"Little Drunkard, you're really a dead duck with a hard beak. Just admit you're scared. Honestly, this Immortal won't laugh at you."
"Alright, I admit it. I'm very scared. So could Immortal Lady Qianniao please stop playing tricks?"
"That's more like it."
Perhaps it was because over these years, she had never seen Gu Qingfeng show any great joy or sorrow, his heart remaining utterly placid. Especially that casual laziness about him, as if he held no interest in anything between heaven and earth—that indifferent attitude left Qianniao both helpless and curious. So this time, she deliberately tried to scare him.
Even though Gu Qingfeng said he was scared, Qianniao was no fool. She could see he showed no trace of fear at all. From start to finish, he remained sitting cross-legged, eating fruit while admiring the scenery of the Great Desolate.
This only deepened Qianniao's curiosity. In her mind, whether Gu Qingfeng had been a cultivator before was still unknown. Even if he were, the first time traveling through the Great Desolate, no one could possibly be as calm as him. She couldn't help but ask, "Tell me, Little Drunkard, what kind of person do you think you were before?"
"What do I look like to you?"
"You!"
Qianniao stared at Gu Qingfeng, frowning deeply. After thinking for a long while, she said, "Before, I thought you were just an ordinary person. Maybe something happened to make you like this. But now, I'm starting to feel more and more that you're not ordinary at all."
"How am I not ordinary?"
"I can't quite put it into words. It's just a feeling. It feels like you've seen great things before... like... like a master who's grown weary of strife and wants to retire from the world."
"Oh ho."
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "You could see that?"
"That's not what I said. Sister Ling'er said it."
"Then you should learn more from your Sister Ling'er in the future. Her insight is truly remarkable."
Gu Qingfeng glanced at Qianling flying at the very front. In the over twenty years in the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, he hadn't met Qianling many times. In his impression, ever since this girl became the lord of Xiaoluo, she was either cultivating or traveling outside. The girl had good aptitude, was clever and perceptive, with excellent comprehension. Most importantly, she was diligent and responsible—a rare talent with great potential.
And Gu Qingfeng believed that under her leadership, the Xiaoluo Secret Realm would surely shine brightly in this Dual-Pole Celestial Domain.
"So were you really some great power before?"
"What? Doesn't it look like it?"
Qianniao very seriously examined Gu Qingfeng from head to toe. After a moment, she shook her head. "No, it doesn't."
"What part doesn't?"
"Every part, from head to toe."
"Little sister! I have to say, your judgment is far worse than your Sister Ling'er's. Remember this when you go out in the future: don't judge a book by its cover."
"Pfft, Little Drunkard, why are you pretending to be some great power in front of this Immortal? Let me tell you, I've seen real great powers before. They just stand there, not saying a word, and even from far away, you can feel their immense presence."
Qianniao said with some disdain, "Now look at you. You've got nothing going for you, head to toe. Not a hint of a master's presence."
"Well, I've fallen on hard times and lost my cultivation, haven't I?"
"Little Drunkard, don't talk nonsense if you don't understand. A great power is always a great power. A master is always a master. Even if they fall on hard times, even without cultivation, their powerful presence remains. Just like the You Di of old. So what if his cultivation was crippled? So what if his Emperor's Throne was taken? It still couldn't conceal the innate, aloof, and domineering kingly aura of the You Di."
"You say it like it's real. Have you ever seen the You Di?"
"This Immortal hasn't seen him, but I grew up listening to legends of the You Di. Who in the Great Desolate doesn't know how aloof and domineering the You Di was back in the day? When the great sun fell, darkness struck, the You Di descended, the Great Dao dimmed, heaven and earth faced their doom... Haven't you heard?"
"Little sister, how many times have I told you? Listen less to these flashy, exaggerated rumors in the future. They're too overblown, not to be taken seriously."
"What do you mean flashy rumors? This is fact! Throughout the Great Desolate, who doesn't know? I say, Little Drunkard, I find you quite strange. You never care or pay attention to anything else. Why is it that whenever I mention the You Di, you always argue with me? What? Do you have a problem with this Immortal? Or do you have a problem with the You Di? Let me tell you, you can have a problem with me, but you can't have a problem with the You Di. This Immortal is the You Di's most devoted admirer."
Gu Qingfeng shook his head with a bitter smile, feeling like crying but having no tears.
He really didn't want to dwell on this topic any longer, so he asked, "How much longer until we reach the Fengyue Small World?"
"Just wait. It's not far."
The Great Desolate had neither heaven nor earth, nor sun nor moon.
Only countless 'stars'.
To be precise, those weren't stars either, but various cave heavens and blessed lands, mysterious heavenly Secret Realms, and worlds both large and small.
Let alone how many of these worlds large and small existed—no one knew. Even how many Heavenly Domains existed within the Great Desolate, probably no one could answer.
Although Gu Qingfeng had roamed the Great Desolate before and knew of several famous Heavenly Domains, he had never heard of this Dual-Pole Celestial Domain and had no impression of it whatsoever.
But this Dual-Pole Celestial Domain seemed quite lively.
Along the way, they could see other Immortals everywhere. These Immortals, like those from the Xiaoluo Secret Realm, traveled in groups, either riding Immortal Beast mounts or flying on swords. Looking around, wave after wave of Immortals streaked across the vast, boundless Great Desolate like meteor showers, one after another.
Awooo!
Suddenly, an exceptionally fierce roar sounded. Gu Qingfeng looked over to see a group of over a hundred people charging grandly forward.
These hundred-plus individuals all wore Immortal Armor, stood upon Immortal Weapons, and flew on swords.
However, the dozen or so men and women at the lead all rode fierce Immortal Beast mounts.
Especially the Immortal Beast at the very front. It looked like a lion-tiger hybrid, its body immense—over ten meters long and about nine meters tall. Its fur was golden-red, and as it charged forward, it resembled a lion-tiger ablaze with flames.
On the back of this flaming lion-tiger stood a man in green robes, arms crossed, a playful smile hanging at the corner of his mouth.
Seeing these people, Qianniao first started in surprise, then a trace of anger flashed across her face. "It's actually those disgusting people!"
"You know them?"
"Of course I know them. I'd recognize them even turned to ash. They're all from the Golden Crow Secret Realm."
Hearing the name Golden Crow Secret Realm, Gu Qingfeng immediately understood why Qianniao would be angry upon seeing them. Over the years, he had heard Qianniao mention the Golden Crow Secret Realm many times. From her, he learned that the Golden Crow Secret Realm seemed to be a Secret Realm with considerable power in this Dual-Pole Celestial Domain. Relying on the backing of some great power, they acted quite arrogantly in the Dual-Pole Celestial Domain, often bullying smaller Secret Realms.