After Gu Qingfeng spent a long time trying to probe and ask indirectly, he still couldn’t get any definite answer. Old Senior Feng Zhu seemed particularly taboo about that ominous object, so he had no choice but to give up.
Having finally encountered a high-level figure from the Desolate Ancient Era, Gu Qingfeng had originally thought that even if he couldn’t learn about the ominous object, he could at least inquire about what kind of terrible calamity had occurred in the Desolate Ancient Era. However, what left Gu Qingfeng utterly speechless was that Old Senior Feng Zhu not only refused to utter a single word about the ominous object but also kept his mouth tightly shut regarding matters of the Desolate Ancient Era.
He claimed that now he was only a remnant consciousness, his memories were fragmented, and he had mostly forgotten what happened in the Desolate Ancient Era.
Honestly, this reason was quite sufficient.
At least Gu Qingfeng couldn’t find an excuse to refute it.
After all, a remnant consciousness was just that—a fragment of consciousness detached from the main life entity. If even the consciousness itself was incomplete, how much more so the memories.
Of course.
The fact that Old Senior Feng Zhu’s remnant consciousness had persisted from the Desolate Ancient Era all the way to the present was something anyone could tell, even with their toes, was absolutely not ordinary. Even if his memories were truly fragmented, Gu Qingfeng believed he could deduce the complete memories based on those fragments.
But the old man just wouldn’t say, and there was nothing Gu Qingfeng could do.
Could he really use evil means to force him to speak?
Although Gu Qingfeng couldn’t be considered a good person, he wouldn’t do something as ungrateful as that. If nothing else, just for the few cups of consciousness wine Old Senior Feng Zhu had offered him, he wouldn’t make things difficult for him. Moreover, the old senior had even voluntarily released the seal to let him leave.
Sighing, he stood up, habitually stretching his waist, then drained the cup of consciousness wine in one gulp and asked, “I wonder what plans Old Senior has next?”
“This old man has been waiting from the Desolate Ancient Era until now, solely to await the destined one for the ominous object. Now that this destined one has appeared, and it is even someone like you, Young Friend Qingfeng.”
Old Senior Feng Zhu stroked his white beard, smiling faintly. “This old man’s wish has been fulfilled, and he has no regrets left…” “So this is both our first meeting and our last meeting.”
Gu Qingfeng could tell that Old Senior Feng Zhu’s meaning was likely that he was about to depart. But this departure wasn’t from the ancient ruins; it was from this world itself—utter annihilation.
Though he found this somewhat incomprehensible, he didn’t say much, only asking, “I wonder if Old Senior has any matters to entrust? Or if there’s anything you need me to help with?”
Old Senior Feng Zhu shook his head slightly, poured two cups of consciousness wine, handed one to Gu Qingfeng, and said, “This old man has no matters to entrust, nor any help needed. I only hope that in the future, Young Friend Qingfeng can follow his heart’s desires and have no regrets in his conscience.”
“Follow my heart’s desires? Have no regrets in my conscience… Haha!”
Gu Qingfeng laughed loudly and nodded, then clasped his hands in farewell. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and asked, “Right, Old Senior, there’s one more thing—could you offer some guidance?”
“What is it?”
“What’s the deal with Patriarch Lin Chi, who appeared again and again in the Spatial-Temporal Illusion? Why does the seal automatically disappear as soon as he’s wiped out? And the more I think about it, the more I feel he might be connected to you…”
“To be honest with you, Young Friend, that Lin Chi is indeed a reincarnation formed from a wisp of Divine Thought I left before my death.”
“Oh?”
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng was slightly surprised.
Ever since he met Old Senior Feng Zhu here, he had already guessed that there must be some connection between Patriarch Lin Chi and Old Senior Feng Zhu. He had thought it might be a doppelganger or an avatar, but he hadn’t expected it to be a reincarnation formed from Divine Thought.
Divine Thought and Divine Sense were known as the Twin Divinities of the Spirit, both belonging to the soul and residing within the heart-mind.
The difference was that Divine Sense contained consciousness, while Divine Thought contained intent.
Reincarnation was a taboo, a defiance of heaven.
Unless absolutely necessary, no one would undergo reincarnation.
Because reincarnation was too perilous, filled with various mysteries and unknowns, with far too many uncertainties. Once one entered reincarnation, no one could guarantee a successful rebirth. Even if rebirth succeeded, the soul might not necessarily awaken, and one would also bear the sin of reincarnation.
If that was the case for soul reincarnation,
the chances of success for Divine Sense and Divine Thought undergoing reincarnation were even slimmer.
Especially Divine Thought—this thing was even more fragile than Divine Sense.
Most importantly, Divine Thought was merely a carrier of intent, essentially just a thought, lacking even self-awareness. Even if reincarnation succeeded, it was impossible to awaken the consciousness of the past life.
In other words, if a wisp of Divine Thought succeeded in reincarnation, aside from inheriting the spiritual intent of the past life, it would be no different from an ordinary person—it would develop its own self-awareness.
If Divine Sense underwent reincarnation, there was at least some hope of awakening the consciousness of the past life, even if fragmented. That was still better than being unable to awaken the past life’s consciousness at all.
Gu Qingfeng truly couldn’t understand the meaning behind using Divine Thought for reincarnation.
Old Senior Feng Zhu seemed to have discerned the confusion in his heart and explained, “Young Friend Qingfeng, do you remember what this old man said earlier? Once that ominous object emerges, it will inevitably affect the Heaven-Earth Great Dao and all sentient beings, and it will also affect the opening of the Daoless Age.”
Gu Qingfeng nodded, remaining silent, waiting for him to continue.
“There have always been many existences eyeing the ominous object, watching it covetously, trying to claim it for themselves. This old man is but a remnant consciousness; what I can do is truly insignificant Dao.”
Gu Qingfeng interjected, “So you used Divine Thought to undergo reincarnation, thereby relying on the Divine Thought body to guard the ominous object?”
As he spoke, he felt something was off and added, “Divine Thought is just a wisp of your thought, without any consciousness. After reincarnation, it would develop a new, independent self-awareness. At most, it would only be influenced by the Divine Thought of the past life. Could it be that you, with just a remnant consciousness, could also control the reincarnated body of the Divine Thought?”
Old Senior Feng Zhu shook his head. “As you said, a wisp of my Divine Thought, after reincarnation, would develop new self-awareness. Under such circumstances, how could this old man control it?”
“Since you cannot control it, how did your Divine Thought reincarnation come to this ancient ruins? How did you use them to guard the ominous object?”
“The reason is simple: two words—Karma.”
“Karma?”
“They are the reincarnated individuals of my Divine Thought, and thus share Karma with me. I am the cause, they are the effect. Since there is Karma, a meeting is inevitable. They are destined to come to this ancient ruins, just as the Original Sin individuals are destined to open the Daoless Age… because the Daoless Age is the cause of Original Sin.”
“Is that so?”
This was the first time Gu Qingfeng had heard such an explanation regarding Karma. Thinking it over carefully, it seemed quite reasonable.
Suddenly!
He seemed to realize something and asked, “Old Senior, what did you mean earlier when you said ‘they’? Are there more than just Patriarch Lin Chi among your Divine Thought reincarnations?”
“Indeed, there is more than one.”
“Then how many are there?”
“How many, this old man does not know. Back then, this old man only left behind a remnant consciousness; the rest transformed into various Divine Thoughts and entered reincarnation. Exactly how many succeeded in reincarnation, this old man also does not know.”