"Using the Dao of Stillness to guard his qi and blood, the Dao of Death to conceal his spirit, and the Absolute Dao to resist the Blood-Sucking Cauldron—I must say, this fellow surnamed Gu is truly formidable."
The demoness stood with her arms crossed in the distance, watching Gu Qingfeng trapped within the Blood-Sucking Cauldron. "What surprises me most is that his physical body can actually withstand the roaring might of the Blood-Sucking Cauldron. It seems his body, if not truly immortal, must be very close to it. The pity is that his body hasn't awakened yet, otherwise... it's truly unimaginable."
She glanced at Mantufan beside her and asked, "Do you care about whether he lives or dies?"
Mantufan shook her head. "I do not."
"That's good."
"Why?"
"As I said before, he is a variable, and the greatest variable at that. No one knows what will happen after he comes into contact with the Blood-Sucking Cauldron. Everyone is waiting—waiting for a result, waiting for an omen, and waiting for the right moment."
"If the Blood-Sucking Cauldron proves beneficial to him, then everyone will stand on his side. But if the Blood-Sucking Cauldron is harmful to him, not only will no one stand with him, they will even take action to erase him."
Mantufan was puzzled. "What exactly is the relationship between this Blood-Sucking Cauldron and Original Sin?"
"The relationship is immense," the demoness murmured. "In a sense, the Blood-Sucking Cauldron is even a part of Original Sin itself. That is the fundamental reason why those old fellows are so tense about this matter."
Mantufan said, "So, if he obtains the Blood-Sucking Cauldron... will he become the True Lord of Original Sin?"
"Perhaps yes, perhaps not. But one thing is undeniable: if he obtains the Blood-Sucking Cauldron, his hope of becoming the True Lord of Original Sin will be much greater. However..." Changing her tone, the demoness shook her head. "The likelihood of that is minuscule."
"You mean the Blood-Sucking Cauldron will definitely devour him today?"
"Hard to say, and not easy to say. After all, those old fellows from the Primordial Age don't just want his life; they also want the Original Sin on his person. So, he's facing not only the terrifying Blood-Sucking Cauldron but also those covetous old-timers from the Primordial Age. Today, he will either be devoured by the Blood-Sucking Cauldron, erased by those old Primordial fellows, or..." Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, the demoness said, "...or he will withstand the erasure attempts of those old Primordial fellows while simultaneously counter-devouring the Blood-Sucking Cauldron. But..." As she spoke, the demoness let out a soft laugh, as if finding such a possibility nonexistent.
Within the site.
The nine-meter-tall Blood-Sucking Cauldron, amidst the blood mist, looked more and more like a primordial ferocious beast. Especially when the mysterious runes on its body flickered, the entire cauldron seemed to blur and distort. Accompanied by bursts of violent, savage roaring might, it shook the entire ruins as if they were trembling violently.
To be honest!
If it weren't for Gu Qingfeng being trapped in the Blood-Sucking Cauldron, and if they didn't want to miss this once-in-a-millennium opportunity, those Ancestral Patriarchs from the great wasteland factions would have left long ago. The more they watched, the more they felt the existence of the Blood-Sucking Cauldron was far more terrifying than they had imagined. Staying here for even a moment felt like a life-threatening risk, as if they could be devoured by the Blood-Sucking Cauldron at any time.
And it truly was so.
Every single person present felt this same unease and apprehension.
Yet even so.
None of them left.
All were fully armed, poised and ready, watching with covetous eyes.
The bloody vortex within the Blood-Sucking Cauldron spun with increasing intensity. Half of Gu Qingfeng's body had long been sucked into it, and the entire person appeared utterly lifeless, like a corpse.
Was Gu Qingfeng dead?
Who knew.
No one knew.
Gu Qingfeng's existence was mysterious and elusive, impossible to probe with divine sense. Even if one could probe him with divine sense, no one dared to do so at this moment.
They were all waiting.
Waiting for those powerful experts whose divine senses had previously enveloped Gu Qingfeng to make a move.
But wait as they might, there was still no sign of action. This couldn't help but make the assembled Ancestral Patriarchs from the major factions both anxious and vaguely uneasy.
Could it be those senior predecessors didn't plan to act?
They didn't know.
No one had any certainty in their hearts.
"Ancestral Patriarch! If those senior predecessors don't plan to act, what should we do?"
Yuyang Immortal King from the Purple Cloud Immortal Realm was also waiting with unbearable anxiety. Perhaps because today's events were too momentous, his heart was extremely tense, to the point that his speech was somewhat faltering.
Lieyin Patriarch, who had originally appeared quite calm, was now visibly flustered as well. His thoughts raced like lightning, pondering what they should do if those senior predecessors didn't make a move.
Give up?
He truly couldn't bear to.
If they gave up such a once-in-a-millennium opportunity, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
But if they didn't give up, what could they do?
Attack directly?
With the strength of their group, could they be a match for the Nine Nethers Emperor?
Even if they joined forces with the people from Feather Transcendence Immortal Realm and Loulan Blessed Land, it would likely be insufficient. Not to mention the presence of the extremely fearsome-looking Blood-Sucking Cauldron—who knew if they would be sucked into it the moment they attacked.
What to do?
Now even Lieyin Patriarch found himself in a dilemma, unsure of how to proceed.
"No! We can't keep waiting like this. I cannot miss this opportunity. Even if I die today, I, Tian Kui, must take this gamble!"
Having waited and waited without any sign from those senior predecessors, Tian Kui had grown impatient.
"You... you must keep calm! Absolutely must keep calm! The more critical the moment, the more you must keep calm!"
Lieyin Patriarch tried to persuade Tian Kui.
But his persuasion couldn't even convince himself, let alone restrain Tian Kui.
"I said even if I die today, I, Tian Kui, will take this gamble!"
Tian Kui seemed to have lost his reason. His blazing eyes were filled with killing intent as he stared fixedly at Gu Qingfeng trapped in the Blood-Sucking Cauldron, enunciating each word: "Let's see whose life is tougher, mine or his!"
As his words fell.
Tian Kui no longer cared about anything else. With an angry roar, brilliant light erupted wildly from his entire body. Holding a flying sword, he raised his hand and unleashed a narrow, crescent-moon-like sword radiance that shot toward the Blood-Sucking Cauldron.
Although Tian Kui had lost his reason, his consciousness remained relatively clear. He knew the Blood-Sucking Cauldron was terrifying and that Gu Qingfeng was unfathomable. He did not approach but instead executed a sword technique, launching a probing attack first.
Tian Kui's sudden move thoroughly startled Lieyin Patriarch and the others. In Lieyin Patriarch's mind, even if they were to attack, they should first discuss and join forces with the other Ancestral Patriarchs from Loulan Blessed Land and Feather Transcendence Immortal Realm to have any hope. He never expected Tian Kui to act so decisively.
Lieyin Patriarch had ultimately underestimated Tian Kui's craving for Original Sin and overestimated Tian Kui's composure.
But now it was too late for words, because Tian Kui's sword strike had already been unleashed.
In the blink of an eye.
Just as Tian Kui released his sword technique, with a *bang*, a flash of light flickered. Immediately after, the sword technique he had unleashed inexplicably dissipated mid-air.