Fear!
Absolute fear.
This fear was both innate and seemingly deep-rooted.
It could not be resisted, nor could it be opposed. One could not even endure it.
The feeling was like an ant encountering a mortal, or a mortal encountering an immortal or demon—it wasn't a matter of resistance or opposition at all.
This was true for the Ancestral Patriarchs who had cultivated Original Sin within themselves, and it was no exception for those who had cultivated Original Sin itself. Even Mouse Lord and Divine Calculator, who had cultivated Original Sin True Bodies, though their consciousness remained, their minds and spirits had already been shattered and scattered by the intimidation, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Even Eight-Armed Yama Luo, who had integrated the Blood of Original Sin, and Green Robe Patriarch, who had integrated the Essence of Original Sin, had an irrepressible panic in their eyes.
Even formidable existences like Black Mountain Old Monster, Liao E Old Monster, and Green Lantern Ghost Emperor, facing the billowing black smoke emanating from Gu Qingfeng's body, wore grim expressions, their brows furrowed like mountain ranges, holding their breath.
The arrogant and haughty Dual-Polar Yin-Yang Taiji Wuliang, who usually flaunted the auspiciousness of dragons and phoenixes, dared not speak a word nor make any rash move here.
Miao Rulai, hailed as the Buddha Emperor of the Western Heavens, still sat cross-legged on the palm of that sacred great Buddha, his eyes long since opened, fixed intently on Gu Qingfeng.
The Breath of Original Sin filling the sky still burned like fire and boiled like water.
The Light of Original Sin filling the sky still crackled like thunder and lightning. The Separate Palace Space, already scarred and riddled with holes, continued to rupture incessantly.
The nine Forbidden Great Daos still devoured each other, vying for supremacy over this space.
The billowing black smoke, containing the terrifyingly extreme spirit of Original Sin, also spread throughout the area.
In the distance.
Empress Wuyue gazed at Gu Qingfeng, her peerlessly beautiful face etched with an immensely complex expression—shock, regret, helplessness, and uncertainty.
Unlike the others.
The others could not detect Gu Qingfeng's presence, nor did they know what Gu Qingfeng truly intended to do.
But Empress Wuyue had once planted a Karmic Seed on Gu Qingfeng, forming a karmic connection with him. Through this Karmic Seed, she could not only sense Gu Qingfeng's presence but also perceive the changes occurring within him.
Da Xing the Mad Monk's speculation was correct. Gu Qingfeng was indeed letting go of himself.
Empress Wuyue could feel it, and she felt it with extreme clarity.
But there was one point where Da Xing the Mad Monk was mistaken.
At this moment, Gu Qingfeng was letting go of not only his self, but also his seven emotions and six desires, his joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, his consciousness, will, mind, spirit, Divine Sense, intellect, including the fortunes upon his body, and even his Soul... everything, bit by bit, was being released by Gu Qingfeng.
Empress Wuyue watched like this for a long, long time, before finally uttering, word by word: "Why!"
Gu Qingfeng met her gaze and replied nonchalantly: "Isn't this exactly... what you all wanted?"
"What they want, I do not know, nor do I wish to know. But this is not what I wanted!"
"Coincidentally, this isn't what I wanted either."
"Since it's not what you wanted, then why..." As she spoke, Empress Wuyue suddenly remembered what Gu Qingfeng had said earlier. He said he didn't know whether what should happen would happen, he only knew that what shouldn't happen would definitely happen.
And his releasing of everything within himself was precisely something that shouldn't happen.
This drove Empress Wuyue to the brink of collapse.
Indeed.
Just as she said, this was not the outcome she desired.
Back then, the purpose of planting a Karmic Seed on Gu Qingfeng was neither to protect any Great Dao, nor to yearn for the Era of No Dao. It was a hope.
Yes.
A hope.
Rather than saying she planted a Karmic Seed on Gu Qingfeng, it would be more accurate to say she planted a Seed of Hope on him.
