For some unknown reason.
Perhaps it was because the essence of the Li Palace of the Desolate Age was about to emerge.
Or perhaps this calamity was on the verge of erupting.
Or perhaps the so-called truth was about to be revealed.
Gu Qingfeng's heart increasingly felt a sensation, a feeling that this so-called calamity was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
The chessboard of this calamity might be far, far more complex than he had imagined.
In the past.
He had thought this calamity was a matter of black and white: success would usher in the Daoless Age, failure would mean the Great Dao of heaven and earth remained unchanged.
All the various schemes were either to plot for the True Lord of Original Sin or to protect the Great Dao of heaven and earth.
For some unknown reason.
He gradually began to feel that behind this calamity seemed to lie an even greater secret.
This so-called calamity was not a matter of black and white; it was neither about successfully opening the Daoless Age nor about failure leaving the Great Dao unchanged.
He faintly sensed that this calamity was more like an opportunity.
An opportunity to find one's True Self.
That was truly the feeling.
The feeling that only within this calamity could one find one's True Self.
It was precisely because of this that he had said those words to the Changfeng Great Emperor earlier.
However.
The purpose of saying those words was not to remind the Changfeng Great Emperor.
It was a test.
A test to see if the Changfeng Great Emperor also had this feeling.
Because Gu Qingfeng simply couldn't distinguish whether this feeling was his own genuine sensation or a feeling produced under the influence of the causal seed.
He believed the Changfeng Great Emperor also had this feeling. Not only the Changfeng Great Emperor, but Mo Wentian and Ren Tianxing also had this feeling.
He also believed that he was absolutely not the only one who couldn't distinguish whether this feeling was real or illusory. Mo Wentian and Ren Tianxing must surely be just as lost and bewildered as he was, and that likely included the Changfeng Great Emperor as well.
This calamity was a game.
A game beyond anyone's imagination.
A game whose truth no one knew.
In this game, the Original Sin Anomalies were chess pieces, and the destined calamity figures were equally chess pieces.
His maniacal laughter did indeed carry a hint of schadenfreude.
After all, his only three old friends were just like him—all lost and bewildered chess pieces. Regardless of what the truth of this calamity game was, at least he wasn't alone.
Standing atop the solitary peak, Gu Qingfeng gazed at the still wildly transforming essence of the Li Palace and said, "I've heard...
That you all are waiting for the essence of the Li Palace to emerge. To be precise, you're waiting for the Original Sin Spirit within the essence of the Li Palace to emerge. Whoever the Original Sin Spirit is closely related to, that person might be the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate. At that time, you would all spare no effort to obliterate that person, correct?"
"I've also heard that everyone has always believed I am the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate. To be frank with you all, not only do you think so, even I feel I might be the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate."
No one knew why Gu Qingfeng was suddenly saying these things. No one responded, only listening intently.
"In other words, if I really am the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate, wouldn't I have very little time left to live?
Although I might not be the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate, who can say for sure? What if I am?"
"After thinking it over, I figured I can't just idly wait for the essence of the Li Palace to emerge and then wait for you all to kill me. Whoever it was, no one would just wait to die, right?
In the past, I might have waited for death, but that was only in the past. Now that I've awakened my Original Self, I've become enlightened, and I don't plan on waiting for death anymore."
Hearing Gu Qingfeng say this, the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs and Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs present all felt a sense of foreboding.
"There's one question I've never been able to figure out. If...
I'm saying if, if I were to go on a killing spree before the essence of the Li Palace emerges, what would you all do?"
When Gu Qingfeng asked this question, the expressions of every single Ancestral Patriarch present changed repeatedly.
The Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs did not respond.
The Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs did not respond either.
It wasn't that they didn't want to.
It was that they also didn't know what to do if Gu Qingfeng were to act now.
The reason was simple.
Before this, almost everyone believed that Gu Qingfeng's attitude was one of indifference to life or death, only wanting to end it all.
No one had expected him to awaken his Original Self and suddenly change his stance.
To be honest.
If Gu Qingfeng really acted at this moment, the situation would immediately become incredibly chaotic. No one knew how to respond.
Spare no effort to obliterate Gu Qingfeng?
That was simply unrealistic.
After all, no one dared to be certain that Gu Qingfeng was definitely the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate. Fighting him now would be meaningless and would result in heavy losses. What if the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate wasn't him but someone else? That would be even more troublesome later.
For the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs, their goal was to plot for the True Lord of Original Sin. Before confirming who the True Lord of Original Sin was, they absolutely would not act.
For the Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs, their goal was to slaughter the True Lord of Original Sin. Before confirming who the True Lord of Original Sin was, they similarly would not act.
If Gu Qingfeng really acted at this moment, regardless of whom he targeted, that person could only count themselves unlucky.
The Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs operated independently, and on the Great Dao side, the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands were the same. They glanced left and right, their gazes falling upon several faintly discernible, mountain-like Creation Treasures in the void.
Earlier, Gu Qingfeng's casual stretch had forced most of the Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs hiding in the shadows to reveal themselves. However, there were still quite a few Ancestral Patriarchs who had not appeared.
Among them was the Great Sun Yao Huang, representing the Immortal Dao.
Also, the Old Immortal Elder of the Xuantian.
The Xuanyuan Wuji of the Sacred Land and the Nine Sacred Sons.
The Dugu Qi Zhan of the Heavenly Dao and the Nine Heavenly Sons.
Including Genggu Wuming, hailed as the incarnation of causality and the messenger of fate, who had still not appeared to this day.
Everyone knew that the Great Sun Yao Huang, Xuanyuan Wuji, and Dugu Qi Zhan were all here, hiding within those faintly discernible Creation Treasures, yet none had shown themselves.
With these so-called Pillars of Heaven not appearing, the Great Dao side was like a dragon without a head. Although destined calamity figures like the Fusheng Emperor Lord, Xuanyang Emperor King, Peacock Great Emperor, and Changfeng Great Emperor had already appeared, in the minds of those Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs, only these two Pillars of Heaven—Xuanyuan Wuji and Dugu Qi Zhan—were the hope of the Great Dao!
Right at that moment.
Gu Qingfeng suddenly leaped up, soaring into the void.
His leap was no small matter. In an instant, the entire scene erupted into chaos.
The Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs and Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs all immediately summoned their Creation Treasures and magic treasures, each looking as if facing a formidable enemy. Many of the Ancestral Patriarchs even flashed backward in retreat.
"Hahahaha!"
Just as everyone was at a loss, Gu Qingfeng, who had leaped into the void, suddenly burst into loud laughter. His laughter was like thunder, once again causing the pervading Original Sin aura to boil and burn, shaking the entire Li Palace space into turmoil, and making the hearts of all the Ancestral Patriarchs present tremble with fear.