The more Da Xing the Mad Monk listened, the more sense Gu Qingfeng's words made. By the end, he was completely stirred up, his originally chaotic mind feeling as if clouds had parted to reveal a clear blue sky.
Indeed.
The Original Sin Anomalies were competitors. If Qiongqi died, the other anomalies wouldn't lift a finger to help; on the contrary, they'd likely applaud and cheer.
But those Original Sin Patriarchs weren't competitors. For them, who ultimately became the Original Sin True Lord wasn't important; what mattered was whether the Daoless Age could be opened.
If Qiongqi was truly annihilated by the Sacred Ground, stabilizing the situation, it would be very unfavorable for opening the Daoless Age. Especially Gu Qingfeng's point: if the Sacred Ground killed Qiongqi today and everyone just stood by watching, then tomorrow when the Sacred Ground killed another Original Sin Anomaly, would they still stand by? Until the Sacred Ground killed all the Original Sin Anomalies, who would ascend to become the Original Sin True Lord, and who would open the Daoless Age?
This was a problem where one loss meant all loss, one glory meant all glory. Those Original Sin Patriarchs definitely wouldn't stand by and watch Qiongqi be annihilated by the Sacred Ground. It was even likely they wouldn't stand by and watch the Sacred Ground make a move against Qiongqi at all!
"Damn it all!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk said with considerable excitement, "This old monk finally understands why the Sacred Ground suddenly ordered Xuan Yuan Hao to stop!
They must have realized this point too."
Judging from the current situation, the Sacred Ground had probably fallen into a trap—Green Robe Ancestor's trap.
The Sacred Ground might have also thought that since Qiongqi lacked backing from Original Sin Patriarchs, moving against him wouldn't cause chaos but would instead stabilize the situation.
Little did they expect that precisely because Qiongqi lacked backing from Original Sin Patriarchs, if the Sacred Ground dared to move against him, it wouldn't stabilize the situation but would instead make it even more chaotic.
One had to admit, Green Robe Ancestor's methods were truly as cunning as they came, so skillful that even the Sacred Ground had fallen for his trick.
Now the Sacred Ground's position was extremely awkward.
Not acting wasn't an option, but acting wasn't either.
If they acted, what if those Original Sin Patriarchs swarmed forward together?
If they didn't act, where would the Sacred Ground's dignity be?
What would the Great Dao Patriarchs of the various Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands think of the Sacred Ground?
They'd think the Sacred Ground had no qualification, or even no guts, to annihilate a mere Original Sin Anomaly. If they didn't dare to act, how could they deal with the Original Sin Cataclysm of the present age?
"Cunning!
Truly too cunning!
That old bastard Green Robe's methods are so skillful even this old monk can't help but admire them!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk said with considerable excitement, "The Sacred Ground is in a real pickle this time. This is what they call 'the expedition fails before it even begins.' Hahaha, this old monk really wants to see how the Sacred Ground handles this."
"It seems the Sacred Ground isn't all that impressive, falling so easily for Green Robe Ancestor's trick."
In Gu Qingfeng's impression, the Sacred Ground was a revered and immensely longed-for existence throughout the ages, one that even stood above the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands. The legendary Sacred Ground was like a godly existence; no matter how many transformations you underwent, you couldn't hide from a Sage's eyes. A Sage's single thought contained tens of thousands of notions, each capable of deducing a future.
These so-called Sacred Sons, even if they weren't full Sages and their single thought didn't contain tens of thousands of notions, should at least have thirty thousand or so, right? Even if each notion couldn't deduce a precise future, it should be able to deduce the general outline, shouldn't it?
And then there's that Xunfeng Patriarch, said to be just one step away from Sagehood, someone who could be called a half-step Sage. If those Sacred Sons couldn't see it, could even a half-step Sage like him fail to see through Green Robe Ancestor's scheme?
"Kid, you can't say it like that. You mustn't underestimate the Sacred Ground."
Da Xing the Mad Monk said with a serious expression, "Remember this: those who can set foot on the Sage Path are all unique, heaven-defying prodigies of this ancient world. The Sage Path is hailed as the Supreme Great Dao, and it was the first to lead the great daos and the first to rule as the master of heaven and earth. That's not just empty talk."
Although Da Xing the Mad Monk had never set foot on the Sage Path himself, he'd heard his master mention that upon entering the Sage Path, one's mental state, perspective, consciousness, including soul and even flesh would ascend to an unprecedented height.
This ascension was like a mortal shedding their mortal coil and cultivating into an immortal.
The world in a mortal's eyes was different from the world in an immortal's eyes.
Similarly.
The world in an immortal's eyes was also different from the world in a Sage's eyes.
One could even say that each of the three thousand great daos saw a different world, yet the Sage Path alone stood supreme.
Buddhism emphasized three levels of mental state. The first was seeing a mountain as a mountain, seeing water as water.
The second was seeing a mountain not as a mountain, seeing water not as water.
The third was seeing a mountain again as a mountain, seeing water again as water.
And the legendary mental state of the Sage Path was above these three Buddhist levels.
In Da Xing the Mad Monk's opinion.
This time the Sacred Ground entered the game, either it was Sacred Sons like Xuan Yuan Hao—still wet behind the ears—acting on their own, or the Sacred Ground truly had a countermeasure, it's just that others couldn't see it.
In the void, Green Robe Ancestor was still incessantly fanning the flames, mocking the Sage Path, ridiculing the Sacred Ground, saying the Sage Path was all reputation without substance, that hailing it as the Supreme Great Dao was utterly ridiculous, and that the Sacred Ground was similarly all reputation without substance—what standing above the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands? They were all a bunch of cowardly fools.
"What nonsense Sage Path!
What nonsense Sacred Ground!
In this Ancestor's opinion, you might as well change the Sage Path to the Rat Path, and change the Sacred Ground to the Rat Ground!
Jie jie jie jie!"
Truly, this Green Robe Ancestor was utterly shameless. His ability to fan the flames was impressive, and his skill at ridicule and humiliation was no less formidable.
Within the arena.
They say even Sages have their anger.
Not to mention Xuan Yuan Hao hadn't even become a Sage yet; he was just a Sacred Son.
Originally, the Sacred Ground suddenly ordering him to stop had already left him utterly frustrated. Now Green Robe Ancestor kept fanning the flames here, insulting and mocking the Sacred Ground. One or two sentences he could endure, could ignore. But as time went on, the fury in his heart grew stronger, until finally he could bear it no longer.
"Green Robe!
You dog hiding your head and tail!
Get out here!"
Whoosh!
The Sacred Great Sun suddenly rose, its ten-thousand-zhang sacred light flashing wildly, burning through the Li Palace Void like sacred flames, as if trying to burn out the Green Robe Ancestor hiding in the void.
Unfortunately.
Although the Li Palace Void under the Sacred Great Sun's radiance now resembled a sacred world, it wasn't actually a sacred world—it was still the ever-changing Li Palace. No matter how powerful Xuan Yuan Hao's sacred light was, it couldn't burn through the infinite transformations of the Li Palace.
"Jie jie jie jie!
Little Xuan Yuan, picking a fight with this Ancestor is no real skill. This Ancestor is nothing special—neither an Original Sin Anomaly nor an Original Sin Child, just one of the many old fellows longing for the Daoless Age. If you truly have guts, you should pick a fight with Qiongqi. He is an Original Sin Anomaly Child, the future Original Sin True Lord."
"Jie jie jie jie!
You don't dare! This Ancestor knew you didn't dare!
Jie jie jie jie!"
...