Within the arena.
Da Xing the Mad Monk still clutched his alms bowl wine jar, tilting his head back to guzzle fine wine. Swaying drunkenly, he spouted mad words, laughing wildly one moment and cursing furiously the next.
He raged at the Buddhas of the Eight Buddhist Sects for their stubborn delusion, mocked the Ancestral Patriarchs of the various grotto-heavens and blessed lands for their foolish ignorance, and scorned the patriarchs of the Heavenly Dao, Saintly Dao, and Immortal Dao as hypocrites—false, benevolent, and treacherous villains. Even the Original Sin patriarchs like Xuanming and Lüpao were not spared, cursed by Da Xing the Mad Monk as arrogant bastards.
However.
No one paid Da Xing the Mad Monk any mind.
Not the Great Dao patriarchs, nor the Original Sin patriarchs.
Their attention remained fixed on Gu Qingfeng, their heartstrings taut, none daring to be careless.
Everyone knew the connection between the minds of the Three Overlords and Gu Qingfeng was like a lotus root that had snapped but the threads remained—meaning the Three Overlords could be released at any moment.
No one would bother with a mad, drunken, and lost Da Xing the Mad Monk at this critical juncture.
They didn't believe his mad ramblings either.
Not only did they not believe, even if they did, they wouldn't care.
As Lady Blackwater had said, these so-called Great Dao patriarchs weren't truly guarding the Great Dao. They were guarding the Dao Laws they had established, guarding the lofty status the Great Dao bestowed upon them, and guarding the hegemony the Great Dao granted them to dominate all living beings!
For them, the Three Thousand Sources *were* the Great Dao. If the Three Thousand Sources were slaughtered, there would be no more Great Dao between heaven and earth.
At this moment.
The Nine Forbidden Great Daos flickered faintly, as if they might vanish into mist at any moment.
The incarnations of the Three Great Overlords also twisted and blurred, as if they could be released at any time.
The black smoke and white smoke filling the sky grew denser, pervading the entire space.
The black smoke and white smoke fused together, the Mysterious Breath and the Original Sin Breath intertwining. The evil darkness contained within grew increasingly faint, dissipating bit by bit.
At this point, the Original Sin patriarchs and Great Dao patriarchs within the arena seemed to be growing impatient, beginning to stir restlessly.
Because they all had a feeling—a feeling as if the Original Sin Breath was being tainted by the Mysterious Breath, bit by bit leaping out of the Great Dao.
If this were truly the case, it would be too terrifying.
It would mean Gu Qingfeng was definitely the True Lord of Original Sin recorded in the Book of Fate. Not only that, he might not be releasing himself at all, but rather ascending to become the True Lord of Original Sin.
No one wished for Gu Qingfeng to ascend to become the True Lord of Original Sin. The Great Dao patriarchs didn't wish it, and the Original Sin patriarchs wished it even less.
For the Great Dao patriarchs, once Gu Qingfeng ascended to become the True Lord of Original Sin, their Three Thousand Great Dao Sources would likely be impossible to protect.
For the Original Sin patriarchs, if Gu Qingfeng ascended to become the True Lord of Original Sin, they could no longer scheme for the position.
Even if Gu Qingfeng released himself after ascending to become the True Lord of Original Sin, they still wouldn't want it.
The Original Sin patriarchs feared that after Gu Qingfeng ascended and released himself, he would end this Calamity.
The Great Dao patriarchs also feared that after Gu Qingfeng ascended and released himself, not only would the Calamity not end, but it would become even worse.
What drove them even more to despair was that.
The divine sense and demonic thoughts of the Ancient Clan members still hadn't shown themselves.
They had given up on the divine sense and demonic thoughts of the Ancient Clan members, settling for the divine sense and demonic thoughts of the Three Overlords.
The problem was, although the connection between the Three Overlords and Gu Qingfeng's mind was like snapped lotus threads, meaning they could be released at any moment, so much time had passed and the situation remained unchanged—still just those lingering threads, with no transformation occurring.
