Word had spread that Yanluo's newly emerged Monarch was about to arrive.
Excitement rippled through the crowd. Everyone knew that, not long ago, this newly emerged Monarch had, at the Yunchuan Garden, not only beaten the Chosen Disciples of the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects into various states of injury, disability, and ruin, but had also seized Zhou Ting's Minor Destiny. Even Feiyu Xianjue, who possessed the Human Path Edict, had been made to bleed from all seven orifices by the sheer force of his voice.
During the Yunchuan Garden incident, although elders from the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects were present, they were merely Ancient Earth Immortals.
Today was different.
The sect masters, elders, and even the inner-council Scattered Immortal Ancestors of the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects were almost all in attendance.
Zhou Taihe had also come in person. The Immortal Dynasty's presence, numbering in the thousands, went without saying.
Everyone knew that if Yanluo's newly emerged Monarch dared to show his face today, he would be walking into a trap with no way out.
Whether Yanluo's newly emerged Monarch was genuine or a fake, no one could say for sure.
Seeing Old Tang's confident and swaggering manner, everyone speculated: could it be the real Monarch?
Hard to say.
The fact that Yanluo's newly emerged Monarch could command the awe and reverence of the Chixiao people's Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephants was, by itself, enough to make no one dare to call him a fake outright.
But if one were to claim he was real...
Few were inclined to believe it.
Previously, some suspected that Yanluo's newly emerged Monarch had been invited by the Black Buddha Lord to intimidate Zhou Taihe. Now, it seemed more like he had been invited by the Yanluo Royal Family to intimidate the Immortal Dynasty.
In the eyes of many, if Yanluo's newly emerged Monarch was truly invited by the Yanluo Ancestor to intimidate the Immortal Dynasty, it would likely backfire.
The Ancient Times were the Ancient Times.
The Present Era is the Present Era.
Though many were reluctant to admit it, they had to acknowledge that the era belonging to the Monarch of Chixiao had long since passed. The Present Era was an age where Chosen talents filled the skies and Destiny reigned supreme. Never mind whether this Monarch was real or fake—even if he were genuine, what could he possibly do?
Forget about intimidating the Immortal Dynasty; he probably couldn't even intimidate the Immortal officials and nobles who had descended from the Immortal Dynasty and were present here.
Setting aside others for the moment,
Just take Long Qianren alone, who possessed Minor Destiny, Minor Nature, and a Minor Immortal Edict, and wielded the mighty aura of the Azure Dragon Dominating the Sun—who could possibly intimidate him?
Moreover, there was Liuguang Tao, a Son of Great Nature with the pinnacle of the nine-nines—eight hundred and eleven layers of Colored Spirit. Who could possibly shake him?
At this moment,
Long Qianren stood there with his arms crossed, arrogant and aloof, his expression both wildly aggressive and utterly isolated. A contemptuous smile played on his lips, as if he didn't give a damn about the so-called Monarch of Chixiao.
Liuguang Tao, meanwhile, sat calmly in his chair, his handsome face wearing a faint, indifferent smile. He appeared completely unruffled, as if he couldn't care less whether the Monarch of Chixiao mentioned by Tang Laoguai was real or fake.
The other two hundred-plus nobles from the Immortal Dynasty were mostly gathered together, chatting and laughing freely, paying no mind to the so-called Monarch of Chixiao that Tang Laoguai kept talking about.
Even Feiyu Xianjue, who had been made to bleed from all seven orifices by the Monarch's voice at the distant Yunchuan Garden, was no exception.
He had come today as well.
And he had come while still injured.
At Yunchuan Garden, his hesitation had led to him being caught off guard and humiliated. Before coming here, he had secretly vowed that if he encountered the man who called himself the Monarch again at the temple fair today, he would not hesitate to strike, reclaiming the face he had lost at Yunchuan Garden!
