Lei Lie snapped out of his profound shock and didn't dare to delay. He hurriedly stood up to pour wine for Yunyan Xianzi.
Looking at Yunyan Xianzi sitting obediently beside Gu Qingfeng, then glancing at Old Gu Qingfeng himself, lounging back in his chair with his legs crossed, utterly at ease, Lei Lie felt genuine, five-body-prostrate admiration for the man.
He just couldn't figure out why Yunyan Xianzi would show such deference to Old Master Gu.
Was it fear of Old Master Gu's status as a Worthy One?
That didn't make sense either.
After all, Yunyan Xianzi had previously refused the invitation of Young Master Mo, who bore the Immortal Dao's Edict Mandate. In other words, she didn't place the Immortal Dao's Edict Mandate in her eyes. This was enough to prove her existence was absolutely extraordinary. Such an existence was unlikely to fear Old Master Gu's status as a Worthy One, was she?
Old Master Gu was a Worthy One, but that was all. Even if you argued until the sky fell, he was just a man who had received the Human Path's Edict Mandate.
In this current era where Heavenly Mandates were as common as dogs and Edict Mandates walked the earth everywhere, not to mention a Worthy One who received the Human Path's Edict Mandate, even someone who received a Heavenly Mandate was far less noble than an Immortal Dao Edict Mandate in this current age.
One must know that in the current era, the Immortal Dao dominated heaven and earth. The status of the Immortal Dao's Edict Mandate had risen with the tide, its identity and position far nobler than those of other Great Dao Edict Mandates. Moreover, the Human Dao had always been the most humble, most inconspicuous Dao among the Three Thousand Great Daos. Even the status of a Human Dao Throne, in the eyes of many, was not as noble as an Immortal Dao Edict Mandate.
Suddenly, Lei Lie remembered what Old Huang had said earlier. Old Huang said that the so-called Worthy Ones might be those who possessed the Three Flowers, Three Souls, and Ancestral Return.
Could Old Master Gu really be such a figure?
He didn't know.
At this moment, Lei Lie had no mind to ponder this question.
"Sister Yunyan, where have you come from?"
Gu Qingfeng raised his cup in a toast, downed it in one gulp, and said, "And where are you headed?"
"From the Mist Spirit Heavenly Domain," the elegant Yunyan Xianzi similarly raised her cup in toast, drank it all, and replied, "To the Thousand Machines Heavenly Domain."
"You're going to the Thousand Machines Heavenly Domain too? Heh, what a coincidence."
"Oh? Does the Great Master also intend to go to the Thousand Machines Heavenly Domain?"
"That's right. This Great Master is also heading to the Thousand Machines Heavenly Domain. We're on the same path, so we can travel together. It'll be good to have someone to look out for each other on the road. In case we run into some hooligan trying to take advantage, this master can help you chase them off."
To many on the deck, Gu Qingfeng's words felt somewhat ironic.
Because in their eyes, Gu Qingfeng was a thoroughgoing hooligan through and through.
This was truly the pot calling the kettle black, the height of irony.
"If that's the case, then I'll trouble the Great Master to look out for me," Yunyan Xianzi raised her cup again, speaking softly and lightly, "Yunyan toasts the Great Master with this cup."
"Excellent! Hahaha!"
Just as Gu Qingfeng was chatting idly with Yunyan Xianzin, the appearance of a group of seven or eight people on the deck immediately drew everyone's attention.
These seven or eight individuals all looked imposing and extraordinary, handsome and remarkable. Especially the man at the lead, wearing a white jade crown, dressed in pristine white robes, coupled with handsome features, a tall and slender build, and an elegant bearing—he was truly outstanding and eye-catching.
Many in the crowd recognized this man.
His surname was Shangguan, given name Dong.
He was an Immortal Being conferred by the Nine Heavens.
As everyone knew, the title of Immortal Being was not only a symbol of glorious honor but also a symbol of noble status.
Once conferred by the Nine Heavens and granted the name of Immortal Being, one could ascend to the Nine Heavens, drink the waters of the Immortal River, bask in the Radiance of the sun, purify one's flesh and Immortal spirit, and obtain the pure, innate Radiance bloodline. Most importantly, one could be listed among the Immortal ranks.
Being listed among the Immortal ranks was like a carp leaping through the Dragon Gate. Not only did one enjoy a noble status and position, but there were also substantial benefits to be reaped. From then on, one no longer needed to worry about cultivation resources.
One must know that in the current era, the Immortal Court dominated heaven and earth. Not only had they established Immortal Courts across the myriad realms, but they had also established Immortal Mansions in the major Heavenly Domains.
And the inner cabinet elders of the Immortal Court, even the rulers of the Immortal Court, could only be held by Immortal Beings.
Once one became an inner cabinet elder of the Immortal Court, one could control the cultivation resources of an entire world.
If one's fortune was deep enough, one could even enter the Immortal Mansions of the major Heavenly Domains.
Each Heavenly Domain contained many worlds, large and small. If the Immortal Court ruled over one world, then the Immortal Mansions ruled over all the worlds within that Heavenly Domain.
It was precisely for this reason that many people dreamed of one day receiving the conferment of the Nine Heavens.
Take Shangguan Dong. He was an Immortal Being conferred by the Nine Heavens, and moreover, a Luo Shang Immortal Being, even more noble than an ordinary Immortal Being.
Of course.
While Luo Shang Immortal Beings were certainly noble, in the Great Desolation they were not few, but they were by no means rare or extraordinary either.
There were also many people from the Brocade Luo Heavenly Domain aboard the Xuantian Great Vessel. They knew well that Shangguan Dong came from a prominent Immortal Clan in the Brocade Luo Heavenly Domain.
In the Great Desolation, Immortal Clans were everywhere. Every Heavenly Domain had many, countless, beyond reckoning.
After all, as long as an ancestor of a clan had received the conferment of the Nine Heavens, even if only granted the name of Immortal Being, their descendants could call themselves an Immortal Clan.
However, that was merely self-proclaimed, not a true Immortal Clan in the real sense.
Although those so-called Immortal Clans, after their ancestors received conferment, possessed innate Radiance bloodlines within their bodies, and their descendants would more or less also have some innate Radiance bloodline.
But these innate Radiance bloodlines, passed down generation after generation, would only become increasingly turbid and sparse. By the end, the ancestor's bit of innate Radiance bloodline would be gone.
A true Immortal Clan was one where the lineage was passed down generation after generation, an unbroken line of descent.
Each generation of descendants would receive the conferment of the Nine Heavens. This way, the clan's Radiance bloodline would continue.
Only by continuing the innate bloodline would the descendants born be innate Immortals.
Those self-proclaimed Immortal Clans could not continue their ancestors' innate bloodline. Therefore, their descendants were born as mere mortals. Even with the best aptitude, even if they could achieve Immortality by the age of seven or eight, they would still be acquired Immortals.
True Immortal Clans were different. Their descendants were born as Immortals straight from the womb—they were innate Immortals.
The gap between innate Immortals and acquired Immortals was difficult, even impossible, to bridge.
This gap was one of bloodline.
An acquired Immortal cultivating bitterly for one or two years might fall far short of an innate Immortal cultivating for just one or two days.
Exaggerated?
No.
Not at all.
Innate Immortals were born with exceptional, heaven-endowed aptitude, something acquired Immortals could never hope to match. In future cultivation, innate Immortals would naturally progress more smoothly, while the cultivation path of acquired Immortals might be full of hardships.
Shangguan Dong's Shangguan Clan was a true Immortal Clan in the real sense, and the clan's descendants were almost uniformly innate Immortals.