However, the Karmic Seeds burdening Gu Qingfeng were far, far too many. So many that they were bound to affect his thoughts and will.
Gu Qingfeng losing himself was destined.
Because he simply could not bear the weight of so many Karmic Seeds. These Karmic Seeds were destined to crush him, causing him to lose himself.
When Empress Wuyue discovered that Gu Qingfeng carried not only the Karmic Seed she had planted, she already knew Gu Qingfeng would lose himself.
She even knew that even if she didn't step forward today to ignite the fuse of his loss, someone else would. Even if no one did, Gu Qingfeng would eventually lose himself sooner or later.
Yet, in the end, she still chose to step forward herself and ignite that fuse.
Because she hoped for Gu Qingfeng to lose himself more than anyone else.
Only by losing himself would Gu Qingfeng be free from the influence of those Karmic Seeds.
Only by losing himself could Gu Qingfeng break free from the net of Karma enveloping him.
Only by losing himself could Gu Qingfeng, after awakening his Original Self, find his True Self and thus awaken his True Self.
However.
No one could guarantee whether, after losing oneself, one could find the True Self.
Especially when that person was Gu Qingfeng.
Upon him, terrifying existences like the Avici Asura of Endless Hell, the One Who Seeks the Azure Heavens Above and the Yellow Springs Below, and the Heaven-Devouring, Earth-Swallowing Blood Taotie watched with covetous eyes. There were also the Divine Sense and demonic thoughts of the ancient Maha Clan harboring ill intentions. There was even Geng Wu Ming, and even the Venerable of No Dao.
Once Gu Qingfeng lost himself, these existences would inevitably stir up trouble, seizing the opportunity to devour his consciousness.
This was a dangerous gamble.
For Gu Qingfeng, it was.
For Empress Wuyue, it was also.
If Gu Qingfeng did not find his True Self after losing himself, then his consciousness would never appear again.
If Gu Qingfeng vanished just like that, then the hope Empress Wuyue had placed upon him would also be shattered!
Despite this.
Empress Wuyue still decided to take this gamble.
She had no way back. This gamble, she had to take, whether she wanted to or not.
She understood clearly that Gu Qingfeng also had no way back. This gamble, Gu Qingfeng likewise had to take.
Various schemes, various Karmas, had already forced Gu Qingfeng onto this path of no return. He had to walk it.
However.
What Empress Wuyue never expected was that by stepping forward to ignite the fuse of Gu Qingfeng's loss, she had also personally forced him onto this path of no return towards losing himself.
Yet, Gu Qingfeng did not choose to lose himself, nor did he tread this path of no return.
He chose to release himself, to release his seven emotions and six desires, to release his joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, to release his consciousness, his will, to release the fortunes upon his body, and even to release his Soul.
He intended to release everything.
Releasing was not the same as losing oneself.
These were two completely different concepts.
Losing oneself still held the hope of recovering the True Self. Though the hope might be slim, there was still hope.
Even if the physical body were pulverized, the spirit collapsed, consciousness vanished, even if the Soul were scattered to ashes, there was still hope of survival. Even if Gu Qingfeng's consciousness were devoured after losing himself, he still had hope of survival.
But Gu Qingfeng releasing everything about himself was like dust returning to dust, earth returning to earth. His seven emotions and six desires, his consciousness, will, Divine Sense, spiritual thoughts, mind, spirit... everything, everything, would lose the control of the 'I' that was Gu Qingfeng.
In other words, the released seven emotions and six desires would no longer belong to Gu Qingfeng.
The released consciousness, will, Divine Sense, spiritual thoughts, etc., would also no longer belong to Gu Qingfeng.
His physical body would become a soulless husk. His Soul would become a wandering Ghost.
Everything about him would enter a state of being masterless.
Because by releasing everything, Gu Qingfeng was releasing the 'I'.