Old Beggar truly didn't know whether he should thank Empress Wuyue.
On one hand, he really ought to be thankful. If Empress Wuyue hadn't provoked Xuan Yuan Hao into losing his reason and clashing violently with Xuan Yuan Tong, leading to him being forcibly dragged back by the Sacred Ground, things would have been very difficult to handle once Gu Qingfeng emerged.
However, on the other hand, there wasn't really much to thank her for. After all, if not for Empress Wuyue, Gu Qingfeng might never have shown himself at all.
Recalling Empress Wuyue's actions today, Old Beggar asked, "Sister Heishui, tell me... after Empress Wuyue's little disruption, do you think the Great Dao side might change their stance?"
Heishui Empress remained as before, standing solitary atop Heishui Mountain. A black robe wrapped her tightly, revealing only a pair of dark, profound eyes that seemed to merge indistinguishably with Heishui Mountain itself. She gazed into the void, in the direction Gu Qingfeng had departed.
"Do you think the Great Dao is unaware of the situation they face?"
After a moment, Heishui Empress finally responded, "No! They know. They have always known. They understand the importance of the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and Xuanyuan Wuji even more than anyone else."
"Knowing is one thing, but understanding is another," Old Beggar said. "I've been pondering this. Whether it's Xuan Tian or the Holy Temple, it's not that they don't know the importance of the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and Xuanyuan Wuji. It's just... they likely never imagined those two would be so crucial—indispensable, to the point where Xuan Tian without the Great Sun Radiant Emperor ceases to be Xuan Tian, and the Sacred Ground without Xuanyuan Wuji ceases to be the Sacred Ground."
Old Beggar sighed. "In the end, it's all because these old fossils are too stubborn and indecisive. They don't trust the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and Xuanyuan Wuji. They fear those two are secretly scheming for the Original Sin True Master. Even if they themselves aren't scheming, they fear they might be causal incarnations planted by others."
"As for the Great Sun Radiant Emperor, I don't know him well and won't comment. But Xuanyuan Wuji—that man is truly a pillar of righteousness, upright and honorable. I admire him immensely, and I dare say with certainty he would never scheme for any Original Sin True Master."
Although Old Beggar had been suppressed in the Guixu for countless eons and didn't know much about the Sacred Ground, he had some understanding of Xuanyuan Wuji's existence.
Because Xuanyuan Wuji, like him, belonged to the Desolate Ancient Era. Even back then, Xuanyuan Wuji had already achieved Sagehood through martial arts, making his name resound throughout the Desolate Ancient and earning widespread respect.
It must be understood that the Desolate Ancient was an era of Great Dao contention. Back then, the Heavenly Dao was not the leader of the Great Daos; the true leader was the Sage Dao.
"To become a god, one must first become a sage."
"All beneath the Sage Dao are ants."
These two phrases were widely circulated throughout the Desolate Ancient.
In that era, everyone yearned for the Sage Dao. Everyone wished to achieve Sagehood.
Unfortunately, not to mention achieving Sagehood, even those who stepped onto the Sage Dao path were exceedingly few. Because the gate to Sagehood was unknown; no one knew how to enter the Sage Dao. It was under such circumstances that Xuanyuan Wuji achieved Sagehood through martial arts, truly unbelievable, utterly shocking, and immensely admirable.
After entering Sagehood, Xuanyuan Wuji remained active in the Desolate Ancient for a long time. His upright and honorable character, his broad and open heart, his chivalrous spirit—these were all well-known facts. Old Beggar had been fortunate enough to interact with Xuanyuan Wuji. Precisely because of that interaction, he believed that with Xuanyuan Wuji's character, if he truly schemed for the Original Sin True Master, he would do so openly and grandly, never sneakily.
Right then, Heishui Empress inexplicably chuckled.
The laugh left Old Beggar bewildered. "Sister Heishui, what are you laughing at?"
"You speak without feeling the pinch. What if the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and Xuanyuan Wuji truly are secretly scheming for the Original Sin True Master, or are causal incarnations planted by others? What then?" Heishui Empress said. "Without the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and Xuanyuan Wuji, their hope of defending the Great Dao might be slim. But if those two are causal incarnations planted by others, they wouldn't even have that sliver of hope."
"That's certainly a valid point, but..." Old Beggar said, "I think Empress Wuyue made a very reasonable point earlier. The problem now isn't whether they trust the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and Xuanyuan Wuji. It's that if they want to defend the Great Dao, they absolutely cannot do without those two."
"To put it bluntly, even if they don't trust the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and Xuanyuan Wuji, if those two truly are causal incarnations of others and are scheming for the Original Sin True Master, the Great Dao will inevitably fall."
"Empress Wuyue's meaning is simple: she wants the Great Dao to take a gamble. Bet on whether the Great Sun Radiant Emperor and Xuanyuan Wuji are scheming for the Original Sin True Master, whether they are causal incarnations of others. By gambling, the Great Dao might still have a chance to win. If they don't gamble, they might not even have that hope of victory."
Old Beggar tilted his head back and took a swig of fine wine. "If it were me, I'd rather take that gamble."
"Heh."
Inexplicably, Heishui Empress chuckled again.
One inexplicable laugh was one thing, but two in a row? Old Beggar said with displeasure, "I say, Sister Heishui, what exactly are you laughing at? Are my words that amusing?"
"Don't you find it amusing?"
Old Beggar thought very seriously, racking his brains but unable to figure out what was funny about what he'd said.
"You just said that if it were you, you'd rather take a gamble, correct?"
"That's right, I said that. So what? What's so funny about it?"
"Do you think just because you want to gamble, others will gamble with you?"
Heishui Empress said quietly, "Although those old fossils in the Holy Temple are somewhat stubborn and hidebound, many of them still consider the bigger picture. Do you think they don't want to take a gamble?
No!
They also tried to gamble once, letting Xuanyuan Wuji ascend to become the master of the Sage Dao Origin to preside over the Sacred Ground. However...
Xuanyuan Wuji gave up."
"Why did Xuanyuan Wuji give up?
He had no reason to give up, right?
Leaving aside whether he was secretly scheming for the Original Sin True Master, even if he truly was, he wouldn't give up, would he? If he became the master of the Sage Dao, wouldn't he have a better chance contending for the Original Sin True Master?
How could he possibly give up?"
As he spoke, Old Beggar's heart suddenly jolted. A possibility occurred to him. "Sister Heishui, are you implying... that Xuanyuan Wuji himself couldn't be sure whether he was a causal incarnation planted by someone else, so... for the sake of the Great Dao, he gave up ascending to become the Sage Dao master?"
"If not that, what other possibility could make Xuanyuan Wuji give up the position of Sage Dao master?"
"This..." Old Beggar was momentarily speechless. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say. After a long while, he murmured, "There's no reason for Xuanyuan Wuji to suspect he's someone else's causal incarnation for no good reason. Since he already suspects it, it means he's already sensed something. In other words...
Could Xuanyuan Wuji truly be someone else's causal incarnation?
That's just too..."