Speaking of the Ancient Clan, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but recall that Great Dao Seed that resembled a solitary falling star's tear.
He still remembered clearly. After the Ancient Era ended and the Present Era began, when Gu Qingfeng awoke in the Great Northwest of the Mortal Realm, he had encountered the legendary Great Dao-Meteor Stream by chance.
The Great Dao-Meteor Stream was a natural phenomenon that only appeared when a Great Dao perished.
But at that time, a single Great Dao Seed had fallen from the meteor stream. By sheer coincidence, it had struck Gu Qingfeng and, inexplicably, fused with him.
In Gu Qingfeng's understanding, when a Great Dao perished, its seed should also vanish into nothingness. It shouldn't be possible for a seed to fall from a Great Dao-Meteor Stream. At least, he had never heard of such a rare occurrence before.
At the time, he had also felt something was off. Because after that fallen Great Dao Seed fused with him, there was no discomfort whatsoever; it felt as if it had always belonged to him.
To be honest, even now he hadn't figured out what kind of Great Dao that seed belonged to. Later, using that Great Dao Seed, a seed from Nature itself, and his own Nine Netherworld Ancestral Flame, he had somehow concocted the phenomenon of 'All Living Things Paying Homage to the Myriad Forms of the Floating Pagoda'.
What left the deepest impression on him was that the seed seemed to contain a wisp of residual consciousness.
That wisp of residual consciousness had told him that the Ancient Clan had already arrived and was looking for him.
It also told him not to trust the Ancient Clan, not to trust anyone.
It said he had no past life, no future life.
It even told Gu Qingfeng to go find a woman, a woman who had him behind her back.
Gu Qingfeng remembered these words very clearly, but it was just clarity. As for the meaning behind what that wisp of residual consciousness said, he still couldn't understand it to this day.
The Ancient Clan he could understand. The Ancient Clan looking for him, he could also understand.
Even saying he had no past or future life, Gu Qingfeng could somewhat understand.
After all, if it was truly as Da Xing the Mad Monk said, that he was the predestined Child of Original Sin, then he indeed shouldn't have any past or future lives. The Ancient Clan looking for him would be because of that.
What truly baffled him was that wisp of residual consciousness telling him to find that woman, a woman who had him behind her back. What on earth did that mean?
Gu Qingfeng had pondered it over and over but couldn't figure it out. Even after experiencing so many events, he still couldn't understand.
He had thought about asking Da Xing the Mad Monk, but after consideration, he decided against it.
He didn't trust Da Xing the Mad Monk. This old bald donkey definitely wasn't as vulgar and mad as he appeared on the surface. As for whether Da Xing the Mad Monk was a good person or a bad person, Gu Qingfeng might not be clear, but one thing he was absolutely certain of: this old bald donkey Da Xing definitely wasn't a good egg. Who knew what little schemes he was secretly hatching?
"Kid Gu, what the hell is this black thing Ancestor of the Blood River gave you?"
Noticing Gu Qingfeng constantly fiddling with a black jade statue, Da Xing the Mad Monk suddenly asked, "Doesn't look like a simple storage item."
"I don't think so either."
"Let this old monk have a closer look."
Gu Qingfeng casually tossed it over. Da Xing the Mad Monk caught the black jade statue and studied it carefully for a while before saying, "This thing looks like a seal."
"A seal?"
Gu Qingfeng asked, "What kind of seal?"
Ever since Ancient Bone Demon gave him this black jade statue, Gu Qingfeng had been fiddling with it. He was quite sure this thing absolutely wasn't a storage item, but as for what it actually was, he couldn't say for sure right away. He had probed it with his divine sense but hadn't detected anything.
"This old monk can't figure this thing out either, but it does look quite sinister."
Da Xing the Mad Monk looked at it left and right, pinched it, and shook his head. "And no matter how you look at it, this thing doesn't seem like a good item. You'd better be careful, kid. Don't you dare fall into Ancestor of the Blood River's trap. That fellow is no good egg."
"Whether Ancestor of the Blood River is a good egg or not, I don't know. I only know you, old bald donkey, are definitely not a good egg."
"Hey!
You're finding ways to insult this old monk, aren't you?"
"For an old bald donkey like you, do I even need to find ways to insult you?"
Gu Qingfeng laughed and sighed. "These days, where are there any good eggs left? Everyone's playing schemes deeper than the last. I used to think I might not be the smartest, but I definitely wasn't stupid. But ever since I started dealing with you old-timers, I feel like I'm practically an idiot. Spun around by you all, jumping into your traps without even realizing it. I could be sold by you and still not know what happened."
These were Gu Qingfeng's heartfelt words, his reflection on life.
Thinking about it carefully, he increasingly felt that from the moment he was born, he had jumped into a trap someone else had already laid out. His entire journey had been nothing but jumping from one trap into another, one trap after another, jumping in and out. Even now, entering this Primordial Black Hole, Gu Qingfeng suspected he had either stepped into a trap laid by Da Xing the Mad Monk or one laid by someone else.
"Kid Gu, this old monk didn't dig any pit for you."
Faced with Da Xing the Mad Monk's defense, Gu Qingfeng couldn't be bothered to respond.
"But, having said that, we're all the same. You're a chess piece on this board, and this old monk is no exception. Looking across the Great Dao and all living beings, who isn't a chess piece?"
After returning the black jade statue to Gu Qingfeng, Da Xing the Mad Monk continued, "The only difference is, some people have already realized they are chess pieces. They realize karma can be grafted, fate can be arranged. While others still think their lives are their destined fate. Compared to their tragedy, knowing we are chess pieces can be considered lucky."
"You think knowing you're a chess piece is lucky?"
"What? Isn't it luckier than those muddling through their entire lives in ignorance?"
"What's wrong with muddling through life in ignorance?
The old saying goes, 'The ignorant are fearless.' In my view, ignorance is the greatest blessing. There's nothing wrong with being an ordinary mortal, living an ordinary, carefree life to its end. Isn't that a leisurely and comfortable thing? Isn't that freer than you?"
Gu Qingfeng looked at Da Xing the Mad Monk and laughed. "You might know a lot, but what's the damn use? I don't see you living any freer. Jumping around all day like an idiot. Those in the know might think you're busy with your little schemes, but those who don't would think your brain's been squeezed by a door."
"Damn it!
This old monk, I..." Da Xing the Mad Monk was left speechless by Gu Qingfeng's retort and shouted, "Why are you suddenly turning on this old monk, kid? Did I provoke you?"