In the end, Tan Siru still couldn't withstand the temptation. Gritting her teeth, she summoned a Flying Sword and thrust it straight at him.
She was a Foundation-Establishment expert, with formidable spiritual power within her body. The might of her single sword strike was naturally extraordinary.
Knowing that Gu fellow possessed a powerful physique, she didn't dare be careless. She madly circulated the spiritual power within her and swung her sword.
In her mind, at this moment, Gu Qingfeng was pinned beneath Li Sen's Golden Aurora Seven-Star Pagoda, unable to move. With her sword thrusting towards him, that Gu fellow would either die or be crippled.
Just as her sword was about to strike Gu Qingfeng's back, Gu Qingfeng suddenly turned around and caught the tip of her sword between two fingers!
How was this possible!
Tan Siru was instantly shocked, her expression turning utterly horrified. She tried to pull her sword back and retreat!
*Crack!*
The Flying Sword in her hand inexplicably snapped.
It had been broken.
Without any visible movement from Gu Qingfeng, a Flying Sword had just been snapped in two.
This scene was far too bizarre, too earth-shattering.
Tan Siru's expression changed drastically. She had no time to think, leaping back to flee.
But it was already too late.
After breaking the Flying Sword, Gu Qingfeng kicked out with one foot. This kick was like lightning, so fast Tan Siru couldn't even see it clearly. She only felt a numbness in her chest, a chaotic churning within her body, and then she was already flying through the air. She landed on the ground and, with a *wah* sound, couldn't help but vomit blood.
When Gu Qingfeng kicked Tan Siru away, Li Sen, standing atop the pagoda, couldn't help but turn pale with fright. He couldn't understand how this Gu fellow, who was clearly pinned and immobilized by his Golden Aurora Seven-Star Pagoda, could still move.
Indeed.
He couldn't understand.
Little did he know, the reason Gu Qingfeng hadn't moved wasn't because the Golden Aurora Seven-Star Pagoda was so powerful, but because he felt this Magical Treasure looked somewhat familiar, stirring some memories from his youth. That was all.
At this moment, he stood tall, one hand supporting the Golden Aurora Seven-Star Pagoda. With a sudden exertion of force, a series of crisp *crackling* sounds rang out. The radiance enveloping the pagoda's body completely dissipated. At the same time, the Golden Aurora Seven-Star Pagoda instantly shrank, returning to its original form, becoming about the size of a fist.
"You!
You...
How is this possible!"
Fallen on the ground, Li Sen stared wide-eyed, unable to even stand up, trembling all over with fear, his face deathly pale.
"What is Guang Yuan to you?"
Gu Qingfeng looked at the Golden Aurora Seven-Star Pagoda in his hand. He recognized this Magical Treasure, and the memory was still very clear to this day, because he had nearly died by this very treasure's hand back then.
Back then, when he was a laborer at the Yunxia Sect, he had clashed with an inner disciple named Guang Yuan, fighting fiercely. Guang Yuan had used this Golden Aurora Seven-Star Pagoda as his Magical Treasure, though back then Guang Yuan couldn't unleash its full power and was soundly beaten by Gu Qingfeng.
However, after that incident, Guang Yuan's master, who was also Elder Jinde, upon learning of it, had nearly killed him using this very Magical Treasure.
What surprised Gu Qingfeng was that, five hundred years later, there was still a disciple at the Yunxia Sect using this Golden Aurora Seven-Star Pagoda.
"True Person Guang Yuan is my master, Li Sen."
Hearing this Gu fellow mention his master, Li Sen immediately regained his confidence. He stood up, snarling and shouting, "If you know what's good for you, kneel down immediately! Otherwise, my master will definitely kill you!"
"Oh?
What a coincidence."
Gu Qingfeng smiled, finding it rather ironic.
Back when he was a laborer at the Yunxia Sect, he had fought with Guang Yuan. Who would have thought that five hundred years later, upon returning to the Yunxia Sect, he would encounter Guang Yuan's disciple? Back then, Guang Yuan had used this Golden Aurora Seven-Star Pagoda, and five hundred years later, his disciple was still using it.
Truly, fate plays cruel tricks!
"Waste!
Kneel before me!"
Seeing Gu Qingfeng fall silent, Li Sen thought he was afraid. His earlier terror instantly vanished, replaced by an overbearing, intimidating aura.
