Gu Qingfeng's voice was as devoid of sorrow, joy, or anger as his expression and gaze.
Yet, when this utterly calm voice reached the ears of the various Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs, it was like a thunderclap exploding, a sound of doom, akin to the sudden tolling of a death knell.
They had all witnessed with their own eyes when Gu Qingfeng had just gone on a killing spree, slaughtering the various Original Sin Patriarchs. That terrifying scene still lingered in their minds, impossible to shake off.
Moreover, Gu Qingfeng had said he would resolve some karmic trouble for the Three Nether Lords. This so-called karmic trouble clearly referred to them—the Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs who coveted the spiritual awareness and demonic thoughts of the Three Nether Lords.
Thinking of this, the patriarchs from the various Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands panicked, scrambling to flee in all directions. Some fled desperately, while others hid within the void.
However, most patriarchs did not move. They neither fled nor hid, nor did they even summon their divine abilities and profound arts. They looked as if they were simply waiting for death.
It wasn't that they didn't want to flee, but they knew it was fundamentally impossible to escape this place. If they could have fled, they would have done so long ago. Why wait until now?
Hide within the void? Ancestral Patriarch Xuanming had hidden within the void and was directly reduced to dust and smoke by the mere force of Gu Qingfeng's voice. What use was hiding in the void? It was nothing but self-deception.
Summon divine abilities and profound arts? The various Original Sin Patriarchs had summoned theirs, yet none had any effect on Gu Qingfeng. Summoning them now would undoubtedly be seeking death.
All the Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs present pinned their hopes on Floating Life Imperial Lord, Da Xing the Mad Monk, Carefree Great Emperor, and even Heavenly Secrets Empress Genggu Wuming.
They still clearly remembered Cang Yan saying that within this place, only Empress Genggu Wuming and the other three truly cared about their lives or deaths. Perhaps only these four could save them.
"Elder Tai, if I recall correctly, you were the most interested, weren't you?"
Gu Qingfeng's voice came again. Elder Tai was so terrified his face drained of all color; he could barely stand steady, stammering, "No! It's not... This is... This is a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!"
"A misunderstanding?" A faint smile touched the corner of Gu Qingfeng's mouth. "It's not a misunderstanding, is it? Although I was 'letting go of myself,' my consciousness was still relatively clear. I clearly remember you were the first to step forward, raising your arms and rallying the crowd, claiming you wanted to suppress the spiritual awareness and demonic thoughts of the Three Nether Lords upon me. Isn't that right?"
"This... This..." Elder Tai looked utterly terrified, his spirit seemingly on the verge of collapse. Especially when his gaze met Gu Qingfeng's deep, calm eyes, Elder Tai's very soul seemed to twist and blur from fear.
He had thought that after cultivating for so many years, his Dao Heart was already as solid as a fortress, his mind and spirit impervious to fire and water. He believed he had long seen through the seven emotions and six desires. What was there to fear from death? Elder Tai had never feared death.
Unfortunately, all of this was merely what he had thought. Facing Gu Qingfeng, his supposedly fortress-solid Dao Heart and his supposedly impervious mind and spirit crumbled in an instant. Boundless, overwhelming fear swept over him, enveloping his physical body and devouring his soul.
"Immortal Elders! Immortal Elders! Save me... Save me..." He had collapsed! Elder Tai had completely collapsed. Already unsteady on his feet, after his Dao Heart crumbled and his spirit broke, his entire body went limp like a pile of mud on that Mysterious Wonder Flower. He lifted his head, desperately hoping the Immortal Elders would save him.
However, while his spirit had collapsed, the mental states of the two Immortal Elders, Tai Xuan and Tai Miao, including Old Immortal Xuantian, weren't much better. Their Dao Hearts and minds were already teetering on the brink, their spirits also on the verge of collapse. Faced with Elder Tai's pleas for help, they dared not respond in any way.
