Thinking it over this way, it seemed this hermaphroditic person calling itself the Infinite Venerable wasn't here to destroy the True Lord of Original Sin, but to covet the True Lord of Original Sin?
Hard to say.
Even harder to be sure.
But it wasn't impossible.
Although, before achieving Taiji Boundless, it had been a pair of twin siblings, and those twin siblings both belonged to the Xuantian Immortal Dao.
However, these twin siblings had always operated independently, each wary of the other. The Heavenly Dragon, as the destined calamity, guarded the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, while the Earthly Phoenix, as the Original Sin anomaly, coveted the True Lord of Original Sin.
Yin and Yang united, Dragon and Phoenix brought auspiciousness, black and white intermingled. After achieving Taiji Boundless, the Heavenly Dragon was no longer the Heavenly Dragon, and the Earthly Phoenix was no longer the Earthly Phoenix. It was very likely a new self-consciousness had been born.
Suddenly turning hostile, no longer obeying the Xuantian Immortal Dao, refusing to guard the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, and instead coveting the True Lord of Original Sin—this was entirely possible.
Moreover.
If, after achieving Taiji Boundless, it still obeyed the Xuantian Immortal Dao, it probably wouldn't call itself the 'Infinite Venerable'.
These four words represented the Supreme of the Great Dao.
Calling oneself the Infinite Venerable was an affront not just to the Immortal Dao, but also to the Buddha Dao, including the Heavenly Dao, and even the Sacred Dao, and all the Three Thousand Great Daos. Even if the Immortal Dao, with its ambitious hopes, wished for the Infinite Venerable to become the overlord of the Great Dao after guarding Heaven and Earth, the Buddha Dao would never agree, and the Heavenly and Sacred Daos would certainly not permit it.
From this perspective, it seemed the Infinite Venerable no longer obeyed the Xuantian Immortal Dao, no longer guarded the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, but was preparing to covet the True Lord of Original Sin and become the overlord ruling the Daoless Age.
However.
Upon careful thought, if this were truly the case, many things still didn't quite add up.
Because the Great Dao side was far too calm.
Just imagine, if the Infinite Venerable truly intended to covet the True Lord of Original Sin, the first to object would definitely be the Xuantian Immortal Dao.
Those old Immortal Elders had poured everything into placing the entire hope of the Immortal Dao upon the Infinite Venerable. If, after achieving Taiji Boundless, the Infinite Venerable no longer obeyed the Xuantian Immortal Dao and no longer guarded the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth, not only would their years of effort be wasted and the Immortal Dao lose its hope, but they would have personally nurtured a terrifying enemy. If, in the end, the Infinite Venerable slaughtered the Great Dao and ascended as the True Lord of Original Sin, they would become utter sinners against the Great Dao.
No matter how good their temper, how lofty their state of mind, how open-minded or clear-sighted they were, those old Immortal Elders of the Xuantian Immortal Dao probably wouldn't remain indifferent.
As for the true purpose of this hermaphroditic person calling itself the Infinite Venerable—whether to covet or to destroy the True Lord of Original Sin—no one knew.
After Old Ancestor Green Robe's inquiry, everyone also awaited the Infinite Venerable's response.
"What do you think? Should this venerable one covet the True Lord of Original Sin, or slaughter the True Lord of Original Sin?"
Unexpectedly, the Infinite Venerable didn't answer but countered with a question.
"Your Venerable One flatters this humble one too much," Old Ancestor Green Robe chuckled. "This humble one wouldn't dare make decisions for Your Venerable One."
"Since you don't dare, then stay put obediently for this venerable one. Today, this venerable one does not wish to kill. At least, not now. But if you speak out of turn again, this venerable one won't mind making you the first example."
Faced with the Infinite Venerable's warning, Old Ancestor Green Robe gave a sinister chuckle. "This humble one knows his mistake."
The Infinite Venerable did not reveal its true intent for coming here.
The more it remained silent, the more uneasy the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs present became.
Meanwhile.
On a solitary peak within the Li Palace space.
