"Hahahaha!
You think it's Original Sin that wants to erase Fate?
No!
It's not Original Sin!
It never was Original Sin from the beginning."
"If it's not Original Sin, then who else wants to erase Fate?"
"It's this Great Dao, it's this Heaven and Earth!"
"Why would the Great Dao and Heaven and Earth want to erase Fate?"
"Hahahaha!
Because the Book of Fate records that when Original Sin finds its True Lord, the Great Dao will fall, Heaven and Earth will be reborn, and the Wu Dao Era will begin. Tell me, why wouldn't the Great Dao and Heaven and Earth want to erase Fate?
Hahahaha!"
Well, well!
Gu Qingfeng had truly broadened his horizons today.
He originally thought this chess game was a contest between Original Sin and Fate behind the scenes, but now, damn it, a Great Dao and Heaven and Earth had popped up too!
Thinking it over carefully, it made sense.
If the records in the Book of Fate were true, then the True Lord of Original Sin slaughtering the Great Dao and causing Heaven and Earth to be reborn was actually Fate's arrangement. In other words, it wasn't Original Sin slaughtering the Great Dao and rebirthing Heaven and Earth—it was Fate. Original Sin was merely following Fate's arrangement, just a pawn of Fate.
Since the Book of Fate recorded it this way, then whether it was the Great Dao or Heaven and Earth, they naturally wouldn't just sit and wait for death. If Gu Qingfeng were in their place, he wouldn't just wait to die either. He'd definitely spare no cost to erase Original Sin and defy Fate.
Thinking this, Gu Qingfeng suddenly found it somewhat laughable.
He laughed at how chaotic this world was, how deep the waters ran!
He'd always thought others were Fate's claws and teeth, but after all this fuss, it turned out he himself was damn well Fate's claws and teeth.
This was truly too ridiculous!
Wait.
Gu Qingfeng suddenly remembered something else and asked, "The Book of Fate records that Original Sin finds its True Lord, the Great Dao falls, Heaven and Earth are reborn, thus opening the Wu Dao Era. Since this is Fate's arrangement, why do you still want me to erase Fate?"
"Do you want to be Fate's pawn?"
"Fair point."
Gu Qingfeng said, "So, we should join forces with the Great Dao and Heaven and Earth to deal with Fate together?"
"Don't forget, you are the destined True Lord of Original Sin. What to do is your business!"
Seeing Gu Qingfeng hesitate, the other spoke again: "I've said all I needed to say. Do you still have any doubts, any concerns?
My time is almost up. I've waited for you far, far too long...
This wisp of my remnant consciousness could scatter at any moment..."
"You are the destined True Lord of Original Sin. Whether you're willing or not, you cannot change it. Come...
Come...
Come and fuse with Original Sin..."
Whoosh!
The Hellfire Sea in this space burned wildly, burning Gu Qingfeng's heart-mind and consciousness, burning his soul and physical body. The other's voice was like a demonic chant summoning him.
Yet.
Gu Qingfeng still held fast to his core, guarding his self-awareness.
"Why!
Why!
Why!"
The other flew into a rage, stamping with fury, roaring repeatedly: "Why are you still resisting!
Why exactly!"
"I'm not one to like following others' arrangements, especially Fate's arrangements."
"This is your Fate. You cannot refuse it, you cannot refuse. You are the destined True Lord of Original Sin!"
"If I can't refuse, then why are you going to such lengths to make me fuse?
I've thought it over, and there are only two possibilities: either I, this destined True Lord of Original Sin, am fake, or you, this consciousness born from Original Sin, are fake. In any case, one of us must be fake. It's even possible neither of us is real."
"I've told you so much, and you actually doubt my authenticity?"
"It's not that I doubt, just..." As Gu Qingfeng was speaking, suddenly, from somewhere unknown, came a thunderous explosion.
Boom—
Crack!
The hell-like sea of fire was violently shaken by this sound.
"Fate!
Never!
Dies!
Original!
Sin!
Never!
Ceases!"
"Fate is endless—Original Sin is eternal!"
"The true meaning of the Great Dao, the mysteries of Heaven and Earth, are all Original Sin, all illusory!"
This voice was both familiar and unfamiliar to Gu Qingfeng.
When the voice came, it was like clouds parting to reveal the blue sky.
He had always doubted the authenticity of this self-proclaimed Original Sin consciousness. Even though the other had spoken convincingly and answered many of his inner confusions, Gu Qingfeng still didn't quite believe it.
As he had said, if he truly was the destined True Lord of Original Sin, then there was no need for the other to go to such lengths to persuade him to fuse. There must be some trick here. Moreover, Gu Qingfeng had fused with Blood of Original Sin before. During that fusion, he felt no discomfort. But now, he felt this wasn't fusion with Original Sin at all—it was more like being devoured.
When the tremendous sound came, he finally understood one thing: this existence claiming to be the Original Sin consciousness was fake.
What made his heart tremble with fear wasn't it, but this tremendous sound.
What was summoning him wasn't this fellow, but also this tremendous sound.
This fellow had used some method to impersonate the tremendous sound all along.
"Whether I am the destined True Lord of Original Sin, I might not know. But you probably aren't the consciousness born from Original Sin, right?"
Silence.
The other did not respond.
After a moment, the Hellfire Sea that had been scattered by the tremendous sound reappeared, and it was even more frenzied than before!
"It seems this Ancestral Patriarch truly underestimated you!
Never expected a junior like you to see through it!
That's right, this Ancestral Patriarch is indeed not that wisp of consciousness born from Original Sin!"
"Then who are you!"
"Who am I?
Hahahaha!
I am Ancestral Patriarch Xuanming!"
Ancestral Patriarch Xuanming?
Gu Qingfeng thought about it. The name was very unfamiliar; he had never heard of it. He looked at this Hellfire Sea and asked, "Are you trying to devour me?"
"So what if I am?"
"Can I ask why?
We have no grudge, right? Why do you want to devour me?"
"Because you are the destined True Lord of Original Sin!"
"So you want to devour me, replace me, and become the True Lord of Original Sin?"
"Hahahaha!
Since you, a junior, have seen through it, this Ancestral Patriarch might as well tell you directly: this Ancestral Patriarch is going to devour you and become the True Lord of Original Sin!
Junior!
If you know what's good for you, don't resist, or this Ancestral Patriarch will make you taste a fate worse than death!"
Whoosh!
The Hellfire Sea burned wildly.
Gu Qingfeng's physical body twisted and changed like smoke.
"Alright, Ancestral Patriarch Xuanming, is it? I advise you to stop wasting your effort. If you could devour me, you wouldn't have wasted so much breath on me just now. I have to say, your illusion technique is quite masterful—you almost had me fooled. But an illusion is, after all, an illusion. No matter how masterful, it's still fake."
With that.
Gu Qingfeng shouted sharply: "Break for me!"
With a bang, the Hellfire Sea vanished in an instant. Gu Qingfeng was still Gu Qingfeng. His heart-mind had not scattered, his soul had not burned, his physical body had not twisted, his consciousness had not blurred. He still stood within the turbulent, sea-like currents of the Primordial Black Hole.