"These young people don't care whether You Di is actually the rumored True Lord of Original Sin. They don't even care if the You Di who has appeared this time is real or fake. For them, the most important thing is how to enhance their own prestige amidst the uproar caused by You Di."
"The news of You Di's death and resurrection has spread throughout the myriad realms of the heavens. Heroes and prodigies from every major heavenly domain and immortal realm have come from all directions. It's no exaggeration to say that the commotion caused by this event is no less than any grand heavenly gathering in the past ten thousand years of the Present Era. It might even be recorded in the annals of history. I ask you, anyone with lofty ambitions would want to seize this opportunity to make their name known across the myriad realms and leave their mark in the history of the Present Era, wouldn't they?"
A middle-aged man chimed in, "That's true. You Di is steeped in evil. Back in the ancient era, he not only turned the world upside down, but in the rumors of the Present Era, he's also said to be the True Lord of Original Sin, threatening the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth and all living beings. If one could erase You Di, they would surely leave their name in history. However..." He paused and shook his head. "But wanting to erase You Di is futile if all you do is shout slogans."
"Heh."
The old man who appeared profound and inscrutable said, "Don't underestimate the role of shouting slogans. These Great Dao Prodigies are stepping forward to shout slogans in public for several reasons. First, to inform the myriad realms that they have arrived. Second, to inform the myriad realms that they fear not You Di. Third, to inform the myriad realms that they have come to denounce You Di for the sake of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, for all living beings, and for the Present Era."
"Old Senior, do you really think these young people can erase You Di?"
The old man replied, "Naturally, they don't have that capability. But everyone, don't forget that You Di's existence is intolerable to Heaven and Earth. As long as he dares to show himself, the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao, and even the Three Thousand Great Daos, will not stand idly by. They all know this principle. Precisely because they know it, these so-called Great Dao Prodigies dare to shout slogans so recklessly. With the immense backing of the Three Thousand Great Daos, why would they hold any reverence for You Di?"
"Old Senior, do you think the Three Thousand Great Daos will truly take action against You Di? Why has it been so long with only these Great Dao Prodigies appearing, while the Three Thousand Great Daos seem to have made no move?"
"This old man isn't too clear on that matter either. Perhaps the Three Thousand Great Daos have already made preparations, but we just don't know about it."
"That doesn't seem likely. If the Three Thousand Great Daos truly wanted to take action against You Di, leaving other things aside, why hasn't a single major figure from the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao appeared? That doesn't make sense."
"I've heard that many Great Dao Star Lords, Great Dao Thrones, and even Great Dao Imperial Seals have already arrived in the Lingluo Heavenly Domain."
"That's just hearsay. Who has actually seen any of them after all this time?"
"We haven't seen them, but others probably have. After all, they are Great Dao Mandates. Do you think they'd stand out and shout slogans like these Great Dao Prodigies? That would be too undignified."
"That's true. The key point is... it's been so long, and even the immortal mansions of the Lingluo Heavenly Domain don't seem to have made any moves. The more you think about it, the stranger it seems, downright sinister. Could it be that the Nine Heavens don't dare to move against You Di?"
"Impossible. The Nine Heavens are, after all, the overlords dominating Heaven and Earth in the Present Era. Moreover, now that the Great Dao origin has revived and the Great Dao Ancestors have awakened one after another, they wouldn't dare not take action against You Di."
That profound and inscrutable old man said, "Matters between the Great Daos are simply beyond the reach of people like us. Our discussions here are meaningless. Let's just watch the spectacle honestly. As for other matters, it's best not to meddle blindly."
"Old Senior, I can't agree with that statement. What do you mean by 'watch the spectacle'? Did you, venerable elder, come here just to watch the show?"
"What else?" the old man retorted. "Or do you also want to be like these Great Dao Prodigies? To seize this opportunity to become famous throughout the world and leave your name in history?"
"Leave our names in history? Venerable elder, you think too highly of us. We know our own weight. We don't have that capability, nor the qualification to leave our names in history. We didn't come here to become famous, nor to watch a spectacle."
"Then why did you come here?"
"Old Senior, are you truly confused or just pretending? The rumors say You Di's existence is the True Lord of Original Sin, who may slaughter the Great Daos and end the Present Era in the future. This matter concerns everyone's future, their very survival. Can we just sit back and wait for death? Aren't you worried, venerable elder?"
"Hahahaha!"
The Old Senior burst into loud laughter, making everyone around him feel somewhat baffled. Some even wondered if the old man's mind was addled. They couldn't see what was so funny about this.
"Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"
"Old Senior, what do you mean by that?"
The Old Senior's expression turned very serious. "Do you know what Original Sin is?"
The people around looked at each other, all shaking their heads. They only knew the superficial meaning of the two words 'Original Sin'—primordial evil. But as for what exactly constituted primordial evil, no one could say clearly.
"You don't even know what Original Sin is, yet just because you've heard rumors, you're ready to shout about killing and fighting. Don't you think that's a ridiculous thing?"
"But the Book of Destiny records that if Original Sin finds its True Lord, the Great Daos will fall, and the Present Era will end..."
"The Book of Destiny—have you seen it? No, right? How do you know that's what's recorded in the Book of Destiny? Has the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets, known as the incarnation of karma and the envoy of destiny, the Eternal Nameless One, ever spoken of this matter? No, right? Since even the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets has never mentioned this, why do you believe such rumors? Furthermore, even if the Book of Destiny truly records this, how can you be so sure that You Di is definitely the True Lord sought by Original Sin?"
"This..." Hearing the Old Senior's words, the people around fell silent, unsure what to say. Thinking carefully, it indeed made sense.
"Old Senior, with such a major event, it's better to believe it exists than to believe it doesn't. What if—I'm just saying what if—You Di really is the True Lord of Original Sin, threatening the safety of Heaven, Earth, and all living beings? What should we do then? Can't just wait to die, can we?"
"Young man, don't mind if this old man speaks bluntly. We are all just a bunch of ordinary mortal immortals. We don't even know if we'll have a tomorrow after today, yet you're worrying about the safety of Heaven, Earth, and all living beings. Don't you find yourselves ridiculous? Does the safety of Heaven, Earth, and all living beings need us mortal immortals to worry about? Are the Three Thousand Great Daos just eating dry rice?"
The Old Senior's words made the people around blush with shame.
"To put it harshly, those Great Dao Prodigies who clamor about trying to erase You Di could kill us more easily than crushing an ant. For us, the threat posed by these Great Dao Prodigies is far, far greater than any threat from You Di."
Someone asked, "Why?"
The Old Senior said lightly, "Because we stand at the foot of the mountain, while You Di stands at its peak. You could say You Di is very, very far from us, as far apart as heaven and earth. There's simply no possibility of any intersection between us and You Di. His actions won't affect us. But these Great Dao Prodigies stand right above our heads. If these Great Dao Prodigies are even slightly displeased, our lives will come to an end."