Neither Jinyan Xianshi nor Wuhua Xianzi paid any attention to the respectful bows from the crowd. At this moment, they had no mind for pleasantries with these irrelevant people. They immediately demanded, "Old Zhu! Where is that damned bastard who severely injured our precious disciple?"
Old Zhu was one of the many senior figures who had been accompanying Upper Immortal Yuanwu earlier. After Upper Immortal Yuanwu was beaten into critical condition and fell unconscious by Huode, the others had immediately taken Yuanwu back to the Wuling Immortal Realm. He and three others had stayed behind to keep an eye on Huode, preventing him from escaping.
However, Huode was now on Upper Immortal Qingqing's Xuantian Vessel, leaving Old Zhu momentarily unsure how to respond.
Just as he hesitated, Jinyan Xianshi roared sharply, "Don't tell me you let him get away?"
"Please calm your anger, Jinyan Xianshi. We have been guarding this place the entire time. That... old Daoist has not run away."
"Where is he?" Wuhua Xianzi also shouted sternly.
Although Jinyan Xianshi and Wuhua Xianzi had long ago become Dao companions bound by immortal fate, due to certain reasons, they had never been able to conceive a child of their own. Precisely because of this, while they were nominally Yuanwu's master and mistress, they had always treated him as their own son, even more dearly than a biological child. Over the years, they had not only imparted all their knowledge but had also shown him great care and affection. Under ordinary circumstances, if anyone dared speak ill of Yuanwu, the two would step forward to teach them a lesson.
Now that Yuanwu had been beaten half to death and left unconscious, how could they not be furious?
Upon receiving the news, they had immediately dropped everything and led a group of powerful immortal experts from the Wuling Immortal Realm here, determined to tear the person who attacked Yuanwu to pieces.
Seeing Old Zhu stammering, Wuhua Xianzi glared at him with furious eyes and shouted, "Speak!"
The sheer force of that single word instantly caused Old Zhu to cough up blood from his mouth and nose.
Clutching his chest, Old Zhu pointed at Upper Immortal Qingqing's Xuantian Vessel and said, "That old Daoist... is... is on Upper Immortal Qingqing's ship."
What!
Hearing this, the expressions of both Jinyan Xianshi and Wuhua Xianzi changed slightly.
They had long been aware of Yuanwu's admiration for Upper Immortal Qingqing and fully supported his pursuit of her. They even hoped Yuanwu could win Upper Immortal Qingqing's affection. After all, if their precious disciple could form a Dao companion bond with Upper Immortal Qingqing, it would mean gaining the powerful backing of the Eternal Life Pavilion. In that case, they, as a couple, would also benefit.
Before coming, they knew their precious disciple had been accompanying Upper Immortal Qingqing to the Lingluo Heavenly Domain. As for why Yuanwu had been injured by an old Daoist, they had heard some of the story, but they did not know who this old Daoist was. Now, hearing that the old Daoist who injured Yuanwu was actually on Upper Immortal Qingqing's ship, they instinctively felt something was amiss.
"What is that old Daoist doing on Upper Immortal Qingqing's ship?" Jinyan Xianshi asked warily. "What is his relationship with Upper Immortal Qingqing?"
Not daring to hide anything, Old Zhu replied honestly, "That old Daoist is... is the life-saving benefactor of Upper Immortal Qingqing's junior sister."
Upon hearing this, the expressions on Jinyan Xianshi and Wuhua Xianzi's faces instantly became complicated.
Although both of them were renowned immortal figures from the ancient era, with considerable prestige in the Lingluo Heavenly Domain, that was all. Facing the Eternal Life Pavilion, one of the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, not only could they not afford to provoke it, but even the entire Wuling Immortal Realm couldn't. Moreover, their precious disciple Yuanwu deeply admired Upper Immortal Qingqing. They couldn't let this matter escalate and ruin the relationship.
But if they were to just let it go because of this...
Jinyan Xianshi would not agree, and Wuhua Xianzi would agree even less.
Wuhua Xianzi stared at Upper Immortal Qingqing's Xuantian Vessel and was about to leap forward when Jinyan Xianshi stopped her.
Wuhua Xianzi transmitted a secret message, asking, "Husband, why are you stopping me? Just because that old Daoist is the life-saving benefactor of Upper Immortal Qingqing's junior sister, our precious disciple should suffer in vain? Let me tell you, since I've come today, no matter who that old Daoist is, I will spare no cost to seek justice for our precious disciple!"
"I'm not saying we should let it go. I won't let it go either. It's just that the old Daoist is currently on Upper Immortal Qingqing's ship, and he's also the life-saving benefactor of her junior sister. We should not act rashly for now."
Jinyan Xianshi glanced at Old Zhu and asked, "I heard that old Daoist has an accomplice, some worthless 'Shangren' with no cultivation. Where is he?"
"This... In reply to the Xianshi, that Shangren... the Shangren is also on Upper Immortal Qingqing's ship."
"What! He's there too?"
"That Shangren... is... the former master of Upper Immortal Qingqing's Lingyu Sword, and also the one who forged it. Immortal Lixin and Upper Immortal Qingqing invited them aboard... to... to share fine wine as a gesture of gratitude."
After a moment's thought, Old Zhu added, "Moreover... that Shangren's existence... is extraordinary. Both Immortal Lixin and Upper Immortal Qingqing treat him with great respect."
Old Zhu held nothing back, giving a rough account of what had happened during this time. He even specifically reminded them that Gu Qingfeng's identity was likely beyond imagination.
This left both Jinyan Xianshi and Wuhua Xianzi stunned. They had originally thought that since the old Daoist was on Upper Immortal Qingqing's ship and was the life-saving benefactor of her junior sister, they would temporarily leave him be. They planned to first find the old Daoist's accomplice and beat him up to vent their anger.
Little did they expect that the old Daoist's accomplice would turn out to be the former master of Upper Immortal Qingqing's Lingyu Sword. Moreover, the implication seemed to be that this so-called Shangren was even more profound and unfathomable than the old Daoist.
This placed Jinyan Xianshi and Wuhua Xianzi in a dilemma.
It wasn't that they feared the old Daoist, nor did they fear that so-called Shangren. They didn't care what kind of existence the old Daoist or that Shangren were. No matter what they were, they would seek justice for their precious disciple today.
But the problem was that both the old Daoist and his accomplice, that so-called Shangren, were somewhat connected to Upper Immortal Qingqing. This forced them to be cautious.
After all, Upper Immortal Qingqing was a disciple of the Eternal Life Pavilion, one of the Great Wasteland's renowned Ten Peerless Upper Immortals, and the direct disciple of the illustrious Fusheng Emperor.
If Upper Immortal Qingqing chose to stand up for that old Daoist and that Shangren today, they would have absolutely no recourse.
Even if Upper Immortal Qingqing did not intervene in this matter, tearing her junior sister's life-saving benefactor and the former master of her Lingyu Sword to pieces right in front of her would likely offend her completely.
Offending Upper Immortal Qingqing wasn't the main issue; at most, they could just give up on their precious disciple pursuing her.
The real problem was that offending Upper Immortal Qingqing essentially meant offending the Fusheng Emperor, a great figure renowned throughout the ages, and also offending the Eternal Life Pavilion of the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands.
The cost was simply too great, far beyond anything the two of them could bear.