"Hahahahaha!"
Changfeng Great Emperor suddenly burst into loud laughter, his voice unrestrained and filled with heroic spirit, brimming with boundless excitement and pleasant surprise. The laughter shook the surrounding Blood Mist, causing it to scatter and disperse, making the originally sinister crimson land seem less terrifying.
However, his laughter left everyone else somewhat baffled.
When they saw Changfeng Great Emperor pointing at Gu Qingfeng moments ago, everyone present thought he was about to attack Gu Qingfeng, and they were all eagerly anticipating it. So why was Changfeng Great Emperor not only not attacking but now roaring with laughter?
Why was this?
Could it be that Changfeng Great Emperor was too excited upon seeing his arch-nemesis, You Di?
Excited because he could finally take revenge and rid the world of this scourge?
Was that truly the case?
It wasn't very clear.
There was just a feeling that the atmosphere seemed a bit off.
In truth,
only Qianye Immortal King knew why Changfeng Great Emperor couldn't help but laugh heartily upon seeing Gu Qingfeng. It was indeed due to excitement, but not for revenge or eliminating a public menace. It was because Changfeng Great Emperor had finally laid eyes on the You Di he had been constantly talking about.
That was all. Nothing more.
Gu Qingfeng's existence, for Changfeng Great Emperor, was not that of a friend, but he was absolutely not an enemy either. There was no personal grudge between the two, not even the slightest bit.
If not for their differing stances, they might even have become bosom friends who shared life and death.
Ever since Changfeng Great Emperor learned that You Di was also in the Desolate Ancient Era black hole, he had been eager to meet him. Unfortunately, Qianye Immortal King did not permit him to do so.
Although Changfeng Great Emperor verbally agreed, deep down he knew very well that as long as You Di was in these Desolate Ancient Era ruins, the two would inevitably meet. It was only a matter of time.
Yet, what Changfeng Great Emperor never expected was that by chance, coming to this mysterious Blood Mist land, he would actually encounter You Di in person.
He was simply overjoyed, so happy that he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Opposite him,
Gu Qingfeng, watching the roaring Changfeng Great Emperor, also couldn't help but laugh.
Changfeng Great Emperor was so excited upon seeing him here that he couldn't control himself.
As for Gu Qingfeng upon seeing Changfeng Great Emperor, perhaps he wasn't as excited, but he was absolutely filled with surprise and pleasant astonishment.
In his lifetime, the number of fights he had engaged in was beyond count, and his opponents were too numerous to tally. Coupled with his own forgetful nature, there weren't many opponents he could remember. Changfeng Great Emperor was definitely one of them.
Among his many opponents, Changfeng Great Emperor might not have been the strongest, but he was absolutely the one who left the deepest impression on Gu Qingfeng.
Even today, recalling that battle from back then, both Gu Qingfeng and Changfeng Great Emperor felt their blood boil with excitement.
That battle was the most exhilarating fight Changfeng Great Emperor had ever experienced. Similarly, for Gu Qingfeng, it was a deeply memorable battle.
Changfeng Great Emperor admired Gu Qingfeng for fighting like a maniac without regard for his life. Gu Qingfeng, in turn, admired him for his indomitable, never-say-die spirit in battle.
Changfeng Great Emperor admired how Gu Qingfeng grew crazier the longer he fought. Gu Qingfeng admired how he grew more valiant with each clash.
That battle from back then was like a fierce struggle between a dragon and a tiger, evenly matched with no clear winner.
Gu Qingfeng didn't manage to beat Changfeng Great Emperor into submission, and Changfeng Great Emperor likewise failed to make Gu Qingfeng concede defeat.
Moreover, by the end of that battle, both Changfeng Great Emperor and Gu Qingfeng had fought until their consciousness grew hazy. As for the final outcome of that fight, neither of them knew.
This was precisely the fundamental reason why Changfeng Great Emperor had never been able to forget Gu Qingfeng. In life, finding a kindred spirit who shares your temperament is difficult. Finding an opponent you cannot best is even more rare.
"You Di, ah, You Di! To think that after so many years, the two of us meet again. This truly is no easy feat."
"What of it?"
Gu Qingfeng squinted his eyes with a smile. "Looks like you're still not convinced since I didn't beat you to ashes last time?"
"Hahahaha!"
"Truly worthy of being You Di! In the ancient era, you were outrageously arrogant. In this Present Era, you haven't changed one bit! Still just as insolent!"
Changfeng Great Emperor nodded, laughing heartily. "That's right!"
"I was indeed not convinced after that last battle. What about you? Were you beaten into submission by me?"
"Heh."
Gu Qingfeng chuckled wryly. "Give it up. With your level of skill, hoping to beat me into submission in this lifetime is certainly hopeless. Talk about it in your next life."
"Hahaha!"
Perhaps due to being too excited and overjoyed, Changfeng Great Emperor kept laughing. "No need for the next life! In this very lifetime, I, Gu Changfeng, can beat you, Gu Tianlang, into complete submission!"
"Fine!"
"No problem."
Gu Qingfeng smiled. "How about we find some time later to have a little spar?"
"Suits me perfectly!"
With that, Changfeng Great Emperor burst into another round of laughter.
Within the area,
the Ancestral Patriarchs from Purple Cloud Immortal Realm, Feather Transcendence Immortal Realm, Haolei Clan, Shangqing Sect, and Loulan Blessed Land watched this scene, looking at each other in confusion, finding it all rather incomprehensible.
They had originally thought Changfeng Great Emperor and You Di would surely come to blows. How did the conversation take such a turn? The two of them, bantering back and forth, sounded like two old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time catching up. If they were going to fight, why were they scheduling it?
This was nothing like enemies. This was clearly an old friends' arranged brawl.
Weren't Changfeng Great Emperor and You Di mortal enemies locked in a life-and-death struggle?
Since when did they become old friends who admired each other?
Just what was going on?
To the side, ever since Qianye Immortal King arrived here and saw You Di, her heart had been filled with tension.
Firstly, she knew Gu Qingfeng's existence was terrifying and dreadful.
Secondly, she worried that Gu Qingfeng still harbored resentment over past events and would clash fiercely with Changfeng Great Emperor.
Thirdly, and this was what she feared and worried about most, was that Changfeng Great Emperor wouldn't be able to resist the urge to fight Gu Qingfeng to determine a victor.
As the saying goes, what you fear most is what comes to pass.
Gu Qingfeng didn't seem to hold a grudge over past events, nor did he appear to have any intention of fighting Changfeng Great Emperor—at least, it didn't look that way.
Who would have thought these two would end up arranging a fight while talking?
What drove Qianye Immortal King to despair even more was that Changfeng Great Emperor just agreed to it.
No matter how Qianye Immortal King tried to persuade him via Secret Transmission from behind, it was useless. Changfeng Great Emperor acted as if he didn't hear, turning a deaf ear, which infuriated Qianye Immortal King.
Just as she was about to step forward and pull Changfeng Great Emperor back, a sudden anomaly occurred within the area.
The previously calm Bloody Spring Eye inexplicably began bubbling with blood, and the rolling Blood Mist, like smoke, instantly grew denser.
This sudden change immediately pulled everyone's focus away from Gu Qingfeng. Ever since entering, their attention had been entirely on Gu Qingfeng. As for what this Bloody Spring Eye actually was, no one knew, and no one cared. Compared to the Bloody Spring Eye, they cared more about the Original Sin on Gu Qingfeng's person.
Now that the Bloody Spring Eye had suddenly undergone this anomaly, everyone immediately withdrew their thoughts and shifted their attention to the Bloody Spring Eye.