Gu Qingfeng spoke intermittently, saying a great deal. In his effort to get the Great Dao side to act, he even went so far as to analyze the pros and cons of taking action for them. Unfortunately, no matter what he said, no one on the Great Dao side made a move. Not a single person even made a sound.
The hearts of the people on the Great Dao side had long since completely scattered.
The more scattered their hearts, the less anyone dared to strike.
Make a sound?
At this critical juncture, what good would making a sound do?
Apart from inviting ridicule and making a fool of oneself, it held absolutely no meaning.
"Sigh."
Gu Qingfeng sighed, shook his head, and said, "No wonder Tang Hengheng saw right through you all. This is all the ambition you possess. In my opinion, you'd better invite the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and Xuan Yuan Wuji back to take charge of the overall situation. Otherwise, you might truly fail to defend this Great Dao."
Shifting his tone, Gu Qingfeng then looked around the void and asked, "No one on the Great Dao side is making a move. What about the Original Sin side? Is there anyone who wants to act?"
Seeing that no one responded, Gu Qingfeng laughed helplessly. "You're not planning to act either? Sons of Original Sin? Anomalies of Original Sin? Ancestral Patriarchs of Original Sin? Anyone scheming for the position of True Lord of Original Sin—don't you want to kill me, your biggest competitor?"
The void churned with wind and clouds, yet no one revealed themselves.
Gu Qingfeng tilted his head back, raised the wine jar, drained the fine wine within in one go, and casually tossed the jar into the void. "Originally, I was thinking of taking this opportunity to stretch my limbs a bit and test my own limits. Who knew none of you would make a move? If I were to take the initiative and attack you... well, with so many of you, I wouldn't even know who to target. After thinking it over, I figured I might as well forget it. Let it be."
"Before I leave, I have a heartfelt word for you all."
"I have no interest in the position of True Lord of Original Sin. Not even the slightest bit. From the very beginning, I never intended to compete for this thing. As for whether the so-called Daoless Era can be ushered in, or whether the Great Dao can be defended, I don't give a damn about that either."
"Believe it or not, that's my intention."
Shrugging, Gu Qingfeng said with a smile, "Of course, if Original Sin insists on making me this True Lord, I'll avoid it if I can, evade it if possible. If I can't avoid or evade it, then there's nothing to be done. 'My fate is mine to command, not Heaven's'—that's easy to say, but putting it into practice probably isn't so simple."
"This might be your last chance to eradicate me. At least, for now, Original Sin hasn't latched onto me yet. Once the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces gestate their Source, who knows what will happen then. I certainly can't guarantee anything."
"Moreover, I might as well tell you this: as the changes within the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces grow more intense, my own sensations grow stronger as well. I dare say the Source of the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces must hold a great secret of Original Sin. Perhaps when that Source emerges, the Daoless Mountain will descend. And if the True Lord of Original Sin truly descends upon my head, maybe I won't even be myself anymore."
"So, what I mean is, before the Source of the Desolate Ancient Nine Palaces emerges, you'd better eradicate me."
Having said that, Gu Qingfeng quickly added an explanation. "Don't misunderstand. Me urging you to act and eradicate me doesn't mean I want to die, nor does it mean I won't fight back."
"Although I find living rather meaningless, I still don't want to die for no good reason. What if, in the end, I'm not the greatest threat you all claim I am? Wouldn't that make my death utterly unjust? Isn't that right?"
"Besides, while I have no interest in the Daoless Era, I still want to know whether it can truly be ushered in. I want to witness with my own eyes what this legendary Daoless Era is actually like."
"Most importantly, there are still many things I haven't figured out. I don't want to die in a muddled state. At least, not now."
"Some might ask: since you don't want to die, why are you egging us on to attack? Are you so sure we don't dare, just saying these mocking words to provoke us? Or do you possess heaven-defying abilities and plan to wipe us all out in one fell swoop?"
Gu Qingfeng opened another jar of wine, took a swig, and said, "Let me tell you, I'm neither mocking you nor do I have the capability to slaughter you all."
"The reason I want you to act... if I tell you, you might not believe it."
Beside him, Da Xing the Mad Monk stared at Gu Qingfeng with a look of utter confusion. He had initially thought Gu Qingfeng was inciting everyone to attack him purely out of boredom, just looking for some fun. But the more he listened, the less it seemed that was the case.
Because what Gu Qingfeng was saying was far too sincere. Sincere to the extreme.
For instance, Gu Qingfeng said he had no interest in the True Lord of Original Sin and didn't want to contend for it.
He also said this might be their last chance to eradicate him.
He said that if Original Sin truly chose him as the True Lord, even if he didn't want it in his heart, he might be unable to resist. He even voiced the innermost thought that when he became the True Lord of Original Sin, he might no longer be himself.
Including his admission that while he found living meaningless, he didn't want to die now, and he even stated his reasons for not wanting to die.
Based on Da Xing the Mad Monk's understanding of Gu Qingfeng, every word he spoke was from the heart, without the slightest falsehood.
This left Da Xing the Mad Monk utterly baffled. He didn't know what trick Gu Qingfeng was trying to pull, and he too wanted to know: since Gu Qingfeng didn't want to die, why did he repeatedly urge everyone to attack him?
Not just Da Xing the Mad Monk, but also Lady Wuyue hidden in the shadows, Lady Blackwater on Blackwater Mountain, the Old Beggar, and all the other Ancestral Patriarchs wanted to know as well.
"To be honest, it's because I pity you all."
Good heavens.
As soon as Gu Qingfeng uttered these words, the void churned violently with wind and clouds. Clearly, no one had expected Gu Qingfeng to say such a thing, including Da Xing the Mad Monk, who froze momentarily. After recovering, he curled his lip, words dying on his tongue, thinking to himself: *This brat Gu Qingfeng won't rest until he's angered those Ancestral Patriarchs to death.*
Because he pities them, that's why he's urging them to attack?
Pity them for what?
Pity them for trying to eradicate you since the Ancient Era, all the way to the Present-Ancient Era now, attempting countless times, using various Tribunals, various Great Dao methods, yet failing to eradicate you? So, you think they're pitiable?
Pity them for exhausting their minds, suffering losses of troops and generals, yet ultimately failing to eradicate you?
Damn it!
Is there any phrase in the world more insulting than this?
This damn well isn't just an insult anymore!
Earlier, Lady Wuyue insulted those Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs, practically shitting and pissing on their necks. But Gu Qingfeng? He's not just shitting and pissing on their heads; after doing so, he's making them eat and drink it. And after making them consume it, he still thinks they're pitiable.