"Green Robe! Do you remember this old man?"
Suddenly, an aged voice echoed through the void.
No one knew where the voice came from or who it belonged to. And for Huli Great Immortal, Old Immortal Qingmu, Da Xing the Mad Monk, including the old beggar hidden upon the Black Water, they currently had no interest in knowing whose voice it was. Because the two words "Green Robe" were far too grating to their ears.
Especially for the old beggar.
Earlier, he had suspected that the figure hiding in the shadows was surely an Original Sin Patriarch. Among the Original Sin Patriarchs he knew of, one was the already-revealed Xuan Ming Patriarch, and the other was the Green Robe Patriarch.
Whether it was the Xuan Ming Patriarch or the Green Robe Patriarch, the existence of these two was utterly terrifying. Even in the Desolate Ancient Era, they were Patriarchs who made people tremble at the mere mention of their names. Their seniority was so high that even old-timers from the Desolate Ancient Era like Huli Great Immortal and Old Immortal Qingmu would have to respectfully address them as 'Senior'.
Most terrifying of all, although the Green Robe Patriarch had never fused with Original Sin True Blood and was not a Child of True Blood, he had cultivated into Original Sin itself, and he had achieved this back in the Desolate Ancient Era.
For beings like Huli Great Immortal and Old Immortal Qingmu, cultivating the 'Original Sin Self' merely represented Original Sin. However, the Green Robe Patriarch cultivating into 'Original Sin Itself' meant he was, in essence, equivalent to Original Sin.
If the Original Sin Self meant every move and every technique was Original Sin, then Original Sin Itself meant every breath and every exhalation *was* Original Sin.
If the Original Sin Dharmakaya was comparable to a Star Lord within the Mandate of Heaven, then the Original Sin Self was the Throne within the Mandate, and Original Sin Itself was the Great Emperor of the Mandate.
Any existence that had lived through the Desolate Ancient Era knew that the Green Robe Patriarch had always been scheming for the Original Sin True Lord.
Back then, those scheming for the Original Sin True Lord were not few. However, later, after Venerable Wu Dao emerged into the world and it became known that he was the consciousness born from the Original Sin Source, all those scheming for the True Lord submitted to Venerable Wu Dao's command and followed him to slaughter the Three Thousand Great Daos.
For instance, the famously ferocious Four Desolate Ancient Fiendbeasts were like this.
Huli Great Immortal and Old Immortal Qingmu were no exception.
Even the Green Robe Patriarch, the Xuan Ming Patriarch, and others also submitted to Venerable Wu Dao's command.
Moreover, these Original Sin Patriarchs were among the earliest batch of old-timers to follow Venerable Wu Dao. Not only did they follow him much earlier than Huli Great Immortal and Old Immortal Qingmu, they even predated the Four Desolate Ancient Fiendbeasts.
It was said that back when Venerable Wu Dao first emerged, he was completely manipulated by the Green Robe Patriarch and others.
Although Venerable Wu Dao was a consciousness born from the Original Sin Source, after this consciousness took human form, due to his lack of worldly experience, his thinking was immature—not just immature, but extremely childish, like a youth who had never seen the world and knew nothing of the treacherous ways of the jianghu.
The Green Robe Patriarch and the Xuan Ming Patriarch constantly deceived the youth-like Venerable Wu Dao. It is said they managed to cultivate into Original Sin Itself by coaxing and tricking it out of the young Venerable Wu Dao.
To put it plainly, when Venerable Wu Dao first entered the world, outsiders had no idea he was the consciousness born from the Original Sin Source. That he became known to the masses was entirely because old-timers like the Green Robe Patriarch intentionally pushed him into the spotlight.
Their goal was simple.
They publicized Venerable Wu Dao's identity to the world, wanting all those who yearned for the Wu Dao Era to submit to him, thereby opposing the Three Thousand Great Daos. Meanwhile, they would control Venerable Wu Dao, using him as a puppet while they acted as the power behind the throne.
