Da Xing the Mad Monk started laughing without warning, and for no apparent reason.
Not only did he laugh without end, but he also seemed to be laughing maniacally, doubling over with mirth as if he had just heard the funniest joke in all of heaven and earth.
"What are you laughing at, you old bald donkey? What's so funny?"
Gu Qingfeng frowned slightly as he spoke.
Unexpectedly, Da Xing not only didn't stop, but laughed even more maniacally. Gu Qingfeng chuckled and cursed, "If you keep laughing like that, I'll make you laugh for the rest of your life."
As he spoke, he kicked Da Xing squarely in the backside.
And you know what?
That kick actually worked wonders. Da Xing immediately stopped his uproarious laughter. Looking at Gu Qingfeng, he explained helplessly, "Don't get the wrong idea, kid. This old monk isn't laughing at you."
"Then what the hell are you laughing at?"
"This old monk is laughing because great minds think alike!"
"Cut the crap!"
"Why would I lie to you? I'm not afraid to tell you—I've always thought the Laws of Heaven and Earth and the Laws of the Great Dao are one and the same."
Seeing that Da Xing didn't seem to be joking, Gu Qingfeng asked, "You think so too?"
"That's exactly why I say great minds think alike! And..." Da Xing leaned in excitedly, "And I'm willing to bet we've both arrived at the same conclusion."
"What conclusion?"
"You must also think that although the Laws of Heaven and Earth and the Laws of the Great Dao are invisible, intangible, ethereal, and elusive, they're actually incredibly close to us—so close we could reach out and touch them, even merge with them."
Hearing this, a strange light flickered in Gu Qingfeng's dark eyes. The two looked at each other and, with remarkable synchronicity, spoke in unison: "The Great Natural Order!"
After saying this, they looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Indeed.
Gu Qingfeng had gradually come to feel that the so-called Laws of Heaven and Earth and the so-called Laws of the Great Dao were one and the same thing: the Great Natural Order.
As everyone knew, the reason the Endless Sea of the Desolate Ruins was called the Heaven Beyond Heavens was because the laws here were chaotic—or rather, there were no laws to speak of. If not for this, the Desolate Ruins wouldn't be filled with chaotic currents everywhere.
Heavenly Judgment couldn't descend here, nor could Great Dao Judgment. Throughout history, many existences rejected by heaven and earth and subjected to Great Dao Judgment, unable to remain in the Great Desolation, had been forced to wander the Desolate Ruins for this very reason.
In Gu Qingfeng's view, the only difference between the Desolate Ruins and the Great Desolation was that the Great Desolation had the Great Natural Order, while the Desolate Ruins did not.
Upon careful consideration, within the Great Desolation, all things in heaven and earth operated according to the laws of the Great Natural Order's yin-yang and five elements. Whether mountains, rivers, flowers, trees, the sun, moon, stars, or all living beings—everything was this way. Whether it was the Nine Heavens and Nine Nethers or the myriad realms, all thrived with vitality because of the Great Natural Order's yin-yang and five-element laws.
In contrast, the Desolate Ruins.
Without the Great Natural Order, there was no vitality. Everywhere was dead silence and desolation. There were no sun, moon, or stars, no mountains, rivers, flowers, or trees—only chaotic currents. Spatial chaotic currents, temporal chaotic currents, all kinds of chaotic currents.
How did these chaotic currents appear?
The answer:
There was no origin.
Why was there no origin?
The answer:
Without the nurturing of the Great Natural Order, even if there were an origin, it would inevitably gradually dissipate. Once the origin dissipated, the so-called laws would have no rules, gradually evolving into chaotic currents.
From this perspective.
If heaven and earth had laws, they must be the Great Natural Order.
If the Great Dao had laws, they must also be the Great Natural Order.
Regarding the Great Natural Order.
Throughout ancient and modern times, there have been three honorific titles.
First: Mother of the Great Natural Order.
Second: Minor Heaven and Earth.
Third: Minor Chaos!
The reason the Great Natural Order was called the Mother of the Great Natural Order was because it gestated all things, nurtured all things, and nourished all things.
The reason it was called Minor Heaven and Earth was because only the heaven and earth of the Great Natural Order were true heaven and earth. Without the Great Natural Order, heaven and earth would cease to be heaven and earth.
The reason it was also called Minor Chaos was because the Great Natural Order encompassed everything. Whether sacred and luminous or dark and evil, the Nine Heavens and Nine Nethers, immortals, Buddhas, demons, and monsters—all were within it.
Some said.
The Great Natural Order was also part of the Three Thousand Great Daos.
Others said the Great Natural Order stood above the Three Thousand Great Daos.
Still others said the Three Thousand Great Daos were gestated by the Great Natural Order.
If the so-called Laws of Heaven and Earth and Laws of the Great Dao were truly both the Great Natural Order, then without a doubt, the Three Thousand Great Daos were most likely gestated by the Great Natural Order.
If this were truly the case, then the Great Natural Order would not merely be the Mother of All Things or the Mother of Heaven and Earth, but also the Mother of the Great Dao.
Regarding the Great Dao, it was said that from One Primordial Origin came the Two Polarities. That One Primordial Origin might represent Chaos—though this Chaos was not that Chaos, but should be the Great Natural Order hailed as Minor Chaos.
And the so-called Beyond the Great Dao might also mean Beyond the Great Natural Order.
The Great Dao had no end, no limits.
The Great Dao we spoke of was merely the Great Dao we could perceive—which was also the Great Natural Order.
The true Great Dao was probably far from being as simple as the Great Natural Order.
"Great minds think alike!
