"When that so-called Upper Immortal earlier said he'd been in the Nine Nether and that his Dao title was also Chixiao, it nearly scared this old man to death."
"Who isn't saying the same? We were all terrified."
"Sigh... It's been ten thousand years since the Ancient Times passed into the Present Era. To think that even today, upon hearing the name You Di, this old one's mind and spirit still panic just as they did back then—so much so that I didn't even stop to consider whether that Upper Immortal truly was You Di."
"This old man is the same as everyone else. Just now, upon hearing the name You Di, I lost my composure. Thinking back on it now, it's rather shameful, and...
This so-called Upper Immortal, no matter how you look at him, couldn't possibly be You Di. It seems this old man has truly regressed with age...
To be fooled by a youngster like this."
"Fooled is fooled. Being fooled is far better than not being fooled, isn't it? And we should be thankful this kid isn't You Di. If he really were You Di...
That would be too terrifying..." "If You Di truly has returned from death, it wouldn't just be terrifying—it would be far more than that!"
The crowd gathered in mid-air discussed animatedly, all sharing a feeling of having narrowly escaped disaster. This was especially true for those Old Seniors who had cultivated for many years. Like Old Lady Jin Hua and Lixin Xianzi, they had lived through that era belonging to You Di and understood all too well how terrifying his existence was.
As for the younger generation present, although they had also been startled earlier, that was the extent of it.
They weren't like those Old Seniors who had cultivated for many years, each one trembling with lingering fear, sighing and expressing relief.
Although these young people had also heard the legends of You Di, they had not experienced that era firsthand. They could neither comprehend nor understand why these Old Seniors would be thrown into such panic merely upon hearing You Di's name.
This was particularly true for figures like Fuying, Mo Baiyu, Yun Zhou, and Mu Feng. They were the proud sons of the Immortal Dao in the Present Era, outstanding talents among their peers in both innate aptitude and comprehension. Moreover, they were all Upper Immortals who had received the edicts of the Immortal Dao. While not necessarily arrogant or looking down on everyone, they were all masters with lofty hearts and proud spirits.
Regarding the so-called legends of the Ancient Times, it wasn't that they didn't believe them; they just felt most legends were exaggerated. Furthermore, the Ancient Times was an era where even Golden Immortals could run rampant across a heavenly domain. In their minds, the legends of that ancient era were greatly discounted, nothing more than that. They even believed most ancient legends were merely unearned reputations.
Mo Baiyu and the others were somewhat better.
At the very least, they held some degree of respect in their hearts for ancient legends, especially for an existence like You Di who had shaken the Great Desolate and swept across heaven and earth. Even if they lacked respect, they wouldn't dare to comment recklessly in front of so many people.
However, when Upper Immortal Yuanwu heard many Old Seniors in the crowd talking about how terrifying You Di was, it greatly displeased him and filled him with utter disdain. He shouted, "Shame on you all, calling yourselves Old Seniors who have cultivated for tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of years! Now, just hearing the name You Di scares you into such a state? Truly an eye-opening spectacle!"
"Upper Immortal Yuanwu!"
An Old Senior stepped forward, admonishing, "You did not experience the Ancient Times. You simply do not know and cannot imagine how terrifying the existence of You Di was."
"This Upper Immortal indeed did not experience the Ancient Times. So what?"
Upper Immortal Yuanwu said disdainfully, "Just a You Di, what's so remarkable about him? He was merely lucky to have been born in the Ancient Times."
Yuanwu declared, "The reason You Di could rise to prominence was simply because there were fewer Heavenly Destinies in the Ancient Times. The reason You Di dared to oppose the Three Thousand Great Daos was merely because the Great Dao Progenitors of the Ancient Times had fallen into slumber one after another, and the Great Dao's origin had already been exhausted and dried up. That's how he seized the advantage and stole the limelight."
"Now, in the Present Era, all things have revived. The Great Dao's origin has also been re-derived. The Great Dao Progenitors have awakened one after another. Ask You Di if he would still dare to use his Netherfire to burn the Nine Heavens?
Would he still dare to oppose the Three Thousand Great Daos?
This Upper Immortal wouldn't lend him the courage even if he had three extra guts! Forget opposing the Three Thousand Great Daos; if You Di had been born in this Present Era, this great age of heroes vying for supremacy, the throne of the Nine Nether Emperor's Seal, the peerless seat of Immortals and Demons, might not necessarily have been his to claim. This Upper Immortal even dares to say that if You Di had been born in the Present Era, he might not have fared as well as I, Yuanwu!"
What Yuanwu said also reflected the inner thoughts of many young people present, including Mo Baiyu, Fuying, and others.
They also believed that luck played a significant part in why You Di had such a great reputation across the Myriad Heavens and Worlds.
Although in the Ancient Times, spiritual energy was sparse and cultivators were few, precisely because they were few, competitive pressure wasn't high. One only needed to seize a single opportunity to make a name for themselves.
In contrast, the Present Era was different. Across the Myriad Heavens and Worlds, heaven-defying geniuses were as numerous as stars in the night sky. All sorts of fortunate Immortal prodigies were as common as dogs, found everywhere.
Most importantly, at the end of the Ancient Times, no Heavenly Destinies descended at all. But in the Present Era? Heavenly Destinies descended in wave after wave. And what descended weren't just the Heavenly Destiny Star Lords of the Present Era; they included the Heavenly Destiny Thrones of the Ancient Times, the Heavenly Destiny Emperor Seals of the Primal Times, and the Heavenly Destiny Imperial Authorities of the Grand Antiquity.
Against the backdrop of such a great era, making a name for oneself was exceedingly difficult because the competition was simply too fierce and too brutal.
They all felt that You Di's fame shaking the Great Desolate was merely due to good luck—he happened to seize an opportunity back then, which allowed him to advance against the current all the way. Coupled with the fact that at the end of the Ancient Times, the Great Dao Progenitors had fallen into slumber and the Great Dao's origin had been exhausted, You Di had seized the advantage. Things like burning the Nine Heavens, slaughtering the Great Daos, defying the heavens—they were merely products of the circumstances, nothing remarkable. Anyone else could have done the same.
"Upper Immortal Yuanwu, this old one absolutely cannot agree with what you've said."
That Old Senior stepped forward and said, "The fact that You Di could shake the Great Desolate and sweep across heaven and earth back then might have had some relation to the exhaustion of the Great Dao's origin and the slumber of the various Great Dao Progenitors at the end of the Ancient Times, but it was only some relation. You say circumstances created You Di—that statement isn't wrong. But to say that You Di's entire journey relied completely on luck? Those words show far too little respect for You Di."
"That's right. The heaven-defying geniuses of the Present Era are indeed as numerous as stars in the night sky. All sorts of fortunate Immortal prodigies are also beyond count. Heavenly Destinies descend one after another. The competition is indeed fierce and brutal. But what this old one wants to say is that the competition in the Ancient Times was even more fierce and brutal than in the Present Era."
Immediately, another Old Senior stepped forward to refute, "Just now, Upper Immortal Yuanwu said spiritual energy was sparse in the Ancient Times. That is a grave mistake. At the end of the Ancient Times, it wasn't that spiritual energy was sparse; it was that there was no spiritual energy to speak of across the Myriad Heavens and Worlds. Back then, people of our generation would fight fiercely, with countless casualties, just to compete for a single mouthful of spiritual energy. Those who ultimately succeeded in Foundation Establishment might not have been heaven-defying geniuses or fortunate Immortal prodigies, but they were absolutely individuals who had experienced narrow escapes from death, who had waded their way out from a sea of blood!"