Chaos!
Utter chaos!
They were mad, all of them had gone mad.
Exactly how many people had joined the encirclement to attack Gu Qingfeng, no one knew. All they knew was that the void above was packed with figures.
How many profound mysteries were unleashed, how many great fortunes were displayed, likewise no one knew. All they saw were divine abilities and immortal arts filling the sky. How frenzied and terrifying the combined force of these people's joint assault was, again, no one knew. All they witnessed was the natural void trembling, constantly shattering and then constantly restoring itself, repeating this cycle over and over.
As for Gu Qingfeng, that Gu Tianlang, that Monarch Chixiao—just how powerful was his physical body, what kind of existence was it? No one knew that either. All they saw was that from beginning to end, he remained seated on that master's recliner. His white robes did not flutter, his black hair did not fly. Countless, endless waves of fortune-infused divine abilities swept towards him. No matter how profound or powerful they were, the moment they touched his physical body, without exception, they all instantly disintegrated and vanished.
One was like this, ten were like this, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million—all were the same.
The only difference was this: when the several dozen Heavenly Geniuses and Dragon Prodigies first joined forces to surround him, he had been idly pouring wine and drinking by himself.
After the Immortals from the various sects began to take action one after another, he stopped drinking. Instead, he reclined on the master's chair, propped his legs up on the table, tilted his head back slightly, closed his eyes as if resting with them shut, and played with a string of ancient-looking prayer beads in his hand.
This scene was insane.
Insane enough to inspire awe, insane enough to be unbelievable, and insane enough to make souls tremble.
Many had taken action, but even more had not. Most of them still stood on the ground, looking up, just watching. The expressions on their faces were more shocked than if they had seen a Heavenly God descend or a divine miracle manifest.
Watching the scene in the sky, many old-timers felt a sense of familiarity, as if they had returned to the Ancient Era.
Back in the Ancient Era, the various sects and great clans had joined forces to besiege Monarch Chixiao just like today, and not just once.
During the first encirclement, Monarch Chixiao was not yet Monarch Chixiao. He was just the notorious Immortal Court fugitive Gu Tianlang, besieged by the various sects. At that time, Gu Tianlang had been utterly helpless, beaten into a wretched state, covered in blood, his cultivation crippled, nearly losing his life.
During the second encirclement by the various sects, Gu Tianlang had already ascended to the peerless throne of the Immortal-Demon Monarch, achieving the unique status of Monarch Chixiao. Alone, he challenged all the experts from the various sects, beating them until some were dead, some injured, some crippled, some had their cultivation destroyed, some clans were exterminated, some sects were wiped out...
Today.
Three to four hundred years later, with the Ancient Era ended and the Present Era begun, the various sects and great clans were besieging Monarch Chixiao for the third time.
This time.
Monarch Chixiao was no longer the Monarch Chixiao of old. Gu Tianlang was also no longer Gu Tianlang, but Gu Qingfeng. He possessed neither cultivation nor great fortune, and he didn't even fight back. He just reclined on the chair, allowing the various Immortals to besiege him madly.
One Immortal after another.
One divine ability after another.
Endless, ceaseless.
They exerted every ounce of their strength, yet they still failed to budge Gu Qingfeng in the slightest.
Some Immortals fought until they were utterly exhausted, their Immortal Spirit completely drained, forcing them to stop.
One was like this.
Two, ten, a hundred...
More and more Immortals began to find their strength inadequate.
More and more Immortals began to stop.
Some might have stopped due to depleted Immortal Spirit, but more stopped because they were scared. The more they fought, the more their hearts grew chilled, the more apprehensive they became. By the end, they fought until their scalps went numb, their faces turned ashen, and their minds trembled.
Yes.
They were afraid.
They had been frightened into fear, fear that seeped into their very bones.
Many of these Immortals were old-timers who had cultivated for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. Among them were Loose Immortals who had weathered eighteen tribulations. There were even Upper Immortals who had cultivated their Luo Tian Immortal Realm to over seventy layers or even Great Perfection.
In their lifetimes, they had seen all sorts of strange and bizarre events, witnessed all kinds of unimaginable fortunes.
So-called mighty experts—they had seen those too.
On the contrary, they had seen far, far too many.
Individually, perhaps none of them were a match for a Grand Luo Golden Immortal. But with the advantage of numbers, they could absolutely slay a Grand Luo Golden Immortal. Not to mention a Grand Luo Golden Immortal, even if a Pure Origin Heavenly Immortal, or even a Nine Heavens Mystic Immortal descended in person, it would be futile.
In their minds, no matter how powerful a mighty expert was, no matter how miraculous their fortune, it was impossible for them to withstand the siege of so many Immortals relying solely on their physical body, like a God.
A scene like today's—none of them had ever witnessed it before, hadn't even heard of it. Looking across the Ancient Era and even the Primordial Era, they had never heard of such a world-shaking, earth-shattering event.
No one knew how much time had passed.
No one knew.
Nor did they know when, or who started to stop first. The divine abilities and immortal arts in the void grew fewer and fewer, from the initial countless filling the sky, to ten thousand, to a thousand, to a hundred...
Until finally, no more divine abilities or immortal arts appeared.
The void no longer shattered.
Yin and Yang no longer fluctuated.
Nature also returned to its usual tranquility.
It was as if everything that had just happened hadn't occurred at all.
The void was still the void, nature was still nature.
Gu Qingfeng was still Gu Qingfeng, still reclining on the master's chair, legs propped on the table, eyes slightly closed, playing with that string of ancient prayer beads in his hand.
But.
Those Immortals who had taken action were no longer the same as before.
Before taking action, each of them had been full of vigor, their Immortal Spirit robust, their aura imposing, majestic and extraordinary.
After taking action, each of them was listless, their Immortal Spirit depleted, devoid of any imposing aura, let alone majesty. All they had left was terror, just fear.
Liuguang Bing, Long Qi, Wang Ba, and the several dozen other Heavenly Geniuses and Dragon Prodigies were like this. The sect masters, elders, and patriarchs of the various sects and great clans were like this. Everyone was like this—faces ashen, utterly wretched, panting heavily, retreating in terror.
Earlier.
Gu Qingfeng had said that today he would allow everyone to attack him, and he would not fight back.
At first, no one believed it; most were half-convinced, half-doubting.
At this moment, they finally believed. Gu Qingfeng had truly allowed everyone to attack him, and from beginning to end, he had not fought back.
The crowd gathered at the foot of Shangqing Sect Mountain to watch the spectacle stood dumbstruck, petrified as if turned to stone, already having forgotten everything in the face of this shock. Those with weaker nerves could barely stand steady, some even collapsing to sit on the ground.
Under the big tree.
Wine Immortal Zhen Yang opened his mouth, wanting to say something. His throat made a sound, very hoarse, but in the end, not a single word came out.
In the distance.
Yun Wan gazed at Gu Qingfeng in the sky. The shock within her heart was like raging rivers and seas, making her feel as if the heavens and earth were spinning.
She still clearly remembered that night a few days ago when Su Hua warned her to try not to have contact with Gu Qingfeng in the future. She said that too much contact, no matter how resilient one's confidence was, would suffer ruthless crushing. Not only would one doubt oneself, but one would also doubt life itself.
At that time, Yun Wan simply couldn't understand why Su Hua, a Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden, would say such a thing.
Until today, until now, until this very moment, she finally understood.
Because, after personally witnessing the insane scene just now, Yun Wan had already begun to doubt life itself...