Within the arena.
The vast Li Palace Whirlwind continued to spin.
Mysterious and bizarre, twisted and blurred, formless and elusive, ever-changing—each transformation contained boundless and unfathomable mysteries, mysteries akin to primordial chaos, shifting endlessly.
Spiritual sense could not probe it, and its mysteries could not be comprehended.
Original Sin. Original Sin was everywhere.
Accompanying the rotation of the Source Whirlwind, the entire Li Palace space was filled with a rich, pure Breath of Original Sin.
It surged like a roaring, blazing inferno.
Most bizarrely, the flowers, grass, trees, mountains, and rivers within this Li Palace space had previously been utterly lifeless, but now, shrouded by Original Sin, they were reviving at an unbelievable rate. The aura of death gradually receded, and vitality began to reappear.
If these flowers, grass, trees, mountains, and rivers had previously resembled a frozen landscape painting, then now they were like nature itself in the cycle of spring following winter—a resurgence of all things.
However.
Right now, no one paid attention to the changes within the Li Palace space. Everyone's focus was on the Li Palace Whirlwind.
Whether they were people of Original Sin or people of the Great Dao, they all shared a feeling: the Li Palace Source could emerge at any moment. No one dared let their guard down.
Yet, what puzzled everyone was that the Li Palace Whirlwind was spinning faster and faster, growing more twisted, more blurred, more formless, and more elusive. Before, only spiritual sense had been unable to probe it, but now, as the whirlwind spun, even the naked eye could barely see it. Only a hazy, chaotic mass could be glimpsed in rotation.
"Kid Gu, do you have a... a very strange feeling?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk had been cursing at Old Ancestor Green Robe, but for some reason, he suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable.
This feeling was indescribable, like a clear sky gradually becoming overcast with dark clouds.
At first, Da Xing thought it was due to the pervasive influence of the Original Sin filling the sky and didn't pay it much mind. But just now, he realized that strange feeling wasn't just overcast skies—it was more like the lightning and thunder that follow dark clouds.
Yes.
Lightning and thunder.
Da Xing clearly understood that the feeling of overcast skies might be due to the influence of the pure Breath of Original Sin pervading the heavens.
But where did the feeling of lightning and thunder come from?
Involuntarily.
Da Xing looked toward the twisted, blurred, formless, and elusive Li Palace Whirlwind.
That's it.
It must be this Li Palace Whirlwind.
The feeling grew stronger.
It seemed Da Xing the Mad Monk wasn't the only one with this feeling. The densely packed, innumerable Original Sin Dharmakayas within the arena seemed to share it as well.
That feeling of lightning and thunder beneath overcast skies—whether it was an aura of power or something else, no one knew. They only knew that under the influence of this feeling, a deep fear arose.
Like mortals in the secular world on a pitch-black night, with continuous lightning and thunder that stirs innate fear—fear of heavenly might, fear of nature, fear of heaven and earth.
Normally, without exception, these Original Sin Dharmakayas present in the arena were considered master experts within the Ancient Wasteland, either this Ancestral Patriarch or that Ancestral Patriarch. They had long ceased to fear so-called lightning and thunder in nature.
But at this moment, shrouded by this feeling akin to lightning and thunder beneath overcast skies, they couldn't help but begin to feel fear.
This fear could not be suppressed or controlled. Not only that, it grew increasingly intense, instantly sweeping through their entire bodies. It was like an invisible hand firmly choking their throats, seizing their souls, making them too afraid to even resist.
At this, those Original Sin Dharmakayas gathered near the Li Palace Whirlwind began to retreat, not daring to approach it any further.
Although they all wanted to gamble on this opportunity—even if they couldn't seize the Source, securing an advantageous position would suffice—the prerequisite was having the life to seize it.
The Li Palace Whirlwind was already mysterious and bizarre, impervious to spiritual sense. Now, even to the naked eye, it appeared twisted and blurred. Furthermore, who knew what terrifying existence it contained within? Not only did it stir fear in their hearts, but they also felt their physical bodies suppressed by a dreadful aura, their minds swaying unsteadily, their souls trembling incessantly, as if their lives were in danger at any moment.
Under such circumstances, no one dared to stubbornly hold their ground.
Especially since the Original Sin Dharmakayas gathered near the Li Palace Whirlwind were all cautiously retreating. With the general trend moving in that direction, no one was willing to risk their life to be the first to charge.
Not only did all the Original Sin Dharmakayas begin to retreat, but even Old Ancestor Green Robe, who had been smug and triumphant upon his appearance, turned serious after detecting the anomaly. Although he didn't cautiously retreat like those Original Sin Dharmakayas, neither did he remain directly above the Li Palace Whirlwind. Instead, he flashed to the side, taking cover.
It must be said that Old Ancestor Green Robe, as someone who had cultivated the Original Sin itself, was truly formidable. He immediately discerned the difference between an Original Sin Dharmakaya and the Original Sin itself.
Those Original Sin Dharmakayas continuously retreated, already putting hundreds of meters between themselves and the Li Palace Whirlwind. Even so, the sense of fear did not diminish; it remained just as intense. Helpless, they could only retreat further.
The timid ones directly flashed away to escape, while the bolder ones retreated cautiously, worried that retreating too far would cause them to miss their chance.
Looking out, only Old Ancestor Green Robe remained, standing alone in the void beside the Li Palace Whirlwind.
On a solitary peak some distance from the Li Palace Whirlwind.
Gu Qingfeng still sat casually on the ground, leaning against a large rock, a jar of fine wine in hand. His eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the Li Palace Whirlwind within the arena. His face, seemingly ordinary and unremarkable, held a somewhat stern expression, and his eyes betrayed a hint of puzzlement.
That feeling of overcast skies brought by the Breath of Original Sin pervading the heavens—he felt it too.
That feeling of lightning and thunder brought by the Li Palace Whirlwind—he felt it as well.
The only difference was.
While others, under the influence of this feeling, felt deeply uncomfortable and fearful, as if awed by heavenly might.
Gu Qingfeng did not.
Not only did he not feel uncomfortable, but under this feeling, he felt exceptionally at ease.
He also felt no fear—not the slightest bit.
Not only did he feel no fear, but he also had a sense of déjà vu—familiar yet strange, and rather intimate. Moreover, simultaneously, that feeling of being summoned by the Li Palace Whirlwind grew stronger and stronger.
"This old monk has a feeling that the Li Palace Source could emerge at any moment, and... there must be something inside closely related to Original Sin!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk himself was not a person of Original Sin. Therefore, under the shroud of the Breath of Original Sin pervading the heavens, the pressure he endured was far greater than that of the Original Sin Dharmakayas. The feeling of lightning and thunder brought by the Li Palace Whirlwind also inflicted far greater fear upon Da Xing.
This was precisely why all the people of the Great Dao had hidden themselves within their Creation Treasure Artifacts.
Fortunately, Da Xing could still endure it. Although he was greatly affected, at least his mind remained relatively stable.
Standing atop the solitary peak, he stared intently at the Li Palace Whirlwind, then seemed to remember something. He turned his head to look at Gu Qingfeng and said, "Could the Li Palace Source truly contain the legendary Spirit of Original Sin?"