"Fusheng Dijun is both a tribulation-bearer ordained by True Fate and an Anomaly. As an Anomaly, his destiny cannot be fixed. Does that mean Fusheng Dijun might not obey Fate's decree to deal with me?
Is that why all beings under Heaven and Earth want to erase him?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk said, exasperated, "I say, young Gu, you usually seem sharp. How come you become so dense at critical moments?"
"What do you mean?" Gu Qingfeng asked, puzzled. "Did I get it wrong again?"
"The fundamental reason Heaven and Earth cannot tolerate Fusheng is because he's an Anomaly, but not because they fear he won't defy Fate's decree to deal with you. On the contrary, many existences are worried Fusheng will deal with you, even erase you."
Gu Qingfeng was getting more confused the more he listened, completely failing to grasp Da Xing's meaning.
"Da Xing, can you speak more clearly? Don't beat around the bush. One moment you say I'm the fated Original Sin Son, that all beings under Heaven and Earth want to erase me to completely eradicate Original Sin. The next, you say Fusheng Dijun is the tribulation-bearer ordained by True Fate, arranged by Fate to deal with me. Then you say he's an Anomaly, that all beings under Heaven and Earth also want to erase him, not because they fear he won't deal with me, but because they fear he will. Don't you think your words contradict themselves?"
"Contradictory?
This Old Monk doesn't feel it's contradictory at all!"
Da Xing grabbed Gu Qingfeng's arm, stopping his forward progress, and said seriously, "Young Gu, is there something you haven't figured out?"
"What?"
"Fate wants to erase you, to eradicate Original Sin. Many beings under Heaven and Earth want the same. But that doesn't mean all existences want to erase you, nor does it mean all existences want to eradicate Original Sin."
Da Xing's expression turned grave. "You need to understand clearly: the Original Sin persons in this world aren't limited to just you. Plenty want to become the True Master of Original Sin."
He paused, then continued, "Moreover, This Old Monk can tell you: not all existences want to be controlled by Fate."
Standing directly in front of Gu Qingfeng, Da Xing stared intently. "Fate treats you as a chess piece, to erase you and eradicate Original Sin. But think about it the other way: couldn't Original Sin also treat you as a chess piece, using you to eradicate Fate?"
"This..." Hearing Da Xing's words, Gu Qingfeng fell into contemplation.
"Young Gu, you need to understand one point: Fate isn't a person. It's a law, an absolute law. Since it's a law, it can be mastered. Mastering Fate equals mastering all things under Heaven and Earth, all living beings. In other words, once Original Sin is eradicated, those behind Fate become the masters of Heaven and Earth."
"Exactly which existences hope for Fate to master Heaven and Earth, This Old Monk doesn't know. But there must be many, many of them. Because once Fate masters Heaven and Earth, they all become beneficiaries, all becoming part of the force that rules Heaven and Earth."
"In the past, there might have been many, many existences who opposed Fate and didn't want to be controlled by it. However, those behind Fate are too powerful, powerful beyond imagination. Anyone who opposes Fate and supports Original Sin is their enemy and will be erased one by one."
As he spoke, Da Xing's brows furrowed deeply. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "You should know that many Original Sin persons appeared in the Desolate Ancient Era. Not only that, but even the Era Without Dao, where Original Sin was born, was opened...
Yet in the end, the Desolate Ancient Era perished...
Not only did many Original Sin persons perish because of this, but even many Great Dao Ancestors fell one after another..."
Gu Qingfeng listened silently, seeming to understand somewhat. "Are you saying the destruction of the Desolate Ancient Era was the doing of those behind Fate?"
Opening his eyes, Da Xing slowly exhaled. "This Old Monk has been investigating the Desolate Ancient Era all these years. While there's no direct evidence, all signs indicate that the Desolate Ancient Era's destruction must have been due to Fate and Original Sin confronting each other!"
He sighed heavily and continued, "In the Desolate Ancient Era, there must have been many who opposed Fate, who didn't want to be controlled by it. That's why so many Original Sin persons appeared. Their purpose in opening the Era Without Dao was probably to erase Fate. This even included many Great Dao Ancestors. Yet...
Those behind Fate were too powerful. Using unknown methods, they erased the Original Sin persons, caused the Great Dao Ancestors to fall one after another, closed the opened Era Without Dao, and caused the Desolate Ancient Era to perish."
As he spoke, Da Xing sighed again. Both his expression and tone were complex. "After the Desolate Ancient Era perished, through the Primordial Era, the Ancient Era, the Archaic Era, until the Present Era... those who opposed Fate and survived are probably not many left."
"Of course, 'not many' doesn't mean none exist. It's just that after experiencing the Desolate Ancient Era, they've hidden themselves very, very deeply. And This Old Monk is certain they've been watching you in the shadows all along, hoping you can ascend to become the True Master of Original Sin and thereby erase Fate."
"Your enemies are their enemies. Whoever poses a threat to you also poses a threat to them. The reason This Old Monk said Fusheng lad is also in a dangerous position is precisely because of this. He's the tribulation-bearer ordained by True Fate, meaning he's arranged by Fate to deal with you. Those old-timers hiding in the depths who want to erase Fate naturally keep a close eye on him."
"However, young lad, don't think that those who want to erase Fate support you. They watch you not to protect you, but to observe and monitor you. As soon as they detect something amiss, they won't hesitate to erase you either."
Da Xing patted Gu Qingfeng's shoulder. "After all, you're an Anomaly. No one can figure you out. They're all afraid, afraid you'll ultimately defect to Fate. So they've been on guard against you all along."
"Listening to you..." Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "My current situation is truly extraordinarily dangerous."
"Nonsense!
What did you think?"
At this point, Da Xing seemed to remember something and inexplicably chuckled.
"What are you laughing at?"
"This Old Monk suddenly realized you and Fusheng are really a pair of unfortunate souls sharing the same fate."
"You are the fated Original Sin Son. Those who support Fate all want to erase you, while those who oppose Fate are on guard against you because you're an Anomaly."
"As for Fusheng lad, he's the tribulation-bearer ordained by True Fate. Those who oppose Fate all want to erase him, while those who support Fate are equally on guard against him because he's an Anomaly."
"Those who oppose Fate are on guard against you because they fear you'll defect to Fate."
"Those who support Fate are on guard against Fusheng because they fear he'll defect to Original Sin."
"In short, both of you are at the storm's center, pleasing neither side, unloved by all. One wrong step, and you'll face eternal damnation. This is true for you, and the same for Fusheng lad."