“What time is it, and you’re still worried about face? If you lose your lives, what good is face then?”
Old Mei’s voice rang out, causing both Hei Fo and Heishui’s hearts to jolt. “Our lives? Old Mei, what do you mean?”
“Whether he is the Monarch or not, I can’t tell, and I might not be able to say for sure. But I can tell you with absolute certainty that his existence, even if he isn’t the Monarch, is not someone we can afford to provoke.”
“Is that true?”
Both Hei Fo and Heishui were somewhat skeptical.
“Whether it’s true or false, you’ll have to weigh it yourselves.”
Hearing Old Mei say this, Hei Fo and Heishui’s hearts began to churn. After pondering repeatedly, they figured it was best to heed Old Mei’s words—better safe than sorry. If this white-robed man truly was a fearsomely powerful figure, they’d be in for real trouble later. Without hesitation, the two immediately ordered everyone not to get up.
In truth, the real reason Old Mei decided to kneel and not rise wasn’t solely because he sensed Gu Qingfeng’s existence was beyond imagination—that was only part of it. More importantly, he had a feeling, a feeling that the person before him might truly be Monarch Chixiao.
Kneeling was an act of respect for the Monarch.
Not out of fear.
“What’s this? My words don’t carry weight, is that it?”
Gu Qingfeng looked at these Chixiao people kneeling on the ground, a slight frown creasing his brow. A flash of anger passed through his eyes as he tipped his head back and drained his cup of wine in one gulp, then barked sharply, “Get the hell up, all of you!”
The power in that single shout was deafening, shaking the minds of over three hundred Chixiao people until they felt the heavens spin and the earth tilt, their blood and qi churning within. They dared not continue kneeling and scrambled to their feet, their faces pale with fright as they stared fearfully at Gu Qingfeng in their midst.
At this moment!
Every one of them could clearly feel the reverence emanating from the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant within them.
A reverence innate from birth!
A reverence deeply rooted!
A reverence from the very soul!
Yuheng felt it, Fengxu felt it, Elder Hong felt it, the two Earth Fiend Lords Hei Fo and Heishui felt it—every single Chixiao person felt it. The expressions on their faces grew increasingly complex.
There was panic.
There was fear.
There was disbelief, and there was bewilderment. But even more, there was excitement—an excitement that was suppressed, an excitement they dared not express.
In this moment, as they looked at Gu Qingfeng, they felt as if they had been transported back to the past, back to the Chixiao Sect.
They truly had this feeling.
A sense of déjà vu.
And they truly felt that the person before them was Monarch Chixiao.
Everyone felt this way.
Since the Monarch had been judged by the Immortal Dao, they had seen far too many imposters pretending to be the Monarch, but they had never felt such an intense sensation before.
This was the first time.
If Old Mei were to say, “This is the true Monarch,” none of the others would doubt it, not even Hei Fo and Heishui.
It wasn’t that they didn’t believe; it was that they didn’t dare to believe.
In truth, Old Mei was no different.
If he could, Old Mei would also very much like to say this was the true Monarch. But he didn’t dare. If it turned out to be false, he couldn’t bear the responsibility. Even though he himself strongly believed Gu Qingfeng was Monarch Chixiao, it was only a belief. Without one hundred percent certainty, he absolutely did not dare to vouch for Monarch Chixiao’s identity.
After all, this concerned the identity of Monarch Chixiao.
Not only was the significance immense, but the chain of consequences it could trigger was unimaginable—it might even plunge the world into chaos.
“So you all still know fear, huh? I thought every last one of you had some guts!”
Seeing Heishui, Hei Fo, and these other Chixiao people looking like they wanted to acknowledge him but didn’t dare, wanted to speak but didn’t dare, filled with both fear and suspicion, Gu Qingfeng couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright then, I was just joking around with everyone earlier, having a bit of fun. Come on, sit down and have a drink.”
Having a bit of fun?
Hearing this, Heishui and Hei Fo nearly couldn’t resist cursing out loud.
Just now, they had knelt and bowed, scared out of their wits, almost believing he was Monarch Chixiao. And now this fellow says what? Just joking around, having a bit of fun?
What did that mean?
So this bastard had just been toying with them?
Damn it all!
That little brat!
Both Heishui and Hei Fo were furious inside, but they only vented their anger inwardly, not showing it outwardly.
Because they knew that even though this fellow said he was just joking and having fun, the power in that shout earlier was truly terrifying. Even now, their minds were still trembling slightly, and the Bloodfiend Dragon-Elephant within them remained reverent. This was a genuine, tangible feeling, absolutely not something as simple as a joke or a bit of fun.
“What’s this? Really scared now?”
Gu Qingfeng shook his head and chuckled. “Even if I, your grandpa, were a fake Gu Tianlang, I wouldn’t lay a hand on you brothers, would I?”
Perhaps because Gu Qingfeng’s methods were too bizarre, none of the Chixiao people, including Hei Fo and Heishui, dared to respond anymore, afraid this fellow might suddenly decide to have another bit of fun. They truly couldn’t withstand that.
The crowd murmured among themselves.
No one knew for sure whether Gu Qingfeng was the real Monarch Chixiao.
Everyone was speculating.
And just then, two people from the Immortal Dynasty suddenly stepped forward.
They were two men.
One was a solemn-faced man in white robes, the other a cautious-looking man in black robes.
Although those present didn’t recognize these two men, they all knew they were two of the Noble Scions who had descended upon Yanluo this time. Moreover, they were two mysterious and profoundly noble Purple-Gold Immortal Nobles: Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao.
What were these two Purple-Gold Immortal Nobles planning to do?
No one knew.
Even the Immortal Court Envoy Yunbao, the three Chief Stewards—Liu Guangtao, Xun Nian, and Qian He—and the other Immortals all wore looks of bewilderment.
Just as everyone was filled with suspicion, a scene unfolded that left the entire crowd dumbfounded.
Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao walked until they stood opposite Gu Qingfeng, then actually dropped to one knee, bowing respectfully with clasped hands as they declared, “Wan Huaiyu, Qin Hao, pay our respects to Monarch Chixiao!”
Silence!
Profound silence!
A silence as still as death.
Every single person present, without exception, stood frozen like statues at this moment, eyes wide, mouths agape, their expressions exaggerated as if witnessing a miracle, their gazes filled with shock as if seeing gods or ghosts.
Everyone knew Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao were Purple-Gold Immortal Nobles of the Immortal Dynasty. Moreover, rumors said their identities from their previous lives were even more noble than that of Qing Yan, another reincarnated expert who was also a Purple-Gold Immortal Noble.
Noble Qing Yan’s previous life identity was that of a Nine Heavens Upper Immortal.
Considering Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao’s previous life identities were nobler than Qing Yan’s, imagine how terrifyingly lofty these two masters must be.
And now.
These two reincarnated experts, whose previous life identities were nobler than a Nine Heavens Upper Immortal and who in this life were Purple-Gold Immortal Nobles, were performing a kneeling salute to a Monarch Chixiao whose authenticity was unknown.
Had they not seen it with their own eyes, no one would have dared to believe this scene was real.