"Miao Tathagata, Buddha Emperor of the West, I know you must also be hiding in this void. Since Ren Tianxing and Mo Wentian dare not fight me, do you, Miao Tathagata, have the courage to face me, Xuan Yuan Hao, in battle?"
One had to admit, Xuan Yuan Hao was growing more and more audacious. After naming Demon Emperor Weiyang Ren Tianxing and Carefree Great Emperor Mo Wentian, he had now begun calling out Miao Tathagata.
Everyone knew Miao Tathagata was a hegemon who had shaken heaven and earth since the Desolate Ancient Era, a figure of extreme arrogance. He was arrogant enough to once manifest as the Great Sun to guide souls across the Nine Netherworlds, arrogant enough to rule over the Eight Sects of the Western Heaven Buddhism, and arrogant enough to dare proclaim himself the Buddha Emperor.
It was common knowledge that within the Mandate of the Great Dao, there was no Buddhist Path.
The Immortal Path had its Mandate, the Demonic Path had its Mandate, and even monsters, ghosts, and demons had their Mandates. Only the Buddhist Path had none.
For Miao Tathagata to dare call himself the Buddha Emperor, one could imagine just how presumptuous he was.
He had also uttered an even more arrogant statement: 'Since the Mandate refuses to descend upon Buddhism, my fate is my own, not heaven's.'
The meaning was abundantly clear: since you, Mandate, refuse to descend upon the Buddhist Path, then I, Miao Tathagata, will be the master of my own Mandate.
Furthermore, Miao Tathagata's existence was not merely that of an Original Sin Anomaly; he was also an Inevitable Fate of the Tribulation Response.
Yes.
He was both an Original Sin Anomaly and an Inevitable Fate of the Tribulation Response.
Logically speaking, an Original Sin Anomaly was just that, and an Inevitable Fate was just that. The Original Sin Anomaly and the Inevitable Fate were like water and fire, yin and yang—mutually opposing existences. It was impossible for both to appear simultaneously in one person.
Even the Martial Vault Emperor and the True Dragon Emperor, cultivated by the ancestors of the Mysterious Profound Grotto-Heaven, were only the legendary Supreme Ultimate Infinity, with one being an Inevitable Fate and the other being an Original Sin Anomaly.
Yet, Miao Tathagata was precisely the one who embodied both the Original Sin Anomaly and the Inevitable Fate.
Such an existence could rightfully be called unique throughout all eternity.
And Miao Tathagata had never concealed his ambition to ascend to the position of the Original Sin True Lord. Even though half of his being bore the true Mandate of an Inevitable Fate, he still sought to seize the Original Sin True Lordship.
Now, with Xuan Yuan Hao publicly provoking Miao Tathagata here, it was unknown whether Miao Tathagata was truly present or if he would step forward to accept the challenge.
The crowd waited and waited, but unfortunately, the void remained turbulent with Winds Rise and Clouds Surge. Beyond that, no one stepped forward.
"Wasn't it said that Miao Tathagata is quite the tough guy? Why hasn't he stepped forward either?" Da Xing the Mad Monk shot Gu Qingfeng a disdainful look and said, "Old Monk told you, anyone who covets the Original Sin True Lord won't step out at this critical juncture. It's true Miao Tathagata is a tough guy, but he wants to ascend to the True Lordship even more."
"Don't just look at Xuan Yuan Hao, Xuan Yuan Tong, and that Xunfeng Patriarch being here now. Who knows how many experts from the Sacred Ground are hidden in the void? Across all heaven and earth, who dares to clash head-on with the Sacred Ground? Not to mention the Nine Holy Sons of the Sacred Ground, there's also that damned Martial Sage Xuan Yuan Wuji, who's said to be able to blot out the sky with one hand. Regardless of whether that kid Miao Tathagata is an Inevitable Fate or an Original Sin Anomaly, if he dares to come out, whether he can survive is an unknown."
