On Blackwater Mountain.
Gu Qingfeng remained reclined in his chair, one leg crossed over the other and propped up on the table, looking utterly at ease and comfortable beyond words.
Heishui Lady, meanwhile, was serving him fine wine, one cup after another.
To the side.
Shark-Elephant stood obediently, gazing at the countless crowds gathered in the Lingluo Heavenly Domain, then glancing at the leisurely Gu Qingfeng. The muscles at the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch twice.
Just then, a loud, hearty laugh echoed through the air.
"This old man has long heard that the Ancient Era produced an extraordinary You Di—aloof, domineering, unruly in temperament, acting without restraint, rampaging through the Great Wastelands, defying heaven and earth. Seeing him today, the reputation is indeed well-deserved!"
"Countless Great Wasteland giants, the Thirty-Six Grotto-Heavens, Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, Three Thousand Great Daos, Sacred Grounds, Forbidden Lands, even the old fellows from Guixu are all watching you covetously from the shadows. Yet not only are you fearless, you even have the gall to be hugging a beauty, eating, drinking, and enjoying yourself right under their noses—and the one you're hugging is none other than the beautiful Heishui Lady who devours men without spitting out the bones! Guts!
You, my boy, really have guts!
It makes this old man prostrate himself in admiration!"
Suddenly.
An old man appeared without warning on Blackwater Mountain.
To call him an old man was more like calling him an old beggar.
His hair was disheveled, utterly unkempt. He wore a filthy robe patched with large and small pieces of cloth, held a dark, grimy walking stick, and his aged face was also dirty, giving the impression he hadn't bathed for hundreds of thousands of years.
"Old beggar, who exactly did you say devours men without spitting out the bones?"
Heishui Lady looked at the old beggar who had appeared, a faint smile on her face as she asked, "Does this lady look like a vicious shrew who devours men without spitting out bones?"
"What do you think?"
The old beggar showed no courtesy, directly sitting down, picking up a cup of Dragon Cauldron fine wine, and drinking it. "Good wine!
Truly good wine!
This old man hasn't had such fine wine since coming out from that godforsaken place."
After downing three cups in a row, the old beggar glanced at Gu Qingfeng and chuckled, "Little brother, you don't mind if this old man sits down, drinks a little wine, and watches a good show, do you?"
"Of course not."
Gu Qingfeng said with a smile, "Where there are performers, there must be an audience. If no one watches, the performers won't have any drive either."
"Hahaha!
Well said!
Come!
This old man toasts you, my boy."
The two raised their cups and drank together. The old beggar asked again, "I wonder if little brother plans to watch the show today, or perform in it?"
"Me?
I'm both the audience and the performer."
"Brother You Di."
Heishui Lady asked with a smile, "When will you perform?
I want to watch."
"What's the hurry? It's not my turn to go on stage yet."
Gu Qingfeng looked at the crowd in the Lingluo Heavenly Domain and chuckled, "They've been making such an effort for so long. We should at least wait for them to finish performing their part. Otherwise, wouldn't all their hard work be wasted?"
Heishui Lady said meaningfully, "Then I'll wait for the good show. Brother You Di, you mustn't disappoint me."
"Of course."
Gu Qingfeng finished a cup of wine and said, "Just for the sake of my dear sister supporting me so enthusiastically today, I can't let you down."
In the void of the Lingluo Heavenly Domain.
No one knew who the suddenly appearing old beggar was.
Nor did anyone care about the old beggar's identity.
Led by Saint Yang Gong, the Heavenly Domain celestial officials faced the heavens, bowed respectfully, and pleaded with the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao to execute Gu Qingfeng for the safety of the Great Dao and all living beings.
"We, representing the True Martial Immortal Realm, implore the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao, for the safety of the Great Dao and all living beings, to execute the criminal disciple Gu Tianlang!"
"We, representing the Illusory World Family, implore the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao, for the safety of the Great Dao and all living beings, to execute the criminal disciple Gu Tianlang!"
Following that, representatives of major Great Wasteland giants—True Martial Immortal Realm, Illusory World Family, Gulan Family, Bright Moon Immortal Realm, and others—all made their appeals to the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao. Soon after, Immortal Realm families large and small also made their appeals.
"We, representing the myriad beings of all heavens and worlds, once again implore the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao, for the safety of the Great Dao and all living beings, to execute the criminal disciple Gu Tianlang!"
Immediately.
Everyone gathered in the Lingluo Heavenly Domain bowed and cupped their hands in unison, shouting in chorus as they made their appeal to the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao.
The vast, thunderous sound of their voices shook the Lingluo Heavenly Domain slightly.
This scene left people dumbfounded and awestruck.
In the ten thousand years of the Present-Ancient Era, such a large-scale public appeal to the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao was unprecedented.
On Blackwater Mountain.
The old beggar drank Dragon Cauldron fine wine and chuckled, "I must say, this little play of petitioning put on by these brats is quite spectacular. The Nine Heavens Immortal Dao claims to be the leader of the Great Dao in the Present-Ancient Era and has always taken protecting all living beings as its duty. Now, with so many people appealing together, even if the Nine Heavens don't want to step in, they'll have to. Otherwise, they can't justify themselves to the myriad heavens and worlds, and they won't be able to sit securely on that leader's seat in the future."
Heishui Lady said with a smile, "The Nine Heavens Immortal Dao only claims to be the leader of the Great Dao. It's not the true leader."
"Dear sister Heishui, you don't understand, do you?
Precisely because the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao only claims to be the leader, they care even more about the reputation of the Nine Heavens and the hearts of the myriad beings. If they lose the support of the people's hearts, the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao fundamentally cannot sit securely as the leader. Otherwise, why do you think the Heavenly Dao fell?
It was because they lost the people's hearts, allowing the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao to seize the opportunity. Even the Heavenly Dao, the true overlord of heaven and earth, couldn't sit securely as the leader after losing the people's hearts. How much more so for the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao, which only calls itself the leader?"
"So, old beggar, you think the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao will definitely step in to execute my Brother You Di?"
"Tsk tsk!
Dear sister Heishui, you shouldn't ask this old man that question. You should ask the little brother instead."
"Oh?"
Heishui Lady handed Gu Qingfeng a cup of Dragon Cauldron fine wine and asked, "Brother You Di, do you think the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao will step in?"
"You shouldn't ask me that question either."
"Then who should I ask?"
Gu Qingfeng opened his mouth. Heishui Lady personally fed him the Dragon Cauldron fine wine. He said, "You should ask the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao."
"Ah?
I wouldn't dare ask the Nine Heavens Immortal Dao."
Gu Qingfeng chuckled, "What's there to be afraid of? Want me to ask for you?"
As if not expecting Gu Qingfeng to say this, Heishui Lady's expression momentarily froze. After a moment, she stared at Gu Qingfeng and replied, "Alright."