Steadily becoming a saint, the immortal officials hired me to tend the horses Chapter 1139 - 1129: Great Ultimate Origin Freedom Technique (Part 2)

Even though Ji Xiaoyu had not known Gu An for countless years, her intuition told her that he had hidden intentions behind his current behavior.

"So, from where do you draw the courage to stand against me?"

Gu An’s question resonated clearly, cutting through the chaotic noise echoing across the Creation Long Stairs.

The immense gap in Cultivation caused the Dao Guardians to feel a weight of pressure so heavy it was nearly suffocating.

Watching Gu An, Li Ya felt a mixture of relief and lingering anxiety.

The fact that Gu An had spared the Dao Guardians suggested that a fragment of mercy still dwelled within him, yet she wondered if his own pride would allow the Great Dao to manipulate him.

Following this chain of events, Li Ya’s mind began to clear.

If the Great Dao truly lacked emotion, how could the current situation have manifested?

Should the Great Dao possess a conscious will, could its existence be even more profound than that of the Immortal Gods?

While the Immortals of the Heavenly Court claimed to be the creators of all life, living beings would not sacrifice themselves for the Immortal Gods based solely on that claim.

The act of creation was essentially the borrowing of external powers; such a debt of grace should not give one the right to dominate the souls of every living thing.

Li Ya found the enigmatic Dao Will far more terrifying than the mysterious Gu An.

The Wanyuan Dao Ancestor appeared upon the Creation Steps, joined by other Great Dao entities who were arriving in succession, all paralyzed by the sight before them. Though they lacked context for the prior events, the sight of the broken and hopeless beings around them sent a shiver down their spines.

Taking a deep breath, the Wanyuan Dao Ancestor turned toward Gu An and shouted, "Senior, are you truly that horrific power?"

As Gu An’s aura surged, it reminded him of the dark energy that had nearly ended his life before—a realization that was hard to stomach.

Why would someone inflict such pain only to save him later?

Was he merely being played with?

At this moment, the Wanyuan Dao Ancestor cast aside his fear; even if death was his fate, he demanded an explanation.

He valued his Dao Universe more than his own life, and he could not simply watch as Gu An consumed it.

"It is me, yet it is not me."

Gu An looked down at the Wanyuan Dao Ancestor, his response devoid of emotion.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Wanyuan Dao Ancestor asked, his brow furrowed.

"The Qi you sense now is mine. However, the power you faced previously does not belong to me."

Gu An spoke the truth plainly, without any attempt to deceive.

This was a realization that had only come to him after he reached the Source Ancient Dao Ultimate Realm.

During his breakthrough, he had wrongly assumed the dark energy drifting through the Great Dao was his own; he was mistaken. That power originated from an entity that transcended even the Infinite Supreme Saint.

That being had perished during its own breakthrough, leaving behind a power that could not fully vanish, wandering the Endless Dao to be harnessed by the Dao itself.

Whenever a new Source Ancient Dao Ultimate Realm emerged, malicious intent would surface, causing that power to take form. Because Gu An had suppressed it in time, the Dao Universe was spared from being devoured. The fact that other Dao Universes had been consumed in the past proved that his current influence did not reach back through time.

This was all a deceptive front put up by the Dao.

It was designed to make him believe he was the source of sin, shattering his mental fortitude so he would descend into darkness and become the monster everyone feared.

Hearing this, a spark of hope ignited in the Wanyuan Dao Ancestor’s heart. He asked tentatively, "Are you saying that beyond our sight, there are other supreme beings manipulating everything from the shadows?"

He spoke loudly, ensuring his words reached the ears of all present.

Upon hearing his words, more Dao Guardians began to wake up to the reality of the situation.

On second thought, things were indeed strange. The way the Dao forced them to fight Wushi felt less like the natural order and more like the calculated whim of a sentient being.

Standing among the Immortal Gods, Tian Hao let out a sigh of relief, a grin forming on his face. Just as he had suspected, his master’s heart remained true.

He never forgot how his master had rescued him from the depths of despair, a moment that inspired his dream to become a similar man. Even after reclaiming his memories as the Son of Heaven, that childhood wish remained unchanged.

Suddenly, a roar like thunder erupted from the void, causing everyone to turn in shock as a crimson, bloody rift tore through the darkness—a crack far more terrifying than the Creation Long Stairs.

Within that bloody fissure, a massive eye snapped open. Its golden pupil seemed to contain entire star systems, and its cold gaze made even the Saints feel a sense of suffocating dread.

This eye appeared to watch from a realm beyond the Dao, scrutinizing everything within it.

"What is that thing...?"

An Immortal of the Heavenly Court whispered, trembling under the weight of that gaze.

The Wanyuan Dao Ancestor stared from a distance, filled with equal terror.

"It’s true... this sensation... it is him..."

The Wanyuan Dao Ancestor shook violently, feeling as though the curse he had just escaped was once again strangling him.

Gu An looked toward the rift, his expression unchanging.

From the depths of the golden pupil, a figure emerged: a man with white hair wearing a tattered Black Robe, looking like a vengeful spirit rising from the Abyss.

Golden chains extended from behind the white-haired man, binding him to the colossal eye.

"You are truly a persistent one, forcing me to show my face."

The white-haired man spoke with slow deliberation, tilting his head back with an air of cold indifference, his eyes burning with a murderous intent.

The sight left everyone in a state of disbelief.

Was this the true Will of the Dao?

If so, had all living souls been nothing more than playthings for this being?