The various Patriarchs and Empresses present were all on edge, their eyes fixed like statues on the slowly rotating Chaos Vortex.
At this moment, their hearts were filled with immense complexity and conflict.
They both hoped the Chaos Vortex would dissipate bit by bit as it spun, and simultaneously hoped it would undergo a change.
If the Chaos Vortex dissipated, it might mean Gu Qingfeng had chosen to let go of himself, or perhaps he had chosen to ascend to the pinnacle and become the True Lord of Original Sin.
If the Chaos Vortex changed while rotating, it could mean Gu Qingfeng had failed to let go of himself, or perhaps he had successfully ascended to become the True Lord of Original Sin.
The various Empresses all knew that Gu Qingfeng could only ascend to become the True Lord of Original Sin by successfully letting go of himself.
The problem was, none of them knew whether this slowly rotating Chaos Vortex represented Gu Qingfeng in the process of letting go, or Gu Qingfeng ascending to the pinnacle.
Precisely because they didn't know,
they were so deeply conflicted.
However,
when a lazy yet displeased voice rang out, those already on edge felt as if struck by lightning. They all recognized it—it was Gu Qingfeng's voice.
Good heavens!
What did it mean for Gu Qingfeng's voice to appear at this moment?
Had he failed to let go of himself?
Or had he already ascended to become the True Lord of Original Sin?
Unknown.
No one knew.
Everyone held their breath, their tense nerves stretched to the limit.
At that moment,
the slowly rotating Chaos Vortex suddenly changed. As it transformed, a human figure gradually seemed to walk out from within the vortex.
It was a man.
A man dressed in white robes.
The man had a slender build, ordinary and unremarkable features, and eyes as dark and silent as an abyss.
Seeing this man, everyone was dumbfounded.
Because this man was none other than Gu Qingfeng.
The abruptly appearing Gu Qingfeng had an ethereal, illusory form, like a distorted, blurry reflection in water, or like a wandering ghost drifting uncertainly, giving people a very unreal feeling.
"Gu...
Gu, kid?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk couldn't contain his excitement any longer. In an instant, he darted over, staring up and down at Gu Qingfeng. No matter how he looked, he couldn't discern what kind of existence Gu Qingfeng was at this moment. He stammered, "You...
did you...
let go of yourself...
or not?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk asked the question everyone present wanted answered.
"Nonsense!
If I'd let go of myself, would you still be able to see me?"
Hearing this, half of Da Xing's heart instantly turned cold. The muscles at the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably as he asked tremulously, "Then you...
then you...
haven't let go of yourself yet?"
"You think letting go of oneself is that easy?"
"Then you...
then you...
then you..." Da Xing the Mad Monk took a deep breath and finally asked the question he wanted answered but didn't dare to ask: "You...
did letting go of yourself...
did it fail?"
"Can't really call it failure."
The ethereal, ghost-like Gu Qingfeng, after appearing, twisted his neck and stretched lazily, looking as if he'd just woken from a long sleep. He said, "It's just that letting go of oneself is far, far more troublesome than I imagined... and...
the karma on me is also much more than I thought...
can't finish letting go in a short while."
Hearing that Gu Qingfeng hadn't failed to let go but simply hadn't completely let go yet, the stone in Da Xing the Mad Monk's heart finally dropped. The various Empresses also secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
They had all feared Gu Qingfeng would fail to let go. Once that happened, not only would everything they'd done be for nothing, but the three thousand origins couldn't be slaughtered, the Unrighteous Era couldn't be opened, and the true Great Dao couldn't undergo nirvana and rebirth.
Fortunately, Gu Qingfeng hadn't failed to let go; he just hadn't completely let go of himself yet. That meant there was still hope for the Great Dao.
In the void, the Patriarchs from the various Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands, upon hearing that Gu Qingfeng hadn't yet let go of himself, felt even more excited and thrilled.
They had originally thought Gu Qingfeng had already let go of himself and were worried he might ascend to become the True Lord of Original Sin. Unexpectedly, not only had Gu Qingfeng not ascended to become the True Lord of Original Sin, he hadn't even successfully let go of himself yet. This meant they still had hope—even if they couldn't scheme for the consciousness and demonic thoughts of the Three Nether Lords, they at least had hope of stopping him from letting go. As long as they could stop Gu Qingfeng from letting go, then he couldn't ascend to become the True Lord of Original Sin.
Thinking this, the various Patriarchs began to grow restless again, especially the Patriarchs of the Heavenly Dao, Immortal Dao, and Sage Path—they wished they could strike now and obliterate Gu Qingfeng.
"Yo!"
Gu Qingfeng stretched lazily again, turned around, narrowed his dark eyes, and swept his playful gaze over Empress Wuyue, Empress Youming, Empress Wuyou, Empress Tianzong, Saintess Niangniang, Lady of Nature, and the other Empresses one by one. He laughed, "Didn't expect it to be so lively here. So many old acquaintances have all popped up. Really been a long time."
No one responded to Gu Qingfeng. The various Empresses all looked at him with expressionless faces, their eyes each calmer than the last. In their eyes, Gu Qingfeng was like a stranger.
"Usually, you all hide tighter than the next. How come you've all shown up today? Is it because you saw I was about to let go of myself, so you specially came to bid me farewell, planning to see me one last time?"
Gu Qingfeng was still his old self.
On the surface, his casual, carefree manner was like that of a frivolous young master from a wealthy family. Looking at the various Empresses, he smiled, "Or is it...
you all, remembering old affections, can't bear to part with me in your hearts, so you've all come today to stop me from letting go?"
Still, no one responded to Gu Qingfeng. The various Empresses all seemed as if they had severed the seven emotions and six desires. Though they looked at Gu Qingfeng, that was all they did—just looked. Beyond that, there was nothing else. No sorrow, no joy, no love, no hatred. Even if there was anything, it was only tension.
But the tension wasn't about Gu Qingfeng the person; it was about whether Gu Qingfeng wanted to ascend to become the True Lord of Original Sin.
"How about this: whoever can't bear to part with me, just say the word. I, your lord, won't say another thing, immediately stop letting go of myself, and we'll fly together from now on, living the life of immortals. How's that?"
Beside him, Da Xing the Mad Monk, hearing Gu Qingfeng say these things, felt both amused and exasperated. He hadn't expected Gu Qingfeng to still have the leisure to joke at this critical juncture.
He could tell Gu Qingfeng was deliberately teasing the various Empresses.
The various Empresses had been setting up their schemes since the Ancient Desolation Era, all the way to now, precisely to make Gu Qingfeng let go of himself, thereby leaping beyond the Great Dao, ascending to become the True Lord of Original Sin, slaughtering the three thousand origins, and opening the Unrighteous Era.
They desperately wanted Gu Qingfeng to let go of himself; why would they try to stop him?
Although each of the various Empresses had shared a karmic bond with Gu Qingfeng—some even more than one, but three lifetimes of karma—so-called three lifetimes of karma was merely part of the schemes laid by the various Empresses.
Not to mention that the karmic bonds between the various Empresses and Gu Qingfeng were just part of a scheme; even if the Empresses truly remembered old affections, even if they truly couldn't bear to part with Gu Qingfeng, they wouldn't speak up to ask him to stop letting go of himself.