Gu Qingfeng was now in a perilous situation, with those who guarded the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth and those who schemed for the True Lord of Original Sin all eyeing him covetously.
Originally, Da Xing the Mad Monk had no confidence at all. But when he thought about the existence of those who yearned for the Daoless Age and supported Gu Qingfeng, his heart gained a bit more assurance.
He pondered that if the powers above and below dared to make a move, those who supported Gu Qingfeng should also step in to stop them, or at least not allow Gu Qingfeng to be erased.
Da Xing the Mad Monk might not dare to vouch for others, but Demon Emperor Blood River would definitely not stand idly by.
If Demon Emperor Blood River wouldn't stand idly by, then that meant Cang Yan wouldn't either.
The more he thought about it, the more excited Da Xing the Mad Monk became.
Because thinking of Cang Yan, he couldn't help but think of another great power from Langya Grotto-Heaven—the Holy Maiden Su Hua.
Da Xing the Mad Monk knew full well that the Holy Maiden had always admired the Nine Nethers Emperor. Who didn't know that Gu Qingfeng had slumbered for ten thousand years, and the Holy Maiden had traversed all the heavens and myriad realms searching for him?
Moreover, the relationship between the Holy Maiden and Gu Qingfeng wasn't just admiration; there was also karma between them.
And.
It wasn't just the Holy Maiden who had karma with Gu Qingfeng; there was also the Great Nature Goddess Yun Nichang, including the self-lost Jun Xuanji.
They were all women connected to Gu Qingfeng by karma. Although Da Xing the Mad Monk didn't know where these women were, they should also be within the Primordial Nine Palaces, perhaps even secretly watching Gu Qingfeng right now.
Since they all had karma with Gu Qingfeng, they probably wouldn't stand idly by either, right?
Immediately after.
Da Xing the Mad Monk thought of another person.
One who made him grind his teeth in hatred yet filled him with fear.
Genggu Wuming!
That woman probably wouldn't just stand by and watch Gu Qingfeng be erased either.
Da Xing the Mad Monk had always suspected that Genggu Wiming wanted to use Gu Qingfeng to ascend to the pinnacle of the True Lord of Original Sin, then strike to erase him, thereby completely eliminating Original Sin.
Otherwise, Gu Qingfeng would never have survived until now.
Of course.
This was just Da Xing the Mad Monk's speculation.
But even if he guessed right, and Genggu Wuming truly wanted to erase Gu Qingfeng, she'd have to wait until Gu Qingfeng ascended to the True Lord of Original Sin before acting. Right now, Gu Qingfeng hadn't yet ascended. With so many experts above and below wanting to erase him, Genggu Wuming probably wouldn't allow it.
If Gu Qingfeng died here.
Who would ascend to become the True Lord of Original Sin?
If no one ascended to become the True Lord of Original Sin, how could Original Sin be completely eliminated?
Wouldn't Genggu Wuming's meticulously laid plans be in vain?
Moreover.
Da Xing the Mad Monk always felt that Genggu Wuming harbored some indescribable, unclear purpose towards Gu Qingfeng. This purpose might not be to use him to ascend to the True Lord of Original Sin and then erase him to eliminate Original Sin.
What exactly this purpose was, Da Xing the Mad Monk couldn't say. It was just a feeling he had.
In short, regardless of Genggu Wuming's purpose, she probably wouldn't let Gu Qingfeng die here before ascending to the True Lord of Original Sin.
Thinking this, Da Xing the Mad Monk couldn't help but feel a secret joy in his heart.
Those who yearned for the Daoless Age, and women like Jun Xuanji, the Holy Maiden, the Great Nature Goddess, and others connected to Gu Qingfeng by karma—as long as they stepped forward, whether it was the guardians of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth or those scheming for the True Lord of Original Sin, wanting to erase Gu Qingfeng wouldn't be so easy. Especially Genggu Wuming; if she stepped forward to protect Gu Qingfeng, then Gu Qingfeng definitely wouldn't die.
Since external threats were gone, only internal worries remained.
Now it depended on whether Gu Qingfeng could suppress the restless Omen Object.
If he suppressed it, all would be safe and sound.
If he couldn't suppress it, and instead the Omen Object or those Children of Original Sin took this opportunity to devour his self-awareness and seize his physical body, then Gu Qingfeng would absolutely be in grave danger this time.
Da Xing the Mad Monk knew that the reason those who yearned for the Daoless Age supported Gu Qingfeng's ascent to the True Lord of Original Sin wasn't because they believed Gu Qingfeng was the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate, nor because they thought the True Lord of Original Sin had to be Gu Qingfeng. It was because they valued Gu Qingfeng's character.
They knew Gu Qingfeng was a man without ambition. Even if he ascended to become the True Lord of Original Sin, he wouldn't seek to dominate all living beings of heaven and earth.
But if the Children of Original Sin within Gu Qingfeng devoured his self-awareness and seized his physical body, then Gu Qingfeng would no longer be Gu Qingfeng.
Since Gu Qingfeng would no longer be Gu Qingfeng, what reason would those who yearned for the Daoless Age have to continue supporting him?
Not only would they not support him, they wouldn't protect him either. Instead, they might very well strike to erase the Gu Qingfeng who was no longer Gu Qingfeng. They would rather the Daoless Age not begin than have the True Lord of Original Sin who ushered it in seek to dominate all living beings of heaven and earth. That would be worse than maintaining the current Three Thousand Great Daos.
