"You're saying the entire Great Northwest now... belongs to Yunxia Sect?"
From Huode's smug demeanor, Gu Qingfeng had already guessed that the rebuilt Yunxia Sect's scale was certainly not small. Otherwise, Huode wouldn't be so secretive. But he never imagined Yunxia Sect's scale would be so vast that it occupied the entire Great Northwest.
In his memory, the Great Northwest was quite large, even bigger than the Yanluo Kingdom of old, occupying almost one-ninth of the entire world.
"I say, Huode, I never thought in just ten thousand years, you old rascal would play so big in the mortal world, taking over the entire damn Great Northwest. I must say, I really underestimated you before, you old bastard. Your skills are truly impressive."
"Just messing around, nothing worth mentioning."
Although Huode said this, he was ecstatic inside, especially seeing Gu Qingfeng's astonished expression. He couldn't be happier. After being beaten down by Gu Qingfeng for so many years and suffering so much frustration, he finally had a chance to show off in front of Gu Qingfeng. Huode was absolutely overjoyed.
"Say you're fat, and you old bastard start panting."
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "Tell me, how many disciples does Yunxia Sect have now?"
"Guess. Guess big, guess as hard as you can."
"A few hundred thousand?"
"I say, Gu kid, do you think this old man only has that much ability in your eyes? Guess again."
"Around ten million?"
"Tsk!"
Huode rolled his eyes, standing proudly in mid-air, one hand behind his back, the other stroking his white beard. "Listen up, Gu kid, and stand steady. Today's Yunxia Sect has over ten thousand branch sects alone, with countless subordinate gangs, families, and halls. All the disciples combined number over a hundred million. And that's just the count from a thousand years ago. The number of disciples now is probably even greater."
"Holy shit!"
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng finally couldn't hold back his amazement and cursed. After a long moment, he nodded and said, "Impressive!"
"Hahahaha!"
Seeing Gu Qingfeng's utterly astonished expression, Huode couldn't help but laugh heartily. This laugh made up for all the blows he had suffered from Gu Qingfeng over the years.
"Gu kid, come, this old man will show you the grand scene and broaden your horizons."
As he spoke, Huode was about to dive down when he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, there's one thing, Gu kid. You must promise this old man."
"What is it?"
"Now, this old man is, after all, the Founding Ancestor of Yunxia Sect, the far-renowned Yunxiazi. When we return to the sect later and meet my disciples and grand-disciples, can you treat me a bit better? Give me some face. Don't make me lose face in front of the disciples, damn it."
"What? You want me to call you Founding Ancestor too?"
"That's not necessary. Just don't embarrass me in public."
"Looking at you, it seems you've prepared for this. Alright, don't worry. This time, I'll definitely give you all the face you need."
"Good."
Only after Gu Qingfeng agreed did Huode take him diving down.
At this moment, in front of Yunxia Sect's main gate, countless people were gathered.
Although there were many, they stood in perfect order. The vast, majestic procession looked quite grand.
When they saw Huode descending from the sky, everyone was overjoyed. The nine people at the forefront took the lead, leaping up and kneeling in welcome.
"Disciples respectfully welcome Master back to the sect."
Immediately after, a group of several hundred people knelt and shouted, "Li Chang, leading the various cabinet elders, respectfully welcomes the Founding Ancestor back to the sect!"
"Bai Tao, leading the various inner hall elders, respectfully welcomes the Founding Ancestor back to the sect!"
"Ying Jiang, leading the various inner chamber elders, respectfully welcomes the Founding Ancestor back to the sect!"
"Ziwu, leading the various inner sect elders, respectfully welcomes the Founding Ancestor back to the sect!"
At this moment, Huode was no longer the slovenly, unkempt old rascal. Dressed in white robes, holding a Buddhist whisk, he exuded an immortal aura. Facing the respectful welcomes of Yunxia Sect's various elders, he merely nodded faintly without saying a word, simply leading Gu Qingfeng into the sect.
On both sides inside the sect, people were also densely packed, standing in particularly neat rows.
As Huode passed by, those on both sides knelt in welcome.
"Bai Tao, leading the various elders of Yunxia Sect's Fenling Branch, respectfully welcomes the Founding Ancestor back to the sect."
"Yinhuan, leading the various elders of Yunxia Sect's Fenghuo Branch, respectfully welcomes the Founding Ancestor back to the sect!"
Clearly, those kneeling in welcome within Yunxia Sect were the sect's elders, while those kneeling on both sides were the sect masters and elders of various branch sects—all core members. As for the disciples, sorry, they didn't even have the qualification to kneel in welcome.
Huode continued walking all the way. Wherever he passed, everyone knelt in welcome—whether it was Yunxia Sect's subordinate sects, subordinate gangs, this family, or that hall.
Gu Qingfeng followed behind Huode the entire time, watching in stunned amazement.
First, he marveled at Yunxia Sect's massive influence and numerous disciples. Second, he marveled at how damn grand Huode's display was.
It was truly grand.
So grand that even Gu Qingfeng felt a sense of admiration.
"I say, Huode, after all these years apart, your skills haven't improved much, but your ability to put on a show has really opened my eyes."
Gu Qingfeng transmitted his voice secretly. "You're much more impressive than I was back in the day. When I founded Chixiao Sect and led my Chixiao brothers to battle north and south, I never put on such a grand show. Those who know say you're a sect master; those who don't would damn well think you're an emperor founding a dynasty!"
"Hahaha!"
Huode didn't feel embarrassed or ashamed in the slightest. He responded, "Gu kid, I know you'll definitely mock and ridicule me, damn it. But I don't mind. And I'm not afraid to tell you, the show I've put on over the years has been exactly this grand."
"Hey! You old rascal even learned how to be shameless."
"In this day and age, who still cares about face when they're out there!"
Huode said, "Gu kid, I admit you're immensely powerful, roaming heaven and earth capable of anything. But when it comes to sect matters, you've always been an outsider. You simply don't understand."
Huode explained, "Actually, Gu kid, it's not that I necessarily want to put on such a grand show. In the early years, I resisted this stuff too, feeling embarrassed. But gradually, I accepted and got used to it. Moreover, for a sect to develop and grow, sometimes you have no choice but to put on a big show."
"Don't think I'm deliberately putting on such a grand show just for you today. Of course, I do want to show off in front of you. But today's display isn't just for you alone. It's for the other sects in the Primordial World, for the great immortal realms behind these sects in Lingluo Heavenly Domain, and even for the Immortal Dynasty to see."