"Like master, like disciple. You and your master truly share the same character!"
Gu Qingfeng kicked out, saying with casual ease, "Go back and tell your master: I'm taking this thing."
With that kick, Li Sen didn't even have time to grunt before directly losing consciousness.
The hundred-plus people present had long been scared out of their wits, all keeping their distance, staring in terror as if looking at a monster.
Everyone knew that a mutated body resulting from a failed Foundation-Establishment would possess a formidable physique. But no one had imagined it would be this formidable.
Formidable enough to defeat outstanding inner disciples like Li Sen, Yun Hong, and Ye Hui with a single move.
Formidable enough that even the Golden Aurora Seven-Star Pagoda couldn't subdue him.
That was the supreme Magical Treasure, the Golden Aurora Seven-Star Pagoda! It was the Magical Treasure of Li Sen's master, Great Steward Guang Yuan! Yet, with a wave of his hand, he had extinguished the treasure's radiance.
Even more shocking was that even a Foundation-Establishment expert as powerful as Tan Siru couldn't do anything to him. Even the Flying Sword in her hand had been snapped by him.
If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, no one would dare believe this was real.
On the scene.
He stood there, hands clasped behind his back. His snow-white robes and ink-black hair fluttered slightly in the red-leaf mountain forest. His handsome face seemed devoid of any emotional color—neither sorrow nor joy. There was only tranquility, a tranquility as deep as the vast ocean, so quiet it was frightening, so quiet it inspired fear.
At this moment, Tan Siru stood there holding her broken Flying Sword. She looked disheveled, or more accurately, terrified.
She didn't know who this Gu fellow really was, or why he was so formidable.
But one thing she was clear about: someone who could snap her Flying Sword with ease, someone who could extinguish the Golden Aurora Seven-Star Pagoda's radiance—she was absolutely no match for him.
She was afraid. Very afraid.
Because her sneak attack had just failed, she feared this Gu fellow would come after her.
She wanted to run, but for some reason, her legs seemed to disobey her, as if they had lost all sensation. She didn't dare move.
Especially when Gu Qingfeng's twilight-deep, serene eyes fixed on her, her soul felt as if it were withering. Darkness filled her mind, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
Fear!
It was a fear that came from the depths of her soul.
A fear that made it hard to breathe, a fear that made her unable to stand steady. With a *thud*, she collapsed to the ground.
"What is your dignity worth?"
Gu Qingfeng looked at her, his voice exceptionally calm, as if asking whether she had eaten. Yet, when these words reached Tan Siru's ears, each one struck like a precious pearl, reverberating in her mind, shaking her very soul.
Not far away, Ouyang Ye stood there dumbfounded. Her pressure points were sealed; she could neither move nor speak. But her eyes had been wide open the entire time. She had seen everything from beginning to end.
She looked at Gu Qingfeng standing there, just looking.
Only now did she finally understand why Gu Qingfeng, after beating up the outer disciples, still dared to swagger around picking fruit here. She finally understood why, when Li Sen brought over a hundred people up the mountain, he didn't care in the slightest.
Back then, she thought this guy might have something wrong with his head. Later, her Senior Martial Sister said this guy was just putting on a calm front.
At this moment, she finally knew she was wrong. Terribly wrong.
There was nothing wrong with Gu Qingfeng's head, nor was he putting on a calm front as her Senior Martial Sister had said.
He truly didn't care. He truly was indifferent.
From the very beginning, he hadn't taken this matter to heart, not even a little bit. He had been doing his own thing, picking fruit all along.
Li Sen brought people? He kept picking.
Senior Martial Sister said she could resolve the matter. Gu Qingfeng said if she could resolve it, then he'd just keep picking fruit.
Ouyang Ye hadn't understood back then. Now she knew the true meaning behind Gu Qingfeng's words. For him, picking fruit was the important matter. As for Li Sen...
It seemed like just a trivial, insignificant affair. If someone could resolve it, fine—he could keep picking fruit. If no one resolved it, he'd resolve it himself.
Later, Senior Martial Sister presented Li Sen's demand, telling him to kneel.
He said he wasn't in the habit of kneeling to anyone.
Senior Martial Sister even mocked him, saying his dignity was worthless.