Li Palace Void.
Sacredness and Original Sin remained locked in opposition.
The sacred light filling the sky burned like fire against the Original Sin.
The Original Sin filling the sky engulfed the sacredness like water.
"Jie jie jie jie!"
The sinister, deep voice of Old Ancestor Green Robe seemed to emanate from the Original Sin pervading the heavens, shouting, "Xunfeng! Compared to this Ancestor, you are even more laughable!"
"Oh?"
Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng stood in the void, one hand behind his back, the other stroking the white beard on his chin. Sacred radiance haloed around his body, rippling outward in concentric circles. He appeared calm, his turbid eyes also serene. "How is this old man laughable?"
"You willingly act as a running dog for Karma, a slave to Fate—is that not laughable?"
"Since ancient times, planting good causes yields good results; planting evil causes yields evil results. The heavenly principles cycle, Karma repays. What cause you sow, such fruit you shall reap. This is Fate."
Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng refuted in a light, indifferent tone. "No one dictates our Fate. From the very beginning, we ourselves dictate our own Fate. Since that is so, how can there be talk of being Karma's running dog or Fate's slave?"
Old Ancestor Green Robe roared, "Absurd! Absurd! Utterly absurd to the extreme!"
"This is not absurdity, but fact. It is merely that you are unwilling and dare not admit it. If Karma did not exist, then planting good causes would yield no good results. The good would receive no reward, the wicked no retribution. At that time, all living beings under heaven would know no peace."
It must be said.
Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng's words were very reasonable.
And left one unable to refute them.
Even Huli Great Immortal and Old Immortal Qingmu, who yearned for the Wu Dao era, including Gu Qingfeng and Da Xing the Mad Monk, were no exception.
Upon careful consideration, it was indeed so. Without the restraints of Karma, the good would have no good fortune, the wicked no punishment. The world would surely fall into great chaos. Morality would vanish from the world. Killing would become as simple as eating a meal. Life would become as worthless as grass, to be slaughtered at will.
"Jie jie jie jie! Xunfeng, don't spout this nonsense to this Ancestor! What Karma, what Fate—it's all bullshit! We are born equal, so why must we abide by this damned Karmic Fate? So-called Karmic Fate is nothing but a cage created by certain existences! If we wish to break free from this cage, we have no choice but to slaughter the Great Dao and usher in the Wu Dao era! If we continue to stay within the cage, we will forever be mere chess pieces, mere ants, in the hands of certain existences!"
Truth be told.
Old Ancestor Green Robe's words were not without reason either.
Most existences who yearned for the Wu Dao era thought the same.
Who decreed that one must abide by Karmic Fate?
I don't want to abide by it—is that not allowed?
Moreover.
Was there truly someone behind Karmic Fate, dictating it?
If there truly was someone dictating Karmic Fate, wouldn't that mean they dictated the fate of all living beings under heaven?
"Green Robe, you misunderstand, truly misunderstand. Throughout the ages, there has never been any existence capable of dictating Karma and Fate. Never!"
"Jie jie jie jie!"
As Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng's words echoed, Old Ancestor Green Robe's laughter grew increasingly maniacal. Simultaneously, with Green Robe's wild laughter, the Original Sin filling the heavens erupted violently.
With a *whoosh*, a massive head coalesced from the pervading Original Sin.
This head was twisted, indistinct, with disheveled hair and a ferocious visage. As it manifested, it glared at Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng and roared, "You dare say no existence dictates Karmic Fate?"
Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng stared at the head coalesced by Old Ancestor Green Robe, his expression unchanged, still calm. He responded, "This old man indeed dares to say those words."
"Bullshit! Everyone knows the Ancient Clan has always been behind the scenes, dictating Karma and Fate! And you still have the shamelessness to say no existence dictates it? Jie jie jie jie! Do you take this Ancestor for a three-year-old child?"
"Whether the Ancient Clan exists or not, none of us know. Even if they exist, whether the Ancient Clan members are alive or not, we also do not know."
Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng argued, "Moreover, even if the Ancient Clan truly exists and is truly alive, it is still impossible for them to dictate Karma and Fate."
"Jie jie jie jie! Xunfeng, ah, Xunfeng! Are you treating this Ancestor as a three-year-old child? Or are you treating everyone as three-year-old children? These words of yours might fool those mortal youngsters in the secular world, but trying to fool us is truly foolish!"
"This old man has no intention of fooling anyone. I speak only facts. If the Ancient Clan truly could dictate Karmic Fate, then this ancient heaven and earth would not have any great calamities, much less any Original Sin."
"Bullshit! The very existence of Original Sin is itself a Karmic error! The Ancient Clan is utterly incapable of preventing it!"
"You yourself said it: the existence of Original Sin is a Karmic error that the Ancient Clan cannot prevent. Consider this: if the Ancient Clan truly dictated Karmic Fate, how could they be unable to prevent a Karmic error like Original Sin? Precisely because they cannot prevent it, it precisely proves the Ancient Clan does not dictate Karmic Fate at all."
At this, Old Ancestor Green Robe fell silent. The ferocious head he had coalesced earlier also vanished.
In the shadowed depths of the void.
Da Xing the Mad Monk also seemed somewhat confused by the debate between Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng and Old Ancestor Green Robe. He asked, "Youngster Gu, what do you think? Does Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng's argument have merit?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head.
His meaning was not to deny Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng's words, but rather that Xunfeng's words had left him somewhat befuddled as well. Upon careful thought, Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng's words were not without reason, and Old Ancestor Green Robe's words could not be said to be wrong either.
Original Sin was a Karmic error.
Whether the Ancient Clan could prevent it also could not completely prove whether the Ancient Clan definitely dictated Karmic Fate.
After all, even if the Ancient Clan truly dictated Karmic Fate, they could not absolutely guarantee that Karma would have no errors. Perhaps it was precisely because the Ancient Clan dictated Karmic Fate that a Karmic error like Original Sin was born.
Of course.
It was also possible the Ancient Clan truly did not dictate Karmic Fate, and that Karma itself had produced an error, giving birth to Original Sin.
Both were possible.
Moreover.
In Gu Qingfeng's view, arguing here about whether the Ancient Clan dictated Karmic Fate held little significance.
What if they did dictate it?
What if they didn't?
Regardless of whether the Ancient Clan dictated Karmic Fate or not, Original Sin had already appeared.
However.
Da Xing the Mad Monk did not see it that way. On the contrary, he felt the debate between Old Ancestor Green Robe and Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng about whether the Ancient Clan dictated Karmic Fate was extremely important.
If Old Ancestor Green Robe could prove that the Ancient Clan dictated Karmic Fate, then the momentum to slaughter the Three Thousand Great Daos would grow even stronger, and more grotto-heavens and blessed lands would join in.
If Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng could prove that the Ancient Clan did not dictate Karmic Fate, then the momentum to protect the Three Thousand Great Daos would grow stronger, and hesitant grotto-heavens and blessed lands would also lean towards protecting the Great Dao.
It was a pity.
Old Ancestor Green Robe could not prove that the Ancient Clan dictated Karmic Fate.
And Ancestral Patriarch Xunfeng could not absolutely prove that the Ancient Clan definitely did not dictate Karmic Fate.
The experts hidden in the shadowed depths of the void were either masters from the Guixu or from grotto-heavens and blessed lands—either Original Sin Patriarchs or Great Dao Patriarchs. All were individuals who had weathered great storms. Although they would not be easily swayed by the words of others, at this critical juncture, they were all more or less influenced.