Although Da Xing the Mad Monk vehemently denied it and even swore oaths that he had absolutely never planted any Karmic Seeds on Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng did not believe him.
He was certain that this old bald donkey had definitely planted a Karmic Seed on him.
As for when it was planted and what kind of fruit it intended to bear, that was unknown.
The only thing he knew was that ever since he first met Da Xing the Mad Monk years ago, he kept running into this old bald donkey every so often. Thinking back carefully, it seemed Da Xing the Mad Monk had been present at several crucial turning points in his life.
When he was young and waged war against the Immortal Dynasty in the mortal realm, Da Xing the Mad Monk was there.
Later, when he entered the Great Desolate, whether it was warring against the Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands or against the Western Heaven's Buddhist Dao, this old bald donkey was there.
Even later, when he fell into the Nine Netherworlds, and even when he ascended to the Nine Netherworld Emperor's throne, this old bald donkey was there.
When he waged war against the Nine Heavens, this old bald donkey was there too. Even when the Ancient Era ended and he was judged by the Heaven and Earth's Great Dao, this old bald donkey was still there.
After the Current Era began, when he was reborn from nirvana in the mortal realm and clashed with the Buddhist Dao again, kidnapping the Wrath Incarnation of the Great Sun Tathagata, this old bald donkey was there.
When he fused with the True Blood of Original Sin, this old bald donkey was there.
When he fought the Great Dao's incarnations alone for Little Jin'er, this old bald donkey had also popped up.
Once was a coincidence, twice was a coincidence. Three times, four times—every damn time he showed up. Could they all be coincidences?
Gu Qingfeng had long suspected that Da Xing the Mad Monk bringing him into the Desolate Ancient Black Hole was premeditated. Now he was even more certain.
This old bald donkey must have planted a Karmic Seed on him and had been constantly watering and fertilizing it. To use Da Xing the Mad Monk's own words, once a Karmic Seed is planted, every subsequent encounter is just watering and fertilizing that seed, helping it grow strong.
Gu Qingfeng pondered that Da Xing the Mad Monk must have laid out various Karmic threads long ago, and then he, Gu Qingfeng, had been smoothly led by the nose right into this Desolate Ancient Black Hole.
And then this old bald donkey hadn't been idle either, sticking close to him, saying things every so often.
Moreover, this old bald donkey was cunning. Unless Gu Qingfeng asked, he never spoke up voluntarily. But once Gu Qingfeng inquired, this old bald donkey would become a fountain of words, as if he knew everything. What was even more shameless was that when he said these things, he always put on an act of being concerned for Gu Qingfeng's sake, beautifully claiming he was just analyzing the situation for him.
The things Da Xing the Mad Monk said seemed harmless on the surface, but actually held great meaning—three parts truth, seven parts falsehood—subtly brainwashing Gu Qingfeng's mind. Even though Gu Qingfeng never truly believed Da Xing the Mad Monk, hearing some things repeatedly would inevitably influence him, more or less.
The question was, as Da Xing the Mad Monk himself had said, he neither intended to protect the Heaven and Earth's Great Dao nor planned to open the Era of No Dao. So why plant a Karmic Seed on him?
He didn't know.
Gu Qingfeng couldn't be bothered to think about it.
He just felt some lament. Lamenting how damn fake his own life seemed. Almost everyone he got acquainted with seemed to be no damn good.
No wonder, back in the Desolate Ancient Black Hole, he kept hearing Original Sin shouting one phrase.
"The mysteries of Heaven and Earth, the true essence of the Great Dao—all lie within Original Sin, all are Illusion!"
Whether the mysteries of Heaven and Earth and the true essence of the Great Dao were within Original Sin, and whether they were Illusion, Gu Qingfeng didn't know. But the word 'Illusion' made him deeply reflective.
All appearances are Illusion.
Illusion, illusion—what is Illusion?
Illusion is falsehood.
Initially.
He had always thought that 'all appearances are Illusion' meant that what the naked eye sees may not be real; the appearances seen by the naked eye are false appearances, and only what the divine sense perceives is the truth.
It was like the physical body and the soul.
The naked eye cannot see the soul, only the physical body. And the physical body is something that can change in myriad ways, can even be possessed, and even reincarnate.
But the soul does not change.
If the physical body is the false appearance, then the soul is the true appearance.
Later, as his experience increased, his state of mind transcended, and his comprehension of the Great Dao deepened, he felt his previous understanding of the phrase 'all appearances are Illusion' was too one-sided.
Just like this Great Dao, this Heaven and Earth.
The world knows the Great Dao has three thousand branches—immortals, Buddhas, humans, sages, demons, ghosts, monsters, etc. But in reality, how many are there truly?
The answer is: infinitely many. Or one could say the Great Dao is singular.
These two statements are not contradictory.
It's just that the Great Dao is the destination, but the paths leading to the Great Dao are countless. As long as you find your own path, you can step onto the true Great Dao.
The world knows that Heaven and Earth is the Great Desolate, and the Great Desolate is Heaven and Earth.
But in reality.
Beyond mountains, there are more mountains. Beyond heavens, there are more heavens.
This Endless Sea of Desolate Ruins is a heaven beyond heavens.
Not only the Great Dao and Heaven and Earth are like this, but time and space are no exception.
The Desolate Ancient Black Hole is a perfect example, containing both spatial turbulence and temporal turbulence.
Falling into temporal turbulence, a single thought might span tens of millions of years. Falling into spatial turbulence might mean plummeting into the Desolate Ancient Era.
Now.
Gu Qingfeng had a new understanding of 'all appearances are Illusion'.
Karma is a false appearance. Fate is also a false appearance. His own experiences were a perfect example. All those Karma Games—what were they if not false appearances? Since Karma can be manipulated, then Fate can naturally be predetermined.
Perhaps it truly was as that voice of Original Sin shouted: The mysteries of Heaven and Earth, the true essence of the Great Dao—all lie within Original Sin, all are Illusion.
Perhaps everything is a false appearance.
Suddenly.
Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but recall a person.
Or perhaps it was a person.
Gu Qingfeng didn't know for sure.
He only knew that he had heard her voice in his mind.
It was the voice of a mysterious woman.
That mysterious woman had told him more than once: Do not believe in Karma, do not believe in Fate, do not believe in anyone, not even yourself. It's all false appearances, everything is false appearances, all is Illusion.
Gu Qingfeng had never truly understood the meaning behind the mysterious woman's words before. Now he more or less understood a little.
Throughout his journey, everyone he had met, formed bonds with, and experienced—from Yun Nichang to Hong Xiu to Ouyang Ye, from Feng Zhuyue to Mantufan to Canyang Wuyou, from Tang Henghe to Tang Manqing to Lady Wuyue—without exception, they had all planted Karmic Seeds on him. Including Ye Tianlan, Su He, and even Jun Xuanji, it was probably eighty or ninety percent the same.
Whether it was Karma or Fate, this Great Dao, this Heaven and Earth—all were false appearances. Every single one.
If he truly was Genggu Wuming's Karmic Incarnation, then he himself was also a false appearance.
It truly echoed what the mysterious woman said: It's all false appearances, all is Illusion. Do not trust anyone, not even yourself.
This forced Gu Qingfeng to lament: All appearances are Illusion.