At that moment, the man in white was still reclining in his chair, one leg crossed over the other and resting on the table. He held a handful of immortal pills and wondrous medicines, popping them into his mouth like candy beans. His head was tilted slightly, his eyes narrowed to slits as he gazed lazily at the crowd gathered before him.
His expression was one of utter ease, his attitude indifferent and casual, as if he were merely an outsider. His plain, unremarkable face held no discernible emotion; even his eyes were pools of tranquility.
However,
it was precisely these calm eyes, this silent gaze, that swept across the scene. Wherever his eyes passed, thousands within the area reacted. Those with weak constitutions fainted dead away on the spot. Others were so terrified they collapsed onto the deck of the ship. Even the bravest among them found their bodies trembling uncontrollably, unable to speak or move.
Time ticked by, one drop at a time.
The terrifying sense of dread grew ever more intense. Everyone felt as if they were lost in an endless void filled with darkness and shrouded in absolute silence. No one dared to move. They were all afraid—afraid of startling the darkness here, afraid of disturbing the deathly stillness here.
An unknowable amount of time passed.
Finally,
Gu Qingfeng spoke.
"If I don't give you all a taste of my power today, you'll truly take me for some freeloading swindler."
His voice was flat, equally devoid of joy or anger, as if he were merely stating a simple fact. After finishing the last of the immortal pills in his hand, he picked up a cup of wine from the table and drained it in one gulp. He clapped his hands together, stood up, and gave his sleeves a shake.
He raised a hand and pointed directly at Mo Baiyu.
"You!
Get over here!"
As his words fell, Mo Baiyu had no idea what was happening. He only felt his mind collapse, his consciousness blur, his thoughts turn blank. By the time he reacted, he was already kneeling on the deck before Gu Qingfeng, his soul utterly terrified, his mind gone numb.
"You!
You!
And you!"
Thud!
Thud! Thud!
Fuying, Yunzhou, and Mufeng also knelt on the deck.
"If my memory serves me right, there's also you!
You!"
Immediately!
Two more thuds rang out as two more figures knelt on the deck.
One was Leng Jue from Danding Valley, the other was Shangguan Dong.
Mo Baiyu and the others were all Upper Immortals who had received the Immortal Dao's decree. They all had the backing of major Immortal Realms. While they might not have been famous throughout the Myriad Heavens and Worlds, within their respective Heavenly Domains, they were outstanding prodigies of the current era.
Be it their status and position, their cultivation and achievements, or their background and family standing, they were all considered extraordinary. If they applied themselves diligently, their future accomplishments would undoubtedly be limitless.
Under normal circumstances, while they might not be as arrogant and domineering as Yuanwu, they were each like stars surrounding the moon, basking in immense prestige.
Earlier, they had all stepped forward, flaunting their prowess and declaring their intention to challenge the legendary ancient Nine Nethers Emperor, Gu Qingfeng.
And now?
They were all kneeling on the deck. Their faces were each paler, more wretched, more terrified than the last. Their bodies trembled violently, each more severe than the one before. Shangguan Dong was so frightened he had collapsed onto the deck like a pile of mud, unable even to maintain a kneeling posture.
That was genuine fear.
Fear that penetrated their bones, fear that seeped into their souls. So terrified were they that they dared not even think of putting on airs, of flaunting their might. They dared not resist, dared not struggle, dared not even beg for mercy.
"Great Lord Youdi, Mo Baiyu was ignorant and overstepped his bounds to offend you. We beg you to be magnanimous and not stoop to his level. Please show him mercy this once."
Elder Jin, disregarding the fear in his own heart, knelt and begged for leniency.
"Great Lord Youdi, my son Shangguan Dong did not mean to offend. I beg you, considering his youthful ignorance, to spare… spare his life."
Shangguan Feixing also knelt and begged, hoping Gu Qingfeng would let his son Shangguan Dong off.
But before his words had even fully faded, when Gu Qingfeng raised his head and glanced over, Elder Jin and Shangguan Feixing were so frightened they dared not speak another word.
"You knew your son was young and ignorant, yet you indulged him so. Whose fault is that? Whose mistake?"
Gu Qingfeng spoke lightly, as if discussing something trivial. "Today, I can spare your son's life."
Gu Qingfeng lifted his foot and kicked the collapsed Shangguan Dong, sending him skidding across the deck. The kick caused blood to pour from Shangguan Dong's seven orifices, his flesh a mangled mess. Not only were his meridians completely severed, his cultivation was utterly destroyed. From this day forward, even if he lived, he would be nothing but a cripple.
"My son…
My son…" Seeing Shangguan Dong half-dead, clinging to his last breath, Shangguan Feixing felt as if the sky had collapsed. Pointing at Gu Qingfeng, he wanted to vent his fury but dared not. "You…
You crippled my son like this… how is that any different… from killing him."
"At least he's still alive."
Gu Qingfeng said indifferently, "Every action has its price. This is the price your son pays for his reckless behavior today."
"You…
I…
I!
!!
I'll kill you!"
Shangguan Dong was Shangguan Feixing's only son. Over the years, he had poured untold effort into nurturing him. Now, watching his son reduced to his last gasp, Shangguan Feixing was enraged beyond measure. He could endure it no longer. With a furious roar, he lunged forward, ready to fight Gu Qingfeng to the death.
But the moment he moved, before he could even summon his Immortal Power, his entire body froze in mid-air, as motionless as a statue.
"You are far from qualified to kill me."
As the word 'qualified' fell, with a *thud*, the frozen Shangguan Feixing, right before everyone's eyes, turned to dust and smoke…
He truly turned to dust and smoke, leaving not even a speck of residue behind, dissolving into a bloody mist that vanished without a trace…
How did he die?
No one knew.
The crowd only knew that Shangguan Feixing had tried to fight Gu Qingfeng to the death.
That man in white, that figure suspected to be the Youdi, Gu Qingfeng, had merely uttered a single dismissive phrase, saying he wasn't qualified, and then…
Then there was no 'then'…
Shangguan Feixing had turned to dust and smoke on the spot.
Witnessing this scene, no one dared to believe their own eyes.
It must be remembered that although Shangguan Feixing was merely an immortal enfeoffed by the Nine Heavens, he was still a Great Wilderness Spirit Immortal who had opened the Celestial Stems and Earthly Branches Life-Death Gate!
Now, without even a grunt, without anyone understanding how, he had inexplicably turned to dust and smoke.
Under such circumstances, who wouldn't be afraid? Who wouldn't be terrified?
They wanted to run, to flee, to leave this place.
However,
no one could run, no one could escape.
Because their minds had long since shattered, their wills had long since crumbled, their spirits had long since collapsed. Even their souls felt as if they were firmly gripped by the hand of Death itself. Their bodies trembled uncontrollably. Their divine sense could not coalesce, their thoughts could not focus, their consciousness blurred. How could they possibly muster their Immortal Power?
How could they possibly flee?
Under the overwhelming might of Gu Qingfeng's Great Divine Sense, aside from waiting for death, they had no other choice.
Even if the King of Heaven himself arrived, it would be the same.
Within the area,
the Immortal Dao experts who had originally intended to plead for leniency for Yunzhou and the others, upon seeing Shangguan Feixing turn to dust and smoke just like that, no longer dared to speak up. Elder Jin, who had earlier pleaded for Mo Baiyu, was now so terrified he knelt there, not daring to move a muscle.
As for Mo Baiyu and the others kneeling on the deck, they could no longer maintain their kneeling postures either. Terrified, they collapsed onto the deck, trembling uncontrollably.