"Gu kid, I'm asking you a serious question here, can you stop joking around?"
"I'm not joking."
"Not joking? Then what's with this 'letting it slide' nonsense? What does 'letting it slide' even mean? You tell me."
"'Letting it slide' means we'll see how it goes, what else could it mean?"
"Such a huge matter, and you're just going to 'see how it goes'? Don't you have any plan in mind?"
"My plan is to see how it goes."
"Alright then, we'll see how it goes."
Huode thought for a moment, then asked again, "But, Gu kid, have you ever considered... if... I'm just saying if, if by some chance you really end up becoming the true master sought by Original Sin, what then? Are you really planning to trigger a cataclysm, end the Present Era, and open the Daoless Age? If that really happens, you'd become the sinner of the Present Era, cursed and reviled for generations to come."
"Sinner it is, then. I've spent my whole life walking under the label of 'sinner' anyway—sinner of the Immortal Dao, sinner of the Demonic Dao, sinner of the Great Dao, sinner of Heaven and Earth. Adding one more title as the Present Era sinner who triggered a cataclysm and ended an era sounds just fine."
"What? What? So you really have such intentions?"
Seeing Huode puffing up with indignation, Gu Qingfeng waved his hand and laughed, "Just joking. Besides, do you think becoming the true master of Original Sin is that easy?"
"For others, perhaps not. But for you, kid, it shouldn't be hard, right? You're already a damn Original Sin Dharma Body now. Sink a little deeper and you'll become the damn Original Sin True Body!"
"Huode, let me put it to you this way."
Gu Qingfeng picked up the wine pot and poured Huode a cup. "Let's not talk about whether I want to become the true master of Original Sin. Even if I did want to, some people wouldn't let me succeed."
"No kidding!" Huode snorted. "The news of your revival hasn't spread yet. Once it does, if the Three Thousand Great Daos find out you're still alive, they'll come after you with everything they've got! In the Ancient Era, the origins of the Three Thousand Great Daos were still re-deriving. Now in the Present Era, they've almost finished re-deriving. The ancestral founders of the Great Daos have all returned one after another. When the time comes, you'll have more than you can handle."
"You think the Three Thousand Great Daos don't know I've revived already?"
"You mean they already know?"
"They should."
"Since they know, why haven't they made a move against you?"
"Hey!" Gu Qingfeng laughed and cursed, "Are you hoping the Three Thousand Great Daos finish me off?"
"What kind of talk is that? I'm just curious. Logically, if the Three Thousand Great Daos knew you were still alive, they'd spare no effort to kill you. But there's been no movement. Are they setting up some scheme, playing some conspiracy?"
"Schemes are definitely being set, and conspiracies are certainly unavoidable. It's just that the current situation is too chaotic. The Three Thousand Great Daos don't dare act rashly."
"Chaotic? Where's the chaos? I've been wandering the Great Desolate for so many years, and I haven't seen much chaos. The Immortal Dao now claims to be the leader of the Great Daos, dominating Heaven and Earth. The Myriad Heavens and Worlds all seem peaceful too."
"It only seems that way. It's true the ancestral founders of the Immortal Dao have awakened, but so have the ancestral founders of the Demonic Dao, the Ghost Dao, and the Yao Dao. I reckon the Immortal Dao's position as leader of the Great Daos won't last much longer."
Gu Qingfeng sipped his wine as he spoke. "Besides, I'm not the only one with Original Sin in this world. How many there are, I don't know, and it's not important. What's important is that those big shots from Gui Xu have emerged. Just dealing with those big shots from Gui Xu will keep the Immortal Dao busy enough. They won't have time to bother with me."
Huode thought carefully and nodded. "That's true. How could I forget those big shots from Gui Xu? Those guys are all era-dominating overlords capable of destroying Heaven and Earth! Compared to them, your threat to the world is minor. With those Gui Xu big shots taking the heat upfront, you don't have to worry too much."
"Exactly. So we'll see how it goes."
"That's all well and good, but..." Huode scratched his head, looking troubled. "Just sitting around waiting isn't a long-term solution, is it?"
"What then? You want to give me some guidance?"
"Forget it! What qualification do I have to guide you?"
Huode curled his lip, then asked seriously, "Is there really no way to free from Original Sin?"
"Huode."
Gu Qingfeng looked at him. "Since ancient times, who knows how many people have borne Original Sin. Have you ever heard of anyone who could free from it? No, right? Even those big shots in Gui Xu are all Original Sin bearers. You think they don't want to free from it? Do you think I piss higher than Chiyou or farther than Xingtian? If they have no way, what makes me special?"
"You!" Huode was utterly speechless. "Then you should at least try, right? Trying gives you hope. Not trying gives you none at all."
"I say, Huode, you've pretty much watched me grow up. You should know what kind of person I am. Do you think I'm a good person?"
"If you're a good person, then there are no bad people left in this world."
"Do you think I would sacrifice myself for the sake of the Great Daos of Heaven and Earth, for the sake of all sentient beings?"
"Gu kid, it's not that I look down on you, but a losing proposition like that—sacrificing yourself for empty praise—is something you'd never do."
"There you have it. What do you think I lit the Original Sin Karmic Fire on Wudao Mountain for back then? Was it really for the safety of the Great Daos and all sentient beings? What does the safety of the Great Daos and sentient beings have to do with me?"
"I knew you couldn't do something so great and admirable! Sure enough, you lit the Original Sin Karmic Fire to free from Original Sin, not for the sake of those so-called sentient beings at all. Damn it! Many in the Great Desolate say that although you were an unrivaled legendary overlord in the Ancient Era, you're a peerless hero who sacrifices himself for righteousness in the Present Era! Pah!"
"Hahahaha!"
Watching Gu Qingfeng laugh with utterly maniacal glee, Huode shot him a disdainful look. "I say, you've really betrayed Saintess Niangniang's heartfelt intentions."
"What does Su Hua have to do with this?"
"How do you think your heroic tale of sacrifice for righteousness on Wudao Mountain spread? It was Saintess Niangniang who spread your fame while teaching and transforming sentient beings across the Myriad Heavens and Worlds."
"Really?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
Huode rolled his eyes at Gu Qingfeng. "Your reputation in the Great Desolate is indeed loud—everyone knows it—but your reputation is all infamy! What unrivaled overlord, what lawless You Di, all messy. In the Present Era, Saintess Niangniang spread your fame to change people's image of you."
"Now that's strange."
Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin. "What act is Su Hua playing at?"