Evidently, their goal was achieved.
Upon learning that Venerable Wu Dao was the consciousness born from the Original Sin Source, many believed he *was* the Original Sin True Lord, destined to slaughter the Three Thousand Great Daos and usher in the Wu Dao Era, and they all submitted.
Unfortunately, although Venerable Wu Dao was young and ignorant at first, as he experienced more and more, his thinking gradually matured. Once mature, he naturally became aware of the wolfish ambitions of old-timers like the Green Robe Patriarch.
It was fortunate that the Green Robe Patriarch and his ilk fled quickly; otherwise, they would have most likely died at Venerable Wu Dao's hands.
After escaping from Venerable Wu Dao, the Green Robe Patriarch did not remain idle, nor did he give up scheming for the Original Sin True Lord. Since Venerable Wu Dao was no longer under his control, the Green Robe Patriarch began colluding with the Three Thousand Great Daos to turn around and destroy Venerable Wu Dao.
It is no exaggeration to say that back then, the Green Robe Patriarch and others would stop at nothing to scheme for the Original Sin True Lord. They were as despicable and sinister as they come, fanning flames of discord everywhere, framing and planting blame, turning falsehoods into truths and truths into falsehoods, stirring the already chaotic situation of that era into even greater turmoil.
"Damn it all!"
Upon hearing it was the Green Robe Patriarch, Da Xing the Mad Monk cursed angrily, "It's actually that old bastard Green Robe! This old monk has heard this old thing isn't just ordinarily despicable—he's despicable to the point of bubbling over!"
He wasn't the only one.
Upon learning the mysterious figure was the Green Robe Patriarch, Huli Great Immortal also gritted his teeth in hatred. Although he had followed Venerable Wu Dao *after* the Green Robe Patriarch had already left, he had heard all about the dirty deeds the Green Robe Patriarch had pulled. He held nothing but utter contempt for him.
Not just him. Even a being like Old Immortal Qingmu, whose spirit had long been ground down in the Ruins of Return, felt a surge of inner fury upon learning it was the Green Robe Patriarch.
Hidden in the dark void upon the Black Water Mountain, the old beggar also started cursing and swearing under his breath upon learning the mysterious figure was the Green Robe Patriarch.
Back in the day, he too had once followed Venerable Wu Dao, and during his time of service, the Green Robe Patriarch had not yet left. At that time, he was unaware that Venerable Wu Dao was being manipulated by the Green Robe Patriarch, and he had truly suffered a great deal of humiliation and frustration.
"That old bastard Green Robe! If I get the chance, I'll make sure to teach him a proper lesson!"
The old beggar tilted his head back and took a swig of fine wine, then shouted, "That old turtle! Back in the Desolate Ancient Era, he was everywhere fanning the flames. Now that he's crawled out of the Ruins of Return, he's pulling the same old tricks again? Playing the same game? A dog truly never changes its habit of eating shit! That Xuan Ming Patriarch is causing trouble all over the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces, and now this Green Robe is here fanning the flames. They really are incorrigible!"
Just then, the voice of the Green Robe Patriarch rang out:
"Heh heh heh heh! To think someone still recognizes this Patriarch! It must be an old friend from the Desolate Ancient Era! Heh heh heh heh!"
"Old friend? Hahahaha!"
The aged voice in the void also erupted in laughter. Unlike the Green Robe Patriarch's sinister, deep chuckle, the aged voice laughed with particularly high-pitched and hearty gusto.
"Throughout the ages of heaven and earth, do you have any friends? To this old man's knowledge, in the Desolate Ancient Era, all those who considered you a friend ended up without exception as pawns in your hands. They either died without a proper burial place or were utterly annihilated, their souls scattered to dust! So where, pray tell, do you get this 'friend' from?"
As his words fell, two figures materialized from within the Holy Light.
One was a woman.
The other was an old man.