Seeing Gu Qingfeng fall silent, Da Xing the Mad Monk had initially wanted to continue speaking, but when he met Gu Qingfeng's deep, dark eyes, he wisely dropped the subject. "Alright, alright, let's just pretend I never said anything, alright? Sigh..." He sighed, pulled the gourd from his waist, and took a swig of wine. "At the end of the day, I just wanted you to understand, my Buddha does not wish to be your enemy, nor does he deliberately want to make things difficult for you. In this matter... my Buddha truly had no other choice...
He was forced into it, so..."
"So, you sealed Jun Xuanji here to threaten me, is that it?"
Gu Qingfeng's voice was quiet, still, and cold. Da Xing the Mad Monk glanced at Jun Xuanji lying beneath the tree, pursed his lips, and hurriedly explained, "Gu Brother, my Buddha was precisely afraid you'd misunderstand, which is why he sent me to explain. Jun Xuanji was absolutely not sealed here by my Buddha to threaten you. Absolutely not. I, Da Xing, can swear to the heavens."
"Then did she seal herself here?"
"How to put it... while that's not exactly the fact, it's not far off."
Looking at Jun Xuanji, a helpless, bitter smile appeared on Da Xing the Mad Monk's face. "If I told you she barged in here herself, would you believe me?"
"What did she barge in here for?"
"What else? To snatch your Yanyang Heart."
"And why would she want to snatch my Yanyang Heart?"
"You'd have to ask her about that, not me."
Gu Qingfeng gazed at the utterly weakened Jun Xuanji, just staring for a long time before saying, "Did you people make her like this?"
Hearing this, Da Xing the Mad Monk's face instantly paled with alarm. "Heaven and earth bear witness! Gu Brother, you can't wrong an innocent man! When Jun Xuanji barged in, she was already like this—raving mad, talking nonsense... She didn't know anything you asked her, just stubbornly insisted on seizing the Yanyang Heart. We couldn't stop her."
Gu Qingfeng stared at Jun Xuanji, silent, yet countless doubts swirled in his heart.
He didn't know what Jun Xuanji had experienced during the ancient cataclysm. Why had she lost herself?
And why was she so determined to seize the Yanyang Heart?
Was it also for Karma?
Back when he was cultivating in this world, due to his limited experience and knowledge, he hadn't understood Jun Xuanji's purpose. Later, after entering the Heavenly Realm, as he experienced more and more, Gu Qingfeng also realized there was Karma between him and Jun Xuanji. Moreover, he was quite certain that their joint fall into that mysterious space back then was likely Jun Xuanji's doing, related to Karma.
When she left back then, she said she was going to find her true self.
Why, instead of finding her true self, had she lost herself?
Was her seizing his Yanyang Heart meant to make him abandon his Karma?
Even if that were true, why would she lose herself?
Losing oneself was not something just anyone could do, and one's Ego wasn't something easily lost...
Demonic obsession might cause one to lose oneself.
But Jun Xuanji's condition didn't seem like demonic obsession.
Gu Qingfeng had fallen into Demonic states nine times; he was very familiar with demonic obsession and was quite certain Jun Xuanji had definitely not lost herself due to that...
If not demonic obsession, then what?
Could it be the Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotion?
That didn't fit either!
The Supreme Forgetfulness of Emotion only forgot emotion; it wouldn't make one forget oneself...
Just what was going on...
As Gu Qingfeng pondered, Da Xing the Mad Monk beside him spoke up. "Gu Brother, there's something I don't know if I should say."
"What is it?"
"Well, I'm a bit older than you, lived longer, and naturally seen more. From my experience, Jun Xuanji should have fallen into the Cycle of Karma and completely lost her Ego..."
"Karma?"
"Probably Karma."
Da Xing the Mad Monk looked at Jun Xuanji with a serious, solemn expression. "It can only be Karma. After all, following the cataclysm, heaven and earth were reborn, and all manner of great Daos were also reorganized and evolved. Karma was no exception. Many great powers didn't want to give up this perfect opportunity and are all seeking Karma..."
"However, great powers with heaven-defying abilities had already deduced their own Karma before the cataclysm and had long since begun making arrangements...
Some wanted to change their Karma, others wanted to directly sever it...
There were even those who wanted to reconnect it..."
"Although I am a man of the Buddhist Sect and firmly believe that Karma cannot be changed, cannot be severed, and cannot be reconnected...
Still, nothing in this world is absolute. Whether Karma can truly be changed, no one knows. Moreover, now that Karma is reorganizing, everyone wants to gamble, including me."
"Between us brothers, let's speak frankly. I do want to seek out my own Karma, to see the Karma of my past and present lives. If I find evil fruit, I'd change it if I can, sever it if I can't...
That's Human nature. Who wants to live carrying evil fruit? Who doesn't want to live a little more freely?"
"But alas, I am, after all, a man of the Buddhist Sect. If I sought out my Karma and then tried to change it, the Buddha would surely have my head. That's not the important part; the important part is I'm a coward. I'm afraid too. Not afraid of the Buddha killing me, but afraid of losing myself in the Cycle of Karma..." At this point, Da Xing the Mad Monk couldn't help but sigh. "To be honest with you, Gu Brother, over the years I've seen far too many great powers, whether trying to change or sever their Karma, end up falling into the Cycle of Karma, completely losing their Ego...
Among them were even those heaven-defying great venerables who have roamed the ages!"
Listening to Da Xing the Mad Monk's words, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but sink into deep thought.
Cycle of Karma, losing one's Ego...
This sort of thing, he hadn't just heard of it; he'd heard of it many, many times.
It was said that after some great powers deduced their Karma and began making arrangements, trying to change or sever it, changing one strand of Karma would give rise to a new strand. Changing that would create yet another...
Repeating this, the more Karma they severed, the more there was; the more they changed, the more chaotic it became. Gradually, they would fall into the legendary Cycle of Karma and thus lose their Ego...
Could it be that Jun Xuanji had already fallen into the Cycle of Karma and lost herself?
"Gu Brother, I know a bit about the matters between you and Jun Xuanji. She herself fell into the Cycle of Karma and lost her Ego, forgetting everything, yet she never forgot the matters between you, especially your Karma. She braved the Heart Buddha World, time and again clashing with the Wrath Incarnation of Great Sun Tathagata to seize your Yanyang Heart. One can imagine how deep her feelings for you are. She's worried about you, doesn't want you to fall into the Cycle of Karma like her, which is why..."
"Jun Xuanji is worried about me, wants me to abandon my Karma. Is your Buddhist Sect also worried about me, so you want me to abandon it too?"