Da Xing the Mad Monk was about to continue his explanation, but Gu Qingfeng had already lost interest and waved his hand to cut him off. He stood up, stretched lazily, and then suddenly remembered the mysterious woman who called herself the Witch earlier. He asked, "Da Xing, let me ask you something. That mysterious person in black invited by Bodhisattva Shuiyue, do you know her identity?"
"This old monk truly does not know."
"Do you really not know, or are you unwilling to say?"
"Kid Gu, why have you become so suspicious lately? This old monk really doesn't know the identity of that mysterious person. If I knew, I would have told you long ago. Besides, it's not some rare secret; why would I need to lie to you?"
"That makes sense."
Gu Qingfeng smiled faintly and nodded, then asked another question, "Not long ago, I encountered a person inside this Chaotic Current Vortex."
Da Xing the Mad Monk asked curiously, "What person?"
"She called herself a Witch."
"A Witch?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk looked genuinely shocked and pressed further, "Which Witch?"
"Are there many Witches in this world?"
"Nonsense! Any woman who follows the Path of Witchcraft can basically be called a Witch. It's just like female immortals, female demons, or female fiends—how many do you think there are?" Changing the subject, Da Xing the Mad Monk added, "However, if you encountered a woman calling herself a Witch inside this Desolate Ancient Black Hole, I advise you to stay as far away from her as possible."
"Why do you say that?"
"The Path of Witchcraft is inherently extremely sinister, and a Witch appearing in this Desolate Ancient Black Hole is probably even more sinister to the extreme. It's possible the Witch you encountered is the legendary, maniacal Witch Empress."
"The legendary Witch Empress?"
"Regarding the legendary Witch Empress, this old monk doesn't know too much either. I've only heard that there was a very sinister Witch Empress during the Desolate Ancient Era." Da Xing the Mad Monk leaned forward, eyes wide, speaking seriously, "Do you know how sinister that Witch Empress from the Desolate Ancient Era was? It's said she, like Genggu Wuming, belongs to that ancient race."
"Is that so..." Gu Qingfeng pretended to be deep in thought, staring at Da Xing the Mad Monk with a sinister smile, "Why do I feel like you, old bald donkey, also seem to be from that ancient race?"
"What!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk was greatly alarmed, then inexplicably burst into loud laughter, "Kid Gu, oh Kid Gu, you really know how to joke. If this old monk were from an ancient race, that would be wonderful."
Regarding Da Xing the Mad Monk's words, Gu Qingfeng typically only believed thirty percent. Whether they were true or false remained unknown. The only thing he knew for sure was that Da Xing the Mad Monk definitely knew that mysterious person in black. He even suspected that Da Xing the Mad Monk must have known that the Witch he mentioned *was* that mysterious person in black.
As for whether Da Xing the Mad Monk was from the legendary ancient race, Gu Qingfeng actually didn't know. He said it purely to trick Da Xing. However, judging from Da Xing's reaction, it was hard to say for sure.
Alas, this old bald donkey hid his depths too well; out of ten sentences he spoke, at least seven or eight were false.
Regarding this, Gu Qingfeng did not continue questioning further. Just then, a rumbling roar echoed. The Black Cauldron could no longer withstand the impact of the Chaotic Current Vortex outside; its structure began to fracture wildly. It wouldn't hold for much longer before completely collapsing.
Gu Qingfeng patted Da Xing the Mad Monk's shoulder and said, "Alright, let's meet again if fate allows."
"What do you mean, 'meet again if fate allows'? I say, Kid Gu, first you kicked me in here, and now you've ruined my Black Cauldron. Do you plan to just walk away like this?"
"What else?"
"No! If you're leaving, you have to take me with you. We can watch each other's backs on the road, right!"
"When you, old bald donkey, start telling me the truth, maybe then we can watch each other's backs."
"This old monk has always told you the truth! If you don't believe me, I can swear to the heavens..." Before Da Xing the Mad Monk could finish his sentence, Gu Qingfeng directly vanished from the Black Cauldron.
"Kid Gu!"
Seeing this, Da Xing the Mad Monk immediately left the Black Cauldron. When he flashed outside, all he found was Chaotic Currents—nothing but currents—and Gu Qingfeng had long since vanished without a trace.
"Damn it! That kid ran away really fast!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk glanced back at the Black Cauldron. Seeing it twist and distort within the currents, on the verge of collapsing at any moment, he sighed heavily, seeming exceptionally regretful. He muttered a low "Amitabha Buddha," then clasped his hands together and manifested his Immovable Golden Body. Like a golden Arhat, he shone brilliantly amidst the various chaotic currents. His eyes swirled, like Fiery Golden Eyes, even resembling two great Radiant Suns, shooting out two beams of intense light that swept and illuminated the Chaotic Current Vortex.
These two beams of light were of unknown origin, yet they could penetrate the rolling chaotic currents as if piercing through layers of space—truly miraculous.
And so.
Da Xing the Mad Monk, having manifested his Fiery Golden Eyes, probed the Chaotic Current Vortex for traces of Gu Qingfeng. While using his Immovable Golden Body to withstand the vortex's impacts as he searched, he muttered to himself.
"That kid is so cunning and shrewd; fooling him is no ordinary difficulty! This little rascal is so wary of me; that's not a good thing."
"And what exactly is that little lady Genggu Wuming playing at? Logically speaking, if Kid Gu were to become the True Lord of Original Sin, it would greatly affect both Causality and Fate. Genggu Wuming should be trying to stop him."
"But from the way the kid talked, when Genggu Wuming met him, not only did she not stop him, she even hinted that he should seek out the Original Sin? Could it be Genggu Wuming wants Kid Gu to seize the title of True Lord of Original Sin?"
"That doesn't make sense, and it doesn't match Genggu Wuming's consistent style. Moreover, if Genggu Wuming truly wanted Kid Gu to seize the True Lord title, why would she influence his mental state? Isn't that contradictory?"
"What the hell is going on? Could it be that Kid Gu is truly the fated True Lord of Original Sin? That's impossible. Since the old man said Kid Gu is not the fated True Lord of Original Sin, then he definitely is not."
"But if he's not, then why on earth would Genggu Wuming do this?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk pondered for a long time but couldn't figure it out. Instead, the more he thought, the more confused his mind became, until his head ached fiercely.
Suddenly.
A voice appeared in his mind.
"You shouldn't have brought him here."
Hmm?
Da Xing the Mad Monk was greatly alarmed. He turned to look and saw a figure in black standing atop a glowing sphere, drifting towards him.
Seeing the person in black, Da Xing the Mad Monk became quite vigilant and asked, "Are you truly the Witch Empress?"
"Why pretend you don't know?"
"Hehe!" Da Xing the Mad Monk grinned and said, "Witch Empress, it really has been a very, very long time since we last met. This old monk remembers our last meeting was also inside this Desolate Ancient Black Hole, to be precise. Actually, back then, this Chaotic Current Vortex couldn't even be considered a Desolate Ancient Black Hole yet."