"Is that so?" Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment, perhaps having thought of something amusing. He said, "Do you think that little brat Xuan Yuan will call my name later?"
"This... hard to say." Da Xing the Mad Monk asked, "What, if that little brat Xuan Yuan calls your name, are you really planning to go out?"
"Don't say it, but I really do have such an idea."
Gu Qingfeng's reply gave Da Xing the Mad Monk a huge fright. He turned around, glaring wide-eyed at Gu Qingfeng, and said, "I say, kid Gu, are you joking with Old Monk, or are you serious?"
"Joke my ass, I'm really serious about this idea."
"Perfectly fine, why would you suddenly have such an idea? Are your eggs aching from boredom?"
"Nonsense! Of course my eggs are aching from boredom."
Gu Qingfeng shrugged. "Anyway, since I'm just sitting idle, I might as well go find some fun."
Gu Qingfeng's words made Da Xing the Mad Monk's scalp tingle. If it were anyone else, Da Xing would have thought they were joking. But based on his understanding of Gu Qingfeng, this guy was absolutely capable of doing such a thing. Just as Gu Qingfeng said, since he was idle anyway, he might as well go find some fun.
That's right.
For Gu Qingfeng, what was happening right now was, at best, just a spectacle, a bit of fun.
Because this guy neither coveted the Original Sin True Lord, nor was he interested in the opening of the Daoless Age, nor would he protect any Great Dao.
The most terrifying thing was that this guy was currently very idle, his eggs aching from boredom. If someone had stepped forward earlier, Gu Qingfeng might have treated it as a spectacle to watch. The problem was, no one had stepped forward. Having waited so long in boredom, Gu Qingfeng was genuinely bored to the point where he already had the impulse to go out and find fun himself.
"Kid Gu, don't think Old Monk is nagging, but at this critical juncture, you'd better stay put right here. Don't you dare go out and stir up any trouble."
Da Xing the Mad Monk said with a stern face, "Moreover, Old Monk can tell you with certainty that at this moment, anyone can go out, except you."
"Why's that?"
"Still asking why?" Da Xing said, "Have you forgotten what kind of situation you're in right now?"
"What situation?"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head, momentarily unsure what Da Xing was getting at.
"Don't you forget, everyone now believes you're the most likely to ascend to the Original Sin True Lordship. Not just the Great Dao side, but the Original Sin side is no exception. Do you know why the Sacred Ground didn't take action against Qiongqi earlier? Because even killing Qiongqi would be meaningless. He's not the only Original Sin Anomaly, nor is he the one with the most hope of ascending to the True Lordship."
"But you're different. Both heaven and earth believe you're the most likely to ascend to the Original Sin True Lordship. If you dare show your face, the Sacred Ground will spare no cost to erase you. The Heavenly Dao, the Immortal Dao, including the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands—all are the same. Even though no one can be sure you'll definitely ascend to the True Lordship in the end, I think they'd be very willing to gamble. Because if they lose the gamble, it's no loss to them, but if they win, then the Great Dao is preserved."
"Furthermore, when the time comes, it won't just be the Great Dao trying to erase you. Those other Original Sin Anomalies, other Original Sin Children, other Original Sin Patriarchs who covet the True Lordship won't lift a finger to help. On the contrary, they'll probably seize the opportunity to erase you too. Only by eliminating you, their biggest competitor, will they have a greater hope of ascending to the Original Sin True Lordship."
Hearing Da Xing's words, Gu Qingfeng opened his mouth, then closed it without speaking. He shook his head and smiled helplessly. "Damn, is it really that serious?"
"What do you think?"
Although Gu Qingfeng didn't want to admit it, he had to acknowledge that Da Xing's words made sense, at least enough that he couldn't refute them.
Originally, after waiting so long without any spectacle to watch, he really had wanted to go out and find some fun himself. But now, after hearing Da Xing's explanation, he figured he'd better forget it. He wanted to find fun, not become the fun for others.