The previously wind-whipped, cloud-churning void suddenly fell into stillness. Simultaneously, a terrifying aura began to spread, as if enveloping the entire Li Palace Void.
This aura was vast and boundless—silent yet overbearing, absolute and tyrannical, brimming with murderous intent. Under its oppressive weight, the Patriarchs hidden in the dark recesses of the void dared not move a muscle. It felt as if the slightest twitch would cause this dreadful aura to crush them into dust.
And it truly was so. Everyone had this feeling, and it was exceptionally vivid and intense. Even more shocking and hard to believe was that under this aura, even the ever-shifting, thousand-changing void itself grew still, ceasing its transformations.
This was an aura.
Moreover, it was an aura of the Great Dao.
To be precise, it was an aura of Forbidden Great Daos.
There was the Dao of Endlessness, the Dao of Silent Stillness, the Dao of the Absolute, the Dao of Slaughter, the Dao of Death, the Dao of Tyrannical Supremacy...
Without exception, these were all Forbidden Great Daos.
Throughout the ages, those who have comprehended Forbidden Great Daos were not many, but neither were they few. Those Great Dao Overlords had, to varying degrees, comprehended one or two Forbidden Daos.
However.
Only Gu Qingfeng had ever been known to comprehend six Forbidden Great Daos.
It wasn't until now, until this very moment, that everyone realized Gu Qingfeng had comprehended far more than just six Forbidden Great Daos.
At the very least, Da Xing the Mad Monk, who understood Gu Qingfeng relatively well, knew that previously, Gu Qingfeng's exclusive mastery of six Forbidden Great Daos consisted of Silent Stillness, the Absolute, Slaughter, Death, as well as Life and Darkness.
Yet, within the Great Dao aura Gu Qingfeng was now unleashing, there was Endlessness, Silent Stillness, the Absolute, Slaughter, Death, and Tyrannical Supremacy. Compared to before, he had added Endlessness and Tyrannical Supremacy, plus another Forbidden Great Dao that even Da Xing the Mad Monk could not discern.
In other words, the current Gu Qingfeng had comprehended at least nine Forbidden Great Daos.
When had this kid comprehended so many Forbidden Great Daos?
No matter how he racked his brains, Da Xing the Mad Monk could not figure it out. In his memory, he and Gu Qingfeng had been together the whole time; he had no idea when Gu Qingfeng had gained such insights.
What left him even more incredulous was that from this Great Dao aura, it was completely evident that Gu Qingfeng had not merely comprehended these Forbidden Great Daos. He seemed to have already fused and mastered them all, interconnected seamlessly. With a single thought, all manner of Forbidden Daos could sweep forth overwhelmingly. Moreover, within the Forbidden there was more Forbidden, within the Dao there was more Dao. If one did not look carefully, it was impossible to distinguish these as multiple Forbidden Great Daos; it more closely resembled a single, unified Forbidden Great Dao.
Heavens above!
Da Xing the Mad Monk wasted no time. Staring at Gu Qingfeng standing firm in the void, he immediately transmitted a secret message.
"Kid Gu, don't you act impulsively now."
Prior to this, from Gu Qingfeng's words, he had already sensed Gu Qingfeng's growing impatience. However, he hadn't paid it much mind. In his thinking, ever since entering the Primordial Black Hole, Gu Qingfeng's state of mind had been constantly shifting. Call it going with the flow or resigning to fate—regardless, he felt Gu Qingfeng was growing increasingly listless, as if he had lost his fighting spirit, unable to muster any enthusiasm, uninterested in anything.
But he never expected Gu Qingfeng to move to act so suddenly, without the slightest warning.
This couldn't help but make Da Xing the Mad Monk sigh.
What damned going with the flow? What damned resigning to fate?
For Gu Qingfeng, it was all damned nonsense!
A leopard cannot change its spots.
This kid was born with this temperament. No matter how his state of mind changed, it couldn't alter his inherent nature.
Besides lamenting, what he felt more was excitement.
Yes.
Excitement.
Da Xing the Mad Monk had staked everything he had on Gu Qingfeng. What he gambled on wasn't an Age Without Dao, but a future.
Alas.
Gu Qingfeng's go-with-the-flow mentality, coupled with his resign-to-fate attitude, had always left Da Xing the Mad Monk feeling helpless. Therefore, when he learned that besides Gu Qingfeng, there were many other Original Sin anomalies in the world, his hopes for Gu Qingfeng plummeted to rock bottom. One could say he held no hope at all, ready to let things fall apart, no longer yearning for any future.
Now, discovering that Gu Qingfeng's inherent nature had not changed, Da Xing the Mad Monk, who had originally been disheartened, was suddenly filled with hope. It was like suddenly glimpsing a dawn in endless darkness, filling him with immense excitement.
One must know, the reason he had staked everything on Gu Qingfeng was precisely because he valued Gu Qingfeng's inherent nature.
Seeing Gu Qingfeng about to set his stance and engage in a spectacular showdown with the Patriarchs hidden in the dark, Da Xing the Mad Monk hurriedly advised, "This old monk can understand your current mood, and I also know that you, more than anyone, want this all to end sooner—either you die or I perish. But the problem is, even if you take action against them now, it still won't end all this!"
"Who knows how many Great Dao Patriarchs are hidden in the dark void, or how many Original Sin Patriarchs? Can you guarantee you can slaughter them all?
As long as you cannot guarantee their complete annihilation, then this cannot end."
"Furthermore, these Patriarchs are each more cautious than the last. If this old monk's guess is correct, nine out of ten of them have deployed Incarnations. Killing their Incarnations is utterly meaningless."
"Most importantly, the Original Sin anomalies and Fate-Responders who will decide the course of this cataclysm are simply too many. And whether they are even here right now is an unknown."
"Kid Gu, listen to this old monk. Since you've waited this long, what's another short while? I believe you can also sense it—the Primordial Source of the Ancient Nine Palaces could emerge at any moment. When that time comes, it won't be too late to act then."
Da Xing the Mad Monk understood Gu Qingfeng.
He clearly knew Gu Qingfeng had three types of fights he would not engage in.
First, he would not fight pointless, idle fights.
Meaning, Gu Qingfeng would absolutely not pick fights with people just because he was bored out of his mind.
Second, he would not fight meaningless fights.
Gu Qingfeng was a man who repaid grudges without fail. However, if he held a grudge, he usually settled it on the spot; he wouldn't let it wait overnight.
Third, he would not fight fights of no value.
Whether a fight had value or not—if it wasn't worth fighting, Gu Qingfeng generally wouldn't make a move.
Most importantly.
Ever since his youth, Gu Qingfeng had a peculiarity when it came to fighting: he liked to settle everything in one go. He wouldn't act unless he had to, but once he did, it was either you die or I perish. Either he slaughtered your entire clan or exterminated your whole sect. He would eliminate everyone he intended to, thereby eradicating any future troubles.
This particular fight, for Gu Qingfeng, while not a pointless, idle fight, was still both meaningless and without value.
It simply wasn't worth taking action. Just as Da Xing the Mad Monk said, Gu Qingfeng fundamentally could not completely eradicate all the Patriarchs hidden in the void, because among them were too many Incarnations. Obliterating their Incarnations held no significance. Moreover, regarding this cataclysm—until the final moment, no one knew how it should end, or even if it could end. It remained an unknown.
Da Xing the Mad Monk did not wish for Gu Qingfeng to act at this time. Given Gu Qingfeng's temperament, if he did act, it would absolutely be a fight to the death without cessation. By then, things would become far too dire.