The Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces were changing, a transformation so profound and subtle that one could not perceive any change at all.
The Nine Palaces void was rotating, a rotation equally profound and subtle, making it impossible to feel the void's motion.
One after another, Desolate Ancient ruins gradually fused as the Nine Palaces changed and the void rotated. This fusion, too, seemed infinitely profound, imperceptible—like the passage of time, swift as a shuttle, where mountain ranges unknowingly transformed into continuous, undulating chains resembling azure dragons.
Simultaneously.
The Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces grew increasingly chaotic as the aura of Original Sin intensified.
Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin, appearing from who-knows-where, swarmed in hordes throughout the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces.
This was the case within all Nine Palaces.
Li Palace was no exception.
Here.
Gu Qingfeng watched wave after wave of Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin, feeling deeply puzzled.
Since entering Li Palace, he had seen Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin, but their numbers were few—at most a few dozen. And as they ventured deeper into the Li Palace void, those Selfless Incarnations grew fewer. Yet at some unknown points, these Selfless Incarnations began emerging in successive waves.
Their numbers were like locusts, swarming and scurrying everywhere.
This inevitably made him wonder: where were all these Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin coming from?
Gu Qingfeng knew that when the Desolate Ancient Black Hole appeared, a Desolate Ancient ruin had emerged in the Great Wilderness. Experts of the Great Dao from heaven and earth had all entered through that single ruin.
The Desolate Ancient Black Hole concealed the secrets of Original Sin and determined the fate of the Great Dao Heaven and Earth. Many Great Dao experts who guarded the Heaven-Earth Great Dao had entered, as had many who schemed to become the True Lord of Original Sin and hoped to usher in the Daoless Age.
He had initially thought these Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin had all entered from that single Desolate Ancient ruin that emerged in the Great Wilderness.
Now, that seemed unlikely.
Because the Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin were simply too numerous—and this was just Li Palace. The other Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces probably held even more, beyond counting.
So many Original Sin Incarnations absolutely could not have all come from that single Desolate Ancient ruin that emerged in the Great Wilderness.
One must understand that these Original Sin Incarnations had all lost their Ego, possessing no self-awareness. Moreover, from Gu Qingfeng's understanding, most of the Original Sin beings who entered from the Desolate Ancient ruin at that time had retained their self-awareness.
Could it be they all lost their Ego after entering the Desolate Ancient Black Hole?
That was also impossible.
Even if the Original Sin beings who entered truly lost their Ego, their numbers couldn't possibly be this vast.
"Da Xing, do you know where all these Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin are coming from?"
"Isn't it obvious? They must have been swept in."
"Swept in?"
Gu Qingfeng couldn't quite grasp it. "Swept in from where?"
"Nonsense! From the Endless Sea of the Desolate Ruins beyond the heavens, of course!"
"The Desolate Ruins have this many Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk shot Gu Qingfeng a sidelong glance, his expression contemptuous. "Kid, let me tell you straight—the Original Sin Incarnations in the Desolate Ruins are far, far more numerous than you can imagine. You should know that once tainted by Original Sin, one steps onto a path of no return."
Gu Qingfeng remained silent, waiting for Da Xing the Mad Monk to continue.
"If one were simply an ordinary Original Sin being, that would be one thing—at least self-awareness remains. But once one becomes an Original Sin Incarnation, self-awareness gradually blurs."
"When self-awareness completely vanishes, one becomes an Original Sin Retribution Body. At this stage, the Id consciousness also begins to fade."
"When the Id consciousness completely vanishes, one becomes an Original Sin Response Body."
"Upon becoming an Original Sin Response Body, one loses both the Ego and the Id, loses the soul—not only completely merging with Original Sin but also becoming utterly its puppet."
At this point, Da Xing the Mad Monk chuckled. "What is retribution? This is retribution. The moment one is tainted by Original Sin, retribution is destined."
He then shifted his tone. "Of course, if one is lucky, they might re-conceive self-awareness and cultivate into an Original Sin Dharmakaya. However... after merging with Original Sin, those who can re-conceive self-awareness to become Original Sin Dharmakaya are exceedingly rare throughout history—truly one in ten thousand. Most end up as Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin, like wandering ghost Ghost."
"Look."
Da Xing the Mad Monk pointed at the swarms of Selfless Incarnations in the void. "These are the eliminated nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Original Sin Incarnations... all Retribution Bodies, every single one, without exception..." He was about to say more when Gu Qingfeng cut him off.
"I asked you where these Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin are coming from. Why are you spouting all this nonsense!"
"Didn't I just say! They were all swept in from the Desolate Ruins."
Da Xing the Mad Monk took the wine gourd hanging at his waist, opened it, and gulped down a few mouthfuls. "When the Desolate Ancient Black Hole appeared, you saw it, kid. The two of us were swept in one after another, and even using every ounce of our strength, we couldn't escape. If even we were swept in, let alone these Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin."
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng pondered carefully. That did seem correct.
He clearly remembered falling into the Desolate Ruins, not understanding what was happening, when he saw a massive vortex—none other than the Desolate Ancient Black Hole.
