Who would voluntarily step forward and let others test them, just so the other party could gauge their depth and then use that knowledge against them?
Was this guy out of his mind, or was he just making sarcastic remarks here?
Actually, those who knew Gu Qingfeng understood that his mind was neither faulty, nor was he speaking sarcastically. He genuinely wanted the other side to make a move and test him.
Such an incomprehensible act might be something no one else throughout history could pull off, but Gu Qingfeng absolutely could.
Because Gu Qingfeng himself didn't know his own depth either. He had always wanted to find an opportunity to test his own limits.
But that wasn't important.
What was important was that Gu Qingfeng was incredibly bored at this moment, bored to the point of aching idleness. He was doing this simply to find some amusement, nothing more.
Just as Gu Qingfeng had said, since he was idle anyway, he might as well.
Sure enough.
Seeing that the Sacred Ground offered no response, Gu Qingfeng spoke again: "If Xuan Yuan Hao won't come out, then Big Sister Xuan Yuan Tong will do. We've met twice, after all. Sparring a bit isn't too much to ask, is it?
Doesn't the Sacred Ground have nine Destined Calamity Fates?
Boasting about some Nine Saint Sons?
Don't tell me not a single one plans to step forward?"
It was reversed.
Completely reversed.
Earlier, it was Xuan Yuan Hao provoking all the Sons of Original Sin and the Original Sin Variables.
Now, it seemed Gu Qingfeng was provoking all the Destined Calamity Fates.
The only difference was:
Xuan Yuan Hao's provocation was genuine, and as arrogant as could be.
Gu Qingfeng's, however, was more like a request for guidance, one delivered with the utmost leisure and nonchalance.
"Let me tell you, your Sacred Ground has the Nine Saint Sons, that's enough. You really don't need any Xuan Yuan Wuji. And the same goes for Xuantian—didn't you cultivate a pair of Dual-Polar Yin-Yang Taiji Immeasurables?
What need is there for the Great Sun Radiant Emperor to preside over the situation? Besides...
The Great Dao side has plenty of Destined Calamity Fates left, right?"
Gu Qingfeng continued: "As far as I know, the Great Emperor Changfeng, hailed as the Young Master of the Azure Heaven, counts as one, right? And the Floating Life Imperial Lord, celebrated as the hero of the Present Era, also counts as one, right?
Those two are in no way inferior to Xuan Yuan Wuji and the Great Sun Radiant Emperor, are they?
I've met both of them, this lord has, and I know a thing or two about their capabilities."
"I'm not afraid to tell you, whether it's Great Emperor Changfeng or the Floating Life Imperial Lord, this lord has no confidence in defeating them. If those two were to move against me, I'm afraid I wouldn't gain any advantage. Not only that, if they wanted to kill me, I probably wouldn't survive."
"So, I say, you have absolutely no need to pin your hopes on Xuan Yuan Wuji and the Great Sun Radiant Emperor. Those Destined Calamity Fates alone are more than enough to deal with this lord. Really, if you don't believe me, you can try."
Gu Qingfeng's words sounded like he was instructing the Great Dao side on how to deal with him, and that was indeed what he was thinking.
However, when his words reached the ears of the Great Dao Patriarchs, it was an entirely different matter—more like tearing open their old wounds.
The Great Dao Patriarchs weren't unaware of the importance of the Destined Calamity Fates. They clearly understood that the Destined Calamity Fates were the key to dealing with the Original Sin Variables.
Yes.
They knew. They had always known. They knew better than anyone.
But what frustrated them was that they simply couldn't control those Destined Calamity Fates. Forget control, they couldn't even win them over.
Take the Floating Life Imperial Lord, for example. Everyone knew he was a Destined Calamity Fate. Moreover, he was upright, righteous, and magnanimous, never chasing fame or fortune. The two Heavenly Destinies he bore were among the finest; calling him the pinnacle of Heavenly Destiny was no exaggeration.
The Star Lord Heavenly Destiny he bore was the North Pole Purple Tenuity Star, hailed as the master of constellations.
The Imperial Seal Heavenly Destiny he bore was the Canghao Imperial Seal, one of the Ten Great Imperial Seals.
Furthermore, he possessed a Great Dao Innate Treasure named the Xuanyuan Sword, a legendary divine weapon and holy sword.
Innate Tyrant Body, Canghao Imperial Seal, North Pole Purple Tenuity Star, Xuanyuan Sword—these four existences were each among the top great fortunes between heaven and earth throughout history. Obtaining any one would allow one to look down upon all realms, yet the Floating Life Imperial Lord possessed all four of these legendary existences simultaneously.
