"Is that so..." As Gu Qingfeng increased the force in his five fingers, a series of crisp cracking sounds rang out. The Cun Mang Arrow trembled violently, and the radiance it emitted gradually weakened.
"Hmph! Don't get too cocky! This is merely a phantom arrow shot from the Cangye Half-Moon Bow. If I were to fire a true Star Arrow from the Cangye Half-Moon Bow, you would have been reduced to ashes long ago!"
"Then use your Cangye Half-Moon Bow to fire a Star Arrow and let this master have a look!"
As his words fell, Gu Qingfeng exerted force abruptly. With a *crack*, the crystal-clear Cun Mang Arrow instantly disintegrated and vanished. A wisp of Divine Sense attached to the arrow transformed into a streak of light that shot into the sky, shouting, "Emperor Jiuyou, you just wait! The day we truly meet will be the day I, Ye Tianxiong, slay you!"
"In these Myriad Heavens and Worlds, the number of people who want to kill me is endless. Even the Heavenly King himself would have to wait in line. What rank do you think you are!"
Gu Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the Divine Sense soaring into the sky. Unleashing his killing intent, he roared sharply, "Be destroyed!"
Such a fierce roar shook heaven and earth, dominating the ancient and surpassing the present. In an instant, it blasted that wisp of Divine Sense attempting to flee into nothingness.
Gu Qingfeng gazed at the night sky as if lost in thought.
"The Cangye Half-Moon Bow and the Star Cun Mang Arrow. Legend says they possess the might of the Great Dao, the power of the night moon, and the force of the stars. They can pierce spatial barriers—unstoppable, undefendable, unbreakable. Where the arrow's tip points, nothing can stand in its way."
A calm voice came through. In response appeared a figure entirely wrapped in white cloth.
It was Bai Chou.
She had appeared out of thin air without a sound, looking in the direction from which the Cun Mang Arrow had just come. "I never imagined that a mere phantom arrow shot from the Cangye Half-Moon Bow could possess such terrifying force. It's truly impossible to imagine how horrifying a true Star Cun Mang Arrow must be."
The Cangye Half-Moon Bow and the Star Cun Mang Arrow.
Gu Qingfeng had also heard of them—they were legendary Great Dao Treasures.
So-called Great Dao Treasures, also known as Great Dao Artifacts, were said to have been forged by those immensely powerful Primordial Sages using innate Great Dao essence back when the Great Nature gave birth to the Three Thousand Great Daos. They not only contained the imposing might of the Great Dao but also its power, making them extremely terrifying in force.
However.
Most of these Great Dao Treasures had mysteriously vanished with the end of the Daoless Age. A small portion had also gone missing with the conclusion of the Desolate Ancient Era. Although some Great Dao Treasures had been passed down, most were incomplete, either withered and desolate or depleted. Even if they weren't incomplete or depleted and had been passed down intact, these Great Dao Treasures weren't something just anyone could refine and wield.
Without formidable personal strength, one simply couldn't subdue a Great Dao Treasure. Attempting to refine it by force would inevitably lead to backlash—lightly resulting in severe injuries, heavily resulting in immediate reduction to ashes.
This was the case for some Great Desolate behemoths, as well as the Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands. Among them were completely inherited Great Dao Treasures, yet throughout history, few had been able to refine them.
As for this Cangye Half-Moon Bow and Star Cun Mang Arrow, while Gu Qingfeng had heard of them, that was all. He had no particular impression of these things and couldn't remember who they belonged to. Even the Divine Sense attached to the Cun Mang Arrow earlier, who called himself Ye Tianxiong, was someone Gu Qingfeng had never heard of.
"The Cangye Half-Moon Bow and Star Cun Mang Arrow were likely found by Great Desolate behemoths like the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands within Desolate Ancient ruins. It's just that outsiders don't know about it," Bai Chou said softly and lightly. "As for that Ye Tianxiong, he might be an Original Sin person secretly cultivated by some Great Desolate behemoth. Perhaps he's someone responding to the tribulation and fate, or perhaps a reincarnated soul... who knows? There are too, too many..." Bai Chou looked at Gu Qingfeng. "Ever since Genggu Wuming declared to the Myriad Heavens and Worlds that Original Sin is not a sin, the prelude to the Daoless Age has already been drawn open. Original Sin persons from the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands, the Nine Heavens and Nine Nethers, and the Three Thousand Great Daos will gradually surface. Incidents like just now, where someone wielding a Great Dao Treasure challenges you, are likely just the beginning. There will only be more in the future. Your troubles have only just started..."
Gu Qingfeng had little interest in these matters and couldn't even be bothered to ask. He glanced at Bai Chou. "Did you come looking for me for something?"
"No."
Bai Chou's entire body was wrapped in strips of white cloth, revealing only a pair of eyes deep as abysses. She stared at Gu Qingfeng. "It's just... to see you off."
"See me off?" Gu Qingfeng chuckled.
"What? Is that not allowed?"
Gu Qingfeng didn't speak. He knew Bai Chou's appearance definitely wasn't just to see him off.
Sure enough.
Not long after, Bai Chou asked, "You... have you made up your mind to break free from Original Sin?"
Gu Qingfeng didn't hide it, nodding and stating frankly, "That's right."
"If you wish to break free from Original Sin, you must first become Original Sin."
"I know."
"But after you become Original Sin, you *are* Original Sin. How can you break free from yourself?"
"I don't know."
"Have you considered the consequences?"
"No."
"If you haven't considered the consequences, you might as well look at me."
Bai Chou said, "I was once like you, single-mindedly wanting to break free from Original Sin. But after becoming Original Sin, I finally realized I could never break free from myself. I didn't want to lose myself, nor become a puppet of Original Sin. So, I ended up like this."
"Ending up like you isn't so bad."
Gu Qingfeng looked Bai Chou up and down, speaking very seriously. "If I truly can't break free from Original Sin in the end, I'll have Genggu Wuming tailor me a set of white cloth too. No! I want black cloth. Then the two of us, one black and one white, can form a duo. We'll call ourselves the Black and White Impermanence."
Bai Chou said, "I'm not joking with you. Don't persist in your delusion. You simply cannot break free from Original Sin."
"You are you, I am me."
Gu Qingfeng responded indifferently, "We are not the same."
"We are both Original Sin persons, flowing with the same drop of Original Sin blood in our veins. You are an Original Sin variable, I am also an Original Sin variable. How are we not the same?"
"Because you are a woman, I am a man. You are called Bai Chou, I am called Gu Qingfeng. Therefore, we are not the same."
"You!" Bai Chou glared at Gu Qingfeng, feeling utterly speechless. She shook her head. "I didn't come here to persuade you."
"I know."
"How do you know?"
"We're not relatives, nor are we involved. You're not my sweetheart, I'm not your lover. Why would you try to persuade me for no reason?"
"Heh." Bai Chou let out a soundless laugh. "That is the truth."
"If you have something to say, say it quickly. This master still has a journey to make."
"Someone entrusted me to bring you something."
As she spoke, Bai Chou waved her hand. As light shimmered, Gu Qingfeng raised his hand and caught it. Opening his five fingers, a stone appeared in his palm. The stone was ordinary, like an uncarved, natural piece of jade. Nothing particularly special could be discerned about it—at least, Gu Qingfeng couldn't see anything.
"What is this thing?"
"I don't know."
"Who asked you to bring it to me?"
"You'll know in the future. Take care. I'm leaving."
As her words fell, Bai Chou's figure gradually faded away. Her voice followed: "I hope when we meet again, you remain as you are."