Others might not understand, but Da Xing the Mad Monk knew all too well that the consequences of losing one's Ego were unimaginable.
He was no stranger to losing one's Ego.
He also knew that it wasn't only Those with Original Sin who could lose their Ego after becoming an Original Sin incarnation.
All living beings could lose their Ego.
The most common scenario was the birth of a new Ego after reincarnation. Once the Ego from a Previous Life awakened, the two Egos would fight for control of the body. Either the current Ego would devour the previous one, or the previous Ego would devour the current one. Of course, it was also possible for the current and previous Egos to fuse, though the chances of that were slim.
Da Xing the Mad Monk had forgotten his original intention when he brought Gu Qingfeng into the Primordial Black Hole. This made him wonder: had his Previous Life's Ego already awakened without him knowing?
The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed. His heart pounded especially hard when he recalled a certain phrase:
'When the Eternal Cataclysm births heaven and earth, the endless cycle of reincarnation manifests. Past and present karma meet; whose fate belongs to whom depends on heaven!'
In this era, especially within the Primordial Black Hole, it was entirely possible that his Previous Life's Ego had truly awakened.
What should he do?
Faced with this headache-inducing problem, even Da Xing the Mad Monk, who had lived since the Primordial Era, was at a loss.
He could only console himself for now that this was all speculation, perhaps he was just overthinking.
He shook his head violently, forcing himself to stop dwelling on it. Seeing Gu Qingfeng delving deeper into the Li Palace, Da Xing the Mad Monk hurried after him and asked, "Kid Gu, what's the rush? Are you planning to go snatch the Essence of Original Sin deep within the Primordial Nine Palaces too?"
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng stopped. "You're saying the Essence of Original Sin is buried within the Primordial Nine Palaces?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk countered, "You didn't know?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head. He truly didn't.
"Old Monk saw you in such a hurry and thought you knew."
"I've never heard of any Essence of Original Sin. What is that thing?"
"What exactly it is... Old Monk isn't too clear either. To be honest, I only heard it from others. They said the Essence of Original Sin is buried within the source of the Primordial Nine Palaces. As for what the Essence of Original Sin is... well...
I heard it's a kind of Primordial Original Sin essence, the very essence that gave birth to Original Sin blood."
After saying this, Da Xing the Mad Monk added, "Old Monk also heard that as long as one can fuse the Essence of Original Sin with oneself, one can become a Child of Original Sin, and only then qualify to contend for the True Lord of Original Sin. So..." Da Xing the Mad Monk swallowed hard. "So now, across the heavens and earth, holy lands and forbidden grounds, primordial ruins and abyssal voids, the Nine Heavens and Nine Netherworlds, practically every existence that wants to contend for the True Lord of Original Sin is eyeing the Essence of Original Sin."
"So that's how it is."
Gu Qingfeng nodded. As he gazed into the Li Palace depths beneath his feet, which resembled an endless abyss, the feeling of being summoned grew stronger and stronger, instinctively driving him to rush down as quickly as possible.
"What is that thing?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk suddenly spoke up. Having noticed something, he craned his neck to look.
Gu Qingfeng followed his gaze and saw a beam of light flickering in the distance, like a star twinkling in the night sky.
There were many Ruins within the Li Palace. Although these Ruins also emitted faint light like stars in the night sky, they didn't flicker. Gu Qingfeng hadn't encountered any flickering Ruins since entering the Li Palace.
Feeling curious and without hesitation, he instantly teleported over.
Both of them moved swiftly, one faster than the other. As they drew closer to the flickering star, both Gu Qingfeng and Da Xing the Mad Monk felt an intense sensation.
Original Sin!
Yes!
Original Sin!
A very intense Breath of Original Sin, a very dense radiance of Original Sin.
Roar!
Just then, a furious roar came from afar. A disheveled, wild-looking person was madly dashing toward the flickering star.
With a single glance, Gu Qingfeng recognized this disheveled person as one of Those with Original Sin, and moreover, an Original Sin Reward Body.
Soon after, he spotted another person who had lost their Ego, also one of Those with Original Sin, rushing over like a madman.
In just this short while, they witnessed three or four people who had lost their Ego, all Those with Original Sin, charging over.
Clearly, these people who had lost their Ego had been attracted by the intense Breath of Original Sin.
But what exactly was hidden there?
Closer.
They were getting closer and closer, and the Breath of Original Sin grew stronger and stronger.
It was a Ruin resembling a mountain range.
This Ruin looked no different from the other Ruins within the Li Palace. It had flowers and grass, but not a trace of vitality, filled with deathly stillness, like a Ruin painted in a picture.
The difference was that on this Ruin stood a gigantic Cauldron Furnace. The Cauldron Furnace looked like a tall tower or a mountain peak, surrounded by burning blood-colored flames, glowing with blood-colored radiance, and emitting billowing blood-colored mist.
Whoosh!
One of Those with Original Sin who had lost their Ego charged into the cauldron without hesitation. Immediately after, agonized wails echoed, and then the blood-colored Cauldron Furnace began to tremble, its blood-colored flames burning wildly.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Three more people who had lost their Ego, all Those with Original Sin, charged into the cauldron one after another. Similarly, after a burst of agonized wails, there was no more movement. Only the blood-colored Cauldron Furnace burned even more fiercely, and the Breath of Original Sin grew even stronger.
"Good heavens!"
Witnessing this scene, Da Xing the Mad Monk couldn't help but suck in a cold breath. "Someone is refining Those with Original Sin, devouring their Original Sin blood!"
Staring intently at the blood-colored Cauldron Furnace within the Ruin, Da Xing the Mad Monk muttered, "This method is not only ruthless but also extremely sophisticated. I wonder which Original Sin Patriarch has such guts!"
Gu Qingfeng also saw it clearly: someone was using a Cauldron Furnace to lure Those with Original Sin, then refining them to devour their Original Sin blood.
Moreover, the other party must be an Original Sin Dharma Body.
An Original Sin Incarnation Body couldn't pull off such a large-scale scheme.
Most Original Sin Reward Bodies and Original Sin Response Bodies had lost their Ego. Only an Original Sin Dharma Body could commit such an evil deed, and not just any ordinary Original Sin Dharma Body. Judging by the method, it was likely as Da Xing the Mad Monk said—probably an Original Sin Dharma Body Patriarch. Especially that Cauldron Furnace; one look told it was specially refined for refining Those with Original Sin.
But...
What exactly was inside the Cauldron Furnace that could emit such an intense Breath of Original Sin?
Suddenly, a possibility occurred to Gu Qingfeng.
Original Sin blood!
After much thought, only Primordial Original Sin blood could emit such an intense Breath of Original Sin.
"Not good!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk seemed to remember something, his expression shifting slightly. "Old Monk just recalled, this bastard might be that old monster Xue Wu!"