Beneath the great tree.
Looking at the severely weakened Gu Qingfeng, whose face was slightly pale, Su Hua was deeply worried in her heart. She wanted to try other methods, but was refused.
"Little sister, I'm just a bit physically and mentally exhausted right now, nothing else is seriously wrong. If you really want to help me, how about giving me a shoulder rub? That would be much more useful than your fancy supernatural abilities."
"You're already this weak, and you still have the mind to joke around."
Gu Qingfeng smiled, yawned, picked up his wine cup, tilted his head back for a sip to refresh himself, then lay back down listlessly. Gazing at the people from the various sects, he said,
"We agreed beforehand—today I'd let you all have your fill of hitting me. Those with grudges could settle them, those with grievances could air them. You've hit me, you've had your fill, right?
Since that's the case, can we consider the grudges from back then settled?"
The sect masters of the various sects exchanged glances, looking at each other. No one spoke.
"You are all esteemed seniors of high virtue and prestige in this world. I imagine you wouldn't go back on your word or try to weasel out of it, right?"
"Since none of you are speaking, I'll take that as silent agreement. Our old grudges are completely settled as of today. From now on, you walk your broad, sunny road, I'll walk my single-plank bridge. We'll live in peace without trouble. In the future, as long as you don't cause trouble for me, I definitely won't be so bored as to pick fights with you all."
"But if anyone still wants to cause trouble for me in the future..."
Gu Qingfeng's tone shifted as he continued, "...then don't blame me for not showing any mercy. Although I don't like killing—I've really killed enough to be sick of it by now—that's all there is to it. Not liking to kill doesn't mean I won't kill. Moreover, I can tell you all very responsibly: before, I believed killing was the most effective and direct way to solve problems. I still believe that now, and I will in the future too."
Gu Qingfeng spoke with detached indifference: "I have never been a kind man, nor do I possess any compassion—not even a shred. The only reason I stood here today and let you hit me to your heart's content is purely because I couldn't be bothered to kill you anymore. There's no other reason."
"If I wanted to kill you, every single person present here today, every last one, none would escape."
"You might think my words are a bit arrogant, a bit ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. Whether you accept it or not, whether you admit it or not, it doesn't matter—that's your business. To sum it all up in one sentence: you can't afford to provoke me. To be more precise, in my eyes, you're no different from ants. Killing you would be simpler and easier than crushing an ant."
"So, even if you can't stand the sight of me, don't bother making a fuss in the future. Don't go looking for this helper or that backer—be it the Immortal Dynasty, the Cloud Realm, or the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao. Even if you called down the Old Man Heaven himself, he wouldn't be able to do anything about me."
Gu Qingfeng's words could not be described as anything but wildly arrogant, brazenly lawless, and utterly unrestrained.
One statement viewing the crowd as ants, another saying even the Old Man Heaven couldn't handle him—the scale of his boast rivaled that of the Heavenly King himself.
No.
It was even three parts more arrogant than the Heavenly King.
Throughout all of history, countless heroes and champions had never dared utter such arrogant words.
Gu Qingfeng was the first.
Although many present thought he was boasting, and many felt not convinced and unwilling in their hearts.
But facing someone whom tens of thousands of Immortals joined forces to attack couldn't budge an inch, no matter how not convinced or unwilling they felt, none dared to speak up.
Gu Qingfeng stood up, shook out his sleeves, placed one hand behind his back while toying with the prayer beads with the other. He began to stroll slowly, saying, "My words aren't just for the various sects to hear, but also for those so-called great powers hiding in the shadows."
"Among you, there might be reincarnated great powers, or ancient revived great powers, or perhaps some inexplicable Karma great powers. As for who you exactly are, I don't know, nor do I want to know. What you came here to do today, I also don't know. However..."
"...if you're curious about me, if you want to test my depths, I've already given you the opportunity. That you didn't make a move is your business. Don't say I never gave you a chance."
"There's only one chance like this, absolutely no second one. If anyone still wants to test my depths, come right ahead. I'll definitely satisfy your curiosity and let you know clearly just how deep my waters are!"
The sun set in the west, dusk approaching.
As he stopped walking.
Gu Qingfeng raised his head, looked at the sunset, slowly closed his eyes, and sighed, "The Present Era truly is a good age. The heavens are good, the earth is good, people are good too. It would be such a pity not to cultivate properly."
He shook his head slightly, as if sighing with emotion, waved his hand, and said without looking back, "Alright, that's all I have to say. I'm tired and need to get a good sleep. Everyone disperse. Take care, all of you."
He said he was tired.
That he needed to rest.
No one dared to stop him.
No one dared to block his way.
However.
Just as Gu Qingfeng turned to leave, heading towards Shangqing Sect to rest, a sharp shout suddenly rang out.
"Wait!"
Whether it was because the shout was too powerful, or because the scene was too quiet, the sound came like a thunderclap on a clear day, startling everyone. They looked up and saw a person standing in mid-air.
It was a man in white robes, wearing a silver crown and holding a jade fan.
The man was elegant and dignified, with an imposing bearing.
Many recognized him—Jade Dragon Flying Star of the Immortal Dynasty's Purple Gold Hall, possessor of a Great Destiny, a star constellation descended to earth.
Gu Qingfeng stopped, turned to look, his brow furrowing, his expression turning cold.
Seeing this.
Su Hua knew things were taking a bad turn. She immediately stepped forward and angrily rebuked, "Jade Dragon Flying Star, what do you think you're doing!"
"Oh, nothing much."
Jade Dragon Flying Star gently fanned himself with his jade fan, smiling faintly. "This humble one has long admired the Monarch. Just now, seeing so many Immortals joined forces fail to budge the Monarch an inch, I was truly filled with admiration. However..."
"...this humble one's itching to show off my skills, so I also wish to ask the Monarch for a lesson or two."
"Why didn't you make a move earlier!"
"Although this humble one cannot claim to be a true gentleman, I would absolutely not take advantage of someone in a weakened state, nor would I stoop to ganging up on someone."
"Forget about asking for a lesson. You are simply not his match."
"The Monarch and I have yet to spar. How does Fairy Hua know I am not the Monarch's opponent?"
"You're looking for death, do you know that?"
"Ha, if I could die at the hands of the renowned Monarch, this humble one would have no complaints."
"You!"
Su Hua was furious. She understood better than anyone that today's matter had only been resolved because Gu Qingfeng had compromised and made significant concessions. This was a good thing for the various sects and even everyone under heaven. But unfortunately at this moment, Jade Dragon Flying Star had recklessly stepped forward, instantly complicating the matter again.