Ancestor Xuanming's first speech resonated deeply with the assembled Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs.
His next words struck at the very core of their hearts.
And his final remarks left every Original Sin Ancestral Patriarch stirred with surging emotions.
For these Ancestral Patriarchs, the deeper they sank into this Original Sin Cataclysm, the more lost and hesitant they became. The layers upon layers of schemes and the game within a game made them utterly afraid to act rashly in the face of change, as if they had fallen into an endless darkness where they could see nothing.
Ancestor Xuanming's words, however, were like a sliver of light appearing in that endless darkness, rekindling hope in the hearts of many Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs and gradually clarifying their chaotic thoughts.
Upon careful consideration, in this bewildering game where no one knew the answer, for the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs, preventing You Di from letting go of himself indeed offered more benefits than allowing him to do so.
Just as Ancestor Xuanming had said.
If they prevented You Di from letting go, although You Di might still ascend as the True Lord of Original Sin, their hopes of defying fate and changing their destinies would be slim—but that didn't mean there was no chance at all. Even if there truly was no opportunity, at least after You Di ascended as the True Lord of Original Sin, he could still usher in the Daoless Age.
If they allowed You Di to let go of himself, perhaps everyone might gain a chance to defy fate and contend for the position of True Lord of Original Sin. However, it would be merely a chance.
Once they gambled and lost, they wouldn't just lose that opportunity to defy fate; they would also lose the Daoless Age and lose everything.
Considering this, the previously hesitant Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs stepped forward one after another. Even Eight-Armed Yama, who had questioned Ancestor Xuanming, hesitated for a moment before finally making his decision and stepping out, prepared to join forces to prevent You Di from letting go of himself.
After Eight-Armed Yama stepped forward, the remaining Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs no longer hesitated, swarming out in a crowd. This included figures like Tiger Strength Great Immortal and Greenwood Old Immortal.
Whether they had cultivated their own Original Sin, cultivated the essence of Original Sin itself, cultivated an Original Sin True Body, or were Original Sin Sons who had fused with True Blood of Original Sin—almost all of them had stepped forward.
Looking around, among the Original Sin side, the only ones who had not yet stepped forward were Miao Rulai, Taiji Wuliang, Demon Emperor Weiyang, the Free Emperor, Bai Chou, and Qiongqi.
As the majority of Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs stepped forward, prepared to join forces to prevent Gu Qingfeng from letting go of himself, the Ancestral Patriarchs from the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands on the Great Dao side began to panic.
Originally, the Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs, like their Original Sin counterparts, had sunk deeper and deeper into this bewildering game where no one knew the answer. They too were lost and hesitant, afraid to act rashly in the face of Gu Qingfeng letting go of himself, terrified that a single misstep would lead to eternal damnation.
However, after Ancestor Xuanming finished his speeches, they not only resonated with the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs but also struck a chord with the Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs.
The Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs also came to believe that Gu Qingfeng might indeed be the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate.
If he let go of himself, he might truly end this Original Sin Cataclysm.
Even if he didn't end it, at the very least, it would absolutely be more beneficial than harmful for the Great Dao.
If it weren't so, Empress Wuyue would not have forced You Di onto this path of no return by letting go of himself, nor would she be protecting him as he did so.
Ancestor Xuanming's speeches led many Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs to believe that preventing You Di from letting go of himself was the correct choice.
Simultaneously, they led the Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs to believe that protecting You Di as he let go of himself was their most correct choice.
But...
Was protecting You Di as he let go of himself truly the most correct choice?
Not necessarily.
At the very least, quite a few Ancestral Patriarchs on the Great Dao side did not think so.
The reason Gu Qingfeng was letting go of himself was entirely due to Empress Wuyue's machinations.
It was true that Empress Wuyue was aEmpress of the Immortal Dao in the Primordial Era, and after the Primordial Era, she received the Mandate of Heaven and ascended as Immortal Empress.
The problem was this:
Did Empress Wuyue plant a karmic seed on Gu Qingfeng back then and force him onto this path of no return today truly to protect the Great Dao?
Was Gu Qingfeng truly the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate?
Would Gu Qingfeng letting go of himself truly end this Original Sin Cataclysm?
If so, why had Empress Wuyue never spoken of it?
Not speaking of it before was one thing, but now, at this critical juncture—especially with Ancestor Xuanming and Old Ancestor Green Robe rallying many Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs to step forward and prepare to prevent Gu Qingfeng from letting go—why was Empress Wuyue still silent?
There must be some unknown secret here.
Either Gu Qingfeng letting go of himself would not end this Original Sin Cataclysm, or Gu Qingfeng was not the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate.
It was even possible that Empress Wuyue's purpose in planting a karmic seed on Gu Qingfeng back then, including forcing him onto this path of no return today, had nothing to do with protecting the Great Dao at all. Perhaps it was for the sake of the Daoless Age.
Taking a step back.
Even if Empress Wuyue forced Gu Qingfeng onto this path of no return to protect the Great Dao.
Even if Gu Qingfeng truly was the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate.
Even if Gu Qingfeng letting go of himself truly would end this Original Sin Cataclysm.
The Ancestral Patriarchs from the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens, Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, and the Heavenly Dao Sacred Grounds present would still find it impossible to intervene and protect Gu Qingfeng as he let go of himself.
Because this wasn't about protecting Gu Qingfeng himself; it was about protecting the process of him letting go of himself.
When Gu Qingfeng was letting go of himself, any external interference would affect that process. If the Great Dao side took action and clashed with Original Sin, not only would they fail to protect Gu Qingfeng's letting go, they might achieve the opposite effect, even adding fuel to the fire. What was meant to protect his letting go could end up preventing it.
The Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs were like ants on a hot pan, anxious and at a loss.
If they didn't act, would they just stand by and let Ancestor Xuanming and Old Ancestor Green Robe prevent Gu Qingfeng from letting go?
If they did act, not only would they be of no help, they would only add fuel to the fire.
What were they to do?
The Ancestral Patriarchs from the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands looked left and right. They glanced at the Eight Sects of Buddhism atop the Rulai Pagoda, then at the Nine Immortals of Xuantian upon the Mysterious Wonder Flower. They looked at the Nine Holy Sons of the Sacred Grounds, then at the Nine Sons of Heaven of the Heavenly Dao.
The Great Dao side was leaderless, each faction operating independently, scattered like a plate of loose sand. The two great pillars, Martial Sage Xuanyuan Wuji and Heavenly General Dugu Qizhan, had yet to appear. Even the Great Sun Yao Emperor was absent. If even one of these two great pillars appeared to take charge—or if the Great Sun Yao Emperor showed himself—the Great Dao side wouldn't be in such disarray.
Although the Destiny-Bound Calamity Figures like Changfeng Dadi, Fusheng Dijun, Peacock Dadi, and Xuanyang Diwang had long since appeared, each of them acted like outsiders, one more silent and calm than the last. None had stepped forward, not even Fusheng Dijun, hailed as the Fourth Pillar of Heroes in the Current Era. To the uninformed, it seemed these Destiny-Bound Calamity Figures were merely here to watch the spectacle.
What drove the Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs to the brink of despair was that the Nine Immortals of Xuantian who had appeared—including the two Immortal Elders Taixuan and Taimiao, and even the Mysterious Wonder Old Immortal—had all chosen silence at this critical juncture. Not only had they chosen silence, but the Sacred Grounds side and the Heavenly Dao side hadn't uttered a single word either.