Immortal Arts and Divine Abilities still danced across the sky, though far fewer than before.
Some had stopped because their frantic casting had drained their spiritual power to exhaustion, forcing them to cease.
But more had stopped out of fear.
A deep, bone-chilling fear that came from the very core of their souls.
Despite the endless torrent of thousands upon thousands of Immortal Arts and Divine Abilities relentlessly crashing towards him, they had failed to budge Gu Qingfeng by even a hair. They were truly beaten. This fear was one of utter despondency, of absolute despair, and of sheer disbelief.
This fear gave them all a feeling—a feeling that in front of Gu Qingfeng, they were as insignificant as ants, so small they were not even worth mentioning.
The sky full of Immortal Arts and Divine Abilities grew fewer and fewer—a thousand, a hundred…
Ten, until finally, no one dared to continue.
Everyone was afraid.
Immortal Court Envoy Yunbao was.
Immortals like Liuguang Que were.
Even the Scattered Immortal ancestors of the Four Great Families and the Seven Great Sects were.
Each of them had faces ashen as death, panting heavily. The radiance around them flickered weakly, their spiritual power faint and tenuous. Their immortal essence was long overdrawn, their spiritual power nearing depletion.
Even the arrogantly domineering Long Qianren and Liuguang Que had stopped their assault. Their attitudes were no longer as insolent as before, their eyes devoid of their previous arrogance. All that remained was fear.
The spiritual power of both was nearly exhausted. Liuguang Que's supreme Ninety-Ninefold, eight hundred and eleven layers of Great Nature Colored Spirits had dimmed and lost their luster. Long Qianren's Lesser Mandate of Heaven, Lesser Nature, Lesser Immortal Decree, and even his once proudly flaunted Azure Dragon Dominating the Sun had lost their previous tyrannical aura, now as weak and insubstantial as a wisp of smoke.
Their first attempt to strike had been mysteriously restricted.
They had all thought it was because they were momentarily careless and unprepared, falling for Gu Qingfeng's trick.
Now, after unleashing their full potential and exhausting every means at their disposal, they still failed to move Gu Qingfeng an inch. Only then did they realize it wasn't carelessness, nor lack of preparation, nor falling for a trick. It was simply that Gu Qingfeng's existence was truly, overwhelmingly powerful.
Proud and arrogant as they were, they finally understood at this moment that what Wan Huaiyu, Qin Hao, and Bei Changqing had said earlier wasn't meant to scare them intentionally. Gu Qingfeng's existence was genuinely formidable beyond their imagination.
"Attack!"
"Don't stop!"
"Keep attacking! Our Immortal Dynasty rules this world! He absolutely dares not fight back!"
Yunbao shouted hoarsely, urging everyone to continue.
But no matter how he screamed, no one made another move.
Attack?
Over ten thousand people had joined forces in this siege, madly unleashing Immortal Arts until their immortal essence grew weak, their spiritual power overdrawn, and their dantians dried up. Even so, they had failed to budge this Gu Qingfeng by a hair.
How could they attack now?
With what could they strike?
They didn't dare.
None of them dared.
Time passed, drop by drop. The atmosphere within the grounds had, at some point, grown deathly still.
Even more perplexing was that just moments ago, it had been high noon, as if hardly any time had passed, yet now the sun was already setting in the west.
As twilight began to descend, the stillness gradually turned into a tomb-like silence.
Silent.
So silent that no one dared to utter a word.
This feeling was as if a storm were about to break, a terrifying darkness slowly devouring the world's light.
Gu Qingfeng still stood there.
Just standing with his hands clasped behind his back.
His robes were white as snow, their hems undisturbed.
His hair was black as ink, not a strand out of place.
Here and now, he no longer carried the casual leisure or lazy nonchalance from before. All that remained was stillness—a solitary, cold stillness.
His eyes were closed, his head slightly raised, as if contemplating something.
Not far away.
Fei Kui had been standing with his head bowed the entire time.
From beginning to end, he hadn't spoken a single word, nor raised his head—not even once.
Beside him.
Old Monster Tang, who was usually all laughter, curses, and jest, had become extremely solemn, his expression rather grim. He stared at Gu Qingfeng, watching him cautiously, fearfully. He opened his mouth as if to say something but dared not speak, the muscles at the corner of his mouth twitching involuntarily.
"Old Monster."
Suddenly, Gu Qingfeng's voice came, as still as his person, startling Old Monster Tang into a violent shudder. Not daring to call him 'kid' anymore, he replied with a trembling voice, "Heav… Heavenly Wolf, you…
Speak, I'm listening."
"Legend says that if a person kills too much, the heavens will cast them into the Eighteen Layers of Hell. Do you believe that?"
"I… I don't know."
Perhaps sensing something, Old Monster Tang appeared particularly panicked in front of Gu Qingfeng, his voice trembling as he spoke.
"I believe it."
Gu Qingfeng opened his eyes. Within those deep, dark pupils, there was only that same tranquility—a tranquility as profound as an abyss. This somewhat reassured Old Monster Tang, but Gu Qingfeng's next words immediately made his heart leap into his throat.
"Because the heavens have cast me into hell before. So… I don't mind entering it again."
The words fell. *Thump.* Old Monster Tang slumped to the ground, two words flashing through his mind: *It's over.*
Gu Qingfeng's meaning was crystal clear.
Old Monster Tang understood.
Everyone present could also hear it: Gu Qingfeng was preparing to act, and he might even kill.
Thinking of this, the Immortal Dynasty officials, the inner-council ancestors of the Four Great Families and Seven Great Sects all retreated in fear.
And at that moment.
An elder stepped forward, bowing respectfully with hands clasped. "Esteemed Sir, I beseech you, in consideration of their youth and ignorance, their lack of understanding of the heights of heaven and depths of earth, to grant them lenience this once. I, Xun Nian, pay my respects to you!"
"Hmph!"
"Xun Nian! You, as a Grand Steward of the Immortal Dynasty, how can you bow so deeply to this man? What youth and ignorance? What lack of understanding? I, Long Qianren, fear neither heaven nor earth! Why would I fear him? What need have I for his leniency?"
"What a joke!"
Long Qianren, his face full of insolence, took a step forward, a cold sneer curling his lips, his eyes filled with utter disdain. He shouted, "I, Long Qianren, am the Sixth Young Master of the Yunshang Long Family, a Cloud Marquis enfeoffed by the Immortal Dynasty, protected by the Azure Dragon Dominating the Sun! My father is the illustrious Long Zongsheng! My master is the Immortal Dynasty's Maha-Brahmin Immortal Tiancanzi! Today, I, Long Qianren, stand here. If you dare harm me by even a hair, I'll make sure you don't live to see tomorrow!"
Having said this.
Long Qianren even deliberately summoned his Azure Dragon Dominating the Sun to flaunt his might.
Suddenly, a figure flashed and appeared right in front of him.
It was a man in white robes. A solitary, still man in white robes. It was Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng's abrupt appearance instantly terrified Long Qianren, shocking him into a stupor, at a complete loss.
Without a word, Gu Qingfeng raised his hand and brought it down, his palm striking the crown of Long Qianren's head. *Bang!* The so-called Azure Dragon Dominating the Sun atop Long Qianren's head instantly dissipated into nothingness. The three great endowments—Lesser Mandate of Heaven, Lesser Immortal Decree, and Lesser Nature—that coiled around his body also shattered and vanished in an instant. As for Long Qianren himself, he didn't even have time to utter a grunt before he turned to ashes, vanishing between heaven and earth in the blink of an eye.