Within the arena.
Gu Qingfeng stood in the void.
His hands were clasped behind his back, his stern face expressionless, his eyes tightly shut.
He did not move. He had not moved from the beginning to the end.
Only his silver-thread-like white hair danced wildly, and only his snow-white robes fluttered and snapped in the wind.
The Nine Forbidden Great Daos still flickered faintly, appearing and disappearing.
The incarnations of the Three Great Overlords remained distorted and blurred.
Billowing black smoke and white smoke continuously emerged from Gu Qingfeng's body, permeating the entire space.
The black smoke seemed to represent the Breath of Original Sin, while the white smoke seemed to represent the mysterious breath of the Ancient Clan.
The mysterious breath belonged neither to darkness and evil, nor to sacred light, nor was it within the Great Dao.
What struck everyone as bizarre was that the darkness and evil contained within the Breath of Original Sin seemed to be dissipating bit by bit.
According to legend.
The Breath of Original Sin also belonged neither to darkness and evil, nor to sacred light, and was similarly not within the Great Dao.
All the Patriarchs who had experienced the Desolate Ancient Era knew this legend was true; the existence of the Venerable of the Daoless Age back then was not within the Great Dao.
However.
That was only the Venerable of the Daoless Age alone.
After the Desolate Ancient Era, whether they were Patriarchs who had cultivated their Original Sin self, original self, or true self, or Original Sin Sons who had integrated true blood essence, or Original Sin variables—the Breath of Original Sin on most of them belonged to darkness and evil. In other words, their Breath of Original Sin was all within the Great Dao.
No one was an exception.
Even Gu Qingfeng, hailed as the greatest Original Sin variable, was the same.
Yet.
Now, the darkness and evil within the Breath of Original Sin on Gu Qingfeng was dissipating bit by bit.
No one knew if, once the darkness and evil within the Breath of Original Sin completely dissipated, it would mean the Breath of Original Sin on Gu Qingfeng was also no longer within the Great Dao.
Unknown. No one knew.
Since the black smoke and white smoke had long since mixed together, like chaos itself, ever-changing, with black smoke resembling white smoke and white smoke resembling black smoke, everyone could not clearly distinguish whether it was the darkness and evil within the black smoke that was dissipating, or if more darkness and evil had appeared within the white smoke.
The Original Sin Patriarchs led by Xuanming and Green Robe had been eyeing Gu Qingfeng covetously, waiting for him to release the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of the Three Great Overlords, and even more so, waiting for him to release the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of the Ancient Clan.
Unfortunately.
Gu Qingfeng's existence was ethereal and elusive; Divine Sense could not detect him, and no one knew his true condition.
They only knew the Nine Forbidden Great Daos had not been released and still maintained a tenuous connection with Gu Qingfeng.
The Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of the Three Great Overlords were scrambling to return, but they had not succeeded, continuously being shut out by Gu Qingfeng.
On the surface, it seemed the Three Great Overlords and Gu Qingfeng had fallen into a deadlock, both sides locked in a stalemate. Gu Qingfeng wanted to release the Three Great Overlords, while the Three Great Overlords wanted to return to Gu Qingfeng's body. For the moment, neither could overcome the other.
As for the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts of the Ancient Clan, no one present could comprehend them. They could only speculate that Gu Qingfeng still seemed to be struggling with the Ancient Clan for control over his mind and spirit, similarly locked in a deadlock.
However.
The deadlock was not limited to Gu Qingfeng's situation. The Great Dao Patriarchs present had also fallen into a deadlock, unsure whether to believe Fusheng Dijun or to believe Old Tai.
Old Tai had also fallen into a deadlock. Having lost the support of the various Patriarchs, he did not know whether to continue with his plan.
In contrast, Taiji Boundless, his peerlessly handsome face that seemed both male and female still wore an arrogant expression, the corner of his mouth curled in a presumptuous smile. The impression he gave was as if he simply did not care whether these Great Dao Patriarchs supported him or not. If he wished, it seemed he could suppress the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts on Gu Qingfeng at any time.
His presumptuousness, his arrogance, were simply too intense. From inside out, from top to bottom, whether in his gaze, his expression, or his posture, everything exuded an unrivaled presumptuousness and a law-defying arrogance.
Right at that moment.
A plain yet refined voice suddenly rang out.
"If I heard correctly, Fusheng Dijun seemed to have said earlier that the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts on You Di cannot be touched by anyone. Whoever touches them will die."
Hmm?
Everyone followed the sound and looked over. To the immense shock of all, the voice actually came from the Sacred Ground.
The people of the Sacred Ground stood in the void. Under the envelopment of sacred radiance, they were like flowers in a mirror, the moon in water—ethereal, elusive, distorted, and blurred, giving a very unreal feeling. It was as if their true bodies had not appeared, more like shadows cast by holy light.
The Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground stood at the forefront, each tall and upright, peerlessly handsome, transcending the mundane and entering Sagehood, exceedingly noble.
They stood either with arms crossed or hands clasped behind their backs, their expressions serene, standing out from the crowd like cranes among chickens, more like nine great suns illuminating everything within the arena.
The speaker was a man.
That man stood in the center of the Nine Sacred Sons. His handsome face bore a smile like a spring breeze. Dressed in a set of white robes, he appeared elegant and graceful, noble and refined. Set against the backdrop of the sacred brilliance, the man was like a deity, making one involuntarily feel the urge to worship.
This man was one of the Nine Sacred Sons, and moreover, the leader of the Nine Sacred Sons: Xuan Yuan Qinghou.
Regarding the Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground, everyone knew very little.
They only knew that each of the Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground was a unique, peerless prodigy. Whether in terms of aptitude, comprehension, or destiny, each was hailed as the pinnacle of heaven and earth. Each possessed a Sacred Treasure Body with sacred bloodlines, and each was a destined variable bearing the true mandate from above.
Some said the Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground were born for this Original Sin Cataclysm, simultaneously bearing the mission of protecting the Great Dao and carrying the hopes of the Great Dao.
However, some also held doubts.
Although throughout ancient and modern times, whenever disasters and cataclysms, great or small, appeared throughout the myriad realms, the Sacred Ground would manifest and intervene to prevent the cataclysm.
Yet.
When this cataclysm concerning the fate of all living beings under the Great Dao occurred, although the Sacred Ground had also manifested, it was merely a manifestation. They neither stepped forward to take charge of the overall situation nor publicly declared their stance. Even more bizarrely, after manifesting, the Sacred Ground had remained like an outsider, silent, allowing the cataclysm to unfold.
No one had expected the long-silent Sacred Ground to suddenly speak, and moreover, for the speaker to be Xuan Yuan Qinghou, the leader of the Nine Sacred Sons.
Everyone looked at Xuan Yuan Qinghou here, unsure of his intention in speaking now.
Xuan Yuan Qinghou had one hand clasped behind his back, the other playing with a string of crystal-clear prayer beads in front of him. His star-like eyes gazed at Fusheng Dijun as he asked softly, "Dijun, did you say those words?"
Fusheng Dijun met his gaze and did not conceal the truth, stating directly, "I did."
"Heh."
Xuan Yuan Qinghou let out a light, gentle laugh. His laughter was quite miraculous, giving a feeling of mental refreshment and physical ease, like the first rising sun at dawn causing all darkness to dissipate, or like winter giving way to spring with all things reviving. It was as if the depression in one's heart would vanish like smoke and disperse like mist along with Xuan Yuan Qinghou's laugh.
"I wonder, if the nine of us were to touch the Divine Sense and Demonic Thoughts on You Di, would we die?"