Inside the hall.
Whether it was Upper Immortals like Mo Baiyu, Fuying, and Yunzhou who bore the Immortal Path Edict Fate, or Immortals like Shangguan Dong who were conferred by the Nine Heavens, including Bai Ze and Leng Jue—they were all admirers of Upper Immortal Qingqing, and they all hoped that one day they could become cultivation partners with Upper Immortal Qingqing.
Although this hope was slim, none of them would give up until the very last moment.
Among them, perhaps some admired Upper Immortal Qingqing purely out of affection, but most people's admiration for her was not so simple. Beyond that, they also wanted to use Upper Immortal Qingqing's powerful identity and background to help themselves soar to great heights.
Therefore.
None of them wanted to see Upper Immortal Qingqing get too close to any man.
If the man who got too close to Upper Immortal Qingqing was a Great Dao Star Lord who bore the Mandate of Heaven, or a Great Dao Throne, they would accept it. Even if they didn't want to, they had to admit that a Great Dao Star Lord was not someone they could provoke or even compare with—they couldn't afford to offend him, and they didn't dare to.
But the problem was, this man was neither a Great Dao Throne nor any Great Dao Star Lord, nor did he have any identity or background. He didn't even have any cultivation or attainment. He had somehow stumbled upon incredible luck to forge an immortal weapon treasure, and even that was a broken, discarded one that Upper Immortal Qingqing had picked up, then refined and nurtured for hundreds of years until it became her personal sword.
Just because of this reason, he was now drinking with Upper Immortal Qingqing on the Xuantian Vessel, and he had even eaten three precious Ten-Thousand-Year Vermilion Fruits!
To be honest.
Although they were all cursing Gu Qingfeng as a shameless villain with their mouths, in their hearts, they were all filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
Over the years, in order to pursue Upper Immortal Qingqing, whenever she went out, they would drop everything they were doing and rush over immediately, no matter how far away they were.
For what?
Wasn't it to please Upper Immortal Qingqing?
To let her understand their feelings?
And thus create a bond?
Alas.
They all resented it, resented that the heavens were blind to let this bond fall upon a guy who, in their eyes, had nothing to offer.
How could they not envy him, how could they not be jealous, and how could they not hate him!
However.
Beyond envy, jealousy, and hatred, what they felt more was unwillingness, dissatisfaction, and displeasure!
Therefore.
They found Gu Qingfeng extremely displeasing to the eye and were extremely jealous of his incredible luck.
There was only one reason they had gathered here today: to eliminate that so-called Worthy One and strangle his bond with Upper Immortal Qingqing in its cradle.
As for who Gu Qingfeng was, what his intentions were toward Upper Immortal Qingqing, or whether he had offended Lixin Xianzi—none of that was important to them.
Even if Gu Qingfeng hadn't offended Lixin Xianzi, they would have found some other excuse to join forces and erase him.
Although no one had explicitly said it, everyone in the hall understood this tacitly.
Thus.
They all began strategizing, discussing how to eliminate Gu Qingfeng.
"Getting rid of that so-called Worthy One isn't difficult, but the prerequisite is that we must make him come down from Upper Immortal Qingqing's Xuantian Vessel. Otherwise, we won't have any chance to act. Even if we force our way, Upper Immortal Qingqing and Lixin Xianzi will intervene. Even if we eventually eliminate him, it will tarnish Upper Immortal Qingqing's reputation."
"That's right. This matter must not implicate Upper Immortal Qingqing. It's best if she doesn't know about it."
Bai Ze said, "That man said he'd let us serve him well these days and would state his conditions after he figures out what he wants. He's clearly planning to stick around shamelessly, and Lixin Shishu has already agreed. How do we get him off the ship?"
"Brother Bai, I recall you said Upper Immortal Qingqing is heading to the Lingluo Heavenly Domain this time, right?"
"That's correct."
"Then it's simple. Once we reach the Lingluo Heavenly Domain, he'll have no reason to stay on the ship. As long as he separates from Upper Immortal Qingqing then, we'll have our chance to act."
"It's only about ten more days to the Lingluo Heavenly Domain. It'll pass quickly."
"Hmph! Once we reach the Lingluo Heavenly Domain, I'll make sure he regrets ever crossing us!"
Among those present, many were from the Lingluo Heavenly Domain. That was their territory, where they called the shots.
"Everyone, don't celebrate too early. There's something I must say, though you might not like hearing it."
Leng Jue said calmly, "That Worthy One's existence is not as simple as it appears on the surface. He might even be more profound and unfathomable than we imagine. Putting aside everything else, the fact that he could forge a powerful immortal weapon like the Lingyu Sword is enough to prove his existence is extraordinary. At least, that was the case in the past. As for why he has no cultivation now—perhaps he deviated in his cultivation, or perhaps he was injured—that remains unknown."
After Leng Jue's words, Mo Baiyu and the others in the hall fell silent. They were either Upper Immortals bearing the Immortal Path Edict Fate or Immortals conferred by the Nine Heavens—without exception, they were outstanding among the younger generation, worthy of being called geniuses and prodigies of the Present-Ancient Era. Although they all claimed not to take a so-called Worthy One like Gu Qingfeng seriously, in their hearts, they were all very wary of him. Otherwise, they wouldn't have gathered here today to discuss countermeasures together.
"Of course, there's no need for everyone to worry too much. I observed carefully—the spiritual aura on that Worthy One is extremely weak, utterly feeble. So, no matter how powerful his strength might be, he's like a tiger without teeth, not worth fearing at all. What truly worries me is that old Daoist named Huode."
Leng Jue lived up to his name—calm and perceptive. He said, "That old Daoist named Huode is clearly in cahoots with him. We all witnessed the old Daoist's strength firsthand—Yuanwu was utterly helpless before him, and even those seasoned seniors from the Five Spirit Immortal Realm were too afraid to make a move. You can imagine how profound the old Daoist's strength is. Therefore, if we want to eliminate that Worthy One, we must also take the old Daoist into account."
"That old Daoist's strength is indeed formidable, but..." Bai Ze asked, "With so many of us, can't we handle one old Daoist and a Worthy One who has nothing and is utterly weak?"
"Brother Bai, no matter when, we must not underestimate the enemy. We should try to think of our opponents as even stronger to ensure we leave no room for error. If we don't act, fine; but once we do, we must eradicate them completely. Otherwise, everything we're doing now is meaningless."
Mufeng said, "This isn't a big deal. It's just an old Daoist. I'll send a message talisman right now to call my Senior Brothers over."
"I can also call a bunch of brothers over."
"The Lingluo Heavenly Domain is our territory. Once we're there, no matter how powerful that old Daoist is, it won't matter!"
At that moment, a faint smile played on Mo Baiyu's lips as he said, "Perhaps we don't even need to wait until we reach the Lingluo Heavenly Domain. We might not even need to lift a finger ourselves."
Everyone was puzzled and looked at Mo Baiyu. Bai Ze asked, "What does Upper Immortal Baiyu mean by that?"
"Has Young Master Bai Ze forgotten about Yuanwu?"
"Yuanwu? Wasn't he injured and fell unconscious?"
"Yuanwu was indeed injured and fell unconscious, and his injuries are not light. Right after Yuanwu was injured, those seniors from the Five Spirit Immortal Realm hurriedly took him away. Everyone, think about it—if the seniors from the Five Spirit Immortal Realm find out Yuanwu was severely injured by someone, would they let it go?"