If they continued to wait like this, it was no solution either. What if Gu Qingfeng truly leaped out of the Great Dao and ascended to become the True Lord of Original Sin? By then, forget scheming for the divine sense and demonic thoughts of the Ancient Clan members, forget scheming for the divine sense and demonic thoughts of the Three Overlords, forget the Daoless Era, forget protecting any Great Dao—whether they could even survive would be an unknown.
As time passed bit by bit, the patriarchs in the arena grew increasingly impatient.
It was no exaggeration to say.
At this moment, if even one person made a move, the Original Sin patriarchs and Great Dao patriarchs in the arena would swarm forward.
The atmosphere in the arena grew tenser, and everyone's heartstrings drew tighter.
"Ha!
Take that!"
Suddenly!
A fierce, mighty shout rang out, causing their hearts and spirits to tremble. It felt like walking cautiously through a perilous darkness, nerves stretched to the limit, when someone suddenly screamed right in your ear, scaring your soul right out of your body.
Before anyone could react, they saw a figure appear before Gu Qingfeng.
It was a monk.
A monk wearing a tattered monk's hat, dressed in tattered monk's robes, stepping in tattered monk's shoes, holding a tattered fan.
Who else could it be but Da Xing the Mad Monk.
His face was filled with murderous aura, his eyes glaring angrily. Clutching the alms bowl wine jar in one hand and gripping the Great Compassion and Mercy Fan in the other, he swept his gaze across the assembled patriarchs and roared, "All of you, behave yourselves for This Old Monk!
Whoever dares to make the first move, This Old Monk will skin them alive!
If you don't believe me, we can try!
This Old Monk might not be able to stop you all from acting, but as for skinning one of you alive, This Old Monk believes I still have that ability!
This Old Monk doesn't care about the others, I'll just pick on the first bastard who moves!
If you're not afraid of death, go ahead and try!
Let This Old Monk tell you plainly: this Great Compassion and Mercy Fan was bestowed upon This Old Monk by Patriarch Randeng. This alms bowl was also bestowed upon This Old Monk by Patriarch Randeng. It's called the Prajna Karmic Sin Bowl. You should all be familiar with this thing, right? That's right!
It's the very Prajna Karmic Sin Bowl Patriarch Randeng used to subdue demons and vanquish evil in the past! No matter how high your cultivation, no matter how great your destiny, even if you bear the Mandate of the Great Dao, once sucked into This Old Monk's Prajna Karmic Sin Bowl, you'll have to endure the burning punishment of karmic fire!
If you're unconvinced, unbelieving, or indignant, go ahead and try! See if your life is harder, or This Old Monk's Prajna Karmic Sin Bowl is harder!"
The patriarchs in the arena looked at each other, exchanging glances.
Patriarch Randeng was the founder of the Western Paradise Buddha Path, a genuine True Buddha, and the originator of subduing demons and vanquishing evil. The Prajna Karmic Sin Bowl in his hand was indeed, as Da Xing the Mad Monk said, a supremely terrifying Great Dao treasure.
The Demon-Subduing Pestle, the Demon-Refining Pot, and the Karmic Sin Bowl were hailed as the three great treasures for subduing demons and vanquishing evil throughout the ancient heavens and earth.
Among them, the Prajna Bowl referred precisely to the Avici Prajna Bowl in Da Xing the Mad Monk's hand. Legend said any existence sucked into the Prajna Karmic Sin Bowl would undergo the burning of karmic fire. The deeper one's karmic sins, the more terrifying the karmic fire they would endure.
Suddenly.
The void underwent a bizarre, inexplicable change.
Da Xing the Mad Monk's furious eyes widened, and he barked sharply, "You bastard!
You really think This Old Monk is a vegetarian?!"
With that, he raised the Great Compassion and Mercy Fan in his hand and swept it forward. In an instant, the changes in the void immediately dissipated like smoke.
"You refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit!
Get in here and die!"
Da Xing the Mad Monk lifted the Prajna Karmic Sin Bowl high. A beam of Buddhist light immediately blossomed from within.
Who had caused the change in the void? No one knew, and at this moment, no one cared. Just as Da Xing the Mad Monk made his move, the patriarchs who had been restless and eager finally could no longer restrain themselves.