At this moment.
Old Monster Tang stood in mid-air, his feet planted on a large cauldron, a cloud spirit guardian above his head, and more than a dozen rather mysterious forces swirling around him. All sorts of strange and wondrous immortal treasures emerged one after another, numbering over thirty. In addition, one protective formation after another continuously condensed and manifested, enveloping him like layers of watery mist and halos. In just this short while, no less than a hundred formations had been conjured.
Gu Qingfeng looked at him, smiling helplessly and speechlessly. "I say, Old Monster Tang, is all this really necessary? To those who know, we're just having a bit of fun. To those who don't, they'd think you were preparing to undergo a tribulation, for heaven's sake."
"You brat just made it sound so damn terrifying, how could this old man not be cautious?! Stop wasting words, just wait!"
"Fine, I'll wait. Give me a shout when you're done tinkering."
Obviously.
Old Monster Tang had no confidence in his heart. Not only did he lack confidence, but he was also very afraid. Especially when he noticed Gu Qingfeng's nonchalant, unconcerned demeanor, as if he had him completely figured out. This made the already trembling Old Monster Tang feel even more apprehensive. The mere thought of Gu Qingfeng saying that the Three Thousand Great Daos were all looking for trouble with him made Old Monster Tang's heart sink further.
If this kid was already terrifying enough to stand toe-to-toe with the Three Thousand Great Daos, was his own meager strength even worth a glance in his eyes?
After pondering back and forth, Old Monster Tang waved his hand and completely dismantled all the formations he had just set up, also putting away all the immortal treasures. "Forget it, this old man won't play with you anymore."
"What's this? Scared already?"
"Scared?
This old man, scared of you?
It's just that seeing how weak and frail you look right now, this old man doesn't want to hurt you, that's all. Don't think for a second I'm afraid of you!"
Although Old Monster Tang didn't want to admit it, he had to acknowledge that he was truly afraid.
It wasn't a fear of death.
He believed that even if this kid really could obliterate him with just the power of a single sound, he definitely wouldn't do it.
But even if this kid held back and just shook him senseless, leaving him paralyzed on the ground... that would be losing face in the most humiliating way possible. Where would he put his old face then?
How could he ever look this kid in the eye and speak again in the future?
Moreover, in Old Monster Tang's mind, losing face was a small matter; damaging his self-esteem was the real issue.
Old Monster Tang had, after all, cultivated for over ten thousand years. If he were truly harmed by the mere sound of Gu Qingfeng, a youngster who had only cultivated for a few hundred years, how could his self-esteem possibly bear it? Once his self-esteem was wounded, inner demons would surely seize the opportunity to invade. If he then became dispirited and mentally dejected, things would get seriously out of hand.
For the sake of his face, his self-esteem, and his own future prospects.
After careful consideration, Old Monster Tang decided it was better not to test this guy. Losing a little face now was far better than suffering a lifetime of damaged self-esteem later.
Seeing Old Monster Tang give up, Gu Qingfeng didn't press further, merely smiling without speaking.
The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.
To be precise, it was Old Monster Tang who felt awkward, because he truly couldn't gauge whether Gu Qingfeng had just been trying to scare him earlier, or if he really could obliterate him with a single sound.
"Damn it, after all these years apart, not only has your drinking skill improved, but your ability to be mysterious and scare people has also damn well improved!"
"Hahaha!"
Gu Qingfeng laughed heartily. "I say, Old Monster Tang, if you really don't believe me, why don't we just give it a try? I'm letting you test it, but you don't dare. And then you turn around and say I'm scaring you. You...
You really do get more timid the older you get!"
"You!"
Old Monster Tang glared at Gu Qingfeng, his heart filled with such resentment that his teeth itched with hatred.
He really wanted to test this kid's true abilities.
But he was truly afraid of losing, of losing face and damaging his self-esteem.
Yet, giving up just like that left him deeply unwilling and unconvinced.
What to do?
Old Monster Tang really didn't know what to do. In the end, he could only let out a deep sigh, sit back down on the stone stool, and say, "Forget it, this old man admits defeat. Even if you were just scaring me, I'll accept it. Maybe it's true that the longer you live, the more timid you become."
After a pause, he added with a touch of annoyance, "Don't get too cocky, kid. You'll grow old one day too. When you're old and your cultivation level stagnates, and you encounter young people with great Fortune, you'll be afraid too. No, not afraid, not afraid of losing, and not unable to accept defeat, but...
This feeling is complicated, hard to put into words. You'll understand someday."
Indeed.
What Old Monster Tang truly feared wasn't losing face or being unable to accept defeat and damaging his self-esteem.
It was because his cultivation time was so long, yet his cultivation level had stagnated. Coupled with the emergence of one young person after another possessing great Fortune, he felt profoundly discouraged.
Back in his day, he had to painstakingly cultivate for ten or a hundred years to break through a single realm. Now, young people could break through in just ten days or half a month.
Earth Immortals of the past were supreme, lofty existences, each an elder who had cultivated for several thousand or even ten thousand years.
Now? Forget ten thousand years, forget several thousand, forget several hundred, even several decades—now there were people who could achieve Earth Immortal in just a few short years.
How was one supposed to accept that?
Some might say, the longer you live, the more you learn to let go.
That's easy to say, but how many people can truly let go?
Unless you're a fool, who could accept the cruel reality that the cultivation you painstakingly built over thousands of years is inferior to that of a young person who has only cultivated for a few hundred years? Besides lamenting the injustice of the Heavenly Dao, what else could one do? The answer was clear: nothing.
Old Monster Tang was also human, and a proud one at that. In this Present Era, with the revival of all things, not only was natural Fortune flying everywhere, but the Heavenly Mandate had also descended. The dazzling array of Fortune prodigies was bewildering. Seeing some ancient Earth Immortals being obliterated in just a few moves by the Fortune prodigies of the Present Era had already filled his heart with endless sighs.
That wasn't the important part.
What was important was that back then, Gu Qingfeng, with his mysterious Fortune and having ascended to the peerless Immortal Monster King throne, possessed strength that shook heaven and earth and moved ghosts and gods. This filled Old Monster Tang with both envy and jealousy. He hadn't been without his own clashes with Gu Qingfeng back then, but he had lost, and lost miserably. He didn't even know how he had lost. He only knew that Gu Qingfeng, who had ascended to the peerless Immortal Monster King throne back then, could have obliterated him as easily as turning over his hand. This had been a devastating blow to Old Monster Tang's heart.
One must remember, just a few years earlier in the Yanluo Kingdom, Gu Qingfeng hadn't even been his match. In just a few short years, Gu Qingfeng had already possessed the absolute power to obliterate him. How could Old Monster Tang's heart not be struck by such a blow?
Having been thoroughly devastated once back then, his self-esteem brutally trampled, even now, the mere memory sent shivers down Old Monster Tang's spine.
It had taken several hundred years of recuperation to finally recover somewhat. He had no desire to be crushed by this guy again.
Just as he was about to say something to ease his own awkwardness, someone suddenly entered the Biluo Bamboo Grove and was walking towards them.