However.
Had Gu Qingfeng truly resigned himself to fate?
Was waiting for the Li Palace Primordial Source truly just waiting for death?
Not necessarily.
At the very least.
Da Xing the Mad Monk knew that the Gu Qingfeng of the past might have truly resigned himself to fate. The Gu Qingfeng of the past, waiting for the Li Palace Primordial Source, might indeed have been just waiting for death.
But that was only the Gu Qingfeng of the past, nothing more.
The Gu Qingfeng of now was not the Gu Qingfeng of the past, but rather a Gu Qingfeng whose fighting spirit had returned, whose Original Sin had revived, whose Id had awakened.
A Gu Qingfeng with an awakened Id would absolutely not resign himself to fate—Da Xing the Mad Monk could sense it.
A Gu Qingfeng with an awakened Id waiting for the Li Palace Primordial Source would not merely be waiting for death—Da Xing the Mad Monk could also sense this, and the feeling was extremely strong.
If so.
Why had Gu Qingfeng been standing motionless atop the Solitary Peak all this time?
The reason was simple.
Others might not know, but Da Xing the Mad Monk did: Gu Qingfeng was simply waiting for the Li Palace Primordial Source to emerge.
His purpose in waiting for the Li Palace Primordial Source was not to confirm whether he was the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate.
In fact.
Da Xing the Mad Monk suspected that Gu Qingfeng, after awakening his Id, might no longer care whether he was the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate.
Whether he was or wasn't.
This time, Gu Qingfeng would unleash a great slaughter.
As he had said.
If he was not the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate, he would demand justice for the black cauldron he had borne in this lifetime.
If he was the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate, he would demand justice for the fate he had borne.
In other words.
This justice, Gu Qingfeng was determined to claim today.
At that moment.
Ancestor Xuanming's uproarious laughter sounded once more: "Admirable!
Truly admirable!
This old man is simply prostrating himself in admiration!"
Gu Qingfeng tilted his head back and took a swig of fine wine, slightly furrowing his brows as he casually asked, "I, your grandpa, have already resigned myself to fate. What are you admiring?
And what's so admirable about it?"
The question Gu Qingfeng asked was also the doubt in the hearts of Da Xing the Mad Monk and all the Ancestral Patriarchs gathered within the Li Palace space. They couldn't understand either: since Gu Qingfeng had already bowed to fate, why did Ancestor Xuanming keep saying he admired him, even prostrating himself in admiration? What exactly did he admire about Gu Qingfeng? Did he admire Gu Qingfeng for bowing to fate?
What was so admirable about that?
"Hahahahaha!"
Ancestor Xuanming's booming laughter was truly deafening, shaking the sky and causing the pervasive Original Sin aura to boil like fire, twisting and blurring. The Face of Sin he had transformed into also shifted unpredictably.
"It is precisely because you bowed to fate that this old man prostrates himself in admiration! To be exact, it is precisely because everyone thinks you bowed to fate that this old man prostrates himself in admiration! Hahaha!"
Ancestor Xuanming's words sent a jolt through the hearts of all the Original Sin Patriarchs present. What did he mean, 'everyone thinks' Gu Qingfeng bowed to fate? Wasn't it true?
Why did it sound like Ancestor Xuanming meant Gu Qingfeng hadn't actually bowed to fate at all, but everyone merely thought he had?
Just as everyone was puzzled, Ancestor Xuanming laughed again and said, "Not long ago, just now, this old man truly thought you had resigned yourself to fate, that you had bowed to fate. Never in ten thousand years did I expect...
It was all an illusion! You never bowed to fate! You never resigned yourself! Everything you did before was just an act, with the sole purpose of making everyone mistakenly believe you had bowed to fate, nothing more!"
Hearing this.
Gu Qingfeng gave a wry, speechless laugh. "You're saying everything I did before was an act?
How the hell did I not know I had such superb acting skills?"
"Ancestor Xuanming, is it?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk beside him couldn't help but laugh either. "I say, you're really spinning quite the tale, aren't you? To actually claim Young Gu has been acting all along? Who doesn't know Young Gu has no intention of contending for the True Lord of Original Sin?
Who doesn't know he has no interest in the Era Without Dao?
If he were acting, would he still be wandering aimlessly in the Ancient Desolate Black Hole? If he were acting, when you people besieged him time and again, would he have ignored it?
If he were acting, would he be standing here waiting for you all to come and annihilate him?"
Ancestor Xuanming asked, "Are you the one known as the Living Buddha of the Great Desolate, Da Xing the Mad Monk?"
"That's right, it is this old monk!"
"Truly, reputation does not spread in vain!"
Ancestor Xuanming suddenly barked sharply, "This old man asks you: has the You Di truly resigned himself to fate?"
"Of course!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk said, "Otherwise, do you really think you little bastards could have survived until now?
If Young Gu were scheming for the True Lord of Original Sin, he would have slaughtered every last one of you back in the Ancient Desolate Nine Palaces! Young Gu's strength—no need for this old monk to say it—I believe you all have a measure of it in your hearts. Slaughtering you all would be more than sufficient. On this point, this old monk accepts no rebuttal. Moreover..." Just as Da Xing the Mad Monk was speaking, Ancestor Xuanming interrupted, "This old man asks you: has the You Di truly resigned himself to fate?"
"This old monk already answered you just now."
"This old man is not asking about the past, but the present!"
Hearing this, Da Xing the Mad Monk's heart couldn't help but lurch. He had just been wondering why Ancestor Xuanming would suddenly claim Gu Qingfeng was acting and making everyone mistakenly believe he had resigned himself. He suspected Ancestor Xuanming might have learned something. Now, hearing Ancestor Xuanming ask this, he was basically certain: Ancestor Xuanming almost certainly knew.
However.
How did Ancestor Xuanming know?
Could it be he had seen that Gu Qingfeng's fighting spirit had returned, his fleshly body revived, his Id awakened?
Da Xing the Mad Monk thought about it and felt it unlikely.
Gu Qingfeng was an Original Sin anomaly; his existence was ethereal and elusive, impossible to detect with divine sense. If even divine sense couldn't detect his existence, how could one perceive the return of Gu Qingfeng's fighting spirit or the awakening of his Id?
If Gu Qingfeng hadn't told him personally, even Da Xing the Mad Monk wouldn't have known.
He thought and thought, but Da Xing the Mad Monk simply couldn't figure out how Ancestor Xuanming knew. Or was this old fellow just putting on a show, trying to bluff him?
"Answer this old man: has the You Di truly resigned himself to fate now?"
Ancestor Xuanming's voice came again. Da Xing the Mad Monk did not hesitate and responded, "Of course."
Although Da Xing the Mad Monk knew better than anyone that the current Gu Qingfeng could not possibly resign himself to fate—on the contrary, he would defy heaven and alter fate—he felt the fewer people who knew about such a thing, the better. The fewer who knew, the more advantageous it would be for Gu Qingfeng.
Unexpectedly.
Ancestor Xuanming let out a maniacal laugh, even more frenzied than before.
"Da Xing the Mad Monk, oh Da Xing the Mad Monk! Originally, this old man wasn't entirely sure. Hearing your answer now, this old man dares to assert: the You Di has absolutely not resigned himself to fate! At the very least, right now, at this very moment, he has not resigned himself!"
Having said that.
The Face of Sin that was Ancestor Xuanming suddenly transformed again into a massive head. This head was hideous beyond measure, glaring at Gu Qingfeng with eyes like abysses as he asked, word by deliberate word, "You Di, is what this old man says correct or not?"