The white-robed man, Gu Qingfeng, stood in the center of the field, his expression indifferent, his eyes cold and ruthless.
Dusk had already fallen, and silence enveloped the entire scene.
No one dared to move, no one dared to speak.
He looked at the Elders of the two great Branch Halls, Fire Cloud and Wind-Cloud, not uttering a single word. He merely raised his hand slightly, and a mass of black mist abruptly appeared in his palm. The mist was like condensed dark clouds, eerie and terrifying.
Immediately after, the Spiritual Power of the Elders from the Wind-Cloud and Fire Cloud Branch Halls was sucked into the black mist.
What was he doing?
He was actually…
He was actually devouring these people's Spiritual Power!
No!
It wasn't just Spiritual Power, because everyone could see clearly that the Elders of the Wind-Cloud and Fire Cloud Branch Halls were not only losing their Spiritual Power; their hair began to fall out, their skin began to wither, and their entire bodies started to age rapidly.
Heavens!
He wasn't just devouring their Spiritual Power; he was consuming their essence, energy, and spirit all at once!
"Gu… Gu Qingfeng, you can't… you can't do this!" Lan Feier cried out in panic.
"Since you all say I'm an evil cultivator, then I am an evil cultivator. If I don't do something evil, how could I live up to the title?"
The Elders of the two great Branch Halls, Wind-Cloud and Fire Cloud, could clearly feel their Purple Mansions rapidly collapsing, their Golden Cores rapidly shrinking, their Spiritual Power rapidly draining away, and at the same time, they were aging at an alarming rate. They struggled, but it was useless, only hastening their decline.
"No! No—don't…" "Evil demon! Such a ruthless evil demon!" "You will die! When our Branch Hall Masters arrive, it will be your death day!"
Witnessing this scene, Lan Feier was also scared stiff on the spot. Even the usually cold-hearted Shui Yunruo was terrified, her eyes filled with fear. Both women pointed trembling fingers at Gu Qingfeng.
"Gu Qingfeng… how could you… how could you do this…" "They may have… may have been wrong, but you shouldn't… devour… devour them…"
Gu Qingfeng did not look at them, merely responding indifferently, "I said, I've never had the habit of being beaten. Not in the past, not now, and not in the future. Since they dared to make a move, they must bear the consequences."
"I beg… I beg you, spare them…" Lan Feier pleaded through tears.
"Spare them? When they were attacking just now, why didn't they spare me?"
Gu Qingfeng's voice held no emotional color—no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness. There was only flatness, as if he wasn't devouring these people's essence, energy, and spirit, but merely doing something very ordinary.
"Sparing them is the Buddha's business. It has nothing to do with me. I am not the Buddha, I do not believe in the Buddha, and I have no compassion."
As Gu Qingfeng swung his arm, the Spiritual Power, essence, energy, and spirit of over a dozen Elders from the Wind-Cloud and Fire Cloud Branch Halls were completely drained dry. The dozen-plus Elders collapsed on the ground, their hair already fallen out, their skin withered like old bark, their eyes sunken and vacant. Their mouths hung open, unable to utter a word, only gasping out their last breaths.
It wasn't over. It wouldn't be over.
Within the field, over two hundred people were either dead or injured, a scene of utter wretchedness. Heir Apparent Disciples like Ren Shen, Xiao Fan, and Jin Can were so terrified they lost control of their bowels and bladders. While the Elders weren't in such a pitiful state, they too were paralyzed in pools of their own blood, their bodies trembling uncontrollably with fear.
Especially the dozen-plus Elders from the Fenghui Sect at Gu Qingfeng's feet.
The Fenghui Sect was the number one sect in the Liuli Great Region. The dozen-plus Elders who had come to attend the banquet today were all renowned senior experts of the Liuli Great Region, especially the leaders Bai Hong and Jin Yu, both prominent figures in the region. Now they lay paralyzed on the ground, not even daring to lift their heads.
Suddenly, Gu Qingfeng's voice came.
"Do I have any enmity with you?"
His voice was very flat, very quiet.
Yet, it was precisely this flatness, this quietness, that, when it reached the ears of the dozen-plus Fenghui Sect Elders, made them feel as if they had fallen into a bottomless abyss. Their minds instantly shattered, their souls feeling as if they were being crushed.
"Speak!"
Another word came, even flatter, even quieter. The dozen-plus Fenghui Sect Elders trembled even more violently. No! It was no longer trembling; their entire bodies convulsed as if struck by lightning.
"N-no… none…" As the Grand Elder, Bai Hong forced himself to endure the fear in his heart and replied fearfully.
"Since I have no grievance or enmity with you, why did you attack? Your killing intent was so strong. Were you that eager to kill me?"
"I… you… I… please, Young Master Chiyan… show mercy… I know… I was wrong…"
"Wrong?" The originally calm Gu Qingfeng suddenly turned cold, stern, and fierce. He roared angrily, "When you were unleashing your killing intent, you were swaggering about. Only when facing death do you realize you were wrong. Where were you earlier?!"
As his words fell, with a *bang*, his hand rose and fell, and Elder Bai Hong's skull shattered.
"You! You! You! And you! All of you, roll over here and accept death!"
*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Nine of the dozen-plus Fenghui Sect Elders were killed on the spot by Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng grabbed Elder Jin Yu and hauled him up. Elder Jin Yu was scared out of his wits and cried out, "Young Master Chiyan, Chiyan… I… I didn't want to kill you…"
"Otherwise, why do you think you're still alive?!"
Gu Qingfeng threw Jin Yu to the ground and shouted, "Since the Fire Cloud and Wind-Cloud Branch Halls have already called their Hall Masters over, one more won't make a difference. Call everyone from the Fenghui Sect, every last one of them, over here!"
"You…" Elder Jin Yu was dumbstruck, not even daring to breathe heavily, let alone activate a Message Talisman.
"What's the matter? You're holding a Message Talisman, didn't you want to call for help? Why aren't you activating it?"
What?!
Elder Jin Yu's face twisted in terror, his body convulsing even more violently. He was indeed holding a Message Talisman. It wasn't that he didn't want to activate it and call for help; it was that after witnessing the fate of the Fire Cloud and Wind-Cloud Branch Halls when they activated their talismans, how could he dare?
"Activate the Message Talisman in your hand, or I'll slaughter you right now!"
"You…" Elder Jin Yu didn't dare. He shook his head and said, "Young Master Chiyan, please rest assured, I… I absolutely will not activate the Message Talisman. Regarding today's matter, I guarantee you, our Fenghui Sect will definitely not seek trouble with you!"
"Remember your own words. A person's life only comes once."
Gu Qingfeng didn't even glance at Elder Jin Yu. His eyes swept across the people from the Ten Great Sects of the Liuli Great Region and the Three Caves Five Mountains present. "And you all, whether from the Ten Great Sects or the Three Caves Five Mountains, to save your Patriarchs from searching the world for me afterwards, I'll wait right here today. Call over your fathers, your Patriarchs, your entire families—everyone you can call."
Like Elder Jin Yu of the Fenghui Sect, no one activated a talisman. To be precise, no one dared to.
"Today, out of respect for Old Senior Shi Tong, I don't want to unleash a massacre here. Get off this mountain and scram. Let this matter end here."
"I gave you a chance. Now I'm telling you to activate your Message Talismans, and you won't. If you activate them later to call your Patriarchs, then even if you want to die, I won't give you the chance!"
With that, Gu Qingfeng leaped and vanished.