What was happening?
As they gazed at the thick smoke filling the sky, the thirty-plus masters present all felt an intense sense of strangeness, their hearts tightening with tension. Especially as the smoke grew denser, almost blanketing the entire Void, their unease deepened.
Just as everyone was gripped by suspicion and alarm, a violent, overwhelming might suddenly erupted. Its magnitude was vast and boundless, and as it exploded forth, it seemed to twist and distort the very fabric of the Great Nature Void itself. The thirty-plus masters were instantly shaken, blood spurting from their mouths and noses. That violent might felt inexhaustible, supreme and ultimate, sweeping over them like a tidal wave. It pressed down on them, forcing their true forms to be revealed, and caused their Physical Bodies to tremble violently, as if they might be crushed and scattered at any moment.
"Argh! Brat! You dare play dirty with this old man!"
The Old Senior, wreathed in turbid breath, could no longer hold back his frantic shouts. He dared not hold anything in reserve any longer, unleashing all his Fortune power in a desperate burst.
Unfortunately, it was utterly useless. The moment his Fortune power was summoned, it was instantly crushed and scattered!
Gah!
The Old Senior immediately bled from all seven orifices.
At the same time, the other thirty-plus masters also dared not hold back, each summoning their most treasured, bottom-of-the-barrel power.
However.
Just like the Old Senior, no matter how powerful the force they summoned, the moment it appeared, it was crushed and scattered!
Summon again!
Crushed again!
Summon again, crushed again!
And so the cycle repeated. They dared not stop, because the moment they did, their Physical Bodies would be instantly pulverized.
At this moment, they felt as if they had fallen into a terrifying, ultimate world of Primordial Chaos.
This world of Primordial Chaos was bizarre and kaleidoscopic, endlessly shifting. It was as if the heavens were collapsing, the earth splitting apart. There were Gods and Buddhas filling the sky, Immortals and Demons, Specters and Demons, and Ghosts everywhere. It was impossible to distinguish God from Buddha, Immortal from Demon, darkness from light, yin from yang, or righteousness from evil. Everything existed, nothing was absent—chaos, endless chaos.
What was this situation now?
They didn't know.
No one understood.
The thirty-plus masters were now hanging by a thread, desperately summoning power again and again to protect their Physical Bodies. They had no idea how many times they had done so, their reserves nearly exhausted, their bodies on the verge of collapse.
Boom! Rumble!
—It sounded like divine thunder, demonic howls, Buddhist chants, and immortal music all at once...
It was as if Gods and Buddhas were reciting sutras, Immortals and Demons were locked in battle, Asuras were drinking blood, and Ghosts were roaring in fury. It felt as if the entire Void was filled with these sounds.
Lifting their heads to look, they witnessed the most horrifying scene of their lives.
They saw Gu Qingfeng standing in the Void, his eyes slightly closed, his expression placid. His long hair danced wildly, and the hem of his robes flapped furiously.
The sky was filled with Gods and Buddhas, Immortals and Demons, Specters and Demons—all bowing in homage to him.
Yes!
Bowing in homage!
This scene was madness, a sight that took one's breath away!
It was even more something that instilled a deep, soul-chilling fear.
Although everyone had known earlier that the 'little toy' Gu Qingfeng mentioned couldn't be simple, they had never imagined that this so-called 'little toy' would be so terrifyingly powerful. Even with all their might, they were still hanging by a thread.
Earlier.
Gu Qingfeng had said that if they couldn't withstand it, they shouldn't force themselves.
They had all thought Gu Qingfeng was just being mysterious and exaggerating.
Only now did they realize it was neither mystification nor exaggeration—it was truly like this.
Earlier, Gu Qingfeng had also said that if they really couldn't hold on, they should flee quickly.
Flee?
It wasn't that they didn't want to, but they simply couldn't.
They didn't even dare to move. They could only keep summoning power to protect their Physical Bodies. A single movement, and their bodies would turn to dust.
In the Void, light and darkness intertwined, forming a mass like Primordial Chaos. Within that chaos, those Gods and Buddhas, those Immortals and Demons, those Specters and Demons were all bowing in homage to Gu Qingfeng.
Just what kind of Fortune was this!
What kind of Fortune could be so horrifying!
They didn't know.
Even though they were all masters of the Great Desolate Heavenly Realm in their past lives, facing the scene of All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda, they couldn't even begin to imagine its nature.
"This old man can't hold on...
Quick...
I can't hold on much longer..." The Old Senior, wreathed in turbid breath, had completely exhausted his power. His entire person was in a state of collapse, covered in blood, his appearance utterly wretched. He was afraid, terrified to the bone, to the very soul. His Physical Body began to twist and blur, his consciousness following suit. He didn't want to die, crying out desperately, "Ancestor, dear ancestor, this lowly one knows he was wrong, shouldn't have offended you. Please, ancestor, show mercy, spare this lowly one's life..." The Old Senior even summoned his bottom-of-the-barrel demonic fire, but it was still useless. After summoning it, he was like a flickering candle in the wind, on his last breath.
High in the air.
Gu Qingfeng opened his eyes, glanced at the Old Senior and the others, and with a thought, withdrew All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda.
The sky full of Gods, Buddhas, Immortals, Demons, Specters, Demons, and Asuras gradually dissipated.
The divine thunder, demonic howls, and Buddhist chants also ceased.
Everything, everything, vanished and stopped within a few breaths.
The Void was still the Void, the Cloud End still the Cloud End.
And Gu Qingfeng was still Gu Qingfeng.
But.
The thirty-plus masters were no longer the masters they had been before.
Before.
They had all been like flickering phantoms. Now, each and every one had revealed their true forms, collapsed in the Void, bleeding from all seven orifices, their faces ashen, weak and feeble. Especially the Old Senior who had challenged Gu Qingfeng earlier—he was no longer even human-shaped. His features were completely twisted as he lay there, his Physical Body trembling uncontrollably.
"My sincere apologies. Since it was the first time I summoned this thing, I didn't have a good grasp of it, couldn't control the measure properly. Is everyone alright?"
Gu Qingfeng felt genuinely apologetic.
He truly was sorry.
Just as he had said, he himself didn't have a good grasp of All Beings Pay Homage to the Floating Pagoda. After summoning it, he couldn't control the measure properly. That was precisely why he wanted to use this opportunity to test it.
Alas.
This thing was far more terrifying than he had imagined. Just now, after summoning it, he had even felt somewhat unable to control it. Fortunately, he withdrew it in time. Otherwise, once it slipped from his control, he really wouldn't have known what to do.
"Old Senior, how are you?"
Gu Qingfeng walked over and helped the Old Senior up. Whether from sheer terror, complete exhaustion, or injuries too severe, the Old Senior's body was as soft as a pile of mud. As Gu Qingfeng helped him, the Old Senior pleaded in terror, "Ancestor, this lowly one knows he was wrong, knows he was wrong..."
"It was just a joke earlier, don't take it seriously."
Gu Qingfeng examined the Old Senior's injuries. They were more severe than he had thought—his immortal spirit was seriously damaged, and the bones, tendons, and meridians of his Physical Body were almost all severed. He looked at the others; they were also seriously injured. Not daring to delay, and disregarding his own severe injuries, Gu Qingfeng immediately flashed and disappeared.
Soon, only the Old Senior remained. Gu Qingfeng looked at him and said, "This Old Senior... I don't have much cultivation right now, so I can't help heal you. How about I go find someone to treat you first?"
"Dare not trouble the ancestor, dare not..." The Old Senior's head lolled to the side as he fell unconscious.