No one had expected Wan Huaiyu to suddenly utter such words.
What did he mean by 'do not act rashly'?
What did he mean by 'do not even ask'?
And what did he mean by 'leave Yanluo as quickly as possible after the temple fair, the faster the better'?
Many people did not understand.
Some might have understood, but still dared not be certain.
Some were certain, yet found it impossible to comprehend.
"Why?"
The one asking was Qian He. She no longer had the heart to remain seated; her expression had also turned grave as she asked, "Is it related to that Gu Qingfeng? Just who is he?"
"Who he is is utterly unimportant. What matters is that his strength is far, far more terrifying than you can imagine—so terrifying you cannot even conceive of it!"
With these words, the entire Immortal Dynasty contingent of several thousand people froze.
If anyone else had said this, everyone would have dismissed it as a joke, naturally not taking it to heart. But the one saying it was Wan Huaiyu, an existence whose previous life's status surpassed even that of a Nine Heavens Immortal. This forced them to feel their hearts pounding with fear.
However.
Wasn't this statement too exaggerated, too preposterous?
Far more terrifying than imagined?
And terrifying beyond imagination?
What kind of concept was that?
Who knew?
No one knew.
Moreover, for such words to come from the mouth of someone as profound and unfathomable as Wan Huaiyu was truly chilling. At the very least, it caused the expressions of Xun Nian, Qian He, and even Yun Bao and his thirty-plus Immortals and hundreds of Loose Immortals to change repeatedly, each looking more unnatural than the last.
"Are you truly talking about that Gu Qingfeng?"
Perhaps wanting further confirmation, Qian He asked again. Seeing Wan Huaiyu nod, she once more looked toward Gu Qingfeng sitting on the imperial chair within the pavilion. She had already lost count of how many times she had probed him. She was certain that Gu Qingfeng truly possessed not a shred of cultivation, nor any fortune. He was pure to the extreme, ordinary to the extreme. More importantly, Gu Qingfeng even appeared quite frail.
No matter how she looked, Qian He could not connect Gu Qingfeng with the terrifying, unimaginable person Wan Huaiyu described.
She was like this.
So were the Immortal Dynasty envoy Yun Bao.
So was Qingyan, the Purple Gold Immortal Noble whose previous life was a Nine Heavens Immortal.
So were Liuguang Tao, Xun Nian, and everyone else—none could believe it.
"Wan Huaiyu, I know your previous life's status might have been some formidable Immortal in the Nine Heavens, but what you're saying is just too exaggerated and too preposterous, isn't it?"
The speaker was Long Qianren.
He still sat in his chair, head bowed, toying with a sapphire-blue light blade in his hand, as if not taking Wan Huaiyu's words seriously at all. He said disdainfully, "More terrifying than imagined? Hah, is that Gu Qingfeng the God of Death or something?"
"Believe me, even if the God of Death existed, it would likely have to detour upon seeing him!"
Wan Huaiyu had never seen the God of Death.
He didn't know what kind of existence the God of Death was either.
But he knew that Gu Qingfeng had survived the Divine Judgment, hailed as the Judgment of the Gods, nine years ago. Based on that alone, even if a God of Death truly existed between heaven and earth, upon meeting Gu Qingfeng, it would only have the option to detour.
Wan Huaiyu spoke with utmost seriousness and sincerity.
Yet, when his words reached the ears of the crowd, they seemed somewhat absurd.
If earlier, when he said Gu Qingfeng's existence was terrifying, it had made people half-believing and half-doubting, then now, when he said Gu Qingfeng was even more terrifying than the God of Death, that initial half-belief had basically dwindled to mere doubt.
"Hah, 'even the God of Death would have to detour'—this young master is hearing such words for the first time."
Long Qianren raised his head, his expression cold, arrogant, and self-assured. "This young master would like to see for himself whether that fellow surnamed Gu is truly as terrifying as you claim."
"What a coincidence, this noble also wishes to meet this legendary person whom even the God of Death would detour from."
The speaker was Liuguang Que, sitting on a chair in the distance, drinking alone. He drained his cup, stood up, and walked toward Wan Huaiyu, the corner of his mouth still curled in a confident smile. "I wonder if Noble Huaiyu has any interest in watching?"
Wan Huaiyu mercilessly uttered three words: "You will die."
"I will die? Hahaha!"
Liuguang Que laughed uproariously as if he had heard the world's best joke. After his laughter subsided, his originally calm and indifferent demeanor suddenly turned wild and arrogant. He declared proudly, "I, Liuguang Que, possess the pinnacle of nines, eight hundred and eleven layers of Great Natural Color Spirits, hailed as the Son of Great Nature. I can command the changes of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, and am under the protection of the Great Natural Order itself. And you say I will die?"
"That so-called pinnacle-of-nines Great Natural Color Spirit of yours might seem powerful in the eyes of others, but in his eyes, it is utterly insignificant. If he wishes to kill you, he need not even lift a finger—a single thought is enough. Never mind your eight hundred and eleven layers of Great Natural Color Spirits; even if you possessed eighty-eight thousand layers of Great Natural Color Spirit protection, it would be of no avail."
"How dare you! What did you say?!"
Liuguang Que flew into a rage, his eyes glaring fiercely as he stared fixedly at Wan Huaiyu.
Although he knew Wan Huaiyu's previous life was an extraordinary Immortal of the Nine Heavens, and his current cultivation might be profound and unfathomable, Liuguang Que did not take him seriously. Possessing the pinnacle of nines, eight hundred and eleven layers of Great Natural Color Spirits, he had always believed his future was infinitely bright, that he would become a pivotal figure dominating this world. Naturally, he looked down on so-called reincarnated experts. Even if the other's previous life status was immensely powerful, he felt no fear.
At that moment, a laugh rang out.
A laugh filled with mockery.
Everyone looked over. Bei Changqing, the Purple Gold Immortal Noble, had stood up at some point. His stern face was deathly pale, yet bizarrely, he was still laughing—moreover, he was looking at Liuguang Que and chuckling softly.
"And what are you laughing at?!"
Liuguang Que neither placed a reincarnated great power like Wan Huaiyu in his eyes, nor had he ever placed a mysterious person from a hidden realm like Bei Changqing in his eyes.
"Pinnacle of nines, eight hundred and eleven layers of Color Spirits... Commanding Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, protected by the Great Natural Order... Hah! Hah... You plan to fight him relying on this? Hah..." Bei Changqing seemed as if he had suffered some shock, his spirit somewhat unhinged as he laughed. "Do you know how many Color Spirits he has?"
"Him?" Liuguang Que glanced at Gu Qingfeng in the pavilion and sneered, "Apologies, but this noble cannot detect a single trace of Color Spirit on him."
"That's just because you cannot perceive it. It doesn't mean he doesn't have any, understand?"
"Oh? Can you perceive it?"
"Of course. Not only can I perceive it, I have seen it with my own eyes. Not just me—Qin Hao and Wan Huaiyu have also seen it."
Oh?
At this, the Immortal Dynasty members present fell into contemplation once more, because none of them could detect any Color Spirits on Gu Qingfeng.
"Then tell me, just how many Color Spirits does he have on him? Could it be more than this noble's pinnacle-of-nines eight hundred and eleven layers?"
"Please... please stop talking about your eight hundred and eleven layers of Color Spirits, okay?... I beg you... stop talking about it... really! Stop talking about it... And don't casually display those Color Spirits of yours in front of him. Really, don't... Otherwise, even I... would feel embarrassed for you."