"I had thought that Miao Rulai, who once manifested as the Great Sun to liberate the demons of the Nine Nethers, would possess a bit more courage than the other Original Sin vermin. But now it seems he is no different. Hah, so this is the so-called Buddha Emperor of Western Heaven. Truly, I am sorely disappointed. Utterly disappointed."
"Since Miao Rulai dares not show himself, then... Gu Qingfeng, hailed as the Nine Nethers Emperor, dare you manifest and fight me, Xuanyuan Hao?"
Finally!
What had to come, had come.
When Xuanyuan Hao uttered Gu Qingfeng's name, Xuanyuan Tong felt the world spin around her.
Ever since Xuanyuan Hao began provoking the Original Sin Anomalies, she had been deeply worried. No!
It wasn't just worry—it was fear!
She feared that Xuanyuan Hao, in his arrogance, would truly forget himself and goad Gu Qingfeng.
For this reason,
she had pleaded with him incessantly. Even though Xuanyuan Hao paid her words no heed, she never gave up, all to prevent him from provoking Gu Qingfeng.
Little did she expect that her worst fears would come true. Xuanyuan Hao, disregarding the greater situation, had actually dared to provoke Gu Qingfeng.
She understood clearly. The other Original Sin Patriarchs, the Children of Original Sin, even the Original Sin Anomalies—none had shown themselves in response to Xuanyuan Hao's taunts. Most of them harbored ambitions for the True Lord of Original Sin. To step forward now, risking their lives, would bring no benefit even if they won. They wouldn't gamble on whether the Holy Land dared to act, because it was utterly meaningless.
But Gu Qingfeng was different.
Gu Qingfeng had no intention of contending for the True Lord of Original Sin, nor did he have any interest in the Daoless Age.
Yes.
She knew.
Gu Qingfeng had always believed he had only met Xuanyuan Tong two or three times in his life. For Gu Qingfeng, that was indeed the case. But for Xuanyuan Tong, she had seen Gu Qingfeng far, far too many times—so many she couldn't even count them all.
The reason was simple.
Gu Qingfeng's existence was too unique, prompting various forces to observe him, lay schemes around him, and test him.
Back then, Xuanyuan Tong had been the one representing the Holy Land, secretly observing Gu Qingfeng. One could say she knew every single thing Gu Qingfeng had done with perfect clarity. She wouldn't claim to understand him completely, but she was certainly not far off.
As for what kind of person Gu Qingfeng truly was,
in Xuanyuan Tong's eyes, Gu Qingfeng was a thoroughgoing idler, a man who acted entirely according to his whims and desires.
Such a person was terrifying.
He had no restraints, no bonds. In all the affairs of heaven and earth, for him, there was no question of 'dare' or 'dare not'—only 'want' or 'do not want'.
If he wanted to, he could even shoulder the identity of an Original Sin Anomaly to protect the Great Dao. Even if he attained the True Lord of Original Sin, he might just discard it.
Such things were impossible for others, but Gu Qingfeng was absolutely capable of them.
And yet, Xuanyuan Hao, oblivious to the danger, had to go and provoke Gu Qingfeng.
Seeing that persuasion was useless and Xuanyuan Hao wouldn't listen, Xuanyuan Tong could bear it no longer. She prepared to rush over and forcibly drag Xuanyuan Hao back. But before she could act, someone restrained her—and that person was none other than Xunfeng Patriarch.
"Patriarch!"
"Xuanyuan Hao provoking Gu Qingfeng is utter folly! It's playing with fire and courting self-destruction! He's lost his mind in his arrogance! We cannot let this continue. We must stop him!"
"Tong'er, calm yourself first. Elder Qixia has secretly sent me a voice transmission just now. She says... this is something the Holy Temple has tacitly approved Hao'er to do. Or rather, Hao'er has been acting according to the Holy Temple's decree from the very beginning. We simply didn't know."
"What!"
Xuanyuan Tong was greatly shocked. The Holy Temple mentioned by Xunfeng Patriarch held a supremely lofty position within the Holy Land. Not to mention Holy Sons like themselves, nor semi-saints like Xunfeng Patriarch—even her own master, the one hailed as the Martial Saint Xuanyuan Wuji who could blot out the sky with one hand, had no choice but to obey the Holy Temple's decrees.
