All the Ancestral Patriarchs knew that Gu Qingfeng was powerful—powerful beyond comprehension, beyond imagination.
Yes.
They all knew. Both the Original Sin Patriarchs and the Great Dao Patriarchs knew.
Precisely because they knew, none dared to act rashly while Gu Qingfeng was conscious. Even when probing, they only used avatars. Only when Gu Qingfeng was in the process of 'letting go of himself' did they dare to make a move, coveting the divine sense and demonic will upon him.
They had thought that after releasing the Nine Forbidden Great Daos and the divine sense and demonic will of the Three Nether Lords, Gu Qingfeng would be a tiger without fangs. Even if they couldn't erase him, he would at least pose little threat.
It wasn't until Gu Qingfeng, without warning, began his great slaughter, watching one Original Sin Patriarch after another turn to dust, that everyone realized they were wrong—terribly, terribly wrong.
They hadn't underestimated Gu Qingfeng; Gu Qingfeng's very existence was beyond estimation.
The Gu Qingfeng who had released the Nine Forbidden Great Daos and the Three Nether Lords was not a toothless tiger, but rather one with wings added to a tiger. It was one thing for Patriarchs who had cultivated Original Sin bodies to be utterly defenseless before him; even Original Sin Sons who had integrated Original Sin blood were equally vulnerable. What was more terrifying, even Ancestor Xuanming and Old Ancestor Green Robe, both variables of Original Sin, were annihilated by a single palm strike from Gu Qingfeng without being able to fight back. Most horrifying of all, Old Ancestor Green Robe's full eighteen avatars were also unable to escape calamity.
Witnessing this scene, the Great Dao Patriarchs of the Sage Path, Heavenly Dao, Immortal Dao, and the various Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands all wore increasingly ugly expressions, increasingly panicked demeanors, increasingly fearful eyes, and hearts that trembled more and more.
Before this, when they heard Gu Qingfeng had not yet 'let go of himself,' they were excited, thrilled, and itching to act. In their hearts, they schemed that even if they had to give up coveting the divine sense and demonic will upon Gu Qingfeng, they must stop him from 'letting go.'
But when Gu Qingfeng began his great slaughter...
When Original Sin Patriarchs fell one after another, turning to dust...
When Ancestor Xuanming and Old Ancestor Green Robe, both variables of Original Sin, were slaughtered by Gu Qingfeng with a single move...
The excitement and thrill in the hearts of the Patriarchs from the various Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands had long since vanished, replaced only by panic and fear.
Endless panic. Immeasurable fear.
The so-called 'itching to act' had turned into sheer panic and confusion.
Stop Gu Qingfeng? How?
The myriad supernatural abilities and profound techniques unleashed by the Original Sin Patriarchs struck Gu Qingfeng as if passing through air, having no effect on him whatsoever—not even the slightest. How could they stop him?
Those Original Sin Patriarchs facing Gu Qingfeng were like bubbles, bursting upon contact, all turning to dust.
Who would dare to stop him now? Who would dare to make a move?
No one dared. Absolutely no one.
Not only did the Patriarchs of the various Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands not dare, even the Nine Heaven Sons and Nine Sage Sons were now terrified out of their wits by the scene before them.
All arrogance, all confidence, had vanished without a trace. Some even trembled uncontrollably, barely able to stand steady.
For the first time, these lawless, unruly figures felt how insignificant their own existence was—as insignificant as ants.
Even the Sage Elders of the Sage Path, the Heavenly Elders of the Heavenly Dao, and the Immortal Elders of the Immortal Dao felt fear in their hearts as they watched.
Because the scene unfolding before them couldn't help but remind them of the Desolate Ancient Era.
They all clearly remembered that when the Patriarchs of the Three Thousand Great Daos tried to stop the Venerable of No Dao back then, the sky-full of supernatural abilities and profound techniques striking the Venerable of No Dao similarly had no effect on him, as if the Venerable of No Dao didn't even exist.
That was how it was with the Venerable of No Dao back then.
And now, this was how it was with Gu Qingfeng.
This forced them to consider a terrifying possibility.
Was it because Gu Qingfeng had achieved the Eternal Myth of 'unscattered form and undying spirit' that the sky-full of supernatural abilities had no effect on him? Or was it because Gu Qingfeng had already ascended as the True Lord of Original Sin, and his person was no longer within the Great Dao?
They didn't know. No one knew.
They only knew that the once densely packed, swarming groups of Original Sin Patriarchs had now been slaughtered by Gu Qingfeng into scattered remnants.
No one knew how many Original Sin Patriarchs Gu Qingfeng had slaughtered.
No one knew how many Original Sin Patriarchs had survived.
Perhaps he had grown tired of killing. Or perhaps he had killed enough.
Gu Qingfeng finally stopped.
He was still himself, just as when he first appeared—ethereal and elusive like a wandering ghost.
Gu Qingfeng did not leave. Instead, he stood in the void, gazing at the slowly rotating Chaos Vortex.
The Patriarchs from the various Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands in the void were all terrified. Having witnessed Gu Qingfeng slaughter so many Original Sin Patriarchs, they no longer dared to covet any divine sense or demonic will. They no longer wanted to protect the Three Thousand Great Daos. They didn't even care whether their Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands could be passed down. All they wanted was to live.
But... how could they live?
Fight to the death? They didn't dare, nor did they have the courage. They clearly understood that even if they fought to the death, they might not have a chance.
Run? Where could they run to?
The space here had already changed countless times, becoming utterly chaotic. They didn't even know what space this was. Was it the Li Palace? Or one of the other Nine Palaces? Or the Desolate Ancient Black Hole? No one knew.
They couldn't fight, and they couldn't escape. How could they survive? Were they only left with waiting for death?
After much thought, the Patriarchs of the various Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands realized that waiting for death seemed to be their only remaining path.
Thinking of this, the Patriarchs felt nothing but despair, and beyond despair, mostly regret.
Earlier, Fusheng Dijun had stepped forward, telling them that the divine sense and demonic will upon Gu Qingfeng could not be touched—whoever touched it would die. They hadn't listened.
Later, Da Xing the Mad Monk, drunk and stumbling, had stepped forward, telling them the true meaning of this calamity. They hadn't listened.
Finally, Cang Yan, entrusted by Genggu Wuming, had warned them not to persist in their delusion. They still hadn't listened.
They had missed three opportunities.
Three opportunities. If they had listened just once, they wouldn't have ended up in this situation.
Unfortunately, by the time they realized this, it was already too late. Now they were like meat on a chopping block, awaiting only four words: turning to dust.
Now they could only pray—pray that Gu Qingfeng would show great mercy and not unleash a great slaughter upon them.
Old Taishan and the other Profound Heaven Nine Immortals had long since hidden within the Profound Mystery Flower, hoping that the two Immortal Elders Tai Xuan and Tai Miao, along with Old Immortal Weng, could protect them.
The Nine Heaven Sons had also positioned themselves beside those Heavenly Elders, and the Nine Sage Sons beside those Sage Elders, hoping the Heavenly Elders and Sage Elders could protect them.
However, whether Immortal Elders, Heavenly Elders, or Sage Elders, they now had no confidence in protecting even themselves. How could they protect those Nine Heaven Sons and Nine Sage Sons?