"Great Old Master's ten trillion bonus hasn't even been collected yet. How can the Jinwu Li Clan just seize it?"
"You fool! As long as they take the Great Old Master back first and imprison him, what's to stop them from seizing the ten trillion bonus?"
"So that's why the Jinwu Li Clan brought so many people! They have ulterior motives. In that case, even if Sister Huadie steps in later, it won't help matters, will it? If they forcibly take the Great Old Master back, we can't stop them! And even if I call my second uncle and eldest brother now, it'll be too late!"
"So we absolutely cannot let the Jinwu Li Clan take the Great Old Master back. If they capture him, not only will the ten trillion bonus be lost, but I'm afraid even the Great Old Master's life will..."
"Then what should we do?"
"Let's wait and see the situation first. If the Jinwu Li Clan really disregards everything to take the Great Old Master back, I'll act first to hide him."
"Hide him? How?"
Mu Lingyao suddenly remembered a treasure in Huadiexianzi's possession and laughed, "How could I forget about that treasure of yours! Then why are we still standing here? Shouldn't we just run now?"
"Running won't solve the problem. The monk can flee, but the temple remains. Where could we run to? This matter must be resolved eventually. The most urgent thing now is how to resolve it while ensuring the Great Old Master's safety."
"How else can it be resolved? Fights inevitably lead to casualties; we'll just compensate them with money. According to the old rules of our Twin-Pole Heavenly Domain, the death of a Taibai Golden Immortal costs fifty million in compensation. They lost three, so that's one hundred and fifty million. Adding Li Zhengshi's Immortal Spirit, at most it's two hundred million Immortal Stones."
"You're thinking too simply. When the time comes, the Jinwu Li Clan will definitely make exorbitant demands."
"Let them choke on it! Give them ten times—two billion. If that's not enough, then a hundred times—twenty billion. Anyway, the Great Old Master won ten trillion; he's not short on money."
Huadiexianzi shook her head slightly. "If you had a chance to seize ten trillion, would you be content with just twenty billion? You wouldn't. No one would, let alone the despicable and shameless Jinwu Li Clan."
"Then what should we do?"
"We can only take it one step at a time, responding to changes with constancy."
"Alright. I'll go discuss countermeasures with the Great Old Master now."
Mu Lingyao walked over, jumped onto the Fire Cloud Carriage, and relayed the strategy she and Huadiexianzi had discussed. "Now that the Jinwu Li Clan has brought so many people, it's clear they not only want your life but also plan to seize the ten trillion bonus you won. But don't worry. Sister Huadie and I just discussed it, and we will do our utmost to protect you when the time comes."
"Of course! After all, you did kill people from the Jinwu Li Clan on Floating Sky Island, so compensation is unavoidable. As for how much, we'll see when the time comes. Anyway, you won ten trillion in bonuses; you're not short on money. As long as their demands aren't too outrageous, we'll give it to them."
"Compensate them?" Gu Qingfeng laughed. "I'll compensate them with a pile of shit."
"Great Old Master! You killed their people. If you don't compensate them, there's no way to get past this. And the problem now is that they not only want your money but also your life! If you can use money to save your own skin, just consider it spending to avoid disaster."
"No money to give, and no life to hand over either."
"You...! Aren't you afraid they'll kill you?"
"Little sister." Gu Qingfeng put down his wine cup and glanced at them. "Do I look afraid to you?"
Hearing this, Mu Lingyao was stunned. Not only her, but Qianling and Qianniao were also stunned.
Because when they first saw the Jinwu Li Clan members rushing over, each of them had been anxious, panicked, and terrified, their minds filled with thoughts on how to deal with the aggressive Jinwu Li Clan. Now, hearing Gu Qingfeng's words, they realized that the Great Old Master truly didn't seem the least bit afraid.
Not only was he unafraid, but he also showed no panic or even a trace of worry. From beginning to end, he had been sitting in his chair, legs crossed, sipping wine, smoking spirit tobacco, completely at ease—as if the Jinwu Li Clan wasn't coming for him but for someone else, while he was merely a spectator enjoying the show.
"You... you really aren't afraid at all?"
"What's there to be afraid of?"
"The Jinwu Li Clan brought thousands of people! And they're all experts! Even someone like Li Xiao, a Five Luminance Great Perfection Zhenxing Golden Immortal, is here! You..." Mu Lingyao continued, but Gu Qingfeng had already lost interest in listening. He took a puff of spirit smoke and said, "Little sister, don't worry about this matter. If I were afraid, I wouldn't be sitting here. Others might not know my capabilities, but don't you? At Eight Treasures Manor, didn't you witness my prowess?"
Yes.
Both Huadiexianzi and Mu Lingyao had witnessed Gu Qingfeng's power. They had seen with their own eyes how Mu Lingyao had exhausted all her strength yet failed to affect him in the slightest. But Mu Lingyao was only a Suixing Golden Immortal. Now, the Jinwu Li Clan had brought hundreds of Suixing Golden Immortals, not to mention Chenxing Golden Immortals, Yinghuo Golden Immortals, and even Zhenxing Golden Immortals.
Even if you, Great Old Master, are incredibly powerful, and Suixing Golden Immortals can't touch you, Chenxing Golden Immortals can't touch you, Yinghuo Golden Immortals can't touch you, and even Zhenxing Golden Immortals can't touch you...
But you're just one person!
If one Golden Immortal can't touch you, what about ten? A hundred? Several thousand Golden Immortals? Do you think you're a god?
Faced with Mu Lingyao's doubts, Gu Qingfeng said with utter boredom, "These so-called Chenxing, Yinghuo, and Zhenxing—they might be experts to you, but to me, Great Old Master, they're no different from a bunch of ants. I could crush them to death with a single step, just for fun."
"This..." Mu Lingyao, Huadiexianzi, Qianling, and Qianniao exchanged glances, unsure how to respond.
They didn't know whether to believe the Great Old Master's words.
If they didn't believe him... well, the Great Old Master had said climbing the Tower of Stolen Gold's eighty-one layers would be as easy as playing, and that had turned out to be true.
But if they did believe him...
They really couldn't bring themselves to. The Jinwu Li Clan's thousands of members were all experts! How could crushing them be as easy as playing? They couldn't imagine what kind of person, what kind of confidence, would dare utter such arrogant words.
"If you're really that powerful, then why did you back down earlier when the Lotus Secret Realm threatened you?"
"What do you mean 'back down'? I, Great Old Master, was repaying a favor."
"Wasn't that 'favor' just an excuse to save face?"
"That's just what you think."