"That's right! It's not that this so-called Great Old Master is magnanimous, but that we kowtow to him, he doesn't dare accept it, and he can't afford to accept it!"
Immediately after.
Bai Yufei and Liu Feng also rushed over to stand beside Xuan Yun.
Clearly.
Not only did Xuan Yun want to use this opportunity to reclaim face, but Bai Yufei and Liu Feng also wanted to take advantage of the Jinwu Li Sect's encirclement of Gu Qingfeng to make a grand show of themselves.
The three of them stood proudly in mid-air with their hands behind their backs, their expressions arrogant, eyes contemptuous, overbearing and domineering. They were truly showing off to the fullest, putting on quite the spectacle.
"Yun'er, don't be presumptuous!"
Dan Lei, Liu Kaiyun, Bai Teng, and others from the Lotus Secret Realm, the Jinwu Liu Clan, and the aristocratic Bai family all stepped forward. Although they verbally reprimanded Xuan Yun and the other two, it was merely lip service. The three families neither dissuaded nor stopped them. When they stepped forward, it not only seemed like they were cheering Xuan Yun and the others on but also like they were protecting their safety.
This scene truly exceeded everyone's expectations.
Today, the Jinwu Li Sect had Gu Qingfeng heavily surrounded, yet they hadn't made a move. Instead, the three families from the Lotus Secret Realm were acting aggressively, as if they wanted to settle old scores with Gu Qingfeng.
"This Young Lord asks you one more time," Xuan Yun pointed at Gu Qingfeng and arrogantly shouted, "If I kowtow to you, would you dare accept it?"
Mu Lingyao couldn't stand it and rushed in front of Gu Qingfeng, glaring at Xuan Yun and the other two, shouting, "Xuan Yun, don't be shameless when given face! The Great Old Master said the previous bet would repay you a favor..." Before Mu Lingyao could finish, Xuan Yun disdainfully burst into laughter: "What repaying this Young Lord a favor? What a joke! This Young Lord says it again: that meal was only for Ling'er, it had nothing to do with him. The only reason he could sit down was entirely due to Ling'er's face. Therefore, he owes this Young Lord nothing and doesn't need to repay any favor."
With a cold snort, Xuan Yun added, "He wants to find a way out for himself, but this Young Lord won't give him that way out today!"
Mu Lingyao was furious, shouting, "You bastards! You're going too far!"
Mu Lingyao was about to stand up for Gu Qingfeng and make Xuan Yun and his crew kneel and kowtow, but before she could speak, Huadiexianzi's secret message transmission came through.
"Yao'er, you must not act impulsively. This is a trap set by Xuan Yun and the others. If you stand up for the Great Old Master today and make them kneel, things will become irreparable. Xuan Yun and the others stepping forward now isn't just about showing off. They're doing this to force the Great Old Master to make a move. Once the Great Old Master acts, they'll have a reason to capture him. They also want to seize the Great Old Master's ten trillion bonus!"
Hearing Huadiexianzi's words, Mu Lingyao realized the Lotus Secret Realm was playing such a sinister trick. She quickly asked, "Then what do we do now? Are we just supposed to endure it?"
"For now, we can only endure it. We absolutely must not let the Great Old Master make a move. Otherwise, we'll be facing not just the Jinwu Li Sect, but also the Lotus Secret Realm, the aristocratic Bai family, and the Jinwu Liu Clan. They're all eyeing the Great Old Master's ten trillion bonus."
"But!"
"No buts! You must not act rashly!"
Huadiexianzi also stepped forward, transmitting the Lotus Secret Realm's conspiracy to Gu Qingfeng via secret message, signaling him not to make a move.
"The mighty Great Old Master actually hiding behind two women—this Young Lord has truly seen it all!"
Xuan Yun sneered, then stared at Gu Qingfeng, his voice hardening as he shouted, "This Young Lord asks you one more time: If I kowtow to you, would you dare accept it?"
