To everyone present, this was utterly inconceivable. It was like witnessing two tigers kneeling before an ant—unbelievable, unacceptable, and utterly incomprehensible.
Right now, everyone was doubting whether this Lord Chixiao was genuine or fake.
Without conclusive evidence, no one dared to claim he was the true Monarch Chixiao.
Looking across the entire scene, only the venerable ancestor of the Yanluo royal family had consistently called him the Monarch Chixiao, and even that carried a whiff of deliberate mystification.
Apart from that, there was no one else. Not even the Yanluo Emperor Tang Yunqi or Prince Tang Yunhao seemed convinced. Even Lords Blackwater and Black Buddha, along with the over three hundred Chixiao followers, were filled with doubt.
Yet, under these circumstances, it was precisely the two Zijin Immortal Nobles from the Immortal Dynasty who stepped forward and knelt to the Monarch Chixiao.
How could they possibly know this man was definitely the Monarch Chixiao?
Taking a step back, even if this Gu Qingfeng truly was the Monarch Chixiao, with the status these two Zijin Immortal Nobles held, was there any need for them to kneel?
Their identities in their past lives were even more esteemed than the Nine Heavens Immortals!
Although the Monarch Chixiao had once ascended to the throne of the Immortal Dao Monarch, he had also claimed the title of Monster Dao Monarch. Yet, neither the Immortal Dao nor the Monster Dao acknowledged his dual-title of 'Peerless Monarch of Immortal and Demon.' Both paths had even passed judgment upon him, making his title illegitimate and unorthodox, hardly something one needed to regard.
Moreover, the Monarch Chixiao had once overthrown the Immortal Dynasty and slaughtered numerous Nine Heavens Immortals. No matter what, Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao shouldn't be kneeling to him.
Perhaps past-life identities only represented the past.
But Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao were Zijin Immortal Nobles of the Immortal Dynasty in this life as well!
Could it be they feared the Monarch's formidable power?
That didn't make sense either!
Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao were inscrutably profound. Even if they were no match for him, they shouldn't be so terrified as to kneel.
Furthermore, behind them stood the Immortal Dynasty, behind the Immortal Dynasty stood the Cloud Realm, and behind the Cloud Realm stood the Nine Heavens!
No matter from which angle or perspective they considered it, everyone was baffled as to why Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao would kneel to Gu Qingfeng.
Everyone was shocked, everyone was bewildered.
This included the Yanluo Emperor Tang Yunqi, Prince Tang Yunhao and his wife, and Tang Manqing. They had previously suspected this might be some mystifying trick played by their ancestor, aimed at intimidating the Immortal Dynasty. But with Gu Qingfeng's appearance, they increasingly felt something was amiss.
If it were a trick played by the ancestor, then what was the meaning behind Lords Blackwater and Black Buddha, along with the other Chixiao followers, kneeling earlier?
If the ancestor had secretly notified these Chixiao followers to cooperate, then what about the two Zijin Immortal Nobles kneeling now?
Even if the ancestor were playing a trick and could secretly notify these Chixiao followers to cooperate, surely he couldn't have also notified the Immortal Dynasty to play along?
No matter how great the ancestor's capabilities were, they absolutely could not stretch that far. Moreover, those kneeling now were two Zijin Immortal Nobles of the Immortal Dynasty. If the ancestor truly possessed the power to command two Zijin Immortal Nobles, he would have no need to play any mystifying tricks at all.
Just what was going on?
The Yanluo royal family was utterly bewildered.
Equally bewildered were Old Mei, Lords Blackwater and Black Buddha, and the other Chixiao followers. They were also baffled. If even they couldn't determine the authenticity of this Monarch, why did these two Zijin Immortal Nobles from the Immortal Dynasty seem so utterly convinced of Gu Qingfeng's identity? And damn it, they actually knelt to the Monarch?
What kind of act was this now?
Black Buddha and Blackwater looked towards Old Mei, hoping for an answer.
As for Old Mei,
the shock and confusion in his heart were even greater than theirs.
He too couldn't understand it. In response, he said, "I'm also unclear about what's happening. However, with these two Zijin Immortal Nobles kneeling like this, it has made me more certain of one thing."
"What thing?"
Old Mei gazed at Gu Qingfeng present there and replied via secret voice transmission: "This person's existence may be even more terrifying than we imagined! Furthermore, something must have happened in the Great Northwest nine years ago that we are unaware of!"
"Why do you say that?"
"From what I know, Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao were also reclusively cultivating in the Great Northwest nine years ago. Moreover, they know this Gu Qingfeng. Not only do they know him, I've heard that every time they encountered Gu Qingfeng, they were utterly respectful and never dared the slightest negligence. Think about it. Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao, in their past lives, were figures even more esteemed than Nine Heavens Immortals. They must have perceived something terrifying about Gu Qingfeng, which is why they dared not be negligent."
"So what if they were more esteemed than Nine Heavens Immortals in their past lives? The past life is the past life, this life is this life. Past-life cultivation doesn't equal present-life cultivation. These two..." Blackwater was speaking when Mei Shan interrupted him bluntly: "Er Gou, do you know the extent of these two men's strength in this life? I can tell you with certainty: either one of them could kill an Immortal as easily as crushing an ant!"
"What!"
Blackwater was greatly alarmed. He might not be able to see through the cultivation and strength of Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao, but he never imagined it was so terrifying!
Lord Black Buddha, Dong Laohu, asked, "Since their strength is so formidable, why would they kneel to a Monarch whose authenticity is unknown? Could it be they believe, or have discerned, that this Gu Qingfeng is the true Monarch? Is that possible? Even we can't tell. They probably haven't even met the Monarch before, so how could they recognize him!"
"Speaking with great disrespect, given the cultivation strength of Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao, even if they encountered our true Monarch, there would be no need for such kneeling. They don't need to, nor is it necessary."
"Then why are they..."
"That's precisely why I said Gu Qingfeng's existence might be far, far more terrifying than I imagined."
Old Mei drew a deep breath and said, "So terrifying that it makes people like Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao willingly cast aside their dignity, disregard their status, even disregard the Immortal Dynasty's face and their own futures, to perform this grand gesture of respect."
He paused briefly, then continued, "One thing is certain: with their kneeling, whether Gu Qingfeng is the true Monarch or not has become unimportant. Even if he is false, Wan Huaiyu and Qin Hao will henceforth inevitably face the ridicule and scorn of their fellow Immortals. Not only will they likely be stripped of their Zijin noble titles by the Immortal Dynasty, they might even be hunted by the Dynasty and branded as criminals of the Immortal Dao!"
"I believe they are fully aware of this. Yet they still stepped forward and knelt. In other words, this wasn't an impulsive act. They deliberated carefully, considered all the consequences, and only after thinking it through did they step forward to kneel."
At this point, Old Mei's spirit couldn't help but tremble slightly. He continued, "I truly cannot imagine what kind of existence this Gu Qingfeng is, that would make these two men willingly abandon everything, even become criminals of the Immortal Dao, just to perform this kneeling ceremony."
"Old Mei, tell me, is this Gu Qingfeng our Monarch or not?"
Blackwater felt somewhat anxious inwardly. "The more I listen, the more creeped out I feel."
Black Buddha Dong Laohu nodded. After hearing Old Mei's words, he not only felt creeped out but also had a sense of creeping horror.
"I don't know. I truly don't know. I hope he is the true Monarch... I hope so. We can only hope. Otherwise..."
Blackwater asked nervously, "Otherwise what?"
"Who knows."