"No! No! No!" Seeing no response from the Immortal Elders, Elder Tai turned to plead with Floating Life Imperial Lord. "Imperial Lord... Save me! Floating Life Imperial Lord! Great Emperor Changfeng! Save me!"
Floating Life Imperial Lord gazed at him indifferently; Great Emperor Changfeng also watched with an expressionless face. Neither of them responded.
"Saintess Empress, Lady Wuyue, Lady of Nature... Save me..." No matter whom Elder Tai pleaded with or how he begged, no one responded.
Just as Cang Yan had said earlier, the various Empresses had stepped in to intervene not because they were worried about the Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs coveting the spiritual awareness and demonic thoughts upon Gu Qingfeng. They had intervened solely to repay a debt of gratitude to the Three Thousand Great Daos. They would advise, warn, and obstruct. They would only do what they deemed necessary; once done, it would mean the debt was repaid. As for whether these Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs listened or not, they didn't care in the slightest, because they were utterly indifferent to the lives or deaths of these patriarchs.
Cang Yan had said that within this place, only a handful of individuals truly cared about the lives or deaths of these Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs: Floating Life Imperial Lord, Da Xing the Mad Monk, and Carefree Great Emperor. And indeed, that was the truth. Floating Life Imperial Lord and the others did care about these patriarchs' fates. If possible, they too wished to save as many of these Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs as they could.
Alas, in all of heaven and earth, there has never been an 'if.' They understood better than anyone that the lives or deaths of these Great Dao Ancestral Patriarchs were entirely up to Gu Qingfeng. If Gu Qingfeng wanted them dead, no one could stop it.
Seeing no one respond to him, Elder Tai fell into utter despair. Kneeling on the Mysterious Wonder Flower, he kowtowed repeatedly to Gu Qingfeng, begging for mercy.
"Nine Nethers Emperor... I was wrong... I shouldn't have... shouldn't have coveted the spiritual awareness and demonic thoughts of the Three Nether Lords upon you. I was wrong... I truly know I was wrong. You are magnanimous, please give me a chance to turn over a new leaf!"
"It was all my delusion and obstinacy! I shouldn't have had improper thoughts, shouldn't have coveted the spiritual awareness and demonic thoughts of the Three Nether Lords upon you, and certainly shouldn't have attempted to use this calamity to covet the leadership of the Great Dao! I shouldn't have! I shouldn't have!"
"I beg the Nine Nethers Emperor to give me a chance. I will surely turn over a new leaf and assist you in slaughtering the Three Thousand Origins of the Great Dao to save all living beings under the Great Dao!"
Gu Qingfeng merely watched him, not uttering a word.
"Great Sage Monk! You are compassionate and deliver all beings. I beg the Sage Monk to speak for me... to plead for leniency on my behalf!"
The more silent Gu Qingfeng remained, the more terrified Elder Tai became. Suddenly spotting Da Xing the Mad Monk beside Gu Qingfeng, he grasped at this straw of hope and immediately cried out for help.
"Da Xing, do you want to save him?" Gu Qingfeng asked lightly.
Da Xing the Mad Monk was startled by his words, his face changing color. His head shook like a rattle drum as he responded, "What a joke! Why would this old monk save him? This old fool is deluded and obstinate, incorrigible! He deserves to die! This old monk would like to tear him to pieces himself. How could I possibly save him!"
"Is that so?" Gu Qingfeng said. "When I was 'letting go of myself,' I heard people say you have a compassionate heart, deliver all beings, and are the only Living Buddha here who truly cares about their lives or deaths."
"No! Absolutely not!" Da Xing the Mad Monk defended himself. "That's slander! You've known this old monk for so long. Do I look like a Living Buddha who delivers all beings?"
Da Xing the Mad Monk now utterly despised Cang Yan, wishing he could rush over and slap him several times across the face.
"Slander? I don't think so. Aren't the words 'deliver all beings' precisely the tribulation you are meant to undergo in this calamity? If I'm not mistaken, wasn't the karmic seed you planted on me back then precisely because of these four words: 'deliver all beings'?"