"The Holy Temple also seems to have predicted that the Nether Emperor would not show himself. They say that although the Nether Emperor has no intention of contending for the True Lord of Original Sin and no interest in the Daoless Age, his existence poses the greatest threat to us. At the same time, he is also the greatest threat to those Original Sin Patriarchs. If he dares to show himself, those arrayed against him will not be limited to us alone, but also the Original Sin Patriarchs, Children of Original Sin, and even the Original Sin Anomalies hiding in the shadows."
Although Xuanyuan Tong was a disciple of the Holy Land and one of the Nine Holy Sons, she did not like the Holy Temple. In fact, she detested it intensely.
As the saying goes, every family has its own troubles.
From small secular sects and clans, to the various secret realms, even the blessed lands and grotto-heavens, including the various Great Daos—though they might appear harmonious on the surface, that was merely superficial. Internal strife had never ceased.
All vied for positions—sect master, clan head, master of a secret realm, lord of a grotto-heaven, blessed land, or Great Dao.
The most famous and widely known example was the strife within the Profound Heaven Immortal Dao—the internal conflict between the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and the Profound Mystery Grotto-Heaven.
It was well known that the origin of the Profound Heaven Immortal Dao had always been guarded by those few Patriarchs of the Profound Mystery Grotto-Heaven.
The Great Sun Radiant Emperor was the representative figure of the Immortal Dao after the Primordial Era. He inherited the Heavenly Mandate of Immortal Dao's imperial authority, led the great war between Immortals and Demons, and rendered immense service to the Immortal Dao. That the Immortal Dao could spread throughout the myriad realms today was largely due to the Great Sun Radiant Emperor.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Great Sun Radiant Emperor possessed strength, influence, Heavenly Mandate, and prestige in abundance. If he were to ascend as the master of the Immortal Dao and rule over the Profound Heaven Immortal Dao, it could be said to be the will of the people.
Yet, those old fossils of the Profound Mystery Grotto-Heaven guarded the origin of the Immortal Dao and refused to yield it. Not only that, they suppressed the Great Sun Radiant Emperor at every turn, nurturing prodigies of their own in an attempt to replace him.
The Holy Land had a similar problem, its situation almost identical to that of the Immortal Dao. Even Xuanyuan Wuji's plight was strikingly similar to that of the Great Sun Radiant Emperor.
The origin of the Profound Heaven Immortal Dao was guarded by the Profound Mystery Grotto-Heaven.
The origin of the Holy Land's Sage Dao was guarded by the Holy Temple.
The Great Sun Radiant Emperor had rendered immense service to the Immortal Dao; Xuanyuan Wuji had likewise rendered immense service to the Sage Dao.
The Great Sun Radiant Emperor's ascension as master of the Immortal Dao was the will of the people; Xuanyuan Wuji's ascension as master of the Sage Dao was also the will of the people.
The Profound Mystery Grotto-Heaven suppressed and made things difficult for the Great Sun Radiant Emperor; the Holy Temple likewise constantly suppressed Xuanyuan Wuji.
If there was any difference between the plights of the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and Xuanyuan Wuji,
it could only be said that the Great Sun Radiant Emperor had ambition and also desired to become the master of the Immortal Dao, whereas Xuanyuan Wuji did not wish to become the master of the Sage Dao. For this, he had even given up before. Yet even so, those old fossils in the Holy Temple still did not trust Xuanyuan Wuji. In fact, if Xuanyuan Wuji hadn't resorted to extraordinary means this time, the Holy Temple would never have allowed him to enter the Primordial Nine Palaces.
Now, hearing from Elder Xunfeng that Xuanyuan Hao's provocation of the Nether Emperor Gu Qingfeng had actually received the Holy Temple's tacit approval—and that he might have long acted under the Holy Temple's decree—Xuanyuan Tong, who already harbored intense resentment towards the Holy Temple, grew even more furious.
"No!" she cried out. "Those fellows in the Holy Temple simply do not understand the Nether Emperor! The Nether Emperor has always been a man who acts on his whims! In all of heaven and earth, if he wants something, there has never been a question of 'dare' or 'dare not'! Even if our Holy Land, the Heavenly Dao, and all those Original Sin forces joined together to deal with him, he would not fear them!"
"Tong'er, have you still not grasped the Holy Temple's intention?"
Xunfeng Patriarch said something cryptic. Xuanyuan Tong was puzzled, not understanding his meaning.
"The Holy Temple's intention is this: if the Nether Emperor does not appear, so be it. But if he dares to show himself... this would be an excellent opportunity to eliminate him!"
Upon hearing this,
Xuanyuan Tong felt as if struck by lightning. In that instant, she understood everything.