The Illusory Realm was deathly still, devoid of any trace of life.
Not only the dark clouds in the sky, but also the mountains floating in the air were dissipating bit by bit, including the lightning that crackled down, which seemed to be scattering as well.
The floating mountains were all desolate ruins. Although some remnants of structures remained, most were damaged, leaving only the outlines of the ruins.
Gu Qingfeng wandered leisurely, leaping over one mountain after another, passing through one stretch of ruins after another.
Although there was nothing in the Illusory Realm, nothing worth seeing—not to mention any heavenly treasures, there wasn't even a single hair to be found—for Gu Qingfeng, the more he wandered, the more complex his inner feelings became.
He already had a sense of déjà vu about the Illusory Realm, and now that feeling grew even stronger.
If asked what this sense of déjà vu felt like, Gu Qingfeng couldn't quite put it into words. He just felt it was familiar.
Moreover, the more he wandered, the more curious he became.
What the hell had actually happened during the Wu Dao Age?
Why was such a perfectly good era so mysterious, so bizarre, and permeated with such an eerie aura everywhere?
It was either Original Sin or curses.
Either it was damn Fate or damn Karma.
Either it was damn calamities or damn black holes.
What was even more bizarre was that now, no one even knew whether the Wu Dao Age was in the past or the future.
If it wasn't the past, could it possibly be the future?
If the Wu Dao Age was truly the future, then what was the deal with the Land of Illusion? And what were these Illusory Realm ruins?
Hadn't all this already happened?
How could it possibly be the future?
Could it be that both the Land of Illusion and the Illusory Realm ruins were just a dream?
Come to think of it, this damn thing might very well have been a nightmare from the start.
Otherwise, why the hell was it called the Land of Illusion?
And why was it called the Illusory Realm?
Why was everything here related to the spirit?
However, on the other hand, if the Wu Dao Age was truly the future, why would it appear in the present in such a form?
He didn't understand.
He couldn't figure it out.
And he couldn't be bothered to think about such a damn annoying matter.
At this moment, he stood on a mountain. The mountain was also a desolate ruin, with the only difference being that amidst the ruins stood a giant stone statue. Since only half of the statue remained and it was also dissipating bit by bit, with sand grains falling from it like dust, Gu Qingfeng couldn't make out what kind of statue it was.
It looked somewhat like a Buddha statue.
Just as he was speculating, a voice came from behind him.
"This used to be an ancient temple."
The one who appeared in response was a young girl with two pigtails and an innocent, harmless face.
It was precisely the young girl who had previously called herself Grandaunt.
"You've been here before?"
Gu Qingfeng glanced at her and asked.
"I have."
"Really?"
Gu Qingfeng was somewhat skeptical. "This should be a ruin from the Wu Dao Age, right?"
"It should be."
"Should?"
"Can't you, Great Lord, be certain either?"
"If this is truly a ruin from the Wu Dao Age, and you've been here before, what then? Could it be that you're someone who survived from the Wu Dao Age?"
"It's not necessarily only those who survived from the Wu Dao Age who could have come here."
Gu Qingfeng shook his head, not quite understanding.
The young girl said with a sly smile, "Grandaunt came here in a dream before. Is that not allowed?"
"Heh."
Gu Qingfeng chuckled, unable to refute that.
He himself often fell into Original Sin Nightmares, and last time, he had even visited a cemetery burying the Three Thousand Great Daos in an Original Sin Nightmare. Since the young girl was also one of Those with Original Sin, it wouldn't be strange at all if she had come to this place in a dream.
The young girl walked to the front of the half-Buddha statue, looked up at it, then knelt down. She closed her eyes slightly, placed her palms together in front of her chest, as if praying for something.
Gu Qingfeng asked, "Do you believe in Buddha?"
"No."
"If you don't believe, why bow to Buddha?"
"Although I don't believe in Buddha, that doesn't prevent me from having a heart of reverence for Buddha."
"If you don't believe in Buddha, where does this heart of reverence come from?"
"It's innate."
"That's rare."
"Not just me, you're no exception. All Those with Original Sin who belong to the Wu Dao Age should have a heart of reverence for Buddha."
"How so?"
"Original Sin originates from Karma. As Those with Original Sin, shouldn't we have a heart of reverence for Buddha?"
"Even if Original Sin originates from Karma, what does that have to do with Buddha?"
The young girl asked, "What is Buddha?"
Gu Qingfeng answered, "Buddha is originally Dao."
"What is Dao?"
"Dao is the heavens and earth."
The young girl asked again, "What are the heavens and earth?"
Gu Qingfeng answered again, "The heavens and earth are nature."
"What is nature?"
"Nature is Karma."
"What is Karma?"
When the young girl asked what Karma was, Gu Qingfeng didn't answer immediately. After a moment, he said, "Karma is Fate."
"What is Fate?"
"Fate is Original Sin."
The young girl sighed. "The so-called Those with Original Sin are merely pitiful people wronged by Karma and Fate. At least, that's what I think."
Gu Qingfeng nodded, quite agreeing in his heart. To this day, based on his understanding of Original Sin, Karma, and Fate, he also felt that the so-called Original Sin was just pitiful people wronged by Karma and Fate.
"Whether it's Dao or Buddha, the heavens and earth or nature, Karma or Fate, we should all have a heart of reverence."
Gu Qingfeng shrugged, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
The young girl stood up, stared at Gu Qingfeng, and asked, "Are you laughing at me?"
"Does this lord look like he's laughing at you?"
"You are laughing at Grandaunt."
"I am not."
"You are."
Looking at the young girl, Gu Qingfeng said, "You seem to be deliberately picking a fight with this lord, huh? Want to have a go?"
"Heh."
The young girl smiled without speaking, merely sizing up Gu Qingfeng up and down. "Your existence... is quite unique."
"What do you mean? How am I unique?"
The young girl stared at Gu Qingfeng. "You are one of Those with Original Sin, and I can sense that your Original Sin and my Original Sin are not pure Original Sin, but belong to the same kind of Original Sin. Perhaps it should be said, they belong to the Original Sin of the same person."
"You can sense it?"
"Can't you sense it?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head. He really couldn't sense it.
"Impossible. Our Original Sin both comes from one person. We should be able to sense each other. Since I can sense you, you must be able to sense me too."
Gu Qingfeng furrowed his brow, rubbed his chin, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Last time, he had heard Bai Chou say that Those with Original Sin could all sense each other, especially the Original Sin belonging to Venerable Wu Dao. The feeling was like being connected by blood, like telepathy.
But strangely, Gu Qingfeng himself couldn't sense anything.
Bai Chou could sense him, but he couldn't sense Bai Chou.
Now it was the same again. This young girl could sense the Original Sin on him, but Gu Qingfeng couldn't sense the Original Sin on the young girl.
Forget about being connected by blood or telepathy—he couldn't sense a damn thing.