As the two hundred or so Immortal Dynasty nobles led by Long Qianren and Liuguang Que rushed forward, the atmosphere in the venue instantly grew tense.
Looking across the entire scene, only three factions remained unmoved.
The first was the Chixiao faction led by the black-hearted lord Zhou Taihe. The moment the Immortal Dynasty nobles charged out, Zhou Taihe's disciple Dongfang Jian, his grandson Zhou Yan, his sons Zhou Wansheng, Zhou Wanqian, and other members of the Zhou family all wanted to rush over, seizing the chance to avenge Zhou Ting. But as Zhou Taihe remained silent, none dared to act recklessly. No matter what the Zhou family members said, Zhou Taihe stayed silent, not uttering a single word. He sat upright with an expressionless face, his gaze fixed intently on Gu Qingfeng.
The three hundred or so Chixiao veterans led by the two Earthly Fiend Lords, Heishui and Black Buddha, also did not move. When Heishui and Black Buddha sought Old Mei's opinion, Old Mei only said four words: "Watch and wait."
The final faction that did not act was the Yanluo royal family.
Tang Yunhao had been closely watching the changes in the venue. Seeing the four great clans, seven great sects, and even the thousands of Immortal Dynasty officials all shimmering with faint, flickering radiance, each with murderous intent in their eyes, his heart grew quite tense. Even though he had traveled extensively in recent years and experienced many scenes both large and small, witnessing this spectacle still unsettled him.
After all, the combined inner court ancestral patriarchs of the Immortal Dynasty's four great clans and seven great sects numbered three to four hundred Loose Immortals, with several thousand Ancient Earth Immortals on top of that. The Immortal Dynasty itself had thirty-six True Immortals, over five hundred Loose Immortals, and a thousand Ancient Earth Immortals. Such a multitude of experts was far beyond what an ordinary Immortal like him could withstand. If a fight broke out, he believed he would be instantly reduced to ashes.
Yet, what he found unbelievable was that even surrounded by so many Immortal and Loose Immortal experts, Gu Qingfeng remained seated in his chair, legs crossed, leisurely enjoying delicacies and sipping wine. He looked around, now finding this face familiar, now wondering where he had seen that one, like an outsider merely watching the spectacle.
This couldn't help but puzzle Tang Yunhao. Was this man truly fearless, or was he just putting on a show? It probably wasn't an act. No matter how strong one's inner resolve, facing so many experts, any pretense would be impossible to maintain. But if he was truly fearless... Tang Yunhao found it hard to believe. The number of experts present was simply too vast; it wasn't something one person's strength could possibly contend with. In his mind, no matter how mysterious or bizarre Gu Qingfeng's power might be, in the end, he had no cultivation base and no special fortune. Relying solely on physical strength, how powerful could he really be? He might handle one, or two, even eight or ten, but surely not this many experts. Faced with the combined might of the Immortal Dynasty, the four great clans, and the seven great sects, not even an ordinary Immortal would survive—they'd be reduced to ashes. Even a Superior Immortal would only meet the same fate, a Great Luo Golden Immortal would likely only be able to endure a beating, and even a Ninth Heaven Mystic Immortal would probably only have the option to flee.
"Ancestral Patriarch," Tang Yunhao said, noticing that the ancestor who had been laughing and cursing just moments ago had now grown cautious. "Should we make a move?"
"Make a move? What move? You go ahead!"
Tang Yunhao's face flushed with embarrassment. It wasn't that he didn't dare, but he knew going would be futile. If a real fight broke out, under the siege of so many experts, he wouldn't last a single breath.
Tang Yunqi said, "Ancestral Patriarch, our Yanluo royal family has been supporting several hundred Loose Immortals after all..." Before he could finish, Old Monster Tang shot him a glare. "Those old foxes? You can count on them to eat and drink, but stand up against the Immortal Dynasty? They'd be scared to death. I'm already grateful they came out today to show face for our Yanluo royal family."
"Then what should we do?"
"Do nothing. Just watch."
Just watch? This... Tang Yunhao and Tang Yunqi were at a loss for words.
"Ancestral Patriarch, aren't you worried at all?"
"Worried? Of course I'm worried."
"Since you're worried about Gu Qingfeng's safety, why then..." Tang Yunhao began, only to be cut off again by Old Monster Tang.
"Who told you I'm worried about that kid Gu's safety?"
Old Monster Tang's words left Tang Yunhao and the others bewildered. What did he mean? If the ancestor wasn't worried about Qingfeng's safety, then whose safety was he worried about?
"That kid Gu Tianlang's life is tougher than nails. Even the heavens can't finish him off. Why should I worry about him?" Old Monster Tang lifted his wine pot and took a sip from the spout. "What really worries me are these brats who are about to make a move. You should all know that Gu Tianlang has an addiction to fighting. Once he gets bloodlust, he doesn't recognize friend or foe. That's why I've been warning him that if he does act, just intimidate them a bit. That way, we won't enrage the Immortal Dynasty and can still preserve our Yanluo royal family."
Tang Yunhao wondered if he had misheard. He never would have imagined that the ancestor would be worried about the safety of those from the Immortal Dynasty, and specifically worried that Gu Qingfeng might go too hard on them? In other words, the ancestor not only believed Gu Qingfeng had the strength to deal with these people, but also thought Gu Qingfeng's power was more than sufficient to wipe them out? Good heavens! There were over thirty True Immortals, a thousand Loose Immortals, and nearly ten thousand Ancient Earth Immortals present!
Old Monster Tang paid no heed to their shock and muttered to himself, "I wonder if that kid Gu still has that old habit from back then. Probably not, right? So many years have passed. He seems much more mature now. When he acts, he probably won't be as crazy as he was back then, right?" The more he spoke, the more worried he became. Remembering the deeds Gu Qingfeng had committed in the past, his heart grew even more uneasy. With others, he could more or less gauge their limits, but this was Gu Tianlang. He really had no idea. If he was still like before—not acting at all, but once he did, slaughtering everyone outright—then this matter would blow up completely. If he killed these people from the four great clans and seven great sects, Yanluo Kingdom would be left with only the royal family. The kingdom would cease to be a kingdom and would inevitably decline within a century. If he killed these people from the Immortal Dynasty, then forget a century—within three days, the Immortal Dynasty would send someone to massacre Yanluo Kingdom.
Thinking of this, Old Monster Tang couldn't rest easy. He figured he needed to go remind Gu Qingfeng.
In the venue, the two hundred or so Immortal Dynasty nobles had surrounded Gu Qingfeng, but they only surrounded him; they did not immediately attack.
The reason was simple. The ones leading the charge, Liuguang Que and Long Qianren, had not made a move, so naturally, no one else dared to either.
At this moment, Liuguang Que and Long Qianren stood in the air to the left and right, looking down from above, their tiger-like eyes fixed intently on Gu Qingfeng. These two were not blindly arrogant fools unaware that there were skies beyond skies and people beyond people. On the contrary, both came from immortal families, especially Long Qianren, who hailed from the ancient, long-established Cloud Dragon Family. Their knowledge and experience far surpassed that of ordinary people. Even though each possessed uniquely great fortunes and had the backing of great families, even the Immortal Dynasty itself, facing this utterly calm and fearless Gu Qingfeng, they still had to proceed with caution. At the very least, they dared not attack on a whim.