Whether it was the momentum of Heaven, the momentum of the times, the momentum of fate, or the momentum of fortune—all signs indicated that Gu Qingfeng was nine times out of ten the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Destiny.
In the Old Beggar's view, even if he had misjudged and Gu Qingfeng wasn't the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Destiny, given Gu Qingfeng's formidable innate abilities, it wasn't impossible for him to defy Heaven, alter fate, and seize the position of True Lord of Original Sin.
Especially after Gu Qingfeng integrated the Avici Uninterrupted Evil Asura, the Boundless Blue Sky and Yellow Springs, and the Heaven-Devouring Earth-Swallowing Blood Glutton—these Children of Original Sin—the Old Beggar grew increasingly convinced that Gu Qingfeng was indeed the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Destiny.
Only...
He never dreamed that Gu Qingfeng's body actually harbored an existence outside the Laws of the Great Dao. Even more unimaginable was that Gu Qingfeng had capsized in a gutter—his self-awareness devoured by that entity within him that existed beyond the Laws of the Great Dao.
Truth be told, for the Old Beggar, he didn't care who ultimately became the True Lord of Original Sin. As long as the Three Thousand Great Daos could be slaughtered and the Daoless Age could be ushered in, he wouldn't mind even if a dog ended up becoming the True Lord of Original Sin.
The problem was.
When Gu Qingfeng was no longer Gu Qingfeng, the so-called momentum of Heaven and times, the so-called momentum of fate and fortune—all vanished.
The existence of these momentums wasn't due to Gu Qingfeng's physical body or soul, but because of his karma.
When Gu Qingfeng ceased to be Gu Qingfeng, his karma would inevitably disappear along with him. Once karma vanished, so would his fate pattern. With the fate pattern gone, how could there be any momentum of Heaven, times, fate, or fortune?
To pin hopes on a Gu Qingfeng who was no longer Gu Qingfeng to contend for the True Lord of Original Sin?
The hope was far too slim.
Even if this non-Gu Qingfeng entity was an existence beyond the Laws of the Great Dao, the hope of him becoming the True Lord of Original Sin wasn't great either.
Because the Old Beggar knew that becoming the True Lord of Original Sin wasn't just about having formidable strength. Slaughtering the Three Thousand Great Daos wasn't just about having formidable strength either. Ushering in the Daoless Age certainly wasn't just about having formidable strength...
This required the momentum of Heaven and times, and also the momentum of fate and fortune...
"It's over...
Everything is over."
The Old Beggar sat on Blackwater Mountain, shaking his head in desolation, sighing and muttering to himself: "The Daoless Age will not open again...
I've waited from the end of the Primordial Age until now... all for nothing...
There's no hope left..." He pulled out a flask of fine wine, tilted his head back, and gulped down several mouthfuls. "Sister Blackwater, stop looking. It's useless to keep watching. It's over, everything's over. Let's accept our fate. Besides accepting fate, we can only accept fate..."
Beside him, Blackwater Lady paid no attention to the Old Beggar, her gaze still fixed on the void filled with gray smoke.
Although she appeared calm.
It was only an appearance.
The despair in her heart was no less than the Old Beggar's; perhaps it was even greater.
The Old Beggar had waited from the end of the Primordial Age until now. She had done the same.
The Old Beggar hoped Gu Qingfeng would become the True Lord of Original Sin, slaughter the Three Thousand Great Daos, and usher in the Daoless Age. She hoped for it even more than he did.
But now, that hope was shattered.
What differed from the Old Beggar was this:
The Old Beggar's hope was completely shattered, his heart dead, utterly despairing, with all thoughts extinguished.
While Blackwater Lady's hope was also shattered, it wasn't completely extinguished. At the very least, her heart still clung to a sliver of hope.
Because she couldn't be one hundred percent certain whether Gu Qingfeng's self-awareness had truly been devoured by that existence beyond the Great Dao.
The Old Beggar seemed to read her thoughts. Sitting on the ground, drinking his sorrows away, he said, "Sister Blackwater, this old man advises you to accept reality. Don't hold onto any more illusions or hopes. That kid's self-awareness is nine times out of ten devoured. No!
Not nine times out of ten, but one hundred percent devoured."
"Sister Blackwater, you should be able to see—that kid has gone madly demonic. You should also know that losing oneself might not necessarily mean going madly demonic, but going madly demonic definitely means losing oneself."
"If it were only the three Children of Original Sin—the Evil Asura, the Blue Sky and Yellow Springs, and the Blood Glutton—that kid might still have been able to suppress them. Even if his self-awareness were devoured, there might have been room for recovery. Though the chance of recovery was slim, there was still hope."
"The problem now is, what devoured that kid's self-awareness wasn't the three Children of Original Sin, but a damn existence beyond the Great Dao!"
"An existence beyond the Great Dao...
Hahaha!
How could it be an existence beyond the Great Dao? When did an existence beyond the Great Dao pop up inside that kid?
How come this old man didn't know anything about it?
This shouldn't be!
!"
Ever since emerging from the Guixu and finding Gu Qingfeng, the Old Beggar had been lurking in the shadows, keeping an eye on him.
First,
He wanted to further observe whether Gu Qingfeng was truly the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Destiny.
Second,
He also wanted to protect Gu Qingfeng from the shadows. He knew that if Gu Qingfeng really was the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Destiny, then everyone under Heaven and Earth—whether guarding the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth or scheming for the True Lord of Original Sin—would spare no effort, at any cost, to eliminate him.
Third,
He also worried that Gu Qingfeng might be targeted by some mysterious, unknown, and terrifying existences. For example, the Avici Uninterrupted Evil Asura, the Boundless Blue Sky and Yellow Springs, and the Heaven-Devouring Earth-Swallowing Blood Glutton—these Children of Original Sin all fell into this category.
