Anyone who thought Ancestor Xuanming and Old Ancestor Green Robe's goal was merely to covet the divine sense and demonic will of the Three Great Overlords would be gravely mistaken.
The divine sense and demonic will of the Three Great Overlords could only be considered a secondary objective at best.
What they truly coveted was the divine sense and demonic will of the Ancient Clan upon Gu Qingfeng's person.
That's right.
The Abyssal Asura Without Interval was the overlord who ruled over Hell. Ascending to the Azure and Descending to the Yellow Springs was the overlord who ruled over Purgatory. The Heaven-Devouring, Earth-Swallowing Blood Taotie was also the overlord who ruled over the Abyss.
However.
The existence of the Ancient Clan was a myth.
A myth beyond the Great Dao.
In mythical legends, the Nine Heavens and Nine Underworlds, including the sun, moon, and stars, were all opened and nurtured by the Ancient Clan. The progenitors of Buddhism, the progenitors of Immortal Dao, the progenitors of Demonic Dao, the progenitors of Saintly Dao, and even the progenitors of Humanity... all were of the Ancient Clan. Even the legendary Nüwa who created humans from clay, and Pangu who separated heaven and earth, were also said to be of the Ancient Clan.
Some said these Three Thousand Great Daos, this ancient and present heaven and earth, were all opened by the Ancient Clan.
Some even said that the Daoless Venerable, who once slaughtered the Three Thousand Great Daos and opened the Daoless Age during the Primordial Era, was also of the Ancient Clan.
The reason was simple.
The Ancient Clan existed outside the Great Dao, and the Daoless Venerable of that year also existed outside the Great Dao.
As for whether the Daoless Venerable was truly of the Ancient Clan, no one knew.
The only thing known was that if there truly were deities in this ancient and present heaven and earth, then they must be the legendary Ancient Clan.
Obtaining the divine sense and demonic will of the Three Great Overlords presented an opportunity to become the overlord ruling over Purgatory, Hell, and the Abyss.
But if one obtained the divine sense and demonic will of the Ancient Clan, there was a chance to leap beyond the Three Thousand Great Daos and ascend to divinity.
How could Ancestor Xuanming and Old Ancestor Green Robe not be tempted by this?
Not to mention them being tempted—every single Original Sin Ancestral Patriarch present was tempted without exception.
Taiji Boundless was absolutely correct. Among these Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs who had stepped forward, even if they hadn't realized it at the beginning, they certainly did now. The reason they hadn't withdrawn was because they harbored the same petty schemes as Green Robe and Xuanming. They too did not want to miss such a rare opportunity. They too wanted to obtain the divine sense and demonic will of the Three Great Overlords, and even more so, that of the Ancient Clan.
The Carefree Great Emperor, Demon Emperor Weiyang, Bai Chou, and Qiongqi clearly knew they couldn't stop it, yet they still stepped forward precisely because they had seen through the petty schemes in the hearts of these Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs like Green Robe and Xuanming. This included Lady Wuyue as well.
She had long anticipated that once Gu Qingfeng began to let go of himself, someone would inevitably seize this opportunity to covet the Three Great Overlords and the Ancient Clan upon him. Hence, she was the first to step forward.
The reason Green Robe, Xuanming, and the other Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs had delayed taking action was not because they feared Lady Wuyue, the Carefree Great Emperor, or these other Original Sin anomalies.
Although Lady Wuyue and the others intervening would increase the difficulty for them.
But it was merely an increase in difficulty.
The difficulty posed by Lady Wuyue was not enough to make them timid and hesitant.
The reason they hadn't acted was simply that the timing wasn't right yet.
They were waiting.
Waiting for Gu Qingfeng to let go.
Only when Gu Qingfeng let go of the divine sense and demonic will of the Three Great Overlords could they act.
Only when Gu Qingfeng let go of the divine sense and demonic will of the Ancient Clan could they act.
