Upon seeing Su Hua, a rare smile appeared on Yun Wan's rather cold and beautiful face, and she affectionately called out, "Sister Hua."
Su Hua also stepped forward with a smile, took her hand, and called out, "Wan'er."
The two seemed to know each other, and not only that, their friendship was quite deep.
"Sister Hua, are you alone?"
"Mhm."
"What about Monarch Chixiao?"
Yun Wan asked the question everyone present wanted to ask.
"That is precisely the reason for my visit this time."
When mentioning Monarch Chixiao, Su Hua's expression turned serious as she asked, "Wan'er, I heard the Monarch had sent an invitation card?"
Seeing Yun Wan nod, Su Hua immediately pressed, "The card, can you let me see it?"
Yun Wan flipped her palm, and as a faint radiance bloomed, a card appeared in her hand. Su Hua took it, glanced at it, and said, "It's indeed a fake."
Everyone was taken aback, not understanding what Su Hua meant by 'fake'.
"This... Fairy Hua, this old man is a bit confused. What is fake? When you were in Yanluo, didn't you personally confirm the identity of that kid Gu? Why are you now saying it's fake?"
"Senior Wine Immortal, I am not saying the Monarch's identity is fake, but rather that this invitation card is fake."
"The card is fake? But... it clearly bears the Chishang Seal Mark. This old man examined it specially; it didn't seem fake."
"Senior Wine Immortal, this Chishang Seal Mark is also fake. However, it can't exactly be called fake either. In a sense, it is indeed a genuine Chishang Seal Mark, but it is not from the Monarch's own hand."
Although True Yang Wine Immortal and the others were not from Chixiao, they were familiar with the famous Chishang Seal Mark and could somewhat distinguish its authenticity. But as for whether it came from the Monarch's hand, they had no way of knowing. They hadn't entirely dismissed the possibility earlier, but since news of the Monarch's return had just arrived and then this card was delivered, they hadn't harbored too much suspicion.
"Sister Hua, since the card is fake, does that mean Monarch Chixiao will not be coming to pay a formal visit to our Shangqing Sect?"
"Although the card is fake, he... will indeed come to Shangqing Sect."
"When?"
"That is not very clear. I originally planned to come with him, but he ditched me halfway."
Recalling this matter, Su Hua felt somewhat angry. Back in the cave abode, she had exhausted all pleasantries to come with Gu Qingfeng and even gifted him several precious bottles of Vitality Wine. What she never expected was that the fellow, who had agreed so readily, vanished without a trace the moment they left the cave abode.
"Fairy Hua," True Ting Immortal Master inquired, "If this card was not sent by the Monarch, then who sent it?"
"That is precisely what I wish to know."
Su Hua looked at the card in her hand and said, "Whoever sent this card made sure the matter became widely known. Now almost everyone under heaven knows the true Monarch Chixiao is coming to Shangqing Sect. It's clearly done on purpose."
The main reason she had wanted to accompany Gu Qingfeng to Shangqing Sect was her fear that some disturbance might arise, exacerbating the conflict between Gu Qingfeng and the Immortal Dynasty, even the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao. She never expected that before Gu Qingfeng even arrived, the news had already spread throughout the world.
She had no idea who exactly was stirring the waters behind the scenes.
"This is definitely a conspiracy," True Yang Wine Immortal swept a glance over the Sect Masters from the various major sects and said, "And yet, you lot are still clamoring to crusade against that kid Gu, completely unaware you're being used."
The various Sect Masters also realized something was amiss. Having just been tongue-lashed into silence by True Yang Wine Immortal in the grand hall, they now felt even more ashamed.
Su Hua had already guessed the purpose of the various Sect Masters' visit to Shangqing Sect the moment she saw them. She said, "All of you are esteemed seniors. There are some words I originally did not wish to say, but regarding this matter, I hope you all must consider it carefully. The Ancient Era has long since ended; the Present Era has already begun for a century. There is no longer any meaning in pursuing the rights and wrongs of the Ancient Era."
Su Hua's previous life was that of a Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, and in this life, she was an Emissary of the Nine Heavens. Not only did she enjoy great fame in this world, but she also had connections in the Cloud End and even the Immortal Dao. Her identity and background were exceptionally powerful, far beyond what others could compare to.
No matter how unwilling the various Sect Masters were in their hearts, they could not say much.
"Fairy Hua, we will not pursue matters of the Ancient Era, but what about when Gu Tianlang killed our Que'er from the Liuguang Clan in Yanluo? How do you explain that?"
"That's right. Fairy Hua was also present at the time, wasn't she? Can it be that our Long Family's Long Qianren was killed by him for nothing?"
The heads of the Liuguang Clan and the Cloud-Top Long Family both stepped forward, hoping Su Hua would give them justice.
"In Yanluo, it was Liuguang Que and Long Qianren who struck first. Monarch Chixiao had already shown them mercy, but they failed to recognize it and attacked again and again."
"Even if that were truly the case, their crimes did not warrant death, did they?"
Fairy Hua said indifferently, "What kind of person Monarch Chixiao is, presumably you all have heard."
With that one sentence, everyone fell silent.
What kind of person was Monarch Chixiao?
A person who was reckless and unrestrained, who recognized no law or authority, who was cold and ruthless, cruel and bloodthirsty, solitary, arrogant, and supremely overbearing.
If he did not act, all was well; once he acted, it was either death or maiming.
True Yang Wine Immortal said, "You should count yourselves lucky. This old man reckons that kid Gu's temperament has probably mellowed considerably. If it were back in the Ancient Era, given that fellow's temper, your two clans wouldn't have lost just one or two people; it would have been far worse."
Although the various Sect Masters present did not wish to admit it, they had to acknowledge that when Monarch Chixiao killed, he never showed mercy and was most fond of eradicating the root of the problem.
"But... but! No matter what, our Liuguang clansmen cannot have been killed by him for nothing! I am unwilling! Everyone in our Liuguang Clan is unwilling!" The Liuguang Clan representative declared with conviction.
"No, you have not understood my meaning. This is not a question of whether you are willing or unwilling."
Su Hua's expression was calm, her words cold. "Whether you are willing or unwilling, this is how it must be."
"Why?"
"No reason. Facing the current Monarch Chixiao, you have only two choices: either accept your fate, or lose your life."
As soon as these words were spoken, the Liuguang Clan, the Cloud-Top Long Family, the other clans, and even the Council Elders of Shangqing Sect were all stunned. They seemed not to have expected the renowned Fairy Hua to utter such cold and ruthless words.
What did she mean, facing Monarch Chixiao, either accept your fate or lose your life?
What was she implying?
Was Monarch Chixiao the lord of heaven himself?