Anger was anger, hatred was hatred.
Da Xing the Mad Monk didn’t say much more, just rolled his eyes and replied with great displeasure, "What a stupid question!
If this old monk hadn’t run into Mo Wentian that kid in the Qian Palace, how would I have known you’d found Wudao Mountain? Do you think this old monk is Genggu Wuming?!"
As for Mo Wentian being in the Qian Palace, Gu Qingfeng wasn’t surprised.
After all, during their previous drinking chat, Mo Wentian had said he sought karma. Mo Wentian was now an Original Sin Dharmakaya—in other words, his true Id had long been lost, replaced by the Id of Original Sin. If Mo Wentian wished to seek karma, to seek his true Id, he ultimately couldn’t avoid Original Sin.
"That kid Mo Wentian said he not only ran into you but also Ren Tianxing, and that the three of you met by sheer coincidence, and even drank fine wine together for a long time?"
"What of it? The three of us drinking and chatting—do you have a problem with that?"
"What kind of talk is that? What problem could this old monk have? I’m just curious. How did you three meet so perfectly, out of the blue? Isn’t it just too coincidental? So coincidental it feels like it was arranged by fate."
Gu Qingfeng could tell Da Xing the Mad Monk was speaking with hidden meaning. "Da Xing, if you have something to say, say it directly. Don’t beat around the bush."
"Don’t misunderstand, kid. This old monk has no other meaning. It’s just that this matter feels a bit off. Think about it. None of you three are ordinary people, right? You’re all people of Original Sin. And you’re all variables of the current era. Each of you is sunk deeper into Original Sin than the last, and each variable is greater than the last. If the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth had a blacklist, you three would definitely be on it."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
"Can’t you stop thinking this old monk is so despicable? I really have no other meaning. It’s just that your meeting feels a bit off, that’s all. I’m just kindly reminding you."
Seeing Gu Qingfeng show no reaction, Da Xing the Mad Monk caught up and said, "You probably don’t know yet, but Genggu Wuming has already entered."
"Isn’t it normal for her to enter?"
The Desolate Ancient Black Hole determined the future fate of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and the appearance of the Primordial Nine Palaces had already raised the curtain. It wouldn’t be strange if even Old Heaven himself entered, let alone Genggu Wuming. "What, have you seen her?"
"Who?
You mean Genggu Wuming?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk shook his head. "This old monk hasn’t seen Genggu Wuming, but I did see another person."
"Who?"
"The master of Langya, Cang Yan."
Gu Qingfeng had met Cang Yan a few times. In his impression, she was a dignified, noble woman, with both immortal and demonic qualities, and profoundly inscrutable.
"That little lady Cang Yan is ruthless. This old monk almost died by her hand."
Thinking back to his previous encounter with Cang Yan, Da Xing the Mad Monk still felt lingering fear. Having lived from the Great Desolate Era till now, he rarely feared anyone, but Cang Yan was the sole exception that made him shudder from the bottom of his heart.
"She wanted to kill you?"
"What else do you think?"
"Why kill you? Do you have a grudge?
Or did you forcibly violate her?"
"Can’t you be serious for once, you brat?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk fiercely rolled his eyes again, then explained, "That little lady insisted on forcing this old monk to leave this Desolate Ancient Black Hole. She threatened that if I didn’t leave, she’d send me to reincarnation. Isn’t that infuriating!"
"Why force you to leave the Desolate Ancient Black Hole?"
"It’s all because of you, kid!"
Gu Qingfeng stopped walking and glanced at Da Xing the Mad Monk. "Don’t pin the blame on me. What does this have to do with me?"
"How is it unrelated? That little lady Cang Yan said it was this old monk who brought you in, the karma has already formed, and now I’ve become the chief culprit. No matter what you do in the Desolate Ancient Black Hole, this old monk has to take responsibility. Tell me, is that related to you or not?"
Gu Qingfeng nodded. "Cang Yan’s words aren’t wrong. It really was you, old bald donkey, who tricked me into coming here."
"You kid…
Damn it!"
Every time he thought of this issue, Da Xing the Mad Monk was filled with regret. He was in great pain now, regretting his past actions. "Even if this old monk hadn’t brought you in, someone else would have brought you in. Taking a step back, even if no one brought you, you would have come in yourself. In a word, you were destined to come in. Just like when you fused with that Blood of Original Sin back then, it was destined. You didn’t want to fuse, but you had to. You don’t want to come in, but you have to."
Truth be told.
Da Xing the Mad Monk’s words did have some merit.
Thinking carefully, it was indeed so.
Back then, he hadn’t wanted to fuse with that drop of Blood of Original Sin.
Even though he felt the Blood of Original Sin had been summoning him all along, even though he felt the Blood of Original Sin originally belonged to him.
He still hadn’t wanted to fuse.
But what happened later?
He fused anyway.
Just as Da Xing the Mad Monk said, you fuse whether you want to or not. It’s not a question of whether you want to, but a matter of destiny.
Thinking of this, Gu Qingfeng suddenly thought of an even more serious question: if it was truly destined that he was that so-called True Lord of Original Sin, then this thing…
Could it really be unchangeable?
"Of course!"
Suddenly shifting the topic, Da Xing the Mad Monk added, "This old monk just said you were destined to come in, but that’s only one possibility. Perhaps…" He paused.
Then, meaningfully, he continued, "Perhaps you, kid, are not destined after all."
"What do you mean by that?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk looked at Gu Qingfeng, his expression very serious. "This old monk suspects I’ve been tricked by someone."
"Tricked how?"
"This old monk has thought about this for a long time. The more I think, the more suspicious it seems. I estimate someone might have secretly set a trap for me, laid out a karma game. It was precisely this karma game that made this old monk bring you in."
Gu Qingfeng didn’t quite understand what Da Xing the Mad Monk was trying to say.
"Who would be so idle and bored as to specially set up a karma game for you? Why?
Just to have you bring me in?
Didn’t you just say I was destined to come in anyway?
If so, why bother setting up a game to have you bring me in?
Isn’t that like taking off your pants to fart—completely unnecessary?"
"That’s true, but what if you, kid, weren’t destined to come in?"
"If that’s really the case, then why go through all the trouble to set up a game for you to bring me into this Desolate Ancient Black Hole? What’s the goal? What’s the gain?"
"Excellent question!
A brilliant question!"
At this point, Da Xing the Mad Monk’s expression grew even more serious. "Kid Gu, this old monk used to always think you might be the destined True Lord of Original Sin. But now…
This old monk is increasingly feeling that you might not be the destined True Lord of Original Sin!"