Kid Gu!
We absolutely think alike!
Hahaha!"
After hearing Gu Qingfeng's words, Da Xing was as happy as if he'd eaten honeyed bee droppings, grinning from ear to ear and repeatedly saying how great minds thought alike.
Looking at the excited and exhilarated Da Xing, Gu Qingfeng was utterly baffled. "What are you so happy about?"
"What a stupid question!
It's not easy for the two of us to arrive at the same conclusion—of course I'm happy!
This shows our realms of thought aren't far apart! Most importantly, our understanding of the Great Dao is the same!
Hahaha!"
"Just because of that?"
"What else?
What other reason could there be?"
Gu Qingfeng smiled but said nothing more. Although he didn't know why Da Xing was so happy, one thing he was certain of: it definitely wasn't for the reasons Da Xing claimed—something about their realms of thought being close or their understanding of the Great Dao being the same. Those words might fool a child.
However.
His guess, while not wrong, couldn't be said to be entirely correct either.
The reason Da Xing was so happy, excited, and exhilarated was indeed because his realm of thought and understanding of the Great Dao aligned with Gu Qingfeng's.
But this wasn't the main reason.
What truly excited him was the significance behind this alignment.
Da Xing had staked everything—all his possessions, including his life and even his future—gambling it all on Gu Qingfeng.
The problem was.
After he had staked everything on Gu Qingfeng, he realized he had overlooked a very, very serious issue.
That was Gu Qingfeng's attitude. Did he even want to gamble?
If Gu Qingfeng didn't want to take this gamble, wouldn't all the stakes Da Xing had placed on him be in vain?
Da Xing had tried to sound out Gu Qingfeng's attitude more than once through indirect means, and the results had left him utterly devastated and in despair. Because Gu Qingfeng's attitude was... having no attitude.
Put nicely, it was going with the flow. Put bluntly, it was leaving things to fate.
Was that an attitude?
What was there to gamble on then?
What was worth gambling on?
Although many existences across heaven and earth wanted to eliminate Gu Qingfeng—whether to protect the Heaven and Earth Great Dao or to scheme for the position of True Lord of Original Sin—there were also quite a few who hoped Gu Qingfeng would Ascend to the Pinnacle as the True Lord of Original Sin.
They all had high hopes for Gu Qingfeng. Precisely because of these hopes, they too had staked everything on him.
And the result?
Gu Qingfeng, the person at the center of it all, had never expressed any intention to Ascend to the Pinnacle as the True Lord of Original Sin.
Not only had he never expressed such an intention, he didn't even seem to have the thought.
In fact, if possible, Gu Qingfeng might even refuse to become the True Lord of Original Sin.
How could those who had pinned their hopes on him not be devastated? How could they not despair?
Many, many existences across heaven and earth who hoped Gu Qingfeng would become the True Lord of Original Sin had made the same serious mistake as Da Xing. Perhaps it was because all signs indicated Gu Qingfeng was the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate. Or perhaps they all felt that Original Sin had chosen Gu Qingfeng, and Fate had chosen Gu Qingfeng, so even if Gu Qingfeng didn't want it, he couldn't change Fate and would ultimately have to become the True Lord of Original Sin.
But...
Gu Qingfeng was originally the greatest variable of the current era. His fate was filled with unknowns, so what was there to change or not change?
Although the hope Da Xing placed on Gu Qingfeng wasn't a gamble on protecting heaven and earth or on him becoming the True Lord of Original Sin, but rather a gamble on a future...
The problem was.
Gu Qingfeng's attitude of going with the flow and leaving things to fate not only gave no hope to those who wanted him to become the True Lord of Original Sin, but also gave Da Xing no hope at all.
Ever since entering the Primordial Black Hole, Da Xing had wanted to change Gu Qingfeng's attitude of having no attitude. This was also the fundamental reason why he had been sticking close to Gu Qingfeng.
To this end.
He had revealed almost all the secrets he could speak of, and even some secrets he shouldn't have spoken of, he had mentioned more or less. To change Gu Qingfeng's attitude, he had even embellished some secrets when telling them.
He had thought this could change Gu Qingfeng's attitude, but what made Da Xing even more devastated was that not only had it failed to change Gu Qingfeng's attitude, it had instead made Gu Qingfeng's attitude even more... unattitudinal, even more inclined to go with the flow, and even more resigned to fate.
Although Da Xing was anxious inside, he didn't dare say much more, nor did he dare directly tell Gu Qingfeng to change his attitude. Because he knew that regarding many matters, even if Gu Qingfeng didn't speak of them, he understood them perfectly clearly in his heart.
For example, across heaven and earth, who wanted to eliminate him to protect the Heaven and Earth Great Dao, who wanted to eliminate him to scheme for the True Lord of Original Sin, who hoped he would become the True Lord of Original Sin, who wanted to gamble on him... even if Gu Qingfeng didn't know, he could probably infer eighty or ninety percent of it.
Changing Gu Qingfeng's attitude couldn't be rushed. Da Xing could only take one step at a time and see how things developed.
What he hadn't expected was that Gu Qingfeng's words just now, especially his understanding of the Great Dao, had suddenly given Da Xing a glimmer of hope.
Whether Gu Qingfeng's understanding of the Great Dao would affect his attitude toward becoming the True Lord of Original Sin, Da Xing didn't know and couldn't be bothered to think about it. Because what he was gambling on with Gu Qingfeng wasn't the True Lord of Original Sin, but a future.
And precisely Gu Qingfeng's understanding of the Great Dao had allowed Da Xing to see hope for that future.
This was the true reason for his excitement and exhilaration.