Inside the arena.
The grayish-white smoke filling the sky seemed to be dissipating bit by bit.
It no longer burned like raging flames, nor did it sweep through like towering waves. Instead, it grew increasingly ethereal and elusive.
Moreover.
The grayish-white smoke didn't appear to be dispersing; it looked more like it was gathering.
That's right!
It was gathering.
The grayish-white smoke filling the sky was converging toward the center, forming a slowly rotating vortex, as if nurturing something.
At the same time.
The pockmarked Void within the Li Palace was gradually healing. Cracks and holes grew smaller and less distinct, especially as the grayish-white smoke slowly gathered—the speed at which the shattered Void of the Li Palace healed accelerated.
When the grayish-white smoke no longer shrouded the Void and had completely gathered into a single vortex, the Li Palace's Void had nearly returned to its original state. Looking around, no cracks or holes could be seen—not a single one—as if the Void had never shattered, leaving not even a trace.
An unknown amount of time passed.
The Void finally recovered.
It still appeared as the ever-changing, infinitely profound Void.
The grayish-white smoke filling the sky had vanished.
Only a grayish-white vortex remained, slowly rotating.
The vortex grew more ethereal and elusive as it spun.
Faintly, within the grayish-white vortex, a figure seemed to appear—a distorted, blurry silhouette.
As the grayish-white vortex grew increasingly ethereal, the originally distorted and blurry figure instead became clearer.
It was a man.
A man dressed in plain white robes who appeared utterly ordinary.
The man stood in the Void, head bowed, eyes closed.
Like a reflection in water, he flickered in and out of visibility.
Three thousand ink-black strands of hair danced wildly with the rotation of the grayish-white vortex.
His snow-white robes fluttered and snapped with the vortex's spin.
Seeing this man.
The Old Beggar hidden on Blackwater Mountain grew so excited his face flushed crimson. He shouted, "It's that kid!
Look!
It's that kid, the Nine Nethers Emperor!
Sister Blackwater!
No!
Empress Blackwater, it seems your speculation was right! The Nine Nethers Emperor's ego consciousness really hasn't been devoured!
This kid is still alive!
Still alive!
Hahaha!
I knew this kid had immense fortune and destiny—he definitely wouldn't be devoured!
Hahahaha!"
The Old Beggar was beside himself with excitement, clenching his fists, his body trembling uncontrollably, his eyes even reddening slightly!
Empress Blackwater, tightly wrapped in a black robe, her coldly beautiful face showed shifting expressions. Though she tried hard to conceal it, her eyes couldn't hide the excitement in her heart.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath as if restraining her inner excitement, and said, "Old Beggar, I advise you not to rejoice too soon. It's still too early to determine whether the Nine Nethers Emperor's ego consciousness has been devoured. You should know that if that Demonic Thought Beyond the Great Dao has devoured his ego consciousness, it would have seized his physical body. The Nine Nethers Emperor's body appearing doesn't mean his ego consciousness hasn't been devoured!"
Hearing this.
The excited Old Beggar immediately fell silent.
Earlier, he had plunged into the abyss of despair.
Later, Empress Blackwater's speculation pulled him from that abyss, but the word "perhaps" sent the Old Beggar tumbling back into despair.
Now, seeing Gu Qingfeng's figure gradually manifest, for the Old Beggar, it was like climbing out of the abyss of despair once more. Yet, Empress Blackwater's words sent him plummeting back into that abyss again!
This taste of cycling between heaven and hell in a single thought, between hope and despair, was truly unbearable. It tormented the Old Beggar, making him feel even more agonized than being suppressed in Guixu.
Actually.
To be honest.
Empress Blackwater wasn't deliberately trying to discourage the Old Beggar.
Rather than saying her words repeatedly extinguished the hope rekindled in the Old Beggar's heart.
It would be more accurate to say she was repeatedly extinguishing that flicker of hope within her own heart.
Because she knew: the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment; the greater the disappointment, the greater the despair.
She didn't want to despair!
Therefore.
Even though she had logically deduced that Gu Qingfeng's ego consciousness might not have been devoured, she didn't dare harbor too much hope.
Even now, witnessing Gu Qingfeng's physical body reappear with her own eyes, she still repeatedly warned herself: Don't hold any hope!
She didn't want hope, only to be met with endless despair afterward.
She could perhaps afford to wait, and afford to lose.
But she didn't want to wait, and she didn't want to lose!
"Sister Blackwater, you'd better pray that kid the Nine Nethers Emperor's ego consciousness hasn't been devoured. Otherwise, just for toying with me repeatedly, I absolutely won't let you off!"
The Old Beggar had truly had enough. His heart couldn't withstand this torment of wavering between hope and despair; he felt he was about to break down.
Inside the arena.
The grayish-white vortex had grown faint, like a wisp of blue smoke, while Gu Qingfeng's figure became increasingly distinct.
Not far away.
There was another person who had been watching all along, openly watching, never leaving.
This person wore tattered monk's robes, a tattered monk's hat, tattered monk's shoes on his feet, and a tattered fan hanging at his waist.
Who else could it be but Da Xing the Mad Monk?
