At the foot of Shangqing Sect Mountain.
The dozens of Heavenly Geniuses and dragon-like talents who had taken the lead earlier were now all depleted of Immortal Energy, sitting cross-legged and recovering it as quickly as possible.
Usually during a fight, everyone would keep three-tenths of their strength in reserve for self-preservation and escape. Once Immortal Energy was exhausted, one was practically half a cripple, left only to await death. Even though they were Heavenly Geniuses and dragon-like talents possessing peerless fortune, they were no exception.
Of course.
The reason they dared to do this was twofold: first, they were unwilling to admit defeat, their eyes red with battle fury; second, they knew that Wuya, Jade Dragon Flying Star, and Ten Thousand Flowers Rain were covering them from the rear, so naturally they had nothing to worry about.
Wuya and the other two, the star-incarnate Young Lords possessing Great Heavenly Destinies, were indeed covering them. While covering them, they had also been observing Gu Qingfeng's strength. However, even after observing for so long, they still couldn't figure anything out. What kind of existence Gu Qingfeng was, they didn't know. How powerful his physical body truly was, none of them had any idea.
Although all three of them said they had only come today to watch the spectacle, that was merely lip service. Deep down, each was calculating their own schemes. However, there was one thing the three shared: they all wanted to surmount the peak that was Monarch Chixiao, the mountain pressing down on the heads of all Heavenly Geniuses and dragon-like talents. Even if they couldn't surmount it, they at least wanted to know just how high this mountain was.
This wasn't a matter of face or personal grudges, but rather the pride, dignity, and pursuit befitting a star-incarnate who possessed a Great Heavenly Destiny.
They were star-incarnates possessing Great Heavenly Destinies. If nothing unexpected happened, they all had the potential to ascend to become Great Dao Star Lords in the future. In other words, they already stood at the pinnacle of this World. They had status, they had position, and they had strength in abundance. If they wanted to advance further and prove themselves, the only way was to surmount a peak like Monarch Chixiao, who loomed over this World.
Therefore.
They had come today.
Unfortunately.
They had gained nothing so far.
If they had been fifty percent confident before coming, then after witnessing the frenzied scene just now, the confidence in their hearts had dwindled to twenty or thirty percent, or even lower.
However.
When they noticed that Gu Qingfeng's Human aura was extremely weak, as if the oil was spent and the lamp about to go out, teetering on the brink of death, they seemed to glimpse a sliver of opportunity.
A trace of cunning flashed in Jade Dragon Flying Star's eyes, within which a flicker of killing intent also passed. The corner of his mouth even curled into a sinister smile. Then he glanced at Ten Thousand Flowers Rain.
Ten Thousand Flowers Rain had been standing quietly with his arms crossed, staring intently at Gu Qingfeng here. Perhaps sensing Jade Dragon Flying Star's gaze, he turned his head to look.
The two exchanged glances. Though neither spoke, they both knew what the other was thinking.
Inside the pavilion.
Wuya also knew this was a rare opportunity, a once-in-a-thousand-years, absolutely perfect chance.
The World knew he possessed a Great Heavenly Destiny and was a star-incarnate. In this World, he could absolutely be considered a figure of great status, great position, and great strength—at least, no one dared to provoke him.
However.
That was only 'no one dared to provoke him'.
It was true that he possessed status, position, and strength, but he did not have a powerful background.
No one daring to provoke him did not mean he could command the wind and rain.
In this World, the Heavenly Geniuses and dragon-like talents were divided into three spheres: one belonged to the Immortal Court's Purple-Gold Hall, one to the Shangqing Sect's inner sect, and one to the Chizi Head's Purple Clouds Pavilion.
Leading the Purple-Gold Hall was the so-called Third Prince, who was said to know the Heavenly Destiny.
Leading the Chizi Head's Purple Clouds Pavilion was the so-called Purple Clouds King, hailed as the unparalleled Young Lord of his generation.
And leading the Shangqing Sect's inner sect was the so-called Great Nature True Lord, the Grand Heir Apparent.
