"Not simple?
How is he not simple?
Could he really have been some great lord before?"
Thinking of Gu Qingfeng's appearance, Mu Lingyao shook her head. "That guy is all slick and sleazy, his words and actions are frivolous too. He doesn't look like any great lord at all. If you told me he was a rogue or a hoodlum, I'd believe that."
"Whether he was some great lord before, I don't know, and it's not important either," Immortal Flower Butterfly said seriously. "What's important is that his physical body is terrifying. Killing you or me would be effortless for him."
"Really? Is it that exaggerated? Where did you see that?"
"Do I even need to see it? Don't you know the power of the Immortal Art you unleashed yourself? When you've fought others, have you ever seen anyone try to catch your Immortal Art bare-handed? No, right? But him? Not only did he catch it bare-handed, he didn't even bother looking at it. Just a casual wave of his hand, and the Immortal Art you unleashed instantly dispersed and vanished. That means the force behind his wave was enough to completely crush your Immortal Art."
Hearing Immortal Flower Butterfly say this, Mu Lingyao thought it over carefully and realized it was indeed true.
In the Great Desolate, no matter one's cultivation level, before a fight, everyone would summon their Immortal Armor and Immortal Sword.
Facing an incoming Immortal Art, one would dodge if possible. If dodging wasn't an option, they could only unleash another Immortal Art to break the opponent's.
If one's own Immortal Art couldn't break the opponent's, then they could only frantically circulate their Immortal Spirit, activating the defensive formations of their Immortal Armor.
If even the Immortal Armor couldn't withstand it, they'd have to rely on their own Immortal Power to block.
If their own Immortal Power couldn't hold either, then they'd have to rely on their physical body to endure it head-on.
If it was a Fortune Treasure Body, then it might be fine. But if it wasn't, they had to prepare for the worst. Because an ordinary physical body would struggle to withstand an opponent's Immortal Art. Once enveloped by it, with good luck, one might suffer only flesh wounds. With bad luck, the meridians, acupoints, and such in the body might rupture, possibly leading to disability. And with truly terrible luck, being shattered to pieces on the spot wasn't impossible.
No one had ever dared to use their bare-handed physical body to block an opponent's Immortal Art. Even for a Fortune Body, it depended on what kind of Fortune it was—not all Fortune Bodies possessed powerful physical forms.
"And that was just the terrifying force behind his casual wave. Who knows how much strength he actually used in that wave? What if it was only one-tenth of his power? Then how terrifying must his physical body truly be?"
"Heavens!"
As Immortal Flower Butterfly's voice came through, Mu Lingyao's expression changed repeatedly. She had been so focused on her own feelings, single-mindedly wanting to vent her anger, that she hadn't considered just how powerful Gu Qingfeng really was. Now, hearing Immortal Flower Butterfly's words, her heart couldn't help but pound wildly.
"And that's not even the most terrifying part. What's even more frightening is that the Immortal Art you unleashed inexplicably froze in place. That was an Immortal Art! A powerful Fortune Magical Treasure might be able to instantly crush and disperse your Immortal Art, but to make it freeze completely motionless... I truly can't imagine what kind of Fortune Magical Treasure could achieve that. After all, it wasn't some inanimate object, but a mutable, ever-changing Immortal Art. The key point is, he didn't summon any Fortune Magical Treasure at all. Not only did he not summon one, he didn't even lift a finger. Think about it carefully. Doesn't that strike you as a terrifying thing?"
If Mu Lingyao hadn't realized how terrifying Gu Qingfeng's existence was before, then after Immortal Flower Butterfly said this, she truly and keenly understood his frightfulness. Not only did she feel afraid, she even felt a creeping sense of dread.
"Then what do you think he... what kind of person is he?"
"I don't know, and I can't imagine what kind of person he is," Immortal Flower Butterfly shook her head. "Between heaven and earth, there exist countless mysteries and unknowns. The existence of those great experts is simply beyond the comprehension of lowly ants like us at the very bottom."
"Sister Flower Butterfly, I admit that guy is terrifying, but you don't have to degrade yourself like that, calling us ants. If we're ants, then what about those in our Dual-Pole Heavenly Domain who are weaker than us? Ants among ants?"
"Yao'er, you've grown up without ever leaving the Dual-Pole Heavenly Domain. You have no idea how vast the Great Desolate truly is."
"I really don't know how big the Great Desolate is."
"The Great Desolate is boundless, infinite and endless. Our Dual-Pole Heavenly Domain is but an insignificant corner of it. To the Great Desolate, our Dual-Pole Heavenly Domain might be just a speck of dust. And we are merely ants within that speck of dust."
"This... alright, ants we are then. If we're all ants, what about that guy? Isn't he an ant too?"
"I'm not sure either. He seems very mysterious and bizarre. Precisely because of his mystery and bizarreness, he's all the more terrifying."
"Why?"
"Because you have absolutely no idea what horrifying secrets lie hidden behind that unknown of his!"
"If that's the case, then forget it. I won't provoke him anymore. It sounds downright creepy."
Mu Lingyao sighed dejectedly. "I'll just swallow my humiliation. I, Mu Lingyao, accept it. It's not like many people saw it anyway. I'll just avoid him if I see him in the future."
"It's best if you don't provoke him. But this matter can't just be left like this."
"Sister Flower Butterfly, didn't you just say he's terrifying? And you advised me not to provoke him. Do you have some other idea?"
"Where is your mind going!"
"Then what do you mean by 'can't be left like this'?"
"Since you came out, I think... it's best if you go and apologize to him."
"What!"
Mu Lingyao was shocked. "You want me to go apologize to that guy? Big sister! Are you out of your mind? Right now, my Immortal Spirit is depleted, I'm exhausted and drained, my heart has suffered severe devastation, and my spirit is deeply wounded. And he's completely unharmed! If anyone should apologize, it should be him apologizing to me!"
"That's your own fault. Who told you not to listen and insisted on fighting him?"
"Fine, even if it's my own fault, haven't I already received the lesson I deserved? Why apologize further?"
"When it comes down to it, you made the first move and offended him. Regardless of whether he suffered any damage, you should take the initiative to apologize. Most importantly, you made a bet with him—one move, one day as his maiden attendant. You unleashed a total of fifty-seven Immortal Arts. By that count, you'd have to be his maiden attendant for fifty-seven days."
"Damn it! If you hadn't mentioned it, I'd forgotten all about that! What do I do now? Could it be that this young lady really has to be his maiden attendant for fifty-seven days?"
"That's why I'm telling you to go apologize."
"But... what if he insists I be his maiden attendant? What do I do then? I can't really become his attendant, can I? I, Mu Lingyao, have at least a little bit of reputation, don't I? If word gets out, how will I face anyone? Won't people laugh themselves to death at me?"
"Just go apologize first. He doesn't seem like the petty, calculative type. When he said those things, it sounded more like a joke. I doubt he'd actually make you be his attendant for over fifty days."
"Wait! What do you mean 'doesn't seem like'? What if you're wrong? What if he wasn't joking, but dead serious?"
"If he were really that petty, he wouldn't have let me take you away at the time."
"Better safe than sorry!"
"If he really refuses to let you off, I'll go be his maiden attendant in your place, alright?"