No one knew why Demon Emperor Weiyang had stepped forward to protect You Di.
He was not the Carefree Great Emperor.
The Carefree Great Emperor would explain his reasons.
But Demon Emperor Weiyang would absolutely not explain.
If he explained, he would not be the legendary, cold-hearted, and self-willed Demon Emperor Weiyang, Ren Tianxing.
"Add me as well."
Suddenly.
Another voice rang out, and immediately after, a white figure appeared beside Gu Qingfeng.
It was a person tightly wrapped from head to toe in white cloth.
Regarding this person.
The Ancestral Patriarchs present knew very little.
They only knew he was an Original Sin anomaly.
Perhaps some also knew his name was Bai Chou.
However.
That was all.
Besides knowing the name Bai Chou and that he was an Original Sin anomaly, they knew nothing else—whether he was from after the Primordial Era or before, whether he stood for Original Sin or for the Great Dao, and so on. They did not even know if he was male or female.
If Demon Emperor Weiyang stepping forward to protect You Di was incomprehensible, then Bai Chou also stepping forward to protect You Di was even more baffling, like a monk trying to figure out something two zhang high.
"Count me in too."
Just as the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs were feeling utterly bewildered, yet another voice came. Before anyone could react, the person had already appeared.
It was a youth.
An extraordinarily handsome youth who looked utterly harmless.
Seeing this youth, the already bewildered Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs were even more dumbfounded.
They all recognized this youth—it was Qiongqi.
To be precise, it was Qiongqi after his reincarnation.
First the Carefree Great Emperor, then Demon Emperor Weiyang, followed by Bai Chou, and now Qiongqi.
These four were all Original Sin anomalies. Why were they all now stepping forward to protect You Di?
You Di was a friend of the Carefree Great Emperor, and the Carefree Great Emperor was willing to oppose all the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs for You Di's sake.
But then why were Demon Emperor Weiyang, Bai Chou, and Qiongqi doing this?
Shouldn't these Original Sin anomalies, like the other Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs, be trying to stop You Di from letting go of himself?
This scene was not only incomprehensible to the Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs present, but the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs were equally baffled.
"Tsk tsk! I was wondering who it was. So it's Lord Qiongqi. If I recall correctly, you once said you had no interest in the Original Sin True Lord and no longing for the Daoless Age."
Green Robe asked with ill intent. Qiongqi responded lightly, "That's correct."
"In that case, could it be that you, Lord Qiongqi, have undergone a drastic change in temperament and turned over a new leaf, intending to protect the Great Dao?"
Although Green Robe's words were somewhat sharp, they voiced the question in the hearts of all the Ancestral Patriarchs.
Who was Qiongqi?
He was, damn it, one of the Four Fiends of the Primordial Era, an existence on par with the Heaven-Devouring, Earth-Swallowing Blood Taotie. In the Primordial Era, if the chief culprit behind the slaughter of the Three Thousand Great Daos was the Daoless Venerable, then the Four Fiends were his accomplices.
To say Qiongqi would protect the Great Dao was absolutely the funniest and most ironic joke in all of heaven and earth, past and present.
No one believed it.
Yet here was Qiongqi, having stepped forward, prepared to oppose all the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs to protect You Di.
This inevitably aroused suspicion.
To this.
Qiongqi merely shook his head slightly.
"Hah!"
Green Robe, as if also very curious about why Qiongqi had stepped forward, said, "Don't tell me You Di is also your friend."
"You Di is not my friend."
Qiongqi appeared very calm—his demeanor was, his eyes were, his expression was, and his words even more so. From beginning to end, there had been no ripple of emotion. When he spoke, he did not look at Green Robe but stared at You Di—or to be precise, not at You Di himself, but at the twisting, blurry, transforming figure of the Heaven-Devouring, Earth-Swallowing Blood Taotie on You Di's body.
He said softly and plainly, "I have no friends. I had none before, have none now, and likely never will."
