"I can't even be bothered to deal with my own heap of troubles, and you want me to go stir up yours?"
Gu Qingfeng had been sitting for too long. He stood up, stretched lazily, and walked over to the window of the private room. Gazing at the patrons of Chunman Tower who were scattered about in twos and threes, listening to music and drinking, he said, "Besides, given my current situation, I'm not in a position to help you. Not only would I be unable to help, but I might end up dragging you down."
"Why?"
"Since you know I'm a Body of Original Sin, shouldn't you already know why?"
Hearing Gu Qingfeng's words, Huode thought for a moment and immediately understood.
Yes.
He knew Gu Qingfeng was a Body of Original Sin, and it was likely more than just that.
But that was all he knew.
As for what a true Body of Original Sin really was,
Huode couldn't explain it. At present, he didn't fully understand it either.
That wasn't important.
What was important was that he knew Gu Qingfeng's existence was now like a swirling vortex of karma.
Anyone who became entangled in karma with him might be drawn into the legendary Karmic Black Hole that would trigger the great calamity of the present era.
Suddenly,
Huode remembered those women connected to Gu Qingfeng by karma.
The Embodiment of Nature, Yun Nishang; the Queen of the Borderlands, Feng Zhuyue; the Empress of Yanluo, Tang Hengheng; the Female Patriarch, Ye Tianlan; and even the Saintess Niangniang, Jun Xuanji.
These women had undergone reincarnation time and again, either burying their souls to be reborn, sealing themselves in slumber, or choosing to lose themselves.
Why?
All to sever their karmic ties with Gu Qingfeng.
Of the others, Huode might not be clear,
but regarding the Embodiment of Nature,
Huode understood quite well.
First Yun Nishang, then Hongxiu, followed by Ouyang Ye—reincarnating life after life, all to sever their karma with Gu Qingfeng.
And the result?
Even after burying their souls and being reborn, they still failed to sever it.
Thinking of this,
Huode felt a chill of fear. It was fortunate Gu Qingfeng hadn't interfered with his own karma. If this fellow had meddled with his karma, wouldn't he too have been dragged into the Karmic Black Hole?
Already having karma from the Wu Dao Age was bad enough; he might even already be caught in the Karmic Black Hole. But he was only caught in it, not too deeply mired—at least there was still hope of breaking free.
But Gu Qingfeng was different. He was a Body of Original Sin, utterly and completely sunk into the Karmic Black Hole, and sunk in the deepest way possible, unable to escape, likely never to be free of it in this lifetime.
"Forget it, kid, you'd better not help. Even if my chances of surviving a fight with my past life are slim, there's at least some hope. If you drag me into the Karmic Black Hole, forget this lifetime—I might be trapped for all eternity. This old bones of mine can't withstand that kind of turmoil."
In the past, Huode hadn't understood.
He hadn't understood why those people from the Wu Dao Age had all lost themselves, gone mad, and suffered so much they wanted to end it all.
Later, he understood.
Because the karma of those people from the Wu Dao Age had long been in chaos; they had fallen into the sea of suffering, into the curse of Original Sin.
Even after countless cycles of reincarnation, they couldn't break free.
Therefore,
they had always wanted to end it all.
Huode didn't want to end up like those people from the Wu Dao Age, going through reincarnation after reincarnation, trying to shake off that damned Original Sin.
If that were really the case, he'd rather be erased by his past life.
Watching Gu Qingfeng, who was leaning by the window looking out at Chunman Tower, Huode pondered for a moment before asking, "This...
Kid Gu, can you tell me honestly?"
"Tell you what?"
"Just how deep are you sunk into the Karmic Black Hole right now?
How far gone are you?
Forget it, I'll just say it straight—what exactly are you now?"
"Weren't you quite knowledgeable about the Bodies of Original Sin from the Wu Dao Age? Can't you tell what I am now?"
"This old man suspects you're probably not just a simple Body of Original Sin, are you?
If you were only a Body of Original Sin, I'd be able to tell at a glance. I know that deeper than the Body of Original Sin is the Sambhogakaya of Original Sin, and deeper than that is the Nirmanakaya of Original Sin...
Are you the Sambhogakaya of Original Sin now?
Or the Nirmanakaya?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head and said lightly, "Right now, I'm neither the Sambhogakaya nor the Nirmanakaya of Original Sin."
Huode stood up in surprise and asked, "Don't tell me that after you ignited the Original Sin Karmic Fire back then, you broke free from Original Sin?"
"I wish I could break free."
"What do you mean?
If you haven't broken free from Original Sin, yet you're not the Body, not the Sambhogakaya, and not the Nirmanakaya... then what are you?"
Suddenly,
Huode seemed to realize something. His heart skipped a beat, and he said in shock, "Don't tell me you're now...
you're now the Dharmakaya of Original Sin?"
Gu Qingfeng didn't respond, as if he hadn't heard. He merely closed his eyes slightly, as if appreciating the tune being played by the young female musician on the high stage of Chunman Tower.
Although Gu Qingfeng didn't respond, Huode already had his answer in his heart.
But this answer was, to him, like being struck by thunder—no less shocking than when he learned Gu Qingfeng's identity in the mysterious space earlier.
He stood there dumbfounded for a long time, then slumped into a chair, his expression somewhat dazed, muttering, "Back then, after you ignited the Original Sin Karmic Fire at Wu Dao Mountain, Original Sin gradually began to awaken from its slumber. Although I wasn't there at the time, I could sense it in the dreams of my past life. At first, I never understood—I didn't understand how you could ignite the Original Sin Karmic Fire, nor why Original Sin awakened after you ignited it..."
"Now I finally understand. You're the Dharmakaya of Original Sin. The Body, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya of Original Sin all originate from the Dharmakaya. Only the Dharmakaya of Original Sin can ignite the Original Sin Karmic Fire; only the Dharmakaya of Original Sin can cause Original Sin to awaken..." Closing his eyes, Huode took a deep breath, shook his head, and sighed.
He knew Gu Qingfeng might already be sunk very, very deep in the Karmic Black Hole. When he first asked Gu Qingfeng what he was and received no answer, he had already sensed it. He just hadn't expected Gu Qingfeng to be sunk this deep.
Not the Body of Original Sin, not the Sambhogakaya, not the Nirmanakaya, but...
the Dharmakaya of Original Sin.
If he sank any deeper, that would be the True Body of Original Sin.
And once he became the True Body of Original Sin, he would become the true master of Original Sin.
Huode had heard a saying.
It was said to be recorded in the Book of Fate: When Original Sin finds its true master, calamity will descend, the Great Dao will fall, heaven and earth will be reborn, and the Wu Dao Age will begin...
In other words, if Gu Qingfeng truly ended up becoming the true master sought by Original Sin, then he would be the one to trigger the calamity, end the present era, and open the Wu Dao Age.
That was truly terrifying.
Huode remained silent for a long while before asking, "Kid...
Gu... what...
what are you planning to do?"
Gu Qingfeng didn't answer the question. He still had his eyes closed, listening to the music.
Only when the tune ended did he open his eyes, turn, walk over, pick up a small cup of wine, tilt his head back to drink it down, and then utter two words, neither salty nor bland.
"Let it be."