The Desolate Ruins were called the Endless Sea.
Like a boundless ocean.
The Desolate Ancient Black Hole was the vortex churning that ocean, drawing all chaotic flows within the Desolate Ruins into itself.
If the Desolate Ancient Black Hole was the vortex churning the Endless Sea of the Desolate Ruins, then the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces were the vortex churning the Desolate Ancient Black Hole.
The Desolate Ancient Black Hole drew all chaotic flows from the Desolate Ruins into itself, and the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces then drew the chaotic flows from within the black hole into themselves.
Thinking this way.
It was no surprise that so many Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin were emerging in the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces.
However.
Gu Qingfeng was still puzzled—puzzled about why there were so many Selfless Incarnations of Original Sin in the Desolate Ruins.
Upon inquiry, Da Xing the Mad Monk grew even more contemptuous. "Kid Gu, is this many?"
"Nonsense! I just released my divine sense to scan—good heavens! The sky is full of them, and this is just Li Palace. The other Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces probably have even more."
"Indeed! Correct! The Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces are now everywhere with Selfless Original Sin Retribution Bodies."
Da Xing the Mad Monk spoke unhurriedly. "But you must understand, these Original Sin Retribution Bodies aren't just from the Current Ancient Era. There are ones from the High Ancient Era, the Remote Ancient Era, the Primeval Ancient Era, even the Desolate Ancient Era. In other words, these Original Sin Retribution Bodies have accumulated over multiple eras across countless eons. Could they not be many?"
Gu Qingfeng frowned. "Even if accumulated since the Desolate Ancient Era, this is still a bit too many, isn't it? How did they all step onto the path of Original Sin?"
"There are many ways to become tainted by Original Sin. Not to mention others, just take these Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces. The aura of Original Sin here is so dense—take a few extra breaths, and you're pretty much tainted. Becoming an Original Sin being is just a matter of time."
Though Da Xing the Mad Monk's words were somewhat exaggerated, this was indeed the case.
The aura of Original Sin in the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces was both dense and pure. If one insisted on becoming an Original Sin being, after absorbing and refining it, it wouldn't be long before they became one.
"Has the aura of Original Sin also appeared in the Great Wilderness?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk nodded. "Do you know about Wu Dao Mountain? Oh right! I almost forgot! How could you, damn kid, not know about Wu Dao Mountain."
Da Xing the Mad Monk just remembered—not only did Gu Qingfeng know of Wu Dao Mountain, but when Wu Dao Mountain manifested in the Current Ancient Era, this kid had entered it. Not only entered, but he damn well ignited the Original Sin Karmic Flames on Wu Dao Mountain and awakened Original Sin.
"Every time Wu Dao Mountain manifests, it releases a dense aura of Original Sin, and also..."
"Wait!" Gu Qingfeng asked in shocked disbelief. "Wu Dao Mountain releases the aura of Original Sin when it manifests?"
"What? You didn't know?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head. He truly didn't.
"No way. When Wu Dao Mountain manifested in the Current Ancient Era, you entered, didn't you?"
"I did enter. But as for releasing the aura of Original Sin... I didn't really pay attention to that."
Gu Qingfeng shook his head. Back when Wu Dao Mountain manifested, he had only one feeling inside—that Wu Dao Mountain was summoning him. His mind was full of that thought. As for Wu Dao Mountain releasing the aura of Original Sin, he really hadn't noticed.
Da Xing the Mad Monk said, "In my impression, Wu Dao Mountain manifests several times each era. And every time it manifests, it blooms with the Light of Original Sin and releases the aura of Original Sin. Many who don't understand, either influenced by the Light of Original Sin or unknowingly absorbing the aura of Original Sin, inexplicably become Original Sin beings. So, every time Wu Dao Mountain manifests, many Original Sin beings emerge in the Great Wilderness."
Gu Qingfeng was astonished. This was the first time he had heard of this.
"Kid Gu, I don't know if you've heard about this matter."
Seeing Da Xing the Mad Monk's God mysterious demeanor, Gu Qingfeng grew intensely curious. "What matter?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk, like a thief with a guilty conscience, hunched his shoulders, looked left and right, lowered his throat, and whispered, "Back in the Primeval Ancient Era, when Wu Dao Mountain once manifested in a certain world, it not only bloomed with the Light of Original Sin and released the aura of Original Sin—it's said that at that time, the mortal realm was covered everywhere with Flower of Original Sin, and there were even Essence of Original Sin."
At this point, Da Xing the Mad Monk's voice became as small as a mosquito's. "It's said... I've only heard... the scene back then was like the Daoless Age opening in the Desolate Ancient times. Almost everyone in the mortal realm became Original Sin beings."
"There was such a thing?" Gu Qingfeng grew more and more alarmed. "What happened later?"
"Later? Later, no one knows. That world vanished. I heard... that mortal realm was forcibly extracted from the Great Wilderness Heaven and Earth by great means and thrown into the Desolate Ruins. Thinking about it now, this matter is highly likely true. In fact, some of these Selfless Original Sin Retribution Bodies in the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces might be from those thrown into the Desolate Ruins back then."