The darkness destroyed Original Sin, yet could not destroy it.
The Buddha-light sought to transcend Original Sin, yet similarly could not transcend it.
Original Sin devoured both the darkness and the Buddha-light, yet still could not fully devour them.
Three great auras filled the void, locked in a stalemate, none able to overcome the others, for they were all boundless, endless, and ceaselessly flowing.
The Great Dao experts hiding within the ancient ruins could no longer withstand the pressure of these three auras and had long since fled. Only Da Xing the Mad Monk was still rushing about within the void.
He manifested his Vajra Indestructible Golden Body to withstand the pressure of the three auras, his gaze fixed on the Original Sin Incarnation clashing with Miao Tathagata on one side, and the one clashing with Demon Emperor Blood River on the other.
Others might not be able to tell, but Da Xing the Mad Monk knew that whether it was Demon Emperor Blood River or Miao Tathagata, their external incarnations were each more powerful than the last. Forget about some measly Original Sin Incarnations; even an Original Sin Dharmakaya would absolutely not be a match for either of them.
He simply couldn't understand how two mere Original Sin Incarnations could contend with the incarnations of Demon Emperor Blood River and Miao Tathagata.
Moreover, these two Original Sin Incarnations belonged to the same person.
Da Xing the Mad Monk racked his brains but couldn't figure out who possessed such great ability that just two Original Sin Incarnations could stand toe-to-toe with the incarnations of Demon Emperor Blood River and Miao Tathagata.
Just as he was puzzling over this, another change occurred within the field.
Another Original Sin Incarnation, appearing from who-knows-where, directly assaulted Demon Emperor Blood River.
At the same time, yet another Original Sin Incarnation, also appearing from nowhere, assaulted Miao Tathagata.
What the hell!
What is going on!
How did two more Original Sin Incarnations appear!
And these two Original Sin Incarnations were just as profoundly sinful as the two that had appeared earlier.
Before Da Xing the Mad Monk could even finish his exclamation—whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
Good heavens!
Four more Original Sin Incarnations appeared from who-knows-where, each assaulting Demon Emperor Blood River and Miao Tathagata.
At this moment, there were a full eight Original Sin Incarnations, surrounding and attacking Demon Emperor Blood River and Miao Tathagata.
If one incarnation was evenly matched with their incarnations, then what about four Original Sin Incarnations...
Who is it!
Just who is it!
Who in the world has such capability!
He didn't know.
No matter how hard Da Xing the Mad Monk racked his brains, he couldn't figure it out. He had been trying to locate the source of the Original Sin, but search as he might, even now he hadn't found it. He didn't even know where the eight Original Sin Incarnations had come from. It felt to him as if these incarnations had been birthed from the Original Sin filling the sky.
Within the field.
Facing the encirclement of four Original Sin Incarnations, Demon Emperor Blood River's cold, stern face remained expressionless. As he strode forward with the majestic gait of a dragon and tiger, endless darkness condensed beneath his feet, forming swirling vortexes of darkness that looked like abysses.
With a shake of his shoulders and a tremor of his powerful frame, the dark vortexes beneath his feet instantly exploded, sending the four Original Sin Incarnations flying backward. But they were merely sent flying; the four Original Sin Incarnations did not disperse, nor did they turn to dust. Strangely, they did not attack again either, but instead vanished into the Original Sin filling the sky.
At the same time.
Miao Tathagata pressed his palms together, Buddha-light blooming around him, transforming into a sacred, radiant sun. He similarly sent the four Original Sin Incarnations flying backward. Again, they were merely sent flying; they did not disperse nor turn to dust. The four Original Sin Incarnations also vanished into the Original Sin filling the sky, as if they had never appeared.
Here.
Demon Emperor Blood River stood in the void, beneath him the madly spinning vortexes of darkness. He was like a solitary peak supporting heaven and earth, a sharp sword piercing through the cosmos. Enveloped by the boundless darkness, he resembled the Lord of Darkness ruling over the night.
Perhaps because the Original Sin filling the sky was too profound, or perhaps because the four Original Sin Incarnations that had just assaulted Miao Tathagata were too bizarre, Miao Tathagata was no longer seated cross-legged. At some point, he had risen to stand upon the palm of that sacred Great Buddha.
The golden sun that had previously hung in the void was gone, for now he himself was the sun. As countless Buddhas paid homage, Miao Tathagata, incarnated as the Great Sun, truly resembled the legendary Mahavairocana.
Both of them sensed the Original Sin filling the sky.
Though their expressions remained unchanged, their eyes flickered with doubt and suspicion.
Clearly.
This sky-filling Original Sin not only left Da Xing the Mad Monk bewildered, but even Demon Emperor Blood River and Miao Tathagata were also at a loss.
Especially Miao Tathagata.
Although this external incarnation of his was not an Original Sin Dharmakaya, nor even an Original Sin Incarnation—it wasn't even tainted by Original Sin, being a pure Buddha Incarnation—this did not mean he was unfamiliar with Original Sin. On the contrary, his true self had long been immersed in Original Sin, and had sunk very, very deep within it. He believed that within the myriad heavens and worlds, aside from that one special existence, no one had sunk deeper into Original Sin than himself.
Remembering that one special existence, Miao Tathagata's eyes, which seemed like chaotic yin and yang, gradually narrowed. He shouted, "Might I ask if Your Excellency is the Netherworld Emperor?"
Miao Tathagata's vast, majestic Buddha-voice echoed in the void. Da Xing the Mad Monk hurriedly responded, "Miao Tathagata, this bastard isn't the Netherworld Emperor."
"How do you know?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk shouted, "This old monk says he's not, so he's not."
Miao Tathagata glanced at Da Xing the Mad Monk and chose to believe him. "If it's not the Netherworld Emperor, then who is it? Whose Original Sin could be this profound?"
"This old monk isn't an Original Sin person, how should I know! Haven't you, kid, been messing around in Original Sin all this time! Don't tell me you don't know either?"
Miao Tathagata shook his head. He truly did not know.
Just then, another change occurred within the field.
The Original Sin filling the sky grew more mysterious, more bizarre, more dreadful, and more terrifying.
If the earlier sky-filling Original Sin was like a rolling, overwhelming tidal wave, then the current sky-filling Original Sin was no longer a tidal wave, nor was it overwhelming. Instead, the entire void was filled with Original Sin, everywhere, as if the void itself was Original Sin, and Original Sin was the void.
"What the hell! This is too much..." Da Xing the Mad Monk stared wide-eyed, his entire body feeling ill at ease. Even with his Indestructible Golden Body manifested, he felt it difficult to move an inch within this Original Sin void. It was as if taking one step forward would lead to an abyss, and a single movement would cause him to be devoured by the sky-filling Original Sin.
"Even that kid Gu... probably doesn't have Original Sin this terrifying."
It was said that Gu Qingfeng had sunk very deep into Original Sin, but just how deep, no one knew—not even Da Xing the Mad Monk.
He had also never seen Gu Qingfeng manifest Original Sin, not even once.
Compared to those Original Sin Dharmakayas, Gu Qingfeng didn't even seem like an Original Sin person.
In Da Xing the Mad Monk's estimation, even if Gu Qingfeng were to manifest his Original Sin, it probably wouldn't be more than this.
Having lived for countless eons, this was the first time he had witnessed Original Sin so terrifying—terrifying to the point of seeming to merge with the void itself, giving him a suffocating feeling.