Da Xing the Mad Monk gazed at the Infinite Venerable here. Though he appeared to be looking, his mind wasn't truly on the Infinite Venerable, but on the Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs hidden within the numerous Creation Treasure Artifacts in the void.
The Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs in the arena didn't know the Infinite Venerable's true purpose for appearing—whether to covet or to slaughter the True Lord of Original Sin. Da Xing the Mad Monk didn't know either.
However.
While those Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs might have no way to figure out this problem, it didn't mean Da Xing the Mad Monk lacked the capability.
Da Xing the Mad Monk's incarnations were spread throughout the myriad realms and had long since infiltrated the upper echelons of the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands. Some of his incarnations were even elders of those grotto-heavens and blessed lands. Naturally, he also had incarnations within the Xuantian Immortal Dao.
Ever since the Infinite Venerable appeared, Da Xing the Mad Monk had begun using these incarnations to try and gather information.
Based on intelligence gathered from multiple sources, combined with his own deductions, Da Xing the Mad Monk arrived at a conclusion that shocked him profoundly.
That was: not only did the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs here not know the Infinite Venerable's true intent, but the Ancestral Patriarchs on the Great Dao side also didn't know. Even the few old Immortal Elders of the Xuantian Immortal Dao who had nurtured the Infinite Venerable were in the dark.
According to the gathered intelligence, Da Xing the Mad Monk deduced that the Infinite Venerable had indeed achieved Taiji Boundless after the changes in the Primordial Nine Palaces. Moreover, several old Immortal Elders of the Xuantian Immortal Dao had been present at the time. However, the Infinite Venerable that emerged after achieving Taiji Boundless, while still containing the Heavenly Dragon and the Earthly Phoenix, was no longer the former Heavenly Dragon nor the former Earthly Phoenix. It was an Infinite Venerable possessing the memories of both the Heavenly Dragon and the Earthly Phoenix.
When the Infinite Venerable appeared, the shock felt by the Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs hidden within the various Creation Treasure Artifacts was no less than that of the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs—if anything, it was greater. They too had never imagined that the twin siblings nurtured by the Xuantian Immortal Dao had truly achieved that ancient forbidden legend, Taiji Boundless.
Amidst their shock, there was mockery, anger, and despair.
Mockery, because the Xuantian Immortal Dao had consistently suppressed the Great Sun Radiance Emperor, causing the Immortal Dao, once hailed as the foremost Great Dao of the current era, to become a scattered mess, which displeased many Immortal Dao Ancestral Patriarchs.
Back when the few old Immortal Elders of the Xuantian Immortal Dao began nurturing the twin siblings, many Immortal Dao Ancestral Patriarchs had tried to dissuade them.
Firstly, none of them believed the twin siblings could achieve Taiji Boundless.
Secondly, even if they did finally achieve Taiji Boundless, there was no guarantee they would guard the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
Alas.
The old Immortal Elders of the Xuantian Immortal Dao wouldn't listen to any advice, stubbornly pouring all their resources into nurturing the twin siblings and even bestowing upon them the Immortal Dao's supreme treasure, the Nine Heavens Dragon Sword.
And the result?
The warnings of that day had come true. The very thing everyone most feared had still happened.
The twin siblings had truly achieved Taiji Boundless, and they might truly not guard the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth.
The reason for everyone's anger was the same. Originally, there were already plenty of existences coveting the True Lord of Original Sin—various Ancestral Patriarchs with Original Sin bodies, not to mention various Sons of Original Sin, and various Original Sin anomalies, all coveting the True Lord of Original Sin. And now? The old Immortal Elders of the Xuantian Immortal Dao had personally nurtured yet another Taiji Boundless.
Taiji Boundless was hailed as the ultimate existence of ancient and modern times. If it intended to covet the True Lord of Original Sin, the threat it posed would be greater than any Original Sin anomaly. This also meant that stopping Taiji Boundless from coveting the True Lord of Original Sin would be more difficult than stopping any other Original Sin anomaly.
If Taiji Boundless were to ascend as the True Lord of Original Sin, it would be equivalent to the Xuantian Immortal Dao personally nurturing a True Lord of Original Sin who would slaughter the Great Dao.
How could the various Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs not mock, not rage, not despair!