Truth be told, what was most praised about the Floating Life Imperial Lord was neither his Innate Tyrant Body, nor the Canghao Imperial Seal and North Pole Purple Tenuity Star, nor even the Xuanyuan Sword. It was his comprehension of the Great Dao.
It was said that the Floating Life Imperial Lord had already stepped into the Great Dao and comprehended the true essence of the Primordial Chaos Great Dao. Not only did he possess a Primordial Chaos Body, but also a Primordial Chaos Soul. Every move and technique contained the power of the Great Dao Primordial Chaos. A single thought could reduce a world to ashes.
In the Present Era, across all realms, there were many who bore the Star Lord Heavenly Destiny. Those who bore the Imperial Seal Heavenly Destiny, while not numerous, were certainly not few. Those with Innate Tyrant Bodies or possessing Great Dao Innate Treasures were not unheard of either. But the only one called the legend, the hero, even the myth of the Present Era was the Floating Life Imperial Lord.
The reason was simple.
He had created a miraculous tome in the Present Era: "The Great Dao Primordial Chaos."
This book was hailed as the number one classic of the Present Era.
Within it were recorded not only numerous cultivation methods but also many divine abilities and wondrous techniques.
By contemplating this book, a mortal could cultivate to immortality, an immortal could comprehend mysteries, and mysteries could lead into the Dao. It was truly a peerless, unprecedented great tome of the Great Dao.
Putting everything else aside, based on "The Great Dao Primordial Chaos" alone, the Floating Life Imperial Lord had already bestowed boundless blessings upon all living beings, achieving immeasurable merit.
Because of this, some said that if the Great Dao of past and present had a fourth pillar, it would undoubtedly be the Floating Life Imperial Lord.
Since the Floating Life Imperial Lord made his debut, various Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands had tried more than once to win him over, offering temptations each greater than the last. Yet, all were refused by the Floating Life Imperial Lord.
Xuantian had even tried to use the Floating Life Imperial Lord to suppress the Great Sun Radiant Emperor. For this, they promised that as long as the Floating Life Imperial Lord passed their trial, they would let him ascend to become the Lord of the Immortal Dao.
Unfortunately.
This too was refused by the Floating Life Imperial Lord.
It was said the Sacred Ground had also tried to win over the Floating Life Imperial Lord. Not just the Sacred Ground, but even the Shangqing Heaven, representing the Heavenly Dao, was rumored to have made overtures. However, they were similarly refused.
Then there was Great Emperor Changfeng.
Great Emperor Changfeng's fame might not match that of the Floating Life Imperial Lord, but he possessed the Azure Dragon Guardian, wielded the Great Justice Blade, and had received the Azure Heaven inheritance, earning him the title Young Master of the Azure Heaven. With these, he stood unparalleled in heaven and earth across all eras. His existence might even be more important than any other Destined Calamity Fate.
What frustrated those Great Dao Patriarchs was that Great Emperor Changfeng was similarly impervious to all persuasion. He paid no heed to Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, nor to Xuantian or the Sacred Ground.
The other Destined Calamity Fates were even more elusive, appearing and disappearing without a trace, leaving no opportunity to win them over. How then could they be controlled?
Forget controlling them; even the so-called Nine Saint Sons, the nine Destined Calamity Fates, the Holy Temple currently couldn't control them either.
Although three or four had pledged allegiance to the Holy Temple, the majority of the Saint Sons still rejected it. Moreover, even those four who had pledged allegiance each had their own schemes. Regarding the Holy Temple's decrees, they would ponder and weigh them repeatedly, only complying and executing if it benefited them. This time, getting Xuan Yuan Hao to step forward was only possible because the Holy Temple had offered him significant temptations and promises.
Similarly,
the Dual-Polar Yin-Yang Taiji Immeasurables cultivated by the Xuantian Immortal Path were the same. Since entering the Primordial Black Hole, they completely ignored the decrees of those old fogies from Xuantian. Not only did they ignore them, but more often than not, it was those old Xuantian fellows who had to clean up the mess left in their wake.
After all, Destined Calamity Fates were Destined Calamity Fates. Each was a son of heaven, a chosen one. Whether in aptitude or comprehension, they were peerless. Their various fortunes were predestined. Before they matured, they might still heed the decrees of those Great Dao Patriarchs. But once they grew, the decrees of the Great Dao Patriarchs were worth less than a fart to them.
Even the best master wouldn't suffice. If it weren't so, three or four of the Nine Saint Sons wouldn't have betrayed Xuan Yuan Wuji.