"Probing."
The voice of Lady Blackwater came through. The Old Beggar, sitting in his chair holding a cup of Dragon Cauldron fine wine, pondered for a moment before asking, "Probing who?"
"Too many, far too many probings. The Great Wasteland Magnates probing each other, the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands probing each other, the Great Daos probing each other, the Great Wasteland Magnates probing the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands, the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands probing the Nine Heavens Immortal Path, the Nine Heavens Immortal Path probing the Heavenly Dao, and the Heavenly Dao probing the forbidden lands, sacred grounds, including our own Guixu..."
Lady Blackwater continued, "Everyone is probing each other. Rather than calling it probing, it's more like luring—luring out all the existences that have awakened in the Present-Ancient Era. Everyone wants to know just who is stirring up trouble beneath the murky waters of this era."
Standing on Blackwater Mountain, her serious gaze remained fixed on Gu Qingfeng from beginning to end, never leaving him. "I think... Emperor Jiuyou is no exception. He too is probing, and from the very beginning, from the moment he showed himself, he has been probing. He also wants to know who is stirring up trouble beneath the murky waters of the Present-Ancient Era. However..." Her tone shifted.
Lady Blackwater added, "He is probing everyone, and everyone is also probing him. They are probing not only his attitude but also his strength, his trump cards. They all want to know how far he has walked on the path of Original Sin, and whether he is truly the Master that Original Sin has been seeking."
"If it's just to probe this kid, isn't the price these Ancestral Patriarchs are paying a bit too high?"
The Old Beggar curled his lip. "Not only did they lose ten Great Dao Hearts of the Mandate, but now even these damn Ancestral Patriarchs' Incarnations are getting wiped out one by one... These Incarnations are the lifeblood of these Patriarchs. Losing them now is no small damage to their true selves."
The Old Beggar kept drinking his Dragon Cauldron fine wine. "Moreover, I reckon this kid definitely saw through these Patriarchs' intentions. That's why he saved the ten Great Dao bearers for last—first taking the lives of the Great Dao bearers to lure out the Patriarchs behind them, then unleashing his Domain to finish them off one by one. Clearly, he wants these Patriarchs to suffer a crushing defeat."
"If they can probe out Emperor Jiuyou's trump cards, it would be worth it for those Magnate Patriarchs."
"That's exactly the problem here."
The Old Beggar grinned. "After probing for so long, they haven't probed out anything! Forget probing this kid's Original Sin or his trump cards—they haven't even probed out his damn true strength! And before anything substantial has happened, these Magnates have already 'lost the lady and her dowry.' If they keep probing, they might end up losing themselves too."
"Exactly."
Lady Blackwater also smiled, somewhat gloating. "If I guess correctly, those Magnate Patriarchs must be hesitating right now about whether to continue probing. If they stop now, then the ten Hearts of the Mandate are lost for nothing, and many Patriarchs' Incarnations died in vain. Stopping now means all previous efforts are wasted. But if they continue probing..." At this point, the smile on Lady Blackwater's lips grew even more pronounced. "They have no idea how deep Emperor Jiuyou's waters are, nor do they know how great a price they must pay to probe out his trump cards. So, they can only grit their teeth and continue probing."
"These Magnate Patriarchs are really something. The Patriarchs of the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands haven't even shown themselves, yet they jumped out first, thinking 'the early bird catches the worm.' Now they're in a real pickle."
Compared to Lady Blackwater, the Old Beggar seemed even more gleeful. "They 'lost the lady and her dowry,' while those Patriarchs from the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands are watching from the shadows, ready to pick up the pieces. This is what you call 'the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.'"
"Don't worry, those Patriarchs from the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands will definitely take their turn to probe. They won't miss such a good opportunity."
Lady Blackwater sighed. "Not only them, but the people from the sacred grounds, forbidden lands, and Guixu won't either. The Three Thousand Great Daos... including..." As she spoke, Lady Blackwater looked up at the sky. "Including the Heavenly Dao won't either. Because everyone knows that if they miss today's opportunity, it will be difficult to probe Emperor Jiuyou in the future... Emperor Jiuyou's existence is too mysterious, too unknown, too terrifying, too dreadful. His mystery is such that no one dares to probe him alone; his terror is such that no one can bear the cost of probing him."
"Precisely because this kid's existence is so inconceivable, everyone wants to pick up the pieces. No one wants to take the risk, yet no one wants to miss the opportunity."
The Old Beggar also sighed. "So it seems it all comes down to who can hold their nerve the longest."
***
The Void of the Lingluo Realm had long since recovered and healed, as if it had never been shattered.
Yet even so.
With every punch from Gu Qingfeng, the Void continued to shatter.
No!
Not just his punches.
With every step Gu Qingfeng took, the Void beneath his feet would immediately explode.
His punches were like this.
His steps were like this.
Every move, every breath, every sound, even a single strand of hair or a glance seemed to contain boundless power, causing the Void to shatter repeatedly.
Gu Qingfeng did not unleash his Domain again, but the Dark Flame burned wildly within his disheveled hair, the Silent Water boiled in his dark eyes, the Song of Slaughter roared amidst the wildly billowing of his snow-white robes, and the Wind of Death howled with every move he made.
At this moment.
He was like a War God from the Primordial Chaos, solitary, arrogant, and overwhelmingly dominant, traversing heaven and earth, slaying gods who stood in his way, killing buddhas who blocked his path, invincible to all.
He was also like a God of Death from hell, cold and ruthless, treating life as worthless grass, reaping one life after another.
He was even more like a Demon God from the abyss, savagely cruel, wiping out one Magnate Patriarch after another with his bare hands.
"A mere Incarnation dares to attempt probing me? Be destroyed!"
Gu Qingfeng threw a punch, shattering the Void. A Magnate Patriarch was instantly blasted into a bloody mist.
He took a step, the Void beneath his feet exploding. His figure instantly appeared before another Patriarch. Raising his hand, he seized the Magnate Patriarch by the throat and roared, "You're no different!"
With a lift and fall of his palm, the Patriarch was crushed to dust.
"You're esteemed Great Wasteland Magnate Patriarchs, yet you don't even dare to show your true selves, sending out a pathetic Incarnation to swagger before me? Aren't you ashamed? I'm blushing for you! Get lost and go back!"
Kill!
Show no mercy!
Fight to the death without rest!
"Today, no matter who comes to probe, I'll accept them all, every single one. I'll kill every one that comes."
Boom!
Another Patriarch was reduced to ashes!
"You all simply want to probe my trump cards. Fine, no problem at all. I'm just afraid you don't have the capability!"