Others might not know,
But the Old Beggar knew very clearly that whether it was the Avici Uninterrupted Evil Asura, the Blue Sky and Yellow Springs, or the Blood Glutton, each of these three existences was more powerful and terrifying than the last, all unimaginably dreadful. They were absolute overlords representing darkness and evil in the Primordial Age.
Although the Old Beggar was also a demonic patriarch from the Primordial Age, he couldn't be mentioned in the same breath as these three existences: the Avici Uninterrupted Evil Asura and the others.
Most importantly, he knew these three existences had been scheming for the True Lord of Original Sin since the Primordial Age. In the end, they failed to attain it but instead integrated the True Blood of Original Sin, becoming Children of Original Sin.
He had originally thought that during the Primordial Age, he himself had only integrated the Blood of Original Sin before being imprisoned in the Guixu.
The Avici Uninterrupted Evil Asura and the other two existences had integrated the True Blood of Original Sin and become Children of Original Sin—their outcome probably wasn't much better.
He never expected that these three absolute overlords representing darkness and evil in the Primordial Age had actually died, leaving behind only a wisp of undying, indestructible Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts.
When he learned this news, the Old Beggar could hardly believe it.
He had experienced the cataclysmic judgment at the end of the Primordial Age. That cataclysmic judgment couldn't even obliterate him, only imprisoning him in the Guixu. How could it have obliterated those three Primordial overlords?
For the Old Beggar, this remained an unsolved mystery to this day.
He also didn't know why the three Primordial overlords were reduced to ashes in the Primordial cataclysm, nor what kind of power could obliterate them, leaving only a wisp of Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts.
The Old Beggar didn't know and couldn't imagine.
But one thing he was absolutely certain of: even if these three Children of Original Sin were left with only a wisp of Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts, they still wouldn't give up.
At the very least, if the Old Beggar had integrated the True Blood of Original Sin and become a Child of Original Sin, he definitely wouldn't give up. He would surely rely on that wisp of Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts to make a comeback and scheme for the True Lord of Original Sin born in the Current Age.
Therefore,
When he discovered that Gu Qingfeng had integrated the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of the three Children of Original Sin, he had been very worried. Worried that the three Children of Original Sin would devour Gu Qingfeng's self-awareness, seize his physical body, soul, and even fate pattern, thereby scheming for the True Lord of Original Sin.
Of course,
Worry was just worry.
Apart from worrying, the Old Beggar could do nothing.
He could neither stop Gu Qingfeng from integrating the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of the three Children of Original Sin, nor could he do anything if those Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts wanted to devour Gu Qingfeng's self-awareness. He could only cheer Gu Qingfeng on from the shadows.
What made the Old Beggar feel fortunate was that all along, the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of the three Children of Original Sin had been very well-behaved within Gu Qingfeng's body, showing no signs of wanting to devour his self-awareness.
Only,
The Old Beggar never imagined that not only did Gu Qingfeng's body house the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of three Children of Original Sin, it actually also housed the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of an existence beyond the Great Dao.
Having pinned all his hopes for ushering in the Daoless Age on Gu Qingfeng, over the years, the Old Beggar had been watching from the shadows, not daring to relax in the slightest.
To say he understood Gu Qingfeng like the back of his hand might be an exaggeration.
However,
Regarding what Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts Gu Qingfeng carried, what fortuitous encounters he had, what Great Dao he had comprehended, and so on—the Old Beggar knew everything clearly.
He even knew when and under what circumstances Gu Qingfeng had integrated which Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts.
He had even investigated clearly which existences were secretly watching Gu Qingfeng, which existences wanted to eliminate him to guard the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, which existences wanted to eliminate him to scheme for the True Lord of Original Sin, and including which existences, like himself, hoped Gu Qingfeng would become the True Lord of Original Sin.
Which women Gu Qingfeng had affairs with, and which women he had karma with—the Old Beggar had also investigated most of it.
But he knew absolutely nothing about that existence beyond the Great Dao within Gu Qingfeng.
He had neither detected it, nor did he know when Gu Qingfeng had integrated it.
If he had known, the Old Beggar would have done everything possible to stop Gu Qingfeng from integrating the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of an existence beyond the Great Dao, even if it cost him his old life.
The reason was simple.
The Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of the three great Children of Original Sin—the Avici Uninterrupted Evil Asura and the others—were already terrifying enough to be unimaginable.
Yet the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of an existence beyond the Great Dao were even more dreadful, more terrifying, and more unimaginable than the three Children of Original Sin.
No matter how powerful the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of the three great Children of Original Sin were, they were at least within the Laws of the Great Dao. The Old Beggar believed that with Gu Qingfeng's abilities, even if he couldn't suppress them, if the three Children of Original Sin wanted to devour Gu Qingfeng's self-awareness, it definitely wouldn't be easy.
But the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts beyond the Laws of the Great Dao were different.
How were they different?
The Old Beggar couldn't say, because with his level of existence, he couldn't even touch existences beyond the Great Dao. He hadn't even fully comprehended the Great Dao itself, so how could he touch what lay beyond it?
However,
Regarding what lay beyond the Great Dao, he had once heard a legend: it said that as long as one leaped out of the Laws of the Great Dao—akin to becoming a god or a sage—existences within the Great Dao were like ants to those beyond it.
If the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts beyond the Great Dao wanted to devour Gu Qingfeng's self-awareness, forget Gu Qingfeng being unable to suppress them—he probably wouldn't even have the qualification to resist or struggle.
Even the three Children of Original Sin within him—the Avici Uninterrupted Evil Asura and the others—in the face of an existence beyond the Great Dao, would only be devoured.