The crowd within the square continued to murmur and discuss.
Most of the discussion centered on whether the newly emerged Monarch in Yanluo was genuine or fake.
Over at the Yanluo royal family's side.
Tang Yunqi and Tang Yunhao were frowning deeply, their faces etched with worry, their hearts filled with anxiety.
In stark contrast, Old Monster Tang sat inside the pavilion, sipping his wine, looking utterly relaxed and carefree. Seeing Tang Yunqi, Tang Yunhao, and the others, he shook his head, unable to bear it any longer, and couldn't help but say, "I say, why are you all moping around with such long faces? Don't you trust this old man?
Or is it that you don't trust Gu kid?"
The members of the Yanluo royal family all knew the patriarch's temper. They looked at each other, none daring to say anything. Finally, Tang Yunhao stepped forward and cautiously transmitted his voice, "Old Master, it's not that we don't trust you, but...
But...
It's that we don't trust that Monarch. Tell me honestly, is this you playing tricks, falsely claiming the Monarch is here to deliberately intimidate the Immortal Dynasty?"
"Tang Yunhao, you little brat, you just don't trust this old man, do you?
Playing tricks?
Intimidating the Immortal Dynasty?
How the hell did you come up with that!"
"But..."
"Don't give me 'buts,' there are no 'buts.' I'm warning you, when Gu kid arrives later, you lot better damn well perform the grand salute. Don't you dare slack off."
"This...
Ancestor, wouldn't that be a bit too much? Tianlang and I are of the same generation, and we have a good friendship. There's no need for a grand salute, is there?"
"What's wrong with being of the same generation?
Does being of the same generation mean you can't perform a grand salute?
That kid was the unparalleled Monarch of Immortals and Demons back in the day. Now, the bastard doesn't even put the Three Thousand Great Daos in his eyes. Who the hell knows what status he holds now. Having you perform a grand salute is absolutely not a loss."
"I think if that person really is Tianlang, he wouldn't accept the salute anyway. He never liked formalities and rituals to begin with."
"What the hell do you know!
Whether he accepts the salute is his business. Whether we perform it is ours. This old man finally managed to persuade Gu kid to help us. Can't you damn well give me some face?
Moreover, Gu kid helped us once back in the Ancient Era, and now he's helping us again. Is it wrong to have you perform a grand salute?"
It was right.
How could it not be right?
Tang Yunhao wasn't unaware of this reasoning. On the contrary, he understood it better than anyone. If he encountered the true Monarch, not to mention a grand salute, even kowtowing and kneeling, he would be willing. Just as Old Monster Tang said, back then, Gu Tianlang had intervened and saved Yanluo Kingdom from crisis. For that alone, he deserved their worship.
The problem was, Tang Yunhao truly didn't know if that person was the real Chixiao Monarch. If he was real, he was willing to kneel. But if he was fake, how could he kneel?
Beside them, Tang Manqing couldn't stand it any longer. She stepped forward and said, "Great-Grandfather, that guy isn't the Chixiao Monarch at all. He's even impersonating Chiyan Young Master. Sister Suhe will be arriving soon. If you don't believe me, you can ask her."
"This old man doesn't need to ask anyone. Even if the Immortal Maiden Suhe herself came, or even your aunt, I'd still say Gu kid is the real one."
Tang Manqing wanted to say more, but Old Monster Tang was already too lazy to listen. He reprimanded, "Alright, enough nonsense. Talking to you brats is such a chore. When you shouldn't believe, you believe more than anyone. When you should believe, you damn well don't believe a single one of you. What the hell can you lot accomplish?"
Old Monster Tang shot Tang Yunhao and the others a glare, stood up, and looked toward the Biluo Bamboo Grove on the mountain. He pondered that quite some time had passed, so why hadn't Gu kid arrived yet? After waiting a bit longer and still seeing no sign, Old Monster Tang couldn't help but raise his voice and shout.
"I say, Gu kid, what time is it already? Why are you still dilly-dallying? Isn't it just washing your face?
Does it need to take this long?"
As his voice faded, an indifferent voice came from the direction of the Biluo Bamboo Grove on the mountain.
"You old coot have no sense of propriety, and you won't let me have mine?"
"You've lived for over five hundred years, you're not a kid anymore. What's there to be so damn particular about with that ugly mug of yours? Can you make a flower bloom on it?
Besides, who are you trying to look good for anyway!"
"I'm doing it for myself, can't I?"
"Enough already, everyone's here, just waiting for you. Hurry up!"
"So that means the Immortal Dynasty folks have arrived?"
"They've been here for ages."
"Are you sure they're all here?
Don't be like last time, where I help you clean up one wave, and then another comes, wave after wave endlessly. I don't have that much time to mess around with you."
Hearing this, Old Monster Tang shouted toward the Immortal Dynasty contingent, "Hey, Immortal Dynasty lot, are you all here?
If not, go notify them quickly. Get everyone you can call over here. If that's not enough, you can still report it to the Immortal Dynasty now—it's not too late. Since Gu kid is here today, let's settle this matter once and for all."
Old Monster Tang's shout was nothing if not arrogant!
What was going on?
Whether the newly emerged Monarch was real or fake was unknown, but his tone was certainly not small!
From the sound of it, he didn't seem to put the Immortal Dynasty people in his eyes at all. He didn't even ask how many from the Immortal Dynasty had come. Not only that, he seemed to be inviting trouble, telling the Immortal Dynasty to call over everyone they could, and saying it wasn't too late to report to the Immortal Dynasty now?
This tone.
It was three parts more arrogant than the real Chixiao Monarch back in the day!
The several hundred nobles of the Immortal Dynasty all stood up, clamoring to execute Gu Qingfeng.
As for the Earth Immortal officials, their expressions grew increasingly complex. Because the moment Gu Qingfeng's voice had sounded, they had all sent out their divine sense to probe. Yet, to everyone's surprise and suspicion, they had detected nothing.
The five hundred Scattered Immortal officials were like this.
The thirty-six True Immortals were like this.
Even the Violet-Gold Immortal Nobles like Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao were like this.
Even the Immortal Dynasty Envoy Yunbao had detected nothing.
It wasn't just them.
The moment Gu Qingfeng's voice rang out, the Four Great Families, the Seven Great Sects, even the Black-Heart Lord Zhou Taihe, Heishui, Heifo, Mei Lao, and the other Chixiao people all immediately sent out their divine sense to probe, eager to see the legendary figure who could command the awe of the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant, and to know whether his identity as the Monarch was real or fake.
Unfortunately.
They, too, had detected nothing.
It was as if there was no one in the Biluo Bamboo Grove within the Yanluo Imperial Mausoleum on Panlong Mountain. Yet, they were all absolutely certain the source of the voice was from the Biluo Bamboo Grove on the mountain.
Why couldn't they detect him?
No one knew the reason.
The more they couldn't detect him, the more curious the curious became, the more suspicious the suspicious grew, and the more fearful the fearful felt uneasy.
Among them were Zhou Taihe.
Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao.
Bei Changqing as well.
And those Scattered Immortal officials of the Immortal Dynasty who had lived through that mad era of the Ancient Times.
"I say, Gu kid, have you finished washing up or not? It's been so long, why aren't you coming!"
Old Monster Tang was truly growing impatient, urging incessantly.
"What the hell are you so anxious about?
I'm coming, aren't I?"
Once again, that indifferent voice came, but this time it wasn't from the Biluo Bamboo Grove on the mountain. It came from within the square itself.