Huadiexianzi wanted to help Gu Qingfeng out of this predicament, but just as she opened her mouth, a voice came from behind her: "Fine, then kowtow."
The one who said this was none other than Gu Qingfeng.
No one expected Gu Qingfeng to actually dare say such words.
Huadiexianzi didn't expect it, Mu Lingyao didn't expect it, Xuan Yun, Liu Feng, Bai Yufei, and even Dan Lei, Liu Kaiyun, Bai Teng, and others from the Lotus Secret Realm, the aristocratic Bai family, the Jinwu Liu Clan—including everyone present—didn't expect it.
"Great Old Master, they..." Mu Lingyao wanted to dissuade Gu Qingfeng, but Gu Qingfeng wasn't in the mood to listen. He stood up from the comfortable chair, stretched lazily, and said, "Since you want to play, then today, this lord will play with you properly. We won't stop until we've made a name for ourselves."
With that, he walked over, pushed Huadiexianzi and the other aside, stood on the grand carriage, stared at Xuan Yun, and said, "Kowtow. Do it now."
Perhaps because they didn't expect Gu Qingfeng to actually dare make them kowtow, Xuan Yun, Liu Feng, and Bai Yufei were momentarily at a loss.
"Esteemed Sir!"
At that moment, Dan Lei stepped forward, his voice grave: "If you insist on making Yun'er and the others kowtow, this old man will kowtow in their stead. How about that?"
"Good! Then you kowtow."
Everyone knew Dan Lei stepping forward now carried a threatening undertone, but no one expected Gu Qingfeng to actually tell him to kowtow.
"Kowtow! Kowtow for this lord right now! Ten million kowtows! Not one less today!"
"Oh?" Dan Lei's gaze turned unfriendly as he stared at Gu Qingfeng, shouting, "Esteemed Sir, aren't you being too arrogant? This old man has cultivated for tens of thousands of years. Can you afford to accept my kowtow?"
Whoosh!
Brilliant light flashed around Dan Lei as vast Immortal Power erupted, the four luminances of metal, wood, water, and fire spinning wildly.
At the same time, Liu Kaiyun, Bai Teng, Xuan Yun, Liu Feng, Bai Yufei, and everyone from the Lotus Secret Realm, the aristocratic Bai family, and the Jinwu Liu Clan all immediately circulated their Immortal Spirit and summoned their Immortal weapons and treasures.
Seeing these people looking ready to fight, Mu Lingyao panicked completely. She looked at Huadiexianzi, who was also somewhat flustered by the scene unfolding before her. Because the current situation not only completely exceeded her expectations but was also no longer something she could stop.
"Today, this lord will show you whether I can afford to accept it or not!"
As the words fell, Gu Qingfeng raised his foot and kicked Dan Lei squarely in the chest. With a bang, the four luminances of metal, wood, water, and fire surrounding Dan Lei instantly dissipated. Crack! His arms and legs split apart on the spot. When he landed on the ground, only his head and a half-severed torso remained.
No one expected Gu Qingfeng to suddenly attack. Moreover, with one kick, he not only shattered Dan Lei's four luminances but also kicked Dan Lei's physical body into pieces.
One must know that Dan Lei was a Zhenxing Golden Immortal with forty layers of cultivation! Moreover, he had cultivated for tens of thousands of years. His Immortal Spirit was powerful, his Immortal Power profound—absolutely unfathomable. How could he be kicked to pieces on the spot by someone with no cultivation at all?
They didn't know.
No one knew.
This scene happened too fast, so fast that no one could react.
On the Firecloud Grand Chariot, Gu Qingfeng stood with his hands behind his back, sweeping his gaze across them, and coldly shouted, "All of you, kneel!"
As the word 'kneel' fell, with a thunderous boom, Liu Kaiyun, Bai Teng, Xuan Yun, and over a hundred people from the three families of the Lotus Secret Realm didn't even have time to react. The light around them completely dissipated, blood spurted from their mouths and noses, and they all knelt on the ground as commanded.