Wuya was currently a personal disciple of the Shangqing Sect's inner sect, but he did not follow the lead of that so-called Great Nature True Lord, the Grand Heir Apparent.
He had pride in his bones, and even more, ambition. He did not want, nor was he willing, to be subordinate to anyone.
Over the years, he had been secretly cultivating his own forces and trusted followers. Figures like Liuguang Bing and Long Qi were also those he had painstakingly drawn to his side over these years.
However, wanting to carve out a realm of his own under the watchful eyes of the three spheres—the Immortal Court's Purple-Gold Hall, the Shangqing Sect's inner sect, and the Chizi Head's Purple Clouds Pavilion—was truly no easy task.
Therefore, he had been waiting, waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity that would allow him to soar to the heavens, make his name known throughout the World, and rise above the many Heavenly Geniuses, dragon-like talents, and even other Great Heavenly Destinies.
And the appearance of Monarch Chixiao was, for him, absolutely an opportunity that couldn't be more suitable.
Monarch Chixiao was a hegemon who shook the heavens and earth in the Ancient Era, his fame unparalleled.
He was also a sinner of the Immortal Dao.
In this World, he had countless enemies.
Forget about erasing Monarch Chixiao; even just defeating him, or even managing to gain a slight upper hand in a single exchange, would be enough to soar to the heavens and make his name known throughout the World. At that time, his status and position would not only rise above the many Heavenly Geniuses and dragon-like talents, but he could also rally hundreds to his call, taking this opportunity to draw in various great sects. From then on, commanding a hundred responses and summoning wind and rain would be nothing difficult.
That wasn't the important part.
The important part was that Wuya clearly understood: although his Great Heavenly Destiny was bestowed by heaven, it did not completely belong to him. At best, it only temporarily belonged to him. Whether he could defend this Heavenly Destiny, whether he could ultimately successfully ascend to become a Star Lord, did not depend on fate, nor on fortune, nor even on strength. It depended on whether the Great Dao above was willing to support you.
Because the Heavenly Destinies descending in the Present Era were truly too many...
There were also quite a few who had obtained Great Heavenly Destinies, and that was just in this World. One must remember that between heaven and earth, there were said to be three thousand great Worlds. No one knew how many Heavenly Destinies had descended in other Worlds.
Perhaps many, many, even more than one could imagine.
However.
The positions of Star Lords were limited.
Even if you obtained a Great Heavenly Destiny, even if you defended it and fused with it, in the end, you might still not ascend to become a Star Lord. This required competition, struggle, standing out from among the many star-incarnates, and then receiving the support of the Great Dao before one could ascend to become a Star Lord.
How to stand out among the many star-incarnates?
Wuya didn't know.
However, there was one thing he was certain of: if he gave up on such a perfect opportunity as Monarch Chixiao today, he might never be able to stand out among the many star-incarnates in this lifetime, let alone attract the attention of the Great Dao and receive its support.
He didn't want to give up, and he didn't want to miss such a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity.
Only.
Was this really an opportunity?
Wuya truly couldn't be sure.
He neither knew how powerful Gu Qingfeng's physical body truly was, nor how long the currently weak and frail Gu Qingfeng could hold on.
"Young Lord, you must not act rashly!"
Ghost Elder had followed Wuya for a long time and could naturally guess what Wuya was thinking at this moment. He advised, "The existence of Monarch Chixiao is beyond what we can imagine."
"But the Human aura on his body is already spent like oil in a lamp, extremely weak. He looks to be in mortal danger and seems unable to hold on much longer."
"A weak Human aura might represent the oil being spent and the lamp about to go out for ordinary people, but he is the Monarch, the mysterious and bizarre Monarch whose true nature no one knows! With just a pure physical body, he can withstand the siege of thousands of Immortals. Forget that he is only weak in Human aura now; even if he had only one breath left, he is not someone we can provoke."
Wuya closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and said solemnly, "If I give up this opportunity today, I will regret it for the rest of my life!"
"If the Young Lord gives up, you may regret it for life. But if the Young Lord angers the Monarch, I'm afraid you won't even have the chance to regret it for life!"