All that talk about stopping Gu Qingfeng from letting go of himself being more beneficial than harmful for the Original Sin, all that talk about Gu Qingfeng letting go of himself potentially ending this calamity, all that talk about how they simply couldn't afford to gamble—these were nothing but excuses.
This point, Ancestor Xuanming knew, Old Ancestor Green Robe knew, and every Original Sin Ancestral Patriarch present knew. They just maintained an unspoken understanding among themselves.
What impact Gu Qingfeng letting go of himself would have on this Original Sin Cataclysm...
No one knew.
Precisely because they didn't know, they decided to gamble.
After all, compared to the mysterious and unknown Original Sin True Lord, the divine sense and demonic will of the Three Great Overlords seemed more tangible.
Compared to the legendary Daoless Age, the divine sense and demonic will of the Ancient Clan also seemed more tangible.
At least.
That was the case in this calamity where no one knew the answer.
At this very moment.
Ancestor Xuanming, Old Ancestor Green Robe, and all the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs present were staring rather malevolently at the abruptly appearing Taiji Boundless.
It wasn't because Taiji Boundless's appearance had exposed their conspiracy.
To be honest.
Both Ancestor Xuanming and Old Ancestor Green Robe knew that their scheme to covet the Three Great Overlords and the Ancient Clan couldn't be hidden.
They were also quite certain that those waiting to covet the Three Great Overlords and the Ancient Clan after Gu Qingfeng let go of himself were definitely not limited to just them, these Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs.
Don't be fooled by how calm Miao Rulai, Black Mountain Old Monster, Liao E Old Monster, and Green Lamp Ghost Emperor appeared, each more composed than the last. Their not stepping forward didn't mean they wouldn't covet the Three Great Overlords and the Ancient Clan.
Moreover.
The two of them clearly understood that those coveting the Three Great Overlords and the Ancient Clan were definitely not limited to just them, these Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs. The Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs within the arena were probably also harboring their own petty schemes, including this Taiji Boundless who had emerged at this critical juncture.
"Heh heh!
I wondered who it was, so it's the Venerable Boundless."
Old Ancestor Green Robe stared at Taiji Boundless, laughing with a sinister tone. "I think the Venerable must have misunderstood something. We are not coveting anything. We merely wish to stop the You Di from letting go of himself, nothing more."
If one spoke of thick-skinned individuals, Old Ancestor Green Robe's face was absolutely peerless. Even though everyone knew they were coveting the Three Great Overlords and the Ancient Clan upon the You Di, he simply refused to admit it.
Taiji Boundless, however, did not continue to expose them, merely smiling faintly. "Is that so?"
Old Ancestor Green Robe then probed further, asking, "Might I ask what the Venerable intends by appearing this time? Surely you're not here to stop us like Mo Wentian and the others, are you? Heh heh heh heh!"
"Stop you?
Heh..." Taiji Boundless said, "This seat cannot stop you at all. No one in this ancient and present heaven and earth can stop you. However..." Changing the subject, Taiji Boundless looked towards Gu Qingfeng, who was in the midst of letting go of himself in the void, and smiled. "If you truly intend to stop the You Di from letting go of himself, then this seat advises you to save your energy."
"Oh?" Old Ancestor Green Robe detected the hidden meaning in those words. "What do you mean by that?"
"It's simple. Even if you don't take action to stop him, the You Di may not necessarily succeed in letting go of himself."
It must be said that Taiji Boundless's words struck right at the painful spot in the hearts of Xuanming, Green Robe, and all the Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs.
The prerequisite for their scheme to covet the Three Great Overlords and the Ancient Clan was Gu Qingfeng letting go of himself.
Only when Gu Qingfeng let go of the Three Great Overlords and the Ancient Clan would they have an opportunity.
Although they didn't want to admit it, they had to acknowledge that what Taiji Boundless said was fact. Judging from the current situation, it seemed Gu Qingfeng would have great difficulty letting go of himself.
Never mind the Ancient Clan, never mind the Three Great Overlords—even the nine Forbidden Great Daos had yet to be fully released to this day. They remained faintly visible, as if connected by lingering threads.