing the Mad Monk said solemnly, "Kid Gu, it’s because your existence threatened the Heaven-Earth Great Dao that they couldn’t tolerate you. Don’t get the cause and effect mixed up."
"Damn it! Da Xing, you old bastard, playing this game with me, huh? If the Heaven-Earth Great Dao could tolerate me, would I have nothing better to do than threaten them?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk curled his lip and said, "Who told you to be a person with Original Sin?"
"Isn’t that it? In the end, the reason the Heaven-Earth Great Dao couldn’t tolerate me wasn’t because my existence threatened them, but because I am a person with Original Sin! It doesn’t matter if I threatened the Heaven-Earth Great Dao; even if I were compassionate and sought to deliver all living beings, the Heaven-Earth Great Dao still wouldn’t tolerate me. So, what I did is not important. What’s important is that I am a person with Original Sin."
This time, Da Xing the Mad Monk did not refute. Even if he didn’t want to, he had to admit the truth of Gu Qingfeng’s words. Seeing the displeased look on Gu Qingfeng’s face, Da Xing opened his mouth and said, "Why are you venting your anger on me? It’s not like I can’t tolerate you."
"I’m not venting on you. It’s just that whenever this topic comes up, an inexplicable sinister fire surges up in me. Tell me, for no reason at all, who did I offend? Just because I’m a person with Original Sin, I haven’t had a single peaceful day in this life. Whenever I think about this, I get furious. I really feel like killing until Heaven and Earth are overturned. Tomorrow, I’ll also specialize in killing those Tribulation-Bearers."
"I say, kid Gu—no! Master Gu! Ancestor Gu! Can we not joke like that?"
Sitting opposite him, Gu Qingfeng narrowed his eyes, a sinister smile playing on his lips, and said very seriously, "Do I look like I’m joking?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk’s heart skipped a beat, and he froze there, staring at Gu Qingfeng. To be honest, he truly couldn’t tell if Gu Qingfeng was joking at this moment. He didn’t even know if the guy before him was still the Gu Qingfeng he used to know.
"Hahahahaha!"
Seeing Da Xing’s cautious, worried, and frightened expression, Gu Qingfeng laughed heartily.
His laughter made the stone hanging in Da Xing’s heart finally drop. In just that short moment, he had genuinely broken out in a cold sweat. Although Da Xing couldn’t be sure if Gu Qingfeng was still the person he used to know, even if it were the real Gu Qingfeng, Da Xing didn’t dare guarantee whether this guy was joking or not. Because he knew very well that once Gu Qingfeng got angry, he was capable of anything. Not just specializing in killing Tribulation-Bearers—even specializing in killing Great Dao Ancestors, this guy would dare to do it.