"If that's the case, why are you stepping forward to stop us?"
"The reason is simple."
Qiongqi said, "I merely wish to know what impact You Di letting go of himself will have on this cataclysm. That is all."
"You Di letting go of himself will likely end this cataclysm, and the Daoless Age will not open..." Before Green Robe could finish, Qiongqi interrupted, "My apologies, I said I have no interest in the Daoless Age. I only wish to know what impact You Di letting go of himself will have on this cataclysm."
"You!"
Green Robe was furious. He glanced at Ancestor Xuanming, who had transformed into an Original Sin ghost face in the void. The two of them were once again secretly scheming something, and neither spoke further. With the silence of Ancestor Xuanming and Green Robe, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense.
Within the scene.
The nine Forbidden Great Daos flickered faintly, as if they might vanish into smoke at any moment.
The avatars of the three overlords—the Avici Asura, the Heaven-Devouring, Earth-Swallowing Blood Taotie, and the Reaching the Highest Heavens and Lowest Netherworld—were also becoming increasingly twisted and blurry, as if they might disappear at any time.
Gu Qingfeng still stood in the void, his white hair still dancing wildly, his white robes still flapping loudly.
Billowing black smoke and white smoke continued to pour from the apertures all over his body.
The black smoke contained a kind of Original Sin essence.
While the white smoke contained a kind of Primordial essence.
The Original Sin essence belonged neither to darkness nor light, neither to evil nor sanctity, giving off a very yin, soft feeling.
That Primordial essence similarly belonged neither to darkness nor light, neither to evil nor sanctity. Unlike the Original Sin essence, it gave off a very yang, robust feeling.
As was well known.
The billowing black smoke represented Original Sin, while the white smoke represented the ancient clansmen. Only, no one knew what essence the ancient clansmen's spirit represented.
The Carefree Great Emperor, Demon Emperor Weiyang, Bai Chou, and Qiongqi—four Original Sin anomalies—guarded the four directions around Gu Qingfeng, while Lady Wuyue stood beside Gu Qingfeng.
The numerous Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs, led by Ancestor Xuanming and Green Robe, surrounded Gu Qingfeng. The only strange thing was, for some reason, no one had made a move yet.
"Interesting! Truly interesting..."
At that moment, another voice suddenly rang out within the scene.
Awoo—
The roar of a dragon and the cry of a phoenix sounded.
Simultaneously, the void began to change. Though there was no wind, the void moved; though there were no clouds, the void drifted. It looked like a surging, illusory world of wind and clouds, yet also like the profound and layered Nine Heavens. Even the pervasive Original Sin aura in the sky began to shift and churn like mist and chaos.
Looking out, the entire void seemed to transform into a surging, illusory world of wind and clouds, as if the Nine Heavens had descended—a truly wondrous sight.
Within it, dragon and phoenix brought auspicious signs. The dragon was a Celestial Dragon, representing light and sanctity; the phoenix was an Earth Phoenix, representing darkness and also evil.
The Celestial Dragon coiled upward, opening its mouth and turning its body, looking back at the phoenix. The Earth Phoenix spread its wings and raised its tail, gazing intently at the dragon. This dragon and phoenix formed a circle, chasing each other. It was like water and fire merging, like clouds and rain churning, like yin and yang intertwining, like sun and moon alternating, like darkness and light weaving together, like sanctity and evil fusing.
Gradually, everyone saw a person within the auspicious dragon and phoenix.
A person who seemed like a man yet also like a woman, more like a hermaphroditic yin-yang being.
Just such a yin-yang person.
Who possessed both the bloodline of light and the bloodline of darkness.
Who possessed both the body of a Celestial Dragon and the form of an Earth Phoenix.
Who was both a Destined Calamity Person bearing the true mandate from above and also an Original Sin anomaly who defied heaven to change fate.
It was none other than the Tai Chi Wuliang who had abruptly appeared not long ago and then mysteriously vanished.