As Miao Tathagata vanished, the Buddha Realm of Miaofa Posuo also dissipated into nothingness.
The Desolate Ancient Black Hole was still the Desolate Ancient Black Hole.
It was still filled with endless, surging chaotic currents.
Inside the pavilion.
Cang Yan gazed in the direction where Miao Tathagata had disappeared, her brow slightly furrowed and her expression quite serious. After a moment, she spoke, "What did Miao Tathagata's final words mean?
An old friend of yours has revived and returned?
Who could it be?"
Genggu Wuming looked at the endless chaotic currents, her tranquil eyes flickering with bewilderment and hesitation. She shook her head slightly and said, "I don't know either."
Cang Yan knew that during the Desolate Ancient Era, Genggu Wuming had once buried her own life-bound soul, losing not only her original self but also all memories of that era. If Genggu Wuming said she didn't know who the old friend Miao Tathagata spoke of was, then it was certain this revived and returned old friend must be an acquaintance of Genggu Wuming from the Desolate Ancient Era.
"Miao Tathagata's confidence in claiming the title of True Lord of Original Sin is immense. I think it's more than likely connected to that old friend of yours he mentioned."
Genggu Wuming nodded; she thought the same.
"Just who is that old friend of yours? To make Miao Tathagata dare to be so arrogant!"
A certain Great Dao Progenitor?
Unlikely.
Most Great Dao Progenitors perished in the Desolate Ancient Era. Even if some survived, they wouldn't possibly help Miao Tathagata claim the title of True Lord of Original Sin. Taking a step back, even if a certain Great Dao Progenitor were still alive and willing to help Miao Tathagata, it would be useless against the numerous powerful experts in heaven and earth.
If not a Great Dao Progenitor, then who could it be?
Could it be an ancient ancestor from the Guixu?
That was quite possible.
After all, many of those ancient ancestors from the Guixu had long coveted the position of True Lord of Original Sin and were eyeing it greedily. However, due to various reasons, they might have lost their original bodies, leaving only divine sense, demonic thoughts, or consciousness and will. In such a state, choosing to cooperate with an existence like Miao Tathagata could be killing two birds with one stone.
But even so, was there any ancestor in the Guixu who would dare disregard all the experts in heaven and earth?
A sudden thought struck Cang Yan, and she exclaimed in shock, "It couldn't be... those terrifying demon gods like Chiyou, Xingtian, Kuafu, or Houqing, could it?"
Genggu Wuming shook her head. "It can't be Chiyou and the others."
"Why not? I seem to remember you saying that if the Guixu collapses, Chiyou and the others are extremely likely to revive and return!"
"If the Guixu collapses, Chiyou and the others might indeed revive and return, but it's only a possibility. Even if they do return, they would only be in the form of divine sense, demonic thoughts, or will."
"Wouldn't that make them perfect partners for Miao Tathagata?"
"Chiyou and the others would not cooperate with anyone, let alone help anyone claim the title of True Lord of Original Sin."
"Why wouldn't they? Couldn't they first help Miao Tathagata claim the title, then erase his consciousness and seize his body?"
"You don't understand what I mean."
Cang Yan was puzzled and waited for Genggu Wuming's explanation.
"Chiyou and the others would never do such a thing, nor would they stoop to it. Even...
Even if Miao Tathagata offered his physical body to them, they might not even deign to look at it."
"This..." Cang Yan was speechless.
She couldn't help but recall the legends about Chiyou.
The Demon God Chiyou, also known as the Progenitor of the Demonic Path, was said to possess world-shattering power. A single strand of his hair could crush a world, a single punch could shake the Great Desolate, and even a single thought contained boundless mysteries. Judging by the legends, Chiyou truly might look down upon Miao Tathagata's physical body.
"If it's not Chiyou and the others..." Suddenly.
Cang Yan thought of another kind of existence. "Could it be... someone from the Ancient Clan?"
Genggu Wuming first shook her head, then nodded. "Perhaps, or perhaps not. I hope not... we can only hope."
"What if it really is someone from the Ancient Clan?"
"If it really is someone from the Ancient Clan..." Genggu Wuming took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and after a moment, slowly exhaled. She shook her head again and did not answer the question.
The existence of the Ancient Clan was mysterious.
So mysterious that even an existence like Cang Yan knew very little about them.
She only knew that the Ancient Clan existed in heaven and earth like gods.
There were the Maha Clan.
The Posuo Clan.
The Jiaye Clan.
And even the Pangu Clan.
Exactly how many Ancient Clans there were, Cang Yan did not know.
But she knew that the legendary Progenitor of Humanity, the Yellow Emperor, and the Progenitor of the Demonic Path, Chiyou, were both from the Ancient Clan. So too were the Heavenly Father and Earthly Mother, Nüwa, and almost all the other mythical figures of legend.
Genggu Wuming was also a member of the Ancient Clan. At least, the Genggu Wuming who had not buried her life-bound soul in the Desolate Ancient Era was.
Besides her, there was also a Witch Empress, who, according to rumors, had also buried her life-bound soul in the Desolate Ancient Era alongside Genggu Wuming.
Some other members of the Ancient Clan had chosen reincarnation during the Desolate Ancient Era.
Da Xing was one.
Cang Yan's junior sister, the current Saint Empress Su Hua, was another.
She had once asked Genggu Wuming about the Ancient Clan.
However, Genggu Wuming had never answered any of her questions regarding them.
Inside the pavilion.
Genggu Wuming stood up, standing amidst the chaotic currents, simply watching the endless flows surge and drift. Her eyes contained untold amounts of hesitation and bewilderment.
Glancing at Genggu Wuming, Cang Yan, sitting in the pavilion, opened her mouth as if to speak but then held back. She simply drained the wine in her cup in one gulp.
She knew Genggu Wuming was very confused right now.
If she could, she truly wanted to help Genggu Wuming. Unfortunately, she was even more confused than Genggu Wuming.
Faced with this mysterious and unknown Desolate Ancient Black Hole, faced with this utterly chaotic situation.
Genggu Wuming did not know what to do, nor what she should be doing. Cang Yan was even more clueless about what to do or what should be done.
A long silence ensued.
Only after Cang Yan had finished an entire flask of fine wine did she walk out of the pavilion and stand beside Genggu Wuming, asking softly, "What are you thinking about?"
"A person."
"A person?"
Perhaps surprised by Genggu Wuming's answer, Cang Yan's expression momentarily froze. In her impression, Genggu Wuming had never said she would think about a person. She asked curiously, "Who are you thinking of?"
"Him."
"Him?
Who is 'him'?"
"Gu Qingfeng."
Hearing this.
Cang Yan could hardly believe her ears. "Why on earth would you suddenly think of that guy?"
Genggu Wuming did not answer the question. Instead, she asked in return, "What do you think...
what is he doing right now?"
"What else could he be doing?
Probably just running around blindly inside this Desolate Ancient Black Hole. Even you don't know what to do now; he's even more clueless."
Thinking of Gu Qingfeng, Cang Yan couldn't help but feel amused. "If we're talking about being lost and confused, I'm afraid no one in heaven or earth is more bewildered than he is..."