As for the women connected to Gu Qingfeng by karma, if Gu Qingfeng was no longer Gu Qingfeng, the karma between them and him might also be severed. Naturally, they wouldn't care about the life or death of Gu Qingfeng's physical body anymore. They might even be overjoyed once the karma was broken.
As for Genggu Wuming.
Da Xing the Mad Monk tried to imagine.
If Gu Qingfeng was no longer Gu Qingfeng, then Genggu Wuming probably wouldn't care about his life or death either. No!
Not just not caring—by then, Genggu Wuming would likely be the first to strike and erase the Gu Qingfeng who was no longer Gu Qingfeng.
Genggu Wuming had always laid plans, hoping that after Gu Qingfeng ascended to the True Lord of Original Sin, she would strike to erase him, thereby completely eliminating Original Sin.
If Gu Qingfeng was no longer Gu Qingfeng, then the hope of ascending to the True Lord of Original Sin would vanish with him.
Keeping him would not only be useless but a calamity.
If so, why not eliminate him?
Even if Genggu Wuming's purpose wasn't to wait for Gu Qingfeng to ascend to the True Lord of Original Sin before erasing him, but had some other aim—regardless of her true purpose—as long as Gu Qingfeng was no longer Gu Qingfeng, he would be of no use to Genggu Wuming, and she certainly wouldn't spare him.
Those who supported Gu Qingfeng's ascent to the True Lord of Original Sin, the women connected to him by karma, or Genggu Wuming who harbored some purpose towards him—whether they would step forward to protect Gu Qingfeng depended on whether Gu Qingfeng could suppress the Children of Original Sin within him. If he could suppress them, they would step forward. If Gu Qingfeng couldn't suppress them and his self-awareness was devoured by the Children of Original Sin within him, they would also step forward. The difference was, when Gu Qingfeng was no longer Gu Qingfeng, they would step forward not to protect him, but to erase him.
Thus.
Whether Gu Qingfeng could survive this time depended entirely on whether he could suppress the Children of Original Sin within him.
"Damn it all!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk took off his monk's cap, scratched his bald head, then used the cap to vigorously wipe the sweat from his forehead. He had originally thought there was hope in this situation, but now upon further reflection, he felt Gu Qingfeng's predicament was far more dangerous than he had imagined.
"Kid Gu!
You absolutely must hold on!
You have to suppress them!
No matter what, you must preserve your self-awareness and not let those Children of Original Sin devour you!
Otherwise...
This time, not even the heavens could save you."
These were Da Xing the Mad Monk's heartfelt words.
He didn't want Gu Qingfeng to die like this.
Firstly.
He and Gu Qingfeng could be considered friends; there was a certain bond of affection between them.
But that wasn't important.
What was important was that he had staked everything, betting it all on Gu Qingfeng. He wasn't betting on the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, nor on the Daoless Age. He was betting on what lay behind the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, behind the Daoless Age, behind this karma and fate.
He was betting on a future!
If Gu Qingfeng died here.
Da Xing the Mad Monk would lose terribly, terribly. It wouldn't just be losing everything he owned, nor just losing his life, his karma, his fate, his future.
Da Xing the Mad Monk hoped Gu Qingfeng could survive more than anyone else.
Therefore.
He was now more nervous than anyone else.
Because he didn't want to lose, and he couldn't afford to lose.
"Buddha!
This disciple has never asked you for anything before, but this time I beg you to protect Kid Gu!
He absolutely cannot come to harm!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk prayed inwardly to the Buddha while chanting Amitabha.
His dharma eyes were fixed intently on Gu Qingfeng, fearing any unwanted changes might occur on him.
Life's disappointments are eight or nine out of ten.
Sometimes, the more you fear something, the more it comes.
What Da Xing the Mad Monk feared most right now was a change occurring in Gu Qingfeng. Once a change occurred, it meant Gu Qingfeng likely could no longer suppress the restless Omen Object and was beginning to lose control.
However, just after he finished praying to the Buddha, before he could even relax, the thing he feared most still happened.
A change began to appear on Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng, who had originally been sitting cross-legged atop the primordial ruins, began to tremble. This trembling was clearly uncontrollable, as if something inside him was about to burst out.
Immediately after.
Da Xing the Mad Monk sensed a mysterious aura emerging from within Gu Qingfeng.
What exactly this mysterious aura was, Da Xing the Mad Monk didn't know. He cautiously probed it, only to find the aura increasingly peculiar.
It was neither sacred nor evil, neither light nor darkness. It didn't resemble that of immortals or Buddhas, nor did it resemble demons or monsters. It wasn't like life, nor was it like death...
It had nothing.
Precisely because this mysterious aura had nothing, it terrified Da Xing the Mad Monk, turning his face ashen.
The auras between heaven and earth were countless, with everything one could imagine.
But regardless of any aura, none could escape sacredness and evil, light and darkness, life and death, yin and yang.
Immortals and Buddhas were like this, demons and monsters were like this, all myriad things were like this.
Because this was the order of the Great Dao, the law of the Great Dao. All things of heaven and earth were within it.
If an aura belonged neither to sacredness nor evil, neither to light nor darkness, nor to life, death, yin, or yang, then it meant this aura was not within the order of the Great Dao, nor within the law of the Great Dao.
Original Sin was one such example.
It belonged neither to sacredness nor evil, neither to light nor darkness. It was not within the order of the Great Dao, nor within the law of the Great Dao.
Precisely because of this, the power of Original Sin was so terrifying.
The problem was, Da Xing the Mad Monk discovered that the mysterious aura emerging from Gu Qingfeng was not at all the aura of Original Sin.