When he witnessed Gu Qingfeng's Mad Demon slaughter of the Great Dao masters lurking in the Void with his own eyes, when he saw Gu Qingfeng's figure bit by bit disappearing into the sky-filling grayish-white smoke, it was no exaggeration to say Da Xing the Mad Monk was more despairing than anyone!
However, after despair, as he gradually accepted the cruel reality, his heart also calmed down.
When his heart calmed, the originally despairing him reignited with hope.
Like Empress Blackwater and the Old Beggar, he too thought of one person.
Genggu Wuming.
Empress Blackwater suspected Genggu Wuming had been meticulously scheming in the shadows, aiming to wait until Gu Qingfeng Ascending to the Pinnacle Original Sin before erasing him, thus completely erasing Original Sin.
Da Xing the Mad Monk was even more suspicious than Empress Blackwater.
Empress Blackwater knew Genggu Wuming couldn't possibly stand by and watch Gu Qingfeng's ego consciousness be devoured by an existence beyond the Great Dao; Da Xing the Mad Monk knew this even better than her.
Empress Blackwater inferred from this Gu Qingfeng's ego consciousness might not have been devoured; after calming down, Da Xing the Mad Monk also gradually felt this way.
However.
Empress Blackwater didn't dare assert with absolute certainty; neither did Da Xing the Mad Monk.
Empress Blackwater was waiting.
Da Xing the Mad Monk was also waiting.
In the Void.
The faint grayish-white vortex finally vanished, as if it had never appeared.
Gu Qingfeng's figure once again appeared with utmost clarity in everyone's sight.
He simply stood there in the Void.
Head bowed.
Eyes closed.
His previously wildly dancing black hair had calmed, and his fluttering white robes no longer snapped.
Silence!
A deathly stillness.
At this moment.
No one knew whether Gu Qingfeng's ego consciousness had been devoured by the existence beyond the Great Dao.
Da Xing the Mad Monk didn't know, Empress Blackwater didn't know, the Old Beggar didn't know, Cang Yan didn't know, not even Genggu Wuming knew, nor did any of the Great Dao masters across heaven and earth.
Everyone was waiting.
Waiting for an answer.
Whether they guarded the Great Dao of heaven and earth, schemed for the True Lord of Original Sin, or placed their hopes on Gu Qingfeng—all were waiting.
Especially when the grayish-white vortex vanished and Gu Qingfeng's figure clearly manifested, everyone's hearts rose to their throats at that moment.
Da Xing the Mad Monk was even more so.
As time passed bit by bit, Gu Qingfeng in the Void still showed no movement, remaining with bowed head and closed eyes.
The Old Beggar hidden on Blackwater Mountain stared intently at Gu Qingfeng in the Void.
His mind, his spirit, his nerves—everything was in a state of extreme tension.
This kind of extreme tension had only occurred twice in the Old Beggar's life. The first was during the Desolate Antiquity, waiting for the Daoless Age to begin. This was the second time.
He felt even more tense and tormented than when waiting for the Daoless Age to begin back then.
After waiting another moment, still no movement from Gu Qingfeng.
The Old Beggar felt he was going mad.
He wanted to project his Divine Sense to probe, but didn't dare.
It wasn't because he feared that if Gu Qingfeng's ego consciousness had been devoured, projecting his Divine Sense might anger the existence beyond the Great Dao and bring trouble upon himself.
The Old Beggar wasn't afraid of angering the existence beyond the Great Dao, nor of bringing trouble upon himself.
He was afraid he couldn't bear the cruel reality of Gu Qingfeng being devoured.
Previously tormented several times by Empress Blackwater, kept wavering between despair and hope—even with the Old Beggar's strong psychological resilience, he couldn't withstand such strain.
But waiting like this wasn't a solution either; it was truly too tormenting, too painful!
Finally!
The Old Beggar hardened his heart, gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, and decided to go all out!
He took several deep breaths in succession, yet still couldn't restrain the trembling in his heart.
He shook his head fiercely, then tilted it back to gulp down an entire jug of fine wine.
The Old Beggar clenched his fists, craned his neck, and projected his Divine Sense, carefully probe towards him.
Closer!
Closer and closer.
The Old Beggar nervously closed his eyes, his body trembling uncontrollably.
However.
When he finally mustered the courage to project his Divine Sense to probe Gu Qingfeng, he was dumbfounded.
Because he discovered his Divine Sense couldn't probe Gu Qingfeng's existence at all.
He snapped his eyes open and slapped himself hard across the face, inwardly cursing himself for being so stupid—how could he have forgotten this in his nervousness!
The Old Beggar felt no surprise at being unable to probe Gu Qingfeng's existence with his Divine Sense. Not only was he not surprised, he felt utterly foolish.
Because before this, when he projected his Divine Sense, he also couldn't probe Gu Qingfeng's existence.
Since Divine Sense couldn't probe Gu Qingfeng's existence, what should he do?
Should he go over and take a look personally?
The moment this thought emerged, the Old Beggar didn't even consider it—he immediately dismissed it.
He had already been tormented by Empress Blackwater to the brink of collapse. Just now, he'd finally mustered the determination to throw caution to the wind and project his Divine Sense to probe, only to find nothing.
Projecting his Divine Sense to probe had exhausted his last shred of endurance. The Old Beggar absolutely didn't dare go over and probe personally.