Although Gu Qingfeng was quite shocked to learn that he carried an Omen Object within him,
it was merely shock.
He felt no fear, no worry.
As the saying goes, with many debts, one stops worrying; with many lice, one stops itching.
He already had plenty of messy existences on him, each more mysterious and bizarre than the last. One more Omen Object wouldn't make much difference.
The only thing that piqued his curiosity was why he was the destined one—or more precisely, why the Omen Object had chosen him.
When he asked, Old Senior Feng Zhu replied, "This old monk would also like to know the answer to that question. Perhaps it is fate, perhaps it is the workings of Karma, or perhaps it is merely a chance coincidence."
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but laugh.
"Why does Young Friend Qingfeng laugh?"
"I laugh because I've heard that line more times than I can remember..." Gu Qingfeng chuckled. "Thinking about it, it really is a bit strange. Every time I encounter something like this, you ancient existences always like to say the same thing—either it's fate, or it's Karma, or it's a coincidence...
I don't know if you all planned it or what."
"If others heard this phrase frequently, it might be abnormal. But if it's Young Friend Qingfeng, then it's perfectly normal."
"Why?"
"Young Friend Qingfeng is an Anomaly, and not just an Original Sin Anomaly, but also an Illusory Self Anomaly, an Anomaly of the present era, and even an Anomaly of Wu Dao. Calling you the most elusive Anomaly between Heaven and Earth would not be an exaggeration."
When mentioning the Omen Object earlier, Old Senior Feng Zhu's expression had been grave. But when speaking of Gu Qingfeng being an Anomaly, his face broke into a smile. "Young Friend Qingfeng's existence is one of chaotic Karma; his fate is naturally inscrutable. Therefore, the events that befall you, young friend, are likely beyond the divination of anyone throughout all ages and across Heaven and Earth."
After a pause, Old Senior Feng Zhu continued, "This is also the reason why this old man changed his mind upon meeting you, young friend. If the Omen Object had chosen anyone else, it might truly become an object of calamity. But if it chose Young Friend Qingfeng, this so-called Omen Object might not necessarily remain ominous. It could even become an auspicious object—such a possibility cannot be ruled out."
"And why is that?" Gu Qingfeng asked. "Is it simply because my existence is an Anomaly?"
"Perhaps."
"Perhaps?"
Old Senior Feng Zhu responded with certainty, "Perhaps."
"So, you're saying you've changed your mind and don't intend to trap me in this spacetime illusion anymore?"
"If Young Friend Qingfeng wishes, you may leave at any time."
"Heh."
Gu Qingfeng smiled. "That's what puzzles me."
"What confuses you, young friend?"
"To be honest, in all my years, this is the first time I've enjoyed any benefit from being labeled an 'Anomaly'."
Gu Qingfeng sighed with emotion. "In the past, this identity of 'Anomaly' has brought me nothing but trouble. Now I've reached a point where everyone wants me dead, where Heaven and Earth themselves cannot tolerate me—the root cause is this very identity of 'Anomaly'."
He hadn't understood before.
He hadn't understood why the Great Dao couldn't tolerate him, why Heaven and Earth couldn't tolerate him.
He initially thought it was because he had committed too many sins, made enemies everywhere, or perhaps because his destiny was too mysterious, provoking universal wrath.
Later, upon learning he was an Original Sin person, he thought it was because of that identity.
But as he experienced more, he realized it wasn't that. It wasn't about the sins he'd committed, nor the mystery of his destiny, and it had little to do with being an Original Sin person either. The true root of his misfortune was the two words: 'Anomaly'.
Throughout all ages and across Heaven and Earth, there were plenty who had committed more sins than Gu Qingfeng. Every ancestor from the Guixu had deeper sins than his.
As for having a mysterious destiny, while there might not be many in Heaven and Earth with destinies more mysterious than Gu Qingfeng's, there were certainly some.
And as for Original Sin persons, there were indeed quite a few in Heaven and Earth.
Not just Original Sin persons—even Original Sin Anomalies were not limited to Gu Qingfeng alone.
Yet Gu Qingfeng's existence was not simply that of an Original Sin Anomaly. As Old Senior Feng Zhu had said, Gu Qingfeng's existence was that of an Original Sin Anomaly, an Illusory Self Anomaly, an Anomaly of the present era, and an Anomaly of Wu Dao. Calling him the greatest of Anomalies was no exaggeration; he was the greatest Anomaly Heaven and Earth had ever seen, past or present.
Even ordinary Anomalies had chaotic Karma and undetermined fates, let alone a supreme Anomaly like Gu Qingfeng.
If Gu Qingfeng weren't an Original Sin person, it might have been different.
But he was precisely an Original Sin person, and not just that—he was deeply entangled within Original Sin.
One must know that the True Master of Original Sin was a key to unlocking the era of Wu Dao, and the era of Wu Dao buried all the secrets of Heaven and Earth.
No one wanted, and no one dared to let, a supreme Anomaly like Gu Qingfeng become the True Master of Original Sin and unlock the era of Wu Dao.
Because his Karma was too chaotic. No one knew what would happen once he unlocked the era of Wu Dao.
That was the most terrifying part.
For this reason,
the Great Dao could not tolerate him, Heaven and Earth could not tolerate him. The Nine Heavens and Nine Nethers, Heaven and Hell, Guixu and Huangxu, sacred lands and forbidden lands—all existences viewed him as a thorn in their side, a bone in their throat, watching him with covetous eyes from the shadows. Gu Qingfeng even suspected that whether he could leave the Primordial Black Hole alive this time was an unknown.
In his mind, Old Senior Feng Zhu had prepared this spacetime illusion beforehand with the purpose of trapping the destined bearer of the Omen Object here, completely preventing the Omen Object from emerging into the world, as its emergence would have unimaginable consequences.
Now that a supreme Anomaly like himself had become the destined bearer of the Omen Object, logically, Old Senior Feng Zhu should be even more determined to trap him here. After all, he was the greatest Anomaly, his future filled with unknowns. Perhaps, as Old Senior Feng Zhu hoped, the Omen Object might become an auspicious object within him. But there was also another possibility—the Omen Object might become even more ominous within him.
Although he still didn't know what this so-called Omen Object actually was, just from the fact that Old Senior Feng Zhu had been guarding it since the Primordial Age, one could guess with their toes that the Omen Object was probably far more terrifying than imagined. Otherwise, Old Senior Feng Zhu wouldn't have said that once the Omen Object emerged, it would greatly affect the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, all living beings, the past, the present, the future, and even the era of Wu Dao that was opening in the present age.
Given that,
Old Senior Feng Zhu should have been even more cautious. Why, then, was he allowing a supreme Anomaly like himself to leave?
Being able to leave here should have been a cause for celebration, but Gu Qingfeng truly couldn't understand.
He had come here in a muddled state, muddled through dozens of cycles inside, and now he was supposed to leave just as muddled?
He had to at least figure out what in the world this Omen Object was.