"So, Layman Gu, you truly intend to gestate a body full of Taiji Nascent Souls?"
"What else?" Gu Qingfeng smiled and asked, "Or perhaps you can teach me what to do, offer some guidance?"
"Layman Gu's temperament is solitary and proud, your actions have always followed your whims. Your decisions often depend on the other party's attitude. Since that is the case, why would you need this old monk's guidance?"
"Ha! You seem to know me quite well."
Gu Qingfeng was indeed like that. Everything he did was based on preference and mood. When in a good mood, anything was possible; when in a bad mood, nothing was possible. Just as the old monk said, his decisions often depended on the other party's attitude.
"Humans are the foundation of all living beings, the form of life itself. In a sense, they are even the lifeline of the Three Thousand Great Daos. Therefore, since ancient times, the position of Human King has always been of paramount importance. The Three Thousand Endless Daos, and even the myriad gods of the universe, all desire to claim it for themselves."
The old monk continued, "Layman Gu gestating a body of endless Taiji Golden Cores threatens not just the Three Thousand Daos, but the myriad gods of the universe... Layman Gu, acting so willfully, have you ever considered the consequences?"
After asking, without waiting for Gu Qingfeng's response, the old monk sighed, "It seems this old monk has truly grown muddled, asking such a foolish question. Layman Gu never considers consequences when acting..." He sighed again, "Karma is ultimately karma. It cannot be escaped or avoided. What is destined to come will come. Nothing has changed, nothing at all..."
Gu Qingfeng didn't understand. Nor did he ask. Regarding matters of karma, he had long since grown tired of speaking about it. The reason Gu Qingfeng had always been wary of the old monk was partly due to this. The old monk would occasionally say some inexplicable things, and the key was that each time, Gu Qingfeng felt there was a deeper meaning, yet the old monk never clarified. He had grown accustomed to it.
After a moment, the old monk spoke again, "Layman Gu, do you know that Heavenly Destiny is about to descend?"
"Is that so?" Gu Qingfeng shook his head, responding, "I really haven't paid attention to that matter."
"The Heavenly Destiny of the Desolate Ancient was the Great Dao. The Heavenly Destiny of the Ancient Times was the Emperor's Seal. The Heavenly Destiny of the Archaic Times was the King's Throne. Yet, no one knows what the Heavenly Destiny of the Present Era will be."
When an era ended, the heavens and earth would be reborn. Rebirth meant the opening of a new era, and the opening of a new era meant a new Heavenly Destiny would descend. So-called Heavenly Destiny was something born in response to fortune. It was identity, status, strength, and a symbol of authority.
For example, the Heavenly Destiny Great Dao of the Desolate Ancient era. If one seized and fused with it, they would become the master of that Great Dao.
For example, the Heavenly Destiny of the Ancient Times was the Emperor's Seal. If one seized and fused with it, they could ascend to the majesty of a Great Emperor, such as a Celestial Emperor, Demon Emperor, or Nether Emperor—becoming a Great Dao Emperor.
The Heavenly Destiny of the Archaic Times was the King's Throne. If one fused with this thing, they would also become a Great Dao King, such as a Celestial Dao Monarch, Monster Dao Monarch, and so on—becoming a Great Dao Monarch.
However, this thing wasn't yours for life just because you fused with it. If you were killed, the throne would be taken by others. Like Gu Qingfeng's previous Peerless Immortal-Monster King's Throne, it was more or less snatched, and even his Nine Nethers Emperor's Seal was practically seized by force.
As for what the Heavenly Destiny of the Present Era was, Gu Qingfeng didn't know. Nor did he have the slightest interest. Already burdened with troubles, he couldn't be bothered to meddle in the commotion of Heavenly Destiny.
What puzzled him was why the old monk would suddenly bring up Heavenly Destiny out of the blue. Moreover, in his memory, when the old monk had just awakened, he had asked Gu Qingfeng about the Present Era's Heavenly Destiny.
