"Witch Niangniang, are you trying to persuade this old monk to abandon the hope of having the Gu kid become the True Lord of Original Sin, thereby stopping him?"
"No. You misunderstand."
The Witch's voice remained ethereal and indistinct as she said, "I neither wish to persuade you to give up, nor do I wish to persuade you to stop him. I merely want you to recognize the facts. If you're going to gamble, you should at least be mentally prepared to lose."
"But... if hoping the Gu kid becomes the True Lord of Original Sin is truly a gamble, then what about my Buddha Ksitigarbha, the Primordial Ancestor of Humanity, including the Great Dao Ancestors... are they also gambling? This old monk doesn't believe they haven't considered the consequences."
"You are you. They are they."
The Witch said, "Moreover, how do you know their hopes align with yours, that they too wish for Gu Qingfeng to become the True Lord of Original Sin?"
"If they don't hope for the Gu kid to become the True Lord of Original Sin, why would my Buddha Ksitigarbha teach him Buddhist Dharma? Why would the Primordial Ancestor of Humanity take the Gu kid as a disciple and teach him about human nature? Why would the Great Dao Ancestor teach him the principles of the Dao?"
"They merely taught him. That alone doesn't signify anything."
The Witch murmured softly, "I said, you are you, they are they. You have your own selfish motives, and they have theirs. Your selfish motives do not represent theirs. Your hopes do not represent their hopes. You wish to gamble, but that doesn't mean they wish to gamble."
If Da Xing the Mad Monk had held onto a shred of conviction before, after hearing the Witch's words, that last vestige of resolve dissipated like mist.
Thus, he finally realized he had made a grave mistake.
He shouldn't have lured Gu Qingfeng into this Desolate Ancient Black Hole. He shouldn't have pinned his hopes on Gu Qingfeng.
"Oh no, this is really bad. This is truly bad."
Da Xing the Mad Monk began to panic, his mind thrown into chaos. Rubbing his hands together, he paced back and forth in the turbulent currents like an ant on a hot pan. "What should I do? Should we pull the Gu kid out of the Desolate Ancient Black Hole? The key issue is, this old monk doesn't even know where the kid is! Even if I found him, I have no way to get him out of the Desolate Ancient Black Hole!"
He looked toward the Witch and pleaded, "Witch Niangniang, please, for the sake of your venerable self, lend a hand and help!"
"It's too late. Far too late."
The Witch's voice came, leaving Da Xing confused. "What... what do you mean?"
"The moment he stepped into this Desolate Ancient Black Hole, his karma was sealed. There are only two possible outcomes for him, and there can only be two. Either he dies in the Desolation, never to be reborn again..."
Da Xing was shocked. "Why?"
The Witch did not respond to that question and continued, "...or, if he does not die in the Desolation, then he will inevitably awaken his own Original Sin."
Upon hearing this!
Da Xing felt as if struck by lightning. His mind went blank, and his entire being felt unwell.
He did not want, nor was he willing, nor did he hope for Gu Qingfeng to die in the Desolation, let alone never be reborn again. He knew that if Gu Qingfeng truly died in this Desolate Ancient Black Hole, he himself would certainly not survive.
Perhaps there weren't many people Gu Qingfeng cared about, but there were plenty who cared about him. There was Queen Feng Zhuyue, Empress Tang Hengheng, and Sect Leader Ye Tianlan—three women who were terrifying existences. Da Xing clearly understood that these three women, like the Witch, were survivors of the Desolate Ancient Calamity. One only needed to think with one's toes to realize how horrifying they must be.
Moreover, besides these three women, there was also Holy Maiden Su Hua, Great Nature Empress Yun Nichang, and, in Da Xing's view, someone even three times more terrifying than Genggu Wuming—Jun Xuanji.
These three women were even more unapproachable for Da Xing. And all these women had intricate, indescribable relationships with Gu Qingfeng. If Gu Qingfeng truly died in the Desolate Ancient Black Hole, and it was he who had lured him in... wouldn't he be torn to shreds by these women!
However.
If Gu Qingfeng did not die here but instead awakened his own Original Sin... to put it bluntly, that would be even more terrifying than him dying in the Desolate Ancient Black Hole.
One must understand that Gu Qingfeng was already deeply entangled with Original Sin, having nearly become an Original Sin Dharma Body. If he were to awaken his own Original Sin, it wouldn't be just an Original Sin Dharma Body anymore; it might become an Original Sin True Body, potentially making him the genuine True Lord of Original Sin.
Had Da Xing received this news before meeting the Witch, he might have been wildly excited. After all, he had previously hoped for Gu Qingfeng to become the True Lord of Original Sin, which was the real reason he had lured him here.
But after meeting the Witch, he had already realized that Gu Qingfeng becoming the True Lord of Original Sin was an extremely dangerous affair, fraught with peril.
What should he do?
Da Xing truly had no idea.
He felt like dying of regret, his mind filled with nothing but remorse, wishing he could chop off his own head on the spot.
"Witch Niangniang, before a grave mistake is made, please, for the sake of your venerable self, lend a hand and help!"
Compared to the deeply regretful and utterly frantic Da Xing, the Witch appeared exceptionally calm, as if she were a mere bystander. She spoke softly and plainly, "I cannot help."
"Witch Niangniang! With your power, pulling the Gu kid out of the Desolate Ancient Black Hole shouldn't be difficult, right? Even if you don't respect the monk's face, please respect the Buddha's face a little. For the sake of my master, for the sake of our Chan Sect's founder, and for the sake of the Heaven-Earth Great Dao and all sentient beings, please help!"
Da Xing, perhaps having truly realized the severity of his mistake, cast aside all pride and dignity, actually kneeling before the Witch and begging pitifully.
Yet.
The Witch remained unmoved, not even glancing at Da Xing. She merely gazed into the depths of the Desolate Ancient Black Hole and said, "An existence favored by the three Great Dao Ancestors of the Human Dao, Buddhist Dao, and Heavenly Dao. An existence possessing the spirit of the Avici Asura, the incarnation of the Netherworld, and dominion over Purgatory. An existence intricately linked to the Daoless Age. An existence entangled in chaotic karma with numerous women from the Desolate Ancient Era. An existence with unclear, indescribable ties to the Ancient Clansfolk."
The Witch spoke, her tone complex. "An existence whose true mystery and unknown depths you cannot fathom. An existence whose variable nature you cannot begin to comprehend in terms of the terrifying impact it might cause. An existence that cannot be killed, cannot die, cannot be extinguished, cannot be avoided, cannot be circumvented, and must be faced. An existence destined to influence the Daoless Age."
"An existence whom even Genggu Wuming must deliberate thrice over before daring to meet. And now you want me to intervene and pull him out of the Desolate Ancient Black Hole? Hah! Do you think I would? No. I will not do this. I dare not do this."
As the Witch finished speaking, her figure vanished into the turbulent currents. As she disappeared, her voice echoed once more.
"Believe me, Da Xing. If I were you, I would stay far away from him. The farther, the better. Even if you cannot avoid him, do not forge any karma with him."