"Old Master Rat, I heard that when the Wu Dao Era began, you managed to steal a drop of Original Sin True Blood."
Diviner, with one hand behind his back and the other stroking his catfish-whisker-like mustache, let out a sinister, probing voice.
"Tsk tsk."
Old Master Rat curled his lip and laughed, "As expected, nothing can be hidden from you, Diviner. That's right, this old man did indeed steal a drop of Original Sin True Blood when the Wu Dao Era began. So what?"
"Why haven't you integrated it into yourself?"
"Tsk tsk. Back then, without exception, every fellow who integrated Original Sin True Blood into themselves turned to dust and vanished."
"And now, I still don't see you integrating that Original Sin True Blood into yourself."
Old Master Rat didn't try to hide it either, stating frankly, "This old man knows his own limits. I cannot control the Original Sin True Blood, so naturally, I haven't integrated it."
"Old Master Rat, you're being far too modest. A mere drop of Original Sin True Blood—surely you can't be unable to control it?"
"Tsk tsk, a mere drop of Original Sin True Blood, you say? Just that?
Diviner, it's been many years since we last met. I haven't seen your skills improve much, but your tone has certainly grown bolder!"
Old Master Rat sneered, "Others might not know, but this old man is clear. With your abilities, Diviner, scheming to obtain a drop of Original Sin True Blood when the Wu Dao Era began shouldn't have been difficult. And, knowing you as I do, you would have spared no cost to scheme for a drop of Original Sin True Blood."
"Oh?"
Diviner merely twirled his mustache, smiling without a word.
"Tsk tsk!
Judging by your expression, I've hit the nail on the head, haven't I? Only..." Changing the subject, Old Master Rat's small, green-glinting eyes swept over Diviner's body as he scoffed, "It seems you, like this old man, didn't dare to gamble, did you?"
With that, Old Master Rat couldn't help but burst into loud laughter.
From their conversation, it wasn't hard to deduce that both Old Master Rat and Diviner seemed to have each snatched a drop of Original Sin True Blood when the Wu Dao Era began.
Unfortunately.
Neither of them had integrated the Original Sin True Blood into themselves. The reason was simple—it was probably just as Old Master Rat said: they couldn't control it.
Among the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs present, aside from Eight-Armed Yama, no one else possessed Original Sin True Blood. Not only had they failed to snatch any back then, but even if they had managed to get a drop, most probably wouldn't have dared to integrate it into themselves.
After all, legend had it that Original Sin True Blood was the blood flowing from Venerable Wu Dao's body. Just thinking with one's toes would tell you that forcibly integrating it into oneself was a near-certain death sentence.
However.
What made everyone curious was this: since both Old Master Rat and Diviner had obtained Original Sin True Blood back then and neither had integrated it, where were those drops of Original Sin True Blood now?
Could it be that even at this critical juncture, the two were still hiding that single drop of Original Sin True Blood?
After some thought, it seemed unlikely.
This Original Sin Cataclysm determined the fate of both the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth and the fate of Original Sin Wu Dao.
In other words, whether the Wu Dao Era could successfully begin was still an unknown.
If the Wu Dao Era could successfully begin, then a drop of Original Sin True Blood would naturally be a priceless treasure. But if the Wu Dao Era failed to begin, then a drop of Original Sin True Blood would be utterly worthless.
Such a simple principle—the shrewd Old Master Rat and Diviner couldn't possibly be unaware of it.
In everyone's minds, the two would definitely not waste the drop of Original Sin True Blood in their hands for nothing. They should have tried every means to concoct a body for an Original Sin Child.
For example, integrating a drop of Original Sin True Blood into an External Incarnation. If successful, they would possess an External Incarnation of an Original Sin Child. Or they could directly graft and seize it, taking over the External Incarnation of an Original Sin Child as their own True Body.
At the very least.
If the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs present here obtained a drop of Original Sin True Blood, they would all do this.
The advantage of this approach was safety. Even if it failed, the loss would only be an External Incarnation, with minimal impact on the True Body.
The disadvantage was that once it failed, they would lose not only an External Incarnation but also a hard-won drop of Original Sin True Blood.
Some might think it worth the gamble.
Once they won the gamble, they would become a genuine Original Sin Child, which also meant a greater hope of ascending to become the True Lord of Original Sin.
Of course.
Others might think it not worth the gamble.
The reason was simple.
The hope of winning was truly slim, perhaps not even one in a thousand.
An External Incarnation was, after all, an External Incarnation. No matter how powerful, it could never surpass the True Body.
This was certain, inevitable.
No one would be foolish enough to cultivate an External Incarnation to be stronger than their True Body.
No!
This wasn't a matter of foolishness, but an impossibility.
The True Body was the True Body, like the origin of a person.
Only when this origin, the True Body, was powerful would the External Incarnation be powerful. In other words, the External Incarnation existed relying on the True Body.
Consider this:
If even the True Body had no confidence in controlling Original Sin True Blood, what hope could the so-called External Incarnation have of integrating it?
Rather than gambling on that less-than-one-in-a-thousand hope, it was more practical to directly refine an External Incarnation using the Original Sin True Blood.
Only, it was unknown whether Old Master Rat and Diviner had used their drops of Original Sin True Blood to gamble or for some other purpose.
Just then.
A sharp, hoarse laugh rang out within the scene.
"What a spectacle!
It's getting livelier and livelier, heh heh heh heh!"
Hearing this voice, many people immediately recalled a name: Old Ancestor Green Robe.
Sure enough.
A sinister old man in green robes darted into the void, eyeing Eight-Armed Yama, Golden Wheel Old Ancestor, Old Master Rat, Diviner, and the others as he let out a sinister laugh.
It was none other than Old Ancestor Green Robe.
Old Ancestor Green Robe was notorious in the Ancient Desolation Era, known to all as a troublemaker. In terms of despicable, insidious, cunning, none of the many Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs present could match him. Even Diviner, hailed as the ancestor of playing schemes and plots, fell short.
Although Diviner was evil and enjoyed scheming against others, he only schemed against others.
Old Ancestor Green Robe was different.
This fellow was entirely a master who thrived on chaos, fanning flames everywhere, stirring up trouble everywhere, provoking incidents everywhere—absolutely the number one troublemaker of the Ancient Desolation Era.
Don't be fooled just because Old Ancestor Green Robe was only at the level of Sin Itself. No one looked down on him for it. On the contrary, when Old Ancestor Green Robe jumped out, Old Master Rat, Diviner, and even the Original Sin Child Eight-Armed Yama couldn't help but flash a trace of disgust and wariness in their eyes.
Firstly, they could all tell that this Sin Itself form of Old Ancestor Green Robe was merely an External Incarnation.
To be able to cultivate an External Incarnation to the level of Sin Itself, Old Ancestor Green Robe's True Body must be extraordinarily formidable. Moreover, Old Ancestor Green Robe previously had one Sin Itself External Incarnation obliterated by an arrow from a certain Saint Child, indicating that this old fellow possessed not just one, but two Sin Itself External Incarnations—possibly three, or even more. It was truly unimaginable how powerful his True Body must be.