"What's the matter? Are you interested in the Present Era's Heavenly Destiny?"
"It is not that this old monk is interested in the Present Era's Heavenly Destiny, but that the Present Era's Heavenly Destiny is very chaotic..."
"Very chaotic? How so?"
"The Great Cataclysm of a Thousand Ages births heaven and earth, Three Cycles of Reincarnation reveal the Eternal, Past and Present Lives meet through Karma, Whose Fate Belongs to Whom Depends on Heaven."
The old monk's voice suddenly came, causing Gu Qingfeng's heart to jolt. He had heard this phrase before and remembered it clearly. It was something a remnant wisp of consciousness from Yun Nichang had said. Its meaning was that after heaven and earth underwent three cycles of reincarnation, the Eternal past would reappear. And this 'Eternal' referred not to ten thousand years ago, but to the mysteriously vanished Era Without Dao before the Desolate Ancient.
Heaven and earth had experienced the Desolate Ancient, Ancient Times, Archaic Times, and up to the Present Era, precisely three cycles of reincarnation. As for the so-called 'Past and Present Lives meet through Karma, Whose Fate Belongs to Whom Depends on Heaven,' this was somewhat chilling. At least, Gu Qingfeng found it unsettling.
"Layman Gu must have heard the legend about the Mysterious Era, right? That legend about the so-called Karma Black Hole, and also the legend of the Karma Curse."
Gu Qingfeng had certainly heard of it. Legend said that during the Mysterious Era, after the Lord Without Dao achieved godhood, he learned the secret of heaven and earth and announced it to the world. The gods intervened, wanting to erase everyone. The Lord Without Dao performed a heaven-defying divine ability, burying and sealing away the Mysterious Era... vanishing without a trace.
It was said that from the beginning of the Mysterious Era, karma had already deviated from its normal course, becoming chaotic. To correct karma, the gods cursed the karma of everyone from the Mysterious Era. The Three Cycles of Reincarnation was when heaven and earth were at their weakest. At that time, the vanished Mysterious Era would reappear in the world. The reappearance of the Mysterious Era also equaled the reappearance of the black hole. The reappearance of the black hole would inevitably cause karma to become chaotic. The so-called 'Past and Present Lives meet through Karma' meant that a person's past life and present life would meet...
The so-called 'Whose Fate Belongs to Whom Depends on Heaven' meant that once past and present lives met, only one could survive.
This was a curse. A curse of karma!
Imagine, what kind of scene would it be when a person's past life and present life met? Even more terrifying, past and present lives shared karma, and only one could live.
The reason Gu Qingfeng found this legend chilling was precisely this. Moreover, this phrase had been spoken to him personally by Yun Nichang, which made him even more apprehensive. Because this indicated his karma was related to the Era Without Dao. In other words, his karma had been cursed. To be more explicit, he would meet his own past life when the Mysterious Era reappeared in the Present Era.
He just didn't understand why the old monk would suddenly utter such words.
"Is the legend about the Karma Black Hole of the Mysterious Era true?"
"Yes!"
"Does the Karma Black Hole truly exist?"
"It exists!"
"Has karma truly been cursed?"
"Yes."
"Will past and present lives truly meet?"
"They will!"
"Since Layman Gu has already decided to give up seeking karma, why are you so concerned about this matter?"
"Nonsense! This is a different matter! Giving up is giving up. But now my karma has been cursed, and when the Mysterious Era reappears in the Present Era, I'll run into my own past life. You tell me, can I not be concerned about this?"
"Hehe..." The inexplicable old monk suddenly laughed!
"What are you laughing at?"
"This old monk laughs because even Layman Gu has moments of fear."
"Fear?"
Gu Qingfeng was truly afraid. Not afraid of meeting his past life, nor afraid that only one of him and his past life could survive. As for what exactly he was afraid of, he himself didn't know. He just felt somewhat apprehensive, a kind of inexplicable panic.
"But, old monk, what does the legend of the Mysterious Era have to do with Heavenly Destiny?"