Within the arena.
Xuan Yun, Liu Feng, Bai Yufei, and the others were screaming their hearts out, clamoring for Ancestral Patriarchs like Danshou, Liu Ziyu, Li Shengyang, and Bai Qi to take action and annihilate Gu Qingfeng to avenge them.
For them at this moment, face had long been lost beyond recovery, no matter how they tried to salvage it today. Thus, they now harbored only one thought: to tear Gu Qingfeng into ten thousand pieces.
However, no matter how they screamed, Danshou and the other Ancestral Patriarchs remained unmoved, merely staring fixedly at Gu Qingfeng. None made a move.
It wasn't that they didn't want to, but that they didn't dare.
They were all old-timers who had cultivated for many years. They clearly understood that when facing a mysterious, bizarre, and unfathomably powerful expert, if they acted rashly and ended up outmatched, not only would they fail to recover their dignity or exact revenge, they might even lose their own lives in the process.
"This old man is Danshou, an elder of the Lotus Secret Realm."
Finally.
After much hesitation, Danshou stepped forward and asked, "May I inquire as to your esteemed name?"
Danshou had originally intended to first probe the other party's identity and background. Unfortunately, no one responded to him. That mysterious Mortal Great Old Master still lay reclined in his chair, eyes closed, nurturing his spirit.
After waiting a moment with no response, Danshou spoke again, "I wonder how these juniors have offended you, to make you deal them such a vicious blow!"
Still, there was no response.
That mysterious Mortal Great Old Master seemed as if he had fallen asleep, showing no reaction from beginning to end.
Danshou, Liu Ziyu, Li Shengyang, Bai Qi, and the other experts discussed how to respond. Someone suggested that in this situation, having one person go first to probe the other's true strength was the best strategy. Everyone else also felt this method was feasible.
However, facing the mysterious and bizarre Mortal Great Old Master, no one dared to go alone to probe, especially Bai Qi. The Prestigious Bai Family had only him, a Five-Luminances-Unity Great Nature Golden Immortal. If he went to probe and something unexpected happened, their Bai Family would be utterly finished this time.
The Five-Luminances-Unity experts of the Jinwu Li Family and the Golden Crow Liu Family, though slightly more numerous than the Prestigious Bai Family, only had a few more. If something went wrong, even if the remaining experts acted immediately, it would likely be too little, too late.
After much deliberation, they all felt that having someone from the Lotus Secret Realm probe was most appropriate. Even if some unforeseen situation arose, the more than twenty Five-Luminances-Unity Great Nature Golden Immortals from the Lotus Secret Realm could act simultaneously to guard against mishaps. To this end, Bai Qi, Liu Ziyu, and Li Shengyang also guaranteed that if any unforeseen situation occurred, they would act promptly as well.
The Lotus Secret Realm did not refuse. Although they knew the Bai, Li, and Liu Families had their own selfish motives, there was one point none could deny: whether in terms of strength or influence, prestige or reputation, the three great families were far inferior to the Lotus Secret Realm. In such a situation, the Lotus Secret Realm should rightfully step forward to seek justice for everyone.
Moreover, the injured disciples were not limited to the three great families; their own Lotus Secret Realm disciples had also had their meridians severed and become cripples.
Therefore, both publicly and privately, the Lotus Secret Realm should shoulder this responsibility.
"I'll go!"
A middle-aged man from the Lotus Secret Realm stepped forward. He was also a Five-Luminances-Unity Great Nature Golden Immortal, and moreover, a steward of the Lotus Secret Realm named Huang He.
In truth, even if no one had suggested it, he had been prepared to step forward, because he was not only a steward of the Lotus Secret Realm but also Xuan Yun's master.
When he arrived and saw his precious disciple not only with severed meridians and dispersed Immortal Energy but also with both legs crippled, Huang He found it utterly unbearable. Although he also feared that Mortal Great Old Master, with Danshou and twenty or thirty other Five-Luminances-Unity Great Nature Golden Immortals backing him up, he had nothing to fear.
Thus, he looked at Danshou. As long as Elder Danshou nodded, he would charge over without hesitation. Everyone else also looked at Danshou, including the Ancestral Patriarchs of the Bai, Li, and Liu Families. In the current situation, they could only follow Elder Danshou's lead.
"No!"
Danshou stared at the Mortal Great Old Master sitting in the chair with closed eyes, nurturing his spirit, and shook his head. "There's no need to probe. Since this person could, with the might of a single shout, disperse the Immortal Energy of thousands, it's enough to prove his strength is unfathomable and above ours. Any one of us alone is likely not his match."
"Elder Danshou, you needn't worry. Even if I'm no match, I have confidence in protecting myself. It's true his single shout dispersed the Immortal Energy of thousands, but my Immortal Energy has long since merged with the great nature, its five elements transforming in endless cycles. No matter how powerful the force or sonic might of his shout, it cannot injure my Immortal Energy."
"I still feel it's unwise. Without knowing the depth of our opponent, we absolutely must not act rashly!"
"But!"
Huang He wanted to say more but was cut off by Danshou's refusal. "No 'buts.' I said no, and that's final."
Then, Liu Ziyu, the Ancestral Patriarch of the Golden Crow Liu Family, proposed, "Elder Danshou, how about this: we all attack together."
"Exactly! Since this person has dealt such a vicious blow to these juniors, we need not speak of righteousness with him. Let's all attack together. He's merely a Mortal. No matter how mysterious or bizarre, I refuse to believe that if we all attack together, we still can't handle him!"
The one who said this was Li Shengyang, the Ancestral Patriarch of the Li Family. His words found agreement among the others. Everyone felt this made sense.
After all, he was just a Mortal. No matter how mysterious or bizarre, it couldn't change the fact that he was a Mortal. In their eyes, Mortals were like ants. One had to ask: even if an ant became a spirit, it was still just an ant, incapable of stirring up much of a wave.
However, although everyone spoke with righteous fervor, firm resolve, and fearless bravado, it was just talk. In truth, none of them had any real confidence in their hearts. Though they didn't want to admit it, they couldn't deny one fact: they all knew an ordinary Mortal could never, by the might of a single shout, disperse the Immortal Energy of thousands. And when a Mortal was no longer ordinary, then that Mortal was no longer simply a Mortal.
Mystery was called mystery because it was profound and unfathomable.
Bizarreness was called bizarreness because it was incomprehensible.
Facing a person so profound as to be incomprehensible, who knew how powerful his strength truly was?
Or how terrifying his background might be.
Although an ant that became a spirit was still an ant, some ants didn't become spirits—they might become Buddhas or demons.
None of them could be certain whether the ant opposite them had become a Buddha or a demon.
Elder Danshou advised, "This old man advises you not to let the rage in your hearts cloud your judgment, nor to lull yourselves with these self-comforting words. Open your eyes wide and look! If this person had no real capability, how would he dare to be so composed before us? So composed that from beginning to end, he has been nurturing his spirit with closed eyes? He doesn't place us in his eyes at all, not even a little!"