Huli Great Immortal brandished his long blade, causing a ruckus in the Void for a while. He shouted and cursed, leaping up and down as he slashed wildly in all directions, but unfortunately, he failed to force the other party out.
Perhaps realizing that continuing like this would only make a fool of himself, Huli Great Immortal had no choice but to give up, no matter how furious he was.
And that sinister, deep voice did not continue to mock Huli Great Immortal.
At this moment.
The handsome youth standing atop the Cauldron of Qiongqi spoke up: "May I ask why you have gone to such lengths to force me out?"
With his white hair and white robes, coupled with the peerless, ethereal aura of the handsome youth, he appeared particularly unique in this dim Void.
"Heh heh heh heh..." The sinister, deep voice let out its usual hair-raising laughter, which grated on the ears and made one feel extremely uncomfortable. "You've been lurking too deep underwater, and for far too long. It's time to come up for some air, or you'll drown... heh heh heh heh..."
"So it seems you have my best interests at heart," the handsome youth said with a faint smile, his expression seemingly relaxed and carefree, his tone light and indifferent. "It appears I should thank you."
"Heh heh heh heh, of course!" The sinister, deep voice burst into laughter again, more bizarre than before and somewhat maniacal. If the previous laughter made one's scalp tingle, this new laughter sent chills down the spine.
"However, there is one thing I do not understand, and I hope you can enlighten me," the handsome youth said. "There are many who lurk deeper than I, and many who have lurked longer. Why do you show such special favor to me alone?"
"Heh heh heh heh...
You are right. In the muddy waters of the Present-Ancient Era's calamity, there are far too many lurking in the depths—too many to count, too many to enumerate. However..." The voice shifted its tone. "For the calamity of this Present-Ancient Era, these existences have little to no impact. At most, they might lend support from behind the scenes, but they cannot influence the overall situation. So, if they wish to hide, let them hide. I don't care how they hide, even if they hide until the calamity ends. Heh heh heh heh..." After a pause, the voice continued: "But you are different. You are Original Sin, you are an Anomaly, and you have merged with the True Blood of Original Sin. You are a Child of Original Sin, and an Anomalous Child of Original Sin at that. Your very existence, even your every move, can influence the outcome of this Present-Ancient Era's calamity... heh heh heh heh...
If you lurk in the depths, hiding in the shadows all the time, that would be a true pity!
No!
Not a pity, but a waste of heaven's gifts!
I simply cannot bear to watch you waste such gifts yourself, so I had no choice but to use some tricks to force you out... heh heh heh heh..."
"And then?" the handsome youth asked. "I still do not understand the true purpose behind your elaborate scheme to draw me out."
"Heh heh heh heh." The other party let out another bout of maniacal laughter. "And then?
This is the 'and then'!"
"This is the 'and then'?" The handsome youth lifted his head to gaze at the Void.
The surface of the Void appeared calm, but that was merely an illusion—much like how the surface of the ocean may seem tranquil, while beneath it, undercurrents surge endlessly.
Such was the state of the Void at this moment. When one's divine sense swept across it, deep and unfathomable undercurrents were everywhere, and who knew how many existences lurked within those undercurrents.
In a word:
Chaos!
Utter chaos, and fraught with killing intent.
"You went to such lengths to force me out. Could it be you intend to put me to death?"
"Heh heh heh heh...
Are you referring to those old fellows guarding the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth? Heh heh heh heh!
Don't worry, they won't make a move yet. The time is not right, and they have no need to act. After all, you are not the only Anomalous Child of Original Sin. As for those old fellows scheming for the True Lord of Original Sin...
Trying to erase you wouldn't be easy. Rather than erasing you, they'd be better off competing for the True Blood of Original Sin in the Primordial Nine Palaces... heh heh heh heh..."
The handsome youth fell silent for a moment before suddenly saying, "Although I am an Anomaly of Original Sin and have merged with the True Blood of Original Sin, I do not scheme for the True Lord of Original Sin, nor do I intend to Ascend to the Pinnacle as the True Lord of Original Sin."
As soon as these words fell, that sinister, deep laughter erupted into maniacal guffaws once more.
Not only did that sinister, deep laughter react this way, but Huli Great Immortal nearby also revealed a mocking, disdainful sneer. Even the hundreds of Original Sin Dharmakayas in the distance seemed to have heard the funniest joke in all heaven and earth.
To be both an Anomaly of Original Sin and a Child of Original Sin.
One could say he possessed uniquely favorable conditions, making him the most qualified to Ascend to the Pinnacle as the True Lord of Original Sin—bar none.
And now, this handsome youth actually claimed he did not intend to Ascend to the Pinnacle as the True Lord of Original Sin.
This was as laughable as a bloodthirsty demon declaring himself a kind-hearted good man.
Beyond being laughable, for those Original Sin Dharmakayas, it was more infuriating. They all sought to Ascend to the Pinnacle as the True Lord of Original Sin. To that end, they ceaselessly vied for the initiative in Original Sin, all to deepen the Original Sin upon themselves and thus become more qualified to Ascend to the Pinnacle.
Yet in their hearts, they all knew that no matter how profound their own Original Sin became, it could not compare to an Anomaly of Original Sin, let alone a Child of Original Sin who had merged with the True Blood of Original Sin.
No matter how unwilling or unconvinced they were, they had to admit this was a fact.
Especially Huli Great Immortal. When he heard the handsome youth say he did not intend to Ascend to the Pinnacle, he even felt the urge to rush over and slap the fellow hard across the face.
Back in the Ancient Desolation Era, in order to Ascend to the Pinnacle, he had borne the infamy of being a "three-path traitor" and had been suppressed in Gui Xu for countless eons. Now, having finally emerged from Gui Xu and cultivated his own Original Sin Self, he was far stronger than those Original Sin Dharmakayas—but only stronger than them.
Compared to a figure like this handsome youth, who was both an Anomaly of Original Sin and a Child of Original Sin who had merged with True Blood, his so-called Original Sin Self seemed somewhat inadequate.
If the handsome youth were a prince, then his Original Sin Self was, at best, equivalent to a royal relative. As long as the prince existed, a royal relative like him could never ascend to the throne.
Now, the prince claimed he did not intend to ascend to the throne. How could this not infuriate the royal relatives scheming for the throne? It felt as if the handsome youth were deliberately making sarcastic remarks to provoke them, truly grating on one's nerves.
If this handsome youth were merely a pure Anomaly of Original Sin, a pure Child of Original Sin, then perhaps everyone might believe him a little. The problem was that this handsome youth might now be Qiongqi, reincarnated and reborn as a human.
In the Ancient Desolation Era, Qiongqi was one of the Four Great Beasts that followed the Dao-less Era in slaughtering the Three Thousand Great Daos.
Now reincarnated, and reborn as an Anomaly of Original Sin, having also merged with the True Blood of Original Sin.
If he claimed he did not intend to Ascend to the Pinnacle as the True Lord of Original Sin, then damn it, no one in all heaven and earth, past or present, intended to Ascend to the Pinnacle.