"I always thought the Great Dao side held great hope of stopping this Original Sin Calamity. It's only now that I realize how slim that hope truly is."
Watching the various Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs from the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands flounder like ants on a hot pan, Immortal King Qianye's expression was exceedingly complex. "The Great Dao may seem to have experts as numerous as clouds," she said, "but that's only on the surface. At this critical moment, there isn't even a single person to take charge of the overall situation. The silence of the Profound Heaven Immortal Dao is one thing, but even the Sacred Grounds and the Heavenly Dao are...
If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I simply wouldn't believe it was true."
Immortal King Qianye wore a woeful expression, as if mocking herself. "It's just too ironic."
Great Emperor Changfeng beside her said, "This Calamity, whose answer no one knows, concerns the very survival of the Great Dao. One wrong step, and it's eternal damnation. This responsibility is too great—so great that no one can shoulder it, and no one is qualified to shoulder it. Whether it's the Profound Heaven Immortal Dao, the Sacred Grounds and Heavenly Dao, the Great Dao's Mandate, or the destined tribulation constants, it's all the same."
Immortal King Qianye wasn't ignorant of this reasoning. Precisely because she understood, she found it so ironic.
Watching more and more Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs step forward, preparing to join forces to stop Gu Qingfeng from letting go of himself, Immortal King Qianye asked, "Are we really just going to stand by and watch them stop You Di from letting go of himself?"
"That's all we can do," Great Emperor Changfeng replied. "Watching and waiting for changes is the only thing we can do."
"What if... I mean, what if You Di really is the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate? What if You Di letting go of himself truly can end this Calamity? If we allow them to stop You Di from letting go of himself, wouldn't we be missing the chance to end this Calamity?"
"As you said, it's only a 'what if.' If there really were 'what ifs'... then this Original Sin Calamity would be much simpler. Unfortunately, throughout the ages, there has never been any 'what if.' Moreover..." Great Emperor Changfeng continued, "Even if there were a 'what if'... facing their attempt to stop You Di from letting go of himself, we could still only watch and wait. Once we intervene, we would only intensify the effort to stop him."
"Is there really no way at all?"
Immortal King Qianye glanced at Empress Wuyue in the void. At this moment, Empress Wuyue stood guard beside Gu Qingfeng. Facing Ancestor Xuanming, Old Ancestor Green Robe, and the host of Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs preparing to stop Gu Qingfeng from letting go of himself, Empress Wuyue appeared very calm. Her peerlessly beautiful face was expressionless, seemingly not worried in the slightest.
After pondering for a moment, Immortal King Qianye asked, "Empress Wuyue doesn't look panicked at all. Could she have a way?"
Great Emperor Changfeng said softly, "Whether Empress Wuyue has a way to stop those Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs, I don't know. However, one thing I dare say for certain is that Ancestor Xuanming may not truly take action."
"Why do you say that?"
"With Ancestor Xuanming's strength, if he were truly determined to stop You Di from letting go of himself, it wouldn't be difficult. Empress Wuyue's power may be formidable, but it's definitely not so formidable that she could annihilate Ancestor Xuanming with a single move. As long as Ancestor Xuanming exerted his full effort to stop him, even Empress Wuyue would be powerless. The more she tries to stop Ancestor Xuanming, the greater the impact on You Di. This point, I believe Ancestor Xuanming understands very well."
"If Ancestor Xuanming doesn't want to stop him, then why did he and Old Ancestor Green Robe perform their duet, calling out all the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs?"
"I didn't say Ancestor Xuanming doesn't want to stop him. He just hasn't made a firm decision. His duet with Old Ancestor Green Robe, calling out all the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs, is likely to build momentum for himself."
"Build momentum for what?"
"If my guess is correct, this move of his should be a kind of probe."
"Probing what?"
"Both probing Empress Wuyue and probing You Di."
"What?"
Immortal King Qianye was greatly shocked. She had no idea and couldn't imagine what Ancestor Xuanming still had to probe at this critical juncture. What was he probing Empress Wuyue for? And what was he probing You Di for?
"The reason You Di chose to let go of himself today is entirely thanks to Empress Wuyue. One could even say Empress Wuyue forced You Di onto this path of no return of letting go of himself. This means Empress Wuyue likely already knows the answer to this Calamity. To be precise, Empress Wuyue has likely deduced what impact You Di letting go of himself will have on this Calamity."
Hearing this, Immortal King Qianye seemed to understand. "You mean... Ancestor Xuanming is calling on the various Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs to build momentum for himself, thus creating a kind of threat. By probing Empress Wuyue, he wants to figure out what impact You Di letting go of himself will truly have on this Calamity?"
"That's only one part of it," Great Emperor Changfeng said. "Secondly, the only thing that can be confirmed at present is that Empress Wuyue did indeed plant a Karmic Seed on You Di back then. The problem is, no one knows what her true purpose in planting this Karmic Seed was."
"Does that even need probing? Empress Wuyue planted a Karmic Seed on You Di surely to protect the Great Dao."
"Not necessarily, and not necessarily so."
"If Empress Wuyue isn't doing it to protect the Great Dao, could it be for the Daoless Age instead?"
"Nothing is impossible. Empress Wuyue's cultivation is unfathomably profound. Judging from her methods earlier, her Immortal Dao attainments have long surpassed our comprehension. What she pursues may no longer be as simple as the Great Dao. Perhaps there is nothing left in this Great Dao for her to pursue."
"If Empress Wuyue is for the Daoless Age, shouldn't she be stopping You Di from letting go of himself? Why is she guarding his act of letting go?"
"Precisely because the matter is strange, Ancestor Xuanming wants to probe."
Great Emperor Changfeng continued, "Also, everyone believes it was Empress Wuyue who forced You Di onto this path of no return of letting go of himself. But the more I think about it, the stranger it seems."
"What's so strange about it? You witnessed Empress Wuyue's methods earlier with your own eyes. She step by step first made You Di lose himself, unsure if what his heart desired was truly his own desire. You Di didn't want to lose himself, so he chose to let go of himself. And obviously, this fell right into Empress Wuyue's trap. Empress Wuyue anticipated that You Di would rather choose to let go of himself than lose himself."
Immortal King Qianye said, "And you yourself said you completely understood You Di letting go of himself. You said those who planted Karmic Seeds on You Di weren't just Empress Wuyue alone; there were many existences, each with their own little schemes. You Di chose to let go of himself precisely to reduce all the Karmic Seeds on him to nothing, causing the purposes of all those existences who planted Karmic Seeds on him to come to naught."
"Initially, I did think so. But later... the more I thought about it, the more it felt wrong. A You Di who has lost himself might do this, but a You Di who has awakened his true self would absolutely not do this."