Of course,
These nobles from the Immortal Dynasty had not lived through that mad era of the Ancient Times. Naturally, they felt neither awe nor fear toward the Monarch of Chixiao. But for some of the Immortal officials who had experienced that era, it was a different story.
Even though they knew the Ancient Times were over,
And knew that the Immortal Dynasty of the Present Era was far beyond what it was in antiquity, with nothing to fear,
Deep down, they couldn't help but feel a trace of fear.
Because during the Ancient Times, the Monarch of Chixiao had left them with shadows too profound and terrors too horrifying. Even now, just hearing the words 'Monarch of Chixiao' made their hearts tremble with apprehension.
Every time news spread of the Monarch of Chixiao's return, they grew uneasy. Fortunately, all such news had proven false so far. Yet, no one could guarantee that the true Monarch of Chixiao would never return.
Take, for example, this newly emerged Monarch of Chixiao in Yanluo. Hearing that even the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephants of the Chixiao people revered him immensely made their hearts even more uneasy and restless.
Especially for the two Purple-Gold Immortal Nobles, Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao. Ever since arriving in Yanluo Kingdom, they had been searching for news of this newly emerged Monarch, but so far, they had found no trace. They, more than anyone, wanted to know if Yanluo's newly emerged Monarch was the same person from nine years ago in the Great Northwest—the one who was both Young Master Chiyan, Gu Qingfeng, and the Monarch of Chixiao, Gu Tianlang!
However,
If one were to ask who was the most uneasy and restless at this very moment, it was neither the Scattered Immortals from the Immortal Dynasty who had lived through the Ancient Times, nor Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao, who had personally witnessed Gu Qingfeng's trial in the Great Northwest. It was Bei Changqing.
The Scattered Immortals who had experienced the Ancient Times were uneasy because of the terrifying shadows the Monarch of Chixiao had cast over them back then.
Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao were uneasy in their hearts because they could not accept that a being who had fused with the blood of the Original Sin—a terror from the Era of No Dao—and had gestated the Taiji Myriad Forms, the makings of a Human King, along with the mysterious and dreadful legend of the Ancient Taboo, was still alive. And not just alive, but having survived what was hailed as the Divine Judgment of the Gods.
Yes.
They could not accept it.
Why?
No reason.
Because it was too terrifying!
Think about it: if there was a person whose power was great enough to destroy heaven and earth, living in the same world, the same era as you, how would you feel?
Could you not live in constant fear?
Could you not be uneasy?
No one wants to be living their life perfectly fine one day...
Only to wake up suddenly to the sky collapsing, the earth splitting, and the world ending...
Exaggerated?
Not in the slightest!
Both Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao knew that if Gu Qingfeng were still alive, he absolutely possessed the strength, the capability, and the audacity to do just that. If not, why would the Three Thousand Great Daos have attempted to erase him nine years ago? Why would the sacred heavens and earth have found him intolerable?
The two were waiting.
Waiting for Yanluo's newly emerged Monarch.
Eagerly wanting to know the answer.
Yet,
Compared to Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao, the fear and anxiety in Bei Changqing's heart were far more intense than either of theirs.
Her unease kept her pacing back and forth.
Her face was ashen and grim, and even beads of cold sweat had formed on her forehead.
"Young Master, please, calm down," Elder Luo, who had been following Bei Changqing, tried to comfort her. But as soon as he spoke, Bei Changqing lifted her head, glared at him with wide eyes, and snapped, "Do you think I can calm down right now?"
Calm down?
If she could calm down, Bei Changqing wouldn't be in such a panic.
Now she finally understood what it felt like to be an ant on a hot pan. The sensation was utterly agonizing, making it hard for her to breathe, her chest tight and uncomfortable. Suddenly, as if remembering something, she stopped pacing and asked, "Elder Luo, if...
I mean if...
If that person who comes later really turns out to be him, I...
What should I do?"
"This..." Elder Luo shook his head. He didn't know what to do either.