"You need not be so pessimistic. Perhaps things are not as dire as you imagine."
The voice of Empress Blackwater reached him, causing the Old Beggar, who had fallen into despair, to jolt violently. It was like seeing a glimmer of dawn in endless darkness, or grasping a lifeline at the brink of death. He looked at Empress Blackwater with eyes filled with desperate hope.
"Your pessimism stems from your conjecture, and conjecture is, after all, just conjecture. Whether the Nine Nethers Emperor is someone else's karma incarnation, no one knows. Even if he truly is someone else's karma incarnation, that 'someone else' is not necessarily Genggu Wuming."
Empress Blackwater had remained calm from beginning to end, much like the feeling Blackwater Mountain itself gave—mysterious and serene. Her voice never carried any emotional color; one could not discern joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness from it. She continued, "Taking a step back, even if the Nine Nethers Emperor truly is someone else's karma incarnation, and even if that someone else truly is Genggu Wuming, it does not mean the Nine Nethers Emperor will certainly die, nor does it mean Original Sin will certainly be annihilated."
The Old Beggar had originally hoped Empress Blackwater would bring him some good news, never expecting it to be these seemingly meaningless words.
"Empress Blackwater, there's no need to comfort this old man. If that kid surnamed Gu is truly someone else's karma incarnation, then that someone else can only be Genggu Wuming. Apart from him, it could not possibly be anyone else. As long as it is Genggu Wuming, then that kid surnamed Gu will inevitably die, and Original Sin will inevitably be annihilated."
"Heh."
Empress Blackwater chuckled. "If it were truly as absolute as you say, I think Genggu Wuming would have no need to gamble on the Nine Nethers Emperor. Since it is a gamble, there must be variables within it that even Genggu Wuming cannot foresee."
Empress Blackwater's words gave the Old Beggar a feeling of sudden enlightenment, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head. He thought carefully; indeed, it was so.
If Genggu Wuming were truly so certain, would there be any need to gamble on Gu Qingfeng?
Wouldn't that be like taking off one's pants to fart—a completely unnecessary extra step?
Moreover, Gu Qingfeng's very existence was originally a variable, and the greatest variable at that. Since he was a variable, it meant karma was in chaos, and fate was even more unknown. No matter how ingenious or perfect the karma Genggu Wuming had laid down, it could not determine the fate of Gu Qingfeng, this greatest variable.
Thinking of this, the Old Beggar, who had felt all hope was lost, felt hope rekindle within his heart.
At that moment, Empress Blackwater's voice came again: "If... the Nine Nethers Emperor truly is Genggu Wuming's karma incarnation, when his True Self awakens, do you think Gu Qingfeng's Ego consciousness would be so easily devoured by Genggu Wuming's True Self consciousness?"
Hearing this, the Old Beggar grew even more excited.
Throughout the ages, experts who planted karma incarnations were not many, but they were certainly not few. One True Self could plant many Id incarnations, and one Id incarnation could plant many Ego incarnations. These so-called incarnations, after undergoing countless cycles of reincarnation, had acquired independent destinies.
Typically, as long as the True Self was willing, it could devour Id incarnations at any time. As long as the Id was willing, it could devour Ego incarnations at any time.
And the consciousness of the devoured incarnation would merge into the True Self.
For the True Self, no matter how many Id consciousnesses or Ego consciousnesses there were, once devoured, they would merely become like a segment of memory, nothing more. The True Self might be influenced, more or less, by the Id or Ego consciousnesses, but the influence was small, so small it could almost be ignored.
However.
Nothing in the world is absolute.
It is not to say that the True Self consciousness can certainly devour the Id consciousness, nor is it to say that the Id consciousness can certainly devour the Ego consciousness.
If the Ego consciousness is sufficiently formidable, it can also devour the Id consciousness and take its place. If the Id consciousness is sufficiently formidable, it can also devour the True Self consciousness and take its place.
Such things have not been unheard of in the ancient heavens and earth. At the very least, the Old Beggar knew of a senior from the Desolation Era who once used his own True Self to plant an Id incarnation. In the end, when attempting the devouring, not only did he fail to devour the Id incarnation's consciousness, but he was instead devoured by the Id incarnation's consciousness. Thus, the Id incarnation took his place and became his True Self, while his original True Self merely became a segment of memory for the current True Self.
Just as Empress Blackwater had said, even if the Nine Nethers Emperor truly was Genggu Wuming's karma incarnation, for Genggu Wuming to devour Gu Qingfeng's consciousness might not necessarily succeed. It was not impossible that Gu Qingfeng might do the opposite and devour Genggu Wuming's consciousness instead.
Suddenly.
The Old Beggar recalled a saying and couldn't help but exclaim loudly: "The Primordial Cataclysm births heaven and earth, endless cycles of reincarnation appear, past lives and present karma meet, whose fate is whose depends on heaven!"
Speaking to this point, the Old Beggar seemed to realize something and murmured again, "Genggu Wuming wants to gamble on that kid surnamed Gu... Could the gamble be whether, when the time comes, she can devour that kid's Ego consciousness?"
"That's it!
It must be!"
The Old Beggar nodded excitedly. "Perhaps this is the greatest variable on that kid surnamed Gu, so great that even Genggu Wuming has no certainty whether she can ultimately devour that kid's Ego consciousness."
Empress Blackwater beside him shook her head slightly. "Do you think only Genggu Wuming will want to devour the Nine Nethers Emperor's Ego consciousness when the time comes?"
"Who else could there be?"
The Old Beggar's heart stirred, and he couldn't help but think of those divine sense demonic thoughts on Gu Qingfeng's person: one of them was the one who searched high and low, from the highest heavens to the deepest hell; one was the Heaven-Devouring, Earth-Swallowing Blood Glutton; and one was the Avici Endless Evil Asura. These three had been lying dormant on Gu Qingfeng, definitely not just finding a cool place to rest. They were likely waiting for the opportune moment—when Gu Qingfeng ascends as the True Lord of Original Sin—to seize the chance and devour Gu Qingfeng's Ego consciousness.
"Wait!"
The Old Beggar thought further, and the muscles at the corner of his mouth couldn't help but twitch twice. "This old man only remembers now, that kid also has a divine sense demonic thought from beyond the Great Dao on him."
If the purposes of the three divine sense demonic thoughts of the Sons of Original Sin—the one who searches high and low, the Blood Glutton, and the Evil Asura—lying dormant on Gu Qingfeng were not pure, then the purpose of the divine sense demonic thought from beyond the Great Dao lying dormant on Gu Qingfeng was even less pure. Moreover, compared to the three divine sense demonic thoughts of the Sons of Original Sin, the divine sense demonic thought from beyond the Great Dao was even more terrifying.
"It seems that after that kid ascends as the True Lord of Original Sin, he will face not only Genggu Wuming but also the divine sense demonic thought from beyond the Great Dao. This is ratherterrible. Even if that kid can withstand Genggu Wuming's devouring, he might not be able to withstand the divine sense demonic thought from beyond the Great Dao."
Empress Blackwater interjected, "You have overlooked the most terrifying existence."
"What do you mean?
Who else could there be?
Who could be more terrifying than Genggu Wuming?
Who could be more terrifying than the divine sense demonic thought from beyond the Great Dao?"
"Do not forget, if the Nine Nethers Emperor truly ascends as the True Lord of Original Sin, then what he will face also includes the consciousness of Original Sin itself."
"Heavens above!"
The Old Beggar slapped his own head fiercely, exclaiming in shock, "How could this old man have forgotten the consciousness of Original Sin!"